#he was like 'we should have gone somewhere where people liked us...'

[black-and-yellow]

Louie is un-scam-able (he has No money)

[moonstruckme]

hi gorgeous!!

could i request poly!marauders with a reader who has been avoiding them a bit? she’ll text and call them, but not see them in person? maybe she tells them she’s really busy and they finally get her to come over or maybe catch her somewhere out n about and find her with a ~mysterious~ black eye? she finally ends up telling them abt it and she’s so embarrassed by how she’s got it and didn’t want them to fret over her? they poke fun of her a little, but it ends with hugs or cuddles on the couch?

(this is so definitely not self indulgent!! i absolutely do NOT have a black eye currently because i was wearing fluffy socks and tripped over my own foot and went flying into a doorknob!!! pfffftt, what kind of idiot would you have to be to pull that off…)

Hope the black eye you don't have is healing well babe!

cw: injury/bruise

poly!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 984 words

“She said she was too busy to even come over for breakfast this morning,” Remus frets. “I don’t know if we should be bothering her.” 

“She’s putting too much on herself,” James says certainly, can-do attitude in place and a bag of your favorite pastries in hand. “She won’t let herself relax, and it’s our job to help with that.” Remus only chews his lip, so he looks to Sirius for backup. “Right, Pads?” 

“Sure.” Sirius shrugs. “I don’t know, I still think she’s avoiding us. Any plan that gets us to see her sounds good to me.” 

“Well, don’t talk like we’re about to bust down her door,” Remus says, rolling his eyes as they come to a stop in front of your place.

“Course not.” Sirius grins, and slams his fist extra-loud against your door to make Remus squirm. James smothers a laugh when he hears a curse from inside, the sound of something falling to the floor, and then shuffling footsteps headed in their direction. 

“Hi.” You sound surprised, half of your face visible in the crack of the door. That’s…oddly shy, for you, and the first threads of concern begin to wind their way around James’ ribcage. Has he or one of the others done something to upset you? Maybe Sirius is right, and you have been avoiding them. “What’re you guys doing here?” 

“Hi, sweetheart.” James gives you his most guileless smile, holding up the bag of pastries. “You’ve been working so hard lately, we thought we’d bring you a treat.” 

You all but melt against the doorframe, the eyebrow James can see scrunching in a cute pout. “Aw, thank you.” 

“Can we come inside for a bit?” he asks, but Sirius is already pushing at the door, nudging you out of the way as he invites himself in. 

You flinch away from the door as Sirius says, “Christ, angel, we haven’t seen you in so long I’d begun to think you were…” he trails off, and Remus and James both hurry in behind him to see why. The half of your face that had been obscured a second ago by the doorframe (intentionally obscured, James realizes now) is marred by a dark, purple-and-yellow bruise. 

Remus inhales softly, all three of your boyfriends nearly frozen in place. 

Sirius has gone tense all over, but his voice is gentle. “How’d that happen, baby?”

It doesn’t help matters that you get so clearly anxious at the question. “I—um, okay.” You look at them abashedly, shoulders gravitating towards your ears. “It’s not as bad as it looks, but you can’t get mad.” 

Sirius sucks his teeth, eyes darkening. James knows his mind is running through all the various people you could be asking them to not get mad at for doing this to you; he’s thinking along similar lines. “Why would we be mad?” Sirius asks, noncommittal.

You brush a strand of hair behind your ear, going to sit on the couch. “I, uh. I ran into the kitchen and hit myself on the cabinet door.” 

Remus hisses through his teeth. “Fuck, honey, the corner?” He sits down next to you, angling your face towards the light. “Is that where this little scrape is from?” His thumb brushes over the small cut with painful tenderness, and James watches with satisfaction as you go so soft you nearly forget to answer him. You give a nod, and Remus hums sympathetically. 

“Jesus, babe.” James leans closer to peer at it. “That’s gotta hurt.” 

Sirius pouts at you, sitting on the back of the couch. “Why would you think we’d be mad about that, darling?” 

The look you give Remus is guilty enough that he withdraws his hand, raising his eyebrows at you. 

“You know how you tell me not to run in my fuzzy socks?” you ask him. 

Remus’ lips twitch, but he narrows his eyes at you sternly. “I do.” 

You shrink away. “Well, I was sort of sliding around in those when it happened.” 

Remus rolls his eyes, but he lets his lips twist into a begrudging half-smile. “Christ. Learned your lesson now?” 

“Learned not to leave cabinet doors open when I do it,” you say, and James tugs you to his front protectively as Remus lets loose an appalled sound that’s somewhere between exhale and laugh. 

“Our poor sweetheart,” he coos, pressing a kiss to the unharmed skin beside your bruise. “I can’t believe you avoided us for days just because you didn’t want Remus to be upset with you. You’re rivaling Sirius for dramatics with that one, lovie.” 

“Oi.” Sirius jabs at your side meanly with his foot. “Don’t start taking my titles. There can only be one master of theatrics in this relationship.”

You draw your knees to your chest, entirely in James’ lap now, and he suspects you’re snuggling closer to him because you prefer his coddling to the other boys’ teasing. He’s more than happy to indulge you, brushing his lips ever so gently over the colorful skin by your eye and giving you a good squeeze with his arms around your middle. 

Sirius makes a soft pitying sound. “That really looks awful. Did you at least put ice on it?” 

You blink up at him, and James wants to chide you and smother you with love at the same time. Remus looks like he feels the same, the exasperation of his sigh diminished greatly by the fondness in his look as he gets up. “You’ve got a pack of peas in the freezer, don’t you, love?” 

You confirm, and Sirius takes Remus’ place on the couch, squinting his eyes at you playfully. “You’re not allowed to avoid us when you’ve hurt yourself ever again. Clearly, you can’t handle it on your own.” 

You seem like you could disagree, but James takes the opportunity to attack you with kisses again, and you don’t protest much after that.

[brighteuphony]

On the way back from Tea Country with Chakra-poisoned Kakashi tryna "casually" fish for some info before Sakura comes in with the one-hit KO on accident.

So she's got some complicated feelings for Kakashi as well, though they're a lot milder than what she feels about Sasuke.

There's a moment in my AU where Sakura goes through a deep reflection ritual, in which she has to face Inner Sakura -who is representative of all the ugly truths her day-to-day self hasn't been able to face- and come to terms with who she is.

During that time, she's got to face the music.

The music:

Sasuke is the last prodigal son of a clan that was brutally butchered. He's a genius with one of the most powerful dojutsu out there (that he has no idea how to use) and is coming in hot with more baggage than an airport terminal.

Naruto is not normal. She doesn't know what he is (as in-canon, she finds out after the time-skip and the Sakura from above is right on the cusp of Shippuden), but there's nothing normal about a kid who can pull wild orange chakra and who can fight Gaara's tailed beast and come out on top. He's got the personal attention of the Hokage, but the entire village has banded against him for some reason. He's special.

Kakashi is a war veteran turned Jounin and an infamous ANBU captain (I headcanon that some ANBU names are leaked specifically to generate a healthy level of fear/caution among other villages- which is why we know of Itachi/Kakashi/Shisui very publically) and is ALSO the last prodigal son of an old noble clan.

(No way a bookworm like Sakura didn't consume every publically available scroll on Konoha clans).

It doesn't take the big brains to figure out that he got team 7 specifically to help deal with Sasuke's trauma/teach him about the Sharingan, and put a leash on Naruto (and in the future, when she finds out that Madara was able to control the Kyuubi with the Sharingan as well as the knowledge that Kakashi was Minato's student it becomes even clearer why he got the Sasuke/Naruto combo.)

And Sakura? Sakura is a civilian. No clan, no dojutsu, nothing to her name except great chakra control. She's the literal meat in the meat-grinder of the military machine of Konoha, the acceptable sacrifice in a group of otherwise invaluable shinobi. She's just a...girl. (And it doesn't help that she was obsessed with Sasuke instead of training, furthering the gulf between her and Kakashi.)

Kakashi was absolutely not built to handle her- in fact, Kakashi has NO idea how to relate who hasn't gone through a mountain's worth of trauma or someone who hasn't been ingrained in the shinobi-as-a-tool lifestyle, and even then, he's not fully equipped to handle people who have (lmao Sasuke). Not to mention the man is a prodigy- he has no idea how to teach people who have to work hard to get somewhere in life. How do you teach someone if you've never had to 'work hard' to get there yourself?

So, Sakura understands that Kakashi was put in one of the most ridiculous situations of his career- a situation he had NO idea how to handle. She can forgive him for that. BUT, she can't forgive him for not trying his best.

Sakura spent a lot of time coming to terms with the fact that she rushed into the Chidori/Rasengan combo without a single idea of what she would do, but...Kakashi was a big reason for that.

She was HIS responsibility, and he fumbled that bag. Whatever his reasoning, whether it was to 'protect' her, or whether he thought she was worthless, whatever: he should have TRIED.

Kakashi was an adult with resources aplenty. He recognized that she had stellar chakra control but never bothered to teach her genjutsu or direct her to teachers who could pick up the slack.

And after the accident, he abandoned her again. Being forgotten in lieu of Sasuke and Naruto hurt...but she could heal. Being abandoned as some kind of martyr to Kakashi's failures as a teacher? It's gonna take a while for Kakashi to make that up to her...if he can muster the courage to face her.

Sakura finally understands why he preferred the memorial stone to the living. He already failed the dead, and it's easier to wallow in self-flagellation than it is to try and step up for the living.

Sakura stopped being a coward some time ago, and when Kakashi finally does the same, she'll forgive him.

Thank you so much for sticking with this wall of text! And thank you so much anon for the question! Once again, I really appreciate all the kind words people have been throwing my way. <3 <3 <3

[clockwayswrites]

City Pigeons Bleed Green Part 8

WC: 897, Masterpost

Danny plucked at the hem on the sleeve of the too large hoodie that he was wearing. He would make a hole in it if he wasn’t careful, he knew that. He knew that he should stop, but he felt as if he stopped he might vibrate out of his skin instead.

Or, worse, change back to his human form.

It was just that… he felt good. He was rested. He could have slept more, it was like he always wanted to sleep these days, but the need to sleep just wasn’t pulling endlessly at him. He was full, too. He didn’t expect it to last long, Hood and Nightwing were talking about make him eat every hour, as if eating every day wasn’t already unheard of. Danny had almost broken down in grateful tears as they were explaining things to him. Maybe best of all he was clean. He had been able to take a real shower for as long as he needed and he had cried then, but at least it was in the shower so no one noticed.

He was good at crying silently these days.

Now they were in a nondescript car headed somewhere else. Danny felt he should be nervous at that; he was pretty sure that the two heroes had expected him to be, but Danny couldn’t find it in himself to worry. They given him somewhere to sleep and shower and fed him— were talking about feeding him again even as they drove. Wherever they were talking him, Danny was pretty it was going to be better than the lab. They kept trying to reassure him though.

It was a nicer building. He had been in a basement. It would be quieter. The machines and their noises never stopped. Danny got used to the white noise of it. It had two bedrooms. He had lived in a box too small to stretch out his legs in. It had good light. Danny had forgotten how nice it was to just feel the sun on his skin. He leaned over and rested his cheek against the cool glass of the car window.

“It actually has a tv and gaming system. I bet Red would love to play with you, Kid.”

“Danny.”

It was like the air had gone out of the car.

Danny scraped at the ribbed line of fabric with his too long nail. He felt it catch.

Then someone let out a huff of air. “Danny then. Got some books too or we can give you a tablet to read on.”

“Not everyone is a book worm like you, Hood,” Nightwing teased.

Hood flicked the other off in such a casual motion that it made Danny’s lips twitch in the start of a smile. It was nice to see people just interacting like that. To see people just… being people. It was nice to remember that not everyone were like… like them.

“Danny.”

“What?” Danny looked towards the front of the car. They were moving slowly inside of some sort of parking garage.

“You with us?” Nightwing asked. He had turned around in his seat to look at Danny. The skin around the top of his mask was furrowed in concern.

“Yeah. Sorry I just…” Danny shook his head and looked around where they were again. The concrete walls felt too close, too familiar. His finger caught on the hole he had started to pick in the sleeve of the hoodie. “It… are we going to be down here long?”

“Hey, no. I’m going to crawl back there with you, okay?” Nightwing said as he undid his seatbelt. He twisted himself to crawl into the back of the car with ease. Both of the heroes had changed into clothing like what Danny was in that morning. It was an odd contrast with the masks still on, but it was nice. “We’re going to drive into a spot right through there behind those doors and then go up an elevator. We just have to park.”

Nightwing rested his hand over Danny’s fidgeting one. Danny flinched and Nightwing pulled away.

“I’m sorry about the hoodie. I didn’t mean to—”

“Hey, no, it’s alright Danny. It’s just a hoodie. Red pulls at the bottoms of all them and Spoiler chews on the aglets. Hood stretches out any of them that aren’t his.”

“Not my fault you’re all so damn small,” Hood said smugly as he waited for the metal door to roll up.

Somehow Danny was sure Nightwing was rolling his eyes. “I just thought you might… I thought touch might help? If you ever want a hug or anything—”

The rest of Nightwing’s words were knocked out of him as Danny basically flung himself into into the hero’s arms. Danny felt himself start to shake as Nightwing held him back. “It’s okay, Danny. I have you. You can have hugs whenever you need them.”

-

Bruce’s tablet chimed with back to back notifications and he switched over to the family chat immediately.

The first message was from Jason: a picture of Dick lounging on the couch of the new safe house. Draped across him was the newest Wayne, white hair wild but his face more at peace than Bruce had seen in any of the other photos.

The next message was from Dick: his name is Danny.

Danny. His son’s name was Danny.

---

AN: A shorter part, but such great progress for Danny! They know his name! He got hugs!

I no longer tag but you can subscribe to the masterpost!

[hells-wasabii]

Hey!! I had an Adam request for Hazbin Hotel. If possible, could it be a mixture of headcanon and drabble? If not, just drabble, please!!

So imagine if Adam had escaped before being killed by Nifty, and is still incredibly hurt. The angels had left, thinking he had died, leaving him behind. Then demon reader finds him bleeding out, and despite knowing who he is and what he's done to their kind, they still help him and let him stay at their apartment to heal properly, and hopefully tries to change his mind on Hell and other demons.

Gn reader would be great, if you could please! - 🍋

Howdy hey! I'm really glad you asked for a half and half, I don't think i'd be able to delve into this request proper. Also, adam is seriously growing on me. I got to work on my requests today later than i would've liked though, so I'll try to make up for lost time

Character: Adam

Type: Headcanons+Drabble (injured!Adam x sinner!reader, Angst, Fluff)

Adam, despite what you might think, fully understands the severity of the situation. He knows that he's royally fucked, especially if he happens across the wrong demon. He also knows that heaven’s not coming for him. The fact that what was left of his army had retreated was testament enough that they believed him to be dead.

