#faust x faith

[ill-skillsgard]

Yay loved the latest Faust and faith story! Love that she got a tattoo 😂 can’t wait to read more, maybe how her parents react when they find out Faust is back in town

A/N: A bit of a shorter one this time around. I have lots of writing projects on the go this summer, but I didn't want to leave my FxF girlies hanging. Keep sending in prompts and reblogging and commenting if you want more. My fanfic motivation stems pretty much solely from demand nowadays. Love you all and thanks for reading! Xo - Ills

Warning: 18+ Smut, mature language, mature themes

Summary: After catching wind of Faust's return to the Valley, Faith's father threatens to uproot her life if he catches her with him again.

- Not based on Lords of Chaos. I use Faust!Valter’s likeness only as inspiration.

Read more Faust x Faith here [x]

The rain came down hard the morning Faust woke up beside Faith in her apartment. It was a small one-bedroom space on the top floor of an old house that had once belonged to a wealthy family. The neighborhood was built on grids of these old homes of brick and slat board, now divided into cubicles and modified to fit a revolving door of students. He looked out the window at the iron sky roiling with storm clouds, flashing to an unknowable rhythm, and smiled. Faith was asleep, but not still, as her unconscious body seemed to sense his wakefulness and reached out to pull him back. Faust abandoned the drizzling window and sank back underneath blankets that smelled of her and what he hoped wasn't the scent of another man. The thought of someone else next to her set his heart racing.

Faith was different now, as much as Faust denied her claims. He couldn't put his finger on the change, but it had happened while he was gone, and as he stared at her asleep, heat rose up his throat. He had left her, and someone else had watched her grow. A spiteful grip tightened around his neck, and choked until tears flooded his eyes. He wiped his wet cheeks with her blanket and pulled her against his chest.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Faith mumbled, and he stirred from the breath on his skin. The air from her nose and mouth was such a simple sensation, but it rose goosebumps on his arms. He tried to think of another who might have moved him just by breathing. Freydis had spread her stale beer breath on him on a cramped night in the tour bus, and though she was pretty, he had recoiled from the warmth. His failure to move on from Faith and the dull morning dreariness made him feel outside himself, losing grip on who he was.

The only thing that brought him back into his head was when Faith kissed his collarbone slowly. Each small kiss was heavy and aroused him. He grew erect so fast it embarrassed him, and he curled his hips away so she wouldn't notice. Her hand sought him, though, and took hold of his cock through his boxers and squeezed.

"Good morning," he said.

Faith mumbled and threw her leg over his hips. Half-asleep, she directed him to take his boxers off and slip inside her while they lay facing each other. Faust sank into her wet tightness with a shudder and a string of curse words. Faith barely made a noise and rocked with him until they found a lazy rhythm. The stretch was profound. Faust bit his lip to keep from groaning. He didn't want to be the more desperate of the two.

They undulated, torsos adhered with overnight sweat and moisture from the air. Faust kissed her when she nearly fell asleep again with him inside her, and she replied with hunger.

"Fuck me," said Faith.

"I am, baby."

"Fuck me more."

Faust pushed his hips forth, driving his cock into her to the hilt, pulsing. She sighed happily while he struggled to contain his pleasure to a few grunts.

"That feels so good. I swear your pussy got tighter."

"That's impossible."

"Why? You get a lot of dick while I was gone?"

"Not from anyone bigger than you."

Faust smirked to himself. Faith's eyes were still closed as she enjoyed him pulling halfway out and pushing all the way in at a slow yet forceful pace, so his joy was all his own.

"Did you miss it?"

"Of course I missed it, Beetle."

"Are you awake enough to ride me?"

Faith climbed on top of him and stayed lying down, straddling while he tilted his thrusts upward. In this position, her breasts pressed against his chest, and he could smell her hair and feel her heartbeat. He wrapped his arms around her, and she felt small and fragile. But he knew better. Faith wasn't weak.

"Fuck, I love being inside you," Faust whispered. "Tell me your pussy is all mine."

Faith looked up at him, eyes reflecting the incoming storm from the window, and kissed him. It wasn't an answer, but it was all Faust needed.

They rolled around on the bed, attempting different positions for an hour while Faith received several phone calls. She had silenced her phone the night before, and after Faust finally flipped her onto her stomach, face buried in the pillows, and finished with a long groan, she peeled open her eyes and saw the screen illuminated. Her heart sprang like a too-tight coil.

Someone banged on the apartment door. Faith leaped from the bed and twisted into a robe from her closet, cursing.

"Expecting company?" Faust asked.

"It's my Dad. Oh my god, he cannot know you're here! Quick, get in the closet."

Usually, Faust would chuckle and refuse, choosing to face the challenge and pull a stunt of having been caught in bed with the preacher's daughter. This time was different. Faith looked scared. Not just caught off guard but genuinely afraid, as if Stan might do something extreme if he discovered Faust in her bedroom. He got up, and Faith pushed him along, shutting the folding slat door as he ducked under the shelf and knocked her clothes off hangers. It was a small closet and unsuitable for men of his stature. Nevertheless, Faust crouched down and listened.

He heard Stan shout her name from the front door, and Faith let him in with an apology at the ready.

"What is going on with you? I tried calling a dozen times."

"Sorry, Daddy. I was asleep and had my ringer off."

"Since when do you keep it off?"

"I silence my phone for work."

"You didn't work last night, did you?"

Faith laughed nervously. Faust wanted to burst out of the closet and wring Stan's neck.

"No, but I went out."

"Something's not right with you, girl. We need to have a serious talk. Get some clothes on and be prepared to explain yourself."

How dare he order her around? Faust clenched his jaw and nearly popped a blood vessel when Faith returned to the bedroom and opened the closet an inch.

"Stay quiet. I'm so serious."

Faust rolled his eyes and indicated the discomfort the closet provided with its incompatible 5-and-a-half-foot height. His back was already starting to ache.

"Sorry," she whispered, then shut him in again.

Faith changed into a t-shirt and shorts and greeted her father in the small living room.

"Sit down."

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"You tell me. I got a very interesting call from Hunter saying you broke up with him over the phone."

"I absolutely did not! It wasn't over the phone."

"So, you did break up."

"Ugh, Dad! I don't want to talk about it."

"He also mentioned something about your ex-boyfriend being back in town."

"This is ridiculous. Why did Hunter call you? He told on me for breaking up with him?"

"Hunter's a good kid. When I spoke to him, he sounded completely crushed. Said it came out of nowhere. Now, I just hope this isn't because of him."

The motherfucker can't even say my name, Faust thought, scowling, smirking, hands shaking. His ears rang from hot and cold surges down his spine, and he struggled to hear.

"Hunter probably failed to mention that he started a fistfight the night I broke up with him," Faith said, avoiding the whole truth. Hunter had punched Faust square in the face, blackening his eye. It still throbbed once in a while, though it was a small price to pay to get Faith back. It wasn't the first time he had an altercation because of their relationship, and if Stan kept hounding her, it wouldn't be the last.

"I swear, Faith if you're seeing him again—"

"Leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you about this anymore. I don't want to talk to Hunter or you if you're just gonna try to defend him and..."

"And what?"

"So what if Faust is back? He lives in this town, you know. It's not my fault."

Stan was quiet for a moment. Faust pressed his ear to the slat and strained to hear, unsure if Stan was muttering or silent.

"He's a part of that Black Circle. The ones responsible for burning down Trinity."

Faith scoffed. "That's just some stupid rumor, Dad. There's no such thing as the Black Circle. They had to pin it on something."

I fucking saved your daughter's life by burning that piece of shit.

"He's not good. I don't know what it is, but there's something wrong in that boy's head, and if I catch you with him, Faith, there will be consequences."

"Stop threatening me! I'm not some little child. If I want to break up with someone, you should support me instead of coming into my place and telling me you're gonna fuck up my life if I don't do what you want!"

Faust could sense the shock on Stan's face, and it made him giddy. His sweet little Faith telling her father off stirred his groin.

"I don't appreciate your disgusting language, Faith!"

"Well, I don't appreciate being bossed around anymore! I won't take it from Hunter, and I won't take it from you. I'll do whatever I want because it's my life! And Mom would agree. Besides, it's not like Hunter was perfect. You hated his music too."

"But he's respectful and goes to college. There's a difference between some good-for-nothing punk dating my daughter and a man rougher around the edges but has an education."

Faust's thighs began to burn from squatting, but his chest blazed hotter. The small closet contained all the heat from his breath and anger, and he sweated under his arms and across his forehead. Were the circumstances different, he might have stormed from the closet, fists ready to swing. But he wanted to hear what else Stan had to say while under the impression he was alone with his daughter.

"I don't care about what you care about. Hunter and I are done."

"You're back with him, aren't you?"

"Dad," she sighed.

"I will pull funding your tuition."

"Do it then."

"So, it's true. You're seeing that piece of shit wannabe rock star."

"I never said that! I'm not with anyone right now. There's too much going on in my life to worry about boys, and you're only making things worse. I wish you would stop paying for my school, so maybe you'd leave me alone and stop involving yourself in my personal life!"

Stan sighed. "It's like I don't know you anymore. What happened to my good girl?"

"You smothered her. Now it's just me, and I'd rather you back off and let me do what I want."

"Fine. But I better not see you with him. I mean it. You might be an adult now, but you still live on my dime. You'd do well to remember that. And do not miss another Sunday mass."

"Whatever. Can you just go now? I have schoolwork. Lots of it."

Faust heard Stan shuffle around the apartment, his voice too dim to hear. When the door shut, Faust considered opening the closet but waited for Faith to retrieve him. Once she slid the door open on its track, he lifted her off the ground and kissed her. Faith tried to speak, but Faust's only interest was devouring her mouth. He laid her out on the bed, pulled off the shorts she had put on, and propped her legs up with his arms.

"Faust! What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna eat your fucking pussy 'til you cum all over my goddamn face. Then I'm gonna fuck you until you cry."

Faith let out a slow moan as his tongue traveled up her slit and coiled around her clit. She relaxed, but Faust jostled her.

"Hey, don't close your eyes. I want you to fucking watch me. Yeah... Watch me licking your perfect cunt. This is my fucking pussy forever. I don't care what anyone says."

"I don't care either," she said.

"Good. We'll keep sneaking around for a while, but sooner or later, you'll tell your Dad about me."

"But—"

"I'll pay for your fucking school. Or you can quit and come on the road with me."

"Mmm, Faust. I love you."

"I love you too, baby. Now stop talking. I wanna make you cum."

[devourable]

the lovers · yandere ocs x terms of endearment

† the church boy :

love, faith, darling, angel. sweet, romantic nicknames are abraham's favorite ways to address his darling aside from their name, especially ones with religious connotations. hell, he'll even refer to you as his god/dess if you even imply that you want him to.

✘ the delinquents :

individually they all have their own little nickname for you; mattias calls you babe, dominic calls you hotstuff, aaron calls you lover (loverboy or lovergirl if you prefer), and judas simply calls you a shorter form of your name.

✎ the prodigy :

he'd have a hard time referring to you as anything other than your name. but whatever he does call you, he makes sure to add 'my' in front of it, no matter what. my darling. my treasure. my beloved. you belong to him and he will make it known, even in the smallest of ways.

☾ the monster :

mykolas almost exclusively refers to you as his mate. but he occasionally likes to refer to you as any pretty thing he's seen recently (rose, bumblebee, waterfall, etc). anything that gives him a nice feeling will nake him think of you.

⚡︎ the gym bunny :

little prince/princess/monarch. particularly when shes trying to encourage you for one reason or another, she'll dial up the nicknames to ten to try and motivate you to work harder. you're her little ruler, you'll do as she says, right?

༄ the mermaids :

together, they all almost exclusively refer to you as their human. lyonesse especially — when she addresses you directly, she calls you 'little human' rather than your name. tomila refers to you as 'pearl' or 'starfish', and kallisto will mimic the names she's heard humans use for one another like 'baby' or 'honey'.

➶ the butcher :

rhodes likens you to baby animals. little lamb, cub, and calf are particular favorites of theirs, but they'll playfully refer to you as sillier baby animal names when they think of them (fry, joey, ✨pangopup✨). they like gently reminding you how small you are compared to them; reminding you how safe you are with them as well.

☹ the alt kids :

like the delinquents, they all have their own nickname for you. faust calls you dollface or just 'doll', delta will call you 'sugar' (and/or spice if you have a more firey attitude), and anton refers to you as 'dove' or 'baby bat'.

[blueberrypancakesworld]

~ Lords of Chaos 2018 - Masterlist ~

Info : All the fanfictions in this masterlist are not meant to glorify the real events and are only based on the actors fo the movie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Euronymous

°Flower in hell->fem reader, fluff, tiny hurt, comfort, no use of Y/n

°Music, beer and touch->fem reader, fluff, kissing, making out

°NSWF Alphabet-Euronymous

°Princess and the Vampire->fem reader, big fluff

°Get ready boys(all of Mayhem x reader (implied))->fem reader, fluff,comfort

°Fluff Alphabet - Euronymous

°All the best in pink (sequel to Princess and the Vampire)->fem reader, fluff

°Eyes on you in the short skirt->fem reader, making out, kissing, tiny fluff

°Victim of faith->fluff, hurt/comfort, smutish, fem reader

°Old Love and Old friend->male reader, fluff, kiss

°Guitar and bands->fem reader, fluff, falling in love

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pelle/Dead

°NSFW Alphabet-Pelle/Dead

°Your pain is my pain->fem reader,angst, hurt/comfort

°Expulsion of the one->(Euronymous x fem reader x Dead) fluff, comfort

°Fluff Alphabet ~ Pelle/Dead

°Pelle/Dead - NSFW - Drabble

°My cold and heat->fem reader, making out, fluff, Part.1

°My heat and cold->fem reader, smut, kissing, Part.2

°Dark Happiness->fem reader, hurt/comfort, angst, implied self-harm

°He is true Black Metal->male reader, fluff

°Halloween->fluff, fem reader

°Dead-A boyfriend like Satan->male reader, fluff, hurt/comfort

°A normal day->fem reader, fluff, kissing

°Love in Spring ->Fluff, hurt/comfort

°My heart ->fluff, smut

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Faust

°NSFW Alphabet-Faust

°Pregnant? And a wedding?->fem reader, fluff, hurt/cmomfort, emotional

°Mine and only mine->fem reader, fluff, comfort, dark theme, smut

°Happy Birthday...somehow->fem reader, fluff, tiny comfort

°Fluff Alphabet - Faust

°Cuddle Concert->fem reader, fluff, comfort, cuddling

°Satan's rebirth? Or a demoness after all? (Sequel to Pregnant? And a weeding?)->fem reader, fluff

°Dark Party with an Happy End->fem reader, fluff, falling in love

°Pink and Black->fem reader (black metal & bimbo style), fluff, getting to know eachother, fluff

°Goth Girlfriend->fem reader, fluff, kissing

°He is true Black Metal->male reader fluff

°Goth Girlfriend Part.2->fem reader, fluff, healthy relationship

°Oh my Satan a Baby->fem reader, fluff

°Blood->FTM reader, use of Y/n, fluff, period

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Varg

°NSFW Alphabet-Varg

°The ribbon of music->fem reader, angst, fluff

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellhammer

°NSFW Alphabet-Hellhammer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Necrobutcher

°It's over->fem reader, fluff, hurt/comfort

°Necrobutcher - NSFW - Drabble

°Party and a cold Night->kissing, fluff

°Jealousy - Headcanon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Occultus

°NSFW Alphabet-Occultus

°Quiet and Loud->fem reader, fluff

°Slow and eternal->fem reader, fluff, slowburn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[demens-mads-sevens]

Adding more to the Warhammer 40k x Limbus crossover designs

Major explainations: On the right is Faust as well, but a homunculi-esque version of Faust. A cool skiitari! How fun! Also is controlled in a sense by REAL faust on the left. Try to keep up, faust faust faust. With that out of the way, an inquisitorial stormtrooper killteam made up of a band of outcasts and rejects. Notable of the two so far is Yi-sang who is a psyker and Meursault (my beloved) Meursault is a stranger. He was born (vat-grown) on Krieg but even then is incompatible with Krieg thought and life, mainly finding the idea of dying for Krieg's redemption nonsensical. He will do all an average krieger would do, especially willing to die in the process of accomplishing something necessary. But flavoring "death" being tied with "redemption" is something he can't get his brain around. He doesn't understand it. He never did or will. He is the ultimate pragmatic individual. He does not have the faith or zeal that his kindred have. He knows what to say, and he knows not to speak of his thoughts unless directly ordered to, which is how he survived this long to end up into this Inquisitor's warband.

