#i couldn't stand to leave this thread waiting any longer

[wonderlandwalker]

Soon and Sooner | Finnick Odair x Reader

THG Masterlist / Inbox

Summary: Finnick makes his way back to you after the arena separated the two of you last night. He is worried about your safety in a place as cruel as this, but he knows in his heart he'll see you soon again. Turns out it wasn't exactly the reunion he had hoped for.

Content Warnings / Tags: Angst, violence, blood, wounds, mentions of death, hurt with no comfort, no use of y/n

Word Count: 1.7k

A/N: I don't know how to write long fics I'm sorry, but enjoy this piece of heartbreak that's been stuck in my head xx

Whether or not today was a good day depends on at what point of that day you asked. Finnick was alone, as alone as someone can be in the arena. He wonders at which point a greater plan is at work, and at which point it's a coincidence, but the more he thinks about it, the less he wants to. Maybe you had been separated on purpose, singling everyone out for a carefully curated show, maybe this was simply how things were meant to be. It doesn't matter either way, he tells himself, because he'll find his way back to you soon enough

The leaves rustled around him, and if he had been home the melody would have calmed him, but not here. It wasn't relaxing in the same way a breeze is on a summer day by the lakes, not serene any longer. In the arena it only put him on the edge further, dangerously close to the edge. He had last seen you yesterday, having no choice but to go in opposite directions. But that wasn't what worried him, because he knows how to find his way back, recalls the direction of the rendezvous you were probably waiting at already, all he had to do was get there too.

So he went on, only taking small breaks to refill his water, check his surroundings, make sure he would live to be with you once more. As the day passed and he got closer to his destination, he found himself growing negligent, deciding to worry later about the cut on his leg from the thick branches, not bothering to thread carefully over the ground anymore. He was growing restless, desperate.

It didn't take long for Finnick before he could already see the beach coming closer, determination carrying him far. With every step closer he couldn't deny his growing worry, his worry for you. He knew for sure you had survived the attack yesterday, your picture had not been shown in the sky and he had felt relieved, but this morning there was  a cannon, and he had no idea who that belonged to. He thinks he would know, somehow, if it had been you, that his heart was so irrevocably tied to yours he would have felt the string being cut, but that doesn't stop him from wondering, what if it had been you. What if you had been left with a fatal wound that claimed your life after hours of agony, what if there had been another attack, what if-. No, he would know, and he knows he'll see you again soon, so he continues on.

As he turned through the clearing, he could see you standing there, laughing at some joke Johanna had made. The two of you had always had a soft spot for each other, finding family in even the most dire of circumstances. As he finally saw you, the band around his heart released, no longer being tugged at with every step he took. As he finally got closer to you, he called out for you, knowing you’d reach out for him with the same amount of vigor. As he finally reached out for you, so close to having you in his arms once more, he was lost in the sight of you turning around, beaming at him, only for your expression to drop faster than his heart could. He hadn’t even seen it, hadn’t even thought about it, his sole focus on finding you. If he had paid more attention he might have remembered that he was not alone in this arena, that there were people here hunting you, that he was sharing delicate secrets by shouting them loudly, his mind too clouded by its current storm to even begin predicting the next.

He blinked once, twice, but your eyes were wide, no hesitation as you rushed forward. His mind tricking him with a false narrative of ease in a moment where he should have known better. You rushed for him, and he expected the sweet relief of holding you in his arms, but all you did was reach for his shoulders, spinning him around and out of the path of the tribute he could now see retreating back into the forest. He should have known better than to get lost in the euphoria of your presence, you’d always lecture him for it, ranting about how you’re not worth dying for. As he looked back over to you, expecting you to tell him exactly that and kiss him when he’d promise not to do it again, he wasn't smiling anymore either. His bubble shattered into pieces like the sand he was standing on, joining it in hopes that never came to be.

It was as if you hadn't blocked the hit at all, as if the dagger had found its way into his heart regardless. At first he didn't even see it, too caught up in the look of pain on your face, too determined to fix it for you, but he looked down to see he had assigned himself an impossible task.

He felt like a statue, ever forced to watch the violence of mankind without means of intervering. He wanted to envelop you in his arms and whisper assurances to you, but he was too scared that his white lies would be too crimson from the blood that was dripping down onto the beach. The beach, a place that held so many memories of the both of you, now forever stained by this single day.

Simple seconds ticked by, time he once thanked, betraying him. You dropped to the ground like a wave collapsing in on itself, holding a power too great that must now be returned. And the moment it did, the second your now limp body hit the sand beneath you, finding its final destination, he screamed once more. Maybe it was the shock being forced to wear off too soon, maybe it was the denial he didn't want to leave, but the sight before his own eyes was one he could no longer ignore.

He rushed for you, sliding onto his knees as he reached for you, shouting in agony for you to stand back up, to smile at him and cup his jaw like you always did when he was worried. He yelled at those around him, the people he called his friends, doing nothing to save you. And if he had been paying more attention, he would have heard the cannon just like them, would have heard the sound signaling it no longer mattered, because you were already gone. If he had been level headed he would have known that he was only attracted more attention from the other tributes out there, not that it would have mattered, he would have gladly stayed here for them to kill him, maybe he would have even wished for it, because his world would forever be incomplete without you. He would spend eternity searching for you even if he knew it was fruitless, because to him, you were absolutely worth dying for. Not that you’d let him, you would have never let him, you would lay down your own life before letting him sacrifice his, but he could do without the cruel reminder. 

