#fragile feet insoles | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pin-k-ink · 4 months

Text

loving the unlovable // ryomen sukuna

tw ⇢ true form!sukuna, dub-con, huge age gap, sukuna being a tsundere, lots of fluff, violence and gore, descriptions of injuries, heavy angst, implied sexual content, pregnancy, pregnancy sex, character death, obsession/unhealthy relationship dynamic, voyeurism, power imbalance, verbal aggression, manhandling, heavy petting

wc ⇢ 14.6k

a/n: my favorite work yet. i will remember this one forever

The shadows of the ancient trees seemed to stretch endlessly as the pale moonlight filtered through the canopy. In the stillness of the forest, a presence stirred - a malevolent force that sent a chill through the very air. Sukuna emerged from the darkness, his footfalls silent yet carrying an unmistakable weight of dread.

As he prowled deeper into the woodland, something caught his attention - the faint sound of labored breathing. His sinister eyes narrowed, lips curling into a subtle sneer as he followed the sound to its source. There you lay, motionless among the fallen leaves, your small frame battered and wounded.

Sukuna regarded you with a dispassionate gaze, his head tilting slightly as he studied your fragile form. Without warning, one of his fearsome nails extended with a sickening screech of bone against bone, the razor-sharp point hovering over your exposed skin. A low rumble echoed from deep within his chest - not quite a laugh, but a sound that conveyed his dark amusement at finding such easy prey.

To his mild surprise, you stirred at the ominous sound, your eyes fluttering open to meet his piercing stare. There was no fear in your gaze, only a strange sense of calm as you regarded the monstrous figure towering over you.

"Not afraid to die, are you?" Sukuna's gravelly voice sliced through the silence, his words dripping with derision. The point of his nail traced along your arm with practiced precision, parting the skin just enough to draw a thin line of crimson.

Rather than recoiling, you watched with an eerie fascination, your small hand rising to grasp at the torn fabric of his cloak. There was no pleading in your voice, only a peculiar sense of certainty as you spoke. "You won't kill me...not yet."

An imperceptible flicker of intrigue danced across Sukuna's obsidian eyes at your peculiar confidence. His shoulders rose and fell with a low, rumbling chuckle that seemed to reverberate through the trees themselves. "Is that so? And what makes you so sure, little creature?"

Undeterred by his menacing presence, you met his gaze unflinchingly. "Because I intrigue you..."

Sukuna's lip curled in a disdainful sneer at your bold proclamation. With one fluid motion, he gripped your tiny frame, hoisting you into the air until your faces were mere inches apart. His fist easily encircled your midsection, your feet dangling helplessly above the forest floor.

"You dare presume to know my thoughts, insect?" he growled, his hot breath fanning across your face. "I could crush you without a second thought." To emphasize his point, his grasp tightened ever so slightly, the pressure becoming almost unbearable.

Yet, you did not flinch or cry out. You simply held his gaze, an enigmatic smile playing upon your lips. In that moment, Sukuna felt a flicker of something he could not place - a strange sense of being...challenged by this mere slip of a girl.

With a disdainful snort, he loosened his grip and turned, fully intending to leave you broken and forgotten on the forest floor. But as he took his first step away, tiny arms wrapped around his leg, your small body clinging to him with surprising tenacity.

"Wait!" Your voice rang out, thick with desperation. "Please...let me stay with you."

Sukuna paused, his towering form going rigid as he slowly turned his head to glare down at you with smoldering contempt. "And why..." he uttered in a dangerously low tone, "...would I indulge such an insolent request?"

Unbowed, you met his piercing stare, your fingers digging into the fabric of his tattered cloak. "Because I won't leave. I'll follow you...pester you...until you give in."

A tense silence stretched between you, the forest itself seeming to hold its breath. Then, Sukuna's shoulders began to shake with a low, rumbling chuckle that escalated into full-blown laughter - harsh and mocking, yet underpinned by a strange sort of dark amusement.

"You've got spirit, child...I'll give you that," he finally uttered, his lips twisting into a cruel smirk. With a dismissive flick of his wrist, he shrugged you off his leg, your small body tumbling unceremoniously to the ground.

As you looked up at him with a mixture of trepidation and hope, he let out an exaggerated sigh. "Very well...you may follow at my heels like the obedient little parasite you are. But make no mistake..." His obsidian eyes bored into you with an intensity that could pierce souls. "If you overstep your bounds even once...I'll make sure you beg for the mercy of death."

Sukuna's lair was a crumbling, ancient shrine hidden deep within the twisted roots of a towering mahogany tree. As he led you through the dimly lit corridors, the stale air carried the faint scent of decay that seemed to cling to every surface.

With a disdainful flick of his wrist, he motioned to a small alcove, little more than a glorified nook. "This will be your quarters for the night, leech. Try not to perish from discomfort," he sneered.

Too exhausted and overwhelmed to muster a retort, you simply nodded meekly and settled into the cramped space, curling up on the cold stone floor. Within moments, the weight of your ordeal took its toll, and you drifted into a fitful slumber.

When your eyes finally fluttered open hours later, Sukuna was seated cross-legged nearby, his penetrating gaze fixed upon you with an intensity that could have incinerated lesser beings where they lay.

"To sleep so soundly in the lair of a cursed spirit," he mused, his tone laced with mordant amusement. "Your manners are as lacking as your survival instincts, girl."

Groggily pushing yourself upright, you opened your mouth to respond, but he swiftly raised a hand to silence you.

"Save your excuses. I've no interest in listening to the pathetic whimpering of mortals." With that, he rose to his feet and stalked away, disappearing down the shadowy corridor without a backwards glance.

The first pale rays of dawn were just peeking through the crevices when Sukuna's imposing form materialized once more at the entrance to your tiny alcove. His eyes narrowed as he regarded your sleeping form with thinly veiled disdain.

"Up, leech," he commanded gruffly. "Our bargain has ended. I grow weary of tolerating your pestilent presence."

Your eyes fluttered open slowly, bleary from a night of restless slumber. As the weight of his words sank in, a small furrow creased your brow in defiance.

"No..." The single syllable slipped from your lips barely above a whisper, but carried within it an unmistakable rebellion.

Sukuna's eyes flashed with a volatile blend of dark amusement and burgeoning ire. "I beg your pardon?" His voice adopted a tone of perilous calm, like the ocean's stillness before a raging tempest. "You dare defy me, insect?"

Pushing yourself upright, you met his piercing stare with surprising boldness. "I won't leave. We never specified one night only."

A taut silence stretched between you, the air itself seeming to thicken with Sukuna's wrath. Then, his lip curled in a vicious snarl, and he moved with blurring speed -- one moment towering over you, the next slamming you back against the unforgiving stone with a hand like iron around your throat.

"You try my patience, child," he hissed through clenched teeth, his face mere inches from yours. "I should slice you into pieces and feast upon your insolent tongue."

Even faced with such terrifying malice, you held his gaze with eerie composure. "But...you won't..." you wheezed, struggling against his grip. "Not...yet..."

Another beat of deafening silence followed, the coiled tension between you crackling like lightning about to strike. Then, almost too fast to register, Sukuna released you, stepping back with a contemptuous sneer.

"Clearly, I overestimated your faculty for self-preservation," he growled, dragging a hand down his face in exaggerated exasperation. "Very well, you may remain...for one more night. But heed my words carefully, girl..." His piercing glare bored into you like twin daggers. "Tread lightly, lest I reconsider granting you the mercy of a swift demise."

a few years later

The gentle burbling of the nearby river provided a soothing melody amid the stillness of the forest. From the shadows of his shrine, Sukuna's piercing gaze remained fixated on the riverbank, where you had settled to bathe.

It had been years since that fateful night when the obstinate girl-child had wheedled her way into his domain under the guise of a single night's stay. Yet here you remained, a persistent thorn in his side that had, against all reason, taken root and refused to be dislodged.

As the warm waters lapped at your lithe form, tendrils of steam dancing along the gentle curves that had blossomed over time, Sukuna found his obsidian eyes tracing the contours of your body with undisguised interest. A low rumble reverberated in his chest - not one of menace, but an unmistakable purr of dark appreciation.

"The leech has sprouted into something of a noxious bloom," he mused aloud, his deep timbre reverberating through the shadows. A cruel smirk played upon his lips as he drank in the sight before him, shameless in his voyeurism.

You remained blissfully unaware of your shadowed observer, carelessly exposing the full radiance of your budding feminine form to his hungered gaze. Wet hair cascaded over your shoulders, beads of water tracing tantalizing paths along the swell of your bosom before disappearing beneath the river's mirror-like surface.

An imperceptible shift in the air was the only warning before Sukuna materialized at the riverbank in a swirl of ethereal mist, his towering height casting an imposing shadow over you. "Enjoying yourself, leech?" His voice sliced through the stillness like a blade through silk.

You started violently at the sound, instinctively shying deeper into the water's embrance in a futile attempt at modesty. Yet even as a furious blush stained your cheeks, your eyes met his without faltering - the same strange mixture of defiance and fascination that had so captivated him all those years ago.

"S-Sukuna..." you stammered, your breath catching in your throat as he descended into a predatory crouch at the very edge of the riverbank. "I didn't realize you were watching."

"Evidently," he purred, his rumbling baritone caressing every syllable as he drank in every flustered reaction. Reaching out with one long, sinuous finger, he traced the outline of a droplet that trembled precariously on the hardened peak of your nipple. "Tell me, leech...do you still fear me?"

A tremor that had nothing to do with the water's chill racked your body at his touch. Yet you leaned ever so slightly into his touch, drawn like a moth to a flame. "No..." you breathed, holding his smoldering gaze. "I've never feared you, Sukuna."

The dark spirit's lips twisted into a cruel facsimile of a smile, one that sent thrills of equal parts dread and exhilaration down your spine. "Then you are a fool, dear girl." With that, he withdrew his hand, rising fluidly to his feet and turning away in one seamless movement.

"Return before nightfall," he tossed over his shoulder as he strode off, his imposing figure swallowed once more by the shadows. "Our...discussions...are in need of resumption."

As the sound of his footfalls faded away, you remained rooted in the shallows, heart pounding as a heady mix of trepidation and undeniable longing swirled within you.

As the shadows lengthened, you made your way back to Sukuna's lair, your stomach rumbling with hunger. You found the cursed spirit seated cross-legged in the central chamber, his piercing gaze fixed on some indiscernible point in the distance.

"You've returned," he stated flatly as you entered. "I trust you're prepared to satisfy my curiosity regarding the mundane human ritual of...dinner?" He uttered the last word like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Stifling a sigh, you began gathering ingredients and utensils from the makeshift kitchen area Sukuna had grudgingly allowed you to establish years ago. As you cooked, you fielded Sukuna's barrage of disdainful questions about the peculiarities of mortal sustenance with a weary patience born of long practice.

Finally, you set a modest meal before him, watching in bemusement as he inspected it with a sneer of revulsion. "I will never understand why you subject yourself to such banalities, leech."

Rolling your eyes, you settled down to eat, politely ignoring his disparaging mutterings about the frailties of human existence. Same song and dance as every night.

Much later, you tiptoed down the corridor leading to Sukuna's private chambers, a mischievous grin playing across your lips. Spying the cursed spirit's recumbent form in the gloom, you stealthily slipped under the arm he had carelessly draped over the edge of his stone bed...

Only for said arm to clamp around you like a vise, hauling you up so abruptly that your feet cleared the ground entirely. You found yourself suspended face-to-face with Sukuna, his obsidian eyes blazing with unrestrained fury.

"You dare intrude upon my personal domain, worm?!" he bellowed, his free hand contorting into a series of wicked talons that hovered mere inches from your exposed throat.

Reflexively you threw up your hands in a placating gesture. "It's just me! It's just me!"

Sukuna's murderous expression flickered momentarily with recognition before resolving into one of contemptuous disgust. "Idiot girl," he growled, bodily hoisting you out of the chamber and depositing you in an unceremonious heap in the corridor. "How many times must I reiterate that my quarters are strictly forbidden?!"

As he slammed the door in your face, you couldn't quite stifle the giggle that bubbled up from your chest. "Same time tomorrow night?" you called out impishly, not bothering to pick yourself up from the floor.

The resounding bellow of outrage was enough to set your soul vibrating. Just another typical evening in the lair of Ryomen Sukuna.

The morning sun bathed the meadow in a warm golden glow, wildflowers swaying gently in the breeze. You sat among them, idly weaving together a crown of daisies and baby's breath, a serene smile playing across your lips.

Unbeknownst to you, Sukuna observed from the tree line, his penetrating gaze scrutinizing your every move. There was an unfamiliar tightness in his chest as he watched you laugh and dance amidst the blooms, so carefree and vibrant. An ache he couldn't identify.

He had seen countless mortals come and go over the eons - frail, fleeting creatures snuffed out like candle flames in the blink of an eye. Yet you persisted, your persistence grating on him at first until it gradually transitioned into...something else. Something he refused to name.

You were just bending down to pluck another blossom when Sukuna materialized at your side, his towering frame casting you in shadow. With a startled cry, you turned wide eyes up at him, the carefree smile slipping from your face.

But before you could react further, he reached down and scooped you up with ease, his massive hand encircling your slender waist. You automatically clutched at his arm for balance, lower lip jutting out in a tiny pout of protest.

"Wh-what are you doing?" you stammered, staring up at Sukuna with bewildered indignation. For once, he did not meet your questioning gaze, instead turning on his heel and striding back towards his lair without a word.

As the last rays of dusk faded, bathing the ancient shrine in deep shadows, Sukuna deposited you unceremoniously just inside the entrance. You gazed up at him with a petulant frown, momentarily frozen by the foreign gleam in his eyes - something wild and unrestrained flickering behind their obsidian depths.

Then, recovering some of your usual defiant spirit, you straightened and fixed him with a pointed look. "Since you're being so hospitable tonight, I don't suppose you'd allow me to bunk with you in your quarters?"

The request seemed to break whatever spell had momentarily fallen over the cursed spirit. He blinked, then his face contorted in a sneer of disdain as he reached out and shoved you back, not gently.

"Don't be foolish, girl," he growled, his voice laced with gravel. "You know my rules well. Now remove yourself from my presence before I remove you more...permanently."

Shooting him one last mulish glare, you turned and flounced off down the corridor, grumbling under your breath. Yet Sukuna remained rooted in place long after you departed, an inexplicable ache blossoming in his cursed chest.

The routine persisted for days and nights on end - you would saunter up to Sukuna's quarters once darkness fell, bat your eyelashes innocently, and inquire if perhaps this could be the blessed evening when he'd grant you permission to sleep beside him.

His response never wavered. A withering glare, a derisive snort, and then his large hand would clamp around your arm, yanking you off-balance before bodily depositing you outside his chamber door with an unceremonious shove.

"You're an insufferable pest," he'd growl, lips curled in contempt. "Quit deluding yourself into thinking I'll ever indulge such impertinence."

On one such night, you trudged away grumbling rebellious obscenities under your breath, lower lip jutting out in a full-on pout. Sukuna had been particularly rough, nearly sweeping your feet out from under you with the force of his push.

Fuming, you stalked outside into the night air, hoping the cool caress of the forest breeze would soothe your ruffled feathers. But you'd barely made it past the tree line when a sinister presence caused the hairs on the back of your neck to prickle.

A malevolent curse spirit oozed from the shadows, its grotesque form an amalgamation of oozing sludge and razor-sharp appendages. You froze, breath catching in your throat as its voracious eyes fixed on you, dark ichor dripping from its gaping maw.

Just as it reared back, prepared to strike, a thunderous bellow reverberated through the trees. "GIRL!"

Sukuna materialized between you and the curse like an avenging wraith, one clawed hand batting the foul creature aside with contemptuous ease. It hit a nearby tree trunk with bone-crunching force before dissolving into noxious sludge.

You stared up at Sukuna with wide, stunned eyes, his heaving shoulders the only indication of any exertion. Slowly, he turned to face you, mouth contorting into a vicious snarl.

"You foolish, foolish girl!" he raged, grabbing your shoulders and giving you a bruising shake. "Have I not warned you time and again about wandering from my domain unattended?! Do you have a death wish?!"

Trembling, you could only shake your head mutely, cowed by the sheer fury blazing in his eyes. With a disgusted growl, Sukuna released you, though his grip on your arm remained bruisingly tight as he hauled you back towards the shrine.

To your surprise, rather than depositing you at the entrance as usual, he dragged you straight to his private quarters and shoved you inside before him, slamming the door with a decisive thud.

"Sukuna, what-?" You turned to face him, brows knit in bewilderment, only to be silenced by the sheer intensity of his scathing look.

"Silence, idiot," he spat, raking you with his piercing glare. "For once, I'll indulge your persistent wheedling...if only to ensure you don't stumble into anymore folly this night."

He snorted derisively as realization bloomed across your face, lips curving into a delighted smile. Shaking his head, he jerked his thumb towards the pallet against the far wall. "Well? You have what you wanted. Now cease your incessant nattering and let me have some blessed quiet."

Biting your lip in a futile effort to contain your grin, you scurried over to the bedroll, trying and failing to ignore the thunderous pounding of your heart. As you settled in, Sukuna's rumbling bass filled the chamber once more.

"Just for tonight, leech. Don't delude yourself into thinking this..." He waved a dismissive hand, "...situation will become permanent."

Even as you nodded, the secret smile tugging at your lips suggested you had absolutely no intention of dropping your persistent campaign. As the night deepened, the sound of Sukuna's steady breathing rose and fell in a reassuring cadence - the soothing rhythm of the most terrifying lullaby to which you'd ever drifted off.

The following morning, you emerged from Sukuna's chamber squinting against the brilliant rays of dawn filtering through the trees. Stifling a yawn, you wandered towards the small spring that provided the lair's water source, blissfully unaware of the dark eyes watching your every move.

Sukuna observed in tense silence from the shadows as you knelt beside the glittering pool, idly trailing your fingers through the cool waters. That strange ache blossomed in his chest once more - a longing he could neither name nor comprehend.

With a irritable huff, he pivoted and stalked deeper into the gloom of the forest, forcing your bemusing form from his mind's eye. Yet the phantom sensation persisted, an ember of something warm and unfamiliar smoldering in his cursed soul.

Night had long since fallen by the time Sukuna re-entered his lair, shadows clinging to him like a shroud. He paused at the entrance to his private chambers, piercing gaze sweeping the dimly lit space with scrutinizing intensity.

"Tolerable for one night," he grumbled to himself, fingers tightening briefly on the doorframe. "But no more. That wretched girl has overstepped enough boundaries to last an eternity."

Before the words had fully left his lips, a slight shift of movement in his peripheral vision caused his entire body to go rigid, cursed power rippling through him like a shockwave. Whirling with blinding speed, he contorted one hand into a wicked scythe of talons, dark energy gathering in a volatile maelstrom.

"You dare--?!" The words morphed into a guttural snarl as his gaze landed on the slight figure now perched impudently on the very edge of his bed. "Leech!"

You grinned back at him, infuriatingly unperturbed by the malevolent force roiling off him in waves. "Well hello there, cranky pants. Sleep well?"

"I warned you about encroaching upon my personal domain," Sukuna raged, his free hand whipping out to seize you by the waist and bodily hoist you into the air. "Do you never learn?!"

Rather than cower, you merely gazed back at him with guileless defiance, small hands clutching at the iron bands of his fingers. "Don't be like that, Sukuna. We both know you won't hurt me."

The cursed spirit's towering frame seemed to swell with unholy wrath, muscles rippling beneath his ashen skin. Yet as his obsidian gaze bored into yours, that damnable heat flickered in his chest once more - an unwelcome tendril of yearning that slithered through the cracks in his cursed, callous shell.

With a noise of disgust, he released his grip, allowing you to tumble gracelessly back onto the pallet. Yet before you could so much as stir, he whirled and made for the door, fully intent on ejecting you from his quarters with extreme prejudice.

Only to find himself arrested by your slight form clinging tenaciously to his leg, arms and legs wrapped around the limb like a limpet. "No wait, Sukuna please! I'll be good, I swear!"

The cursed spirit stilled, piercing eyes slitting dangerously as he glared down at your pleading face. For a long, tense moment, the air itself seemed to thicken with the weight of his inhuman ire.

Then, it dissipated in a rush, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly as a weary exhale gusted past his lips. Wordlessly, he reached down and detached your grip with ease, ignoring your mewl of dismay. Instead of throwing you out, however, he simply turned and resumed his seat on the edge of the pallet, pinning you with a glower of stern resignation.

"One more night, leech," he growled, the capitulation sounding physically pained. "But no more of these insipid antics. Am I making myself absolutely clear?"

Your face split in a beaming grin that caused that damnable warmth to bloom in Sukuna's chest anew. Nodding fervently, you scooted up to join him on the narrow bed roll, relishing the simple intimacy of your shoulders brushing against his granite frame.

As the night wore on, and your breathing evened out in slumber, the cursed spirit remained awake and pensive, his piercing gaze roving repeatedly to the slender form curled up beside him. Something was shifting deep within him, an inexorable drift that filled him with equal parts longing and foreboding.

He could sense the tenuous grasp on his power beginning to waver - a dangerous riptide of emotion churning beneath the hardened surface of his being. And at its dark, irresistible center...that wretched girl remained, an infuriating yet inextricable piece of his cursed existence.

The first pale rays of dawn filtered through the crevices, bathing Sukuna's chamber in a soft, dusty glow. The cursed spirit's eyes drifted open slowly, his penetrating gaze instantly falling upon the slight form curled up beside him.

Your chest rose and fell with the deep, even breaths of untroubled slumber, a thin trail of drool trickling from the corner of your parted lips. Hair mussed and splayed across the pallet in a bird's nest of tangles, you looked every bit the image of innocence lost to dreams.

Yet Sukuna found his obsidian eyes tracing the delicate contours of your face with undisguised fascination, drinking in each and every detail as if truly seeing you for the first time. From the dusting of freckles across your upturned nose to the flutter of your lashes against flushed cheeks, he catalogued it all with rapt attentiveness.

Without realizing what he was doing, one long-fingered hand drifted up to gently brush an errant lock of hair from your forehead, his rough calloused fingertips a harsh juxtaposition against your petal-soft skin. You didn't so much as stir, too deeply ensconced in slumber to register his uncharacteristically tender ministrations.

Sukuna felt himself leaning in closer, an unfamiliar pull tugging at the very fabric of his being. Your warm, honeysuckle breath fanned across his face as his own drifted nearer and nearer still, until the delicate curve of your cupid's bow brushed whisper-light against the austere line of his lips.

In that crystalline moment, something seemed to shatter within the cursed spirit. His entire frame went rigid, the muscles coiled taut as an over-plucked bowstring beneath his ashen skin. Just as swiftly as the hypnotic compulsion had fallen over him, it dissipated in an icy rush of clarity.

With a strangled snarl of disgust, Sukuna violently recoiled, his sudden movement jostling the pallet hard enough to rouse you from slumber. Bleary eyes blinked up at him in groggy confusion as he loomed over you, his expression contorted into one of blatant abhorrence.

"Out," he ground out through gritted teeth, visibly struggling to regain control over the tempestuous storm of emotion roiling through him. "Get out, leech!"

Your brow furrowed in hurt bewilderment, mouth opening to protest or question his irate outburst. But Sukuna was having none of it. Reaching down, he seized you by the arm and bodily hauled you upright, marching you towards the door with such force that your feet barely skimmed the ground.

With one final shove, he deposited you in an unceremonious heap in the corridor, slamming the chamber door behind you with a thunderous bang. Left alone in the dim passageway, you could only stare at the unyielding slab of wood with a forlorn mixture of confusion and heartache welling in your eyes.

Inside his sanctum, Sukuna paced like a caged predator, every muscle taut and thrumming with pent up violence. His clawed hands alternately clenched and flexed, dark energy crackling through him in volatile surges.

"Damnable, pestilent girl!" He punctuated the snarled words with a strike that reduced a nearby pillar to rubble. "What depraved curse has she inflicted upon me?!"

Yet even as he raged and seethed against the irresistible tide of unfamiliar emotion, a small, insidious ember smoldered in the inky depths of his cursed heart. An ember that, unbeknownst to him, had been steadily burning brighter and hotter with each passing night...fanned into radiant existence by your infuriatingly persistent presence at his side.