Yeah, he might’ve escaped with his life but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. Could you imagine what could happen if he ran into somebody with a grudge against him specifically? It wasn't like he was subtle about his identity at the moment, covered in golden blood, oh, and of course, the wings were a dead giveaway. 

So when the very first man collapsed in some dirty alley way he thought he was done for. That was where he met you. You were an anomaly to Adam. Why would you, a sinner, help him of all people? He figured that you just didn’t know who he was as you took him back to your home to help him heal. That assumption didn’t last long, though, you called him by his name so you definitely knew who he was.

When you’re helping him heal, offering up your apartment as a place for him to recuperate, he’s gonna be bitching about it the whole time. You knew who he was, so now there was no way he’d let you forget he was the first man and how absurd it was that he was left like this. He’d complain about any little thing too, he’s used to a life of comfort, used to getting what he wants when he wants it. And you’d best believe you’re going to hear about how he hasn’t gotten laid since getting stuck down in hell.

Adam couldn’t believe it as he stared at the calendar hung on the wall of your dingy apartment. Despite all the slack he’s given you, the first man had long since decided that maybe you weren’t so bad for some loser sinner. The last of his wounds were healed now, something he had you to thank for. Bones were set properly, and he’d even been able to stave off infections under your care.

The angel was grateful. He really was. And as uncommon as it was, he wanted to show you just how grateful he was. You had gone off somewhere, work you said, but he wasn’t sure what you did for work now that he thought about it. You had probably mentioned it early on in his stay, but at that point, he didn’t really listen to much of what you said.

So, he decided to make you something to eat, you should be back in an hour anyway.

Simple enough, right? There was some pasta in the cupboards, he’d start with that.

Oh, you were gonna be so impressed! After all, you were going to eat a meal prepared by the first man here! This surprise totally-not-a-date-even-though-he-maybe-wanted-it-to-be dinner was going to rock!

...

In his defense, he had been left alone. You were pretty lucky to have gotten home when you did, or you were sure your kitchen would've been burnt down. You sighed, turning to the angel who was making a rather convincing impression of a kicked puppy. Instead of scolding him, you offer a small smile. "Why don't we just get takeout?"

[sonderessence]

What abt a

e42 miles x spiteful blk fem spider reader

so what if miles (1610) cheated on reader with gwen (😒..) and to get revenge on him for cheating on reader with.. gwendolyn.., we get with his earth 42 self!

(if you could make this a series i would literally cry of joy.)

Angst for 1610 Miles (IM SORRY I LOVE YOU POOKIE😭☹️☹️🩷)

Fluff and Romance for 42 Miles (🤭🩷)

DONT HIT MY LINE! ...

1610!MILES & 42!MILES X READER!

WARNINGS: vulgar laguage (cursing), ✦ CONTAINS: 1610!miles being a bitch!!

a/n: imma be honest, i am such a gwen slander after the movie (still love her tho) 😒 but i so love this idea !!

layout inspo/creds: @hiimayee the best miles fic writer!! :3

NOW PLAYING: I HATE U - SZA

part one. ✦ part two ✦ part three

your boyfriend 1610!miles had been acting strange since he saw gwen after all these years, but you just shrugged it off as him being happy his friend was back in his dimension.

you never thought that your suspensions were true when you found your now ex with his "friend" behind your back.

you looked around the predominantly empty library in search of your boyfriend miles, who was nowhere to be seen. it was highly unlikely for him to be late to anything.

maybe something was last-minute? you would go ask his mother, rio, since you go to her for everything in the more frequent months since miles had been acting — odd — but you doubt she would know since her and her husband were out of town.

grabbing the pile of books you and miles you used to study for the test you knew you were going to fail, you scurried your way you the hushed library.

the sky was temperate, the perfect temperature for the park you thought, smelling the fresh, cool air — but focus! miles has to be somewhere around campus. you stuffed your books it your bag and made your way to his dorm, maybe he was still asleep?

you made your way to his dorm and softly knocked on his door, careful not to wake him. there was no answer. "miles?" you called to the door. again, no answer.

you pulled out your phone from your bag and went to his contacts. maybe he was sick or just skipped school? you had fussed at him the week prior to get more sleep, since he always came knocking at your window to late at night.

wait, should you call him? he's probably busy. and with that thought, you put your phone back in your bag and made your way to the morales house. it wasn't far from the school you two attended, so getting there wasn't a problem.

you knocked on the front door, once, twice. where is he? "miles!! you home??" you heard footsteps from the other side and the door opened to see miles who looked like he was in a rush. his hair everywhere and shirt backwards.

"hey! you okay?" you asked, your voice laced with concern for the boy.

"yeah." he said, his voice coming out hoarse. he cleared his throught. "m'fine, wassup?"

"you were s'posed to meet up with me at the library." you meant to sound playful, but your words came out more of a scoff. "look," he started. "i just forgot."

"forgot?? miles, you could have texted me! i was fuckin' worried about you!" you were furious, crossing your arms with a frown. "you done?" he asked with an eyebrow raised — you could see the twinge on annoyance in his eyes and you could hear it in his tone. "am i done?" you scoffed "are you done running off and not checking up on people??"

he didnt know how to answer that. "look, i'm hella busy right now, we can do the study thing or whateva later." he pinched the bridge of his nose. "fine." you muttered as you walked out the door.

a/n: how we feelin' about the first chapter?? i might have gone all out but part two is otw!

TAGS: @kazustqrzz, @kxllanxtdoor ( the tags are being annoying 😒)

©bachirasegoist, 2023 — do not steal or copy works

[astayinwonderland]

Do you think we are about to make a terrible mistake? | Zhong Chenle

pairing: chenle x f.reader

genre: besties to lovers | smut +18 MDNI

summary: chenle has been away for a while and you miss your best friend-- however, everything changes when you realise you might actually love him more than a friend

wc: 2.2k

warnings: mentions and use of alcohol, anxiety, consensual sex, unprotected sex (pls no), oral sex (f. receiving), fingering, multiple orgasms-- lmk if I forgot anything

It’s 15 minutes past 11, where the fuck is he? 

You already texted him twice. You called. The party had already started and your friends wondered if you would make it. Hell, you were wondering if you should just go on your own. But no– you promised you would get there together for old-time’s sake. It’s been a little over a year since Chenle moved out of the country, your days of embracing nothingness together are gone, movie nights are just nostalgic memories, and maybe some words left unspoken. You missed your best friend dearly and even though you often called each other, it was not the same. Not at all. You missed more than his company. You missed his essence, aura, sparkly eyes, smile, and touch… 

Your heart suddenly ached. Were you truly in love or is it just the fact that this is the first time you will see him since he left? The thoughts that rudely invade your brain get interrupted by three loud knocks. Running to the door, you can feel the thundering beating of your heart ringing in your ears. 

“I know I’m late, I’m sorry…. Please don’t be upset–” 

You open the door abruptly and there he is. 

Zhong Chenle. 

Blue 3-piece suit. His hair graciously falls over his forehead, framing his beautiful face. He gives you the brightest of smiles, your heart skips a bit. 

“Don’t hate me. Come here!” he opens his arms to embrace you. 

“Shut up,” you throw your arms around him, and suddenly everything is fine. Time has not passed. 

His nose lowers to your head and he inhales your scent. This is home to him, he can’t believe he’s been away from you for so long. All he yearns is to keep you close, but doing so means having to accept the fact that he is irremediably in love with you. 

Smoke and bright lights danced around the place and the crowd made way for you and the man of the hour apparently. Everyone reaches out to Chenle. Hugs, high fives, praises, and kisses shower him. You can’t help but feel a tad bit jealous. This was supposed to be a fun night for you and your best friend… and your other friends as well. But Chenle is loved, popular, and missed, of course, people would be all over him. You feel silly for suggesting going to the party in the first place. 

You’re snapped back to reality when your body crashes into Chenle’s. His hand is possessively placed around your waist. Your audible gasp makes him laugh. 

“Where did your mind go, silly?” 

“Nowhere, I just wish we were somewhere else. This is not how I envisioned tonight, you know… after spending so much time apart,” you force a smile and feel his thumb caressing you softly. There was something up with him, but to your surprise, you couldn’t read him. 

Chenle closes the distance between you too. He's a little too close, his breath fanning on your face. Is he going to–

“Chenle!” 

Shiny hair, plump lips, white smile. Her manicured hand was already snaking its way to Chenle’s arm. She looks at you, scanning up and down as if she were trying to figure out who you are. 

“Oh, hey! Wh- what are you doing here?” Chenle replies. A kiss on her cheek makes your heart sink. 

Chenle’s eyes go from you to the girl and again to you. He is about to introduce you but you suddenly feel like your heart is going to burst out your chest, your palms are sweaty, your eyes getting watery and your ability to breathe fades as you try to fight the feeling. 

“I really need to go. Sorry– Nice to meet you,” you say politely. You try not to cry as you make your way out. Chenle watches as you leave, but he feels how his chest tightens more and more with each step you take away from him. 

After his third call, you get into the shower hoping that the pain would fade away with the hot water hitting your vulnerable skin. With tears streaming down your face and sobs that echo around your bathroom you finish your shower. You are too exhausted to do anything else but sleep, and your phone has long been forgotten in your purse. 

You think you just blinked but in reality, it is a little past 3 a.m. and the faintest sound coming from your door seems to wake you up. In a panic, you rush and open the door to find a sobering Chenle by your door. 

“...it was about fucking time you opened that door, silly, I’ve been knocking for hours I thought–” 

You cut him off, pulling him in. 

“Chenle what the fuck?” 

He smiles at your puzzled expression. His hair is a bit messy now, blue suit is wrinkled. You can’t help but wonder if anything happened with the girl in the club. 

“I’ve been waiting for hours… I followed you back here but you locked the door. I called you so many times… ” he frowns. 

You go to the kitchen and fetch him a water bottle. As he starts drinking it, you find his eyes searching yours…  Sparks. No. No. This is your best friend Chenle. Nothing can ever happen between you and your best friend. The one who taught you how to ride a bike, tie your shoelaces, and give the best hugs ever. 

“You look so pretty,” he finally says. 

“Drink your water, Chenle,” you sigh. 

“You do!” he insists. 

“Who has she?” and you can’t believe the words that leave your mouth. You weren’t supposed to ask. 

“We did a semester together abroad. She is a good classmate that’s all. I never meant to upset you– you are too important…” 

You weren’t sure where the conversation was going, but Chenle assumed he talked too much. He puts the water bottle down and makes his way to you. Now you find yourself between your best friend and your bedroom door. The hard wooden surface against your back reminds you that once you cross that threshold with him, your relationship will change forever. 

His hands touch your waist, not sure if he has permission to do so, but you welcome him as the drug you need. His lips inches from yours and you pray he will kiss you, but time stops. It’s really only you and him at last like you dreamt of so many restless nights. 

“I’ve been wanting to ask you something since the moment I came back…” 

“Yes?” your voice comes out as a breathless whisper. 

“Can I kiss you?” 

You can’t even wait to answer him when your lips are already on his. His tongue teases yours and your lips part. He tastes of expensive wine, lust, and love. Chenle moans into your mouth and that is it for you. You want every single inch of you to be consumed by him. You reach out to open the door to your room. 

“Please,” you ask. 

“How can I say no to you?” he smiles and kisses you once again. 

Each second you spend kissing him you feel your skin getting hotter, desire coursing through your veins making you dizzy, and then you feel him carry you. Bride style, his lips never leaving yours. He carefully lowers you onto the bed, his hands now exploring your clothed body, the feeling of sparks under his fingertips making the moment intense, and urgent. Little moans and cries escape you both as Chenle helps you to straddle him. Your delicate fingers move his hair away from his face. The most beautiful man is underneath you, eyes on yours, lips parted. His chest rises and falls, you contemplate him for a moment. He takes your hands into his, everything seems surreal, you have spent countless times in this bedroom but not like this—a new territory. 

“Do you think we are about to make a terrible mistake?” your voice is small, you may not want to know what he has to say. 

He shakes his head. His hand reaches your cheek. 

“Do you?” 

Now you shake your head. 

“Good. Then kiss me, silly, and don’t stop unless you don’t want to do this–” but you don’t let him finish his thought and your lips already found his. 

It is then that you finally understand that he needs you as much as you need him. The pieces of clothing now are forgotten somewhere on your bedroom floor. Every part of you reacting to Chenle’s heavenly but sinful touch. His fingers finally take the only item of clothing left, your panties. He lowers himself, eye level with your wet cunt. 

“So pretty,” he murmurs. 

His tongue licks your entrance, ending in your clit which he sucks and your soul seems to leave your body as your back arches for him. Your hands immediately reach your breasts increasing the sinful pleasure coursing through you. You feel one of his fingers slide in you with almost no resistance. That’s how aroused you are for him. You gasp and your hips move, making the feeling of his hot mouth on your cunt even better. With his tongue flat on your slit, Chenle’s hands squeeze your thighs, encouraging you to use his face as you please. Only stopping to spit on your throbbing core, he eats you out so deliciously your soft moans turning louder. Legs over his shoulders now, he adds two curling fingers in you. 

Again and again, he kicks your clit, his fingers working magic inside you, fogging your brain and heightening the urge to cum for him. 

“Fuck! I– I’m–” you can’t think, you can’t speak… and so your orgasm hits you with such intensity you are shaking under him. Your legs turn to jelly. The heavy breathing that follows your cries echo in your ears. Chenle plants one last kiss on your clit and your legs close from the overstimulation. 

He lets out a low-pitched chuckle and the vibration travels straight to your clit again. 

“You okay?” 

You look at him in between your legs. Did this just happen? Your head falls back once more to the pillow. An involuntary laugh escapes your lips. But Chenle knows you, sometimes better than he knows himself he thinks and to him, this moment is making his heart go a million miles an hour. What an honour to have you like this, all fucked out, and all for him. 

Little kisses are planted on your thighs, on your lower stomach, your hands, your breasts, until he reaches your face. You giggle in response. His eyes meet yours, and different from what you thought, you are not embarrassed. You want him more than ever, so you kiss him. 

“More than okay,” you finally replied. 

Reaching south of his body you find his erection already leaking for you. You stroke it slowly, the faintest of moans leaving Chenle’s lips. This is the greatest reward you can get. His breath hitches as your pace gets faster. 

“Aaahhh…” a long, whiny moan. 

“You like that?” 

He nods reassuring you. 

You bring his hips lower, aligning his tip with your entrance. In anticipation, your eyes shut but immediately your jaw falls open when Chenle’s cock begins to stretch your needy cunt. Inch after inch, pleasure builds on pleasure and you silently pray the moment never ends when he starts moving in but not completely out of you. Your nails digging into his biceps, loving the way he stretches you out. 