[chameleon66]

Whispers of Panic

WARNING! Contains:, Raine angst, Odalia being Odalia, bullying, anxiety, anxiety attack(s), tickling, teasing, Hurt/Comfort,

Ships: Raine x Eda and a little Darius x Alador

Word count: 6215 (Long I know)

It had been a few months since Raine had transferred to Hexide and they couldn’t have been happier, they were the best in the Bard track, their anxiety had been down and they were best friends with the coolest witch in the whole school, Edalyn Clawthrone. Who they had to admit was very talented, funny, smart, strong and beautiful with her golden eyes, fiery and fluffy orange hair and winning smile that could make anyone weak at the knees, at least it hopefully wasn’t just them.

Things couldn’t have been better for Raine Whispers, but this wouldn’t be a story if everything was just fine and dandy now would it.

Monday

It had been just like any other Monday morning, Raine walked with Eda and her sister Lillith to school before heading off to their class.

That was when Raine felt a hand on their shoulder stopping them midway to their class.

Raine turned as was met with the face of Principal Faust and vice principal Bump following close behind him, Faust looked angry about something or maybe that's just how his face looked and Bump looked to just be on edge, nothing out of the ordinary.

“Raine Whispers?” Faust asked in a calmish voice.

Raine swallowed a lump in their throat before responding, “Yes, That’s me.” Am I in trouble? Raine thought.

Faust breathed in, then asked “Are you aware?”

“Aware of what?”

“I’ll take that as a no.” Principal Faust acknowledged, “ You Raine Whispers have been selected.”

“Selected for what?” Raine inquired, hopefully it wasn’t to feed Grom, they would either be giving Grom food or being the food.

“You have been chosen to represent the Bard track at the Hexide end of year showcase this Friday.” Principal Faust replied with an unusual amount to vigor in his voice.

“The end of year showcase.” Raine muttered to no one in imparticular, they had learned about what the end of year showcase was from Eda. It was when students from the nine tracks would perform in front of the students that were going to attend hexide that next year. Wait a minute…

THEY HAD TO PERFORM IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE!!

“I have been chosen to perform, i-i-in front of ev-e-everyone.” Raine’s voice shook as the words came out past their lips.

“Yes.” Principal Faust reiterated, “You are by far the most talented Bard in the school, and you have a long history of performing at your previous school, so you are the perfect fit for the position.”

Yes, Raine had performed in front of people before,weak knees, shaking voice, horrible anxiety and they even had anxiety attacks on some occasions, the full stage fright buffet.

“The show is this Friday at 6pm sharp, I have every faith in you Mr. Whispers.” Principal Faust then walked away in the direction that Raine was pretty sure was his office.

Raine felt so uneasy and anxious they didn’t even notice Principal Faust had misgendered them. They had to perform in front of the whole school, teachers, parents and then some new students, there was no chance they could do this with messing up. What if they forgot their song and made a fool of themself? What if they tripped on stage in front of everyone, what if they fainted on stage? What if -

A concerned voice jolted them from their spiraling downfall of ‘what if’s’. “Raine, are you ok?” Asked Vice Principal Bump putting a warm comforting hand on their shoulder.

“Oh um- Yes, never better.” Raine spoke almost as if they hadn’t gotten the scare of a lifetime a few seconds prior, then they stepped back from Bump arms pinned to their sides tightly.

“Just so you know it is completely ok if you don’t want to do the showcase, I myself don’t do well with talking in front of a lot of people.”

Bump’s word’s felt comforting in a way Raine desperately wanted to accept, but they didn’t need the words. It was just a dumb irrational fear that they just couldn’t seem to control, honestly it was pathetic, The top bard in school had stage fright.

“It’s okay Vice Principal Bump, Like he said I’m the best bard in this school, so I should not have a problem performing in front of an audience.” Raine had poorly faked confidence in their voice that did not manage to cover up the trembling in their knees. “I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.”

“Are you telling me or convincing yourself?”

“A bit of both.” Raine breathed with an anxious laugh. “Hopefully, you’re buying it, cause I’m not.” Raine added.

With that Raine walked past Bump to get to their class, the anxiety dripping off their forehead in the form of sweat and knees barely holding themself up as they walked unreasonably slow to their teacher's classroom.

Class had gone by way too fast for Raine’s liking, all they could do is fidget with their pencil lost in their anxieties and worries like a labyrinth, and it most certainly didn’t help that their teacher had announced to the whole class that Raine had been selected to perform at the showcase which just made Raine feel even worse, they couldn’t disappoint everyone but they also couldn’t make a fool of themself in front of everyone.

Lunch had arrived and after waiting in the line to receive a tray of food, they began to walk silently across the cafeteria.

“Hey Rainstorm.” a familiar voice called out to them, Raine looked up from their tray to see Eda sitting at a table with Darius, Alador and Odalia who all looked at Raine with dull looks.

Raine walked over to the table all of them were sitting at and took a seat next to Eda and across from Alador who had his nose buried in a book, probably about Abominations or something.

“Hey what’s going on? I called you when you came in and you didn’t answer.” Eda asked, turning her head to face Raine.

“I-I didn’t hear you.” Raine responded, the stutter in their voice becoming more noticeable.

“Well obviously.” Eda chuckled while rolling her eyes playfully at them which made a faint blush appear on Raine’s cheeks.

“Ugh, how come no one asks about me for titans sake!” Odalia groaned while staring daggers at Alador who was not paying attention in the slightest, “Don’t any of you know that I’m representing the Oracle track at the Hexide showcase!” Odalia boasted her voice dripped with ego.

“You do know that, I’m representing the abomination Track, Raine’s representing the Bard track and Eda and her sister Lily are assisting with the showcase, correct?” Darius Nagged with brows pulled down in a judgemental frown.

“Yes but I’m representing the Oracle track and it’s the best track, you know why?”

“Don’t tell me.” Darius turned and took a bite from his sandwich the scowl still frim on his face.

“Hang on, back up, Raine, you never told me you’re in the Showcase.” Eda said turning to Raine fully giving them her full attention which startled Raine.

“Oh yeah, I-I am, -b–but I-I didn’t even find out until t-th-this morning.” Raine somehow managed to get out somewhat conheriantly.

Eda flung her arms around Raine in a side hug which made Raine’s face go as red as their blood rushed into their face, it took Eda a second to realize what she was doing before she awkwardly maneuvered away.

“Well it’s just-it’s a huge honor to represent your track in the end of year showcase; they only let the best of the best perform in it.” Eda explained the excited energy radiation off her, But then she noticed the table was shaking a bit so much that all of their lunch trays bounced up and down ever so slightly. Eda looked down to see Raine’s foot bouncing anxiously and when she looked up to see Raine’s face, they were biting their bottom lip with their eyes fixated on the ground.

“You ok Rainstorm?” Eda questioned her cru-friend. Her best friend. Her very best friend, who she did not at all like in that way.

Raine’s eyes shot back up and foot stopped bouncing but the anxiety still lingered on their face. “ O-of course I am.” Raine lied to not only their best friend but to the whole table.

“Hey, it’s ok to be nervous, I mean if you're nervous that just means it’s really important to you.” Darius smiled with a tone of voice that felt soothing.

“I-I’m not n-nerv-nervous.” Raine felt their ears and face go redder, this was ridiculous, they shouldn’t be nervous. They had performed in front of so many more people and were still terrified back then, Surely they’d all make fun of them if they knew.

“You are an awful liar, Raine.” Odalia scoffed her eyes looking Raine up and down with her icy blue eyes.

Raine felt fear grip their heart as if Odalia was going to pounce on them and claw their guts out through their pointy tipped ears if they so much as blinked in an irritating manner.

“I-I-I um-gotta go.” raine excused themself from the table and speed walked out of the cafeteria with shaky knees, Eda watched sadly as they left. They must be really nervous about performing, Eda said in her head, she had never seen Raine act so anxious before.

“Sad to watch your boyfriend go, Edalyn?” Odalia smirked at her with her arms folded against her chest.

“Ok number one, respect THEIR pronouns and two we are just friends.” Eda insisted, because they were, there were no romantic feelings between the two of them. Zero.

Darius swallowed the rest of their sandwich before responding. “Eda it hurts me immensely to say this but Odalia has a good point, I’ve seen the way Raine looks at you, and they only look at two things that way.” Darius raised his left hand and gestured to Edalyn. “You and their viola.” Darius retracted his hand back waiting for a response.

Eda had to force the stupid lovestruck grin off her face and gave Darius the strongest grimace she could muster. “Oh be quiet Darius, you have no right to judge my type considering yours.” with that Eda walked off with her empty tray in hand leaving the three alone.

Darius spared a glance at Alador who was still reading with a curious twinkle in his sparkling eyes, Dang, Darius could swim in those eyes for as long as he may live.

Odalia’s face moved to obscure his view of Alador and Darius immediately turned away from the two in embarrassment, why couldn’t he just move on? There was no chance he and Alador would ever be together, not in a million years.

Tuesday

Eda and Raine made their way to Eda’s locker as she needed to get one of her potions books, Raine had been near silent all day letting Eda do all the talking. Eda had definitely noticed this.

“Raine, are you sure that you’re ok? You’ve been awfully quiet since yesterday?”

Eda's eyes shifted to the bard, they looked stressed with their eyes glued to the floor, their legs shaking as they walked, and their hands were gripped onto their viola’s case’s handle with a white knuckle grip.

Raine looked up, adjusting the glasses on their face before forcing a smile a bit too wide on their face. “Yep, I just didn’t sleep well last night.” Raine told them the fake smile falling from their face as they spoke.

“If this is about the showcase, I’m sorry if I made it sound like a lot of pressure.” Eda made a mental note of the way Raine’s muscles had tensed at the mention of the showcase. “Because it’s actually a lot of fun, I should know I’m helping with the show.”

Raine tried to force the tenseness out of their shoulders and a clamish look on their face to appear, “What? I’m not scared, I have performed in my life more times than I can remember.”

Raine leaned onto the surface of the locker trying to appear cool and collected when the locker suddenly opened its mouth and Rain fell in.

Eda jumped into action grabbing Raine’s wrists and pulling with all her strength to get them out, that’s when the locker suddenly loosened its grip on the bard and almost made both of the witches fall over luckily Eda catching herself and Raine before they fell to the floor.

“Easy there Rainstorm, it would be a really bad way to die.” Eda giggled, setting Raine back on their still wobbly legs.

Raine let an anxious laugh flow through them and looked at their friend with a small smile.

“Thanks for the save.” Raine thanked Eda with a tint of red appearing on their cheeks.

“Don’t mention it.” Eda winked at them. A scream rang through the hall causing Raine to jump a bit, but luckily it was just the bell telling the students to get to class. Eda and Raine looked at eachother Raine with nervous energy and Eda with confusion.

“I better head to class.’ Raine gulped before picking up their viola and darting down the hall leaving Eda by herself with a concerned twinkle in her eyes.

“Bye?” She waved slowly, not that they noticed.

Wednesday

“I just don’t know what to do.” Raine admitted “The showcase is day after tomorrow and I still can’t get myself to stand up and perform in front of people, I know I should have just told Principal Faust I didn’t want to do the Showcase but I think he’s really counting on me and so is the rest of my class.” Raine sighed through their nose and buried their head in their arms.

“But I also can’t tell people I have severe stage fright. I mean think about the teasing, ‘The best bard in school has stage fright.’ Eda will probably not want to be my best friend, anyone which is just as bad, do you have any advice for me?”

Raine looked over to Alador who was reading and hadn’t even looked up from his stupid book. Raine tapped his shoulder to which Alador's eyes shifted to Raine.

“Oh hey Raine, when did you get here?”

Raine groaned before rubbing their temples. Maybe this is why Odalia was always annoyed with Alador Raine thought to themself.

“By the way, I wanted to tell you congratulations on getting selected to be in the showcase,that’s like a super big deal, So many people from all over the isles come to see it and last year the emperor's coven even came to see it. They only select the best witches to be in the showcase, the ones they know won’t mess it all up, a few years ago one kid got expelled by principal faust because the plant that she grew was four inches too high, but hey no pressure.” Alador finished with a smile that only the most oblivious person could have at that moment.

Raine felt their heart practically stop as Alador spoke, Now their place at hexide was now on the line, just like at their previous school, Raine felt their hands tremble and stomach tie itself tightly into a knot of anxiety. They were doomed. “Yep, no pressure.”

With that being said Raine went to the school to practice. Raine tried to relax as they began to whistle the melody of their favorite tune from when they were a child, simpler times.

Alador almost managed to return reading to his book but then he felt a strong force knock them down the steps and when Alador looked back they saw Raine covering their mouth with their eyes wide when they glanced over at him they immediately ran inside.

Alador steadied himself on the railing before his mind was suddenly connecting the dots. Remember the times when he got so frustrated with Odalia not letting him hang out with Darius and whatever Abomination slime nearby turned into huge monstrosities. he knew other witches could experience that too, was something bothering Raine?

“Was it something I said?”

Thursday

Raine was up to their ears in anxiety now, they practiced their songs on their viola all week even missing an hour or two of sleep practicing. But those stupid irrational fearful thoughts just kept coming back and kicking them.

Why couldn’t they just get over this?

Ok, Raine needed to calm down. Luckily a solution came to them soon enough, they could go hang out with Eda. After all, they hadn’t been hanging out with her as often because of how much they had been practicing.

Raine quickly put their viola in its case and made their way outside to the school’s Grudgby field where Eda was probably practicing with Lily.

But once Raine got there, they saw Eda playing by herself on the field with Odalia gazing into a crystal ball with Alador on the bleachers, Wow had Eda been by herself while they were practicing for the showcase Raine noted. Wow they had been pushing away their best friend just because of a stupid showcase.

“Hey Eda.” Raine hollered from across the field.

Eda’s ears perked up and when she saw Raine her smile lit up brighter than a light spell as she rushed over to Raine and they did their signature handshake perfectly in sync.

“Oh geez it feels good to see you.” Eda said hugging Raine tightly, Raine felt their heart flutter but accepted the hug, maybe some good old comfort was just what they needed.

The hug broke before Raine started speaking, “Yeah I guess I have been busy a lot lately.” Raine admitted arms wrapped around themself.

“Oh come on don’t feel too bad about it.” Eda said placing her hands on their shoulders “Everybody around this time of year gets busy like pre-paring for coven tryouts, finals, and not too mention the end of year showcase-”

Eda paused herself as she noticed Raine’s knees shaking and shoulders tensed at the mention of the end of year showcase, “Are you sure that you're not scared about it?” Eda asked, hands moving from Raine’s tense shoulders.

Raine forced their breathing to slow down and shoulders ease a bit. “Are we still talking about that?” Raine looked at Eda, trying too hard to appear calm. “I have performed dozens of times and it makes no sense for all the best Bard to have stage fright.” Raine locked their eyes down on the ground and tried to look like they were joking but all they got was a concerned look from Eda.