You knelt in the small vegetable patch you had painstakingly cultivated, idly plucking weeds and tossing them aside with more force than strictly necessary. A sullen pout tugged at your lips as you mentally replayed the events of that morning on an endless, mortified loop.

The feeling of Sukuna violently recoiling from you, the look of unadulterated disgust contorting his features - it was all seared into your mind's eye with agonizing clarity. You hadn't even done anything, just woken up as per usual! Yet he'd practically torn you from his quarters, flinging you out like some repulsive insect he couldn't be rid of fast enough.

You were so absorbed in your simmering indignation that you failed to notice the imposing figure materializing at the edge of the garden until his rumbling baritone sliced through the weighted silence.

"Stop wallowing in the dirt like a pathetic grub, leech. It's unbecoming."

Stiffening, you steadfastly avoided meeting Sukuna's piercing gaze, mouth pressed into a mulish line. The cursed spirit regarded you with obvious disdain for a beat before snorting derisively.

"What, no clever rejoinder? No insolent prattle to assault my ears with?" His tone dripped with disdainful sarcasm. "How unlike you."

You remained stubbornly mute, turning your body slightly so your back was angled towards him in a blatant gesture of defiance. An imperceptible muscle ticked in Sukuna's taut jaw, his obsidian eyes glinting with fleeting irritation before smoothing out into cool disinterest.

"I see. The child chooses to have a tantrum then," he drawled, folding his arms across his massively muscled chest. "How terribly vexing for me."

Despite your best efforts to tune him out, his rich, resonant timbre seemed to effortlessly penetrate the walls you tried to erect. You couldn't quite stifle the small pout that crept across your lips, shoulders hunched defensively.

A humorless chuckle gusted from Sukuna at your petulant display. Then, his voice dropped a shade lower, taking on the ominous timber of flint striking steel.

"Perhaps a compromise is in order..." You froze, ears straining in spite of your resolve to ignore him. "...so that you might cease this insufferable tantrum."

Unable to resist, you turned your head slightly, peeking up at him through your lashes with naked trepidation. Sukuna held your gaze for a beat, then seemed to reach some internal resolution. When he spoke again, his tone was laced with the sort of weary resignation one might reserve for a rabid dog they've decided to humor rather than put down.

"You may..." He audibly ground out the words through gritted teeth, as if they physically pained him. "...take up residence in my quarters on a more...permanent basis. If that will satisfy your obstinate need to perpetually vex me."

The effect was instantaneous and profound. Your sullen pout blossomed into a radiant smile that bathed your entire being in a sort of incandescent light. Before Sukuna could so much as blink, you had launched yourself at him, throwing your arms around his granite-hewn waist and hugging him with every ounce of jubilant force in your slight frame.

The cursed spirit went rigid as a statue, his towering figure locking up in abject bewilderment at the unanticipated onslaught of unchecked affection. For several agonizing beats, he seemed torn between violence and simply phasing through the earth to escape the uncomfortable intimacy.

Then, as quickly as you had barreled into him, he pried you off with deliberate force, holding you at arm's length with a look of profound consternation. Clearing his throat gruffly, he averted those piercing obsidian depths, struggling to regain his customary icy aloofness.

"Yes, well..." He cleared his throat again redundantly. "Don't make me regret this indulgence, girl. Now release me and tend to whatever menial chores suit your industrious nature. I've had quite enough emotional upheaval for one morning."

Giggling at his obvious discomfort, you nodded enthusiastically and scampered off, every line of your body seeming to fairly sing with unrestrained jubilance. Sukuna watched you depart with a mixture of stark confusion and something frighteningly akin to fondness flickering behind his stony facade, the beginning embers of a connection that would irrevocably alter both your fates.

The shadows had long since descended over Sukuna's lair by the time you made your way to his private chambers that night, a contented smile playing across your lips. You found the cursed spirit seated on the edge of the modest pallet, his piercing gaze fixed on some indiscernible point in the distance.

Wasting no time on propriety, you bounded over and flopped onto the bed with unrestrained glee, reveling in the simple luxury of the soft furs and downy fabrics. Sukuna's obsidian eyes slid towards you, one pointed brow arching ever so slightly in a look of profound disbelief.

"Must you behave like an overexcited pup, leech?" he rumbled, mouth curved in a moue of distaste even as his gaze danced with fleeting amusement. "One would think you've never experienced the comforts of a proper resting place."

Rolling onto your back, you grinned up at him impishly, hair splaying across the pelts in a makeshift halo. "Maybe I'm just savoring the novel experience of sharing a bed with a ruggedly handsome cursed spirit."

Sukuna's eyes narrowed to slits of warning at your brazen flirtation, lips pulling back to expose a hint of fang. "Don't get ahead of yourself, girl. I allowed this arrangement to cease your childish carrying on...not to indulge any misguided fancies you might be entertaining."

Propping yourself up on your elbows, you fixed him with an appraising look through your lashes, openly drinking in the sharp lines of his chiseled features and muscular frame.

"Is that so?" you murmured, tone taking on a lilt of exaggerated innocence. "So you're saying there's no chance whatsoever of...extracurricular activities?"

The cursed spirit visibly bristled at your suggestive implication, fingers flexing as his obsidian gaze bored into you with smoldering intensity. Just as his lips parted to deliver what was sure to be a scathing rejoinder, the impish glint in your eyes seemed to catch him off guard.

Instead, you flashed him a brilliant smile, one that held no guile or insinuation - only a pure, radiant warmth that temporarily stole the breath from Sukuna's lungs. "I'm only teasing. Just being near you like this...it's enough for me."

Those simple words appeared to utterly disarm the formidable spirit. His mouth worked soundlessly as his angular features slackened slightly, temporarily unguarded and almost...vulnerable. An unfamiliar heat bloomed in his crimson gaze, softening it in a way you had never witnessed before.

Without consciously realizing what you were doing, you pushed up from the bed and scooted around behind Sukuna's seated form. He tensed fractionally as you molded yourself against the unyielding plane of his back, arms winding around the solid column of his neck in a tender embrace.

Yet unlike all the times before when he would have recoiled or shoved you away, the cursed spirit remained utterly motionless. His head bowed fractionally, harsh lines of his profile inscrutable in the dimness as he permitted your affectionate display to linger unchallenged.

In that weighted moment, it was almost as if some imperceptible barrier between you had begun to crumble - allowing a tiny flicker of connection to take root and smolder. Sukuna's next indrawn breath seemed to carry the weight of eons.

As the night stretched on in pensive quiet, your eyelids grew gradually heavier, lulled into a sense of peace and security by the steady cadence of Sukuna's breathing and the solidity of his form against yours. Safe in the knowledge that for now, in this stillness...he wouldn't push you away.

The balmy summer night was alive with the chirruping songs of crickets and the gentle whisper of the breeze. You knelt among the lush vegetation of your beloved garden, hands buried in the loamy soil as you carefully tended to the vibrant array of herbs and vegetables flourishing under your care.

So absorbed were you in your peaceful labors that you failed to register the first ominous shadows flitting through the tree line -- dark, malevolent presences that slithered forth with ill intent sparking in their depthless eyes.

It wasn't until a strangled cry rent the air that your head whipped up, eyes widening in stunned trepidation as grotesque, humanoid figures emerged from the gloom in a loose semi-circle around the garden's perimeter. Their twisted forms seemed an affront to nature itself, corrupt energies roiling just beneath the surface in profane defiance of the sanctity surrounding them.

"Sorcerers..." you breathed, instinctively shrinking back as your heart thundered in your chest. "But...how...?"

"The girl that soils Sukuna's domain," one of the gaunt figures rasped, its sibilant voice grating like rusted metal. "She will lure him out."

Another of the wicked men threw back its head in a horrifying parody of laughter. "Then we shall extinguish both blights upon this world in one fateful stroke!"

Before you could so much as blink, a crackling vortex of malign power burst forth, searing towards you in a blinding eruption of crimson light. You managed a single terrified scream before the onslaught slammed into you, sending shockwaves of unimaginable agony ricocheting through every fiber of your being.

The world tilted violently, the idyllic garden backdrop washing in and out of focus as you scrambled feebly against the onslaught. But the dark sorcerers were utterly relentless, pressing their brutal assault until your struggles grew feeble, your piercing cries reduced to gurgling whimpers of anguish.

Just as the encroaching blackness threatened to swallow you whole, a deafening roar of purest wrath split the night -- a vengeful bellow so seismic that it caused the very trees to shake in its wake. Through a rapidly dimming haze, you glimpsed the ashen silhouette of Sukuna materializing amidst the fray, his eyes blazing like twin supernovas.

The ensuing onslaught was apocalyptic. With an earthshaking crash, the cursed spirit unleashed the full brunt of his unholy capabilities in an explosive torrent of unearthly energies. The ground itself seemed to fracture and buckle under the sheer concussive force, whipping up a maelstrom of debris that swallowed the shrieking sorcerers whole.

In the span of mere heartbeats, the fiendish entities had been utterly decimated -- rent asunder by the full fury of Sukuna's unrestrained might. As the maelstrom receded, an unnatural silence fell, shattered only by the cursed spirit's harsh, heaving breaths.

Then, his piercing gaze fell upon your fragile form, crumpled and broken amidst the ravaged remains of your once-vibrant garden. Sukuna seemed to freeze for the span of an eternal second, features slackening incrementally as utter stillness cloaked his towering silhouette.

The next instant, he was at your side, sinking to one knee and gathering your battered body into the protective cradle of his arms with a tenderness that belied the violence still thrumming through him like livewire.

"Leech..." The nickname slipped raggedly past his lips, stripped of its customary inflection of derision or disdain. "Girl..."

Your eyelashes fluttered feebly as his gruff rumble penetrated the fog of anguish shrouding you. Somehow, you managed to croak a feeble murmur, the words scarcely more than a piteous whisper despite the gravity with which you uttered them.

"They...destroyed my garden..."

A tremor seemed to race through Sukuna's towering frame at the simple lament, his hold instinctively tightening as if to shield you not only from further harm, but the very notion of such trivial worries. When he spoke again, his voice carried a brusque gentleness that resonated through your very bones.

"Stubborn girl...there will be time to restore your foolish plants once you've recovered." His massive palm cradled the back of your head, fingers lightly sifting through the tangled tresses. "Rest now. I shall rebuild it all...with my own hands if need be."

As the realm of consciousness began to slip away from you once more, you managed the faintest murmur in acknowledgment before allowing yourself to drift into oblivion's soothing embrace. Your final cognizant thought was one of wonder...at how, even on the precipice of certain demise, Sukuna's mere presence remained an inextricable tether to hope and safekeeping.

The first tendrils of awareness seeped in gradually, a soft cocoon of warmth and security enveloping your battered form. You stirred with the barest of movements, eyelids fluttering open to find yourself swaddled in the plush furs of Sukuna's sleeping pallet.

A low rumble instantly drew your bleary gaze, finding the cursed spirit himself seated cross-legged at your side, his penetrating obsidian stare fixed unwaveringly on your face. There was an uncharacteristic intensity burning in those fathomless depths, something wild and unrestrained simmering just beneath the surface.

"You're awake," he stated simply, making no move to disguise the open appraisal raking over your form as if reassuring himself of your continued corporeal existence. "How do you feel, girl?"

You opened your mouth to respond, but he swiftly raised one clawed hand in a hushing gesture, silencing you before the words could form.

"No matter," he rumbled, raking his other hand through his disheveled mane in an uncharacteristically agitated gesture. "Clearly you require more rest to regain your strength after that debacle."

Confusion furrowed your brow as flashes of the dark sorcerers' ambush began to trickle back into your consciousness. But before you could so much as part your lips again, Sukuna leaned forward, the intensity in his eyes nearly scorching you with its heated focus.

"Attempt to rise or exert yourself in any fashion, and I will not be responsible for my actions," he growled, brooking no argument. "You will remain in bed and allow yourself to recuperate fully. Is that clear enough for your stubborn mind to comprehend?"

You could only nod mutely, instinctively sinking back into the sumptuous bedding as the weight of his stern edict settled over you. Sukuna held your gaze for a beat longer, then snorted and shifted his hulking frame, never fully removing himself from your bedside as if standing sentry.

Over the next few days, you quickly learned that the cursed spirit was fiercely serious regarding his mandate for your recovery. He scarcely left your side for more than a few minutes at a time, his formidable presence both reassuring and faintly discomfiting as you steadily regained your strength.

What's more, on the rare occasions you did rouse to find him absent, a brief glance out the chamber's lone window revealed he had already seen to restoring your beloved garden to its former verdant glory. Somehow, through some arcane effort, he had coaxed forth a miniature oasis from the ravaged soil and ash - a riot of fresh blooms and burgeoning greenery that made your heart swell with profound reverence.

Yet for all his apparent efforts to put you at ease and provide comfort, Sukuna adamantly avoided any heart-to-heart discussions or sentimental heart-renderings about the motivation behind his doting behavior. His demeanor was brusque as ever, a perpetual furrow pinching his brow whenever he happened to catch you studying him with wondering eyes.

"Cease gawking at me like a bedridden simpleton, girl," he'd grouse, deliberately turning his striking visage away to discourage further scrutiny. "If you insist on testing my patience, I'll keep you bedbound for another fortnight."

But his bluster and growling threats were belied by his actions come nightfall, when he would slide beneath the downy layers beside you with deliberate care. Unlike the prior fleeting times you'd been granted the intimate privilege of sharing his sleeping space, he no longer exerted any effort to maintain a respectful distance between your forms.

You would awake in those twilight hours to find his hulking frame spooning yours with almost protective insistence, one corded arm slung possessively over your waist while his pointed features remained a tense, watchful mask. Any attempts to disengage and afford him space were met with a low, rumbling murmur of displeasure and a reflexive tightening of his restraining hold, as if he feared your withdrawal on some subconscious level.

So you simply allowed yourself to sink back against his solid warmth with a resigned sigh, letting the sound of his even breathing lull you into a sense of strange security. Whatever internal warlord was raging inside the cursed spirit was not your battle to fight...at least not yet. For tonight, you would permit yourself to shelter inside the uncharacteristic tenderness he seemed determined to blanket you in, however briefly.

For deep within his volcanic stare, you could discern the telltale flickers of an emotion he refused to name - burning embers that glowed more fervently with each passing night spent entwined in silent communion.

Two sunsets had come and gone without any trace of Sukuna's imposing presence darkening the entrance to his lair. An uneasy sense of trepidation had settled over you like a shroud, each passing hour compounding the knot of dread coiling tighter and tighter in the pit of your stomach.

Where was he? The cursed spirit was no stranger to extended disappearances on his own inscrutable whims. But never before had he ventured off without so much as a gruff word of departure, leaving you to fret and wonder in his consuming absence.

You paced the confines of his inner sanctum in restless arcs, shooting furtive glances towards the unmoving slab of wood that served as the entrance. Surely if he intended his leave to be permanent, he would have...what? Sneered some parting barb about ridding himself of your pestilent presence?

No, the utter silence - the yawning void of his absence - chilled you more deeply than any of his harshest rebukes ever could. It simply wasn't like him.

You had just completed another fruitless circuit around the cramped chamber when a resounding boom shook the very foundations, instinctively dropping you into a defensive crouch. Heavy, thunderous footfalls reverberated through the passages beyond as something - no, someone- barreled towards the inner sanctum with reckless momentum.

The entrance burst open with a splintering crash, and there he was - Sukuna's towering, unmistakable silhouette haloed in the flickering torchlight beyond. Yet as the dust settled and your incredulous gaze drank in his form, utter dismay clenched like a vice around your heart.

The cursed spirit appeared utterly savaged, his ashen skin hanging in ribbons from countless deep lacerations that wept a steady stream of ebon ichor. One arm hung in an unnatural angle, the other clutching a gaping wound just below his ribcage as if trying to keep his very entrails from spilling forth. Dark power seethed and crackled around him in a volatile miasma, casting his features in a perpetual state of wrath-contorted ferocity.

An unintelligible bellow ripped from Sukuna's bloodied lips, causing you to flinch instinctively. Then another form materialized beside him, resolving into the lithe frame of Uraume - one of the only entities who could be considered an ally to the volatile curse.

"Listen close, girl!" he barked in his customary sandpaper growl. "You must approach Sukuna. He's been driven to the very brink, and right now you're the only one he might-"

"SILENCE!" The roar that erupted from Sukuna's chest could have parted oceans. "Don't presume to make decisions for me, dog!"

In the blink of an eye, his remaining hand had snapped up in a vicious swipe that sent Uraume hurtling back down the passage in an explosion of masonry and dirt. Turning that blazing stare on you, the cursed spirit's teeth gnashed in a bestial snarl.

"Well, leech?" he growled, a spatter of ebon blood splattering across his chin. "Coming to bask in the sight of your precious Sukuna laid low, are you? Have you a taste for more violence?!"

He took a menacing step forward, every motion broadcasting his intent to rend and subjugate to the most primal part of your hindbrain. Yet you held your ground, swallowing hard but refusing to be cowed by the maelstrom of dark malice radiating off him in waves.

"Just...let me help you," you managed, struggling to keep your voice steady and implacable. "You're in no condition to-"

"YOUR HELP?!" he thundered, unleashing a torrent of power that slammed into you with bruising force, driving you back several paces. "I don't require a weakling mortal's pathetic overtures!"

A massive clawed hand whipped out, gnarled fingers encircling your slender neck with crushing intensity that immediately stole your breath. Eyes bulging, you scrabbled helplessly at the iron vise of his grip, succeeding only in drawing parallel lines across his sweat-slicked flesh from the ragged ends of your nails.

His mouth twisted into a vicious sneer, eyes glittering with soulless, obsidian fathoms that intimated he would crush the spark of life from your fragile husk without hesitation. "You dare come before me in my domain and lecture me about conditions, girl?"

But you refused to relent, spearing him with a defiant glower even as black spots began dancing across your vision.

"S-Sukuna..." His name emerged as little more than a strained rasp. "I...won't leave...you."

Something indiscernible flickered behind his raging ferocity in that endless moment of stillness. His grip slackened a bare fraction, just enough for you to suck in a ragged gasp of air that seared like fire down your abused windpipe.

Before he could summon the will to renew his merciless onslaught, you pressed forward with quivering hands outstretched, placing them against his heaving chest. He stiffened at the contact, but did not retreat or rebuff your trembling advance.

"Please, Sukuna..." you rasped, meeting his tortured glare with steady imploration. "Let me in...just this once."

His lips peeled back to expose a rictus of fangs in a final, thunderous snarl of primal resistance. But as the seconds ticked by with agonizing slowness, the tension seemed to incrementally drain away, until only a bone-deep weariness remained etched in the harsh planes of his striking features.

With a low, subterranean rumble, the cursed spirit dropped into an ungainly crouch, until at last his proud, indomitable head lay cradled in your waiting palms. His eyelids slitted to mere crescents of lambent crimson as you sank shakily to your knees before him, every remaining shred of resistance crumbling into ash.

"Do as you will, foolish girl," he breathed, his voice little more than a ghostly rasp. "But make it count...for you may not get another chance."

He allowed his eyes to close fully then, the final rampart between his furious cursed pride and the infinitesimal seed of human vulnerability blossoming between you giving way at last. Hands trembling with a thousand warring emotions, you reached out and began tenderly clearing away the cloying streaks of gore and viscera that marred his statuesque features - a silent vigil that would mark the first flickers of a connection both of you had fought so viciously to deny.

The ensuing days after Sukuna's grievous injuries had been tended stretched into an interminable silence so deafening, you could practically feel it weighing upon your very bones. The cursed spirit had retreated into himself like a wounded animal, avoiding your questioning gaze and concerned overtures with an almost frantic single-mindedness.

Where once his imposing presence had been an inescapable constant at your side, now he was utterly absent - a specter that haunted the shadowed fringes of the lair, retreating deeper into the gloom whenever you dared approach. Even the sanctuary of his private chambers had become off-limits, the air around it saturated with a tense, forbidding aura that screamed stay away.

At first, you tried to chalk up his mercurial behavior to simply needing space to recuperate and process the harrowing ordeal he had endured. But as the days bled into weeks without a single word or sidelong glance from your self-appointed jailer, a simmering frustration began corroding the anxious concern you harbored.

This recent stint of avoidance was entirely unprecedented, even for Sukuna's infamously fickle temperament. You found yourself lying awake at night, tossing restlessly as a litany of increasingly agitated thoughts swirled through your mind.

Was he truly so disgusted by whatever vestiges of vulnerability you had glimpsed that day? Had you finally overstepped some unspoken boundary that severed the tenuous connection you had so painstakingly forged?

The flicker of panic that possibility sparked within your chest ultimately propelled you into motion one evening, as the inky shadows began their nightly unfurling across the ancient shrine grounds. Slipping from your modest sleeping quarters, you stalked the familiar warren of tunnels and crumbling chambers with renewed determination blazing in your eyes.

You reached Sukuna's sanctum just as the cursed spirit himself materialized at the entrance, clearly intent on disappearing elsewhere once more before you could catch him. His steps slowed fractionally as his piercing gaze registered your presence, lips immediately peeling back in a menacing snarl of displeasure.

Yet you stood your ground, arms crossed stubbornly over your chest as you leveled him with an unwavering stare. "Not this time."

Sukuna seemed to swell with wrath at your brazen rebuttal, the very air around him growing thick and suffocating with his barely-restrained power. "You dare seek to bar my way, insolent girl?"

Despite the deadly undercurrent to his words, you did not so much as flinch. "I dare demand answers," you shot back, amazed by the sheer bravery - or perhaps foolishness - fueling your own voice. "You can't keep avoiding me forever, Sukuna. And you sure as hell can't abandon this place and leave me wondering."

A dangerous crimson glimmer flickered behind his obsidian eyes at your impertinent challenge. With a speed that caused the air to whip your hair, he closed the distance between you in two ground-devouring strides, his looming silhouette casting you in shadow.

"You presume much, leech," he spat, the old epithet dripping with as much venom as a serpent's fangs. "Were it any other who showed such disrespect, I would tear them asunder without a moment's hesitation." One thick-nailed finger trailed along your jawline, the caress carrying a blatantly threatening weight. "Do you truly wish to test the limits of my dwindling patience?"

But you obstinately refused to be cowed, tilting your chin up in defiant challenge. "Then do it. Tear me apart, if that's what you want." Your voice was soft but unwavering, the naked conviction behind it seeming to momentarily undercut Sukuna's towering menace. "We both know you won't follow through on that threat...I just can't fathom why."

The cursed spirit recoiled almost imperceptibly at that, a muscle twitching in his clenched jaw. For a span of heartbeats, you could practically see the roiling tempest building behind his eyes as he struggled to formulate a response.

Then, it burst forth in a tumultuous torrent, as if some invisible dam had been irreparably breached.

"Because you haunt me, you insufferable blight!" he snarled, thick fingers tightening in your hair until it stung. "For years, you've chipped away at my defenses with your pestilent tenacity, worming your way past every wall I built until I could no longer be rid of you!"

His free hand slammed into the wall beside your head, the stone buckling inward from the sheer force as he loomed over you like a force of nature given mortal shape. "Your existence has become as indispensable to me as breath itself, do you comprehend that?! Every wretched thought, every insipid desire, can no longer be conceived without your infuriating visage lingering at the mind!"

Another blow struck the unforgiving barrier as his onslaught continued unchecked, words belying emotions so violently profound they could scarcely be contained. "Your heartbeat has become a rhythm that my whole wretched self is forced to follow! TO RID MYSELF OF YOU NOW WOULD BE THE SAME AS CARVING OUT MY OWN WRETCHED SOUL!"

His monumental wrath finally crested in that suspended instant, hands clenching into trembling claws at his sides as if he yearned to grab you and simultaneously pull you close or dash you against the nearest immovable surface. You gaped up at him, utterly transfixed and speechless in the face of such a cataclysmic admission.

Sukuna searched your face with a look of abject desperation, as if willing you to give voice to the very understanding that eluded his tormented grasp. When you remained silent, he seemed to crumple slightly, his shoulders drawing inward with a ragged exhalation.

"Well?!" The single, plaintive word scraped from his lips, more broken plea than demand. "Speak, damn you! Put voice to the festering sickness I cannot rid myself of, no matter how I strain against it!"

Slowly, as if in a daze, you shook your head in a woefully inadequate gesture. "Sukuna, I..."