“Ch-chenle,” 

“I know, I got you,” and he wraps one of your legs around his waist, making his thrusts deeper, his cock dragging against your walls that clench tightly around him. 

“Feels so so good,” your hand goes to his head, grabbing a handful of hair and pulling slightly. 

“Say. That. Again,” he moans. 

“It feels so good”. 

Chenle buries his face in the crook of your neck. Mild sharp pain fades into pleasure when he bites your skin, licking the now sensitive spot to ease the harsh sensation. You pull his hair once more, this time to make him kiss you. And he does, so lost in passion, so lost in you. The kiss is sloppy, messy, perfect. His thumb presses circles on your clit acting as the perfect trigger for your orgasm. You feel climbing higher and higher, his cock twitching inside you, his hot breath fanning on your face, his lips curving into a smile. Fuck, he is everything. 

“Chenle! Fuck… ah!” you cum for him. 

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes,” he repeats as a broken record as he pulls out and cums letting out a high-pitched moan that you will remember for the rest of your life. 

Chenle kisses your face, your hands, and helps you clean up. However, you didn’t exchange a word then. Now, you find yourselves back in bed, still naked. His arm around your waist, your head on his chest. His heartbeat is a love poem itself. 

“You know,” he breaks the silence. “I don’t ever want to say hello or leave without kissing you… I guess what I’m trying to say is–” 

You kiss him. It’s a long kiss, your lips pressed against his. Everything feels just right like it’s meant to be. 

“I really like you, Chenle,” you whisper, somewhat scared of what he will say back. 

“I really really like you too, silly,” he smiles. 

————————————————————-

a/n: this is pure ✨fiction✨

I hope enjoyed this :3 ~ masterlist

[jeonggukookies]

crown's kingdom || two

summary: now engaged to prince jungkook, you both must figure a way to make this alliance work while your enemies try to tear it apart.

– genre: royalty!au, enemies to lovers!au, prince!jungkook, queen!reader, arranged marriage - fluff/angst

– word count 4637

– warnings: please read note if you haven't read changes

index || one

“Look what we have here.” Despite your eyes being completely shut, you knew who took a seat next to you on the bench by recognizing his voice. “I want to say what a beautiful dress you have on there, but I’m afraid I have to tell you the truth. Your morning dress looks like a tablecloth for afternoon lunch.” 

To start off your mornings, you woke up before the sun, craving to have at least an hour alone in the chapel, free from anyone to interrupt your morning meditation and prayers. It was one of the few times when you were alone, not surrounded by any servants or guards. You were able to find solace—until Jungkook came. 

“And to what do I owe the pleasure of having your presence near me at this time?” You asked politely, still with your eyes closed and your hands pressed together, fingers pointed upwards, deep in prayer.

For the last week, you and Jungkook had been doing an excellent job avoiding each other despite the public announcement of the engagement. You always tried to make your schedule as busy as it could be, not wanting to spend a second alone with him. You filled your time up with more violin lessons and analyzing war strategies and patterns from your father’s old journal. Eventually, you were going to have to interact with Jungkook and fool everyone that the two of you were in love, but you didn’t expect him to find out about your schedule, taking the time to wake up early to come find you in the prayer room. 

“Perhaps the dress would be better as a tablecloth,” he suggested, pulling at the puffy sleeves, attempting to get a rise out of you. “And perhaps, you on that particular table.” 

“To the Divine Spirit, please forgive me for all I have sinned and will sin.” Opening your eyes, you smacked Jungkook’s arm, annoyed by his antics. With a smirk on his face, he’s chuckling, satisfied to get a reaction out of you. 

“It’s almost six in the morning, and you really want to start off the day by pissing me off?” You gritted through your teeth, trying not to raise your voice. “Can you be a pain in the ass somewhere else? And not in this sacred space? A place where I find peace?”

“I quite believe this is the perfect time and place to do it,” he remarked, trying to hide the mischievous smile on his face. “You have to get used to it if we are to be wed soon.” 

“Do not remind me of this terrible tragedy.” You groaned. “May we pray that the fates decree our union not come to pass."

He rolled his eyes, annoyed with your response. “Why do you act like a grandma? No one our age speaks like that or wakes up this early to pray! Just say, ‘God, I hope we don’t marry.’”

“Are the words too big for you to understand?” You pushed your lower lip out, pretending to feel bad for him. “Is that why you were engaged to Comet? The girl whose named after her own country but can’t spell her name without help from her tutors? You know stupid plus stupid doesn’t cancel each other out, right?”

“And you know praying every day isn’t going to erase any of the sins you’ve committed in the past, right?” He mocked. “I’ve been wondering where you’ve been the last couple of days, and now I realize that I shouldn’t have gone through so many people to find out that you wake up so early to pray. I should have remembered you were so boring.” 

You scoffed. “Wow, you must be really thinking about me all the time? To be asking others about my schedule? To be wondering where I am at? You must not have a life, huh?”

“Alright, it’s already been one week, and I’ve had enough. I don’t think I can handle you for the rest of my life.”

“Then do something about it,” you snapped. 

“You don’t think I haven’t?” He snapped back, looking at you with the same amount of anger in his eyes. “What do you think I was trying to do for the last week? While you were hiding away in your room, I was trying to secretly change this alliance. Maybe with your help, I can easily break off the engagement and toss you like a pebble in the lake.”  

For a moment, you were offended that you were disposable to him, making it seem like you desperately needed him and his country more than he needed you. 

You can play this game too, you thought to yourself. 

With your index finger, you gestured for him to come closer to you, leaning over to whisper in his ear. “And if you shall give up the position of ruling two countries, maybe even three one day, would the current King of Aurum be happy with that? Could he let you live in peace if you were to ruin the alliance without his permission?” 

Jungkook learned his lesson for the day and finally shut his mouth, letting the devotion area be peaceful for the rest of the morning. He put his hands together, silently mouthing along to some basic scriptures. 

“Amen,” you whispered, putting your hands together, ready to medicate and pray next to Jungkook. 

_________ 

Dasher, the new Prince of Cometes, could have gone to command his new military forces, started imposing taxes, or simply have done absolutely nothing as his first task as a royal. Instead, he decided the first thing to do was to go to Aurum to renegotiate their alliance as their circumstances had now changed. 

After eating breakfast, you were asked to accompany Jungkook to greet the new prince. His parents thought it was a perfect opportunity to showcase the new alliance between the two countries. 

“I’m glad you changed out of that old curtain you had earlier,” Jungkook said when you arrived next to his side. The two of you were outside the palace, waiting for the Cometes’s carriage. “You would have made it seem like I downgraded.” 

“Well, I sure did.” You forced a smile, looking straight ahead where the horses were coming at a steady pace a few meters away from you. “Don’t understand why I have to be here like I’m you’re fucking babysitter.” 

“Here he comes.” You turned your head to look at Jungkook, and you find him already staring back at you. He was holding his breath, having a tense look on his face. It had been a while since you’ve seen Jungkook look this apprehensive. “Can you do this?”

When the two of you were learning all the types of ballroom dances, Jungkook’s face was always pale before he had to perform and get evaluated by our instructor. You knew it wasn’t because he was ten years old, dancing with a girl; he was a perfectionist, afraid to take the wrong step and embarrass himself in front of everyone. 

As he had gotten older, he had done a better job at hiding his anxiety, trying to look like the Golden Prince everyone saw him to be. He’s been doing such a great job, that even you forgot he had the capability to be nervous. He wasn’t just a snarky and egomaniacal prince; Jungkook, too, was a human with fears and imperfections. 

“Absolutely.” Without giving you any context, you knew what he was asking. He needed your reassurance—that the two of you could convince the future King of Cometes, that your shared hatred will be hidden by the love of your countries. “Don’t be afraid.” 

Before the horses came to a complete stop, Jungkook straightened his posture, taking a deep breath. No longer looking nervous, he looked like he was ready to stand his ground, determined to become one of the best kings. 

Stepping out of the carriage, a silver-haired man as tall as Jungkook appeared. The man was wearing a close-fitting gray velvet doublet, embellished with white pearls along the seams. With a black linen shirt underneath, the pearls were able to stand out more, showing everyone his new power. 

“Prince Jungkook,” the man greeted. “Well isn't it quite lovely to see you again?”

“And now as equals this time, Prince Dasher,” Jungkook slyly commented. “I hope the ride here wasn’t too terrible with all the rain and mud this season.” 

“Not at all.” The man turned his focus on you, looking up and down, trying to analyze who you were to stand so close to the Prince of Aurum. “You must be Queen of Caelestia.”

“Please address me as Y/N,” you said politely. “It’s an honor to meet you, Prince Dasher.” 

“As to you, Your Grace.” He took a bow, showing his respects. “The rumors must be true then,” he said. “The two of you are going to wed.”

“Unless you’re here to propose to me, then plans can always be altered and rearranged,” Jungkook joked lightly, trying to ease the mood. You bit your lower lip to hold yourself back from laughing at his attempt. The joke itself wasn’t that funny, but the fact that Jungkook thought it was appropriate to say.

“I can assure you that I will not bore you with a proposal of mine.” Dasher took another look at you and Jungkook. He was trying to read the two of you. “And is your bride joining us for our negotiation?”

“She will not,” Jungkook answered right away, not giving you a second to react. There was some hostility in his voice. “Do you request her presence at our meeting between our two countries?”

“Just interesting that the future queen of Aurum will not be there.” Dasher raised his eyebrows. “Unless…”

“Well, we haven’t even decided on invitations! But I promise you that you’ll be one of the first to receive them.” You paused to look at Jungkook, linking your arm to his. “Isn’t that right, Darling?” 

He stared back at your eyes, deeply as if he were trying to your deepest, darkest secrets. Letting a small scoff, he smiled and looked back at Dasher. “Well, now that we got introductions out of the way, why don’t we head towards the affairs room to discuss the future of our people?”

________

With the arrival of Prince Dasher, you were expected to attend the evening activities. Typically, the evening activities were full of entertainment like live music, dancing, theater, and more. They were loud and socially draining at times, but you loved going, seeing it as an opportunity to enrich life and cultivate an appreciation for arts and culture. 

When walking into the courtiers’ hall, you can tell the King and Queen of Aurum went the extra mile in making tonight’s activities more lavish than usual, catering to their guests. You noticed how there were more servants around, refilling drinks and replacing empty food trays as quickly as they could. They were even using the fancy china that the Queen rarely used, wanting to keep it in mint condition. There were more musicians hired as well. With more musicians, they were able to proudly and loudly play traditional Cometes music, hoping to make the Cometes people feel at home. 

There were more people today, all participating in the elegant court dances, and board games and many were socializing, especially the women, probably hoping to find a suitor among the new guests. 

“Queen Y/N.” You turned your head to see Kim Taehyung, a Luxuria ambassador who resided in Aurum Court. “It’s a blessing to see you entertained by tonight’s festivities.” 

“Well, that can’t be right.” You took a few steps to be face-to-face with him. “Aren’t you always praying for my downfall?”

For the last two years, Kim Taehyung has been a cunning diplomat. On paper, his presence at court might be to handle situations between his country and Aurum, but really, his true mission was to antagonize you at court. Despite his constant terrorizing, you’ve kept your eye on him, following the rule: Keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer. 

He chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets. “I haven’t seen you around court to give you my congratulations on your engagement to Jungkook.” 

“Thank you, Taehyung.” You forced a smile, and he smiled back. 

“And how has this engagement been so far?” 

“Quite amazing,” you lied. “Thank you for asking.”

“Is that why everyone is talking about Jungkook and your reluctance to marry each other?” He asked. “You know, Luxuria intelligence predicted this happening years ago. That somehow you would find a way to marry the next King of Aurum. That somehow the alliance between Aurum and Cometes would fall through.” 

“If you want to take your anger or frustration out on someone for the sudden change, Prince Dasher is present at court today as well.” You pointed in the direction where Dasher was. “Shall I introduce the two of you and be on my way?”

He took a step closer, trying to intimidate you. “How about instead you go on your way back to Caelestia and abandon this alliance with Aurum?”

“Is that a threat?” You asked, raising your eyebrows and letting out a humorless laugh. “Are you seriously threatening me?” 

“Not a threat,” he insisted. “Consider this as….a chance to save your country and people.” 

The smile disappeared from your face. You gritted through your teeth, “To save my country and my people, I need to take the chance and marry Jungkook for his armies against YOUR people!” 

“Then take the first step and go back home,” he suggested.

“And then how long would Luxuria come after my throne?” 

He refused to answer your question, changing the subject immediately. “Do not beg for mercy when I have given you the chance to correct yourself.” 

“And have you and your queen considered that mercy doesn’t need to be begged if Luxuria would stop sending its forces to my border?” 

He looked around, seeing if anyone was watching your interaction with him. He then smiled. “You may have been safe and across the sea all this time, but do not forget, Queen Y/N, even monarchs cannot escape death.” 

For a moment, you froze in place, feeling the anger grow inside your body. From a young age, you were taught that monarchs cannot show their emotions, and they shouldn’t especially show it to their enemies. 

Before you could react, Jungkook appeared by your side, putting his arm around you, hand on your shoulder. “Darling! Did you see that the servants made pavlova? We have to go get some before it all runs out, especially since these fruits aren’t even in season!”

“Excuse us,” you mumbled under your breath, directed to Taehyung.

Moving his arm, Jungkook then had his hand gently wrapped around your right wrist, pulling you into a private corner away from all the guests. As your back leaned against the wall, Jungkook let go of your wrist and stood directly in front of you, so you were face to face. 

“Don’t push me away,” he said in a low voice. “Are you okay?”

“He-he.” Out of nowhere, you started heavily breathing as if there was a limited amount of air in the room. You were unable to finish your thoughts, interrupted by every scenario going through your head. Tears were about to flood your eyes, ready to leave wet trails on your face. 

“Look at me,” Jungkook instructed, cupping your face with his hands, his eyes directly piercing into your soul once again. “Repeat after me. You are a queen.”

“Threat-threatened my-“ Jungkook cut you off. 

“I am a queen,” he emphasized, repeating himself slowly this time. “Say it with me. I am a queen.” 

“I am a queen,” you repeated, trying to believe the truth in those words. A couple more times, you repeated in a hushed tone, “I am a queen.” 

“Don’t let anyone see that you’re afraid,” he said after it seemed like you were finally calming down. “Let me be the only person to see you shaking like a small useless chihuahua.”

“Are you calling me—“ He cut you off again, not letting you finish his sentence.

“I know you’re not useless.” His hands held your face a little tighter, still refusing to break eye contact with you. “You’re a queen. You will be remembered as the benevolent queen of three countries one day. And while all of everyone’s great great great grandchildren are learning about you in history books, no one will remember his name. Don’t let him get to you now and let him become a footnote in the future.”