Eda knew Raine was nervous but did they actually have stage fright? Because that would explain a whole lot about how they had been acting the last few days. But Eda didn’t want to confront them here in front of the Drama queen herself (*cough* Odalia *cough*).

“Alright then, how about we go and grab some apple blood from the cafeteria?” Eda suggested hoping Raine would fall for her trap to them alone with her so she could talk to them.

“I think that the cafeteria is closed after school, Eda.” Raine pointed out. “But I could turn some water into apple blood if you want.”

Well that hadn’t quite gone according to plan Eda thought but Raine was so polite to offer her and she also couldn’t blow her cover so she nodded her head and went to fetch her some water and paper cups, leaving Raine waiting for her on the field.

Eda returned with two cups with water in them and held them out for Raine, Raine took in a breath then whistled but the magic didn’t flow out in a steady stream to change the chemistry of the liquid but instead in an uncontrolled burst that knocked both Eda and Raine off their feet, the water spilling out of the cups.

Eda looked at Raine slowly sitting up, Eda knew emotions had a strong effect on magic and that it was not Raine’s intention to do that, Raine must be in a much worse state of mind if their magic got that out of control.

Both witches got back on their feet, both unsure of what to say.

So Eda started, “Raine, are yo-.”

“YOU INSOLENT TRASH!”

Both of them looked up to Odalia on her feet holding up her crystal ball which had a small piece chipped off it. “YOU BROKE MY CRYSTAL BALL!” Odalia screamed like a banshee fighting poor, already shaken Raine.

Raine felt their throat and chest tighten with their knees getting weaker. “I-I-I’m s-sor-sorry.” Raine managed to push out.

“Oh you better be you stupid bard.” Odalia quickly jumped off the bleacher and got within a threatenly short distance from Raine. “What were you trying to do, kill me?”

“I-I didn’t-”

“Oh my titian just shut up.” Odalia was now red in the face with rage with both Eda and Alador just sitting there like statues. “Why were you selected to be in the showcase out of all people, because you know what?” Raine wanted to speak but couldn’t find any words to say.

“You are nothing but a poor, weak, cowardly excuse for a bard!” Odalia's eyes glowed with powerful rage.

Hot tears stung in Raine’s eyes like acid as sobs made their way to their throat, they just burst into tears as they ran off the field.

“Wait Rainstorm!” Eda shouted after them but they did not spare even a glance at her. She turned with fury to Odalia. “Do you know how upset you just made them!”

“Oh I’m well aware.” Odalia examined her painted purple nails “But seriously that was seriously pathetic.” Odalia crossed her arms across her chest narrowing her eyes at Eda.

“They already are stressed out enough without you screaming at them.” Eda was not only angry but also just felt sorry for her cru-friend, best friend.

Odalia smirked at Eda “Say what you want Edalyn. Just don’t act surprised when they screw up the showcase tomorrow.”

Odalia walked away with Alador looking back at Eda before following her. Eda just stood there alone on the grudgby field.

Friday (The night of the showcase)

Raine paced back and forth in the bard classroom which was being used as the waiting area for kids who were in the showcase, one kid from each track was there but none of them looked as nervous as Raine did.

Raine had been eating an apple given to them by Odalia while pacing trying to get themselves calm they couldn’t perform if they were this stressed. Their magic had been out of whack enough already lately from them being stressed out.

“Knock, knock.” Eda chanted while opening the door and Lillith stepped inside the room holding a clipboard.

Lilith looked up from her clipboard and began to speak “Alright folks, the show is starting in ten minutes and there are a lot of people here.” Raine took another bite out of their apple before chewing anxiously. “The order you are performing in is posted on the wall . Please familiarize yourself with it.”

As if on cue everyone started to crowd the paper on the wall, everyone except Raine who was waiting until everyone was gone, though they continued to chomp on the apple until a voice began to speak again.

“Raine, are you stress eating?” Eda asked with Lillith now walking towards her sister and Raine.

“What no, what makes you think that?” Raine swallowed what they were chewing.

Lilith stared at the apple they were eating before looking up at Raine.

“Because that apple you're eating is made out of foam.” Lilith pointed out. Raine looked down at the apple to see foam instead of fresh apple meat.

Odalia snickered behind her hand staring Raine dead in the eyes. Raine groaned before sitting down on a desk chair when Eda walked up to them and put a hand on their shoulder.

“Don’t worry Rainstorm, ignore what Miss ‘I’m so much better than everyone’ has to say, you’ll be awesome out there.” Eda smiled a toothy grin at them which made Raine’s heart melt.

“Come along Edalyn we got to get backstage.” Lilith whispered shouted at her younger sister before speed walking out the door, Eda got up to her feet but before she could follow her sister she leaned over and whispered to Raine. “Just so you know, you’ll be going last.”

That should have comforted Raine but it really didn’t , it just meant more time for them to be nervous and scared out of their mind.

Time ticked by fast, soon the kid from the beast keeping track was on and Raine was to be going next. Raine was still sitting down feeling nauseous, that was either nerves or the foam apple they had eaten. Maybe they could just fake that they were sick or sneak out the bathroom window.

“Raine!” a feminine voice shouted causing Raine to jump only to turn and see Lillith standing there, “Raine, you’re on in two minutes.” Raine had enough time to grab their Viola and bow and swallow nervously before following her to behind the curtains where they could see a kid on stage with a giant worm trying to tame it.

Raine gripped their instrument harder trying to get themself to calm down with little to no success trying to do so when Principal Faust was suddenly walking on stage.

“And now for our final act of the night we have Raine whispers performing for the Bard track. Principal Faust announced as an eruption of cheers and claps prevailed.

Raine froze, this was it, there was no going back now, it was now or never, Oh how Raine wished they could choose never.

“Go!” Lilith nudged them from behind pushing Raine on to the stage in sight of the audience, Raine’s chest tightened and their knees knocked together as they tried to position their viola to play it, but when they looked up and saw the dozens and dozens of eyes staring at them.

Raine lost it

Eda was watching backstage worried upon seeing her cru-FRIEND, GOSH DARN IT. completely freeze up when they look at the people in the audience. When suddenly Raine ran off stage ignoring the people who were calling their name behind them including Eda. Eda looked to see everyone who was backstage dumbfounded except for Odalia who was grinning evilly, That sick witch. But Eda would deal with her later, right now she had something more important to do.

Eda took off in the direction Raine went trying to find them, when they came to an empty classroom and they heard heavy breathing and dry sobs, Eda slowly opened the door to see Raine with their knees pulled up to their chest, glasses crooked on their nose and arms wrapped around their knees.

Eda slowly sat down next to Raine unsure of what to say for what felt like the millionth time that week, but she had to say something. So she sighed before forcing words to come out of their mouth.

“Raine, it’s-.”

But before Eda could say more Raine looked up at her for Eda to see the terrifying sight that was their eyes, Raine’s usually vibrant green eyes that were usually full of music were now dull and red with tears brimming the edges of their eyes.

“Go away Eda, you don’t deserve to be around someone who just ruined the showcase for everyone.” Raine’s voice was weary and tight as if confined to their throat forever.

“Oh please Raine, Odalia ruined the showcase when she just talked about how amazing her future is for twenty minutes straight.” Eda said bluntly.

“At least she didn’t run off the stage and make herself look like a fool.” Raine’s voice cracked midway through their sentence.

“Raine, it’s all ok.” Eda tried to reassure them only for Raine to curl up tighter and bury their head into their arms.

“No, it’s not, I have stage fright!” Raine admitted to Eda. “Ok there I said it, I’m normally able to just suck it up and perform but for some stupid reason I couldn’t just do that like the dozens of times I’ve done it in the past. What kind of Bard has stage fright? Why can’t I just grow up and lose this stupid irrational fear? Odalia’s right, I am a poor excuse for Bard.”

Eda was stunned, she kind of already figured out Raine had stage fright but she didn’t realize it this bad. She was even more stunned to hear raine talking so harshly of themself, it almost made Eda angry to hear her best friend thought of themself that way. She couldn’t just sit there and let her friend tear themself down like that.

“Raine, can you turn towards me?” Eda asked in the most gentle voice she could. Raine slowly moved their head from their arms only for Eda to pull them into a tight hug letting them bury their face in their hair as she rubbed their back to ease them.

“Raine, you are the most talented Bard in the whole school and probably on the boiling isles, and you don’t need to be on stage and perform in front of an audience to prove that to anyone.” Eda felt Raine hiccup but did not let that discourage her. “You shouldn’t let fear control your life but you also shouldn’t force yourself to face your fears unless you are ready to because then you just hurt yourself and that is never the answer, But my point is you really shouldn’t be so hard on yourself, You’re doing great.”

Raine almost started sobbing, but they did cling onto Eda a little bit harder. It was a few minutes before Raine let go of Eda and began wiping the tears from their cheeks as they looked at Eda, eyes still wet with tears. “Thanks Eda, I needed to hear that.” Raine smiled at her.

“You're welcome.” Eda felt a sense of pride wash over her as Raine smiled at her, things would be ok. “How about we get you home?” Eda asked.

Raine looked down, almost ashamed before speaking “I don’t think I can face my parents after I ran off stage.” Raine’s knees fell from their chest as they finished and Eda understood. Disappointing the people who sacrificed a lot for you just makes you feel like a failure, and that was the last thing Raine needed right now.

“How about you stay the night at my place? Both of my parents couldn’t make it to the showcase because they had some emergency at work so they probably won’t be home until morning.” Eda knew that it would probably be a bit awkward but she was willingly to put those feelings aside for Raine’s sake.

Raine gratefully smiled at her and nodded.

“Alright then, let’s get moving.” Eda helped Raine to their feet and they snuck out the classroom window and rode Owlbert to Eda’s house with Raine texting their parents that they would be spending the night with a friend's house.

After they got to Eda’s home, they found Lily wasn’t there (Probably still dealing with the drama at the school). So they ended up going to Eda’s room and just watching Eda’s crystal ball. It was obvious Raine was still coming down from an anxiety high because they were still quite fidgety and their leg were still bouncing up and down as they sat in Eda’s desk chair.

After watching three episode of some reality witch show, it was decided they would get ready for bed, Eda went to the bathroom to brush her teeth while Raine just sat on her bed picking at the skin around their nails, when Eda came back out she felt a pang of sadness run through her, it wasn’t easy seeing someone she cared for still feel bad.

“You ok? Rainstorm” Eda asked. Raine was about to say something along the lines of ‘I’m fine, totally fine.” but then they stopped themself. Eda wasn’t going to make fun of them for not being fine. So Raine just shook their head.

Eda sat down on her bed in front of Raine, “Still feeling bad about what happened?”

Raine just nodded, they weren’t completely over what happened, not anyone probably would be at that point.

If Eda could just snap her fingers and make Raine feel better then she would, she just had to think of something. Then Eda got an idea, an awful idea, Eda got a wonderful awful idea (Dr seuss anyone?). Eda looked over at Raine who looked at her back.

“Hey Raine, I could try something that my sister used to do to me to cheer me up, if you’re ok with it.” Raine gave her an inquisitive look but what did they have to lose?

“Yeah ok.” Raine responded.

Eda slowly put her hands on Raine’s stomach which made Raine squeak and cheeks flush, Eda took in how adorable that was before she began to trace circles over their stomach. Raine felt a wobbly smile as they shook with repressed giggles, they really tried not to giggle but Eda’s fingers were maddening.

Eda saw Raine fighting down giggles and took that as a sign to start tickling. The sparky feeling in Raine’s stomach grew as Eda was tickling them, Raine couldn’t pick out if it was torture or pleasure but either way Raine began to softly giggle which had Eda taken it back. Raine’s giggles were soft and melodic in a way that made her blush like crazy, but she brushed it off because right now she had to make Raine hysterical.

Raine felt Eda’s hands shift from their stomach to sides which almost immediately made them start to giggle and when Eda started tickling their sides they started laughing. Raine began to fall back on the bed, and Eda followed them pinning them down beneath her.

“EDHAHAHAAHA NAHAHAHAT MY SIHAHAHAHAHDES!” Raine barely got the words out between their fits of laughter.

Eda took pleasure in the fact Raine was having trouble getting words out and decided to tease them.

“Aww… What’s the matter, Whispers? Can’t handle a bit of tickling?”

Raine’s face and ears got redder, admittedly they were feeling a lot better than before, and they were thankful Eda hadn’t managed to find their worst spot yet (Foreshadowing).

The two were having the time of their lives but then Eda made a discovery. When her hand got a bit lower and landed on Raine’s hip, Raine burst into hysterics. Eda had found Raine’s weakness and now she was going to exploit it.

She began to squeeze and tickle Raine’s hips which got her the cutest laughter out of Raine. Raine had jinxed themself and now they were paying the price, and it was quite a hefty price as well.

“Wow, Raine, you’ve got quite the giggle button.” Eda started slowing down her tickles as Raine started to wheeze and hiccup, and soon enough Eda’s tickles had completely stopped.

Raine took a few deep breaths before they stared up at Eda, her face mere inches from theirs. Both teens took a pause just staring into each other's eyes in some odd way.

Eda couldn’t take it anymore, She pressed her lips against Raine’s lips which caused Raine to stiffen from shock. It was impulsive but felt so right, Raine relaxed as brought a hand to Eda’s cheek with Eda’s arms around their neck. After a minute they broke apart and after a second opened their eyes.

“You’re…extremely red.” Eda chuckled.

“Shut up!” Raine turned their face away from Eda’s

“Like actually vermillion.”

“I said shut up!” Raine repeated to Eda though they giggled a bit through their sentence.

Eda looked at Raine with a smile which Raine returned without a second thought, Eda had to ask now, she had no excuse not to. “Rainstorm, would you like to go out with me sometime?”

“I would love to.” Raine beamed.

Eda hugged Raine as her adrenaline died down causing her to feel drowsy in Raine’s hold. Raine felt Eda relax and they relaxed too with a sense of calm filling the room.

Bonus

Lillith stormed inside the house, she had been at the school for two whole hours sorting out the problem and looking for Raine and Eda who had disappeared to titian knows where.

Lilith made her way upstairs grumbling, she had figured Eda went home early to avoid the chaos and given the hour was probably asleep. So She naturally went to her sister's room about to start nagging her but felt herself pause at the sight before her.

Eda and Raine were cuddled up together on Eda’s bed both fast asleep.

Lilith sighed, grabbing a spare blanket from the closet upstairs and laying it on top of the two before walking out to her own room.

She could nag them all she wanted tomorrow.

[blackgxatcultist]

@cynthiaandsamus || [x]

       A smile filled with wonderment and simple enjoyment appeared to radiate off the hitsujimimi cleric as he gazed upon both blondes before him. He knew not where he was other than this villa, but the fact it was a matter of relative safety for the young man was a beneficial means to grace his ears. Attention soon shifted briefly back to where he’d come from as the tear in reality seemed to blink just as quickly as it spat him out. Who truly knew how he would return to his world or why Shub-Niggurath had sent him here, yet one thing was for certain: The beauties before him certainly drew his gaze without faulter.

       Faust couldn’t help himself letting his eyes wander over each of their forms with great interest. Both of them entirely had wonderful curves in all the right places and assets that aided in accentuating this fact. Perhaps he could convert these two to join the faith of his goddess, though he’d certainly aim to have them partake in the customs and rituals at the very least -- leaving out the details his goddess was a fertility goddess. There were a few moments where his gray colored irises lingered for the briefest of moments over their chest or backsides, yet who was to say that they noticed his stares. In the end Faust merely gave forth a bleating chuckle as he bowed his head slightly.

       “Oh what a blessing the All-Mother has given me!” The cleric smiled. “Do you have any extra room or know of anywhere else I can stay? I can provide magical abilities such as healing given to me by my goddess if I can stay!”