Yes, he should have realized it was too late, but he couldn't, he couldn't hear anything other than the ringing in his ears from how loud he was screaming for you, desperate for you to comfort him, already longing to feel your fingers sifting through his hair, the one thing that calmed him down when nothing else could. He could feel someone reaching out to him, and he wished they were here to let him join you, wondering if you’d ever forgive him if he indulged the thought. But the touch didn’t bring relief, it was simply another painful truth trying to pull him into a now worthless world. 

He could hear them now, hear them talking about having to move, about getting him to move, it only made him cling to you harder. He could no longer feel your muscles confulsing in slight twitches against his fingers, the stillness was unsettling, but he wouldnt dare let go.

If only he could see the rose flush disappearing from your cheeks, the glimmer in your eyes fading to join the others amongst the stars, here you were, finally in his arms again, but he didn’t enjoy the feeling like he thought he would, here you were, reunited yet never having been able to say hello, never even being able to say goodbye. He wonders if he shouldn't have stopped to drink water from the stream he had passed, thinks about how he could have walked faster, not worried about a time limit he hadn’t even known existed, he ponders the possibilities from each and every second that had separated the two of you, every breath he took without you and every breath he’ll take longing for you now, wishing you’d be there to take it from him. Every step he took and every step he’ll be taking wishing you were at the end of it. 

He had been so sure he would see you soon, that you were still here because he could simply feel it, this time he felt it. He felt the connection being severed, and would spend the rest of his life holding on to his end of it. Would wonder for eternity what would happen if he'd only gotten here sooner.

[dawneternal]

Just a Favor | pt 6 | Gwynriel

✦ This one is short but the next one has smut so it evens out lol

✦ Warnings: vague talk of intimacy (discussing accepting the bond)

✦ Word Count: 1k

✦ AO3 Link

✦ Masterlist

Gwyn and Azriel made their way back to the House of Wind later that night. Between kisses and laughter and talking, far more time had passed than they had realized. Both were surrounded in a happy glow, oblivious to everything but the contented hum of the bond. They could not bear to separate just yet, settling into the private library at the House to talk to just a little longer.

All the while, Gwyn was planning her own moment. She was determined to sweep him away as he had done for her.

Azriel woke late the next morning, so late that training had ended a half hour before. At first, the only thing he could feel was that glimmering golden thread. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, blinking in the bright sunlight.

That happiness faded a little as he caught sight of his shadows. They were restless, like they'd been up before him and waiting for him to wake. And one was missing.

He jumped up from the bed and quickly pulled on his clothes, running a hand through his bed-head to smooth it down. He grabbed a pair of boots, stuffed clean socks into them, and ran out of his room.

Nesta and Cassian lounged in the sitting room off of the kitchen. Their heads snapped up in tandem, eyes dragging over him.

“Have you seen Gwyn?” He asked, the words coming out in a rush. He did not know how to explain why he knew that Gwyn and the missing shadow would be in the same place. A gut feeling, he supposed.

“She left a while ago,” Nesta watched him with an expression he couldn't name, “I don't know where though.”

Azriel grimaced and turned on his heel in the direction of the balcony.

“See you in a while, brother,” Cassian chuckled. And then grumbled when Nesta elbowed him.

Azriel ignored them both, tugging on his socks and boots, knotting the laces as quickly as he could. His shadows buzzed with energy.

Take me to her. He pleaded. He couldn't tell if they were worried or excited, another unusual thing. He could always read them well.

Priestess. Valkyrie. Love. Was their response.

The shadows carried him toward the mountains. He found himself standing on the edge of a green meadow, shrouded in mist. The sky overhead was filled with deep grey clouds, threatening to overflow at any moment.

And there was Gwyn, standing beside a picnic blanket, draped in a gauzy white dress with flowers in her hair. She smiled at him, her teal eyes and copper hair so bright against the green and grey around her. The missing shadow swirled around her body.

Relief filled Azriel's being, the rest of his shadows dancing to meet her and their lost friend. She was alright.

“What is this?” He asked, a smile spreading as he walked toward her. A large picnic basket sat in the grass beside the blanket. Thunder rumbled in the distance but he barely heard it.

“They found you,” Gwyn grinned, clasping her hands together. She looked so beautiful like this, the flowy dress hugging her curves and fluttering around her shoulders and ankles. The flowers tucked into her braids matched the ones dotted through the meadow.

“I have no idea why one of my shadows decided to leave and pester you,” He shook his head, resisting the urge to reach out and pull her close. To feel her form beneath his hands.

“Oh, I called it,” She said, eyes gleaming as she tilted her head to the side, “I needed help with my surprise.”

Azriel stared at her in awe. It hardly seemed possible, and yet….Gwyn was full of surprises. Gentle scattered raindrops began to fall around them.

“I didn't think it would rain,” She wrinkled her nose, “The clouds gathered so fast. We may have to rethink the location.”

“What's the surprise?” Azriel swallowed hard, looking down at the picnic basket. Dare he hope?

“I made food,” She said softly, suddenly shy, “I asked Cassian what kinds of foods they cook for each other in the camps and he said sourdough bread was one of them. So I made sourdough bread.”

She gestured toward the basket. Azriel could not help the thing stirring in his stomach.