Nodding, a tear slipped, and you quickly felt Jungkook wiping the tear with his thumb, not letting anyone else see a Queen in a vulnerable state. Your breathing was almost back to normal, feeling some comfort from his words. 

“Can you do this?” He asked, repeating his question from earlier. 

Despite growing up together all these years, you and Jungkook had never been this up close and personal. Even when paired up for ballroom dancing, the two of you danced awkwardly together, barely touching his fingertips. It felt unreal that you and Jungkook were now alone, staring at each other, ignoring the rest of the world around you. “Yes.” 

Jungkook stared at you for another two seconds before he realized the position the two of you were in. His grip became stiff and rigid for a moment before he finally removed his hands from your face and cleared his throat, pretending as if he wasn’t trying to protect you in his arms. 

“Thanks.” You coughed awkwardly, still standing in front of him. The two of you never shared an intense moment like that before, a moment filled with insecurity, vulnerability, and comfort. 

Jungkook sighed and looked back at you. Without any verbal confirmation, you knew that he silently agreed that everything would go back to normal, that the two of you would go back to pushing each other’s buttons. “I should get going.”

Before you could say anything, Jungkook started to walk away. He was probably already erasing the moment out of his head. 

You had to remind yourself that the two of you will wed for your countries, that it won’t be for true love or happily ever after. It'll be a marriage full of moments like these that will mean nothing to him. And you hoped they would mean nothing to you. 

__________

By the next morning, Luxuria went through with their warning and sent their troops to your border, threatening your people. 

“Once we received word this morning from your mother, we sent supplies to your troops.” You had barged into the room of affairs, surprising Jungkook and the Queen by your sudden appearance. “They will be there as soon as they can. We sent our fastest rider.” 

The King didn’t take his eyes off the document he was reading. It seemed like the King had expected you to come in urgently while the Queen, sitting next to him, was visibly annoyed with your sudden intrusion. Jungkook, standing to the side of the room, looked baffled, unsure if he should laugh at your courage or be displeased.  

“Thank you,” you said, bowing your head. “These supplies will go a long way, but supplies aren’t the only thing we need.” 

“Let me guess..You want soldiers?” The King asked, still not looking at you. “I am afraid that I cannot give you men, but you have my deepest sympathy.” 

“I am asking for more than sympathy. I need men, or else these supplies are useless.” 

“The men that you need are the same men that we cannot give you.” He finally looked up and shrugged his shoulders. 

“As Queen, I have the responsibility to find solutions, and that was through our alliance with your country, which you are not honoring.” 

“Keep in mind that you are not the only one with a country to think about,” the King replied. “I am putting my country and its people first.” 

“I will not forget this when I am both Queen of Caelestia and Aurum,” you challenged. “I will always put my country first. Do not hold me hostage and fulfill this alliance, or let me go.” 

“The two of you need to learn this.” The King paused to point at you and Jungkook. “You are royals. You DO NOT have the luxury of doing what you want. You do what is best for your country. Perhaps, the two of you should stop wasting time. Instead of trying to think of ways to get out of your marriage, start taking action.” 

“Father, I think we should help.” You took a quick look at Jungkook, surprised by his answer. “If Caelestia loses, that’ll only make Luxuria a bigger threat to our country.” 

“Get out. The two of you, out now,” the King firmly demanded. 

The sound of the doors slamming behind you echoed throughout the whole castle. You took a deep breath and started walking to your chambers until Jungkook caught up, walking next to you. 

“Hey, I think you’re right. I am on your side.”

“You are?” You were taken back from his statement, not expecting him to be on your side for politics. “Why?”

“Because after your country, mine will be next,” Jungkook explained. “By working together, we can slowly defeat the Luxurian military. I just need some time to convince my father.”

Caught up in a moment of joy, you wrapped your arms around Jungkook, pulling him into a tight hug. Your happiness must have overcome the supposed feelings of animosity you had towards him. “Thank you!” 

Jungkook hesitantly and slowly embraced you back.

__________

“This must be the day pigs are going to grow wings and fly,” Lady Adoree exaggerated. 

Ladies-in-waiting were the Queen’s female companions, typically wealthy noblewomen. They accompanied you, staying by your side for most events. Not only were they your attendants, but they were also your closest friends. And you were the closest to Lady Adoree. 

“Trust me, you’re not the only one who’s surprised by all of this,” you mumbled under your breath.  

“I’ve been gone for seven days, and somehow, you and Jungkook are engaged to each other.” She had traveled to Aureus, the capital of Aurum, for the last week to meet with her a suitor, which did not end up well.  “Then, he’s willingly trying to help you as if he didn’t try to sabotage this alliance or even your whole life here.”

“Excuse me, Lady Adoree.” The two of you were still at the dining table after finishing lunch, catching up. You looked up and saw Prince Dasher waiting behind Lady Adoree’s chair. “Can I please have a moment with your queen?”

“Prince Dasher,” you greeted as Lady Adoree stood up from her chair, allowing Dasher to take her seat. “I thought you were on your way home.” 

“Well, it turns out we still have more negotiations with Aurum to discuss, which is delaying our departure,” he said. “It is not a total disaster as I am blessed to spend another second with a beautiful queen.” 

“Are these sweet words repeated to every other queen?” You quipped. 

“Just you,” he claimed. “No one else can hear those words from me.”

In the corner of your eye, you could see a vein popping out of Lady Adoree’s forehead. She was frowning, not happy that she had given up her seat just for him to be flirty. Lady Adoree hated talking to guys and drove them away just as much as you did. 

“I’m not new to this game,” you reminded him. “What is desired from me?” 

Prince Dasher leaned into your ear, whispering, “I heard Prince Jungkook cannot give you the help you need for the Luxuria Troops.” 

You pressed your lips together, trying to dull up any emotions on your face. “I’m still not hearing what you want from me.” 

Instead of verbally answering, Prince Dasher cleared his throat and pushed his chair back, almost hitting Lady Adoree. He then kneeled on his right knee, causing Lady Adoree to gasp loudly.

“What are you doing?!” You growled. “Get up.” 

“My desire is you,” he said. “Now I am no longer the King’s Bastard and am finally the legitimate Prince of Cometes. I am here to seek out the best deal and I believe Caelestia is that.” 

“To my knowledge, everyone including yourself knows that I am already betrothed!” You looked around, hoping no one else was in the room witnessing this act. 

“I can give you the men you need to fight Luxuria,” he promised. 

You sighed. “My attention is yours.”

He beamed at your defeat. “Perhaps the dissolution of your alliance with Aurum will help your country, Queen Y/N.”

Your jaw clenched. “And if we were to wed, do you really think Luxuria will just stop?” 

“I think you’ve forgotten,” he stressed. “Luxuria and Cometes have been allies for centuries. I hope you consider this offer.”

__________

Jungkook stayed silent. 

It was after midnight, and the two of you met in a private room on the other side of the castle, away from everyone else. No one really came to this side of the castle. It was mainly used to have secret meetings, not wanting to be seen by anyone else.

You were pacing around the room, playing with your hands, anxious to hear his thoughts after telling him Prince Dasher’s offer as he sat down on the bench and had his chin resting on his cupped hands together. 

“Are you going to say something?” You stopped walking back and forth and came to a stop. “What are you thinking about?”

He sighed before standing back up to face you. “I-I think you should do it.” 

“What?” Your heart sank, pain settling in your chest. Despite being the Queen of Caelestia, you viewed Aurum as if it were your home to you. Even though you had no intention of ruling Aurum and this alliance came out of nowhere, you felt a sense of happiness that you could finally give back to the country that gave you everything. 

Aurum was a part of you whether you liked it or not, and with Jungkook’s answer, it seemed like Aurum didn’t want you. And that he didn’t want you. There were a bunch of conflicting emotions going through your mind, but you pushed them away, needing to think about your country. “Are you serious?”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Think about it, Y/N. How could you pass this up?” 

“What happened to being on my side?!” You exclaimed. “And you’re just going to let it go? Just like that.”

“I don’t want to,” he admitted, quickly taking your hands and holding them. “But there’s nothing I can do to change my father’s mind…to help your country. I’ve tried and tried. We are just in this alliance, and you are getting nothing..”

“You don’t want to marry me,” you said bitterly, letting go of his hold. “That’s the real reason, isn’t it?”. 

“It’s not that,” Jungkook denied. There was a sense of desperation in his voice. “Believe me, I know I’ve been trying to get out of this alliance. But I’m not telling you to do it because of that. I’m telling you to do this, because this is what is best for your country.”

“Is that really it?” 

“You’ve been Queen your whole life. You should have known that alliances can easily shift,” Jungkook quickly snapped, changing his demeanor suddenly. “Your country gets the help it needs, and my country will not be ruled by an Ice Queen.” 

And Jungkook walked away like it was the easiest thing in the world to do. 

[larluce]

Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU

Tagging @aceauthorcatqueen , @fallenxjas , @smileytrinity ,@lucifertookmyshoe , @an-entity-i-think , @thecornerofbelu , @griffonskies , @odinjm , @cinnabon-sweetroll-tiramisu , @thelady-mary , @bennedict , @nightninjaboy , @st8-of-grace , @star-rie , @error-username-not-available , @dogberryrowan , @jamieweasley13 , @tansyuduri , @tercais , @robynnemrys because we deserved a better epic battle between Merlin and Nimueh.

LINKS TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THIS AU HERE: PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6 , PART 7 , PART 8 , PART 9 , PART 10 , PART 11 , PART 12 (You're here) , PART 13

More of "The Poisoned Chalice"

Arthur: Do you want to see what you'll be wearing tonight?

Merlin: (thinking) Not those ridiculous ceremonial robes again! (says) My clothes, obviously.

Arthur: (smiling brightly) No, the official ceremonial robes of the servants of Camelot!

Merlin:(fakes excitament) Oh, I can't wait to see them.

Arthur: (pulls out a very nice and elegant robes, nothing to do with the buffon custome he wore in his timeline)

Merlin: (mouth open) You... you can't be serious.

Arthur: (frowns in confusion) You don't like them?

Merlin: Are you kidding? Arthur, they're gorgeous! They look more like noble's clothes than servant's clothes. I... I can't use that.

Arthur: Too bad. You're using them. (throws robes at Merlin, who catches them in reflex) In fact, Keep them. They're now yours.

Merlin: What?! Wait! Arthur-

Arthur: You're welcome (leaves before Merlin can't give him the clothes back)

Merlin: (in shock for a few seconds, but then puts the robes on and smiles) Uhm, they fit perfectly. Just like the other ones. (processing) Wait, how did he know my measures? 😧

Time skip. Just after the revelation the cup was poisoned.

Uther: (furious) Who dare to try to poison my son!

Merlin: (raises his voice) I know who did it!

Arthur: Merlin don't-

Merlin: (points at Nimueh) It was her! I saw her entering the room were the ceremonial goblets were at night!

Nimueh: (surprised pikachu face)

Uther: (suspicious, to Bayard) Doesn't she work for you?

Bayard: (unsure) I don't recall her face.

Merlin: (mumbles a revelation spell to undo the glamour Nimueh put on herself)

Arthur: (subtly stands infront of him, so nobody sees Merlin's eyes turn gold, thinking) Has he always being this careless for gods' sake!

Uther: (livid, shouts) Nimueh! (to guards) Seize her!

Nimueh: (Runs)

Arthur: (tries to go after her)

Uther: (stops him) Don't. She's too dangerous.

Arthur: Do you know her? Who is she?

Uther: Nimueh. She's a very powerful sorcerer. No one you should mess with.

Arthur: (thinking) And yet you messed with her (turns to Merlin) Merlin, we have to-

Merlin: (already gone)

Arthur: Merlin! (thinking) He did not go into danger alone again! He did not just go to confront a powerful sorcerer all by himself. This motherfu- (shouts, between furious and concerned) Merlin! (leaves where the guards went)

Uther: Arthur! (sighs and turns to his knights) Go with him.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the woods.

Nimueh: (stops running to take a breath)

Merlin: (appears) I must say that was a really intelligent plan. Pretending to be some innocent maiden and trying to make me believe Bayard poisoned the goblet. But you won't fool me. (thinking) Not twice.

Nimueh: (laughts dryly) I understimated you. I'll give you that.(straightens up, smirking) Come now. We are too valuable to each other to be enemies.

Merlin: (dryly) I share nothing with you.

Nimueh: Don't you want Arthur to become king?

Merlin: You just tried to poison him!

Nimueh: No, I was trying to poison you. You keep interfiring in my plans when we have the same enemy. I have nothing against Arthur. It's Uther I want to destroy.

Merlin: By killing innocent people? Sorry if I'm not okay with that.

Nimueh: Sacrifices must be made for the greater good.

Merlin: You just seek revenge, not justice. Nothing justifies what you've done. (Steps forward) I'll make Arthur king when the time is right. But you won't see that day. (extends his hand) Astrice! (strikes her with light of energy)

Nimueh: (traps energy in her hand) Your childish tricks are useless against me, Merlin. It's a shame, you could've been a powerful sorcerer, perhaps, if you had the time, the training and the experience, but you are no more than a newly hatched chick that hasn't learned how to fly. I, on the other hand, have been practicing magic for decades. I'm a Priestess of the Old Religion. I am an opponent you could face but not defeat Forbearne! Akwele! (Throws fireball at him)

Merlin: (stops fireball midair without moving a finger)

Nimueh: (utterly confused) ... What? 😨

Merlin: You're right. Immature talent can't overcome decades of experience. But an experienced talent can. Akwele! (Throws fireball back with more force and bigger)

Nimueh: Scildan! (makes a invisible shield so the fire doesn't touch her) Forbairn ypile! (Makes a circle of fire around Merlin)

Merlin: Cume þoden! (Makes a whirlwind that blows the fire and then strikes Nimueh against a tree) Fire is not the only element you can work with, you know?

Nimueh: (smiles) Oh, I know. Gewican ge eorðe (makes a hole in the ground and Merlin falls there while he screams. Then she stands up and starts walking to the hole, limping a little, and says to herself, rubing her back) Oh, that hurt.

Merlin: (emerges floating in a piece of earth and stone, eyes golder than ever) This is going to hurt more. Eorðe, stanas, hiersumaþ me. Akwele! (Jumps from the rock and it goes to strike Nimueh)

Nimueh: Stanas tobrytan! (manages to break the rock into pieces but she's still hit by them and is severely injured)

Merlin: (stands over her with a somber expression)

Nimueh: (recoiling in fear, weakely) How...? How can this be? You shouldn't be this powerful! You manipulate magic as if you've been practicing it for a life time!

Merlin: (coldly) You don't have to know. (Starts to create a fireball in his hand, about to make the final blow)

Lancelot: (appearing in the distance, meters behind Merlin) Hey! What's happening?