[imfagentsworld]

MI7 has been delayed again. I don't feel frustrated. I always have an ambivalent feeling about MI7MI8, on the one hand I want to see the movie sooner, on the other hand I don't want to see it too soon, because I know that once MI8 is released we will have to say goodbye to the series, I'm not ready for that and I probably never would. So the delay may be good, let the farewell come later, there're not many good things in this world nowadays, we have to have something to look forward to living, right? It also gives me more time to finish my silly fan fiction in my poor English, and in my story they'll be forever young and never say goodbye to us. Be patient and trust Tom, McQ and Mission family. That's the only thing we can do at this point.

2021.09.05

[casxmorgan]

Books Books Books

100 Years of Solitude

11.22.63

120 Days of Sodom

1491

1984

A Brief History of Time

A Canticle for Leibowitz

A Child Called It

A Clockwork Orange

A Confederacy of Dunces

A History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters

A Land Fit for Heroes Trilogy

A Little Life

A Naked Singularity

A People's History of the United States

A Scanner Darkly

A Series of Unfortunate Events

A Short History of Nearly Everything

A Song of Ice and Fire

A Storm of Swords

A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Walk in the Woods

A World Lit Only by Fire

Accursed Kings

Alice in Wonderland

All Quiet on the Western Front

All the Light We Cannot See

All the Pretty Horses

America, the Book

American Gods

American Psycho

And then There Were None

Angela’s Ashes

Animal Farm

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Anna Karenina

Anything Terry Pratchett, But, Mort is My Favorite

Anything Written by Robin Hobb

Apt Pupil

Artemis Fowl

Asimov's Guide to the Bible

Asoiaf

Atlas Shrugged

Bartimeaus

Batman: the Long Halloween

Battle Royale

Beat the Turtle Drum

Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Belgariad Series

Beloved

Berserk

Bestiario

Black Company

Blankets/habibi

Blind Faith

Blindness

Blood Meridian

Blood and Guts: a History of Surgery

Bluest Eye

Brandon Sanderson

Brave New World

Breakfast of Champions

Bridge to Terabithia

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: an Indian History of the American West

Calvin and Hobbs

Candide

Carrie

Cat's Cradle

Catch 22

Cats Cradle

Chaos

Child of God

Choke

Chuck Palahniuk

City of Ember

City of Thieves

Cloud

Collapse

Come Closer

Complaint

Confessions of a Mask

Contact

Conversation in the Cathedral

Cosmos

Crime and Punishment

Dan Brown

David

Dead Birds Singing

Dead Mountain: the Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident

Delta Venus

Die Räuber (the Robbers)

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

Don Quixote

Dragonlance

Dune

Dying of the Light

East of Eden

Educated

Empire of Sin: a Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans

Enders Game

Enders Shadow

Escape from Camp 14

Ever Since Darwin

Every Man Dies Alone

Everybody Poops

Everything is Illuminated

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Fahrenheit 451

Far from the Madding Crowd

Faust

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson

Feet of Clay

Fight Club

First Law

Flowers for Algernon

Flowers in the Attic

Foundation

Foundation Series

Foundation Trilogy

Frankenstein

Freakonomics

Fun Home

Galapagos

Geek Love

Gerald’s Game

Ghost Story

Go Ask Alice

Go Dog Go

Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid

Goldfinch

Gone Girl

Gone with the Wind

Good Omens

Grapes of Wrath

Great Expectations

Greg Egan

Guards! Guards!

Guns Germs and Steel

Guts (short Story)

Half a World

Ham on Rye

Hannibal Rising

Hard Boiled Wonderland

Hatchet

Haunted

Hawaii

Heart Shaped Box

Heart of Darkness

Hellbound Heart

Hellraiser

Hell’s Angels

Helter Skelter

His Dark Materials

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Hogg

Holocaust by Bullets

House of Leaves

How to Cook for Fourty Humans

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Huckleberry Finn

Hyperion

I Am America, and So Can You

I Am the Messenger

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

I Was Dr. Mengele’s Assistant

In Cold Blood

In Search of Our Mother's Gardens

Independent People

Infinite Jest

Into Thin Air

Into the Wild

Introduction to Linear Algebra

Invisible Monsters

Ishmael

It

Jacques Le Fataliste

Jane Eyre

Jaunt

Job: a Comedy of Justice

John Dies at the End

John Grisham

Johnathan Livingston Seagull

Johnny Got His Gun

Jon Ronson

Journal of a Novel

Jurassic Park

Justine

L'histoire D'o

Lamb

Last Exit to Brooklyn

Les Miserables

Lies My Teacher Told Me

Life of Pi

Limits and Renewals

Little House in the Big Woods

Lockwood & Co.

Lolita

Looking for Trouble

Lord Foul’s Bane

Lord of the Flies

Lyddie

Malazan Book of the Fallen

Maldoror

Manufacturing Consent: the Political Economy of the Mass Media

Man’s Search for Meaning

Mark Twain’s Autobiography

Maus

Meditations

Megamorphs (series)

Mein Kampf

Memnooch the Devil

Metro 2033

Michael Crichton

Middlesex

Mindhunter

Misery

Mistborn

Moby Dick

Mrs. Dalloway

My Side of the Mountain

My Sweet Audrina

Nacht über Der Prärie (night over the Prairie)

Naked Lunch

Name of the Wind

Neuromancer

Never Let Me Go

Neverwhere

New York

Next

Night

Night Shift

Norwegian Wood

Notes from Underground

Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea

Of Mice and Men

Of Nightingales That Weep

Ohio

Old Mans War

Old Mother West Wind

On Heroes and Tombs

On Laughter and Forgetting

On the Road

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest

One Hundred Years of Solitude

One of Us

Painted Bird

Patrick Rothfuss

Perfume: the Story of a Murderer

Persepolis

Pet Sematary

Peter Pan

Pillars of the Earth

Poisonwood Bible

Pride and Predjudice

Ready Player One

Rebecca

Red Mars

Red Night (series)

Red Shirts

Red Storm Rising

Redwall

Replay

Requiem for a Dream

Revenge

Riftwar Saga

Ringworld

Roald Dahl

Rolls of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Round Ireland with a Fridge

Running with Scissors

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

Sapiens, a Brief History of Humankind

Scary Stories to Read in the Dark

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Schindler’s List

Sein Und Zeit

Shades of Grey

Sharp Objects

Shattered Dreams

Sherlock Holmes

Sho-gun

Siddhartha

Sisypho

Skin and Other Stories

Slaughterhouse Five

Smoke & Mirrors

Snow Crash

Soldier Son

Sometimes a Great Notion

Sphere

Starship Troopers

Stiff, the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Storied Life of A.j. Fikry

Stormlight Archives

Story of the Eye

Stranger in a Strange Land

Surely, You're Joking

Survivor Type (short Story)

Suttree

Swan Song

Tale of Two Cities

Tales of the South Pacific

The Alchemist

The Altered Carbon Trilogy

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

The Art of Deception

The Art of Fielding

The Art of War

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation

The Autobiography of Henry Viii

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Beach

The Bell Jar

The Bible

The Bloody Chamber

The Book Thief

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brothers Karamazov

The Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Stories

The Cask of Amontillado (short Story)

The Catcher in the Rye

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Clown

The Color out of Space

The Communist Manifesto

The Complete Fiction of H.p. Lovecraft

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

The Dagger and the Coin

The Damage Done

The Dark Tower

The Declaration of Independence, the Us Constitution, and the Bill of Rights

The Devil in the White City

The Dharma Bums

The Diamond Age

The Dice Man

The Discworld Series

The Dresden Files

The Elegant Universe

The First Law Trilogy

The Forever War

The Foundation Trilogy

The Gentleman Bastard Sequence

The Geography of Nowhere

The Girl Next Door

The Girl on the Milk Carton

The Giver

The Giving Tree

The God of Small Things

The Grapes of Wrath

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gilly Hopkins

The Hagakure

The Half a World Trilogy

The Handmaid’s Tale

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

The Hiding Place

The History of Love

The Hobbit

The Hot Zone

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hyperion Cantos

The Jaunt

The Jungle

The Key to Midnight

The Killing Star

The Kingkiller Chronicles

The Kite Runner

The Last Question (short Story)

The Lies of Lock Lamora

The Little Prince

The Long Walk

The Lord of the Rings

The Lottery (short Story)

The Lovely Bones

The Magicians

The Magus

The Martian

The Master and Margarita

The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect

The Monster at the End of This Book

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

The Music of Eric Zahn (short Story)

The Name of the Wind & the Wise Man's Fear

The Necronomicon

The New Age of Adventure: Ten Years of Great Writing

The Night Circus

The Nightmare Box

The Odyssey

The Omnivore's Dilemma

The Orphan Master’s Son

The Outsiders

The Painted Bird

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Phantom Tollbooth

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Plague

The Prince

The Prince of Tides

The Princess Bride

The Prophet

The Queen’s Gambit

The Rape of Nanking

The Red Dwarf

The Republic

The Rifter Saga

The Road

The Satanic Verses

The Screwtape Letters

The Secret History

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

The Selfish Gene

The Shining

The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer

The Silmarillion

The Sirens of Titan

The Six Wives of Henry the 8th

The Solitude of Prime Numbers

The Speaker of the Dead

The Stars My Destination

The Stormlight Archive

The Story of My Tits

The Stranger

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

The Suspicions of Mr. Witcher

The Tao of Pooh

The Things They Carried

The Time Machine

The Time Traveller’s Wife

The Tin Drum

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green

The Wasp Factory

The Wind Up Bird Chronicle

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle

The World According to Garp

The Yellow Wallpaper

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Things Fall Apart

Thirsty

This Blinding Absence of Light

Tiger!

Time Enough for Love

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Say Nothing of the Dog

Toni Morrison

Too Many Magicians

Traumnovelle

Tuesdays with Morrie

Tuf Voyaging

Undeniable

Under Plum Lake

Universe in a Nutshell

Unwind

Uzumaki

Various

Village Life in Late Tsarist Russia

Walden

War & Peace

War and Peace

Warriors: Bluestar’s Prophecy

Watchers

Water for Elephants

Watership Down

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Wheel of Time

When Rabbit Howls

Where the Red Fern Grows

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Why I Am Not a Christian

Why People Believe Weird Things

Wizards First Rule

Wool

World War Z

Worm

Wuthering Heights

You Can Choose to Be Happy

Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

[readerinsertfanfiction]

I remember the most random things. That conversation has been half a year ago by now, but I still laugh at the thought. Happy birthday @kamesama​. You are finally old enough to unleash your thirst and thirst openly in this damned fandom. 

Fandom: Ikemen Vampire

Character: Johann Georg Faust

Prompt: Faust as Hades, or at least an interpretation of x reader/MC who is supposed to represent life. 

Warnings: Mentions of food, themes of death representation.

Word count: +1k 

Masterlist.

Man only remembers God when tragedy befalls. It was never in fortune that they came. Locusts were sent. Plagues came by. Tragedies fell and wars caused borders to shift and lords to rise. Nothing was certain within a human life, not even their faith and to whom it was they prayed and fell asleep on. But death was different. Death never had to ask, nor to beg, for it always came, for it was the only certainty to life. Death just had to be patient, for death came to all and none could escape.

Another endless throng of souls had found its way down to his domain. The ones who were rich, those who had been poor. Some were bereft in both wealth and wit. All with one commonality in their destination. All were the new subject of Faust, who oversaw the end of a mortal life. But not the end of a soul.

"Path 4, to the chamber of greed," the man informed another hopeful soul curtly. Most retained their human visuals, so adapted as they were to the mien granted to them at birth, some had grown attached instead. Those belonged to path 8, where all who relied on their vanity spent their time.

Faust had never learnt to ask. Not for the worship, nor for his fame. It came, like the last breath was drawn, like the stilling of the heart and the fleeting heat escaping. That what departed always came to him, naturally, or caused, but always to him. There was no need to ask, or to move himself. And yet, there was a lacking within. A lacking from his side, in his life, his existence that so ironically was always standing at the end.

“I’m back!”

The man who sorted death had come to recognise the voice, cheerful and upbeat despite the tiresome work and place this was. It earned a sigh from Faust’s side who pushed up his glasses, waiting for whatever was to follow from the deity of life; opposite of him and living in perpetual spring.

“Yohoo, I said I’m back!” you exclaim once more and Faust can’t help but heave yet another sigh as he assigns yet another damned soul down the paths of hell, with the occasional graced lost soul. “Life to Faust?” you insist, now half leaning over his desk as you obstruct his work.

The irony of your joke earns another sigh from the man, this time in defeat as he knows he can’t ignore you for much longer. Not without it disturbing the cycle of life, and so he breaths in and out twice and shuts his eyes as he responds; “good for you,” before damning the next soul to line nine.

"Good for me?" you exclaim, a near offended gasp escaping you. "Good. For. Me?" you continue, a hand going to your chest as you obstruct his paperwork with your hand.

"Good for you, you mean. I know how you enjoy my attention."

The claim causes Faust to point at the wrong path as he sends off the next soul, the confusion of said soul alerting him as Faust rises a brow.

"I shouldn't have to point if you could read the numbers displayed above," he gruffs, but sends the soul off into the right direction nonetheless before he gestures for a smarter looking soul to take over his seat. "The hounds will tear a limb for every soul you mess up," are Faust's sparse instructions before he pulls you away by the arm.

"Finally, your attention!" you exclaim happily, wobbling back and forth on the ball of your heel as you beam at the guardian of hell's gates, "I do like you the best annoyed," you continue with a sunny smile as Faust crosses his arms.

A silence stretches between the two of you as the man pushes his glasses back into place, a sigh escaping him before green eyes flash into your direction.

“You know when I like you the best?”

The question comes as a surprise and you blink to yourself to make sure that you didn't dream it up. You had known Faust for long enough to know that it was a trap of sorts, but your curiosity wins over anyway as you eagerly ask; “when?” not quite expecting the near deadpan answer of:

“When you’re far away.”

And somehow it doesn't surprise you either, his attitude never having hinted to the opposite. Yet, it hurts and that surprises you the most, that his blatant dismissal and depreciation of your presence actually affects you so much.

But you recover, the wound in your heart from which a new emotion leaked covered with an even wider smile as you nod firmly.

"Right. Yes, understandable."

It was only after that you left and Faust resumed work that something akin to guilt crawled up. And only after finding that he is running through his tasks quicker than he usually does and ends up with extra free time that Faust realises that he didn't mean his words.

But worse of all; that you had taken him seriously. Like an idiot. Instead of ignoring his grumblings. Like an idiot.

"Hey," he greets, earning a look of surprise from you when one day Faust finds himself in front of you, piles of birth certificates and family trees being cut up spread across of you.

"What brings you here?" you question, and then realise that these were not the first words you should welcome any guest with. But the words are out and the man scoffs in the way only Faust can do.

"Death," is his simple answer and you suppress a smile, recognising the style Faust is playing at.

A feeling of triumph swells up, knowing that this is the first time the gatekeeper has reached out to you. Knowing that, he had come to make amends, but wasn’t sure how to do it other than the gruff way in which he had approached you now. “Uhuh, and what path am I damned to?” you question, your arms crossing as you suppress the smug smile that is about to crawl up.

The man doesn’t answer. Smart enough to know you had figured him out. Too proud to actually play into your hands.

Instead he opens his hand allowing you to reach out for it himself, steady and broad. It was warm and firm, clasping around your palm and lacing through your fingers, as if meaning to possess your hand.

And when you look up into his eyes you see the loneliness in them and a silent plea that he doesn’t know how to pass over his lips.

“I have pomegranates,” Faust tells you instead and you the grin you have been trying to hide escapes in a chuckle, “you like them, not?” he confirms and you know what he actually means to say. 