“But…” He started, his voice low and gravelly, “The bond…if I eat it, then-”

“I know,” Gwyn blushed and took a step toward him, fiddling with her dress, “I realized that I am ready. If it was anyone else, maybe not. But since it's you….”

She locked eyes with him, shy and searching. His gaze was full of desire, admiration, and disbelief that she was his. The rain was becoming more steady, now, making the fabric of her dress see through and revealing the freckled skin underneath. Azriel did not think he minded the rain so much.

“But I…” He said, cursing his brain for being overcome by the shape of her body in that dress, “And you-”

“Azriel,” Gwyn cut him off, “I packed a bag.”

“You…packed a bag?” He repeated. He noticed for the first time the backpack sitting beside the picnic basket. How observant he was, today.

“Yes,” She chuckled, “With clothes and tonic. And Rhysand told Clotho I will be gone. I made you food and I packed a bag.”

Azriel took a shaky breath and brought his hands to rest on her waist. She tossed her arms around his neck and smiled up at him with rosy cheeks.

“So whisk me away, shadowsinger,” She whispered, leaning in so close that her lips nearly brushed his.

“Where to, Valkyrie?” He said, “There's a few options.”

“I will not honeymoon in the House of Wind and subject myself to that teasing,” She pursed her lips, eyes twinkling. The raindrops fell heavier, a few sparkling in her hair like dew drops.

“Then there's my apartment in Velaris, or the cabin in the mountains,” He was not particularly fond of the idea of Nesta and Cassian meddling with things.

“I am very intrigued by your secret apartment, but the cabin sounds farthest away from prying eyes. And if we don't get out of the rain soon, my bread will be ruined.”

“Cabin it is,” Azriel reluctantly let her go and tossed her backpack over his shoulder. She gathered the blanket and basket in her arms and tucked her hand into his.

She gave him one more wide grin before they winnowed, and Azriel's heart was so full it ached.

[thepaintedlady00]

The Sandman and The Girl Without Dreams

Chapter 15: Crossroads of Fate and Grace

TW: mentions of depression, suspense, dark images, slight horror, Destiny is cryptic af, Desire is an absolute ASS, manipulation, mentions of alcohol, drugs, kissing, hickeys, bad thoughts, minor suicide attempt (nothing graphic)

Once again I have to give a huge thanks to @true-queen-of-mischief for all the help with these two chapters! You are amazing and I adore you! 🥰🥺 Just a small note, I did a quick edit so if there are any mistakes I apologize! Please enjoy everyone!

The realm of Destruction was a quiet and lonely place. It made me wonder if it had always been that way, or if it simply was forever mourning the loss of its maker. Olethros… Destruction… As angry as I still was at him for abandoning me I couldn’t help but miss him in the time I spent among the little that remained of his belongings. Curled up on the bed I inhaled the smell of Pierres smoke, letting the last remnants of him soothe the ache of the numb space that once was filled with stardust and wonder and love… the space that had belonged to Dream.

It had been three days since I left Hobs house. Three days spent in the crumbling realm without a sound save my breaths and occasional crying. Even when I tried to sleep I couldn't, perhaps Dream had found a way to punish me by taking my sleep. I'd stopped crying, too exhausted to do it any longer. At one point I'd even walked around the museum, hoping that maybe just maybe Olethros would sense me here and come to offer me comfort or at the very least a decent fight. But, I remained alone, my thoughts never able to stray far from Dream.

God, he’s probably so angry with me. I thought, curling up even more. Would me leaving be enough for him to finally hate me? Would I even be welcome to go back now? A thousand questions and worries swirled in my head, all of them slowly consuming me bit by bit until a voice echoed around me. “Penelope.”

I sat up, looking around the space for a moment. The voice was faint but familiar, soft and pleading as if it was asking for permission to be heard. "Weaver, can you hear me?"

"Destiny?" I answered softly, pulling up the threads to find his glowing brightly in front of me. I reached out, setting my hand on it and closing my eyes, focusing as I had before on Destiny.

The sunshine lit up the green hedges and butterflies greeted me as I moved through the maze. Destiny was already waiting for me, standing with his back turned and his eyes cast up at Dreams statue. I watched him for a moment, taking in the way he held the book tightly, the way his shoulders tensed. "Des?"

"Penelope," he answered softly, turning to offer me a small smile. "I apologize for having called you here at such a difficult time."

Of course he knew. I shook my head. "Has Lyria returned?"

A flash of sorrow passed over his face. "No, but a friend of yours visited me with something for you."

"A friend?"

A loud caw echoed in the courtyard and Destiny moved aside to reveal Matthew perched beside the stone raven at Dreams feet. He perked up visibly at the sight of me. "Hey, Penny, it's good to see you "

I smiled at him. "You too, Smokey."

"Don't worry, the boss isn't watching. He's busy."

"Is he…" I took a deep breath, trying to reign in the tears that stung my eyes. "Is he angry?"

Matthew tilted his head a bit. "I think it's more hurt than it is anger. The Dreaming took quite a blow after you left though. I've never felt winds so cold."

Panic settled into my gut. "Is everyone alright? I can come back-"

"No, no, everyone's alright. We're proud of you. All of us."

I shook my head. "Proud? Of what? I left… I…"

"You stood up to him," he answered. "You called him out on his shitty punishment for Gault, his attitude towards the people… And his refusal to let you be what you are, the heart of The Dreaming."