Merlin: (the flame dies as well as the gold in his eyes and he turns around, wide eyed, whispering overcome with emotion) Lancelot?

Nimueh: (takes advantage Merlin is distracted and pulls out a dagger hidden in her leg)

Lancelot: Look out! (Runs to them)

Merlin: (moves away just in time so the dagger cuts his neck superficially)

Knight 1: (far away, but getting closer) I think I heard something!

Knight 2: (far away, but getting closer) This way!

Nimueh: (runs away as fast as she can with all her body hurting)

Lancelot: (goes to Merlin) Did she hurt you?

Merlin: I... (falls)

Lancelot: (catches him before he hits the ground) By the gods! She did! (Checks him, full panic mode)

Merlin: (thinking in Lancelot's arms, only able to move his eyes) No, she did not. The wound is barely a scratch but she put a paralyzing poison on the blade, the sneaky bitch. 😑

Lancelot: (sees Merlin's neck is bleeding, worried) There's so much blood.

Merlin: (Thinking) No, there isn't. 🙄 Honestly, Lancelot, have you seen a serious wound before? (Analysing his symptoms) Hum... It's not a letal one, the effects should go in an hour or so.

Lancelot: (checks his vital signs and sighs in releaf) He's still alive.(shaking Merlin) Hey! Can you hear me?!

Merlin: (Thinking) Yes I can! I just can't talk or move, damn it! 😠 I did miss you though 🥺. Why did we have to meet again like this? 😖

Arthur: (arrives with his knights) Merlin! (raises his sword, furious) Stay away from him!

Lancelot: (puts Merlin on the ground gently and steps back, hands up) I was just helping him! The girl. She did something to him. He's seriously hurt! He needs help!

Merlin: (thinking) No I'm not! I'm just... ugh, never mind 😒.

Arthur: (finally sees Lancelot's face and his features harden due to the resentment he feels towards the man he once considered a friend but then betrayed him by getting involved with his soon to be wife in his other timeline) Arrest him.

...

Before you ask why doesn't Arthur know Gwen was echanted and Lancelot was a shade that time if he's from the future, well the only one who could've told him that was Merlin and he was a tree so... And I don't recall Merlin ever mentioning any of this to Gaius. But even if he did, I think Gaius just focused on telling Arthur everything Merlin did for him with his magic, and the man is old, he could easily have forgotten to tell him a couple of things.

[oracle-of-dream]

A Desperate Drink

This is a continuation of Under Pressure, please read that first if you haven't so you can be in order!

Summary: You've woken up next to Jake, remembering everything from before. But you were supposed to forget everything. Something must've gone wrong, you need to find a way out without getting caught!

Warnings: Enhypen Vampires, Male Reader, Drunk-Dazed Timeline, Suggestive themes, Psychological power manipulation, Body/Mind control

Wordcount: 3.6k

Your head was pounding, like a bad hangover, but you knew that you didn't drink that much last night. You looked at Jake next to you, sleeping soundly. His breaths were deep. He snored with a soft smile on his lips.

You shook him, "Jake, wake up."

He groaned in response, waving you away.

Shaking him harder, "Jake, something's wrong. Get up."

He pulled the covers over his head.

You could hear the blood rushing to your head as you hit him with your pillow, "Get up!"

Jake shot up, eyes wide and a wild look, "What's going on?"

"I still know who you are! Jake, you said I'd forget all this," You whined.

Jake looked down and fiddled with the comforter like there was something he wasn't telling you. He moved his pillow onto his lap, "Don't get mad–"

"What is it?" You grit your teeth, expecting the worst. You were a vampire now and going to outlive all your friends. You'd watch everyone you loved die and have to start eating people.

"I got scared and didn't bite you..." Jake raised the pillow to cover his face if you were ready to hit him again. When he realized you hadn't hit him, he continued, "I panicked and used my powers to knock you out instead. I was going to carry you out the window and take you somewhere safe, but my Jungwon came to check on us. So I pretended I bit you and fell asleep next to you."

So you weren't a vampire–that's good news.

"So what now? I just find my friends and walk out, right?" You asked.

Jake gripped the pillow again, "Not exactly... I ended up falling asleep instead of erasing your memory. And as a part of the erasing part, I'm supposed to give you instructions to go home to your bed."

You frowned, "Instructions?"

"We can hypnotize humans with our voices. You can't help but do what we say," He explained.

You tried not to be creeped out at the fact Jake could tell you to do whatever he wanted, but the thought was there.

"Usually, we command everyone to go home, and the house is empty by sunrise. Since we sleep all day normally and wake up when the Sun starts to set, I should be able to sneak you out," Jake climbed out of the bed to peek out the door. He waved you over, "I don't see anyone, so let's be quick."

You followed Jake as he led you out the door and down the hallway. Passing the door where you'd first met Heeseung, the door he'd pinned you against was ajar, but the room was completely dark. You felt a strange feeling to approach the door and enter the room. You knew you had to go, but it was just a peek.

Jake noticed you looking and gently pulled the door shut. He mouthed a name, Heeseung.

Your skin crawled at the feeling. Heeseung wasn't even in front of you, but he could still control you. You thought about your friends again. Hopefully, they made it out all okay, and none were his playthings. Then you remembered your phone! You pulled it out of your pocket– and it was dead. Great.

You got to the edge of the staircase, which overlooked the large living room on the first floor. It was still a mess from the party– sunlight rained down from the windows below. You started down the stairs when Jake let out a sharp hiss.

He was still in the hallway, looking at you on the stairs.

"Come on, I don't know this place," You whispered.

"I can't," He put his hand toward the light but pulled it away before he could touch it. "I'll find another way around," Jake turned around before walking back down the hallway, "I'll meet you downstairs."

You continued down the stairs. The whole house seemed abandoned, but you knew better now. Seven vampires lived here, six sleeping as you tiptoed around their home. Now that everything sat in the sunlight in the windows, you could see the dust covering some old furniture. A large portrait of the seven boys hung above the fireplace in the living room had the seven boys you'd met last night: Heeseung, Sunghoon, Jay, Jake, Jungwon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki. They all looked the same as you'd met last night but with slight differences. Their hair colors and styles were different as their clothes looked like something from some old Victorian-style painting. You reached the bottom of the stairs. The only sound you could hear was your footsteps and your heart beating in your chest. The house was warm with light, but it had a certain coldness to it.

The living room still had confetti all over the floor, but it was a straight shot to the front door. You made your way there until something moved out of the corner of your eyesight.

Holding in the urge to scream, you turned to see Jay lying in a corner near the door with his eyes closed. He looked so normal and peaceful in his sleep, even snoring slightly. But he was also right next to the front door. You stepped toward him, and his head twitched at the sound of the floor creaking under you.

That's a no-go.

There were a few more hallways you didn’t explore last night. One path could lead to a back door. Or it could lead to another one of the brothers.

Jake was nowhere to be seen. You softly whispered, "Jake! Are you still here?"

No reply. You wanted to wait for Jake, but getting out before anyone else noticed you was a solid idea.

You moved to a hallway, where you'd bumped into that sharp-eyed man, the brother who didn't seem too interested in you, Sunghoon. Last you'd seen him, he knocked you off your feet and yelled at you about it. The hallway was dark and cold, but a whisper came from there. It called to you, beckoning you forward.

Following the whisper, you walked blind– deeper and deeper, following each turn. It was a long walk and dark, so you had to put a hand on the wall to guide you. Your eyes played tricks on you, seeing moving shadows in the darkness. They laughed at you, pointing crooked fingers as you stumbled blind. You kept focused on the path in front of you. The voice was getting louder as you got closer. Eventually, you made it to a massive open room.

You could hear water flowing, like a waterfall. Without the wall's support, your legs gave out under you, which forced you to crawl on the floor.

"Come closer to me," A woman called, "I can bring you safety here."

You crawled desperately. You didn't realize it earlier, but you were sweating heavily, and your throat was dry, even swallowing hurt.

She sensed your thirst, "I can give you sustenance. Drink deeply."

The sound of running water was closer now, getting louder until your hand hit a stone. The sound of the water under you made you put your hand out, reaching for the water– just a sip would be enough. The dehydration was unbearable. Your hand found the top of the wall and felt water splash onto it, a fountain! You used both hands to catch the water and brought it to your cracked lips.

It was delicious, reminiscent of the sting of fresh raspberries. You wanted more. You drink more handfuls, feeling the cold water wash over your body and cool you down. The coldness sank into you from head to toe. You didn't realize how thirsty you'd gotten, but you couldn't stop drinking. The water dripped onto your clothes, staining them, but it didn't matter to you. You just needed more.

"Y/n!?" Jake's voice came from behind you.

You wanted to turn to him but couldn't stop drinking. The water wasn't as delicious as the first few drinks, as it started to taste more like iron and was getting thicker. It made you sick. Your stomach hurt, but you couldn't bring yourself to stop.

"Y/n! Stop drinking! Please!" Jake sounded so far away, like a fading memory. But you felt his hand land on your shoulder.

You finally managed to pull away from the fountain to look over your shoulder as Jake. His face was blurry, but you could make out a concerned expression.

"Y/n, how did you get here!? You shouldn't drink that! It's not for you!" Jake scooped you up and carried you away. You felt the fountain call you, begging you to stay and drink more, but you felt weak and sick. You passed out in Jake's arms as he carried you, the smell of blood in the air.

You opened your eyes slowly, holding your stomach and slowly sitting up. You were in a bedroom with light pouring in from the window. The room was familiar, but– wait, You'd already seen this. You looked over, but Jake wasn't tucked under the covers with you this time. There were voices outside the door, muffled, but you could make out some words.

"Jake, what the fuck is the matter with you!? How could you let a human stay here!? And you let them walk around unsupervised!" One angry voice spoke.

"I'm sorry! It wasn't supposed to be like this..." Jake responded.

"So what do we do with him? Kill him?" Another voice asked, this one deeper and cold.

You panicked. The voices were going to kill you! You needed to get out of there. The window! You stood but quickly fell to your feet. Your stomach argued about moving so much, but you had no choice! Pushing yourself to your feet, you reached for the window— but your hand burned in the light that poured out of it.

You screamed in pain, rolling onto the bed away from the light.

The bedroom door burst open as Jake ran in, "Are you okay!?"

You hid your hand behind you, "Oh, y-yeah. My stomach is just really hurting."

The others slowly filled the room, Jake's six brothers. Jungwon looked furious. Sunoo smiled playfully. Heeseung winked at you. Jay seemed more concerned with Jungwon. Sunghoon and Ni-ki's expressions gave you nothing to go off of; they were deep in thought.

Jake helped you under the covers, "You should lie down. A lot is going on right now."

"Like, what?"

Jake looked at Jungwon, "What do we do?"

Jungwon sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "We have to study his reactions and see what we can do for you now. Tell him everything."

Jake turned back to you, sitting on the bed, "Okay, this is a lot, so just listen."

You nod, waiting for Jake to begin.

"Because of my irresponsibility in properly taking care of you, an incident has occurred," Jake spoke like he was giving a book report. Occasionally looking at Jungwon for approval, "When you walked alone in the house, you found a fountain. And drank the liquid in it, right?"

You nodded, "I did. I think I drank a lot."

"You did. And that's not good– we think. The liquid you drank was Blood. And a lot of it. Special blood. I can't describe it well, but we can only drink from it once a full moon." Jake touched your shoulder, "So, because of that. There might be side effects."

You tilted your head, "Like?"

Jungwon ripped the band-aid off, "You might be like us now. A vampire."

Your stomach churned in acknowledgment of his words.

"Because you're one of us, we can't risk you exposing our existence to the people. But you have a life outside of here, which is an issue because people will come looking for you."

Sunghoon spoke, "We can still kill them and hide them."

"And bring more humans to our home to look for us. Could we even risk that? We can't exactly move the fountain, and if they find it..." Jay shook his head as if the thought haunted him.

"That won't happen. And we're not killing. I'm sure y/n will work with us, right?" Jungwon asked, raising his eyebrow at you.

You swallowed hard. It was a lot of information, but you didn’t have a lot of choice. "So, I'm immortal now? Forever?"

Jake nodded, "But we'll try and find a way to fix you. You're not supposed to be like this, and I wouldn't wish this curse on anyone."

Jungwon spoke again, "So? What's your choice? Either toss you in the sunlight and watch you burn, or you can join us until we can get rid of you."

With such a great offer, how could you refuse?

"I'm with you. Please, don't toss me outside," You mumbled.

Jungwon smiled, "I wouldn't want to do that either. So let's try to get along. You can use the room if you want it. Jake can give you a tour, and you can pick out another room if you don't want this one."

"This one is perfect."

"Great. Jake, give him a tour. He's your responsibility for now since he's your fuck-up. I'm going back to sleep. I'll see everyone when it's Sunset," Jungwon commanded with a cute yawn as he walked out.

The other brothers left the room, leaving just you and Jake.

Jake smiled like a dork, "Welcome to the family, I guess?"

You punched him. Hard. "Jake, what the fuck!? I'm stuck like this, and you're cracking jokes?"

Jake rubbed his arm with a pained expression, "You should watch your strength! If I were a regular person, my arm would've broken. And I'm just trying to lighten the mood..."

You could've broken his arm with a punch like that?

You let out a yawn, "Well, what now?"

Jake giggled, "We sleep now. It's still daytime."

Sleep? It was probably around noon, but you were too scared to look out the window to guess. 

"Why do we have to sleep now?"

"We sleep during the day since we can go outside at night. That's why everyone was in such a bad mood since I woke them up in the middle of the day." Jake patted your head, "You're already tired, right?" His voice had a soft tone to it, lulling you to sleep.

You were only a little tired a moment ago, but your eyes could barely stay open now. You grabbed onto Jake's shirt tightly, "Don't do that... You shouldn't. Do–" Your head fell against the pillow as you fell into a deep slumber, your hand still attached to Jake's shirt.

Waking up for the third time in that house was the same as the first. You'd hoped it was all a bad dream, but seeing Jake sleeping next to you confirmed it was all real.

You were a vampire now—a member of an immortal household of handsome men who are brothers. And you can't even go outside during the daytime anymore.

You looked back at the hand you'd burned earlier, completely healed, and Jake was cuddling your other hand. Pulling your arm out from his grip, you replaced it with a pillow, which Jake happily accepted unconsciously.

The room was still and quiet, too quiet. You needed something to make noise. Even the sounds of passing cars or people on the street would be okay.

You escaped the bedroom without waking up Jake and started to explore the house. House was the wrong word– mansion fit it much better.

You passed that room from before, but you could see clearer into it now. Another vampire power was night vision, you guessed. Heeseung was lying in bed, sleeping. He was way too handsome, just like a vampire should be, even while doing nothing.

As if he could feel you watching him, "Like what you see, baby teeth?"