“Happy birthday also works,” you cheekily retort, but go along with the man nonetheless down the gates of his world to enjoy the fruit. 

[silvanable]

Holiday Season : Johann Georg Faust ( Secret Santa )

this is a secret santa gift from one of the discord serves i’m in for the ikemen series, and after getting permission to post, i’d like to share it will all of you~

honestly it’s really just shameless softness here because i wanted to gift something cute between the oc and faust

↪  GUIDELINES

✒ tags : fluff, secret santa gift, canon x oc

✒ notif crew : @sleepingindevildom​ ♡

✒ warnings : n/a

✒ word count : 2171

It was the winter season now.

The months since her arrival had seemed to pass by so quickly. It was all still so foreign and yet so familiar to her at the same time. This place had become a home, strange as it was, and a place where she believed she belonged now.

One place, in particular, was the warmest and most welcoming, a place that brought her that true peace of belonging and homeliness.

A small church.

It was nothing like the grand cathedrals that the 21st century glorified. It did not reach far into the sky like the skyscrapers of the future. Its bells did not toll and ring out far into the rolling hills for all to hear. No, it was quaint and beautiful in its own way— a carefully sculpted structure of prime gothic architecture, detailed in the most stunning and accenting ways of statues and stain glass windows. Inside was no less breathtaking, as each pew was carved with ornate details, careful placement, and brought a strange comfort and calmness. Ceilings raised high with intricate bracing, taking nothing away from the beauty each decorated corner held.

It was no Notre Dame but it was still beautiful— far more beautiful even.

The caretaker of this church, however, likely influenced her opinion of the building.

Johann Georg Faust.

Anyone who was ever even slightly fascinated by the occult or unconventional things of this world would find the name familiar. Faust, after all, was a man of legend. Not for his accomplishments, of course, but for the curious tale that had been spun around him.

There was no saying if the tale was true, but one might, considering that it was since he was an immortal vampire of legend— or similar to the legends at least.

Faust was no less an enigma though, which was partially why Vanni was here.

Faust, as a skeptic of higher powers, might not celebrate the holiday season that had come around but she certainly did— it was all a part of her beliefs but now it was especially dear.

It was different for her this time around, though, because it would be the first holiday season she would spend in 19th century Paris.

Vanni tugged her navy coat closer over her body, the fur that lined its helms tickled over what little skin of her fingers and face that was exposed to the open air.

The cold was a horrible thing, because of the frightful chill, but more so because the brunette could feel the itch growing in her throat. She bit it back though, taking another slow breath as she nestled in her coat further, counting on the layers of blue that adorned her body to keep her warm.

It was only a matter of time before the familiar outline of the church came into view. A smile crept its way over her lips as her feet began to move faster, eager to finally arrive.

A hand stretched out, the small girl pushed open the heavy, wreathe decorated doors. The cold air rushed in behind her, eager to fill the new and far warmer space. She was quick to shut the door, forcing it with her shoulder to not dare to let the little warmth escape.

The loud slam of the door echoed in the open halls of the church, signaling her arrival.

No one was there to greet her though. It was not quite that surprising, despite it being a celebrated holiday for many, this place was far out of reach for many people. It was a near treacherous journey being out and away from the city’s usual safety.

Vanni did not mind it. She liked the walk, the way it was nestled out near the fields and the woods in its own corner of paradise.

Perhaps that was why the man resided here. Faust liked to be left alone to his work and to worry less about appeasing the masses of a faith he did not share.

Vanni let out a small cough but the itch in the back of her throat only grew. She had tried to fight back the urge but her lungs simply did not approve and the cough only grew hoarser.

Her body curled in on itself as she leaned down to brace herself against her leg, covering her mouth with a hand as if that would somehow stop the air from escaping her. With each attempt to breathe in, she only found herself a short gasp.

It was a moment before she was able to recover and steady her breath. Her lungs took in greedy gulps as she pressed a hand to her chest to calm her frantic heart.

“You should not be traveling in the cold with a cough like that.” A familiar blunt voice reached her ears.

Bright golden eyes found the familiar figure of a man— far closer than she had thought— merely steps form her.

“I’ll be fine now,” Her voice was soft, almost swallowed by the calm quiet of the empty church, “It’s warmer in here anyways.”

Those stunning, pale green eyes fixed on her, drawing closer as Faust stepped nearer.

For a moment, Vanni believed he would scold her for not considering her health, and it seemed as if he was about to but decided against it at the last moment. Instead, she was met with that piercing stare, burning into her and divulging all her secrets.

Most would find the scrutinizing gaze unnerving— the petite female had at one point, but over time had found herself growing used to it. Enough, at least, to not shrink away anymore.

“So, what are you doing today?” She spoke up, breaking away from his gaze to step further into the church.

“Working.” Was the short answer she received.

Vanni reached to loosen the scarf around her neck, allowing the air to caress her exposed skin. Fingers nimbly found the buttons of her coat, popping them open so she could shrug the clothing off her shoulders. Afterward, she draped it over the backs of one of the pews and smoothed out the heavy, blue skirt that hugged and flowed over her wide figure.

She turned back to Faust.

He had not moved, not beyond turning to allow his gaze to follow her, watching as she moved around his church.

A small smile found its way onto her lips as she approached him again.

“You know it’s the holidays, right?” She asked with a tilt of her head, “You’re supposed to be relaxing, not working.”

Not that she expected anything less of Faust. He was a man devoted to his science, his work was his life, and she knew how immersed he would become— so much so that he would forget to rest or even eat as she had found out.

Faust was silent, his eyes flickered over her face. The sincerity and softness in her inviting eyes was always strange to him, but not the strangest part about her. At first, he had considered her an annoyance, someone who bothered him when he wanted nothing but peace and quiet to work, yet sometimes he found his mind linger back to her and the devotion that glowed in her eyes. She was a distraction he both loathed and craved, wanting to understand why she influenced him the way she did with nothing but her presence.

And somehow, despite all certainties he had, she continued to come back here, to him, even after she found the truth of what he was and his own beliefs. He would call her a fool yet he would only be right to call himself the same because his curiosity of her only drew him back again and again.

“I am aware of the season.” He replied. Even if he was a faux clergyman, he knew what the winter brought, religious or not.

“Then you should take a break for once.” Vanni urged.

She could see the wear of exhaustion on his face as she drew closer. The dark, plum-colored circles hung under his eyes were hidden by his glasses, but she did not miss them. There were other small signs in the way he moved, slower, and the way his shoulders drooped with weight despite his best efforts to appear as poised as ever.

Before she might not have noticed these small details but now was different. She would like to say she had grown closer to the man. Maybe he had not opened up to her as much as she had wanted but he seemed to tolerate her, entertain her questions, and she found his company enjoyable. He was interesting but most importantly, she felt safe around him despite everything he had tried to argue otherwise.

“I have work to do.”

She had expected the excuse.

“No,” Despite the softness of her tone, it was still stern, “You might not celebrate Christmas or its season, but you need your rest, even if it’s a short nap.”

Vanni received a quirked eyebrow in response.

She rolled her eyes playfully and grabbed his wrist. “Consider this my gift to you then, making sure you rest!” She said as she pulled him over to one of the pews.

It was not the most ideal or comfortable place but it was all there was for the moment and a far better alternative than the floor. Her fingers slipped from the coarseness of his sleeve as she grabbed her discarded coat. Carefully, she folded the article over into a rough-square shape and placed it down on the wooden bench.

“You can use my jacket as a pillow,” She patted the clothing, “I’ll make sure no one comes in and disturbs you too,” She added, holding herself with confidence for him to put his trust into.

A rare, small smile pulled at the corner of Faust’s lips. A sight that, if Vanni had mistakenly blinked at that moment, she would have missed. Yet she had seen it and a joyful warmth blossomed in her chest as her heart fluttered.

“And why would you do such a thing?” The question was poised with caution and curiosity she was used to by now.

Vanni shook her head with her own smile, “Maybe because you deserve some rest. Stop being so resistant and just lie down already!” Her urge was aided by her hand finding his wrist once more, tugging him forward.

Faust gave a sigh. Those dangerously bright eyes disappeared, taking their sense of constant observation with them. It was only briefly, though, before they fixed on the petite girl once more. Suddenly, she was revered with a difference, a glint in those luminescent eyes that was unknown to her.

A single step was all it took for the distance between them to become minuscule, not enough for even the Holy Ghost if it dared. The action brought sudden awareness to Vanni how small she was, dwarfed by him and the shadow of his that fell over her.

A hand wrapped around her wrist and she was tugged abruptly. Too surprised by the action, her body gave no resistance as she fell into a smoldering embrace, pulled into a firm chest.

Then she found herself sitting in the pew and Faust’s head in her lap, using her plush thighs as a pillow to rest on.

Her mind reeled with the sudden change, desperately trying to piece together whatever split moment it had missed to end up like this. The only conclusion her mind could reach, though, was that she had become Faust’s pillow.

Heat crept up her neck and spread over her face to the tips of her ears. The church was suddenly very warm, warmer than a roaring hearth in the grandest of halls.

“If you insist I must rest, then you must as well,” There was an unusual softness in Faust’s voice as he gazed up at her, “Considering your fit of coughs earlier.”

Vanni stared back at the piercing green eyes that looked up at her.

The stunned silence and expression of hers drew a smirk onto the alchemist’s lips. Perhaps, for once, he had left her heart skipping like she seemed to always do to his own.

Faust needed his rest and she had insisted so she would not refuse. Despite the frantic pounding of her heart against her ribs, she liked the feeling. Perhaps this eccentric vampire was finally warming up to her company.

“Okay…” She breathed out quietly, relaxing as she brought her fingers to gently comb through his hair, “Then we’ll both rest,” She smiled, “I’ll watch over you.”

Faust’s expression faltered at her gentleness before he closed his eyes. His body relaxed against hers, immersing himself in the warmth she radiated. His mind lingered from its thoughts and focused on the way her fingers caressed through the softness of his hair, lulling him into a safety and comfort to rest.

Perhaps this season was not so bad, so long as this strange woman was around for it.

[ill-skillsgard]

Hey beetle, anything new from Faust x Faith, it’s been a while since the last story about them?

Maybe Faust is for once a sweet lover, but still fuck and fill her to the hilt, maybe a little getting prego kink?

Hi! Holy MOLY it has been a long time since I've written any Faust x Faith. I have had quite the year, but don't get me wrong... The babies were never far from my mind. I cannot ever forget our beautiful Frosty man.

So, this is set a little over a year in the future in this universe. But I won't give too much away here!

Warning: 18+ Smut, violence, mature language, protected/unprotected sex, emotional reunions, murderous rage, mentions of alcohol consumption, angst, cheating and all the good nasty things this pairing is known for.

Summary: It's been over a year since Faith broke up with Faust and he's returned home from an extensive European tour to find out his ex-girlfriend has moved on. Will Faust be able to control himself and let them live, or will his darkness drive him to get rid of Faith's new boyfriend?

- Not based on Lords of Chaos. I use Faust!Valter’s likeness only as inspiration.

Read more Faust x Faith here [x]

"You feeling okay, Frost?"

The question went unanswered, and the four members of Grey Tomb turned toward the drummer. Faust hadn't been sleeping. He barely ate, and the only time he came alive was on stage behind his drum kit. Although the last few dates of the tour hadn't been his best performances.

"Your eyes are so dark that you don't even need to wear any paint," Freydis, the singer, pointed out. She was the leader of Grey Tomb, the band who had picked him up for a European tour after their original drummer went to prison. Faust had asked no questions and didn't care where they played so long as he was as far away from home as possible. An 18-date tour was long enough to keep him occupied throughout the summer, but it was winding down, and everything started reminding Faust of her again. Even the landscape, though much different from home, brought up bitter memories of Faith.

Nightmares plagued Faust when he closed his eyes—gut-wrenching visions of Faith having sex with the jock she knew from church, his old bandmates, and even Sven. He dreamt of flames and screams and Faith looking at him like he was ugly, like she couldn't believe she had ever loved him. Evenings spent in a dismal room with police trying to make him admit he had punched Bobby Esders' face into a crimson mash, teeth blistering out of shredded, bloody lips. In these nightmares, Faust was killing again, always chasing and killing and trying to convince Faith he was fine; he was only protecting her. But she turned away every time, unconvinced he possessed no virtue.

And so, he imagined the drum skins as the face he wanted to smash and broke sticks on the rim only to unsheath fresh ones from a quiver near his shin. He'd continue the brutal assault in time with a guttural bass line and dreadful shrieking.

Faust didn't want to think of violence, so he avoided sleep and the inevitable terrors waiting to resurface in his mind. He needed therapy, an intense cerebral scrub to get to the bottom of the urges that became restless at night. But he was in a foreign country with a job to do. Therapy would have to wait.

Freydis had taken on corpse paint duty and stood above Faust as he sat on the tour bus couch, face tilted up, her chest in the way. Her tongue poked out as she blotted the black, blue, and grey paint under Faust's eyes.

"I can't wait to head home after tonight, eh, Frost?" Freydis said.

"I'd rather be touring. Nothing to go home to. At least you have a family."

"And you don't?"

"Not really. Nobody I care to see."

"Damn, Frost. Are you always this gloomy? Or has tour really beaten you down that much?"

"I'm fine." He dismissed. "And when are you gonna stop calling me 'Frost?'"

"That's you, though. You're just Frost, okay? Get over it," said Freydis. "One more spot, and I think we're done. Hopefully, you don't sweat it off during the first song."

The singer put down the brush and squeezed Faust's shoulder, jostling him. "There. Looking gnarly, dude. Oh, and don't forget, there's gonna be an after-party at the place where Astral is staying. We're invited. So, you should definitely come. Last show. We gotta go out."

"We'll see," Faust said.

"You owe me."

"Okay, okay."

"Promise you'll come?"

"No."

"Faust! Please?"

"Fine, if it means that much to you."

"Okay, and don't just stand outside smoking either."

Faust grimaced. "You don't want me to have any fun."

For the sake of appearances, Faust went along for the ride after Grey Tomb's last show to meet up with some of the tour crew and members from the headlining bands. These were the kind of people to shake hands and connect with, but Faust took one look around the penthouse apartment and regretted coming. The people there having fun were too bright for him, and the only way to dim the light was to drink so much he could barely see.

Drinking heavily was a double-edged sword for Faust. On the one hand, he could bear to socialize and even cracked jokes with the people he'd been sharing a bus with for the last two months, but on the other, he was sick.

To erase the year of his life he had spent with Faith, Faust resorted to old behaviors and, much later, found himself in a room with Freydis on his lap. She had been dropping hints all tour, but Faust knew better than to tangle up a good thing. Now that he was shipping back home soon, and Freydis was staying in Denmark, there was no reason to avoid fucking her.

"Holy shit, Frost... Are you sure that condom's gonna fit?"

Faust ignored the comment and stretched the latex ring over his cock, pulling it down as far as it would go. He might have been wasted, but he wouldn't stick it in unprotected with a woman he barely knew.

"Damn, you're a big boy," Freydis said as she climbed over his thighs and lowered herself. Once the sex started, she gripped the back of his neck and pressed her forehead to his. Faust backed away, letting her ride him while he closed his eyes and bit his lip. All the momentum he had gathered while making out with Freydis slowly disappeared. He felt his hard-on deflating inside of her despite her rigorous bucking.

"Fuck," he grunted and grabbed her tits for a rush that never came.

Freydis giggled. "Are you really that drunk you can't get it up for me, Frosty?"

"Condom's slipping."

"You should just take it off. It's okay; I'm on the pill."

"I'll get there again. Just keep...ugh, keep going."

Faust scoffed at himself. Freydis wasn't stupid, and the limp cock inside of her worsened with the condom. She stopped and signed.