"He is the heart of The Dreaming." I sighed.

"And yet everything only started falling apart after you left." He argued. "Look, all I'm saying is you're just as important as he is, and, well, we have your back."

He tapped his beak on the book he stood on. "Lucienne found it?"

Matthew moved, letting me lift the book up to examine it. "It's not the book you were looking for, but Storm heard from some nightmare or human, someone, that this book could help you find the other one."

"Ahh, a good old treasure hunt!" I cheered halfheartedly. "Just what I need."

"I'm sorry, Penny." The raven said. "I wish I could stay and help you out but…"

"But the second Dream finishes whatever he's doing and sees me through you, he'll hunt me down and drag me back to The Dreaming so he can scold me?" I finished for him.

Matthew shifted a little. "I don't think he'd drag you back… Not immediately that is."

I smiled down at him and smoothed a hand over his feathers. "Thank you, Matthew. Keep an eye on them for me, even Dream… Especially Dream."

"You got it, Penny." He moved to take off but paused, looking up at me with glistening black eyes. "Be careful and… When you're ready, come home."

"I will," I promised. "Tell Lucienne and Storm I said thank you."

I watched the raven fly off for a moment before turning to Destiny and showing him the book. "Is this going to be helpful?"

His misty eyes looked at the book and then to me. "Perhaps."

"I know you know," I said with a sigh. "Could you just this once help me without the riddles?"

"No." His fingers curled tightly around his book. "I am afraid I cannot interfere. Whatever paths you tread now you must do so alone. As much as I long…" He stopped himself. "My garden is open to you, Weaver, should you choose to stay here."

I sighed and set my hand on his shoulder. "I'll find a way to bring her back, Des, I promise."

As I turned to leave, following the green thread I could have sworn I heard him whisper, "She is not the one I fear for."

When I turned to ask what he meant he was gone. I kept going, returning to Destruction's realm and settling back on the bed, opening the book to start looking for answers. It was long winded and boring, but it helped occupy me enough that the thoughts of Dream were pushed to the back of my mind, for a little while at least. 

The book revealed a lot of history, realms and names I'd never heard of. It painted the picture of a vibrant world, full of life and loyal subjects and an ambitious god that ruled. At one point this god's ambition grew too great. It made a deal with the devil, one so bad even Destiny couldn't stand aside. War broke out against a few gods, the devils demons and the Endless. It was how Dream got his helm and how Destiny earned the ire of the demon now possessing Lyria.

There in dark black ink a name was written. "Mephistopheles."

The realm shook around me, the whispers of the weapons outside the door grew louder until it stopped completely and dark mist oozed from the cracks of the doorframe. I set the book on the bed, grabbing my daggers and securing them on my thighs. This was no doubt going to lead somewhere bad and I sure as hell wasn't going in unprepared. I opened the door slowly and took a deep breath before moving through the mist and into the unknown that lay before me. It was dark, no light of any kind to be seen in any direction. A biting cold swept over me as I continued to move forward. I summoned the threads, using the golden light of the burning thread to guide me forward through the darkness until I reached the base of a stone ruin.

The dark mist filled the air, curling like vines over the staircase of cracked stone. I could hardly see my hand in front of my face the deeper I got into this strange place so I began relying solely on the glowing thread to guide me forward. Faces of fallen statues were overgrown with dark ivy plants and black flowers that seemed to curl up as I passed by with the light. What was this place? I asked myself, straining to see anything in the darkness ahead. 

The sound of something scratching against the stone echoed from the left, causing me to halt my steps. My heartbeat quickened as I waited, but silence had once again filled the stale air. Two steps forward and more scratching echoed, this time from the left and the right. Sickly gray shapes darted through the mist, running on all fours, visible for only a moment before vanishing into the darkness again.

I wasn't alone here. I forced myself to keep walking. One foot in front of the other. As I moved to take another step one of the shapes rose from the mist right in front of me. It was perfectly still for a moment before it tilted its head sharply to the right and then to the left. From what I could see it looked like a man, but as it turned toward me I had to stifle a startled noise at the sight of its facelessness. Smooth white skin stretched over a twisted mouth of sharp teeth, straining and tearing each time it opened its mouth.

It took a step towards me, leaning in and tilting its head a few more times. The smell of rotten corpses and sulfur filled my nose as it leaned even closer. Every inch of my skin rose up at the creature, my body itches at me to run and never look back but I stood still. Crumbling rocks echoed in the distance, the creature's head snapped to the noise and ran off towards it, five or more following it through the mist.

Okay, time to get the fuck out of here. I moved to turn around, but as I did another figure stood in the mist. This one was taller, with long clawed fingers. Its lidless eyes watched me and a wide smile spread on its face. Fuck. My hands gripped the blades on my thighs tightly as I kept eye contact with the beast. I expected it to lunge at me or perhaps call its friends but it did neither. Instead it knelt down, hunching over its too long legs and stretched out toward me. 

One long finger pointed at my forehead, a light emitting from the center of it. The light hit the creature's face, melting away its grotesque outward appearance to reveal a human face beneath it. Their eyes were frozen open, cheeks spilling with tears and their lips quivered as they said in a hoarse and ancient voice, "At last… You've come to free us, Penelope."

"You know me?" I whispered, throat dry and fingers curled around the hilts of my daggers.