You almost jumped as he spoke because his voice came from behind you. Turning to see nothing over your shoulder, you looked back into the room and saw Heeseung standing in the doorway. He had a low-cut shirt and a draping cardigan with pants on.

"Looking for something, Baby Teeth?" He cooed.

"Who's Baby Teeth?"

He laughed, "It's you! The youngest vampire always gets called Baby Teeth. It's a tradition. But if you want, we can make it just an us kind of thing." He stepped out of his room. His energy was heavy and dripped out of him like honey, "I haven't had someone this cute in the house in a while. And now that you're staying, we can play a lot."

You stepped back, "You gonna drink my blood?"

"You're a vampire now, even if I did–" He got closer, "You could drink mine, and we'd be even."

"I'm not drinking anyone–"

Heeseung sighed in boredom, "Suit yourself. But you can only live like that for so long it'll get boring just drinking from the tap. It's way better from the source." Heeseung poked his nail into one of his fingers and let himself bleed a little, "You don't want to try, not even a little?"

Your mouth watered. That feeling of intense dehydration came back, but now you also felt like you hadn't eaten in days. You wanted to bite Heeseung’s finger off.

"Don't let your hunger control you. Take it easy. Let only a little out at a time, or you could bite off more than you can take," Heeseung warned. He put his finger toward you, letting you smell his blood, "Taste some, no tricks."

You hesitantly moved to grab his hand, but he pulled away.

"No hands, Baby Teeth. We use our mouths for food, so you’ll learn how– Jake's a lousy teacher. You can learn from me," Heeseung smirked as he moved his finger back to your lips. He poked them, getting his blood on them.

Your tongue instinctively darted out to taste it. It wasn't as good as the fountain, but it's a close second. You wrapped your lips around Heeseung's finger and sucked gently.

"Ah, there's a good boy," He moaned. He moved his hand, forcing you to follow it to his waist. You ended up on your knees, sucking his finger, while he watched with a playful look in his eyes. "You're bad at sucking blood, but I can teach you better. Let me," Heeseung took his finger from your mouth, much to your dismay.

You stood as you felt the urge to pin him to the wall and bite his neck. Your heart pumped, and your fingers flexed.

"Oh, how scary, Baby Teeth. You look like you're about to break, but we should be even. You tried mine, so I try yours." You lifted your finger, but Heeseung put your hand away, "Fingers are for you, Baby Teeth until you can handle more. I'm taking your neck. And since Jake fucked it, I'm your first time. I'll be gentle." Heeseung stroked your cheek, "So hold still."

You wanted to dodge him, but you were stuck.

Heeseung tilted your head to the side and leaned down to your neck, smelling and licking since you couldn't push him away. When he bit into you, there was a rush of ice-cold pain as you felt the blood drain out of your neck slowly. It hurt at first but then shifted into something more pleasing. It felt good. Heeseung shifted, putting his hand on your waist to pull you in as his other hand laced his fingers with yours.

You moaned embarrassingly loudly.

Heeseung pulled away, his teeth red and his mouth agape, "You taste good. Really fucking good. Better than anyone I've tasted."

Heeseung went down for seconds, but you started resisting, "Wait, I think we're doing too much now!"

"Don't fight me," He commanded, and your body relaxed instantly.

Just as he was about to bite you again, there was a snap at the end of the hall. "He said that's enough. I'm fine with you feeding off him consensually, but let's not do anything we'll regret. Right, Heeseung?" Jay was standing near the stairs, leaning on the wall.

"Jay, you've gotta try him. He's delicious."

Jay shook his head, "I'll bite if he offers. You're taking your lesson too far here. He's living with us now, so don't do anything to make things more difficult."

Heeseung let you go and turned to you, "I'm sorry about that, y/n. I don't know what came over me..." Heeseung couldn't look at you as he apologized and went into his room, closing the door behind him.

Jay approached you and wiped his hand on your neck, tasting some blood that was there. His eyebrows raised but went to a blank face, "Nothing special."

"Jay, is it normal for vampires to drink each other's blood?"

He shrugged, "We don't normally do it since we're all brothers. It's a little weird. But I heard some vampires would feast on each other to survive. But those were usually extreme cases." He waved you to walk with him, "I want you to be a little cautious. Since you're not one of us, some people might be interested in you. Intimately."

You tilted your head, "So you don't drink from each other because you're brothers?"

Jay nodded, "Pretty much. And we haven't had another vampire here in a long time. The last one was a girl that Jake got close to. But when she left, she did some pretty bad damage to him. He hasn't bitten someone since then."

You remembered Jake said it had been 100 years since the last time he'd bitten someone. It must've been pretty bad.

Jay continued, "Anyways, that's history. We should figure you out. But let's eat first..."

[buccini555]

… 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝...

≡ Shinichiro finally noticed you

⌕ I m a g i n e s !

♡... 𝑭𝒕. Shinichiro Sano and special participation by Izana Kurokawa!

⚠︎!! explicit smut,unprotected s♡x, virg♡nity loss, school bathroom s♡x, oral, overstimulation, bl♡wjob, smoking, petnames (baby, honey)... I think that's all?

On that day that seemed to be just another day full of boredom, not many people had gone to school because it was a week after the holidays, but, you were there with your friends, you realized that they didn't give a damn about you, for that reason you ended up walking away and going to some corner of the classroom where you could be alone, as you didn't have classes that day, you just stood there passing a colorless nail polish on your nails anxious to finally leave that stupid place, everything was really boring until someone walked through the door in the class, Shinichiro Sano, a grade above you, you had already talked a few times before and you had a huge crush on him, so you laid eyes on the taller one, you had already noticed him a few times, but, you knew that despite being extremely extroverted, he was shy when it came to girls and you also faithfully believed that you would not have a chance with that boy, he is handsome, tall, affectionate and cute, you always have him in your thoughts, every time Shinichiro spoke to you he was extremely kind.

Shinichiro came to bring the message from the another teacher, since they had nothing to do in the classroom, it was better that they practice some sport or something, you thought it was a waste of time, but it was the same with the rest of your class, arriving at the place of sports, you sat apart from the rest, continuing to manage your nails and listening to songs, your playlist had just started when Shinichiro sat down next to you.

"What are you doing here, alone? Have your friends left you out again?" Shinichiro approached you, making you take off your headphones and pay attention to him, you could only notice how handsome he was and that made you a little intimidated.

"They're like... boring as fuck! but I really don't give a shit, how about you? Why are you here?" You replied despondently, looking away and putting your songs aside.

"I saw you alone and I came to keep you company! I don't want to see you so sad" He smiled, Shinichiro looked confident and shy at the same time, you could see a bit of nervousness on the taller one's face.

"Hmm? Okay... Seriously, I really wanted to go somewhere more secluded, don't you know any places?" You questioned him, watching the other people from afar.

"Hmmm? I know a place! Do you want to go with me?" He looked at you after thinking a bit, wondering if you really wanted to go with him.

"I honestly am hating being here..."

"I think it's best that no one sees us going together, so go to the bathroom behind the court and wait for me, understand?"

"Bathroom?" You laughed, questioning him about the location.

Shinichiro laughed and you got up, quickly going to the aforementioned place without get other people's attention, that bathroom had been disabled for a few years, so no one went in there, unless you had the key, as you obviously didn't get it, you waited for Shinichiro, who arrived soon after.

"Do you have the key to this place, Shinichiro?"

"...I have my secrets, baby." Sano responded immediately, taking the keys out of one of his coat pockets.

He opened the door, first looking to see if anyone was around, but there was just you and him.

"What a strange place!" You spoke in a low tone while looking at the abandoned bathroom.

"We can leave here if you want..."

"Oh, Shini, whatever! We should go into one of the cabins, someone can come in here."

"It's quite impossible for anyone to enter here, but... Since you want to enter, let's go."

You and Shinichiro entered one of the cabins, the place was tight, for that reason you were getting closer and closer, at that moment, you started to see Shinichiro with different eyes, you knew the sudden approach was getting him a little excited, but obviously he wasn't going to show it, he seemed to want something, but he didn't know what to do, so, you got even closer to him, when he finally took the courage to hold your waist and give you a small kiss.

"I-I'm so sorry! I don't know why I did it!" Nervousness took hold of him, as he had never had a girl in his hands before.

"Shini? Hey, no need to apologize, I... want to." You reciprocated the kiss, this time, it became longer and the kisses were getting more and more "warm", you held the chain around Shinichiro's neck while kissing him, he gently ran his hand over your body, making you sigh a few times.

After a few kisses, he gently held you by the waist again and placed you on top of a small counter inside the cabin, staying between your legs while kissing you, at that moment you realized that he put more strength into the touch, also feeling how excited he was while he was between your legs you could feel how hard he was, he was itching to try you, you knew that if they did something, it would have to be quick, so, even though you were still a virgin, you didn't waste time at that moment with Shinichiro.

"Shini, S-shini? P-please"

"Baby? You want to stop?"

"No! Please, I want more!"

"Hmm? More?"

"I-I want you, Shini."

"I don't want to give you the wrong impression..."

"N-no, baby, I want to lose my virginity with you..."

"B-baby, you should expect someone special!"

"You are special to me, Shinichiro, please, I'm so horny, only you can satisfy me."

The fact that you wanted to lose your virginity to him just made him even more horny and more willing to fuck you, when he realized that you really wanted him, Shinichiro just stopped talking, he started kissing you with even more desire and put his hand inside your pants, gently jerking you off over your panties, when he started to feel you were wet enough "So pretty, baby!" he just pulled your panties aside and started touching your clit, after you started moaning even more he gently put his fingers on you.

"...Mmm, baby? I promise to be careful."

You were already horny, almost begging him to fuck you, you just moaned softly begging for his dick, so, answering your request, Shinichiro gently made you touch. "Can you handle a dick that big, or nah?" You just nodded your head in affirmation, he was already extremely turned on so he started to put it on you carefully, when you got used to his dick he started to be faster and go deeper and deeper, holding her mouth so no one can hear her moans, "That tight pussy belongs to me, only I can fuck you like that, cum for me honey" He said as he worked hard, he just wanted to make you have your first orgasm, so Shinichiro really put effort into what he was doing.

"F-fuck, can I cum in your mouth?Please" He asked you when he was about to reach his peak, you quickly accepted, giving him a blowjob before he cumming, you knew what you were doing so you just made the taller one let out some moans and melt in your mouth.

You still had some time, so Shinichiro refused to try your pussy taste, he really wanted to use his tongue at that moment, but, when he started to lick your clit and penetrate you again with his fingers, some motherfucker knocked on the door, Shinichiro was sure it was his brother, Izana Kurokawa, Izana had become a fucking smoker and used to go to that bathroom for a smoke sometimes.

"Fuck! stay quiet, baby, I won't stop" He made you stay quiet while he finished what he was doing, when you finally came in his mouth, Shinichiro and you got dressed and left the bathroom.

"What the hell is that, Shinichiro?"

Izana screamed as soon as he saw you leaving the place together, he started laughing, apologizing for having disturbed. Shinichiro just looked at him in disgust and grabbed your hand, pulling you away.

[kilibaggins]

Promise | Daryl Dixon

Daryl Dixon x Reader

A/N: I've loved daryl dixon since middle school and now i feel like i should try to write him! this was not requested but i really felt like writing for him so here i am.

Summary: Ever since things started slowing down at the prison, and more people started to join the group, Daryl started... Distancing himself from you. You've had enough.

my requests are very much open just so you know! go ahead and request something just read my rules first (its linked in pinned)

Word Count: 1100

The prison has been without incident for two weeks now. A couple weeks ago a fight broke out, and before that, it had been a case of theft… Things that remind you of the old world. Small things compared to some of the big ones you've experienced.

Things seem… Nice. People are starting to flourish, people are starting to grow. You've made new friends, new fellow survivors who you share your days with. It's comforting to know that after everything you have somewhere safe to be, even if only for now.

The only thing is that… Daryl never talks to you.

See, to many people this might be normal. He's Mr. Macho. He's the one that stays secluded and isolated and never talks unless he has to but… This is different. He's always been different with you. You've always been the one who tries your best to check on him, to care for him, even when he's pushing himself away.

Even back on Hershel's farm, when he kept his tent far away, you walked out there every day to check on him and keep him company. When Andrea accidentally shot him and he seemed to be on death's door you were the one to help him through that.

Once the farm got overrun, and you all started frantically trying to find a new place to be, you two had gotten even closer. He'd watch your back, and you'd try to watch his, it was as great as a new friendship could be in a world that has ended.

But after the prison got up and running and after things calmed down he started to… Disappear. When you'd go to find him for hunts he wouldn't be there, or he'd already be gone. When you'd try to do anything with him he'd practically push you into a different group.

You have to admit, it hurts. You thought things were going well, but all of a sudden he's completely cold-shouldering you.

It's been a long day, and in your frustration, you realize that all you want is the man you had once thought of as your best friend. Daryl. You huff and climb on the long stairs of the prison up to the back where Daryl put his cell. Pretty much as far away from everyone as possible, in true Daryl fashion.

“Hey…” You say, leaning against the entranceway to the cell. The cell door is only half closed and you see he's cleaning his bow.

“What?” He asks, instead of saying hello back. You roll your eyes.

“Just wanted to talk for a minute.” You say, trying to smile at him.

“Then talk.” He says, his voice frustrated. You feel the emotion pool up in your chest.

“I just- How have you been? We haven't talked much lately, but-”

“Ya got anything important to say or are ya just here to bug me?” Daryl asks, finally looking up at you. You tear up and turn away, taking a few steps away from the cell.

“Whatever…” You say. Before you make it to the stairs though you pause. You turn around and march to the door. “You know you don't have to be such a jerk.”

“'Scuse me?” Daryl asks, his eyes piercing as he puts down his crossbow.

“You heard me. What is your problem?” You ask, angry. You're done having him ignore you like this. “All I want to do is talk to my best friend for more than ten minutes-”

“Best friend? Please, ya can't be serious.” Daryl snaps. He stands up and throws his arms out. “I ain't yer best friend. Go talk to someone else.”

“What happened to us being close, huh? You used to like being around me.” You say, your voice raising.

“I did like bein’ around ya. But things change.” Daryl says, turning around and picking up his jacket. He always has to be fidgeting with something.

“Why?” You ask, your voice breaking a bit. You cough and shake your head. “Why do things have to change? What did I do wrong?”

“Ya didn't do nothing. Just… Just go be with someone else. I got issues I gotta take care of.” He says. He isn't looking at you, head looking down at the small patch on his jacket that you added.

“… I don't want to be with someone else.” You say.

“Well, ya should!” Daryl suddenly yells. “Go be with someone actually worth somethin’.”

Your heart breaks. You finally step into his cell and walk up to him. He's purposefully avoiding eye contact with you and you reach out and touch his arm. He moves away only for a second before letting you touch him.