"Sorry... I can't do this. I'm fucking plastered."

It was only half a lie, and when Freydis made a case to keep trying, Faust lifted her off his lap, snapped off the condom, and staggered to the door while pulling his jeans over his ass. He turned around, black hair swinging in his face.

"Sorry, I guess. Hope we're all good," Faust muttered before he left.

Freydis sat on the bed, astounded at the limp condom he'd dropped next to the waste basket.

The journey home was torture and nausea. Faust had spent an hour puking in the airport bathroom and once again into a bag on the plane they had almost missed. His acidic insides emptied, Faust fell into a fitful sleep, interrupted every so often by flight attendants who quickly learned not to bother the man with the long black hair.

On home soil, he threw his bags into a taxi and was carted home, where he fell into bed for hours with an excruciating headache. He couldn't remember a time when he felt worse and told himself he was never going on tour with alcoholic Danish metalheads ever again.

~*~

Despite his long absence, Faith never changed her habits. This made locating her easier than he liked. Faust had hoped to walk by the café where she used to study over a latte and a bagel, only to never find her there. He had hoped her family had moved away, taking his ex-girlfriend too far to contact. But just like everything else in the city, it had all stayed the same. Faith still did the same things she always did: school, working part-time at the bookstore in the mall, and sitting down in front of the window at the café where they had gone countless times for snacks and coffee.

Faith was there now, across the street at the café, sitting outside on the small wrought iron table underneath an umbrella. She wore a light pink sundress with thin shoulder straps and her hair in two braids. Faust wanted to go over and sit down in front of her just to see her big eyes get wider or if she would fidget and stammer, blindsided by his sudden appearance. The sight of her, unaware he was across the street buying cigarettes at the corner store, soured his stomach.

Faust spent a minute preparing for what to say when he approached Faith, but his courage disappeared when a man took the seat across from her and reached out to hold her hand. It wasn't the Esders kid like he had feared. It was worse. He wore a black denim jacket, had long hair, and a face Faust automatically hated.

It was him. Faith was dating a knockoff version of himself.

Faust recognized the guy from around parties and shows. His name was Hunter. He was the kind of guy who bought unlicensed band patches online—the mark of a poser, in Faust's opinion. While the guy rubbed her wrist, Faust thought of one hundred ways to shatter his fingers. How dare he touch her like that, make her smile as he once had, and scoot closer to touch her inner thigh under the table. Faust grinned when she snapped her legs shut, and he snatched his hand away with what Faust assumed was an apology. Good. So she wasn't letting him get too handsy with her yet. Not like when they were together, and she would let him drag her away to any solitary place, so he could touch her between her legs and watch her melt.

But Hunter was not him, and Faith probably hadn't changed. If her libido was the same since they'd met, the chances were high she had already fucked him, and the thought of Hunter having sex with her blistered the inside of his chest. He wanted to grab him by his greasy hair and smash his face into the table so many times he became unrecognizable. The anger itched his palms, his back sweating.

Before Faust acted on his violent thoughts, he turned away and started home, swearing he would never seek Faith out again, though his heart seared from the pain of making himself such a promise.

It wasn't long before Faust saw her again in much closer proximity. One month after he had promised never to think about Faith again—a delusionally optimistic notion—she showed up at a party with Hunter and his buddies, who took various band formations between them. Faust had been in a crust punk band with one of them, failing to play lead guitar. It was a short-lived project, but he still recognized the group. He pretended not to notice Faith, hoping his nonchalance would strike her when she looked up from her phone and realized she had once again stepped into his realm, where she was the outcast, and everyone revered him. She likely heard some news about his tour with Grey Tomb since everyone else was asking him questions about the size of the gigs he had played overseas. In a small house full of a dozen musicians, their girlfriends, and buddies, Faust was the most successful one there, earning him instant popularity. On a regular day, Faust would shun the attention, but now, he craved to wield it; to show her what he had become in the year they'd been apart.

Faith whispered to her new boyfriend and never looked too long at Faust for the first hour. Faust turned it into a game. He looked at her until her eyes ping-ponged from him to a random object in the room, catching her each time she glanced in his direction. It was fun to watch her squirm and fidget. He knew what she was thinking: that being around him as though they were strangers was too heavy for her to act normal.

Two hours in, after Faust had left the room to keep her mind racing, he saw Faith whispering to her new boyfriend in the kitchen between chugs of beer. She was compensating now. Faith hated beer. He flashed the barest smirk as he passed by, never lifting his eyes but knowing her in his peripheral. Yet despite all these things he knew about her, there was a second or third voice in his head trying to calculate what exactly she could be thinking. Did she hate him? Was her night ruined? Was his presence shaking her to her core, or was she succeeding at brushing it off? She couldn't have changed that much in a year, and if she was the same girl he had fallen in love with, her inner dialogue was screaming. And as much as he wanted to catch a hint of their conversation, the music was too loud, and Faust longed to continue ignoring her.

After three hours, Faust was drunk, and the people talking in his ear made him cringe. He had gone around and around on a carousel of shifting emotions. At first, it was easy not to care, but then he saw her staring at him and wanted to stare back. As the drinks poured and it was clear nobody would address the awkward situation between them, Hunter put his arm around her, an innocent move that Faust regarded as a personal slight. How fucking dare he touch his Faith.

No, he told himself. Let her go. She's better off without you.

Then, a hand was on her thigh. Her skirts that once drove him wild now looked whorish. Did she want every man in the room looking at her? And again, Faust screamed internally at himself to leave her be.

But he couldn't, and deep down, they both knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped.

It happened when Faust, who considered his near-constant observation of them subtle, saw Hunter pull her face forward for a kiss. His heart leaped, and with it, his body instantly at attention, the half-drunk beer bottle now brown shards on the floor. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Hunter barely noticed over the music, but Faith had. She flinched as Faust approached like a train and snatched Hunter up by his jacket lapels.

"Who the fuck do you think you are kissing her in front of me?"

"Stop it right now, Faust. Don't be an idiot!" Faith yelled, butting her palm into his leather-clad shoulder. It only angered him further.

"Woah, man! What the fuck is your problem? You've been broken up forever," said Hunter, clutching at the fist pressing into his neck.

"Faust, dude, don't. Just relax."

Faith hammered Faust's shoulder again. "Let go of him, you prick! We're over!"

Faust immediately dropped Hunter and turned to her, angling down to meet her glower.

"What, I leave for one tour, and now you're with discount me? That's sad, Faith—"

One hard punch to the jaw sent Faust staggering backward, disoriented. Once he blinked away the lights in his eyes, Faith knew there was only one second to get between Faust and Hunter to prevent blood from spilling. Faust's friends had the same idea and held the drummer back, crowding between them to stop a fight.

Faust pointed at Hunter as he was carried away and said, "You better run. You better never let me see you again, or you're fucking dead. Run, motherfucker!"

Outside, Faust screamed. He howled on the sidewalk for Hunter to come out while lights from neighboring houses flicked on. His friends begged him to be quiet, but Faust was undone by his anger and echoing in every direction, ignoring those yelling at him to shut up. He attempted to break the barrier his friends made and hopped up excitedly when the door opened, hoping it was the man whose face he was about to demolish.

Faith stepped out alone, and Faust went quiet. She marched down the walkway, and they parted to allow her access to her flailing ex-boyfriend. She grabbed his arm, sank her nails into the leather, and yanked him away from the house. His friends stood by, muttering and confused. The two of them did not turn back.

~*~

"Sit down. We have to have a serious discussion, Faust. I mean it. Sit down on the bench and listen," said Faith. "You cannot act that way just because I moved on. It's not fair to me! I want to be happy, and you have no right to try ruining that."

Faust paced the length of the bench. "You're not fucking happy."

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you're not. You're pretending. You're a fucking fake. You don't hang around these kinds of people. You came tonight just to piss me off."

"I came here because Hunter and I were invited. I had no idea you'd be here. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have come."

"Fuck off, Faith."

"No, you fuck off! What're you gonna do, Faust? Kill him?"

Faust smothered her mouth with his hand and backed her under the tree's shadow away from the lamplight.

"Don't even fucking—don't say that."

Faith pushed him away. "I'm seriously asking. I have no idea what you might do, but I know what you're capable of, and it scares me. You have to promise me you won't hurt Hunter."

"No promise."

"If you can't let me be, I might have to do something drastic."

Faust scoffed. "Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"Like... File a restraining order," Faith said.

Her eyebrows pressed together, and though encased in shadow, Faust could not believe he was seeing her face again. He took a step closer, and she drew up against the tree.

"I can't have you around. If I see him touching you, I will lose my fucking mind, don't you understand? I love you, Faith. I'm afraid of myself when you're not with me."

"That's not my problem."

Faust had barely chipped at her. She crossed her arms, glare unrelenting. No matter how hard he drilled, Faith wouldn't soften for him.

"So that's it then? You're over me?" He asked.

Faith held up her hand and flashed a plain gold ring. "See this? He gave it to me. It's a promise ring."

"A promise to what? Marry you? You're gonna marry him, is that it?"

"Maybe!"

"That cheap little piece of shit ring means nothing, and you know it."

"It has meaning because I give it meaning."

"Okay then, let me ask you something, and be honest," Faust bent at the knees to match her level. "Do you still have the collar I gave you?"

Faith grimaced.

"Tell me the truth. Do you have it? Because that collar means you already belong to someone."

"No, it doesn't! I broke up with you!"

"You haven't gotten rid of it."

"What does it matter?"

"Faith, please," Faust whimpered. "Please, just... I'll never stop. I can't. I've fucking tried."

"Never stop what?"

"Being in love with you."

She dropped her fists to her sides, looking down at her shoes. Faust thought she looked ready to blow up, but instead, she sniffled and began to cry.

Faust cradled her jaw like thin glass balancing in his palms. To his relief, Faith didn't flinch away.

"Tell me you still love me." He whispered. "I know you do, baby."

She whimpered his name and fell into his embrace, sobs quaking through her shoulders. Faust propped her up in his arms and set her back on her feet. Despite her anguish, he fought a smile from spreading across his face. Soon, Faith's blubbering petered into chuckles, and she wiped her wet eyes.

"You really still love me, Faust?"

"Yes, baby! Fucking of course I do."

"Did you come back here because of me?"

"You're the only thing keeping me in this place."

"I... I really missed you, beetle."

Faust clamped her to his chest, stroking her soft hair, her warmth so familiar yet unearned. His eyes clouded as he looked down at the woman crying into his chest, stuck like a burr on his clothes. Her tears seeped through the fabric, and he loved it. The wet spots made his breath falter. A vast calmness silenced the screams in the back of his head, which reminded him of all the terrible he had done. With Faith by his side once more, he was determined to bury their voices and live as though his secrets were only false memories.

~*~

Faith and Faust had made a getaway from the party and went to Faust's basement apartment in a small complex. The place was new and smelled of fresh paint, and when Faith walked in and saw a mostly empty area, the juxtaposition made her head spin and her heart pound. There he was after all this time, a foot of space between his head and the ceiling, his black leather jacket on in front of white, unmarred walls. It was wrong, but watching him shedding his jacket and revealing how thick his arms looked from touring made it seem like they hadn't been apart more than a couple of weeks. It was natural, and she went to him, prepared to deal with the consequences of ditching her current boyfriend for this reunion of two warring energies who thrived only on each other.

He kissed her softly at first, pulled back to assess her expression, and went back in harder when met with a drowsy half-smile. His hand went up her skirt, tracing his fingertips over her panties until her knees shook.

Faith pulled away and said, "I wanna fuck you." Faust needed no convincing. He sat on the bed, dragged her onto his lap, facing away from him, and pulled off her top and bra. Before taking her breasts in his hands, he peeled off his Grey Tomb shirt and cupped them enthusiastically.

"Fuck, baby. Just... Fuck. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," she said, craning her neck to catch his lips again.

She ground in circles on his lap until he was hard and moaning, her addiction to the sound of his voice afresh. Exhilarated by the thought of having sex with her first love again, Faith scrambled under the covers and waited, her smile slowly fading as Faust pulled a strip of three gold-foiled condoms from his wallet. She frowned as though he had revealed something nauseating.

"What the fuck is that look for?" Faust scoffed, tearing open the foil square.

"I... what is that? I don't want that...I want to feel you."

"That's too bad," he said.

Faith scoffed back at him. "I don't have any diseases."

"We've been away from each other for over a year. I don't know what you've done. If I'm fucking you, we're using a rubber."

"But—"

"Besides... You don't know where my cock's been either."

It was a bizarre sight watching him unravel the wet latex circle over his thick cock inch by inch. Faith had never heard of him using condoms before and hadn't used one with him even the first time.

Faust laid down and urged her to climb over him, and though she looked upset, she still swung her leg over his hips and stared down at the latex straining around his shaft.

"You fucked other girls?" She asked.

Faust grasped her thigh and pulled until she shimmied closer to his groin.

"Sit on it," Faust ignored her question. "Come on, baby. Ride it."

"Do we have to? I really wanted to feel you. All of you. Like how we used to fuck."

Faust rolled his eyes. "Don't be a brat, Faith. Or else."

"Or else what?"

"I'll put on two," Faust chuckled.

She swatted him, giggling. "Fine, if this is the only way you'll let me fuck you, I guess that'll have to do."

"That's right, get on it, baby. Easy, easy... Oh... Oh, fuck... Oh, fuck! Fuck, yes, beautiful. Never been so hard in my goddamn life. Fuck me, baby girl. That's it. Nice 'n slow. Good girl."

"Mmph. I forgot how big you are!"

"No, you fuckin' didn't. You remembered damn well how big my cock is. How I split this little pussy open."

Faith rocked herself back and forth with help from his hands on her hips. He screwed his eyes shut and bit his lip. Faith stared down at the man, lost in his pleasure, his mouth changing shapes every time she moved. He was right; Faith hadn't forgotten for a second what sex with him was like, or how beautiful he looked with his head thrown back in ecstasy, or the filthy things he said the moment he was inside. Faust knew it too.

"Did you think about me when you fucked him?" Faust asked, catching her in an awkward spot. Faith didn't expect him to bring up Hunter so soon, and certainly not during sex.

"I... I, um—"

"You can tell me the truth. Did he have a bigger cock than me?"

"N-no! I don't think anyone could. The condom is about to snap because of it. So, you might as well take it off and fuck me raw."

Faust flipped her over and drove himself inside her a few times, slow but hard. She squealed with each thrust.

"Condom stays on."

Faith had more tricks to try on him. "Then how are you supposed to cum inside of me?"

"Did you let him cum inside of you?"

"Faust!"

"I'm serious," he said, leaning down to talk against her cheek while ramming her pelvis and making her quiver. "Did he blow loads inside this pretty pussy? Did he make you shake and cry and cum all over his cock?"

"No, Faust," she whimpered. "I wouldn't let him."

"That's right. 'Cause it's still my pussy. He had his fun with you, but you're back where you belong now... All around my dick. Getting. Fucking. Stretched. Open."

"Make it hurt, baby."

Faust slammed his hips forward several times until she cried out, then eased back to a normal pace.

"You're mine. Fuck, you feel amazing. Pussy's so fucking tight around me. Shit, baby, I'm not gonna last."

Just as Faust approached a groaning orgasm, Faith's phone started ringing in her purse. She looked at the bag, then back at him.

"Is that him calling? Wondering where you are? He has no idea you're with me, does he?"

Faith chewed her lip and couldn't answer.

"I fucking knew it," he said proudly. "Go ahead. Answer the phone."

"What!? No! Faust, that's so mean."

"You're already cheating on him. Just answer the phone and pretend everything's normal."

"I can't."

"I'll take the condom off if you answer the phone while you fuck me. You can have this cock raw if you really want. Make me cum deep inside this perfect little pussy.