Your voice trailed off as color rapidly bloomed across your cheeks, eyes abruptly skittering away from his intense scrutiny. By the time they drifted back up to settle on his features, a fiery combination of audacity and sheer longing had taken root.

"I want to kiss you right now," you breathed, the words carrying every ounce of yearning thrumming through your thunderous pulse, "...but I can't reach."

As the simple admission hung in the weighted stillness, you watched transfixed as a myriad of fleeting emotions flickered across Sukuna's striking features. Surprise, naked vulnerability, even a glimmer of what could have been confused for shy uncertainty - until at last, his lips curved in the ghost of a sardonic smirk.

A soft huff of breath parted from the cursed spirit's lips - the unmistakable rumble of restrained amusement resonating from his granite-hewn chest. Yet rather than the mocking disdain you had grown accustomed to over the years, this exhalation carried an undercurrent of begrudging fondness...affection, even.

Slowly, with deliberate carefulness, Sukuna sank to his knees before you, allowing his towering stature to diminish until you were virtually eye-to-eye. His penetrating obsidian gaze remained unwavering, pinning you under the weight of its molten scrutiny as he seemed to drink in your every nuanced reaction.

"Is that so, little leech?" His words were little more than a low rumble, stripped of any bite or rancor. "You wish to bestow your affections upon this...undeserving curse?"

You swallowed hard, mustering every shred of bravery humming through your veins as you gave a infinitesimal nod. Sukuna's lips quirked in a fractional smile, one edge hitching up ever-so-slightly in a subtle softening of his perpetually harsh features.

"Very well then, you sweet fool," he murmured, the rumbling baritone of his voice seeming to reverberate straight into your core. "I shall grant you this indulgence...for now."

With that, he shifted infinitesimally closer, until you could feel the heated puffs of his exhalations ghosting across your face...until his rugged silhouette filled your entire field of vision, encompassing and infinite and utterly overwhelming in its proximity.

Pausing there with exquisite restraint, Sukuna searched your features one final time, allowing one last fragile heartbeat of respite before inclining his regal head in a barely perceptible nod.

The faintest of whispers, little more than the suggestion of his warm breath ghosting against your mouth. "Proceed, my leech."

In the days that followed Sukuna's vulnerability laid bare before you, a tectonic shift seemed to reverberate through the very foundations of your peculiar existence together. What had once been an intricate dance of push and pull, antipathy and grudging acceptance, had blossomed into something altogether new...something infinitely more electric and profound.

If you didn't know better, you might have assumed the legendary harbinger of curses had undergone a complete metamorphosis in the wake of that pivotal moment shared between you. Yet even at his most doting - his most outwardly affectionate - the unmistakable kernel of Sukuna's uncompromising intensity remained.

You noticed it most profoundly in the way his obsidian eyes would trail your every movement, never once straying from your form with a sort of palpable weight and hunger that made your pulse thunder. No matter how seemingly mundane your activities - tending your garden, preparing the evening meal over the hearth fire, simply sitting and staring off into the middle distance - his piercing stare was an inescapable tether tying you back to earth.

At first, you tried valiantly to ignore the way his massive presence seemed to loom over you at every turn, casting its hulking silhouette across yours in a manner that was both comforting and faintly discomfiting. But Sukuna was nothing if not relentless...and persistent in his quest to shatter the very foundations of personal space itself.

It began with the brushes of contact that seemed to linger a moment too long at first - the rough pads of his fingers traipsing across the exposed curve of your shoulder in passing, or ghosting along the small of your back as he navigated around your slight frame. Simple, chaste gestures that nonetheless raised the fine hairs along your nape with their loaded promise of so much more.

Then came the blatant encroachments, as if the cursed spirit had grown impatient with even the slightest iota of perceived distance between you. One moment you would be standing before the hearth cooking utensils in hand, gently humming an idle tune under your breath. The next, Sukuna's towering bulk would materialize at your back, chest pressing flush against you as corded arms snaked around your hips to bracket your frame against his.

"Y-your hands are in the way..." you'd stammered the first time, acutely aware of the masculine heat radiating off of him in waves. "I can't cook like this."

The response had been a low, rumbling chuckle vibrating against your back, shortly followed by the unmistakable brush of Sukuna's lips against the sensitive juncture of your neck and shoulder.

"Then don't cook, foolish girl," came the gravelly murmur against your flushed skin. "Not when I've yet to properly satisfy my own...hunger."

From there, his public displays of ravenous affection only escalated. No activity seemed exempt from his roving hands and wandering mouth bestowing their lusty attentions upon you with shameless fervor. He would haul you into his lap with little preamble as you chatted idly, effortlessly trapping you within his brawny thighs as he pressed scorchingly hot kisses along your jawline and the column of your throat.

More than once, you found yourself rendered speechless in the midst of some menial task or another - breath catching as Sukuna simply wrapped himself around your smaller frame from behind, nuzzling the crown of your head while emitting a soft rumble of sheer contentment.

"Your incessant blathering was insufferable before, yet now the silence grates upon my senses," he'd grumble against your hair, flexing his grip around your hips a fraction tighter. "Speak, leech. Let me bask in your existence a while longer."

When night fell and the two of you inevitably gravitated towards the plush embrace of his sleeping pallet, any pretenses went out the window entirely. Sukuna seemed determined to enfold you in his granite-hewn embrace until you were thoroughly and utterly consumed, limbs intertwined as his muscular bulk smothered you beneath its sweltering weight.

"S-Sukuna, I can't breathe!" you'd gasp in mock protest, squirming fruitlessly in the iron bands of all four of his arms as his lips found the feverish pulse beating in the hollow of your throat.

"Breathing is an indulgence, not a necessity at present..." would come the velvet-over-gravel purr against your sweat-dampened skin. "Be still, mine."

You lost track of how many nights you awoke curled atop his chest like a favored pet, buffeted by the rise and fall of his deep, slumbering breaths. But rather than extract yourself, you gradually found your own hand drifting up to trace the sharp, austere contours of the face regarding you through half-lidded eyes - his expression curiously unguarded in those hushed moments before the sun crested the horizon.

"Your fascination bores into my thoughts, even in sleep," he'd rumble, arching one imperious brow while making no move to dislodge you. "Does your insufferable scrutiny never end?"

You would simply shake your head, fingers trailing to the masculine curve of his lower lip as you committed every beloved detail to memory. "No more than your need to keep me close does, it seems."

A huff of sardonic laughter before his arms flexed and crushed you more tightly against his chest, all traces of humor melting away into naked, vulnerable sincerity.

"Too true, leech...too true." His deep timbre would reverberate through your very soul as he brushed a lingering kiss across your brow. "Now sleep...and grant me the mercy of indulging this unforgivable weakness a while longer."

Hushing any reply with the molten brand of his lips upon yours, he would acquiesce to the inevitable pull of slumber with you cradled against him like a talisman...twin souls shielded from the rest of the world's harsh realities if only for a few stolen hours.

The gentle burbling of the river provided a soothing melody as you sank into its welcoming embrace, allowing the tepid waters to lap soothingly against your bare skin. A contented sigh parted your lips as you tilted your head back, basking in the warmth of the midday sun filtering through the canopy overhead.

Yet you couldn't quite shake the unmistakable prickling awareness that something...or someone...was watching you.

Dragging your lashes open, your gaze was immediately arrested by Sukuna's imposing silhouette seated on a nearby boulder at the river's edge. His eyes positively smoldered with naked intensity, drinking in every exposed inch of your damp skin with ravenous hunger.

You felt an instinctive flush creeping up your neck and cheeks under the sheer weight of his molten perusal. Not that his frank ogling came as any surprise - the cursed spirit had made little effort to disguise his desire during the past years. But there was something heavy and electric crackling in the air around him now...something more visceral and carnal thrumming through his coiled muscles as he watched you.

Almost involuntarily, your arms drifted up to attempt shielding your bare curves from his searing gaze, throat tightening minutely. "S-Sukuna...must you stare like that?"

The words emerged in a breathless murmur, your gaze skittering across the sharp planes of his features in a futile attempt to avoid being utterly pinned like a butterfly to wax paper. Yet his eyes remained utterly unmoving, devouring you with dark promise.

"And why should I not?" The low rumble of his voice seemed to reverberate through your very bones, sending delicious little tremors shivering along your nerve endings as if in premonition. "Do you not comprehend how utterly bewitching a vision you present, resting among the water's crystalline touch like some mythical nymph?"

You swallowed hard at the ardent compliment laced through with undisguised yearning. Despite the amorous attentions he had already lavished upon you, Sukuna never failed to set your pulse thundering with even his subtlest invocations of desire.

"If you find me so pleasing to look at..." you ventured, aiming for nonchalance but only succeeding in sounding softly winded, "then perhaps you could indulge me and look away? Just for a little while?"

A pregnant pause stretched between you as he appraised your halting request, that mercurial gleam flickering briefly behind his volcanic stare. Then, a low rumble of sardonic laughter rolled forth as his lips quirked in an amused sneer.

"Look away?" he echoed, tongue curling around the words with relish while his gaze continued its shameless roving. "And forfeit the pleasure of imprinting every inch of your body into my memory? I think not, dearest leech."

Sukuna's hulking frame surged to its feet in one fluid, leonine movement that immediately stole the breath from your lungs. Slowly, he began advancing towards the river's edge with inexorable intent simmering in every ground-devouring stride.

"In truth...gazing upon your exquisite form any longer might jeopardize what fragile restraint still tethers my baser urges," he continued, a low, rumbling growl that made you shiver in spite of the water's warmth. "No...I've indulged in simple voyeurism more than long enough, I think."

You felt your pulse skyrocket as the meaning behind his words penetrated the hazy veil of desire blurring your senses. Sinking deeper into the shallows, you instinctively drew your knees up in a futile attempt at modesty, breath catching in your throat as Sukuna reached the riverbank.

"W-what do you mean?" you stammered, even as a profound certainty took root in the pit of your stomach. You knew exactly what he meant...what he intended. The mere prospect of it sent a molten thrill of equal parts trepidation and exhilaration lancing through your veins.

In lieu of responding with hollow words, the cursed spirit simply appraised you with a look of rapturous, unvarnished need for a suspended breath...before effortlessly discarding the tattered remnants of his clothing and stepping into the shallows with purposeful, silent intent.

You couldn't tear your eyes away if you tried, thoroughly transfixed as he stalked ever closer with all the sublime grace of a panther emerging from the underbrush. Raw power and earthy masculinity radiated from his every flex and ripple of corded muscle, enveloping you in its gravitational pull until he loomed over you like an elemental force contained in mortal flesh.

Sukuna gazed down at you for several suspended heartbeats, something deep and profound lurking in those abyssal depths. Then, with aching slowness, he reached for you - the first caress of his calloused fingertips trailing across your jaw and down the quivering column of your throat with searing reverence.

"I want you..." The confession emerged in a low rasp burred with strain, yet ringing with indelible conviction. "Every exquisite shred of your mind, body and soul wrapped around my own indelibly. To become so thoroughly entangled that not even the boundaries of eternity could serve to separate us..."

With a shuddering gasp, you surged up to meet him, wrapping your arms around the granite expanse of his shoulders and finding his mouth in a searing, needful kiss. He answered with a bestial growl, hands spanning your back to crush you against the scorching brand of his body as the world momentarily ceased to exist beyond your joined exhilaration.

What transpired next in the sylvan seclusion of the forest hollow defied articulation through mere human tongue or pen. A communion of two souls who had danced upon the frayed edges of merciless boundaries for far too long, now diving recklessly, irrevocably into the churning depths of whatever thrice-damned connection bound them.

There was no more hesitation or restraint, only an exquisite ache of yearning met with Sukuna's furious brand of intensity - the push and pull of eternal cosmic forces colliding in a single crystalline vertex as you tangled together amid the water's eternal cadence. His mouth and hands and the raging power contained in his very being cleaved you in two, stoking embers into raging conflagrations that threatened to set the very air alight with each gasping breath and trembling caress.

It was only afterwards, when coherent thought fractured through the haze of bliss cradling your senses, that you became aware of Sukuna gathered you up against his chest with preternatural gentleness. His mouth ghosted across your brow reverently as you nuzzled into the thrum of his pulse, every hitched breath carrying the same aching awe and untempered adoration as before.

There were no words spoken as he carried you from the shallows and back towards the sanctum of his domain, only the weight of a connection irrevocably and infinitely forged fresh upon your souls.

The following weeks dissolved into a fevered haze of tangled limbs and breathless intimacy. Sukuna kept you sequestered in the shadowed sanctum of his chambers, allowing scarcely a moment's reprieve before his smoldering gaze and calloused touches stoked your shared passion anew.

With a low, rumbling growl, he would surge over you, pinning your pliant form beneath the scorching brand of his granite-hewn bulk. His large palms mapped every dip and swell of your curves, calloused fingertips tracing paths of searing devotion across your feverish skin until you arched shamelessly into his sensual ministrations.

Sukuna worshipped you with an intensity that bordered on primal obsession. His mouth branded scorching kisses along the elegant column of your throat, teeth grazing that sensitive juncture where your pulse fluttered erratically under his merciless onslaught. You lost yourself to the exquisite duality of pain and pleasure, body thrumming with unbridled ecstasy as he sheathed himself inside your welcoming heat over and over until the world shattered apart.

In the blissful afterglow, he would cradle you against his chest, reverent fingers trailing idle patterns through your disheveled tresses as you drifted in sublime, satiated languor. "Rest now, my precious leech," he would murmur gruffly. "You'll need your strength...for I've only just begun to lay claim to what's mine."

True to his velvet promise, the cursed spirit allowed no quarter for respite, driving you both to sublime precipices with relentless fervor night after night.

Until one particular dawn found you rousing from a restorative slumber, only to find Sukuna looming over you - his harsh features limned in soft pearl light, eyes burning with an indecipherable intensity. Before you could question his strange mood, he silenced you with a calloused fingertip, leaning in to trail the other hand down the taut plane of your abdomen in a shockingly tender caress.

Then, to your utter bewilderment, Sukuna dipped his proud head and pressed his brow against that same spot with an infinitesimal tremor racing through his powerful frame. He remained frozen like that for several weighted beats before rearing back, utterly transfixed.

"You are with child," he rasped in a low rumble of awe, obsidian eyes roving your body with naked reverence. "My child."

One hand extended as if to caress your abdomen once more, only to still just before making contact - as if restraining himself from laying claim to something inviolably sacred. When his molten gaze crashed back to yours, it burned with the intensity of a thousand suns, every facet of the indomitable spirit laid bare.

"Did you not comprehend what you agreed to when you forever bound yourself to me, foolish girl?"

Utterly transfixed, you could only shake your head in a dazed stupor as Sukuna's granite-hewn form descended over yours once more, fitting your bodies together with devastating precision as if sealing an unspoken cosmic covenant.

"Then allow me to show you..." he growled against the swell of your parted lips, voice shredded with rapture and ardent possession as he sealed your joined fates with another searing embrace.

As the weeks melted into months and your pregnancy blossomed, Sukuna's already ardent doting intensified tenfold into something borderline primal. The cursed spirit remained an inextricable bulwark at your side, allowing scarcely a moment's separation between you as your condition advanced.

His touches, once ravenous and claiming, now carried an undercurrent of exquisite tenderness and devotion. Whenever possible, one of his large, calloused palms would splay across the burgeoning swell of your abdomen in a silent reassurance of his vigil. You lost count of how many times you awoke cradled against the scorching brand of his bare chest, with Sukuna's obsidian gaze riveted to your midsection - as if he could will their unborn child into manifesting through the sheer weight of his intensity.

Often, he would lie utterly motionless beside you for what felt like eons, fingers lightly tracing the taut curve of your belly in contemplative reverie. Then, as if beckoned by some unseen summons, he would stiffen almost imperceptibly before a look of naked awe blossomed across his austere features.

"There..." he'd murmur, voice little more than a rasping whisper thick with emotion as his palm flattened firmly against your abdomen. "Feel that, leech? Our offspring moves with prodigious vigor..."

You would laugh softly in breathless delight at the sensation of minute flutters blossoming into unmistakable kicks against his steadying hand, always in awe of Sukuna's inexplicable ability to anticipate them. Amusement would sparkle in the inky depths of your shared gaze whenever he harrumphed indignantly at your mirth, a hint of that old familiar imperiousness writ across his chiseled features.

"Mock me if you wish," he'd growl, leaning in to nuzzle the fragrant hollow beneath your ear. "But you'll not deter me, even for a moment. This life you bear will want for nothing while its father keeps watch..."

Then the hot brand of his mouth would slant over yours in a ferociously devouring kiss, his free hand roving relentlessly across your sensitized curves with scorching intent. You surrendered to his inflamed ardor completely, shamelessly reveling in the molten frissons of desire Sukuna so effortlessly incited in you even well into your third trimester.

" Insatiable..." you'd gasp between fevered caresses, squirming futilely against the granite cradle of his pelvis undulating against yours. "The child's practically done cooking and you still can't keep your hands off me..."

An iniquitous smirk would curve his lips in answer as his mouth trailed liquid heat along the taut column of your throat. "And whose fault is that, precious leech? You taunt me with every look, each intake of breath that gently swells your form... How could I resist feasting upon such utter temptation while I still can?"

This interlude would inevitably lead to another protracted joining, all the more impassioned due to the constraints necessitated by your condition. Yet Sukuna appeared undeterred - energized - by the challenges inherent in worshipping your burgeoning shape. No position or angle seemed too unorthodox to accommodate, so long as he could indulge in every newly hypersensitized inch of satin skin left panting and flushed in the smoldering wake of his lavish attentions.

And when, at long last, even your seemingly boundless ardor reached its peak and left you limp and thoroughly sated, he would huff a self-satisfied growl against your temple. His palms would caress the gentle swell with a tenderness that never failed to steal your breath anew as you reveled in the tranquility of the aftermath.

"Sleep, mine..." he'd rumble, the inflection soft yet weighted with immutable possession. "I shall revel in our offspring's vigor until I fall asleep as well..."

So you would slip into blissful oblivion cradled securely against Sukuna's granite contours, lulled by the measured pounding of his heartbeat and the reassuring glide of his fingertips tracing idle sigils against your abdomen. Safe in the knowledge that while your world had irrevocably shifted and expanded to encompass this extraordinary metamorphosis, his unwavering guardianship remained the inviolable anchor grounding your joined existence.

Even before the child took its first breath, Sukuna had dedicated every fiber of his towering, unearthly being to ensuring neither you nor his young would ever know a moment's doubt...a single tremulous heartbeat beyond the sheltering, infinite orbit of his devotion.

Sukuna's jaw was set in a taut line as he prepared to depart, the muscle ticking visibly beneath his chiseled features. His obsidian eyes burned with an intensity that could incinerate souls as he raked his smoldering gaze over your form.

"I will return before the moon sets," he growled, the words laced with an undercurrent of vehement reluctance. "But you are not to exert yourself or wander far, leech. This separation tries my restraint enough as it is."

Sensing the turmoil simmering beneath his imposing veneer, you offered a placating smile and reached up to trace the harsh contours of his face. "I'll be fine, my love. The little one and I will explore the garden for some fresh air, nothing more."

Sukuna's eyes slitted dangerously at your flippant reassurance, but he made no further rebuke. With a disdainful snort, he turned on his heel and stalked away, disappearing into the shadowed tree line like a wrathful specter consigned to some undesirable errand.

Shaking your head fondly at his overprotectiveness, you set off towards the burgeoning garden sanctuary at an unhurried pace, drinking in the vibrant scenery and allowing the tranquility to soothe your restlessness.

You never saw the vile, twisted figure slithering through the underbrush until it was too late. An aura of pure malevolence radiated from its very presence, freezing you in place like a rabbit in a snake's thrall. Those haunting words like rusted nails on a headstone would be the last thing you processed before the darkness claimed you:

"Well, well...what a delightful prize you'll make..."

The air was fragrantly alive with the perfume of fresh fruit as Sukuna materialized at the entrance of his sanctum, arms laden with an assortment of your latest cravings. His strides slowed fractionally as the silence stretched on without your usual cheerful greeting, the furrow between his brows deepening incrementally.

"Leech?" he called out gruffly, piercing gaze sweeping their domain with mounting unease. Where was the insufferable chatterbox? Ordinarily she would have come scampering at the mere hint of his return, practically levitating with excitement over whatever frivolous indulgences he'd procured.

That's when he caught the faintest undercurrent of a malign presence tainting the air - a profane blight that caused the hairs along his nape to bristle with instinctive aggression. Sukuna rounded the corner with the swift lethality of a panther, only to freeze as his eyes landed upon a grotesque, hunched figure blocking his path.

"Meddlesome vermin," he snarled, drawing himself up to his full towering height as unholy power thrummed beneath his very skin. "Where is the girl?"

The man let out a gurgling, wet chuckle that grated like rusty blades before gesturing carelessly towards the shadows behind it. "Oh she's around here somewhere...what's left of her anyway."

White-hot rage detonated through Sukuna's being like a shockwave, barely allowing the malformed words to register before he lashed out with catastrophic force. One second the creature stood leering with repugnant confidence...and the next its entire vile essence had been utterly erased from existence without so much as a parting scream to mark its demise.

As the residual ozone of his onslaught simmered into eerie quiet once more, only one thought pounded through Sukuna's skull with inescapable dread. With each frantic bellow of your name that echoed unanswered through the labyrinthine corridors, the knot of trepidation within him twisted ever tighter until it threatened to splinter his ribs from the inside out.

When at last his frenzied search reached the fringes of the garden, there you lay mere feet from the treeline - a crumpled, motionless silhouette wreathed in rapidly congealing crimson that very nearly brought the indomitable Sukuna to his knees.

He crossed the space in two lurching strides, sinking to the loamy earth beside your broken form as gently as his shaking hands would allow. Calloused fingertips ghosted across the pale curve of your cheek, the warmth so recently alight there already seeping away into the abyss of oblivion far too soon.

With excruciating care, Sukuna cradled you against his chest, willing his desperate touches to somehow reignite the brilliant spark of your radiant existence. Yet as his palm came to rest upon the swell that housed the fragile blossom of new life you had both sworn fealty to beyond the constraints of eternity itself...he felt nothing.

No tremulous flutter of vitality, no rhythm of a miniature heartbeat destined to become his entire world. Just...emptiness. A void that stole the very breath from his lungs and seared his eyes with an unforgivable ache he didn't dare put a name to.

In that moment, the indomitable force of nature that was Sukuna could do nothing but draw your lifeless body flush against his own. His lips brushed your cooling brow with a tenderness too profound for words as his piercing gaze glassed over, staring sightlessly into the endless oblivion your light had fled.

No roars of anguish rent the air. No seismic upheaval of his cosmic maleficence rocked the foundations in inconsolable devastation. Only the scouring blanket of silence and stillness fell...engulfing the once indomitable Sukuna in a void more vast and eternal than any eternity he'd ever known.

The hushed stillness that blanketed the clearing felt utterly suffocating, a death knell smothering every infinitesimal particle until reality itself seemed to grind to a halt. Sukuna remained frozen, trapped in the hollowed vacuum of this calamity as he cradled your lifeless form with a tenderness that defied every facet of his fearsome, primordial nature.

For once, there were no words - no gravel-toned rumbles of reassurance or the faintest flickers of consolation that you would stir and blink up at him with that radiant warmth he had grown terribly, irrevocably addicted to. Just the silence...and the fading whisper of your breath mingling with his own before fading away entirely.

"Breathe, damn you..." The ragged plea emerged as little more than a fractured rasp as his hand drifted up to cradle the back of your skull, thumbs brushing featherlight against your marbled cheeks. "Fight against me as you always do when I overstep, leech. Unleash that stubborn, foolish spark upon me once more..."

But you remained achingly, horrifically still - a fragile husk where the vivacious spirit who had bound your fates together once blazed with unfettered vitality. Sukuna's throat worked convulsively, lips shaping a benediction he could no longer bear to speak aloud, lest it seal your oblivion in inevitable truth.

So instead he lost himself in the reverie of recollection, frantically revisiting every infinitesimal moment and indelible impression seared into the cosmos of his being. From that fateful eve in the forest when you'd first foolishly bound yourself to his existential path...to the shared agonies and hard-won intimacies and sacred vows that had incrementally chipped away at his callous exterior until the most unshakable bastion lay irrevocably breached.