“Daryl… You're my best friend. I'm gonna be honest, you're probably more than that, you mean the world to me. You're who I want to be around… Don't tell me you've been pushing me away because of that.”

Daryl doesn't say anything and frowns. He looks at you before looking back down.

“Don't want ya findin' out ya wasted yer time on me,” Daryl says. You reach up and gently tuck his hair behind his ear. He flinches slightly and you frown.

“Let me make that choice, okay?” You say gently.

“But-”

“Let me make my own choices. I want to be around you. I want to talk to you and hang out with you. You're it for me, whether you want it to be romantic or platonic, I want you in my life.” You say. You reach down and straighten his shirt. “Everyone else here doesn't get what we've been through. You do. Do you want me around?”

“Yeah, but-”

“Then you’re stuck with me.” You say, smiling at him.

"M'sorry." He says, as he tries to look away to hide his smile but you catch it anyways.

“There you are.” You say, grinning.

“Stop.” He mumbles, trying to turn away again, his smile getting bigger. You grab his hands turn him back to you and smile widely at him. You love his smile. “Said stop, punk.”

You laugh and lean up to kiss his cheek. You can feel how warm it is.

“Don’t leave me, okay?” You ask, looking up at him. Your smile is gone now, and he can tell you’re serious. “Don’t push me away. Please.”

“A’right. Promise.” He says, shrugging, but he still has that genuine look in his eyes.

“Pinky promise?” You ask, holding out your pinky. He rolls his eyes.

“What're ya, six?”

“Shut up and pinky promise me, Dixon.” You say, laughing. He scoffs and his pinky interlocks with yours.

“Promise.”

[jahnavisurenda-21]

Hazbin Hotel||Alastor X Reader||Jealousy In Hell? Part 2.

Notice how she is not disturbing the cat who's occupied half the bed? Cat Supremacy. Although dogs are more affectionate.

What does his huge smile say now?

"I don't get nightmares, my dear, in fact, I give them to other people." He once on those days where he comforted you, he whispered.

You never told him, but you are not used to being around deranged, misanthropic people. So, Alastor gave you nightmares as well.

Two days back he found you curled up after coming from a night out crying, and you refused to open up to him which made him worried because you were very open about letting people know how you feel at the moment.

"You are a mess, my dear, care to shed some light on what happened?" Alastor asked, stroking your hair, but all he got was angry sobs and angry punches.

So instead of stressing you out more he put you to sleep, to just let you forget the pain a little.

He stretched his staff thing when Mr. Petenious's egg friends were joyfully walking out, they instantly huddled together.

"What Boss, do you know our boss--"

"Wait which boss are you talking about Mike!" One egg said,

"Wait we have names; do you know we might have acid rain!" One egg screamed,

"Oh, Shit! will our eggshells crack open? Oh god!"

Alastor's eye twitched, "Yeah, about that so when you went to the club what happened to Y/n?"

"Uh she was so happy, with Angel and Charlie then she went somewhere saying it was very stuffy inside."

"Uh, Mike went with her too!" One egg said,

"We don't have names, right?" The one named Mike said,

"Uh after that," Alastor said cutting the banter he found too noisy for his liking.

"She didn't come back after that boss."

"Yeah, Y/n always comes back.'

"She did say that the night was really bad!"

He tried finding out more, but it was absolutely hopeless with those egg creatures. At this point, he couldn't tell if what they were telling were anything more than lies.

His best bet could have been to ask you. But you were resting and if possible, he would like to tear a soul and broadcast it of course, it had to be the right soul.

So, one of those nights, when you had just slipped into your nightwear, he comes in Suddenly, and quickly drags you outside, "Alastor- What-where are you taking me?"

You were teleported outside the cold wind, in some abandoned city. "Alastor, I'm not even dressed properly!" You said in a hushed tone.

"What's that my dear you are cold?" Alastor said, "Here you can take my coat.

Now, that his coat fits you more like robes because of the height, it also blocks out the cold. "Your coat is nice Alastor; it actually suits you!" You said taking some time to admire the coat.

You then looked at him abandoning that brief excitement you asked him again, "Alastor where are we going?"

"My dear, that night you had gone out some sinners dared touch you, and although I'm not too much for physical touch and all you must enlighten me about the perpetrator!"

"Alastor..." You sighed heavily. "I know I'm in hell by choice because a perfect afterlife should involve the people I care about, and I don't have any relatives, or parents I know so... just drop it okay?"

"And what if that happens again?" Alastor whispered, "I only need you to tell me who it is, and I'll take your revenge."

"Alastor it's not one sinner they are like a gang, who exploit people's souls to other powerful overlords who pay them a lot. They got really drunk and found me of everyone..." You didn't continue after that, But Alastor's eyes only grew more intense and darker.

"Do you know who they were?"

You slowly nodded, "Well isn't that great? You just made my work so many times easier now instead of those little egg things."

Alastor said that was enough for the day and he retired you to your bedroom, you asked him if you could give him his coat by the morning, and he just waved his hand in a yes manner.

Two weeks later, you woke up to excited voices in front of your door, they were loud and broke the peaceful morning when your door burst open, and Charlie ran inside.

"OH MY GOD!" OH MY GOD!" "OKAY, I NEED TO BREATHE, BREATHE." Charlie slapped herself,

"Angel! he has something to show you, EVEN ALASTOR'S THERE!"

"Guys calm down what's the ruckus about?"

"Charlie let Y/n at least take a breather, but yeah Y/n this is messed up."

"Messed up in a cool way." Angel corrected.

You had gone downstairs where you saw Alastor smiling more than he usually did,

You grabbed Alastor, he came as though he was anticipating the reaction.

"Whatever the matter my dear."

"Alastor, please don't tell me it's about that case!"

"It's not one dear, I broadcasted the entire gang." Alastor put his hand on your cheek. "Did you really think some petty sinners would really scare me?"

Then Alastor looked at you, "I was a bit startled when you told me that they were dealing with overlords, those chumps could only dream about it, what right now it matters is they are gone. So, take it easy."

You breathed in relief before you felt yourself getting lightheaded and slipped into his arms.

"My dear, how very scared were you? It could've been solved so much earlier if you opened your mouth.

[auteurdelabre]

Something to Fight For (series) Part 16

I'm sorry I can't go to the rehearsal this weekend," Paul tells you Monday morning at the two of you prepare for work. "Wish I didn't have to go to this stupid work mixer."

"It's no problem," you assure him through bites of omelette. "Just enjoy and get to know the people you'll be working with." 

Paul takes a deep swig of grapefruit juice, watching you over the glass. You're distant, your eyes unfocused. 

"Then again I don't even know if I should be going to the fucking wedding," Paul says with a shake of his head. "You saw her face when I told her we were engaged."

Your unfocused look is gone, replaced with concern. 

"Paul. That's not fair," you explain patiently. "She was just surprised. Everyone was."

Including you. The agreement was not to share the engagement with everyone until after the wedding. You'd wanted to tell Maria at most, in private. 

But Paul had been so excited, he explained later that day when a trip to the ER confirmed that he had a bruised jaw. So overjoyed to share his love with the people you cared about most.  

"She wasn't surprised," Paul replies glumly across the table from you. "She was pissed off."

"Why would she be pissed off, Paul?" You falter, your eyes avoiding his because you know exactly why Maria is upset. The same reason you've been staying at Paul's place since the party and Joel’s punch. 

"Because she doesn't like me," Paul answers flatly. "Hasn't really liked me since we got back together."

"I think she's just gonna miss me living with her," you say quickly not wanting to get into things. "Emotions are just running high with the wedding coming up."

Paul's face shows that he doesn't believe you, but he lets it go. His handsome face is slipping into a smile, his hand coming to rest over yours. Your hand twitches under his heavy grip.

"Well hopefully she gets over it. She and Tommy are always welcome to come visit us in Leander."

///

Monday morning, after the most miserable Sunday in recent existence, Joel calls you. He knows you won't answer if you know it's him so he calls your work, his fingers tight around the landline as it rings. 

"Austin Rescue."

Joel is shocked when you pick up your phone after the first ring. It's still early in the day. At the sound of your voice he feels his eyes shuttering. 

"Hey."

There’s a soft inhale followed by the sound of you sucking your teeth. You're irritated he called you at work where you can't see who calls you. 

"What do you want, Joel? I'm busy." 

"Listen," Joel begins, his voice lodged in his sternum. "I need t- I wanna apologize for what happened on Saturday."

"I really don't wanna hear your excuses," you interrupt lowly. "If it weren't for Sarah I would have hung up the second I heard your voice."

Joel just stares into middle distance, his large eyes glittering. 

"I made a promise to always be there for Sarah and I intend on keeping it," you explain in a tight voice. "So I'll talk to her on the phone anytime. Maybe you can bring her to a park and I can meet her there. Or if you're comfortable with it maybe I could take her to the arcade or somewhere she'd like." 

It takes everything in Joel to stay focused, to swallow the thick knot in his throat, his eyes shut. 

"So, you're just never gonna come to my place again?" 

He wishes that didn't sound so needy, so devastated. 

"Paul isn't comfortable with me in your house."

This changes something in Joel's disposition. His back goes straight and his eyes narrow. His grip on the phone tightens. 

"What? Why?"

"He says you're violent," you reply evenly. "And after you punched him in the face for no reason at Sarah's party I'm inclined to agree." 

Joel's blinking at that because it's as if you've punched him across the jaw. Then all at once the wounded look is gone from his eyes, replaced with a hard shell. 

"You know why I punched Paul?" Joel rasps. "Because he was thanking me for letting you spend time with Sarah. He thanked me for it because he said that now you'd be more open to getting knocked up."

He hears nothing but silence on the other end of the phone. 

"So are you?" Joel demands even though he knows it's not his place. "You gonna ride my thigh and come for me and then go marry Paul? Have his kids?" 

More silence.  Only the faraway sounds of someone typing and muted barking from outside of what he assumes is your office window. 

"You tell Paul yet by the way?" Joel asks you, his voice the sharpened edge of a steel blade. "You tell him how wet you were for me in my kitchen?"

He hears the catch in your throat, the shameful way you swallow. He doesn't need to see you to know that you're blushing, your eyes on the ground. 

"No."

"Right," Joel says with a scoff. He can hear the recrimination; almost feel your temper rising over the phone.

"Oh and I'm supposed to believe that you told Tess?"

"I told her we kissed before Sarah's party."

You're shocked by this, so shocked you must momentarily forget to be angry at Joel because your voice has lost its chilly edge.  

"She... What did she say?"

"Doesn't matter," Joel replies, looking grimly down at his feet. "None of it fucking matters."

Before he can continue Sarah appears around the corner, holding Toad. She looks up at her father to see his mouth set in an angry line. 

"Daddy what's wrong?"

"Nothing babygirl," Joel says, clearing his throat. "Just talking to a friend."

"Is that Sarah?" You ask over the line and Joel can actually hear you soften. "Can I talk to her?" 

Joel looks to Sarah staring up at him and tells her it's you. She smiles widely and he helps her into the chair next to him before handing her the phone. She takes it, not used to people calling for her so this feels momentous. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi bug," you say warmly when you hear her little voice come through the line. Joel can hear you faintly from where he sits and hearing the sweet nickname makes him blink rapidly. "Any chance you wanna go for ice cream this week?"

Sarah's large hazel eyes are stuck on her dad, looking at him warily even as she speaks to you. 

"Can daddy come?"

Joel's face drops a fraction at Sarah's request, bracing himself. He hears you stutter on the other line. 

"I uh, thought maybe we could just do a girls day," you say, trying to sound jovial. “Just you and me.”

Sarah had smiled at the first sound of your voice on the phone and she is normally so excited, so eager to spend time with you. But right now she can't stop looking at her dad who tries to smile at her but only manages to crack a weak curl of his mouth. 

"Go on, babygirl. You can say yes."

Large hazel eyes scan his face slowly before Sarah shakes her head. 

"No, thank you."

You're both taken aback by the clarity in her young voice. You can hear her place the phone down on the kitchen table before Joel brings her into his arms, giving her a quizzical look. 

"Since when don't you want ice cream?" 

Sarah toys with one of the buttons on her father's shirt. She shrugs non committal. 

"She wants to see you, Sarah, your favorite person."

Sarah shakes her head, unseen by you. 

"You're  my favorite person, daddy."

Joel feels his chest tighten at that and he gives her a watery smile, his large hand dwarfing her cheek as he cups it. 

"And you're mine, babygirl." 

He presses a kiss to her forehead. Sarah looks at the phone sitting there on the table for a moment and Joel's thinks she's going to say something else to you but she only looks back to him. 

"Daddy I wanna go watch Beauty and the Beast."

A still shocked Joel lowers Sarah to the ground so she can scamper off to the DVD collection. Joel watches after her a moment before picking up the phone in confusion. 

"I don't know what happened," Joel starts. "She uh-"

"It's okay," you say with a tremble in your voice that he can hear over the line. "It's fine. Just tell her that I love her."

The phone goes dead. 

///

Things feel bad. 

Sarah sits watching Chip dancing with Belle but Sarah isn't focused on that. Her mind is still back in the kitchen with Daddy. 

She came into the kitchen moments ago to see her big strong father collapsed in a chair, his head in one hand, the other pressing the phone tightly to his ear. 

Daddy's eyes are so sad today. He doesn't smile right when he looks at Sarah and hands her the phone. His voice sounds funny when he urges her to go for ice cream.

And even though Sarah wants to go with you for ice cream, she doesn't want her daddy here at home alone. 

She hears her daddy talking to you in the other room, his voice a low murmur before he hangs up. 

She hopes he won't call miss Tess for a playdate. Sarah is sick of Daniel and her. Sick of her too-tight hugs and teeth-baring smiles. Sick of Tess' whispers about how she can't wait to take Sarah to the mall and spend some one on one time together. (No thanks). 

Sarah doesn't want to go with Tess anywhere. She just wants you here.

Sarah really doesn't like it when Tess asks about you. When were you last here? Do you and Daddy spend a lot of time together? Does daddy talk about you a lot?

Sarah never answers Tess. It feels like a trick. It feels weird that she asks that at all. 

Sarah thinks of the photo under her pillow. The one she'd asked Auntie Maria to print out for her. The one she has been looking at and talking to each night since her birthday. 

When will the three of you be together again? She's tired of waiting. 

Sarah's attention is drawn back to the dancing cutlery on the screen and these thoughts fade, leaving her for now. 

///

You leave work that day and you need to speak to someone. The gentle rejection of Sarah is playing on your mind. The information Joel shared with you about Paul. 

It's all too much.

You need to talk to someone. Maria and Tommy are busy with wedding stuff. Your mom has her hands full and Alex is just a coworker. It's this which has you stumbling up the stairs of your neighbors house, ringing the doorbell with a desperate intensity.