"Really?"

"Yes, babe. Go get the phone."

Faust let her up and dropped onto his back while she fished her phone out of her purse. She looked at the screen and scoffed.

"It's just a telemarketer."

"Aw, that's too bad."

"Can we still lose the condom?"

"No. I'm still wearing it."

"That's not fair! I was going to! That should count for something."

Faust stared at her perky nipples, soft curves, and sad face. He smirked something evil.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Call him. Call him and break up with him while you fuck me."

"No! That's so mean! I can't do that."

"Oh, but you can cheat on him perfectly fine?"

"You're not being fair."

Faust nodded at her, then at his groin. "Nothing's fair. Call him. But first, get your hand around my cock."

Just the sight of her fingers trying to fit around his condom-clad shaft made him seethe, and when she put the phone to her ear while slowly jerking him, his chest unfroze after months of being without her. He tried not to moan while she whispered to her fake boyfriend that she couldn't see him anymore. It just wouldn't work with Faust around. The motion of her left hand faltered as the guy's heart broke, and Faust eclipsed her and squeezed, encouraging her to yank off the condom in mid-sentence. Hunter asked, "So, what? Are you with him right now?" And Faust twitched from the blood surge, eyes rolling to the back of his sick head.

Faust got brave and started whispering, Faith scowling and mouthing at him to shut up.

"Yeah, stroke it, baby girl. No more condom. It's all fucking yours."

Faith held the phone away from her face and hissed at him to keep quiet again, wearing a bare hint of a smirk. His sick little girl. His corrupted angel. There she was, begging to come back to him.

He gripped her jaw and wrenched her forward, smothering her mouth and keeping her from answering Hunter's pleas.

"You're mine. Tell him," Faust whispered, licking her lips open to dip his thumb inside her mouth. Faith hummed remorsefully but sucked his thumb all the same, eyes going shiny as she stared into his beautiful green eyes. Whether she liked it or not, she had dreamed of this reunion. In sleep, she always found him with those murderous eyes staring at her like his next meal.

"Get on me."

Faith tossed her phone aside, thumb slipping and maybe not ending the call with Hunter. There was a pinch of guilt in her heart, and then it was gone. It was only him, the love of her life. She climbed over his lap, and his legs stirred beneath her, parting and spreading her thighs ever wider. Faust sank back into the pillows, squeezed her hips, and eased her onto his cock the only way he wanted. With a deep groan, he pulled her forward, rocked her back, and did it repeatedly until she caught the rhythm. Steady and slow.

"I fucking missed you, baby," Faust said.

Faith clung to him and rode desperately, breathing in his hair, kissing his lips, and hanging onto his broad shoulders for leverage. Their breath synced until Faust jutted his hips and struck a gasp from her.

"M-missed you too, beetle. God, I missed your cock."

Faust chuckled, dark and mischievous. "Oh, yeah? S'that all you missed about me, huh? You missed getting fucked hard?"

"I just missed you."

"Oh, I'm absolutely positive your pussy missed me."

Faith covered her mouth, but Faust grabbed her wrist and held it behind her back, bending his knees and bucking his hips upward at a frantic pace he could only sustain for short bursts. It was worth the effort to hear her groaning.

"Don't get all shy. You know I love it when you talk dirty to me."

"I don't know what to say."

"Tell me how you'd close your eyes when he fucked you and pretend it was me."

The scenario was pure fact. Faith had pictured Faust in Hunter's place nearly every day. But the shame overcame her, and she buried her face in his neck and muttered, "Don't make me say it, Faust. You know I did."

His arms encircled her, and he set off on a motion that brought him close to the brink of orgasm. Before he touched the edge, he pressed his forehead to hers and commanded her eyes.

"Rub your clit, baby girl. Do it for me. I want you to cum."

"Mm...Okay."

"That's right. Make it feel good and cum on me."

Faith tried to get close, holding her breath and concentrating on her task until Faust took over. He used two fingers to rub her clit, slowly at first, then quicker. He alternated until he found the right pace, and she moaned. With his cock ramming upward, his hand working its dexterity on her, and his other hand gripping and spanking her ass, Faust coaxed an orchestral orgasm from her that ended in gasping heaves and whimpers that tipped him over the edge too. Hearing her desperate mewls while she tightened around him was the only thing that could ever make him cum. No other woman came close. Even with his eyes shut and Faith on his mind, they simply weren't her.

Under a wash of afterglow, Faith lay on top of him and relaxed to the pulse in his chest and neck. The regrets were sure to come, but it didn't matter. Faust and the appetizing danger that came with him were back.

"I'm so bad," Faith said after a few minutes of deep breathing.

"Yeah... You really are. Cheating on your boyfriend and getting fucked raw... Taking all my fucking cum in your pussy. You're a nasty girl."

"Don't make it worse!"

"You made it what you wanted. You're the one who was all like, 'Please fuck my pussy raw, Faust. Ew, I hate condoms. I know you were gone for a year, but I don't care where that cock's been'!"

"You love me. I know you wouldn't do it if you weren't sure."

Faust played with her hair and chuckled.

"You're right."

"For the record... you're still the only man who's ever cum inside me."

"Damn fucking right. Now, it's quiet time. I'm spent."

"No round two?"

He rolled her over onto her side, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. "In the morning. I need sleep."

"But—"

"Sleep, brat."

"Alright, fine."

"...I love you."

"I love you, too."

[straw-of-the-hat]

A Lillian x Katsuki soulmate au???? I'm sorry but soulmate au's are a hole i have fallen far into.

Lillian x Katsuki: soulmate edition

(Not edited! Expect typos!!!!)

These headcanons belong to this fic.

-Soulmates are rare. So terribly rare, in fact, that few still believe they exist. They're more of a legend these days— a myth, if you will. Despite this, everyone seems to know what they are. And deep down, everyone wants one.

-Katsuki's parents aren't soulmates. His grandparents aren't either. His aunt and uncle aren't soulmates in the least. In fact, they'd gotten a divorce last June and has left one another on rather nasty terms last he heard.

-His mom used to tell him stories. Stories about meeting your fated other and becoming so indescribably complete that you'd wonder how you even functioned before. It was the few times his mother would go from loud and rambunctious to serene and soft. Her change in demeanor was how he knew, growing up, that she was telling the truth..

-Of course, he wouldn't tell anyone he thought they were true. Or that he daydreamed about finding one.

-Katsuki felt he was missing something. It made him mad that it wasn't there. Something in him was empty and gnawing. He wasn't sure why. He had a powerful quirk and was praised by those around him for such. He made good grades. He even had a couple extras to follow him around.

-A soulmate was what he was missing, he deduced for what had to be the millionth time. Not that he'd tell anyone.

-Becoming the number one hero was his chance. The only way he'd ever hunt them down! He'd be known worldwide, and somewhere, someday, they'd know.

-That, and he'd be the strongest hero ever. Which was just the sprinkles on top really.

-He joined UA, angry and not willing to make friends. He noticed someone rather quick. He had never dated or really had his eye on anyone. If he was going to be with anyone, it would be his soulmate.

-So why on God's green motherfucking earth did Lillian Faust draw his attention?

-He didn't know. He had no idea! He tried to talk to her, but she was honestly pathetic. Short, scrawny, shy. He dwelled on her constantly. Constantly! He'd stare at her, doodle her in his notebook absentmindedly, try to count the freckles on her face and arms. It was just this constant nagging feeling that drove him nuts.

-He decided she was an extra. An irritating one.

-She kicked ass at the USJ shortly thereafter. He rescended his decision that she was a nobody.

-There was something up with Lillian. Lillian, who'd stopped using her last name. She walked home with friends, so he didn't get the chance to confront her anymore. The blonde one would bark at him. Literally. Like a dog. Fucking pathetic.

-Things were hard after that. Lillian, Lillian, Lillian. His parents started to ask what the fuck was wrong. Why was he so quiet? Did he need help? Was he depressed? Why was his search history all UA's digital yearbook? Was he looking at his student photo?

-He was looking at Lillian's, actually. Like he'd tell them that.

-Strangely enough, he wasn't embarrassed about this... Whatever this was. He didn't being it up because he's get teased, but it didn't bother him like it should've. He was irritated and confused because he couldn't figure this out, but not... Not annoyed with her, or disgusted.

-He thought long and hard. He was shit with feelings. Complete, utter shit. He went over the facts one at a time.

-Lillian was strong. With her quirk, she could stop him in his tracks. There was no a way to stop someone who could blink and freeze you in place without you even knowing she'd done it until after the fact. This should've angered him, but it didn't. It made him... Want to laugh.

-She had long black hair and was covered in freckles. Her hair was always messy and he found it endearing. He wanted to count and trace her freckles. There were so many, and he could almost map out constellations with them the more he looked.

-Katsuki's favorite color had been red his whole life. Lillian's eyes were aqua blue. Subsequently enough, his favorite color had switched to that exact shade of blue shortly after he joined UA. Odd. Probably not a coincidence, he begrudgingly admitted.

-He would not mind hugging her. He sort of wanted to. The more he thought about it, the more okay it seemed. That wouldn't be that odd if he hasn't blown up Kaminari yesterday after he'd accidentally brushed shoulders with him.

-A bit of google searching had him at a simple yet horrifying conclusion. This was, without a doubt, a crush.

-They next few days had his head spinning. He'd never had a crush before, so why now? Where had he gone wrong? What had triggered it? Could he make it go away?

-He practically drilled holes in her head in the days leading up to the sports festival. He may as well have been drooling. He deduced that his crush was going nowhere.

-He almost ran into her in the hall just before the festival, in fact. She was dressed in shorts and a shirt that said "Team Eraserhead" on it, and had her hair up in a ponytail that was falling apart. She was sweaty and breathless, and clearly in some sort of pain, but she... Well, she smiled.

-He was gone. Done for, really. Something was amiss, and he didn't know how to make it stop. Lillian has hooked him, and boy was he sinking right now. What was going on?

-She won the race with her two friends in the first round, and one piece clicked into place. Nothing enough to give him any sort of full picture, but it was... something. Something deeper than a crush.

-She dominated in the second round with ease and surprising confidence. He felt annoyed watching her laugh with Shoto Todoroki. Jealous, even. Another piece clicked.

-She asked him to join some sort of fucking protection squad. She was kind and genuine. He couldn't say no. It was another piece.

-Talking to her made him less angry. He felt calm and more like himself than he had... well, ever really. He was collected, and just... happy. He could laugh, and smile, and roll his eyes in a teasing way. This was another piece. One to a nearly full picture. One he could almost make out.

-The last piece fell into place during the final portion of the sports festival. Before it started, they had all the contestants come out and shake hands with one another. It was sort of a show of good faith. One he didn't want to participate in.

-But then it was time to shake Lillian's hand. And the stadium's roar fell on deaf ears, and everyone else ceased to exist. The cameras zoomed in on them, and Present Mic made some witty remark about opposites colliding. But Katsuki couldn't look away from Lillian, and neither could she.

-Their hands collided. And everything seemed to change in an instant.

-Her hand was small and warm in his, and it sent a shockwave rippling out. It was powerful and physical. Not something he'd imagined based on how silent the stadium got. His world brightened, and he couldn't believe how full it'd been before. Lillian's eyes were so much... Fuller than he'd realized. Full of blues he hadn't realized existed.

-There was silence. He didn't let go. She didn't either. They just stood there in the eerie silence, staring at one another in shock. And Bakugo realized he didn't feel so empty anymore.

-He told her in a quiet voice that carried through the entire stadium that she was his soulmate. That she was what had been missing.

-Her brilliant smile and the roar of the crowd told him he wasn't wrong.

More:

-Scientists contact them and want to study their bond, but they refuse.

-Being apart makes Katsuki antsy. It doesn't feel right when she's not there.

-Aizawa despises him

-So does Mic but in a more passive aggressive manner.

-Lillian can feel Katsuki very vividly and knows when he's in any sort of emotional turmoil.

-Hitoshi and Neito are very, very weary of him and he's constantly under a microscope when they're around. Of course he doesn't give a shit

-The world now knows there's soulmates. Everyone in that stadium felt that wave, and the camera literally picked it up. There's a new frenzy of people trying to find their other half

-A few actually do. But only a few.

-Mitsuki and Masaru don't believe it. When their son comes home, he's just as rude as he's always been.

-But then Lillian shows up, cleaned up after the festival. And she wraps their son in a hug, and Katsuki is smiling and laughing in a way they've never seen

-They love Lillian for giving him that

-Katsuki can feel Lillian's nerves and knows how to calm them

-The class is hyper-aware of everything they do. Every glance Katsuki throws her is met with a wolf whistle and every whisper exchanged us observed with curious eyes

-Lillian and Katsuki learn not to mind

-They fit together so naturally. Lillian couldn't even imagine being anxious around him, and she doesn't know why. She's just... not.

-When they first kiss it feels natural and a lot like coming home

-They're a fairly private and subtle couple. 1-A almost doesn't think they're together until the dorms come into play.

-It's the way Lillian throws her legs over Katsuki's when they're sitting on the couch, and the manner in which Bakugo puts an arm over her shoulders and leans into her to look at something on her phone that tells them.

-He's softer with her. Still himself, but kinder in a way. It's so... Normal. It makes sense without making any at all at the exact same time. The way they talk to each other is simply how it's meant to be, they guess

-They're pitted against each other in hero training one day by drawing lots. It's completely by chance, and supposed to be just simple hand to hand combat

-They just stand there and stare at one another. And when Aizawa asks what the hold up is, they just blink. They simply... don't. They can't. It's not possible. It makes zero sense in their minds. The idea couldn't even occur to them, even for training purposes.

-So, they're not put against one another anymore. They find it's for the best.

-Anytime one of them is hurt, the other had a very obvious reaction. Lillian falls and scrapes up her knee quite nastily, and Katsuki is already turning around with wide eyes. He looks like he's seem a ghost. The same thing happens to Lillian, whether the injury is big or small.

-They're practicing working in teams and get paired together. All Might and Aizawa have never once in their lives seen a more efficient team. Their quirks are stronger and more durable when they're together, they realize.

-Katsuki tells Lillian he loves her. It's stated in a very matter-of-fact way, as though it's obvious.

-And it is. Lillian loves him too. She tells him as such.

-Overall, they're just two peas in a pod. And everything just... Fits.

[lafayetteworld]

Damian Wayne x OC Fanfiction

‘’She ran away to that strange, unpredictable world with its dark, gritty cities where people put their faith and protection in a man whom dressed as a bat. She spent her days in a continuous search for distractions and anchors to stop herself from falling into the abyss of her own terrors, clutching on fleeting moments capable of colouring her new monochrome life. Then, she met the boy with green eyes and she learned exactly how Alice of Wonderland must have felt like when she fell through that rabbit hole.’‘ 

Warnings: Slow burn, focus on character development and world building. Graphic violence descriptions, dark themes, mental health topics. Long~ fic. 

Excerpt: 

“Here.’’ She looked down at his extended hand and saw a slim, rectangular device. A phone. “You have forty-eight hours to make up your mind. My name is in the phone book. Text me your answer by—‘’ He flicked his other wrist up, watch glinting.

 “Four in the afternoon on Sunday. If you accept, I will send you the details. If you refuse, feel free to keep the phone or dispose of it. I don’t care.’’

“What---what exactly will I be doing again?’’ His smirk widened. He really was the Devil to her Faust, wasn’t he?

“You shall find out. Make no mistake, Fay, I will not go easy on you. You wanted to deserve it, so I will make you work for it.’’

Then he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away. “If you don’t respond at all, I will assume it’s a no.’’ He said, not even turning around anymore. Fay didn’t dare move until he was out of her sight, disappearing down the street. 

Excerpt #2:  "I didn't steal anything." She mumbled defensively. "I was just curious. And---I like books." She said weakly.