Yours had been the beating heart that carried his own bestial cadence in tandem, an orbit of incandescent radiance to which he remained hopelessly, inescapably tethered. And with that searing spark of your effervescence now extinguished, the darkness of his eternal existence stretched on in a hollow, suffocating void he could scarcely fathom enduring.

Trembling fingers tangled in your lank tresses, smoothing the silken strands away from your features in one last, tender caress. Sukuna pressed his brow to yours, allowing the achingly finite essence that had once reverberated between your entwined spirits to soak into his marrow one ultimate time.

"I am…undone, precious leech..." he whispered, every timber of his deep voice sheared to anguished splinters against the weight of this ineffable parting. "I am erased...unmade...what force could keep my tormented soul anchored to life without you as its guiding light?"

He drew a rasping breath, memorizing the flutter of your lashes against his cheek and the softness of your brow furrowed ever so slightly - just as he had that first, fateful evening you bound yourself to his dark orbit. Then Sukuna's lips found yours in one final, searing brand...the farewell benediction and aching vow that an eternity would never suffice to articulate.

As his burning touch lingered there fractionally longer than any mortal lifespan, the cursed spirit felt something ancient and primal splinter deep within his celestial essence. The uncaring cosmos itself seemed to crack and wheeze in protest as he sliced through its indifferent veil, severing every tether that lashed his malign power and eternal vitality to its perpetual cycle.

Uncaring of the fallout, Sukuna simply clung to your slackened frame, allowing the irrevocable oblivion of his fading existence to blanket you both in its infinite solace. If he strained mortal perception, he could almost glimpse the fractured glimmers flickering at the periphery - the first vestiges of that spark he'd once sworn to follow like an insipid moth into its searing, soul-cleansing embrace.

Of oblivion's sweet, eternal reunion with the only light he'd ever known...the final tether securing his wretched existence to all of creation's truths irrevocably severed at last.

#jjk smut #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader smut #jjk x reader smut #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jujutsu kaisen x reader fluff #jujutsu kaisen smut #jujutsu kaisen #sukuna x reader fluff #sukuna fluff #sukuna smut #jjk sukuna x reader #ryomen sukuna x reader #sukuna x reader #sukuna x reader smut

773 notes · View notes

lomlompurim · 9 months

Text

What if instead of waking up in the mushroom body, sqq woke up in a doll.

Something something while lbh was away in the abyss, sqq without noticing offended a misterious (demonic-succubi-esque???) cultivator with a weird thing for making dolls. She had dolls all over her secret workshop that she very kindly let him into when she heard about the famous Xiu Ya sword being in the city.

What she wanted of him? Who knows, sqq couldn't bring himself to care. She probably wanted his money or try to steal his hair, the hair of those dolls seemed very much like real hair, although he had to admit the level of details on these dolls were amazing.

(she wanted to trick him into buying one of her cursed dolls and steal his life energy little by little, but got wifebeamed by widow sqq during their conversation about how talented she was to be able to make so many dolls, and without really understanding he rejected her with little to no emotion on his face)

So she cursed him, and since sqq didn't feel anything bad at the moment he thought it just didn't work and left, not sparing the curse a single thought after their encounter.

The rest of the story goes as usual, excep that after he self detonates his soul doesn't go into the mushroom body, instead it got directly into the shape of a doll in the workshop of this woman.

His first thought is thinking someone snitched the mushroom body bc wtf wasn't he supposed to wake up under the dirt??? Why this place smells slightly familiar? Like paint and humidity and floral perfumes?? and why everything looks fucking giganourmus?!?! A teapot should NOT look that big from his position....Oh no, did the mushroom body turned out as small as a squirrel? WhAT is happening?!

And then he looks at his arms and legs, and he has joints. White paper skin with joints in his wrists, elbows, torso, waist, knees, feet. And he panics, a lot.

The woman who cursed him starts monologuing about how she trapped him now, and you are mine, I made this doll specially for you master shen, this is my revenge for your insolence to leave me yada yada- Sqq stoped listening a while ago.

Somehow he manages to escape from this woman and now he is roaming around as the size of some apples. Everything is huge. Everything is dangerous, even the grasshopers! And this body is fragile! He can't feel heat nor cold, neither hunger or other things, but he is useless with no spiritual veins inside, and if someone is not looking carefully, they might crush him. And the way back to cq is gonna be a hell of a trip! But he needs airplane to fix this. He can't stay as a doll forever! He needs a mushroom body and then fly into the sunset far from this mess! Adiós! Goodbye! So his new plan is to infiltrate into cang qiong, look for that rat and disappear. Sneaking into some disciple's pouch must be enough to break in.

Something something it only had passed a few months since lbh stole sqq's body and everything is still very fresh. CQ mountain is a hot mess. Sqh frankly needs to lay down and take a nap. Lqg keeps figthing with Lbh practially every day and coming back beaten bloody, he has his king pestering him and a lot of paperwork to do, Lbh is a pain in the ass, Yqy is really close to snap and start a war with HHP, and he knows nothing about his bro. So yeah. Such a great time to be alive.

The mushroom bodies should had been ready, right? He must be alright...Yeah. He has enough already to keep him busy. Cucumber bro is gonna come out and stumble across at any moment. No one would bat an eye if he takes a nap, right? He deserves it. He is overworked enough for another lifetime, his head hurts, his bones hurt everywhere, a short nap should be fine...

Until he feels something small tugging his robes and a cold tiny finger poking his eyelids. But he doesn't want to. He is very comfortable on the floor of his office. Whatever bird decided to pick a fight with his face can keep trying.

"AIRPLANE, WAKE UP, YOU HACK! I NEED YOU TO FIX THIS! WHY IS A WITCH WITH ANACHRONISTIC HAUNTED DOLLS IN THIS NOVEL? THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

That voice. That fucking annoying voice was of just one person and one person only. He opened his eyes, looking for the source of the unmistakable voice of his No1 hater, but he came across with a pretty porcelain doll. With a very ugly sneer in it's face.

"W-Wha-?...Bro-?!"

"Fucking finally! Why are you sleeping on the floor in your ofice?! I was looking around your bedroom like an idiot! Do you know how close I was to falling from your window?!"

-TBC-

#svsss #shen qingqiu #人渣反派自救系统 #I don't have a lot about this au bc I just imagined it today #shen yuan in a doll body au #I still need to reach lbh #oh boy that is a can of worms idk if im prepared to open #so any idea of how to progress the story is welcome #since he would be still in his strongest shock and denial #what if sqh has to bring sqq along w him to hhp bc he has there all his plans and secret stuff idk #or to use any hhp treasure or smt #too many posibilites and imma sleep #wip #shang qinghua #I got this idea while watching Barbie

885 notes · View notes

lament4piligrim · 9 months

Text

Frozen heart knows no pain

Arranged marriage AU, pre-MK1

Angst, No Comfort (at the beginning), Hate/Love, Jealousy

Before and after marriage Bi Han is in relationship

Brothers do love his partner (not legitimate wife, but they respect her)

Bi Han ignores (or try) his wife, while his partner tries at least befriend her

Wife is an excellent healer, but she hides her true powers because of an accident

Wife does not interfere in the relationship and avoids any contact with Bi Han, his partner and brothers

Her bestfriend is Sector

Character names are fictional, you can use your own

Prologue

If someone asked Bi-Han what, or rather who, he hated most in the world, he would have answered without a second thought: his own father.

He hid his hatred deep inside him, behind a mask of cool indifference, promising himself and his mother that none of his family would notice it. At least not until the right moment.

The eldest heir sought to become an unique Grandmaster, one that had never before existed in Lin Kuei. He spared neither himself, nor his brothers, nor his loyal warriors - since he was assigned to keep an eye on trainings, he toughened them up to bring out the most resilient and strongest who would become the backbone of his clan in the future.

The first benefits he tasted a few years later, when his mother's death and his father's cold "I'm sorry" didn't haunt him at night.

When the ice in his heart was melted by the warrior in whose eyes he saw stars and whose tinkling laughter captivated his mind.

She had joined Lin Kuei willingly, loving martial arts with all her heart that she had to run away from home because of her parents' prohibitions. She probably wanted to prove to herself and the world that she could protect herself and those she loved, that she was worthy of something more than just a young girl who was stuck in the village for good.

Bi Han thought that such a fragile and insolent girl had no place in Lin Kuei. She dared to contradict the words of the eldest heir and even more so to argue with him, finding it amusing. Not surprisingly, she quickly found favour with Tomas and Kuai Liang. Together, they never missed a moment to mock him. It was annoying as hell.

However, Bi Han couldn't help but notice the wounds and bruises on the girl's arms. The results of hard work and determination. The first thing he realised as he began to look at the girl differently.

He saw the way she agonised her body, balling her fists into bloody knuckles and clenching her teeth tightly as she broke bones. Saw her rise up, unwilling to admit defeat in practice fights. Saw her eyes shine with excitement when she would take down her opponent and then happily help him back to his feet with a satisfied smile. Her smile was like the sun that warmed on spring evenings.

And Bi Han realised that he was deeply in love with her.

He tried to change, to become more open… to let her into his world, to shield her from evil, to protect her at all costs. Only for her to smile at him, not expecting him to blame or criticise her.

He truly felt happy when she kissed him first. Shyly and awkwardly, standing on tiptoe and putting her hands on his broad shoulders. Her face was crimson with embarrassment, and yet she couldn't stop smiling foolishly, as if she had received the most precious gift.

It took a few more years before the whole of Lin Kuei was aware of the relationship between Bi Han and the fox (as they nicknamed the girl for her playful nature). Both weren't shy about showing how much they loved each other, and sometimes fought in public if they saw each other in strangers' company trying to flirt with them. Fox could even throw a tantrum, but Bi Han was skilfully able to suppress it by not letting the girl go all night.

His relationship with his brothers improved, thanks to her. They began to spend more time together, and Kuai Liang thanked fate for giving them Mingzhu.

The Lin Kuei warriors thought that nothing would shake this strong alliance. Even those who disliked Mingzhu didn't doubt it.

Things began to crumble when Grandmaster made the decision to marry Bi Han to the daughter of an important and close ally of the Lin Kuei.

Chapter 1

P.S. Probably I'd publish it in AO3. As I said, you can use your names for characters, or even put yourself in their place

#mk1 #bi han #kuai liang #mk #bi han x reader #bi han x y/n #bi han x you #sub zero #mortal kombat #mortal kombat 1 #mk1 2023 #tomas vrbada #pre mk1 #arranged marriage #angst with a happy ending #bi han hates his father #Kuai Liang and Tomas don't about father's attitude towards Bi Han #OC doesn't seek Bi Han's attention/love

150 notes · View notes

liviavanrouge · 5 months

Text

Love

Hayla: *Trembles, clenching her fists*

Kasim: What do you know about love, I was there for you and I cared for you but you've never known what love was-

Hayla: *Glares at him* I KNOW MORE THAN YOU!!

Hayla: Aventurine taught me! He has never put his hands on me for speaking out and instead gave me a gentle correction so I know what I did wrong!

Hayla: When I cry and I'm on my knees gripping his pants leg, he never once got angry at me and would kneel down to comfort me and bring me to my feet! He never raised his voice at me!!

Kasim: *Stares her down, looking irked*

Hayla: When I'm going through it with panic attacks, he doesn't leave me to handle it on my own...he'd carry me to his- our bed and lay with me to calm me

Hayla: *Grips her arms trembling* He never forced me to do things I've never wanted to do! Nor has he ever punished me like you did when I don't listen, he always showed concern and would gently scold me, knowing how fragile I could be!!

Hayla: He may be toying with me...but it's a shame that he had actually protected and taught me what real love is

Kasim: *Slaps Hayla then snags her hair causing the woman to scream* YOU INSOLENT WOMAN! I'LL TEACH YOU!