Please be home. Please be-

Bill opens the door, his brows tight in the middle. He's dressed in a threadbare t-shirt with holes around the collar. 

"What?'

"Can I talk to Frank?"

"He's at a gallery opening," Bill replies. You think he's going to tell you off for bothering him during his time of solitude but then he tilts his head to better peer into your face. "You been crying?"

No point in lying. "A little."

"Better come inside, then."

You watch Bill turn on his heel for the kitchen, pausing when you don't immediately follow. His face shows extreme irritation at you hanging back, unsure. 

"You're letting bugs in. Come in and close the fucking door."

Bill and Frank's house always smells like how you'd imagine the inside of a small French bakery to smell. Cinnamon and coffee some days, peppermint or bread others. Today as you follow Bill inside towards the kitchen it smells of sweet confection, like icing sugar and vanilla. 

You glance at the counter, your eyes drawn to the paper there. It's a sketch of a three tiered cake, forest themed. Your eyes widen at the detail. 

"Whoa what is all this?"

"Your friend's wedding cake. Well, a sketch of an idea I had that Frank did up for me." Bill looks critically at this idea committed to paper before shrugging. "Makin' cupcakes for the rehearsal dinner. Working on the trial batch today." 

"They'll be delicious," you confirm knowing it to be true without even seeing them. Everything Bill makes is delicious. 

"Here. Test one." Bill points at the table and you take a seat, grateful for the delicious pale pink cupcake he slides to you. 

"Strawberry," he tells you with a small quirk of his lips as you bring it to your mouth. "Frank's favorite." 

It's heaven. Plain and simple this is heaven in a baked good. Flavors explode in your tongue a mix of sweet and tangy that combines to make your taste buds dance in delight.

"Holy shit."

Bill gives one of his trademark smiles, one so faint you barely see it under his beard. He's pleased. You take another bite, your eyes closing as the onslaught of divine taste overwhelms you. It's like you can actually feel love in every bite. 

Bill takes a seat across from you, watching your closed eyes and the serene look on your face. He almost hates to interrupt it. 

"So why the tears?" Bill says cutting down to the business at hand. 

You can tell this is already painful for him and a part of you wonders if this is Frank's influence. You can almost imagine the slender man giving Bill detailed instructions on what to do if one of their neighbors comes over in a panic.

"Uh, I don't. . . " 

You look back at your cupcake, thinking that if you just take another bite it will buy you time. Bill seems to sense this because his beefy fingers are on the delicate china, pulling it back to his side of the table. 

When minutes tick by and you still don't explain he gives a soft exhale through his nose.

"Just say it."

"Say what?"

"You got feelings for that contractor. Joe."

You stare open-mouthed at Bill. 

"Joel," you finally correct him. "And no. Why would you say that?"

Bill gives an impatient sigh, drumming his wide fingers on the table. 

"Last time you were here. Seemed pretty obvious to me." 

"Bill, I'm engaged to Paul. I'm moving in with Paul. My life is with Paul."

Bill heaves another heavy sigh, rubbing at his face as if he's having the most painful interaction of his life. Knowing Bill, this may just be true. 

"Paul's a fucking dud."

You bark out a laugh at Bill's sharp appraisal. Then you immediately sober, guilt going through you. 

"Bill-"

"I don't understand," Bill says and you can tell its earnest. "You care for each other. I could see that plain as day when you were here with him."

"He's with someone else. So am I."

Bill nods, his face unreadable. It’s the kind of face that holds no emotion, good or bad. The kind of face you feel you can speak to without judgment.

"Even if we both were single I just don't think I'm good for Joel," you say looking at your lap. Bill’s chair creaks as he tilts forward.

"You want him?" 

"Of course I want him," you finally say, your voice trembling as you say it out loud. "But Tess makes so much more sense for him. She has a kid; she'll be a natural mother to Sarah. And I've hurt Joel. I've hurt him in ways that he doesn't deserve." 

Bill is quiet at this, regarding your splotchy face. He doesn't know you as well as Frank might, he doesn't even know your last name, but there's something in you right now that reminds Bill so much of himself it shakes him. 

It's why he doesn't roll his eyes or tell you to quit with the hysterics. It's why he folds his hands on the table and fixes you with a look a father would give a daughter and says your name real quiet until you finally look over at him. 

"I used to own that hardwood shop on Lamar Blvd, years ago. Frank used to come in to get spirits for his oil painting. First time I met him I thought he was fucking annoying. Talked too much."

You give Bill a watery smile. Yes, that sounds right to you. 

"But I figure this guy'll never come back and I won’t have to suffer the headache, plus he was buying lots" Bill continues, his voice laden with faux irritation. "So I put up with him. But then next month he's back. More supplies, more talking. And he does this for a year. A full fucking year of me grouching at him while he yammers on about everything under the sun until one afternoon I can't stand it and I just kiss him to shut him up."

Your eyes are wide, your heart pounding as you imagine this. You try to envision Bill and Frank a decade ago, younger, softer.

"Then of course I pretend it was nothing. I hid. Didn't want everyone knowing I was into guys," Bill explains. "Two years we danced around it. Two years of secret meetings in hotels and then stretches of silence. Two years of pushing and pulling and we couldn't stop. Each time we thought we should just walk away it was just seeing each other and. . ."

Bill raises his hands between you circling the air as he tries to explain this connection, this deep abiding love but he can't. Words aren't enough for it. 

"I couldn't understand why he was always coming back. I thought Why is this guy still after me? Why would he want me? I'm a grumpy asshole who hates people. But Frank kept coming into the shop, kept breaking down those walls and then one day you know what changed?"

You shake your head.

"I thought Frank is a smart guy. Smarter 'n me in a lot of ways. So if this smart guy is telling me he wants me, why am I so arrogant to assume he's wrong or that I know better?" Bill twitches a brow as he looks at you. "Now I don't know Joel all that well, but I can tell he's a man who knows his own mind. So if you tell him how you feel he'll be honest back. But maybe you're worried about what you'll hear, good or bad." 

“It’s not just that.”

You will the tears back. You swallow them. You blink them away when they try to sneak out the corners of your eyes. 

"There's an ugliness in me, Bill," you finally say with a catch in your voice. "Something that makes me want what I shouldn't. A really ugly selfishness."

You think back to Joel in your arms, his mouth on yours. You think of how he looked above you, his eyes open and beautiful. And you remember that this was stolen time. Stolen from another woman, a better woman.

"Is it the same thing that made you bake cupcakes for his kid? Or spend hours of your time with her?"

You're silent at this appraisal. 

"Is it the way you put yourself in shitty situations just so your friend can be happy?" Bill notices your look of surprise. "Yeah, Frank tells me a lot."

You've never had Bill talk to you this long. You can't stop staring at him. 

"Or maybe it's the way that you probably love this man more than you want to admit and you'd still stay away from him because you think he'd be happier without you," Bill finishes. "Is that the selfishness you're talking about? Because if it is, I think you might be fucking insane."

When the sobs suddenly overtake you, Bill doesn't rush to hug you. It's not his way. 

Instead he watches as your body curls, your head held in your hands. As you let out all the ugly you've been holding in, Bill's hand comes to rest on your shoulder patting softly. 

"Don't make the same mistake I did," he urges you. "Tell him soon. Don't wait."

How can you explain to Bill that it isn't that easy? That he and Frank fit like pieces from a long lost puzzle.

With you and Joel sometimes it seems intrinsic so fucking fated you could write poems about it. Other days it's so hard you feel handcuffed to a boulder. 

Isn't love supposed to be easy? 

But then you look at Bill and Frank and their love that takes your breath away and you think on Bill's story. Maybe, just maybe love is something you have to fight for. 

But you can't fight for Joel. You can't. You love him and because you love him you know you have to let him go. Joel, flower giving, sweet kissing, patient Joel deserves all the good things. 

Paul is what someone like you deserves. 

You stop yourself from hugging Bill as he walks you to the door minutes later mumbling about how he'll see you at the rehearsal dinner. 

You walk home with puffy eyes and a heavy heart. 

[esamastation]

Part thirty-one of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty

-

They've landed in Wutai after a frankly miserable plane ride in a windowless, seat-less troop carrier - which, why even call it a troop carrier when it's clearly not designed to be carrying people? The thing is filled with boxes and stuff, there was barely enough room to move!

Guess that's what happens with last minute takeoffs - you get what you get.

The first few minutes onboard were fine and kinda novel - being on a plane at all was kind of a mind trip, because, heh, plane, Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky, eat your heart out! But then it became just hours upon hours of boredom in a rattling tube of metal. Sword flying is clearly a superior mode of transport.

"We will have your things delivered to wherever you're going to be staying," Reno says, waving them off the plane, hiis attention fixed on one of the bigger boxes. "Rude, come give me a hand with this…"

"We should -" Rude starts to say, looking at the SOLDIERs.

"Yeah, yeah, now come give me a hand with this."

Angeal gives them an awkward, slightly relieved smile and then claps Sephiroth on the shoulder. "We better get out of the way," he says, and together they exit the plane.

Sephiroth had been bracing himself for a warfront, Angeal had even told him what to expect, but he… didn't actually know what that entailed.

Shinra troops had taken over a small town at the foot of Tamblin Mountain sometime in the past and are now using it as their forward base. That's where they land - in a dirt runway cut into the forest, just by the town. And it's…

It reminds him of old movies, the mixture of vaguely mixed Asian style buildings, with these modern canvas tents pitched in between them and on the roads. There are trucks that totally aren't jeeps that have worn grooves into soft  streets, unprepared for such traffic, making everything messy and muddy. They've erected fences all over the place, sectioning parts off, and there are  floodlights everywhere. There's also  robots patrolling the place. 

In the distance, on the rolling hills somewhere to the west, there are rice paddies and behind them mountains. All around them there's a lush wall of green that looks almost like a rainforest. It actually might be rainforest! It would fit the allegory!

The mental, ethnic vertigo is so strong for a moment that Sephiroth doesn't know which way to turn to look. He doesn't know what to think. Mostly he just feels kinda… unnerved.

Angeal returns to his side before he even realises he'd gone somewhere. "I talked to the Colonel. Come on," Angeal says, clapping him on the shoulder. "They've set up a place for us. We'll… debrief there."

"... Hn," Sephiroth answers, and follows him.

There's a lot of Shinra troops milling about, infantry mostly, but some SOLDIER Seconds and Thirds too. They all stop to stare. Some of them look excited, but most just look tired and dirty and worn.

Sephiroth wonders if the Colonel is in charge of them. Actually, it might be that they're now in charge of everyone here! They're SOLDIERs First Class. Isn't that the highest rank? He can't remember if Sephiroth being a General was fanon or canon, but hasn't he been involved with the war since the beginning?

Would he have to give orders now, orders to march, to fight… to kill?

Angeal shows him to a house that was clearly someone's home before Shinra took the place over. It's a single room with tatami floors and rice paper walls, and the military bunks clash with the aesthetic horribly. Their pillows are clearly seat cushions.

There's a fancy looking kimono stand that's being used to hang bags and ammo satchels.

"What happened to the people who lived here?" Sephiroth can't help but ask, staring at the stand and wondering where the kimono had gone.

"They abandoned the town ahead of the troops," Angeal says.

Sephiroth looks at him and then at the room. Did they really, or is that a nicer thought than they were all executed? "... Right," he says and picks up the seat cushions from the bunk, piling them up in the corner - wondering if there was a table here, and what happened to it.

"Are you alright?" Angeal asks.

Probably not! "What's our mission here?" Sephiroth asks, picking up bags and satchels from the stand and carrying them outside.

"... We have a day to acclimate. After that, there's a number of things that need to be accomplished," Angeal says, subdued, and takes out his phone. "We can start slow - there's no major engagements being planned just now, no one will mind."

"Mn, and what does starting slow mean?" Sephiroth asks, as he picks up stuff around the hut and gets rid of it.

"Well, there's a number of monster extermination requests around here - Wutai wildlife is high-level, and it's rumoured that they're being intentionally bred by Wutai people. They've been attacking patrols."

Sephiroth gets rid of most of the random crap in the hut and then considers the bunk beds. They're ugly and probably unpleasant, but… they have to sleep somewhere. 

It takes just one swing of Masamune to improve the situation immensely.

"Um," Angeal says as Sephiroth finishes separating the beds and moves one of them to the other side of the hut. "... Why?"

"I am not sleeping in a bunk bed," Sephiroth says simply and looks around. "... Do you think they have folding screens around here?"

 Angeal arches his brows. "I don't know for sure. I suppose we could ask around? I think there's a storage house where they've put the collected, um," he clears his throat. "Things that will be sent to Midgar eventually. Maybe we can requisition some of it."

Things to be sent to Midgar…  that's nice. That's a nice way to say the spoils of war, huh. 

Sephiroth looks away. It's the way of war, he knows that, nothing unusual about it. It happened in PIDW too - cut out all the smut and stupidity, and all Binghe did was plunder and loot and pillage. When he wasn't being handed tributes, anyway. It's just par for the course! Right? Right…

"You…" Angeal starts and then sighs and puts the phone away. "How about I'll go get a screen for you, if there's any available. Do you want anything else?" He sounds very indulgent and understanding.

"Two screens. And a table," Sephiroth says without facing him, feeling like a sullen little kid being placated. "... Thank you. Can you ask someone to get rid of the - stuff outside?"

"I'll take care of it," Angeal promises. "You just… take a moment to make yourself comfortable, okay? There's no rush."

Aka, pull yourself together, man, you're looking really pitiful right now. Thanks, Angeal-bro.

Sephiroth's waits until Angeal is gone before sinking down to sit on one of the beds, putting his head in his hands.

Though they'd not seen much from the plane, what with it not having windows and all, he can see it in his mind's eye now. Burned villages smoking in the jungle, scorched fields, muddy paddies ruined. He'd never cared much for any kind of war stuff, but he'd seen his share of first person shooters and letsplays.

It all feels very real all of a sudden.

And he's supposed to be the Big Bad here! The Demon of Wutai! Who knows how many people he's already killed in this war! And sure, it is a war, and that's what happens, and yeah, he has killed before as Shen Qingqiu, but -!

Going to war on behalf of the America-allegory of the situation? The invader, the hostile occupier, the - the evil planet-sucking dystopian megacorporation?!

Dragging his hands down his face, Sephiroth sighs and looks up.

There are calligraphy scrolls hung up on each side of the door. One reads Integrity and the other Honour. Sephiroth stares at them miserably for a long moment.

Yeah.

He's so going to end up defecting here, isn't he? Four days, four days in this world, and he's doing to fuck up the whole plot, right here and now. It must be some kind of record! But where the fuck will be even defect to? The Demon of Wutai, hello?! The locals probably want his head on a spike!

"I am so fucked," he mutters wretchedly and hangs his head.