 "Yes, we've established you're quite the deviant character." 

“I am---I am not deviant!’’ She protested. Although, if he knew about my family….

"I…adapted." She defended, using his own earlier words.

Damian raised a brow at her, giving her a slightly mocking look.

 "I clearly should have not been generous in using that term."

 Was he trying to rile her up? 

He was, wasn't he?

 "I only stole what I needed," Fay grumbled.

And he succeeded. 

"Yet you kept refusing my offer. You must enjoy engaging in illicit behaviour." 

Fay got the sense he was still sore over it. His pride knew no bounds, really.

 "That was…different. Dana was paying me so—so I would have been fine. I only…stole a few times on our way here." 

He clicked his teeth. "And how, pray do tell, did you plan on getting to Europe with the meagre pay Mercher was offering?" 

Fay shrugged. "I don't know." Her lips twitched upwards. 

"I would have adapted." 

"Tch. How clever. It is truly a wonder how you survived so far." She didn't take as much offence to it as she would have weeks earlier. Fay just smiled harder. 

(He always looked away when she did)

Providence (Ao3) 

[pollenallergie]

Spoils of Love

A/N: I wrote this really quickly a couple nights ago at like midnight because I wanted to write it down before I forgot it. It’s short and probably not the best in terms of grammar and sentence/paragraph structure, but I’m still proud of it. Also, side note, Sugarbaby!Reader x Roman is definitely a new obsession of mine. I would like to maybe make a series of oneshots and blurbs about it based on requests like ill-skillsgard does for Faith x Faust and dreamtherapy did for Axel x Kitten. I know I always ask for people to send requests and stuff and its probably getting a little annoying. However, if anyone does have any Sugarbaby!Reader x Roman stuff, please send it my way!!  

Pairing: Sugarbaby!Reader x Roman Godfrey

Description: Roman loves to spoil you. One of his favorite things to buy for you with is quality lingerie. 

Warnings: mentions of sex, the world “incestuous” is used once, mature language, a tiny bit of angst (if you squint)

Word Count: yeah... uh I wrote this down in the notes app on my phone and I’m much too lazy to copy and paste it over to Word to check the word count so I have no idea what it is, sorry.

   When it comes to lingerie, Roman loves anything Art Deco, preferably silky; bonus points if it’s a dark shade of crimson, a sultry black, or, in contrast, a pure white, a delicate cream, or a pale pink. It's no secret that he prefers the finer things in life, he is rich after all. He showers you with attention and extravagant gifts; designer dresses, spontaneous weekends away in Europe, lavish lingerie, silky sleepwear, pearls and jewels galore, and just about everything and anything else a woman could dream of. You made it a point in your life to not be overly materialistic, but with Roman that was nearly impossible. He enjoyed spoiling you, whether that be with gifts, verbal praise, exquisite sex, warm cuddles, last-minute vacations abroad, his undivided attention, or all of the above. 

   Roman was rarely a selfless, loving man, but with you he found it hard not to be. After all, you had changed his life. When he’d first met you, he was a lonely, pessimistic, previously incestuous billionaire with trust issues, anger issues, and an unwanted child. Of course, most of that was at least still partially true, but he’d gotten much better. You’d unintentionally taught him that he was capable of being loved and that he deserved to be love as well as to appreciate the time he has with people rather than to push them away out of fear of them abandoning him or dying at his expense, to love his daughter despite the tragic and despicable events that brought her into this world, and to move on from his fucked up family so that he could properly enjoy his life. You’d shown him the brighter side of things and introduced him to genuine, wholesome, romantic love, and he could not be more grateful. 

   One of his favorite ways to express this gratitude to you and unconditional love for you was to whisk you away for a lavish weekend in either Paris, the city of love, or Milan, the city of fashion and elegance. These weekend trips would be filled with decadent food, afternoon shopping trips, lazy mornings in bed, the best sex of your life, and many other finer things. These trips also often resulted in numerous additions to you already massive lingerie collection. Filled with fine silks, 24 karat gold and elegant silver clasps, detailed lace and embroidery, shiny latex and pvc, soft cotton, custom-made corsets, high quality mesh and tulle, non-irritating pasties, bras and panties of all styles, numerous matching sets, many elegant individual pieces, and all other sorts of lingerie and sleepwear. It was safe to say you had far more lingerie than you did everyday clothing, not that you were complaining. 

   Roman certainly wasn’t complaining either. Coming home after a long, hard day of work to you parading around in your silky slips, camisoles, lounge shorts, and robes was one of his favorite things in the world; so was stripping you bare of your elegant lingerie so he could take you any way he wanted to. Roman also loved how much more confident you seemed to feel when wearing the lingerie he bought you, each piece seemed to accentuate the very best parts of your gorgeous form and you certainly seemed to take note of that. 

   You weren’t a vain person by any means, hell you were a fully grown adult and yet you still occasionally struggled to love and appreciate your body, but sometimes he would catch you admiring yourself in the mirror while wearing his extra special gifts for you. You’d be standing there for nearly half an hour, seemingly in awe of how good your body looked, and that right there, that made his heart swell with joy. Just knowing that you were finally seeing yourself the way he saw you, as an inexplicably beautiful, magnificent goddess of love, made everything worth it. 

[ihavetogogh]

alright, I wasn’t technically tagged in this, but @the-chesapeake-shipper did a vague-tag to all mutuals yesterday, and 🥺 I’m bored. thank u for ur generosity

rules: tag people you want to get to know better!

your name and then what you would have named yourself: well... coincidentally, i did choose my name a few years back. i’m darcy (yes, after mr. darcy. no, i do not regret it). HOWEVER there are times when i wish i had chosen a name that paid homage to my Japanese heritage. i recently learned that my mom had planned to name me kimiko hunaya and there are lots of days where i consider it because i know my great grandmother approved of it

astrological sign (sun/moon/rising if you know): will someone at a higher level of gay please teach me how to do this stuff???? i’m a capricorn, but i don’t know if that’s sun, moon, or rising

when did you join tumblr and why?: oh god.... way too young? i think i made my first blog in eighth grade. so 2011. mostly because i wanted to be an edgy tween reblogging quotes

top five fandoms: i have to narrow it down? this list is in a constant flux but at this exact moment: nbc hannibal, star trek, tolkien (i cant bring myself to say lotr while the silmarillion still holds most of my heart), the man from uncle, and x-men (but exclusively for erik’s turtlenecks)

top five favorite films: the normal heart, princess mononoke, star trek: the voyage home, the phantom thread, and the pride and prejudice 5 part mini-series that we’re all going to pretend is a movie because i never watch movies...

go to song when you want to Feel something: depends on what i need to feel, but if we’re talking about Yearning(TM), lover please stay by nothing but thieves

what’s your religion or faith if you have one?: i was raised mostly with catholic influences and some shintoism/buddhism. i vacillate between total nihilism and the concept of divinity in nature and the infinite cyclicality of energy and life??

a song that makes you feel seen: anything keaton henson has ever written? beekeeper is a very enduring song from when i was younger that still hits me right in the gut even if i dont feel the same way as i did back then. a more currently relevant song would be garden song by phoebe bridgers

if you could have any career: if i could be the person i want to be rather than the person that i am, i would be a university english professor, preferably at some old university where everything is a little drafty and the campus library has high ceilings and ghosts that stretch back to time immemorial. sharing a love for literature and storytelling has always appealed to me, and if i could, i would spend the rest of my life in academia

do you have a type: men who are too old for me and women who intimidate me 😔

what does your heart/soul yearn for?: faust. all i want right now is to sit down in my library with goethe, tchaikovsky playing in the background. where’s mephistopheles to give me a special witches brew so i have all the time in the world to glut on the passions of humanity?

if you had to describe yourself in 5 words to someone who doesn’t know you: book hoarding bisexual literature student???

favorite subject in school: english, but i also love history (especially art history)

where does your soul feel most at home?: sitting on the end of my grandparent’s crumbling dock, feet dangling in a lake that made it’s home in some scooped out part of the north cascade mountains. everything is still except the whisper of the air through the pine needles and the slap of water against the shore. my grandma and i had wine and charcuterie for lunch and now my grandpa’s talking about his painting—something that straddles the line between the familiar and the surreal. it’s a very comforting memory

top 5 fictional characters: aragorn, son of arathorn, king of gondor; hannibal lecter; jim kirk; thomasina from tom stoppard’s arcadia; lyra belaqua from his dark materials

top 3 moments in a show that made you ugly cry: did you mean when boromir dies in fellowship???? he’s such a tragic character, and sean bean was the perfect casting decision. uuuhmmmmm hannibal tenderly and erotically gutting will in his kitchen. it’s one hell of a sex scene, that. aaaand the ending of your lie in april. i have nothing else to say on the matter

the earth, the sun, the moon, or the stars: has to be the stars (moon, please forgive me....)

favorite kind of weather: when everything is poised on the edge of a storm. the air is perfectly still, and you can smell the rain and the lightning. the sun low enough that there’s nothing but a glow of light at the bottom of the cloud bank

top 3 characters you kin with: elizabeth bennett.... clearly; will graham.... less clearly; and leonard mccoy, ultimate mom friend

favorite medium of art: subtractive sculpture mediums, especially marble, and oil painting. give me all that classic art

introvert/extrovert/ambivert: i’m a big, dumb introvert

a favorite literary quote: i could... spend hours answering this. since i’m thinking of stoppard and his horribly underappreciated plays, we’ll go with my favorite quote from arcadia: “We shed as we pick up, like travellers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind. The procession is very long and life is very short. We die on the march. But there is nothing outside the march so nothing can be lost to it. The missing plays of Sophocles will turn up piece by piece, or be written again in another language. Ancient cures for diseases will reveal themselves once more. Mathematical discoveries glimpsed and lost to view will have their time again. You do not suppose, my lady, that if all of Archimedes had been hiding in the great library of Alexandria, we would be at a loss for a corkscrew?”

some of your favorite books: the hobbit (tolkien), cloud atlas (david mitchell), the goldfinch (donna tartt), broken monsters (lauren beukes), the amber spyglass (phillip pullman), the paper menagerie (ken liu), the vintner’s luck (elizabeth knox), wuthering heights (emily bronte), pride and prejudice (jane austen), lolita (vladimir nabokov), crimson petal in the white (michel faber), sharp objects (gillian flynn), life after life (kate atkinson), the picture of dorian gray (oscar wilde), arcadia (tom stoppard), faust (goethe)

if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?: a townhouse in edinburgh scotland, someplace just big enough for all of my books and a dog and cat. or that town int he netherlands where there’s no cars and everyone gets around by boat. i don’t drive, so that sounds like such a dream??????

if you could live in any time in history, when would it be?: i don’t think i’d like living in any other time, honestly... as a nonbinary person... but i would love to pop into the victorian era for a visit. i want to sit in on a victorian salon, listen to poets read their work and look at art and just generally enjoy the beauty of it. but i wouldn’t like to live then for long

if you could play any instrument masterfully, which would it be?: the cello please and thank you

if you have one, what mythological god or goddess do you feel a connection to?: i vibe pretty hard with persephone...

oh my god, this is so long, but LASTLY, favorite recent selfie in your camera roll: two because why not?

[mysteryvoidscientist]

MLQC x The Arcana Game (Asra)---------Continuation-

⚠Possible Spoilers⚠

Kiro

MC: Our lovely third participant, grace us with your presence!

Kiro: Anything for you MC!

It was Kiro's turn to sit in front of Asra, fangirls shouting with excitement.

Kiro: So all I gotta do is close my eyes and let my hands flow on your cards right? Sounds easy enough!

Asra: Perhaps travelling your own ocean will prove to be a much difficult task... After all, when the Sun sets, the Moon takes its place, and the Star blesses the might sky.

Kiro: ...

Kiro: Okay! Let's start it up!

For a few seconds, Asra felt a shadow pass by the idol's eyes at his words, perhaps a sudden sentiment he felt. But the magician proceeded as told. Kiro closed his eyes and started diving in his own memories, hands roaming free above the cards as Asra's supported then from below, like a guiding torch that was bound to extinguish and let the traveller carry on the adventure on his own as the fragrance of myrrh enveloped the idol...

As long as MC was in the light, he was willing to kill his own light and be trapped forever in the darkness. He was willing to remain in Hell as long as she was under the Sun. Maybe her Star would have disappeared, but the Moon was temporary watching over her, brightening her up ever so slightly, chasing off a bit of her fears. Hell was just a sauna if it meant protecting her. Ever since seventeen years ago, when their bodies were always tied to cables, his resolve to obtain his vengeance fused his Sun and Moon into an eclipse, the desire to protect her remaining the same. Be it Kiro, or Key or Helios, he was the same book. Only its covers were different. The golden knife he gave her as the Moon to chase her fears away, the promises he gave her as the Sun to always keep her hopes up and never give up... he was the sun of the dark sky, a Star. Even if it meant charming people and controlling them, he wanted to be selfish for once, he wanted the Sun back and a bright future with her, a simple life with simple pleasures, away from any twisted desires for power.

Kiro: I'm-I'm-...

He was stuttering to get his words out to no avail, but his hand grabbed a certain card so tightly that it almost bruised it before Asra clicked his fingers. Kiro was now panting and blowing, a hand tightening into a fist to reach his chest, his teal blue eyes confused at what was happening to him. He started to think that the magician was an Evolver to be able to do such a thing, but Asra's words told him otherwise. Even the wind slackened for a moment as if unwilling to blow without his permission.

Asra: Know that only you can let yourself drown into your depths. Drowning means that you are facing numerous hardships and inner paradoxes. Your card is also reversed in the process.

Kiro: My card is... is it the Star? I-I had a hunch it would be.

Asra smiled and flipped over the card Kiro was holding, and indeed it was the Star arcana. Its archetype spoke to the fortune teller in incomprehensible words before he spoke up again. 

Asra: You once believed in your inner light. You may have endured great hardships, but it only made you shine brighter. In that regard, the Star had faith in herself that radiated through the darkness, guiding the lost and weary.

The magician looked at MC during his last sentence, making her and the audience confused, but Kiro lowered his head and told him to carry on.

Asra: However, now she has allowed doubts to dampen her light, losing faith in herself and the world around her. She is becoming a part of the darkness that was once only her background. Thus she implored you. "Now is not the time to despair. Keep believing and keep your star shine bright. The world needs you...both of you."

Kiro's eyes grew even wider as he took a quick glance at MC at the word "both".

Asra: Ah.

Kiro: What?

Asra: The Moon calls out to me.

Kiro: ???

Asra: The Moon has a message for you.

Kiro's left hand was holding a certain card, and when he became conscious of it, he immediately let go and jumped up in surprise. He thought it worse than a haunted house event.

Kiro: H-H-How!?

Asra chuckled and reassured him, grabbing the card to flip it to discover an upright Moon. Faust was excitedly twisting its tongue by the magician's shoulder.

Asra: Don't fret over it. It's just your unconsciousness acting. The Moon spoke to me... she interrupted the Star with these words. "Do not ignore your inner voice. Trust your intuition to lead you true, and the darkness will fade. As I hung low and dim in the sky, as I obscured the way forward with confusion, it may be time for you to examine what fears are blocking your path. Your next step will thus become clearer."

Kiro's mouth was agape with incredulity. How did he know? Were the cards really speaking or was it just for show? Or maybe it was just too vague to fit any situation...? But what he told each of Victor and Gavin was different so far. A hoard of thoughts were attacking his mind and he felt dizzy. A staff member gave him a bottle of water which he immediately emptied halfway.

Kiro: I'll... I'll just go back to my seat now... thanks...

The idol sat down next to the police officer and the CEO, commenting on how strange his experience was. But the two were just not in the mood to talk as they were immersed in their arcanas' words.

-To Be Continued-