Kasim: *Drags Hayla away, ignoring her screams and shrieks*

~~~~~~

Aventurine: *Looks over as Hayla walked in* Hayla?

Hayla: *Flinches away when he reached for her*

Aventurine: *Places a hand on her cheek and lifts her head* Love?

Hayla: *Smiles slightly* Oh..I-I'm sorry, I'm sleepy I didn't recognize your voice

Hayla: Kasim dropped me off after our outing around the area, he said to tell you hello...

Aventurine: *Picks Hayla up startling her* Then let's head to sleep

Hayla: *Sighs and smiles, resting her head on his shoulder* Alright...

Aventurine: *Rests his head on top of hers, perking up when he felt fresh scars on her back* Hm...

@queen-of-twisted @pekoetiikapu @zexal-club @yukii0nna

#aventurine #aventurine hsr #hsr aventurine #aventurine honkai star rail #star rail aventurine #honkai star rail #honkai posting #star rail #hsr

7 notes · View notes

whisker-biscuit · 11 months

Text

The Lines We Cross: Chapter 20

A Perilous Ascent

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

What is a home if not the first place you learned to run from?

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

The shadow of the Kunlun Mountains shrouded everything and everyone as a car rolled to a stop at the entrance of a giant temple. From the driver’s seat, out stepped the Panda King, who surveyed the area for a long moment before moving to the back half of the car.

He paused with his hand on the door handle, bracing himself. Then he opened it.

A little gray blur came shooting out of the backseat, but King was faster. He caught the boy by the collar of his shirt and hauled him into the air as he flailed in a pitiful, desperate attempt to break free.

“Cease your behavior,” the Fiendish Five member said, staring down the struggling raccoon. When nothing changed, he shook him once in warning. “Cease, or I will make you cease.”

The young Cooper finally seemed to get the message, because he stopped trying to swing and kick at his captor’s arm. Instead, he glared at him with all the hate and hostility an eight-year-old could possibly hold.

The Panda King was well aware how deceptively large that amount could be.

“I am going to put you down now,” he told him, watching the way the child tensed in anticipation, “and we are going to walk inside together. Do not think you will be able to escape so easily – my employees are all loyal to me, and will not hesitate to shoot a trespasser on sight, no matter your age. You will only be safe here with me.”

The kit eyed the temple ahead of them and the shine of spotlights going all the way up each floor.

“Do you understand?”

A sullen nod was his answer without even a glance in his direction. Familiar anger curled in the panda’s chest like the trapped smoke of a raging fire at the open display of disrespect, but he did not release it. All he did was place the raccoon gently back onto his feet, keeping his fingers on a tight grip at the back of his neck.

It was fortuitous he had the insight to do so, because the young Cooper immediately tried to bolt again the instant his shoes hit the snowy ground. King jerked him back so powerfully he collided with the man’s leg.

Insolent child.

He pushed the boy forward through the entrance. Employees and guards alike snapped to attention at his presence with not even a glance at the child at his side. The Panda King nodded to each in turn as he made eye contact with them.

Deeper into the heart of the factory the two of them went. The fireworks master didn’t necessarily need to take this route to reach their destination, but he wanted to show the boy that it was futile to fight back. The power and respect he commanded in these mountains were second only to some of the oldest family lines in the entire country. Even the local government feared his wrath, and they worked around each other in a begrudging truce.

His methods appeared to be working, too – the child was staring at everyone around them with wide, wide eyes, and seemed to walk a little faster with every new guard he saw. As they exited the factory back into open air, a large gorilla nearly walked right into them, who backed away quickly as he realized his mistake and bowed low.

“Forgive me, my lord,” he said in Cantonese. “I should have been paying more attention. I hope I did not cause offense.”

The Panda King opened his mouth to respond when he suddenly felt resistance at his side. He glanced down to see the young Cooper trying to edge behind him. A pang of irritation shot through him until he realized the reason why – the guard’s flashlight was shining directly at the kit and, at the angle he was bowing, their gazes were locked. His gun was easily visible on one hip, and a large dagger glinted in the evening light on his other.

In the stark, unavoidable face of danger and confrontation, the raccoon’s fragile bravado was cracking to reveal the true terror underneath. He wasn’t ignorant or dismissive of his situation like the panda had first believed; if anything, he was all too aware of it. So afraid of his new fate when faced with it, the boy couldn’t help but try to hide behind his own captor. Seeking some form of comfort and protection, bare as it was, from one of the very people who had helped slaughter his family.

He was still only eight years old, after all.

King stared at him for a long moment before turning back to his waiting guard. “It was not your fault. You did not know we were coming. Please, continue with your duties.”

The gorilla gave another bow and hurried along, leaving the panda and his ward alone in the cold dark. The child shivered, still half-pressed against him.

“...Let us move on,” he said at last without addressing it. Sly didn’t nod or even look up at him, but he went without resistance when they continued walking.

Past more temples, residencies, and dozens of watchful guards, they finally arrived at their destination – a great stone fortress carved into the mountain itself. It was still largely hidden from the outside, but the fireworks master had been considering changing that lately. Perhaps something based on his likeness to show the unquestionable claim he had over this region.

The moment they stepped inside, there were attendants appearing at the Panda King’s side ready and waiting for orders. He regarded them, still holding tight to the young Cooper’s shirt.

“I want one of the empty rooms to be cleared out for living,” he announced, “with reinforced walls and an outer lock on its door. Choose a room with no windows.”

Over half of his servants broke away to begin immediately. He turned to two more.

“Bring me my ten best guards. I require a meeting with them within one hour.”

The boy glanced back and forth between him and his servants with a confused frown as he spoke. King ignored it; he would learn Mandarin to communicate with the staff in due time.

Once every attendant had a job to do and had left them alone, he finally acknowledged the child again.

“You will live here as a personal servant to me and my family,” he said, switching to English. The kit’s nose scrunched up in disgust. “Do not be ungrateful. I have decided that you will have a simple vocation, but I will not hesitate to give you hard labor if you continue to scorn the mercy that has been shown to you. Do you understand?”

He glared at the floor, so King kneeled to get on his level and forced him to meet his eyes. If looks could kill, the panda knew he would have stopped breathing in an instant.

“Do you understand, Sly Cooper?”

The child’s tail curled tightly around his legs. His breaths came out in quiet, angry huffs, and there were tears growing in his eyes. But he eventually nodded without a word in protest. Not a word at all, in fact, which the fireworks master had noticed had been the case as far back as the States. Ever since Clockwerk had forced him to tell them his name mere centimeters from the corpse of his father, the kit hadn’t made a single sound afterward.

Tucking away the peculiarity to ponder over at a later time, the panda got back to his feet and began to turn around with the young Cooper’s shirt still in his grip – and was only mildly surprised to see his sister standing in the nearby doorway. Her expression was shrewd as she laid eyes on the raccoon fidgeting at his side.

“Who is that?” She asked.

“A servant for Jing.”

“You took a local from a nearby town?” The other panda gave him a sharp glance. “His family will want him back, surely. They will cause a stir.”

“No one will do that. He is not a local, nor does he have any family. He is…the child of a former rival.”

He had phrased it carefully, but he could not stop the real meaning from shining through.

“He’s what?!” Now she stared at the child with disdain and disgust, who flinched and tried to hide behind King to no avail. “What were you thinking, bringing him here? He will smother your daughter in her sleep! He will burn this entire place to the ground if given half the chance!”

“He will not get that chance.” When the woman scoffed in disbelief, King reached forward and gently took hold of her shoulder. “My dear sister, please listen to me. I would never do anything to put Jing or us in harm’s way. I saved this boy from death, and he will repay that debt until he is old enough to fend for himself.”

“We were never given that courtesy,” she muttered, crossing her arms and refusing to meet his eyes. “I don’t like this. You think you are showing mercy to an innocent soul, but your bleeding heart will not see the danger until there is a knife at your throat.”

The panda considered telling her of the Cooper Cane hidden away in his luggage, then decided against it. The boy would not be allowed access to it for several years at least. There was no need to worry his sister further.

Before either of them could continue their argument, a third, younger voice cut in that sent joy through his heart to hear.

“Daddy! You’re back!”

A little panda girl darted out from around her aunt, who tried and failed to stop her from advancing, and ran towards King with her arms outstretched. Then she saw the boy at her father’s side and stopped in her tracks with big, curious eyes.

“Who’s that?”

The young Cooper had frozen as well at the sight of the other child, and the fireworks master studied the open shock on his face a moment before pushing him forward.

“Dear daughter, this young man will be a personal servant to our family. Please treat him with respect as you would the rest of the staff.”

The Panda King turned to the raccoon and gently grabbed onto his chin to force him to look at him instead of his daughter.

“Sly Cooper, this is my daughter, Jing King.” He watched the way the kit’s eyes widened, and let the words sink in before continuing. “If you ever do anything to cause her harm, then I will not hesitate to strike you down where you are standing.”

The child swallowed, his gaze darting sideways to glance over at Jing again. King could no longer read the emotions on his face, and he did not know how to feel about that. For not the first time, he wondered if he had made a mistake.

But he had already chosen this path, and he would see it through to whatever end lay ahead. There was no stopping fate’s course. All he could hope for was that his daughter would remain safe.

Safe, and happy.

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

A snowstorm was due soon.

Jing King could always tell when one was on its way – not from the shifting weather or her own innate senses, but from the way the staff at her aunt’s house began hustling and bustling more than usual every time. Their daily schedule flowed like water, accounting for even the slightest changes and working around them with professional grace to appease their employer.

That schedule was how Jing measured the monotony of the weeks, nowadays. After nearly a year of living with her aunt, not allowed out of the house for more than a few hours of carefully monitored shopping where an entire entourage followed her like she was the next heir to the Chinese monarchy, all she could rely on for interest and comfort was watching how the people around her went about their busier, more interesting lives.

The only other thing that made them as busy as an incoming storm was when her father came to visit. Today, from what she could tell by how frantic they had been since dawn, seemed to be a day for both.

Her father never announced ahead of time when he was coming, but the staff always seemed to know anyway, well before his family could see his shadow arriving in the archway of the outer garden. Jing watched from her high room window as he stepped up to the house with a large bag slung over one shoulder, hearing hurrying footsteps up and down the hall outside her closed door as servants put the finishing touches on polishing the floors.

This, too, she felt detached from – as if she were not actually here, but a ghostly specter witnessing the events around her without ever being acknowledged.

Her father stopped just outside the front door, eyes casting upwards until they locked onto hers, and she felt her expression pull into something as close to a glare as she dared to make. His mouth thinned, visible even two stories down, and he entered the house with a hunch to his form.

How she wished she would not be acknowledged. It would be so much easier than this state of limbo she found herself in after all these months.

After all these years.

Jing waited, unmoving, at her window, and three minutes later there was a firm knock on her door. She didn’t answer; didn’t even turn around as it was gently slid open and her father’s shadow darkened everything in her room.

“Dear daughter, you will not even greet me at the door anymore?”

She finally turned to look at him, her face as blank as she could possibly make it. “I wasn’t aware it was such a momentous occasion to warrant leaving my room.”

The Panda King was such a large man that he had to duck to get through the doorframe. It would have done little to affect his intimidating presence if he were not moving as timidly as he was right now.

“Such callous words greatly wound me,” he said, coming to a stop in the center of the room with the bag between his hands. “I do not understand why you say these things instead of what is truly on your mind and in your heart.”

Jing couldn’t help the way her hands clenched into fists where they sat in her lap. Her tone was clipped and icy as she answered. “I tried that once, Father, and it didn’t matter in the end. How can you expect me to think the outcome will be any different this time?”

They stared at each other in silence for a solid minute. The chasm between them was deep and frigid and uninviting, and the younger panda waited to see if this was finally the day that her father would attempt to cross it.

She didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed when he did not.

“…I brought gifts from my time in Sierra Leone,” he said after a moment too long, setting the bag on the end of her bed. “There are many beautiful clothes and keepsakes in here. All for you.”

“Thank you, Father.” It was empty gratitude, and they both knew it, but they had fallen so far into this routinely charade that it felt wrong to do anything else. “Did you take any pictures of the places you visited?”

That question, too, was part of the routine – as was the way he shook his head in what she dared to believe was still a genuine apology.

“You know I cannot ever risk knowledge of where I’ve been to exist, my dear. Photographs are too dangerous a tool to wield in the wrong hands.”

She gave a wooden nod and turned back towards the window. “I will look through the things you’ve brought me later. For now, I’m going to stay here to watch the oncoming sunset.”

Instead of hearing his retreating footsteps like always, there was a concerning lack of movement behind her. Jing held her breath and waited for the break in routine that her father was about to make, and wondered if it might shatter her world.

Again.

“I will not be staying for much longer. I have urgent business higher up on the mountain tonight.”

“Oh.” Her shoulders relaxed; she didn’t know when they had tensed in the first place. “How long will you be?”

“I don’t know. At least several days, and I will probably not return here on my way back down.”

The invitation, the plea, was clear as day, but Jing refused to stop looking out the window. She kept her gaze resolutely on the distant, waning sun.

“Then…I hope your travels remain safe as always, Father.”

She closed her eyes at the sound of the sad sigh at her back, pretending it didn’t hurt to hear even now. The Panda King began to slowly make his way towards the door. When he stopped, she still didn’t move a muscle.

“I love you, qiān jīn. I hope you will not forget that.”

“I know you do, Father.” Jing hesitated a moment, but only to make sure her voice would remain steadfast. “And I love you, too.”

After he had finally left, after she heard his footsteps fade away and then watched him walk out of the front garden until he disappeared from sight, the young panda felt tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away before they could fall and put her head in her hands, aching from a loss that she didn’t know how to fix.

She stayed there at the window until the sun set without really seeing it, and continued to stay there until the sky finally grew too dark to see the vast mountain landscape. Snowflakes were starting to fall, barely visible even as they danced right in front of the glass. Jing opened the window to let them land on her windowsill, ignoring the sudden biting chill, and finally got up to turn on another lamp at the other end of the room.

There was a thump from outside her window.

Jing turned around, confused by the sound, and watched with shock and alarm as a hand appeared to grip at the windowsill. She stood there, frozen, as the hand was followed by a hooded head and a lanky body and a ringed tail.

“Sly?!”

The figure pulled himself fully through the window and hit the floor of her room with an audible thud. She winced at the sound, staring at him in worry when he didn't move other than to violently shiver. He looked soaked head to toe from snow, and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut.

His lips were blue.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Who she was seeing. Words escaped her as she tried to process what to do; what to even say.

“Sly –”

A knock at the door made her gasp and clap her hand over her mouth.

“Ma’am? Is everything okay?” Called an attendant from out in the hall. “I heard something loud.”

“Everything’s fine!” She replied quickly, picking up the limp raccoon as gently as she could. He weighed practically nothing to her. “I accidentally dropped a book. Please do not come in!”

There was hesitant silence from outside. Jing prayed they didn’t open the door as she carefully laid Sly on her bed and pulled a heavy blanket over him.

“Alright, ma’am, if you’re sure…”

“Very sure! Completely sure! Please do not bother me again unless I ask for you!”

Something about her tone must have gotten harsh at the end, because the attendant hurried off with only a quiet “yes, ma’am” to accompany their departure. For once, she couldn't bring herself to feel remorse.

Not when a specter of her past life was lying in front of her for the first time in six years.

The panda pulled her desk chair out next to the bed and sank slowly down onto it, watching the slow rise and fall of Sly’s chest as he curled up in her blankets and fought to get warmth back in him. She bit her lip, afraid to break the silence for fear that he might disappear the moment she spoke.

It seemed he had read her mind, however, because that very moment his eyes cracked open to stare at her.

“Hey, xiǎo mèi…” He murmured, exhausted and toneless. “Been a while, huh?”

The sound of his voice was nearly enough to bring tears back to her eyes. After all this time, he was still so similar in so many ways.

“It has been a very long time, indeed,” she managed to say without letting those tears fall, wringing her hands. “I thought…I mean, I wasn’t sure if…”

If I would ever see you again.

“...Where have you been all this time?”

“Oh, you know, around.” The raccoon sat up with a wince with the blanket wrapped around his shoulders, trying not to look as though he had just trekked up the mountain on foot. Which he probably had, she was starting to realize. “Got to do some traveling, saw the world, that kind of thing. I even got pictures for you – you were always talking about how much you wanted to get out of Kunlun.”

When Jing didn’t react except to continue wringing her hands in worry, his neutral expression softened just a little.

“Hey. I’m okay. Just need to warm up a bit and I’ll be back on my feet in no time. It’s…it’s good to see you.”

“Good to see you too,” she whispered. “I missed you so much, Sly. I was so scared for you.”

He wilted back against the mattress a bit, and she knew it had nothing to do with him being exhausted. “Yeah, I…yeah. I missed you too.”

The wind howling outside her window was the only sound that passed between them for a long moment, as Sly shivered and struggled to stay awake and Jing watched him in forlorn silence. An idea came to her suddenly and she stood up, making him jump.

“I’ll be right back. Please don’t go anywhere.”

“You say please, but I don’t think you’ll give me much of a choice either way,” he joked. Then he grew tense as she made a beeline for the door. “Where are you going?”

“To get you something to eat.”

“Jing, you don’t have to –”

“I want to.” She paused with her hand against the sliding door, and glanced back at him with a pleading look. “Please let me do this for you.”

The raccoon seemed to have an internal conflict at that, but he didn’t call after her again when she left, and she paused only to flip the sign on her door to “do not disturb” before hurrying down to the kitchen.

Dinner had already been made and cleaned up hours ago, so there was no one to bother her as she found one of the industrial refrigerators to poke around in. Leftovers were never thrown away in this house – a habit of both her aunt’s and father’s childhoods that she was now very grateful for – so it only took a minute to find some simple noodle soup, reheat it, and head back to her room with the warm bowl and an additional glass of water in tow.

Sly was right where she’d left him, huddled in blankets but watching the door with the same level of intensity she’d remembered him having even as a child. When the panda sat back down beside him and passed him the soup, he barely even bothered with the chopsticks as he began eating.

The sound of slurping was a loud echo in the room while Jing tried to figure out which of the countless questions in her head would be most likely to actually earn an answer. Sly was someone who often sidestepped truthful answers on the best of days, and right now he looked like talking was the last thing he wanted to do.

Her eyes fell to his chest, covered by clothing, and knew that the things she wanted to know above all else were things she would not dare ask in a thousand years.

“…How did you find this place?” She finally landed on, unable to stop from sounding a little bit incredulous. “You have never been to my aunt’s house before.”

“One of your servants was out shopping and I recognized the family crest on her uniform. Followed her back.” The words were quiet and spoken between rapid swallows of soup.

“Sly…you did not even know whether I would be here. What if it had been my aunt who saw you at the window instead of me? What – what if it had been my father?”

The raccoon stiffened with the chopsticks halfway up to his mouth. “Is he here?”

“No, but –”

“Then you don’t have anything to worry about,” he said curtly, leaving no space for argument as he went back to eating.

Jing bit her lip. “How did you get here?”

“Walked.”

“From where? For how long?”

“Why does that matter?”

“You look like a drowned rat.”

Sly snorted into his soup. “Real nice, Jing. First time we’ve seen each other in years and you’re making fun of me.”

“That is not what I meant, and you know it.” Something was creeping into her voice; a mix of fondness and frustration that only he had ever been able to bring out. God, how she had missed it. “I am worried for your health.”

“I’m fine.” He refused to meet her eyes. “Made it here in one piece and I don’t even have frostbite. Probably. No need to worry.”

The panda could feel it in the air – this thread of conversation was over. Pushing him would only end poorly. She sighed and looked for a new, safer topic.

“You mentioned you had brought pictures for me?”

“Oh, yeah.” His expression was still shadowed, but a genuine smile crossed his face. “Here.”

The raccoon reached behind him into his soaked backpack and pulled out a small digital camera, which he held out towards her. When she took it from him, it struck her how much bigger her hands were compared to his. The last time she’d seen him, he’d still been taller than her, although she’d been very close to catching up.

Now, she was practically twice his size.

With a long, slow breath to quell the rising wave of lament in her heart, Jing turned the camera on and began looking through the pictures Sly had taken as he watched her for a reaction. There were hundreds of them – places and people and things she never would have imagined – and after the first several dozen she looked up at him with the biggest smile she could manage.

“This is incredible, Sly. Thank you so much for this gift. I will treasure it for as long as I live.”

He returned the smile, clearly relieved that she had liked it, and set his now-empty bowl aside. “Got pictures from all over the world in there, you know. Haiti, the United Kingdom, pretty much the whole expanse of Europe and China. Made a few detours in Russia and Kazakhstan, even. All for you.”

Jing kept her face carefully blank, mind whirling as she tried not to make him realize what he’d just let slip. Which country had he been in when he had slipped free? How long had he been running before he’d found his way here? Surely, they had not let him have a camera if he had been with them in all those places.

Had he been alone all that time, in all those places? Had he been afraid that entire time? Was he still afraid?

“…Jing?”

She startled, and realized that her cheeks were wet. Sly stared at her with visible alarm – alarm over her, worry over her, but not for himself. Never for himself.

The dam in her heart finally burst. Jing began to cry, muffled behind a hand in fear of alerting someone outside her room, and leaned forward to grab his hands in her free one.

“Sly, I’m sorry,” she cried, wanting nothing more than to pull him into a hug but terrified it would hurt him somehow. “I am so, so sorry!”

“Whoa, hey, it’s okay!” He looked torn between drawing closer or giving her space as the best way to comfort her – or maybe, he was torn between wanting to drawing closer or securing an escape route for himself, just in case. The thought made her cry harder. “Jing, look at me. What on earth do you have to be sorry for?”

So much. There was so much for her to be sorry for, but she focused on the new guilt instead of the old.

“You should hate me!” The panda wailed, clutching his hands as tight as she dared. “I spent all this time hoping I would get to see you again, but I knew how selfish that was, and I knew that – that if you ever got out, it would be safer for you to never come back, but you did come back, and I – I – I hate how happy I am for it!”

Silence greeted her. She didn’t dare look at him.

“You deserve to be selfish,” she continued between sniffles. “I don’t know if you came back just to see me, or because you have nowhere else to go, but this place isn’t safe for you. Kunlun isn’t safe, Sly, we both know my father’s word is law here. If you felt obligated to come here for my sake, then…then you should allow yourself to be selfish, and do what you want instead of thinking about me.”

There was a sharp intake of breath that finally made her glance upwards. Sly was staring down at her, his face pinched with guilt and his eyes endless pools of regret. Slowly, ever so slowly, he began to pull his hands away from her.

“I am being selfish, Jing,” he whispered. “Everything about me being here is selfish. I – I didn’t climb this mountain just for a chance to see you.”

He stopped, and for a terrible moment she feared that he wouldn’t elaborate. But then he closed his eyes and pulled his backpack around to pull something else out. An old, tattered book, full of ripped pages, all in a large ziplock bag to keep it safe from getting wet.

“I climbed the mountain for this.”

She didn’t open the bag when he handed it to her, both out of respect of this thing he clearly held so dearly and fear that her touch might make the fragile pages crumble to dust.

“A book…” the panda murmured. “I remember…I think I remember you once mentioned this book. A book and a cane.”

“Yeah. They gave me the cane back, but not this.” Sly gingerly took it back and put it away again, then wrapped his arms around himself. “They split the pages between themselves, and I’ve been getting them back one by one since I got out.”

“How much more do you have left?”

“Just what your father’s holding onto. I already got the rest from the other three.”

Jing frowned, confused. “Other…three? Aren’t there five –”

“Don’t worry about it,” he cut her off. “I’ve already got everything figured out.”

“…Okay.” She looked down at her hands, perfectly still in her lap, then at his, twitching against the blankets. “So, you…you followed that servant back here because you hoped it would lead you to the rest of the book?”

“I did. I was hoping I’d find it all here and then I wouldn’t have to climb the mountain any further to your father’s place.” The raccoon rubbed his face with one hand, unable to meet her eyes. “I didn’t stop to think about whether I’d run into him, or your aunt, or even you. I, uh, wasn’t really thinking about much of anything beyond getting here.”

“I believe that. You looked half-dead when you arrived. In fact, you still do.”

Sly didn’t answer. The silence lapsed between them as Jing slowly sorted through this revelation, deciding how she felt about it.

“Do you…regret seeing me again?” She asked after a few minutes, almost afraid of the answer but needing to hear it anyway. “After everything that happened?”

He gave her a startled look, which then grew into something soft and weighted.

“Not one bit,” he said, and she trusted the honesty there. No one in her life had ever been as honest to her as he had, for better or for worse. “The camera was a real gift for you; I was going to leave it somewhere you’d find it if I didn’t see you in person. But my motives for coming here are selfish, Jing, and I’m sorry for that.”

The panda shook her head. “No. Do not apologize. I told you already that you deserve to be selfish. You deserve to do whatever you want, especially now that you’re finally free.”

There was a strange tightening around his eyes that she didn’t like, as though he didn’t actually yet believe he was free. She did not ask, though, and he did not correct whatever error she had made.

“Well, if you’re giving me permission to do what I want, I should probably get going before someone else catches me here. I need to go looking for those pages, after all.”

“What?” Jing straightened in her seat, caught off guard by both the suggestion and how unaffected he sounded as he made it.

“I won't ransack the place, promise,” he said, misunderstanding her alarm. “No one will even notice I’ve been here. Just give me a few hours to get through the house and then I’ll be out of your hair before you can get in trouble for it.”

“No, don't leave yet!” She jumped to her feet even though he hadn’t made any move to get out of bed. “Please stay. You’ve only just arrived here, and a snowstorm is coming tonight!”

“It’s fine,” he said dismissively without really looking at her. “I’ll be fine. I don’t want to be a burden to you.”

“You’re not a burden, Sly. You’ve never been a burden to me. You’re fa–” she stuttered on the word as his sharp eyes caught hers.

Family, the panda was afraid to say in the face of his intense, inscrutable expression.

“...You’re important to me,” she finished lamely when the raccoon continued to give her an unreadable look.

“Your aunt would say something very different if she saw me here,” he pointed out with a bit of a sneer.

“Well, she’s not here. I am. And – and I am telling you that you’re not allowed to leave until you’re fully rested and the storm is over. I will look for the rest of your book until then, and you will focus on recovering. That is final.”

They stared at each other; him in shock and her in a valiant attempt to make herself look as no-nonsense as her father. After a few moments, Sly yielded with an incredulous chuckle and a shake of his head.

“Man, you haven’t changed a bit, have you? Just as bossy as the day we met.” There was nothing but fondness in his voice as he hunkered down among her blankets. “I never thought I’d miss it so much.”

“And you are as cryptic and infuriating as always,” Jing teased back as a way to hide her relief that he wasn’t going to disappear on her again so suddenly. “Which I would not trade for anything in the world.”