"By name alone." The creature said. "A Weaver born of fate and dreams… Star kissed by the old goddess of the night. You alone have the power to free us."

More creatures stepped out from the mist, all twisted and deformed. "Who are you?"

Low painted moans filled the air. "We are the forgotten ones… The ones that did not contain the power to hold it."

"It?" I asked. "Meaning Mephistopheles?"

The creature twisted away from me, dragging its claws over its ears and writhing in pain. "Do not speak its name! Do not speak its name!"

Shrieks filled the air as all the other creatures reacted the same. The one in front of me slammed its hands down on either side of my body and its weeping face came inches in front of mine. "You are running out of time, Penelope. Climb the stairs. Find the book. Run."

"I don't understand."

"Climb the stairs. Find the book. Run. Climb the stairs. Find the book. Run." The creature continued to chant the words over and over again as it slid back into the mist and its voice faded away.

Cold wind howled, growing louder and more powerful as I moved up the steps. My heart pounded louder in my chest and the air felt thinner and thinner. This place was poisoned, the soil and the stone and these people… The creatures they were now, right down to the wind. Everything here was laced with a heavy darkness, powerful and old. I climbed higher until the stairs shifted into a flat space. It looked like a throne room, and there in the center of it was an altar with a black book sitting atop it. Shadow oozed from the pages, seeping down into the floor and seemingly filling the space. 

As I approached, a laugh echoed around me. "What's this? The little Weaver has come to my domain to play?" Get the book and get out. I reminded myself not to falter in my steps even as Lyria, the demon, appeared behind it. "Did you think I would just let you take it?"

"I'm leaving with that book." I said continuing my strides forward. “Mephistopheles.”

It laughed, coughing up a glob of black. "You’ve finally learned something interesting it seems, but you forget yourself Weaver. You cannot kill me, not without killing poor little Lyria.”

We stared one another down. “You tricked her, manipulated her fear and forced her to free you.”

“Of course I did. Weavers are the only ones strong enough to hold my power, all the others… as you’ve seen, bend to it.” She smiled. “Lyria was strong. In the beginning she fought so hard, but after her little tiff with Destiny she fled her home and slowly bent to me, just as you will.”

“I won’t bend to you, demon.”

“No, perhaps not. But, you will be staying here with me for eternity just like all the others."

It lunged over the altar toward me and I dodged to the side, just barely missing its claws. Making a dash towards the altar I grabbed the book just as it grabbed my arm and turned me to face it. The gold of Lyrias eyes greeted me as she fought against its hold. "Go."

"I'll come back for you," I promised her.

She smiled, a pained noise echoing from her. "Hurry!"

I ran as fast as I could, gripping the book tightly in my hands as I dodged the creatures that now seemed hell bent on catching me. The golden light led me through the darkness and back toward the open door, bathed in white light. I could hear the shrieks and scratching of everything lurking in the dark, I could feel them swiping at the air beneath my feet and behind my heels as I dove through the door and landed in the stone of Destiny's garden.

Panting and curling into the warmth of the ground I almost missed Destiny standing above me. I looked up at him and smiled. "I got it."

He gestured to my shoulder, "Not without paying a price."

I looked at the long jagged claw marks that now married my skin and sighed as the adrenaline began to wear off. "Ow. Worth it."

"I'll do what I can for it. Please, sit."

Destiny cleaned the wound and bound it tightly as I flipped through the pages of the book. “It’s in some kind of dead language. Can you read it?”

As I held the book to him he stepped away. “I cannot interfere, Weaver.”

“Oh come on, just look at it for two seconds.”

“No.”

My head cocked to the side at his odd behavior. “Des, what’s going on?”

He sighed heavily. “Penelope-”

“Petal,” A voice cooed around us. “It’s time to uphold your end of our deal.” 

“Fuck.” I grumbled setting the book on the table and meeting Destiny’s eyes. “I have to go, but… Are you okay?”

He nodded stiffly. “Yes. Be cautious, Weaver.”

“Desire is an asshole, but I doubt they’ll hurt me.” I answered.

“You should not be so trusting of them,” he replied. “Goodbye.”

The path led me to a vibrant red door and into Desire’s realm. Just like last time I’d been, the glossy red floor echoed with my steps as I ascended the stairs and walked towards their black clothed figure lounging across some kind of red couch. Their upsidedown head twisted to look at me with a grimace. “Oh dear, you look truly awful! Has my brother been such a neglectful host?”

I grit my teeth and shrugged, letting my arms fall to my sides. “I’m here. What do you want?”

Their smile grew as they sat up. “Oh, you haven’t been staying with him!”

“It’s none of your business,” I answered tensely.

"Come now Petal, don't look so glum!" They purred, pulling me to sit beside them and stroking my hair. "I did warn you that this was going to happen."

I sighed, pulling away from their touch. "Can we just get this over with? Summon your fancy food and gossip so I can..." So I could what? Go home? Dream won't change. Not for anyone... Not even you.

Desire stood, offering me their manicured hand. "We're not staying here."

"We aren't?"

"No, of course not! Unlike my big brother I know how to have a little fun!" They smiled widely. "What do you say, sweet Petal? May I, just this once, offer you what that precious heart of yours truly wants?"

I stared up at them for a moment, the elegance of their clothes and posture almost covered up the mischievous gleam in their smile and the way their golden eyes seemed to flare with a knowing look that pierced my soul. What was it I desired? I didn't even know anymore... Maybe I never knew. The gold of their eyes burned brighter as I placed my hand in theirs. A wave of power pulsed through me. It wasn't like Dreams, not cold or filled with shadows and dreams. Their power was bright and burning, sending tingles and phantom touches up my arm and all along my body. "I..."

"Shh," they cooed, pulling me to my feet. "Let me show you all you've been deprived of in my big brother's boring little bubble." Their eyes were glowing now as the red glossiness of their realm faded away and foreign fabric smoothed over my skin in place of my plain clothes. Their smile grew wider as their hands settled on my shoulders. "Let me show you the freedom you desire."

The glossy red of their realm faded away to dim lights and loud noise as we moved to a bar. Desire sat beside me, their hand still holding mine, in a plush red cushioned booth. “Where are we?”

“London,” they answered. “A fancy little establishment called The Golden Petal. I thought it was fitting, all things considered.”

I looked down at the clothes I now wore with a scoff. A bright red dress clung to my body, short with thin straps and a high thigh slit with red fishnets covering my legs. “Really?”

Desire laughed. “Come on, you look far better now than when you arrived!”

The waiter brought us a menu and drinks, and Desire ordered everything on it. They made light conversation until the food arrived and then attempted to dig up the past and call it gossip. I didn’t care. Not when they mentioned the asylum, not when they brought up Nada, not when they implied Dream cared less for me than he did her. I ate in silence up until Desire couldn’t stand it anymore. They pushed a drink over to me. “Drink, petal.”

“No thanks,” I said.

“Drink,” they insisted. “Or we’ll be here all night. I’m not going to be satisfied until you loosen up a bit.”

I glared at them, their gold eyes glowing once again as they stroked up my arm, that powerful burning sensation returning and washing over my body until I found myself light headed and lifting the glass to my lips. The alcohol stung my throat, but it didn’t seem to bother me as much as I was expecting. Beside me Desire offered more and more and more until alcohol turned into a cigarette or two which turned into other substances. All the while my mind grew blurrier and blurrier until I thought I’d pass out, but didn’t. Desire’s golden eyes glowed at me the whole time.

The smoke tickled my lips as I slowly exhaled, watching the ceiling sparkle with stardust. Everything swirled and blended together, colors and lights and people dancing all of this energy and noise surrounded me, but it felt empty… I felt empty. As I moved through the crowd of people, my body either too slow or too fast, I squinted trying to focus my eyes enough to find Desire in the sea of bodies.

Had they left me here? It wouldn't be out of character for them, especially after they'd gotten what they wanted. I could only assume they had, I mean we had dinner and I'd effectively gotten drunk and high. That was what they'd wanted, to "show me freedom". This didn't feel like freedom though. It hadn't from the start. I was fucked up.

The already blurred faces of the crowd began to melt together, heat rolled over my shoulders and the smell of smoke that filled the air brought the tangled twisted vines of The Stewards home curling around me. Screams and shouts filled the night club as I stumbled and pushed my way out of the crowd. Manic giggles echoed from somewhere in the room and before I could stop I was falling.

A hand wrapped around my wrist and an arm curled around my middle, pulling me up into a black clad chest. The blurred figure led me to the wall far from the crowd and gently stroked my hair, mumbling incoherent words to me as I steadied myself. After my eyes had cleared I looked up and a choked sob caught in my throat. "Dream?"

His soft skin and unruly black hair seemed to glow in the dull red light as his dark eyes, swirling with golden sand, stared down at me. Had he come looking for me? Oh god, I probably looked terrible. Tears streamed down my cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

"Shh," his thumb wiped away my tears and his head tilted closer to mine. The air between us smelt of peaches and bourbon, something electric and consuming sunk into my skin where his hands touched me.

My body hummed, burning with the irresistible urge to touch him. It felt odd, felt out of my control as my body moved. My hand curled around the back of his neck and I pushed myself up and pressed my mouth to his desperate and wanting. This felt different… His lips moved against mine in a way they didn't before. His touch was filled with fire, grabbing and pulling and taking. "Morpheus, please."

One hand squeezed my hip harshly while the other ran up the length of my spine sending chills through me. His hand fisted in my hair, pulling far more roughly than usual. Then his lips connected to my throat, sucking and biting with a fast and burning need. My hands fisted in his coat as the moan tore through my throat, vibrating against his lips.

My eyes locked onto the mirror behind him, through the hazy blurred reflection I could have sworn I saw Dream behind us before he was gone. He lifted his head from my neck, eyes of gold flared down at me for a second before they pulled their lips back to mine. Desire. My hands slammed against their chest, tearing them off of me. Slowly Dreams' face faded away, revealing their signature grin. They held my face in their hands. "Come on, Petal. Let go and I can show you what it feels like to really be desired."

I shoved away from them, chest heaving and world spinning as I pushed back through the crowd making a break for the glowing exit sign. I could hear their laughter echoing around me as I shoved the door open and stumbled out into the chilled midnight air. The darkness of the alley twisted around my legs, pulling me to the ground. Rats scattered away from me as I hit the floor.

I was shaking now as a pair of arms pulled me up into a soft lap. Fingers ran through my hair as the figure of Dream's sibling rocked soothingly. I let out a strangled breath and she shushed me gently. "Don't worry. It's alright. I'm sorry for last time. I didn't know that you had so much pain under the surface. You won't drown this time."