“Not even the chance to travel said world?”

“It is a tempting thought, but not even that.” She reached over to smooth down the unruly fur on his head, mildly surprised that he held still enough to let her. Either he had grown less fidgety over the years – which she highly doubted – or he was just that tired. “Rest, dà gē. If those pages are in this house, I will find them.”

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

Three days later, and Jing was certain that the pages were not in the house.

It had been easier than she expected to go through rooms, as she told anyone who saw her that she was searching for something she had misplaced, but preferred to do it by herself – they all knew how bored she was, and took her words at face value. Her aunt did not care where she looked so long as she did not completely tear apart the rooms for staff to have to redo, and so she was left to her own devices.

At Sly’s suggestion, on the second day when she had returned empty-handed after going through drawers and cabinets and bedding, she had taken another pass through the house for safes and secret stashes, hidden behind walls or under floorboards or even in the ceiling. This, she passed off as thinking she had heard rodents, and soon had the staff tearing through hard surfaces for her, always under her watchful eye.

What guilt she felt at first for making them work harder than necessary was put to rest the moment she thought about the raccoon hiding in her room. The sooner she found those pages, then the sooner he could leave without getting caught here, and finally make his life his own.

By day three, still coming up short, Sly had been insistent on helping her for her third check, claiming he was fully recovered and it would be easier with two pairs of eyes knowing what to look for. The panda had been afraid to let him leave her room for fear of being seen, but he had amazed her with his stealth – already impressive when they were children and yet so much more impressive now – as well as the truly incredible trick he possessed to turn invisible for short periods of time. She knew magic existed in this world, but to hear about it was very different from seeing it, and she had marveled at his talents while he had awkwardly deflected all her compliments as best he could.

They hadn’t found anything that day, either, and the two of them retired back to her room extremely frustrated. Jing noticed, belatedly, that the staff activity was busier than usual, and noted the likelihood of another oncoming storm in the back of her mind.

“I do not think they are here, Sly,” she finally admitted that night, looking out the window at the clear, calm sky as the raccoon changed clothes behind her. “I think my father is keeping them in his stronghold further up the mountain.”

“I think you’re right.” The inflection in his voice was hard to read. She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder to tell her he was done, and they switched places. “Guess that means I’ll have to find some good snowshoes.”

The panda stopped in the middle of stepping into her nightgown. “You’re not planning to travel up there tonight, are you? There is another storm coming.”

“This damn mountain and its storms.”

“Sly…”

“I won’t leave tonight, Jing. Promise. I’ll wait the storm out first.” He ran his finger along the frame of the closed window, stopping just short of the latch as though it was locked even though they both knew it hadn’t been since he’d arrived. “It’d be pretty stupid after spending all this time recuperating. I’d ruin all your hospitality.”

“You have done stupider things, no doubt.”

“Hey. You have no proof of that.”

She giggled, tapping the raccoon’s shoulder, and they both retreated to her bed. She had been grateful these last few days that it was as big as it was; it fit both of them with plenty of room to spare. Neither of them were particularly touchy people, even with the only one they trusted.

After they had settled in for the night, back-to-back, Jing looked at the camera sitting on her nightstand. She had been going through it the last few days, savoring the details in each and every photo, but there was a pattern in them that she had started to recognize that had been bothering her.

Well, not a pattern, per se. A person.

“Sly?”

“Mm?”

“About those pictures you’ve taken…I’ve noticed something. A lot of the early ones have this woman in them.” She felt him tense up even though they weren’t touching. “She is usually in the background. Was she…following you?”

Sly had practically ceased to exist behind her; so much so that she nearly turned around to see whether he’d suddenly turned himself invisible. After several strained seconds, he forcibly relaxed in a way that fooled neither of them.

“Oh, yeah, her. Just some cop I was helping after I first got out. She wanted to cut a plea deal for what I knew about the Five, but she slipped up and let me out of her sight after a few days. Sorry, I forgot to delete the ones with her in it.”

Jing thought about the fact that almost a third of the photos on that camera had the woman in them, and some had been taken with her as the obvious focus. She wisely did not speak up.

“I can get rid of them right now, actually,” he continued, turning over to stretch his arm over her body as he reached for the camera.

“No!” The panda caught him at the wrist as quickly but gently as possible, wincing as he flinched anyway. She let go immediately and he pulled away. “Sorry. No, it is alright. I barely noticed her. I’d much rather keep everything that you saved.”

“…Fine. Sure.” Sly turned back around, his voice clipped and curt. “Just, uh, do me a favor and don’t bring her up again, alright? I don’t feel like being reminded of some dumb cop who doesn’t matter anymore.”

Anymore. She wondered at everything behind that word. “Okay. I won’t.”

“Thanks. Night.”

“Goodnight, Sly.”

Jing stayed thinking about that mystery woman, staring through her window at the cloudless skies outside, until her eyes finally grew heavily and she drifted off into uneasy sleep.

Sly’s terrified gasp woke her right back up.

She sat up quickly, worried he was having a nightmare, only to see him also sitting upright, all his fur on end while he stared at her door.

Her open door, where a familiar, giant shadow loomed as the Panda King studied the sight before him.

Jing stopped breathing.

Her father opened his mouth, closed it, then took a step into the room. Immediately, Sly scrambled backwards until he fell off the bed, while Jing remained frozen where she was. The larger panda stopped moving, but Sly didn’t – he grabbed his backpack off the floor and jumped to his feet in one swift motion, sprinting for the window mere meters away.

His hands had just found the unlocked latch when King’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

“You have been looking for the remainder of the book.”

It was like a switch had been flipped. Jing watched, bewildered, as the raccoon stopped trying to flee and instead slowly turned around to face the older man. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t already out the window – what did the book matter compared to his life?

Sly’s hands remained on the windowsill behind him. She could see his fingers shaking even as he put an unbothered look on his face. “Oh yeah? What made it so obvious?”

“My sister told me that you have searched the house for days for something you refused to name.”

His eyes slid over to his daughter, who remained stock-still. She couldn’t read his expression, and that was so much scarier than if he had been angry.

He turned back towards Sly. “You are on a fool’s errand. This will not end the way you think it will.”

The raccoon visibly bristled. “What do you know? Not a goddamn thing!”

“I know that you think completing that book will set you free. That everything you’ve endured for the last six years – eleven years,” he amended, when Sly snarled, “will be worth it once you have all the pages. But I can promise you, Sly Cooper, that the only thing you will find at the end of things is death.”

“Is that a threat?” The younger man demanded, reaching into his backpack to pull out a long, golden cane. He pointed it at the Panda King, who did not react. “Cause if it is, I think you’ll find I’m no longer the frightened child you used to manhandle to get your kicks.”

“I would never think of underestimating you. You have proven your worth and capabilities a thousand times over.”

“Fuck you!”

Jing saw the tremble in the arm that held the cane, and heard the fear under the bravado and fury. Sly knew he was at a disadvantage, terrified of being killed or dragged back into servitude, but he refused to run away. In fact, he sounded like he was about to launch himself at her father. She didn’t understand, but she refused to let things play out any longer without trying to stop the worst from happening.

What that “worst” could be was not something she dared think about.

“Give him what you have, Father.”

Both heads swiveled her way. Sly looked like he’d forgotten she was there; the Panda King only gave her a grim look.

“You have the rest of the pages he is looking for, surely,” she continued, voice coming out steadier than she felt. “If you have them here, then give them to him now. If they are at your stronghold, we are willing to wait until you return with them.”

He hesitated, eyebrows drawing together in what she knew very well was him considering his options. “…I do not have them on me, Jing.”

“Then go get them,” the younger panda repeated, watching Sly slowly begin to back down from an aggressive stance to general wariness. “Sly will not hurt me. He plans to leave as soon as he gets them back. Am I correct, Sly?”

“Right as rain,” the raccoon growled. “I’m sure you’ve been keeping up with the news, Panda King. You know what’s been happening to all your buddies. It’s not going to happen to you, if that’s what you’re worried about. I was just using her to get what I wanted, and she did the rest on her own, but that’s all over. I’m – I’m alone, now, and this is as close as I’ll ever get to begging. Give me what’s mine and I’ll march right off this mountain. You’ll never have to see me again.”

They waited in dreadful anticipation for the man’s answer. He looked between them, solemn and somber, weighing things back and forth in his head that they were not privy to. Just when it seemed as though he would cave and give them what Sly wanted, he looked over at Jing, and his expression hardened into a resolve that made them both tense up.

“…No. I will not.” He drew himself up to his full height, and Jing had never been more afraid of what her father was capable of than in that moment. “Sly Cooper, you must leave immediately. Leave this place, and this mountain. If my men see you anywhere around here, in any capacity, by sunrise, then their orders will be to shoot you on sight. It will be the most merciful death you will receive on this path.”

“Father–!”

“Jing, you are not to follow nor remain in contact with him. You and your aunt will join me in my stronghold until further notice, and I will tolerate no disobedience.”

Her mouth clicked shut despite herself; the tone of his voice left no room for argument even in the midst of her righteous fury. She sat there, trembling, as her father and her surrogate brother stared each other down in what she surely thought was the prelude to a fight.

But then Sly sagged, as though he realized such a thing would lead him nowhere, and instead turned towards the window.

“Fine. Should’ve expected you to betray me one last time before everything changed. Again.” Pure hatred filled each word as he looked over his shoulder to shoot one last venomous glare at the Panda King. “Enjoy the rest of your cowardly life, King. Hope it’s been worth it.”

His eyes drifted over to Jing, and she greatly hoped it was not a trick of the evening light that they seemed to soften even in his spite.

“It really was good to see you again, xiǎo mèi. If this is the last time we see each other, then I want you to know I never blamed you for what happened. It wasn’t your fault. I hope you find it in yourself to be selfish, because you’re the only one of us who deserves it.”

With that, Sly slid the window open with gentility only betrayed by the fuming flickering of his tail. He did not look back again as he disappeared into the cold night.

The Panda King padded silently across the room to the window. Jing stared down at her crumpled blankets, still shaking from adrenaline and a hundred other overwhelming emotions.

“…He isn’t going to leave by morning. He will search all of Kunlun for those pages, for as long as it takes.” It was the most certain she had ever been of anything in her life. “Will you really go through with your promise to kill him for it?”

The man did not respond. He continued to stare out the window, staring up at the bright moon in the sky instead of whatever path Sly had taken out of the grounds.

“Why couldn’t you simply give him what he asked for? Why draw this terrible game out any longer? He has no ill will towards me; he will leave you alone once he gets what he wants! Are you truly so heartless?!”

Her father remained motionless with his back turned towards her. “It is more complicated than that, Jing. You do not understand.”

The calm, detached way he stated it – as though she were simply a child too young to comprehend an adult issue – brought her right back to the day her life had shattered, six years ago, sobbing at the foot of a bed occupied by a bloody, unconscious raccoon wrapped in bandages who she had fully believed would die within the night. The emotionless statue of a man she had called father who had stood in the doorway, less upset with the sight in front of him than the fact that his daughter had seen it, who had refused to answer any questions except to tell her that she would not understand.

Jing King finally snapped.

“Then make me understand!” She screamed. “What is so complicated about this that you would let my br – my best friend suffer with this false hope of a life he wants but cannot have, which you dangle in front of him like a cat with its prey? I was afraid of the monster I saw all those years ago, but now – now I know beyond all doubt that the monster I should clearly have feared the most was you!”

Her voice cracked on the last word, all desperate anger and the underlying fear that what she was yelling might actually be true. The Panda King flinched so violently that she almost wondered if she had hit him and not realized it. He turned around and she could see he was on the verge of tears.

That cut through to her core deeper than any other words or actions ever could. In her eighteen years of life, she had never, ever seen her father cry. She fell silent as he sat down heavily on the ground, staring at his hands as though he despised everything about them.

“You are right,” he whispered, wavering like she’d never heard before, either. “I am a monster and a coward, Jing. I…I had hoped that you would be shielded from the evils of the world – the evils that I have done, and continue to do, but that is not fair to you. You deserve the truth. About Sly Cooper, the true reason he is after what we’ve taken from him, and…the decision I made, six years ago, to protect us. To protect you.”

Jing slowly sank down from the bed onto the floor across from him. She felt no joy or relief that she was finally going to have an explanation for everything – only dread for the unknown, and the understanding that this was something she would never be able to return from.

But she would not back away from it. She owed Sly that much, if nothing else.

“Start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”

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

A/N: I'M BACK.

And just in time to post a record-breaking chapter, too! Nearly 9K words of Jing King going through it, hoo. This poor girl had a lot to say, so much so that I'm actually going to post an extra little side story about her relationship with both Sly and her father through the years that Sly was living with them. Look for the first chapter of that sometime this week!

We're finally getting into my favorite part of this story: Panda King's level. I've got stuff planned for this section, folks. Oh yeah, in this verse, Jing is about a year and a half younger than Sly - she had her eighteenth birthday just a few short weeks before the events of this chapter. Not a super important detail but will certainly help put a few things in perspective down the line ;)

Thanks for all your patience, everyone, and thanks for reading!

#sly cooper #carmelita fox #fanfiction #the lines we cross

6 notes · View notes

bestgolfworld1 · 2 years

Text

Best Golf Shoes for Women

Getting the best golf shoes for you is critical in light of the fact that they structure the groundwork of the swing and 18 holes is for the most part a base three-hour walk. As such women need shoes that suggestion comfort and security in comparable measure and they ought to look unprecedented also.

https://bestgolf-world.com/best-golf-shoes-for-women/

As associations continue to stretch the boundaries of golf shoe improvement, luckily the latest developments on offer suggest that the best women's golf shoes fit completely straight out of the box. Fragile cowhide, breathable insoles with foam cushioning, and a waterproof structure that keeps your feet dry are just a piece of the components that guarantee a pleasant fit. Examining which we similarly propose scrutinizing our helper on the best waterproof golf shoes(opens in new tab), in case you're looking for several shoes that will keep your feet dry on the course.

The best spikeless women's golf shoes(opens in new tab) are moreover genuinely notable as they not simply give sufficiency and balance all through the whole year, yet they also suit the current speedy lifestyles, allowing women to wear them in the comfort of their own home, at the course, in shrouded locales in the clubhouse, to say the least. With different plans and assortments to investigate - a few even went with various tinted groups - there's a couple to suit each outfit and character that move effectively to the continuous messed up shoe and coach design.

Recollecting all of this we've set out a once-over under that contains a decision of presumably the most unimaginable women's golf shoes accessible. Besides, accepting at least for now that you're expecting to unit yourself out with other women's golf equipment, check our helpers on the best women's golf clothes(opens in new tab) and best golf irons for womenThe FootJoy Women's 2022 Star/SL Shoe is surely worth considering accepting at least for a moment that you're looking for a shoe that will give you more noticeable sufficiency.

They are an agreeable and springy spikeless shoe that can be worn for all intents and purposes enduring during that time by virtue of their waterproof calfskin upper. These shoes give heavenly hang on the turf and by virtue of the shoe's new Boundlessness Outsole which gives 30% a bigger number of purposes of balance than its precursor. Its fun Stratofoam cushioned bottom cushioning underside moreover gives remarkable assistance as you cross the fairways and shows up in various widths and sizes that make it ideal for golfers of all foot shapes.

1 note · View note

allenvooreef · 2 years

Note

👀👄🦵🪞for Sigmar and Raiden :3

👁 What is your OC’s eye color? Do they have any eye-related habits, like winking or rubbing their eyes? Do other people tend to notice their eyes?

Sigmars eyes are a deep, comforting brown. Hot chocolate sipped out of an old mug while someone reads you fairy tales by the glow of the hearth. Flecks of a warm green, like dappled sunshine falling through the leaves, betray their curiosity, their sense of adventure. Hidden under anxiously furrowed brows, longing to be filled with wonder.

Raidens eyes are sunshine through a glass of whiskey. A golden gaze that glitters when the light catches it, a cunning spark under a single raised eyebrow. Eyes that look intently into yours, gauging, comprehending, reading things you didn't even realize were written there. Occasionally, out of habit, they'll dart across the room to find a door, a window, a possible exit. Amber vaults filled with secrets you can only guess at.

👄 What is your OC’s smile like? Is it bright and wide, or thin and reserved? Does your OC wear any lipgloss or lipstick? Do they chew their lips?

Sigmars smiles are often small and fragile - a nervous grimace of discomfort, hesitant, fearful, wistful, carefully hopeful. But every now and again he beams his brightest grin - a genuine, radiant, infectious joy that cannot be contained.

Raiden wears his crooked smirk with great pleasure. Some find its playful charm to be disarming, others are infuriated by its smug insolence. In both cases, he wields it like a weapon. On rare occasions, a flash of something more sincere shines through, but when you blink it's gone.

🦵 Are your OC’s arms and legs strong, weak, or average? Why? Do they have any common mannerisms that involve their limbs, such as tapping their foot or fiddling with their fingers?

A lifetime of farm work and several years of guard training have made Sig quite a hardy kid; he can lift and carry heavy crates with little issue, and once broke a training dummy clean in half with a polearm. What's unexpected, though, is how dexterous he can be. He is surprisingly quick on those sturdy feet, and his calloused hands can whittle increasingly intricate wood carvings.

Raidens lean build is far more delicate and fragile. While generally able-bodied, he counts on his speed and flexibility much more than his endurance. After all, you can't kill what you can't reach. Quiet footfalls, a quick shift of his weight, a precise twist of the wrist - it's all about adaptability, and using your opponent's strength against them.

🪞 How does your OC perceive themself? Do they believe themself to be attractive, unattractive, or average? Does their view of themself affect their self-esteem, or are they unbothered by their physical appearance? (If your OC does have things they’re confident or insecure about, what are they?)

While Sigmars self-esteem is famously terrible, it's interesting to note that very little of that pertains to his physical appearance. He does not consider himself attractive, but generally doesn't give it much thought beyond that. He grew up doing physical labor, with very few mirrors in the house, so he was more preoccupied with what his body could do than the way it looked. Now, traveling through places that hold aesthetics in much higher regard, he definitely feels a little boorish and out-of-place.

For Raiden: answered here

[here are the prompts, feel free to send more!]

#thank you hobbit these were fun!#took me a while in between everything but it was nice to write a bit #eef talks #raiden #sigmar

1 note · View note

earlgreydream · 3 years

Text

indecency.

| loki x reader | smut | fluff |

cw: dark!loki -> soft!loki, spanking, edging, slight degradation, angry!loki

You knew better.

You knew there was no way you were going to get away with it. You knew there would be consequences to your actions, but you were so pent up with need, you had fooled yourself into thinking you could get away with breaking one of Loki’s rules, and benefiting from it.

Loki was strict, and had little patience for indecency and insubordination. He demanded obedience, and enforced it with punishment.

It was incredibly dangerous to test Loki. Loki was a lot of things, but merciful was not one of them. Any infraction required discipline, often severe.

One of Loki’s rules was that you were his, and his alone. All pleasure had to come from him, touching yourself without permission was strictly forbidden in his castle. He wanted to be the one to inflict all of your ecstasy, everything to come from him. Occasionally, he would give you permission, often so he could watch. Aside from that, it infuriated him when you touched yourself secretly.

You knew this, and yet you’d chosen to defy him anyway. There was no way it would be worth it in the long run, but you were desperate and in need. Loki had been neglectful of you over the last few days, busy and overwhelmed with royal duties. You spent the week a ball of pent-up sexual frustration, and if you didn’t take care of yourself, you were going to explode.

Loki’s anger burned through him like wildfire.

He’d returned to your chambers after an incredibly stressful morning, his only desire to rest with you. Asgard was demanding, and he was tired from ruling, craving the feeling of sleeping with you in his arms. Instead, when he had entered, he found you on the bed, your small fingers sliding in and out of your cunt. You were writhing on the bedsheets, moans mixing with the lewd noises of your fingers. Your head was thrown back and your spine arched, pushing your breasts out as you fucked yourself.

Loki stood utterly still for a moment, unnoticed by you. He couldn’t deny that the sight was incredibly arousing, but it was overshadowed by the anger toward your disobedience. He strode toward you, fed up with your misbehavior.

Your startled scream echoed off of the arching ceilings as Loki’s hand gripped your jaw. Your eyes snapped open, and you were met with sadistic green eyes that were filled with irritation.

“You believe you can pleasure yourself better than I? Or are you just an insolent brat?” Loki snarled, and you were too frightened to answer. Your eyes were wide, and you immediately pulled your fingers out of yourself. Your thighs twitched at the sudden loss of stimulation, and you sank into the mattress, failing to put distance between you and Loki.

Regret washed over you, fear prickling through your naked body. Loki was seething, and terror seized your veins. The fear and his anger added to the heat in your belly, upping your arousal. You loved to see Loki mad, even when it scared you.

“Since you’re so comfortable being indecent, you’ll take your punishment on the throne!”

“No!” You shrieked, making the god’s fury spike. You’d said it just to be a brat, unable to resist to dig yourself in deeper with his patience. You immediately wanted to take it back, realizing you made it much worse by objecting. You struggled to breathe under Loki’s threatening gaze, both of your wrists gripped together in one of his hands.

“If you dare to disobey me again, I’ll let the entire realm watch me beat your ass raw,” Loki’s threat was not an empty one, and you closed your mouth. A shudder rolled through your spine, and Loki rolled his eyes, slapping your ass as he dragged you up.

You nearly tripped over your feet as Loki hauled you from the bed, parading you through the halls and throne room, naked for the entire castle to see. Tears obstructed your vision, but you knew any more disobedience would result in far more catastrophic punishment.

You were red with embarrassment, nauseated by the knowledge he hadn’t truly begun to punish you yet. You were tripping up the golden steps to the raised throne, feeling like you were on a stage. Loki dragged you over his lap on the throne, his entire royal guard and Valkyrie present to witness the consequences of your behavior. You were fully exposed and on display for everyone, left with no chance of concealing yourself.

“I’m sorry!” You cried out as he struck you. Servants winced as the noise echoed off of the golden walls, thankful they weren’t in your position.

It wasn’t the first time this had happened, and they didn’t understand why you kept doing things to get you in this position. Nobody wanted to be at the mercy of Loki’s wrath, and they couldn’t imagine the motivation behind your actions that you knew resulted with these consequences. They were blushing for you as you got spanked in front of everyone, choked tears blinding your vision and making it hard to breathe.

Loki knew you secretly loved it.

“You will be,” Loki’s voice was like ice, and he had you sobbing within minutes. You were burning with shame, struggling on his lap from the pain of his assault on your ass. He’d conjured some kind of leather strap that bit into your tender skin, leaving red welts in its wake. Your cries and squeals of pain echoed off of the high ceilings, and the court couldn’t look away from you.

Your skin was stinging from Loki’s unforgiving blows, the leather a deep green against your red skin. He got twisted pleasure from watching bruises blossom to the surface of your skin and running his fingers along the raised welts he was creating. Your body jerked forward and you yelped in pain as he slapped you with his hand, irritating your backside further.

“Loki, please!” you shrieked, begging for reprieve. The leather cracked against your skin before it vanished, and he dragged you to sit up and straddle him, your skin burning as it rubbed against the fabric of his armor. Your face was streaked with tears, and he raised an eyebrow at you. He cupped your sex, making another wave of heat wash over you.

“Why are you crying when I can feel how soaked it made you?” Loki mocked you, squeezing your throat as a broken moan escaped you.

“Answer me.”

“Because I’m a slut,” you whispered, knowing what he wanted. You were done pushing your luck, and you wanted to be good, not wanting him to inflict any more painful punishment. A smirk pulled at his lips, and he kissed you roughly. Your hands carefully wrapped around his forearm, stabilizing yourself. He held back a smile at the action. It made you seem innocent, and Loki loved your midgardian fragility. He loved the way you gripped onto him, even when he’d just tore your ass up, only making you more clingy and needy for him.

“Do you intend to obey your king now?” Loki asked, bouncing his knee and making you gasp from the friction on your clit, your small hands squeezing him at the sensation.

“Yes, I’ll be good!” you insisted, pouting your lips for a kiss. Even when Loki was furious, he wasn’t one to deny you of affection. Familiar with what it felt like to be unloved, he never wanted you to feel the same.

Loki’s clothes disappeared with magic, and he grabbed the backs of your thighs, pulling your legs around his waist. You winced at the pressure on your tender skin, and pushed against his chest.

“Knock it off, or I’ll turn you to face the court.”

You shook your head vehemently, wanting to hide in him. You knew he was going easy on you now, and you didn’t want to ruin it. You hid your face in his neck, leaning into his chest. You knelt above him, and you felt his tip brushing through your soaked folds, jumping as he came into contact with your nerves.

Loki sank you down into him, holding your hips and guiding your movements. Your head rested on his chest and he bounced you on him with rough thrusts. You whined into his shoulder as he rubbed your nerves, building pressure in your abdomen. You dragged your nails down his back, your body tensing and heat started to spark through you.

You were close to your orgasm, but Loki had other plans for you, none of which included letting you come. He was proud of how well you’d taken the punishment up to this point, but he wasn’t finished with making you learn a lesson.

Loki pulled his hand from in between you, thrusting all the way into you and holding you still on him. You squealed and writhed on him, trying to get some friction. He didn’t have it, and you were forced to hold still with his thick cock buried deep inside of your throbbing heat.

“Be good!” Loki snapped, and you yelped as he slapped the side of your thigh in warning. You realized he hadn’t gone easy on you, and was now going to edge you on the throne while everyone watched.

Once the burning in your nerves subsided, he rocked you against him again, building the pressure back up. Every time you made a noise you were rewarded with a red handprint on your thigh, the pain sending shocks through you and pushing you further toward the edge.

“I’m going to absolutely ravage you,” Loki growled into your neck, making your eyes roll back and a grin pull at your lips.

You had gotten exactly what you wanted, but now you were desperate for the release you craved.

“Loki, please let me-” you were cut off by a particularly rough thrust upward, making him smirk.

“Let you what, darling?” He teased, slamming into you every time you tried to speak. He edged you for nearly an hour before he finally decided you’d had enough. You had been good, taking it without complaint, other than pathetic whimpers that echoed off the golden ceilings.

You were aching and throbbing, every small touch making you writhe at his fingertips. Loki knew your limits, and he was pushing them, watching your eyes turn glassy. He’d sank into your mind, filling it with images, memories, of him railing you and making you come a thousand times over. His sick use of magic only made you melt more, completely pliant to all of his demands, letting him do whatever he wanted to you.

You were unable to sit up off of him or speak, only making soft breathy pleads. Your body shuddered from the stimulation, and you sobbed weakly when he finally let you orgasm. You involuntarily jolted in his arms, a low whine humming through your chest. Waves of exhausting ecstasy crashed over you, the hour of edging turning into a powerful release.

Loki let you catch your breath for a minute before sliding out of you, easing you to rest on his lap. The subjects in the throne room looked away, knowing better than to continue watching when Loki was finished punishing you.

He wrapped you in his emerald cloak, concealing your exhausted body. He scooped you up in his arms, carrying you out and back to his chambers. The silky fabric was cool and smooth against your abused skin, and you relaxed into his arms.

“Are you still mad?” You whispered into his chest, your cheek resting against his cool skin. Your head was cloudy, and your thoughts were unclear, needing Loki to reassure you that it was over.

“No, my darling. Never with you,” he kissed you lightly, bumping his nose against yours. You tightened the green silk around you, and he smiled into your hair as he sat down with you curled up in his lap.

“Was that all just to get my attention?”

You nodded shyly, embarrassed that he saw right through you.

“If you want pleasure, you need only ask me, I will be more than happy to give it to you.”

Loki was no longer teasing or mocking you, and he gently tilted your chin up so you were looking into his deep green eyes. You nodded, and he kissed your rosy cheeks.

1K notes · View notes

sunii-is-typing · 3 years

Text

silent

summary ; vacant eyes stare back into his. he wonders why they’re so quiet.

character ; gorou

cw ; angst : hurt no comfort : (briefly mentioned) memory loss : death : puppet!reader : xiao’s bad writing

there is little merit in existing here, he’s noticed. and he has not thought of leaving, not yet, but it is a thought that has licked at the heels of friends and foes alike.

once, as a child, he watched someone tear down their own shop and disappear without a trace. they went mad, his mother said, head inclined.

mad from what, he’d wonder, and stare at the looming statue situated in the middle of his home. what could they possibly go mad from?

(he heard they found their body in the woods. he didn’t know what that meant.)

(”why is everyone gathering at the statue, mama?” and she smiled, softly, and led him away from the crowd.)

(gorou did not see the shogun. he did not see the crackling electricity of a blade.)

(too young. far too young.)

another time, he’d heard of the late departure of a stranger. a stranger who was friends with a soon-to-be companion, and he holds resentment for that moment.

he’d caught wind of the situation from afar. settled down with another friend, the divine priestess of the land, he had heard.

someone challenged the shogun. and, evidently, they’d lost; both the duel, and their existence, their entire being. he knows not of their name, but he recalls the day he met the deceased’s friend.

frantic. outlandish. terrified. hands caked in soot and pants caked in mud, blood seeping from a hand clutching a dead vision. burns, there were burns.

gorou can still smell the flayed flesh. kazuha does not speak to him about it and never will. that is the way it should be.

(kazuha does not like talking about the shogun. he bares his teeth and bites his tongue, shaking his head and disappearing.)

(the ronin does not stay for long. they are friends, but that will never be enough to keep him. kokomi pats him on the back and disappears, too.)

there is a moment where he meets someone who is not plagued by the weight of living. quiet, yet free all the same; like kazuha, but not exactly.

you, with silent eyes and a pulled-taut mouth. you, with slightly raised brows and twitching fingers.

compelling, is what you were. a daydream in the midst of a living nightmare, a temporary home for when he was unable to see his own.

something akin to merit settles. all because of you.

gorou has grown to know you. just you; the simple traveler that roamed about, dipping your feet in lightning waters and staring aimlessly at the clouded sky.

fleetingly, he wonders what you could be thinking about. after some time, he ponders, too. he doesn’t dare touch the water.

you never speak to him. he grows to be fond of that, because, even if you do not speak, you listen. people are not privy to listening to his rambles. it’s a welcome change.

“things have been rough, y’know?” you blink at him, signalling that no, you do not. that’s what he interprets, at least. “with the vision hunt decree and the executions.. it’s been stressful.”

a sigh escapes him, and his claw-tipped fingers seep into the dirt behind him as he stretches forth. the movement brings little comfort. too many things to think about.

too many horrible memories from when he didn’t know better.

“i probably shouldn’t be telling you this. you’re probably bored of me complaining, right?” he forces a laugh, one that feels awkward and fragile in his throat.

your gaze remains silent, as do you. not even a breath slips by, as your chest is still.

worrying, but he does not have any right to worry over that. you’re fine, surely. you’ve never stumbled or the like before, so this is normal.

(his thoughts linger. they swell and glower at his insolence.)

“let’s talk about something else. there’s this nice place around inazuma city that sells dango; i’d go, but i haven’t the time nowadays.”

gorou perks slightly when something tugs at him; his gaze flicks to you, only to see you peering at him with a cold hand upon his forearm.

ah.

he buys dango for the both of you. he reckons that’s the first time he’s seen you enjoy something, and, pitifully, wonders if you enjoy being around him.

but when you turn to him and smile—the slightest rise of your lips—his thoughts melt all at once.

perhaps he should’ve paid attention to the lingering doubts rather than the honeyed words that spoke of your gentleness.

(”you ever seen a wolf before? they’re usually these huge, huge creatures with really cool teeth and claws! they could kill a dude, i think.”)

(you stare, blink, then nod. gorou soaks in the positive affirmation that yes, you have seen a wolf before, and you do not mind him rambling.)

(and ramble he does, swinging his legs back and forth as you settle beside him quietly. the silence is appreciated, as you press your cheek against his shoulder.)

perhaps he should’ve minded kokomi’s pensive expression when he returned to the camp, tail wagging as he spoke of your appearance.

(the harp was a gift from his mother, back when he’d cared about music more than anything. such times were gone, but you seemed to enjoy his mediocre songs.)

(sometimes, he’d hear you hum. you never sing, never spoke a word, but you hummed. such was always enough for him.)

(”i wonder,” he says one day, as you sway to sound of his harp. “how many songs do you know? er, do you even know how to play?”)

(you open your hands. he, obediently, places the harp in them—and he sits, fascinated as you strum a gentle song.)

(his heart doesn’t stop fluttering.)

perhaps he should’ve noted kazuha’s immediate apprehension and wish to leave as soon as he listened to the wind, telling him of gorou’s tales.

(you raise a brow at him, tilting your head slightly. gorou holds naku weeds and sweet flowers in wobbly hands, smiling sheepishly.)

(”i got these for you.” he holds them out and looks off to the side. “i, uh, had some extra time on your—my, my hands.”)

(you blink. for a moment, he thinks you’re going to step away and disappear, as if you were an actual daydream. it’d explain why kokomi was so pensive, why kazuha hurried away.)

(slowly, hands colder than his own reach out and take the flowers. he holds his breath as you nose the flowers, eyes fluttering shut.)

(your chest rises, falls. this is the first time he’s seen you breathe.)

(from beneath your lashes, vacant pupils stare into his. he doesn’t acknowledge the eternal lack of emotion. it’s the last thing on his mind.)

(you’re smiling.)

perhaps he should’ve paid attention to your silent eyes, scanning him as if he was an enemy rather than a companion—rather than a potential lover.

gorou is a fool. a bumbling, tumbling fool who listened to his heart before his brain.

perhaps this is why he clutches his chest, swallowing a pitiful whine as you clutch a sword. it crackles with electricity, clouds shrouding the sky and hiding the sun.

there was no need to see the sun. not when a single glance was enough to brighten the crevices of his gentle, caring heart.

what did you do with it, where did you put it?

the emptiness hurts.

you swing and behead an innocent woman; the general nearly vomits at the sight, only barely managing to hold it in.

soundlessly, you step over her decapitated corpse and point toward the crowd.

your eyes meet. the silence gnaws at his very being and your sword seems far bloodier than he remembers.

that will not be his blood. it cannot be, not after—

and as a coward—a lovesick coward with an ache in his heart and a tremble in his veins and turmoil within his mind, praying that you wouldn’t kill him, not after everything—gorou runs.

he runs, he runs and he forgets how to breathe.

(you stare after the fleeing figure, quiet. there is nothing in your head.)

(what was his name, you ponder. a hand strokes at your fabricated, clouded mind and you stop.)

(you walk through the crowd. they part effortlessly and you feel electricity crackle in your clenched fist.)

(you know where he is.)

your memory is taken from you, as it always is. such is your creator’s will.

you do not remember the taste of milk dango. you do not remember kind eyes, nor do you remember the gentle scent of sweet flowers, or the warmth of an embrace.

you continue as if nothing ever happened. there is no light to your eyes; there is no thought within your mind that is your own. a puppet does not think.

days after, as you shine your blade mechanically, you watch a pair of shrine maidens clean. they speak, hushed, and spare you no glances.

you hear they found a body in the woods.

#genshin impact #gorou #gorou x reader #genshin impact angst #[ ✧ ] — drabble #[ ✧ ] — gorou #[ ✧ ] — angst #[ ✧ ] — xiao's writing #genshin impact reader insert #genshin #gi #genshin gorou

83 notes · View notes

therehabstreet · 24 days

Text

#Cork Footbed Sandals #therehabstreet #custom insoles #custom insoles in delhi #flat foot insoles #fragile feet insoles #ankle sprain treatment #custom orthopedic shoes #multisport insoles in gurgaon #ankle sprain treatment in gurgaon #plantar fasciitis treatment #bunions treatment

1 note · View note

kenmasgameboy · 4 years

Text

chapter 18: my girlfriend.

previous…next

masterlist

kuroo tetsurou came into y/n’s life when she needed him to fuck it up the most.

a/n: this chapter is an intense one, i put the trigger warnings that i could think of below. if i ever miss anything please feel free to send me a dm or an ask, i’m also always looking forward to your guys’ comments and asks, please don’t forget that i always read them. i want this to be a safe place for everyone :)

trigger warning: bullying, cursing/vulgar language, and violence (smacking, stepping and spitting). anxiety.

╭⋟─────────────────────╮

Your book is dripping wet, the pages turned to a fragile paste and falling apart at the touch. Your hair was wet, buckets of water had been prepared just for you. In your honor, four older girls had decided to go out of their way to prepare a bucket of water to dump all over your head.

“What did we tell you?” Their leader, Yui, kicked you in the stomach. “I thought we were very clear yesterday that you cannot talk to Kuroo-san.”

“And then you walked home with him!” One of the other girls spoke, but at this point their voices meshed together in your head. You tried staring at a paint chip on the ground to try and keep your cool.

I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry.

Your face was pulled off the rough pavement to face Yui’s face by your hair. The beautiful girl holds a fistfuls of your hair and you can get a good look at her this way. She really was gorgeous, she had long hair that was dyed a beautiful blond. You could hardly tell her bright blue contacts weren’t real since they fit into her soft features so well. Her makeup was nothing short of flawless, blending perfectly into her skin that made her look effortlessly beautiful. She looked like an idol, an angel in stood front of you, it was a striking contrast to her harsh words she’s given you over the last week.

“And now he posted about you, too! I told you that Kuroo-kun was mine. I should’ve said something weeks ago when I saw him talk to you here.” Yui stomped her foot, “Don’t you dare lie either, I saw him at your shoe locker this morning.”

“I’m not going to lie.” You said, your voice coming out much quieter than you thought. It was cold outside, and your clothes were wet. You didn’t even want to think about your white shirt.

“Good girl.” Yui smiled, “Now let’s talk about arrangements. Since you obviously didn’t listen yesterday. And I’m what they’d call Kuroo-kun’s guardian angel. I’ve always protected him from skanky bitches like you, who aren’t interested in Kuroo-kun for anything beyond what he can do for you. It’s not my first time, and it won’t be my last either. I love Kuroo-kun more than any of you and I’ve been at this a lot longer than you.”

What the hell is wrong with you?

You were cursing at her in your head, every bit of anger poured from your veins and forced you to clench your fist. This girl was pissing you off to no end, nobody was around at this point. Your fear of shyness being easily overwhelmed by the anger of being controlled.

A part of you selfishly wished that Inuoka or Kuroo would enter this scene right now and intervene. But they couldn’t fix this for you. They weren’t always going to be with you. And you weren’t someone who was going to be smacked around by these girls anymore. This girl must’ve been the one that started those rumors about you that forced Kuroo to intervene for you. You didn’t want anyone to have to do that for you.

“Kuroo-san would never like a girl like you.” You said. You would be proud to know your face never wavered as you spoke. Your voice had only a slight shake, the only tell being the shakes of your hand. Every word granted you a half ounce more of confidence.

“Do you want to say that again, dog?” She stepped on your hand with her foot, all her spite being aimed at you.

“What? I told you I wasn’t going to lie.” You kept your face plain. She spit in it and threw you down. You wiped the disgusting vile away with the back of your hand.

“Keep talking! See what happens.” This was a bet you’re willing to take.

“You’re a very pretty girl. But you’re mean, petty, vengeful, controlling and most of all an idiot if you think I can control how Kuroo-san feels. It’s not my fault he likes me. And if you really liked him, you should want him to be happy, but instead you try to block him off from anything that’d do that.” You said it all while she hardly listened, yawning as you spoke.

“Are you done?” She asked, you groaned in response. God she was so annoying.

She smacked you.

“You’re going to act like you know him after a few weeks? I’ve been in love with him for three years. He always has doted on me before you got here, he tutored me, gave me parts of his lunch, and he even gave me his jacket when I forgot my umbrella. Every third year girl knows that he’s mine. He’s too mature for younger girls like you, especially ones with their head in the clouds and nose in a book. You don’t even interact with anyone! What’s so good about you! Nothing! So don’t you dare try to act like you’re better than me!” She said her own speech, ending it with pushing her foot down on your thigh. Your knee scratching against the pavement.

“Kuroo-san isn’t a thing you can own..” It was taking everything in you not to cry, you’ve always had a hard time when people yell at you. But the part of you that wanted to defy authority was still winning at the moment.

“God! You’re so annoying. Just listen to me and break up with him so he can love me already! I’m tired of waiting!” Yui was yelling, you were starting to hear voices in the windows behind you crowding over. Your eyes drifted down, your shirt was totally see-through. This was so embarrassing.

You put your arms over your chest to protect yourself. You scolded yourself for not bringing out your jacket.

“No.” You said, strong and out-front.

“I think this is the most this girl has ever spoken..”

“Normally she’s such a crybaby..”

You heard everything anyone was saying around you. But you couldn’t bring yourself to care anymore. None of those people knew you.

“You insolent little bitch–”

“Oh? Big word there, did that make you feel like an adult? You read that one in a book?” You were completely unfiltered at this point. None of it mattered to you. Your clothes were wet, your hair was frazzled, your knees scraped and your face spit on. If there was one thing you could do to protect yourself it was your mouth. You had to.

“Shut up! Be thankful your senpai hasn’t ruined your life. Just let him go! You don’t even like him!” She was really fuming, there may as well be smoke coming out of her ears. “I can tell you’re scared, just agree so we can finish this.”

“That’s not true.” You said, your face blushing as the first sign of emotion this whole time.

“Oh, look, she’s blushing.”

“She’s actually so cute.”

“Gah! I hate you!” Yui raises her hand again, the only interruption being the heavy metal door to the courtyard being opened.

“Stop, stop! Yui, what the fuck are you doing!?” Kuroo, the man of the hour, ran into the courtyard and immediately stripping his blazer off.

“Kuroo-kun! I’m so glad your here, she was being so mean to us! I was just–” It was Yui’s turn to panic. Her voice quivered as she quickly mustered up tears to fake.

“You think I’m going to believe that when she looks like this?” Kuroo quickly wrapped you in his blazer, the large fabric covering you. His warmth flew threw you as he helped you to your feet and held you into his chest protectively. Your cold skin stealing Kuroo’s warmth. You hadn’t really realized how cold you were.

“I heard you had a volleyball meeting today–”

“After school. Even if I did, did you think I wouldn’t come running after I hear about my girlfriend getting bullied?” Kuroo said, his hand wrapping around your head. Your face was hidden, but he could feel you gasp for breath. The emotions you had been trying to hid getting lost in his chest, your stiff fingers gripped the fabric of his sweater vest. Kuroo’s large palm straightened them against his chest, warming them. “God, she’s freezing.”

“Girlfriend?” Yui was really crying now.

“Yes. Y/N is my girlfriend, and if anyone has a problem with this from now on bring that to me.” Kuroo’s deep voice boomed through the courtyard, it was a warning.

“You can’t be serious! It’s only been a few weeks, you’ll just drop her anyways in a few days right?” Yui had never been caught by Kuroo before, whenever a new girl would try to get close to Kuroo he’d never really minded if they lost touch after a few days. But you were someone he sought out, and tried so hard to figure out, he would never let it go that easy.

“Even if it did, you have no right to do any of this. But I’ll be with Y/N as long as she lets me, because I have deep feelings for her. I don’t expect you to understand but neither of us would ever throw the other away so easily as you’re saying. So leave us the fuck alone.” You had never seen him so angry before. But still he was so delicate to you, lowering his head to your ear to whisper a soft: “Are you ok? You did awesome, but this is over now. Let’s get you to the infirmary.”

“I’m sorry.” You said, but it was muffled by his shirt. His chest was so warm and firm, it made you somewhat sad to lose the warmth when he pulled away for only a second.

“Yui, I’m sorry I can’t return your feelings. If I had known you’d feel that way, I would’ve been able to end this sooner. But don’t worry, I won’t be going out of my way for you in the future to avoid any misunderstandings.... I’m going to take her to the infirmary, and I’m telling the nurse everything that happened here.” Kuroo held a strong frame, you winced when you took a step.

Your knee stung from the blood running down your leg. Kuroo didn’t want you to be here any longer than you needed to be, so he latched his palms under your knee and threw your arm over his shoulder. Bridal style he held you in his arms, girls squealed behind you. Your face practically being glued to his shoulder to hide your embarrassment.

The moment you were back inside you felt warmer. You squeezed him tighter to yourself. You were so afraid, allowing yourself to so easily be weak in front of him.

“W–wait.. Kuroo..” You were letting tears fall. He rolled you in his arms to better hold you there. Your hair smelled like a morning rainfall, you were so cold.

“Not yet. We’re not alone.” He said.

The rest of the time you spent in his arms was silent. And when he got you to the infirmary he was ushered to go back to his class since the bell rang.

“Please, she’s my girlfriend. Can I please stay with her?” You could hear him beg the nurse on the otherside of the curtain from where you were changing out of your wet clothes.

It made you smile, you didn’t know a title like this would make you smile. He never asked you, but he sure got comfortable with it really fast. Maybe it wasn’t real though, you tried to slow your heart beat from beating out of your chest at the thought.

“I’m sorry but school comes first. You can come see her later. She’ll be fine.” The nurse assured him. You peaked your head out from behind the curtain.

“Thank you.” You mouthed it to him and it seemed he understood.

Kuroo didn’t seem pleased, but he still nodded. He bowed to the nurse quickly before exiting. Once on the other side of the door he looked at his hands, his sleeves were still wet from where he held you in his arms. He was chilly from losing his blazer that was now with you. The view he had of the top of your head being forcibly pushed into his chest. His chest still tingled from the imprint of your face.

“Kuroo Tetsuro, you’re awful for thinking like this..” he scolded himself. He just had to pull you out of a situation that he caused, it was because of him that they were bullying you. He needed to apologize properly, but his mind couldn’t help but melt at how close you were to him. How it seemed you invited him to be closer. This 6’3” boy reduced to a crumbled, blushing mess as he squatted next to the infirmary door.

Girlfriend.

Wait.

“She’s my girlfriend....” Kuroo remembered saying that in front of everyone, “Did I... say that out loud?..”

Both his hands were used to smack himself. His face didn’t react from the shock, eyes still wide with two hand prints leftover on his cheeks. He didn’t even ask you to be his girlfriend! What had gotten into him! Even in the heat of the moment, he should have taken at least one second to ask and then ask properly later. No, that would’ve looked suspicious. How rude of him to ignore your feelings like that and announce it in front of everyone without your permission.

I’ve been so good at asking her for everything up until now. What if she’s scared of me again? No, if she wants me to I’ll start at stage 1... Maybe Yamamoto was right, I really am a simp for her..

He thought, a small smile still on his face. He was okay with that. You were so strong out there. He only caught a few moments but watching you talk back all on your own was inspiring. You could defend yourself, any normal person would’ve let it go but Yui was a different breed that Kuroo knew too well. Watching you speak so boldly was a treasure that would live in his mind, the last domino of hearing your voice say “That’s not true.” to protext your feelings for him. But that was all he was able to catch of the conversation since he couldn’t stand there knowing that your hand wasn’t shaking from the cold.

Does she really have feelings for me? Is it true? If I would’ve asked.. would she have.. his thoughts stopped abruptly as he looked to his right at the infirmary where you stayed. What were you thinking right now? Were the thoughts you had as embarrassing as his? An image of you popped in his head, probably not. His chest was so tight and warm and the thought. He can’t think like this in the situation you’re in. He should’ve tried to stay in there longer, but maybe any longer and he would’ve burst.

He looked back at his arms, the ones he held you in. The water has dried now, ang trace that you were in them was gone. He really missed that feeling. If it were up to him right now, you’d never walk again so you could always stay in his arms.

Girlfriend..

He’d have to apologize later for overstepping his boundaries and explain later but... he’d never apologize about how it felt far too natural to say.

╰─────────────────────⋞╯

@chibishae34 @firebonbon @ushiwakasthighs @koukamisblog @ari-hatake15 @nohxmanity @chaelysian @whatevenisapaige @haikyuufairy @ushiwakaismybae @kalesveggietales @starry-magicshop @iwanttogotopluto @cuddlesslut @keijisangels-main @roseestuosity @prcttylittlcthing @its-bnha-babe @90s-belladonna @insomniish @johnnysactualgf @boosyboo9206 @animewithmemes @gemswrites @jvhoons @i8bbflesh @anejuuuuoy @rd-crew @haikyuubabie @lostmarimoismyhubby @valory-funkzie @nellieleverlin @mariachiii @dishonestkilla @angyboibakugo @anhphunnnn @todo-shotoroki @dawnsbaby @pharvhs @bokutoswaifuu @saturnfarie @laceymorganwrites @neomemartin8383 @coldclambandittrash @oikaw-ugh @airheadpillar @unstableye @bestboitsukki @wishingforanother @churochuu @elianetsantana @bokutoho3 @winunk @bellesowl @onepiece-writting-forest @just-snog-already @pansinspace @hoekageyama @deephumandragonperson @kagebunshiin @thathoneybee3 @moonlightaangel @mint-mai @semiathleticnerdykid @aurorahoneybuns @dragon-flyyyyyyy @timeskipiwaizumi @chaseyui @makemealivee @strawberry-mentos @marifujioka @urbasicaveragegirl @leinnah @deephumandragonperson @kagebunshiin @moonlightaangel @thathoneybee3 @ysatrap @volley-simp @runningwitches @graykageyama @angrylittleriri @rowley-with-ackerman @amberalisa @izzy28901 @allformochi @its-babybitch @katsukisbayy @shadowpurr @bombardia @lena-davina @lovinsugamomma + if your name is crossed out the tag didn’t work, and i’ll be putting it in the comments to try again. I’m sorry if it’s my fault it’s not working on my end!

+ to be added please send an ASK.

276 notes · View notes

askthekuvaqbrothers · 3 years

Note

Seagull giving Rufus hell over wrecking sth. and the brothers (and Hermes) reacting to that. Your choice if you make it angsty, mischievous or hurt/comforty

(TW: Blood, Injury, Child Abuse (Seagull is a bad human))

“Now, this is going to the mayor-”

“I'll take it!!"

Rufus leapt from his seat, dashing and jumping for the box that was much too high to reach.

“Now Rufus, this is fragile, so I don't think-"

“Pleeaaaase! I promise to be careful! Promise promise!"

Cletus swung his legs, absently patting Poisonous, “Why do you really want to go?"

“I wanna go see the Mayor! He's a big important guy who found clean water and made all of Kuvaq! Dad says we should be thankful to him for giving us a home, and I bet he has all sorts of neat stuff in his house.”

“And there it is, stuff.” Cletus rolled his eyes at his brother’s kleptomaniac tendencies, but Rufus seemed undeterred.

“Pleeeeeeese!”

Hermes stared down into those pleading eyes and felt himself melt. He knew he’d gotten soft after building the prototypes, but playing the role of Father to these three had been swaying his objective views to subjective ones.

“Alright, but be careful.”

He rested the item in Rufus’ hands, not letting go until he was sure the boy had a secure hold on it. Rufus grinned up at him, and with a small skip in his step, hurried out the door. Neither Cletus nor Argus spared a look, but Hermes' gaze lingered after.

“…Could you two please follow after him? I worry-”

Cletus sighed, “That's all he brings-"

Argus snagged his brothers’ sleeve, fixing him with a ‘don’t start’ look.

“We'll go.”

With an audible groan, Cletus let himself be dragged out the door. The two didn’t have to travel far to catch up with Rufus, who had quickly given up on the more energetic movement, and was now slowly strolling across town, twisting his delivery in hand.

“If you break it, Dad won’t trust you with anything anymore.”

Startled, he almost dropped it, but managed to resecure his grasp and glare over his shoulder.

“Why are you here?”

“Dad sent us to keep an eye on you because, you know...” Cletus made a general gesture to his hazardous brother, though Rufus didn’t look to understand.

“He doesn’t trust you.”

Argus’ blunt words got through faster, and now Rufus chose to get upset.

“Why would he not trust me?! I’m SUPER trustworthy!”

There was an intake of air from Cletus, which was quickly stopped by an elbow to his ribs. Choosing the option of least argument, Argus pushed Rufus and dragged Cletus along, following the most direct path to the mayor’s private residence. It was a separate building behind the Town Hall, though almost equally large, apparently filled with belongings that didn’t fit in his office. A steep ramp angled up to the front door, where Rufus stopped their parade at the bottom. He turned to his brothers, and pointed to the ground.

“Wait here.”

“What? After coming all this way?!”

“Yes, Dad put me in charge of this, and I don’t want you messing things up.”

“Me-?!”

Cletus got a hand over his mouth, while Argus’ other hand waved Rufus on.

“Yeah yeah, hurry up.”

With a wide smile Rufus dashed up the ramp, knocking on the mayor’s front door. After a moment, it was opened by the mayor’s secretary Plovera.

“Delivery for Mr Mayor!”

The lean woman stared down, expression entirely blank, save for the eventual twitch in her eyebrow.

“Oh, please come in. The mayor won't be long.” She ushered the boy inside, “Please refrain from touching anything. You may wait on the chair over there.”

She pointed to a lone chair next to a statue of a large, furry beast. As Rufus wandered in, completely distracted by everything before him, Plovera closed the door behind them.

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

Time was passing slowly without their whirlwind of a brother around.

Argus kicked at the dust and Cletus plucked at a loose thread on Poisonous, neither particularly focused. Due to the heavy metal sheets that built up the walls, they hadn’t heard anything from inside, though normally not even the laws of nature could prevent the sound of Rufus’ destructive force. Cletus opened his mouth to suggest they wait in the comfort of their own home rather than the filthy outside-

There was a ground shaking THUD, ringing through the metal behind them. The two shared a look at finally hearing a typical Rufus caused noise, though the sound of someone else shouting was growing louder too.

As Argus and Cletus turned towards the mayor's dwelling, the door flew open, and the body of their brother came tumbling down the ramp, stopping as an unceremonious heap just past the end.

“YOU INFERNAL LITTER BUG!”

The booming voice of Mayor Seagull called out as he stormed down toward the boys, furry in his face and posture, and a sudden burst of flames licking at his heels from the building behind. Both Argus and Cletus recoiled at the unbridled rage he radiated, stepping back in time with his own steps forward. When their heels collided with Rufus’ twisted limbs, they both snapped out of their trance.

Argus turned enough to check his red-haired brother, carefully making out the shaky rise and fall of his chest. Alive- good, but hurt, the sight of blood and fast forming bruises triggering something in his mind. He glanced up to check on Cletus, but his green-haired brother was already gone, so his attention returned to Seagull. Something deeply ingrained in his core was telling him how to act, reminding him of the two things he’d always been aware of;

Directive One: Protect and Serve Elysium(?) Hermes.

Directive Two: Protect and Serve the Organon(?) his brothers.

At this moment, with his brother lying still, Directive Two was compromised, so counter action was called for. Argus knelt and plunged his hand off the side of the walkway, clenching a fist around the first thing it touched, wrenching a piece of metal free from the rest of the junk. It was rough edged and not very long, cutting into his own hand, but it classified him as armed and that was all he needed to run at Seagull. The man seemed to startle at the intended attack, but quickly recovered and stepped aside, easily avoiding the boy’s short reach.

They both turned back to face each other, and Argus charged again. The large man was ready for him this time, kicking as he came into reach, foot colliding with the boys’ upper arm and sending him flying.

“The INSOLENCE, the AUDACITY! Has no one taught you MANNERS, BOY?”

Argus picked himself up, adjusted his grip, and charged again. Seagull didn’t move this time, grabbing the arm with the weapon when it came in reach, holding it out to the side as he glowered down at the struggling child.