“Everything hurts,” I whined.

She sighed and pressed her cheek to my forehead. “I know it does. I can feel it. They brought it all to the surface with their games… you don’t deserve that. I told them to be nice, I told them you were hurting.”

"I have to get back…" I mumbled after what felt like forever, or maybe it felt shorter? Rolling out of the comfort of her arms I pulled myself up and stumbled towards the door. My body threw itself against it, pushing through it with ease and sending me flying through it and off the ledge of a roof.

A hand grabbed mine at the last second, pulling me back into the familiar smell of bitter wine. Soft hands lovingly stroked my cheeks and pulled my hair away from my face as I settled on my back on the rooftop. The blurry figure quickly laid down beside me and held my hand. I watched the night sky twist together as the figure's finger pointed up. "So many stars out there, you'd think she'd be a bit more bright and open. But she doesn't think like we do, and doesn't see things the same even with her big eyes."

I turned my head, eyes finally focusing on the rainbow streaked hair and the rainbow fishnet tights and untied boots. "De?"

She turned, the fishes on her eyes were now toads, one pink and one blue sparkling in the dim light. "You look tired, butterfly."

A sob tore through my throat as I rolled over, wrapping myself around her. "No offense, but I don't know if I should be happy to see you or incredibly worried."

"I think you should be both. So silly to cause conflict over something so little." She held me tighter. "When I told you to visit I didn't mean like this."

"It's that bad huh?" I asked, pulling away a little so we lay facing one another, our hands locked between us."

"Oh! Your eyes are leaking!" Her mismatched eyes shimmered as she looked at me, wiping away my tears. "You've looked worse. Better than the last time. White is NOT your color!" Her eyes looked down at the dress Desire had given me and she scrunched up her nose. "Red isn't the best for you either."

I laughed, something that quickly turned into crying. I held onto her tighter. "How did you get here?"

"I followed you, silly!"

The feeling of her velvet touch eased some of my discomfort. "I missed you, toad."

"I missed you too, butterfly." She pressed her forehead to mine. "You still look so sad."

"I want to go home," I said desperately.

"Then go. He wants you to go home too."

Shaking my head I forced myself to sit up. "No. No. He doesn't want me, not when I'm…" I sobbed again. "Not when I'm like this. So broken and desperate I let Desire trick me." My hands fisted in my hair at the vague memory of him in the mirror, tugging at the roots hard. "Oh God. He saw! He saw me kiss them!"

"Butterfly," De tried to pull me back to her voice. "Breathe."

"He hates me now. I finally did it. I finally fucked it up like I always do!"

"That's not true."

I stood, stumbling around until I found the stairs. De offered me her hands and helped me walk. “I have to go. I have to…” My brain felt so full of things, everything was bright and loud and too much. “I…”

De pulled me in close as we walked down the busy sidewalk. “Just relax, butterfly, it'll wear off soon.”

“No,” I mumbled. “If it wears off you’ll leave again.”

De’s eyes grew sad as she smiled at me. “You can always come visit. Just not like this next time.”

“I don’t want you to go.”

“Butterfly, you can’t keep this up.”

A bright bar sign came into view and I hurried toward it. I didn’t want to be alone anymore. I didn’t want to feel all the pain and the hurt and everything anymore. Just this once I wanted to feel nothing, wanted to be nothing. “Yes I can.”

“Butterfly! Penelope!” She yelled after me, her voice fading into the loud music and the sounds of the crowd as I shoved my way to the bar.

I ordered and sat in the stool, drinking half of the glass before sitting there frozen as tears slid down my cheeks. Useless. Nothing. Human. Weaver. Lady. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. The glass clattered against the bar and I stood, nearly falling to the floor when two strong arms wrapped around me. The smell of ink and steel wrapped around me, cocooning me in warmth for a moment. “Careful, Inky.”

Pulling back I looked up at some gray haired drunkard with a frown. “I’m sorry.”

Moving with a newfound desperate speed I walked until I could hear the river and see the hazy bridge up ahead. My heart was beating too fast, so fast it felt like it was about to burst from my chest as I stood up on the ledge and looked down at the rushing water below. I was out of control, whether it was Desires doing or the drugs or my own it didn’t matter. I won’t go back. I told myself, the memories curling around my neck like a noose. I won’t let you die. Elias’ voice echoed in my head, urging me to step forward.

A warm hand fisted into my dress and roughly pulled me back into a solid chest. I struggled against them for a moment before going limp in their arms as they dragged me away from the edge of the bridge. Rough hands rubbed my skin. “Oh, Ma moitié… What has driven you to this?”

“Pierre?” I sobbed, curling my face into the warmth of his neck. “Am I dead?”

“No,” he chuckled, his arms tightening around me. “The lovely Death brought me to help you.”

I felt her hand against my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Penelope. Desire should never have used their power against you.”

Looking up at her warm eyes I sighed. “How did you find me?”

“Delirium came to me,” she answered. De… Delirium. God it made so much sense. “She was afraid you’d do something drastic, so I enlisted the help of a face you could trust.”

My fingers curled into his jacket and I smiled at her. “Thank you.”

She looked up to Pierre. “You can’t stay for long.”

“I know, fair Death,” he answered, kissing my head. “I know.”