"Pay attention when your elders are talking, boy.” He twisted the limb enough to make him drop the improvised weapon, “I should have recognised from the start that your family was more trouble than it’s worth. Nothing but discarded scrap!”

He had nothing to say to the man, and his wriggling failed to loosen the grip, so instead Argus curled himself in on Seagull’s arm. He dug his free fingers into the soft joints of the trapping hand and wrapped his teeth around the largest soft space, earning him release and a shout of pain. In the free moment, Argus retrieved his weapon and swung it with all his strength into Seagull’s thigh, breaking through fabric and skin.

“YOU MONGREL!”

Seagull swung downwards, fist colliding with Argus’ brow. Skin split and flecks of blood flew, but Argus caught himself before he completely dropped, glaring up through the haze of red slipping into his eye. Seagull pulled back and moved to swing a kick, but found a weight around his ankle.

Looking down, Rufus was awkwardly wrapped around the mayors’ leg, uselessly biting into his pants. With a growl of frustration, Seagull added enough power to swing the boy along with his leg, colliding brother with brother to send them both tumbling away. When they came to a rest, Argus forced his clear eye to open, only to see the mayor swiftly approaching again. From his position sprawled over his chest, Rufus coughed, showering Argus’ arm in red flecks.

Seagull was towering over them again.

Metal piece still in hand, Argus threw it at the man’s head, hoping for the throat or an eye, but only managing to catch him in the cheek. In response, with a loud growl, the man drew a leg up and brought it down on the two of them, drawing out a strangled noise as the air was knocked from their lungs.

“What is going on here?!”

Hermes and Gizmo arrived on the scene, with Cletus closely trailing behind. Both men looked shocked at the sight before them, with Hermes paling when his eyes fell upon his bloodied sons. Gizmo hesitated in the moment, but when Seagull went to swing at the downed children again, he flicked to law enforcement mode and stepped in to restrain him.

“Stop! This is excessive force!”

Seagull writhed in the hold, pointing towards Rufus, “This is self-defence! That one almost killed me!”

Gizmo did spare a look between the child and the flames still flickering in the building, but he remained firm in his first choice.

“Hermes, take your boys to my clinic and do what you can while I secure the mayor.”

He snapped out of his shock, “R-right, of course.”

He quickly moved in, stooping down to pick up the worryingly still Rufus. Cletus moved with him and offered a hand to Argus with controlled reluctance, lifting his brother to his feet. Hermes spared one look up into the face of the man who had once offered shelter and work to a complete stranger, before the hateful glare became too much. He stood without further delay and headed directly to the ever-familiar clinic.

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

Hermes fumbled with a roll of bandages, muttering under his breath as he failed to untangle the length. There was a shake in his arms, and his old heart felt as though it would give out if it continued to beat at its current rate. He couldn’t get that angered face to leave his mind, and it was dredging up memories he’d longed to forget.

“Dad?”

He was doubting everything again, all his life choices he’d made to this point. He was trying to do better, trying to do what he could to better the lives of those around him, but still he couldn’t find a solution to make everyone happy. If he couldn’t even help this settlement, how could he find a new solution to save both Elysium and Deponia-?

“Dad…”

A small hand laid atop of his own. Hermes stopped fiddling, raising his gaze to Argus. He was sitting on the edge of the examination table, eye swollen closed with blood still dribbling down to stain his now torn shirt. Despite his injuries, his expression remained determined, and his posture was taught, ready for another fight.

“…I don’t believe it’s safe here.”

“What tipped you off?”

Cletus was seated on the floor by the clinic's entrance, similarly ridged with Poisonous in a death grip. His eyes flicked wildly anytime there was a noise.

“It’s okay now, Gizmo is handling the mayor. We’re fine.”

Neither of the boys relaxed. Seeing them like this truly reminded him what they were: children in form, but programmed soldiers, made to serve their purpose to the death. It had been wishful thinking they would break their instilled nature with a bit of civilian life. He rolled the ball of fabric in hand, and it unravelled.

“To remain would be too great of a risk.”

“And where do you suggest we go? Find a hole somewhere?”

They spoke around him. Standard Organon would follow procedure and upper command, but these three had more free thought that conflicted with each other, letting them discuss and plan. He carefully began wrapping Argus’ head, the boy ignoring the action.

“There are other settlements.”

“That are very, very far away. And could potentially be worse than here.”

“A potential threat is better than an imminent threat.”

“A hundred potential threats are MUCH worse than one manageable threat. Besides, you haven’t really proven yourself capable of even defending one little idiot from a threat.”

As Hermes tied off the bandage Argus dropped his head, glancing back at Rufus who was lying behind him. His external injuries were covered, but he was still breathing shallowly. They had to wait for Gizmo before they could find out what internal damage there really was.

“…”

After checking the damage to his boys, Hermes understood what they were talking about. He’d put trust in Seagull, and ignored the man’s shortcomings over the generosity of a home and job, but he knew deep down there would be no forgiveness from the mayor. He would now be a constant antagonist in their lives should the grudge hold, and they’d have to watch their step at every point in town. Perhaps it really was time for them to move on. The only settlements he knew were close to Ascension stations, and therefore Organon bases, but maybe this was a sign he should return and try to convince Ulysses and the Elders once more. The only problem would be what would become of the three-

Rufus groaned, which suddenly became coughing as he stirred. Argus spun to inch closer to his brother, putting his hands down to stop him from trying to sit up. Hermes did similar, though he chose to rest a hand on his head, avoiding the suspected broken bones and bruised organs.

“Shh, it’s okay. Just stay there, don’t move. We’re here.”

The coughing continued, and when he managed to turn his head a trail of spit and blood ran from the corner of his mouth. Hermes grabbed a rag to wipe it away, waiting as seconds ticked by before the coughing subsided into shaky breaths. Argus remained still watching closely, and to Hermes' surprise, Cletus was now standing by the bed too. Finally, Rufus managed to open an eye.

“… ‘s wr-ng ..ur face?”

Cletus snorted, though his shoulders relaxed a little, “Should I fetch a mirror?”

Argus made a shooing motion, but kept his eyes fixed on Rufus, “Can you tell us where you’re hurt?”

Lips twisting into a slight pout, Rufus subjected his family to an agonizingly slow blink, long enough that Hermes almost considered shaking him to check if he was still conscious. Once they were open again, his gaze fell somewhere in the distance.

“…’vrywher-?”

“Very helpful.”

Hermes allowed himself a small smile, glad to hear his son's banter again, but his nerves were still running his heart. They were made to be hardy, but internal injuries were still a potentially fatal thing, and Gizmo was taking longer than he’d hoped. He patted Argus on the shoulder.

“Don’t let him fall unconscious again, best to try to keep him talking. I’m going to find Gizmo.”

Before he could turn a hand grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, while another balled around his trouser leg. The looks of concern he got were both heart-warming and eerie, with even Rufus managing to swing his eyes over. They were probably worried about him coming across Seagull.

“Please, it’s okay to worry about yourselves, I’ll be fine.”

Their looks continued, tiny fists grounding him on the spot. The longer he looked, the more their wide eyes shimmered, flicking to each sibling briefly, and after a long moment it began to dawn that he was wrong.

They were worried about themselves, about each other.

And they were looking to him for guidance, for reassurance as a figure of authority- no, as their guardian.

He’d thought he’d gone soft and was playing the father role well, but it was now clear that wasn’t true. He’d still been Hermes the Engineer this whole time, trying to do his old work in a new environment, still hung up on his past failures, still seeing his creations as things when right now it was clear that they were children; hurt, scared, unsure and looking to the one person who had always been there for them.

He had to realise that he wasn't responsible for the world’s problems; he had his own little world right in front of him.

And he needed to make them his priority right now.

He needed to be their father, first and foremost.

#deponia #rufus #cletus #argus #hermes #kuvaq brothers #deponia au #gizmo #Seagull #TW blood #TW injury #TW child abuse #Aaaaah whump #Mmh this got out of hand so I had to wrap it up #How do I pace things ahhhh #Long post

34 notes · View notes

wallwriterstuff · 4 years

Text

A Little Trouble || Alec Volturi x Reader||

A request for: @tiger-khans-blog

Words: 4225

Warnings: None!

Summary: Alec’s mate is...not what he expected. Between hair dye, brownie mix and kitchen fires they’ve started their very own reign of terror in Volterra, but Alec’s learned that sometimes a little trouble can be a good thing...

When Aro had first seen Sulpicia, she had been selling seaglass on the shore of Greece, the sunlight reflecting off of dark streaks of hair and dark eyes so enthralling he’d been ensnared ever since. He’d brought almost a whole bag of the pretty, frosted glass and spent hours crafting the pieces into a beautiful necklace Sulpicia had done everything in her power to preserve until the centuries just made it to fragile to keep wearing. She had been smitten the moment she met the man willing to craft her a courting gift that looked every inch as precious as the pearls the wealthier women in town wore.

When Caius had first met Athenodora, she had been fire and brimstone in the shape of a woman towering over those who would oppress her. He had been immediately enraptured by the feisty blonde tearing off the arm of a man who had clearly wronged her in some way, the dark crimson of her eyes drawing him in and not letting go. She had easily taken care of the two Romanian lapdogs tracking him to, and as he watched her pale face shine in the flames Caius had known in that moment there would never be another woman for him. They were both such romantic stories and Alec had been inducted into this life hearing them, seeing the way Chelsea and Afton had fallen head over heels almost instantly and Marcus had fallen into despair with Didyme’s death. He knew the importance of the mate bond, knew it was something to be treasured, that his mate should be protected and loved by him at all times no matter the cost.

Imagine his surprise when the first time he met you, you swore at him for being in your way.

Modern women were nothing like the women he had been surrounded by growing up, or even the women in the guard. The old-world ideals of the demure and chaste woman were something the world had outgrown and here you were now, causing trouble wherever you went, the consequences be damned. If it wasn’t your mouth getting you in trouble it was your actions. He still shuddered when he recalled the first time he had presented you to the Masters. He couldn’t just leave you where he’d found you after all; you were his mate and so many things happened to vulnerable humans – and that was without the added complication that you were the mate of a witch twin. You had fought hard despite your obvious disadvantage until Alec had stripped your senses and taken you from your home city.

Aro had insisted on reading your thoughts, intrigued as to who could be compatible with his most powerful Guard. His stare had been intense and his skin ice-cold and, well, these people had just kidnapped you after all so nobody should have really been surprised when you tried to shove him away from you.

“What the hell is wrong with you all! You think you can just kidnap me and do whatever you want with me? You can take your huge ass forehead and shove it man, stop trying to touch me, Dome of Creepiness!”

Caius’s indignation had him pushing to his feet so fast his hair had swung about his shoulders as he spoke down to you, while Marcus only watched with the faintest wisp of a smile on his face.

“Insolent human! You are beneath-“

“I ain’t beneath nobody King Blondie Sparkles! You look like you’re in a damn Loreal commercial or something and you? Don’t even start me on the gloomy dude! This is some kangaroo court stuff right here!” You’d cried out. Felix and Demetri had been very obviously amused by you but Alec had just about died all over again, the embarrassment and astonishment too much for him. The whole room had been stunned into silence until Jane dropped you for your insubordination. His embarrassment had dissolved to sheer horror in moments and for the first time in his life he’d actually snarled at his sister. You’d been a handful when he met you and you’d continued to be one ever since. He could vividly recall your first month with them, where’d you’d endlessly pranked and shouted at them in an effort to be so annoying they’d simply let you go.

Jane had been your first victim, since she had naturally been predisposed to disliking you given your association with her twin. Every little thing you did irked her so it was really no surprise that the simplest of things had been what set her off on your second week in the castle. Anywhere that the Masters and the Guard were not was a refuge for you, and it just so happened that more often than not, the gardens were your chosen spot. Jane had taken to tending a small corner of the garden decades before you’d ever arrived and it was coming to the time of year where she stripped out and replanted it, but that was her job, not yours. Finding you knee deep in mud, her soil strewn everywhere and the bulbs that flowered every year scattered along the path while you tried your best to bury Felix’s journal had set her on a warpath she’d been on for months after the incident. Alec had barely saved you from her and had only ended up covering himself in dirt in the process.

Demetri’s hair had been the first real casualty, in Alec’s opinion. He’d been out for the day looking for trouble of his own, spending his down time how he pleased, and as was his tradition he took a nice, long hot shower when he got home. He had had no idea you replaced his leave in conditioner with bleach and to say he was furious to find the natural colour of his hair gone and the strands drying and brittle was an understatement. He’d screamed so loud the Guard had come running thinking he was in danger, only to find him holding a handful of his own, unnaturally blonde hair in hand and wearing absolutely nothing to cover his modesty. He had worn a hood for three weeks before the venom managed to leach the bleach out and return his hair to its natural luster and volume. It took him three months to consider accepting your apology.

Then you’d set the kitchen on fire.

It had genuinely been an accident on this one occasion, and Felix had been keeping an eye on you so was able to prove it. You had really just been trying to cook yourself some lunch, your usual mischievous mood dampened by three months of captivity in the castle and absolutely no progress in earning your freedom. When the sleeve of your shirt had caught fire on the hob it was perfectly understandable you had panicked…it was just unfortunate that your panic had carried you straight into the tablecloth, oven mits and tea towels, setting small fires everywhere that didn’t mix all that well with the natural wooden countertops. Aro was furious he had had to call the fire brigade and have so many humans in their home. It had drawn more attention to the Castle than there had been in almost two centuries.

“Your irresponsibility could have cost lives far more valuable than your own. Do you understand how reckless you have been? This petulant sulking will no longer be tolerated and you will-“

“Whatever.” You had muttered. Aro’s mouth had snapped closed, Caius’s eyes bugging.

“I beg your pardon?” his voice was soft, unthreatening. Alec knew that meant trouble. You kept your head bowed, your fists clenched at your sides, and he caught the slightest twinge of salt in the air. The truth was, Alec had been keeping an eye on you from a distance, waiting to see if you calmed. You had been given an extended period to see if your wilder tendencies could be calmed before you were changed – no one wanted to deal with a wild newborn after all. Instead, he’d watch your flame flicker and dim, your cheeky spark dying slowly as the darkness of Volterra enveloped it. He hated it. You were supposed to be loud and mischievous, a hurricane in human form; he wondered how he had ever handled the quiet before you came into his life because he couldn’t stand it now it had returned. Your energy was just drained from you and Alec didn’t want this, not for you, not when you were clearly miserable.

“Master. It was an accident.” Felix’s voice had surprised him, but the giant had stepped forward calmly to give him his hand and show him everything that had led up to the dreadful accident. Aro was quiet for a moment, his expression changing drastically.

“Are you alright, my dear?” he asked finally. Your glare had been venomous when you looked up at him then but Alec had decided enough was enough. In many ways he still looked back on that as a defining moment in your relationship, because Alec had done exactly what mates were supposed to do in that moment and stepped in to protect you. His concern had put the Masters off of punishing you as he ushered you from the room and into his. He’d ran you a bath so you could clean the soot from your body, and whilst you languished in his tub he had sat leaning back against the closed door, asking you the first things that came to mind. By the end of the night, as you lay fast asleep on his sofa, he knew all of your favourite things and all your worst fears, but more importantly he knew how to talk to you. It was easier after that, to engage you in conversations that didn’t end in a screaming match, and it had taken him a little under a month to fall completely in love with everything you were.

What you were was a complete menace, of course.

Felix had become your partner in crime and your pranks continued to extend across the castle, your cheeky spark returning once Alec had professed how much he missed it. In the span of three weeks Caius’s hair had turned neon green, the Guard’s robes became tie-dyed with shapes cut out of them, Marcus had had his hair braided quite nicely but Aro’s hair had had multi-coloured streaks woven into it and he’d been forced to wear it that way for a trial…Alec had no idea how you and Felix managed any of this but it had become very clear that you weren’t going to change your ways, much to the Master’s chagrin.

“Why exactly are we doing this?” Demetri sounded exasperated and Alec shot him an annoyed look.

“Y/N has never been given flowers, but Heidi insisted that humans liked receiving flowers and I would like to make it clear that my intentions towards Y/N are romantic.” Alec repeated for the umpteenth time. Demetri sighed quietly and Alec diligently ignored whatever it was he muttered under his breath while they observed the flowers at the stall in the square. There were blooms of every colour, size and shape, with equally as pretty ribbons and papers to wrap them in. It was almost too much choice almost. He knew your favourite colour of course, but he’d never asked about your favourite flowers because you just hadn’t seemed like a flower’s kind of person.

“How about a mixture of these?” Demetri suggested, his fingertips ever so gently lifting the stems of flowers from the tubs of water keeping them fresh as he picked out his samples. Alec tilted his head, quietly watching him work for a moment until he had two large headed blooms and some smaller sprigs of blossoms.

“The small ones look out of place with the bigger flowers.” He frowned. Demetri shook his head.

“Not when arranged in a full bouquet. Besides, the meaning is impressive. These are salvia and the red ones in particular mean forever mine. This yellow one is hibiscus, it symbolizes delicate beauty, and these purple ones are morning glory’s, representing affection. Placed in a whole bouquet you are promising your delicate beauty your affections forever.” He concluded. Alec stared at him in shock.

“You speak the language of flowers?” he questioned. Demetri’s eyes rolled as he handed his stems to the stall owner with a few quick instructions in Italian.

“My lovers do not line up at my door purely for the scintillating conversation, Alec.” His tone told Alec he needed to drop that particular conversation, and since the tracker was doing him a favour Alec let it slide this time. Wrapped in some pretty polka dot paper with a white satin bow wrapped around the stems, he held his bouquet with a small smile, please with how it turned out. He couldn’t wait to give it you, see your face when you realised someone had decided to do something nice for you. It was his first real romantic gesture towards you and he hoped you wouldn’t turn him down.

“Do you think we should have gotten the card?” he fretted. Demetri raised an eyebrow.

“Why go to all of this effort Alec?” he fired back, brows furrowed, “They’ve done nothing but cause trouble since they arrived. How could you possibly find it in yourself to expend the effort to reach out to someone so….so…”

“Demetri. I dare you to finish that sentence,” Alec said coldly, his eyes focused on the tracker in a steely glare. Demetri didn’t cower at much, but the witch twins were enough to make even the strongest men fall to their knees in fright. “Just tell me where my mate is.” Demetri was quiet for a moment as he put his gift to full use, and then he twisted and began to walk away, leaving Alec to follow him silence. Alec understood why so many of them had turned away from his mate, you had hardly made life easy for any of them after all with all your mischief, but Alec saw the reason you behaved as you did where nobody else took the time to. Your most harmless pranks (like dropping a water balloon full of hair gel on Caius who was stuck trying to get his hair to go flat for four days straight) were done for fun, a product of your immaturity and youth, but the big ones were usually reactions to things. You had done your very best to piss them off simply because you were scared of the monumental change you were having to adjust to, not to hurt anyone. You didn’t have a malicious bone in your body, he was sure.

His nose twitched as Demetri led him in the directions of the kitchen, something bitterly sweet invading his senses. What was that? He couldn’t place the scent at all though he did pick up on the lingering smell of gas, indicating the oven was on. Was his mate cooking perhaps? But what was she cooking that was so bitter?

“Ah!” the short, sharp yell had Alec moving at lightning speed towards the kitchen door. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what that bang was, what sort of trouble you were getting into now, but come hell or high water Alec was going to save you from whatever hair-brained scheme you –

“Ghost!” Demetri screamed, his pitch so high Alec cringed slightly. It was enough to make him panic, as his eyes raked over the figure before them, a mixture of denim and dark brown that was bordering on black, the white of its eyes screaming at him through the dark sludge. For the briefest moment, Demetri’s own panic had skewed Alec’s perception enough that he didn’t see anything for what it really was. No, no Alec saw the brown sludge as burnt flesh, thick and solidifying and sliding slowly off of the bones of the creature before him. He saw exactly what he should have become all those years ago. A tortured, melted creature. It was enough to make even the fierce witch twin scream, and the flowers Demetri had helped him pick so carefully went flying upward out of his hands so he could use them at a moments notice.

It wasn’t until Jane shook his arm that he snapped out of it somewhat.

“Alec what is wrong with you!”

“Jane! I saw – it’s a – a – what?” he stammered.

“It’s a ghost Jane, tell me you do not see it!” Demetri snapped. Jane groaned, her expression exasperated as her arms folded.

“It’s not a ghost you fools! It’s Y/N,” she huffed, turning her cold gaze to his mate next, “And they’ve made a complete mess.” You had the decency to look embarrassed at least. Alec took another look at the ‘ghost’, sighing slightly as he realised his sister was right. The brown sludge was not burnt flesh after all, more…more…some sort of chocolate mix perhaps? Your lower lip came out in a pout and you looked so unbearably sad Alec couldn’t help but come closer to you, tempted to hug you but also not wanting to get your mess on his clothes.

“Y/N? What on earth happened to you?” he questioned. You whined pitifully at him.

“Jane taught me to make brownies with this recipe she knows and so I tried to do them myself, but the oven is too high up and I lost my grip on the tray and now I have a sore head and no brownies.” You had never looked more upset than you did in that moment and Alec blinked in surprise because…since when did his sister spend time with you? Jane huffed quietly behind him as he sighed and gently wiped some chocolate from her chin before it could drip to the floor.

“Oh dear. How about you get yourself cleaned up and I will clean up in here?” he suggested. You lowered your head.

“I didn’t mean it this time Alec, I swear, I just wanted brownies. I didn’t mean to scare your or Demetri.” Your voice was so small, it shattered his heart. You may have been a troublemaker at heart but you were also a bit of a guilty soul, and he knew you felt genuinely bad when you truly upset someone. You’d been trying to subtly make it up to Demetri for months now but the tracker was having none of it.

“I know sweet thing. All is forgiven.” He promised. He watched you trudge from the kitchen, leaving a trail of brownie mix behind you. Demetri was nowhere to be seen though Jane remained standing near the doorway, staring apathetically at the mess on the floor.

“It isn’t your mess to clean.” She pointed out.

“Nor is it a mess she made deliberately. Chocolate will be much harder to get out clothes than a wooden floor; though, as the recipes creator surely you’d know?” the subtle invitation to tell him and the smirk on his face was enough to make Jane scowl at him.

“Maybe Y/N isn’t so bad…but she cannot bake.” She sniffed, turning on her heel to leave the mess to him. Alec chuckled slightly as she left, pleased in the knowledge his sister was clearly trying to get along with his mate now. She had sworn off of you beforehand, so this was an improvement. It didn’t take him long to run a bucket of hot water, scooping up the large globs of chocolate mix before mopping the floor. He’d definitely have to change his shirt today but he had done it in half the time it would have taken you to clean up, and by the time he wondered to your room to find you you hadn’t even left the shower yet. To his surprise, when he poked his head around the door, his nose caught the smell of fresh flowers, because sitting proudly on your desk was the bouquet he and Demetri had bought for you. His brow furrowed, he didn’t remember giving you those, in fact they’d completely skipped his mind.

He decided to read whilst you showered, determined to speak to you after you were done and confess his feelings for you, but he got so absorbed in the pages it wasn’t until his door creaked that he realised you were clean and dry once more. In fact, almost immediately after his door creaked the sound of your feet thudding against the floorboards hit his ears, and Alec’s hands quickly dropped the book in favour of catching you as you all but dived over the arm of the sofa with a grin to reach him. With his strength he easily held you about a foot up from his lap, slowly lowering you down with raised eyebrows.

“Still trying to fly?” he guessed. You nodded.

“You betcha! One day I’ll manage it, you’ll see. If I have to have a gift it’ll be the coolest one, I’ll be the worlds first flying vampire.” You boasted with a smirk that told Alec you knew it wouldn’t happen anytime soon, if ever, as you sat up on your knees beside him. It was yet another thing Alec loved about you, just how refreshing your perspective on life was. You never took anything too seriously whereas his life had been focused around first, surviving, and second, gaining the reputation that ensured nobody dared mess with him or his sister again. He had had little time for games and tricks and fun but you…you were young and free, living the life he had missed out on, a life he could live vicariously through you.

“You know one day you will fall face first.” He said with a chuckle. You shook your head.

“No I won’t, you’ll always be there to catch me.” You sounded so confident and Alec couldn’t help but smile at you.

“Oh, will I?” he teased. You nodded your head.

“Yeah you will, because red salvia means forever mine, right?” your eyes were a little guarded still, a light pink coating your cheeks. Alec’s brow furrowed, his back straightening.

“You know what the flowers mean?” he asked. Your blush darkened, head slowly nodding.

“Demetri speaks flower…actually, Google Maps said quite a few things, actually.” You admitted. Alec felt his stomach curl tight, the anxiety settling in his gut like a ball and making him feel as close to nauseous as a vampire could get. He turned his body to face you, studying your expression carefully. You didn’t seem like you were setting him up for any bad news at least, your expression wasn’t twisted, you just looked…shy. It was a new and rather bizarre look on you since his loud and cheeky little mouthed mate was never shy. Demetri hadn’t been too harsh then.

“Such as?” he prompted. You took a breath, fingers twisting in your lap.

“Such as he’s never heard me apologise and mean it before apparently – which is a lie but we moved past that – and…and you don’t want to give up on me, because you think I’m okay as I am.” You murmured, not quite able to meet his gaze now. Alec felt his stomach flutter, those proverbial butterflies kicking up a storm as he reached for your hand.

“I think you’re more than okay.” He said softly. Your hand twitched as his fingers brushed your own, but you didn’t pull away and instead let him intertwine your hands with a small smile.

“Even if I’m loud? And annoying? And immature? And-“ You were cut off by Alec’s finger against your lips, his eyes rolling.

“Demetri’s personal opinion of you is something I could care less about. I like the noise and the pranks and when you are unapologetically yourself, Y/N. Maybe you do get yourself into a lot of trouble from time to time but you’re having fun with your life, you are living as you wish, you live freely and that is something I envy.” He admitted. Your eyes widened slightly.

“You envy me? But…you’re so powerful!” you exclaimed. His eyes rolled.

“Power isn’t everything Y/N.I know your life changed in ways you didn’t expect, that you weren’t really happy with it either, and I can never really make up for just taking you away from your home like that but I would like to try.” Alec squeezed your hand lightly, his eyes pleading for that one little chance he knew he didn’t deserve but so desperately wanted. You bit your lip, clearly thinking through your options. You hadn’t really been made to feel welcome during your stay, but if one person had consistently treated you like another human being instead of an out of control child it was Alec. It helped he was pretty handsome to, and for whatever reason, he liked everything about you that put others off.

“How?” you asked finally, head tilting. Alec smiled slightly.

“Humans go on dates when they meet their mates, don’t they? Perhaps we can start with that. I’ll take you to this bakery not far from the square and get you all the brownies you desire.” He proposed. You couldn’t quite fight the smile breaking out on your face.

“Deal.”

Alec came to the startling conclusion that sometimes, a little trouble is a good thing.

#twilight #twilight fanfiction #volturi #volturi imagine #alec volturi #demetri volturi #jane volturi #felix volturi #aro volturi #x reader #twilight x reader #alec volturi x reader #he is a sweetheart deep down #he burns for you #sorry #bad pun

277 notes · View notes