I didn’t remember sitting on the bench, but I didn’t care so long as Pierre was beside me. I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he spoke about Death and the beauty of the Sunless Lands. He looked happy. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

He stroked my cheek. “Do not apologize, Ma moitié. You are alive, free, that is all I could have ever hoped for. Now, tell me what has the lover done?”

“Nothing,” I replied, pressing a hand to my aching head. “It’s my fault. I expected too much-”

“No.” He said sternly. “Do not take the blame for him. You deserve the world, Ma moitié, more than that. I know you, anything you asked of him was something reasonable and fair. You do not ask for much to be happy, my half.”

I smiled unsteadily. “I miss you.”

Pierre pressed his forehead to mine. “I’ve missed you too.”

“I wish we could stay like this forever.”

“I don’t.” He said holding my face in his hands. “You are meant for so much more than sitting on a bench with a lowlife like me. You are strong and brave and loyal and you are powerful beyond my comprehension.”

“What if I fucked it all up?” I asked with a weak sob. “What if he hates me?”

Pierre shook his head. “It is impossible to hate you, Penelope. You are the most beautiful and wonderful person in this world. The lover knows this, and I can assure you he does not hate you.”

I gripped onto his jacket. “You have to leave don’t you?”

“I do. But you’re in good hands, Ma moitié. Stupid, but good hands.” He pressed a kiss to my lips. “You two will find each other again. I know you will. Just, do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“Make him work for your forgiveness. If you can manage it, I’d like to know you made him grovel a bit.”

I laughed. “You’re an ass.”

He shrugged. “Always.”

“I love you, Pierre.” I whispered.

“I love you too, Ma moitié.” The warmth of him began to fade away as he returned to wherever Death had taken him. “Goodbye.”

His touch was replaced by slightly colder hands as I opened my eyes to see Johanna kneeling in front of me on the bench with worry etched onto her face. “Pen?”

“Johanna.”

“Thank fuck,” she whispered. “I thought you were dead.”

She punched me in the shoulder. “OW!”

“That’s for scaring me!” She pulled me up into her arms and hugged me tightly. “You stubborn bitch. Why didn’t you call me sooner?”

“I’m sorry Jo.”

“Let's go,” she said, tugging me toward the cab. “It’s gonna rain soon.”

Johanna had definitely let the apartment go down in my absence. The floor was littered with things, her hoard of demon tools growing larger by the looks of it spilling out of her office. She led me to my old room, now bare of all decorations and absent of that warm feeling of home. She helped me out of my dress and I changed into an old tank top and some pants that had gotten left here. Johanna tucked me into the bed, laying down beside me for a while until I drifted off into a light sleep, one that didn’t last long.

A loud thunder boomed overhead, shaking the room as I sat up straight in bed and covered my ears. I wasn’t in the bedroom anymore, the hedges of Destiny’s garden looming over me as the dark sky swirled with storm clouds and lightning. I stood and quickly moved toward the center of the maze expecting to see Destiny waiting, instead being met by three figures clothed in white. The Fates.

“Fate touched,” the Maiden said with a smile. “It gladdens us to see you.”

“Fate kissed,” the Mother’s eyes roamed down my form. “Are you well?”

“Fate bound,” the Crone sneered. “The time has come to see if your wings are strong enough to weather the storm.”

I sighed, my head still slightly spinning. “Now really isn’t the best time.”

They laughed in unison, each different and powerful. “A Weaver you may be, but even you are not above the call of fate.”

“What do you want from me?”

The Maiden sighed. “Two paths lie ahead of you. One known and the other clouded in darkness.”

The Mother turned her head toward the maze of hedges. “Two paths. One of life and one of death.”

The Crone smiled, sharp and twisted. “Two paths. One bound in fate and threads, yours and yours alone. The other blessed of night and time with either a crown of grace to rise you up or chains of darkness to bind you and this world to ruin.”

A hand touched my shoulder, the haziness of my mind and the sluggishness of my body lifted from me Destiny stood beside me, face emotionless as he regarded The Fates with a nod of his head. “Hecate.”

They all regarded him with respect. “Destiny.”

I looked up at him and sighed. “What’s going on?”

“This is your final test, Weaver.” He answered, gesturing towards the maze.

Now only two paths stood before me. One lined and swirling with butterflies and the other. I gasped at the sight of a thread leading down it. “Dream.”

Thunder cracked in the sky and lightning followed. “This time the path you choose will determine not just your fate but that of this universe and my brother.”

Fear filled me as I took in his words. “Why? Why me? Why now?”

"You were born before the death of the previous Weaver, of Lyria, such a thing should not have been possible. But, the book revealed your purpose." Destiny's eyes did not falter as he placed his hand back on my shoulder. "You were always meant to be the last Weaver of this world. Should you pass, another shall not take your place."

"What happens to the world if I die?"

Destiny, for once, spoke clearly. "This world will enter its age of destruction and the end of all things will be on the horizon."

"Follow the butterflies as you always have, love." The Mother said.

"Do not meddle in matters beyond your station, Weaver," The Crone sneered.

The Maiden spoke, "The Dream Lord's fate has been written."

The Crone smiled, "It would take much power to alter the path he has forged."

The Mother sighed, "Much power, even for you."

"You would be stripped of your light and left to darkness should you try," The Maiden said.

I looked to the right path, to the butterflies that lined the hedges, swirling out towards me. Then I looked to the left where Dreams thread was pulled taut, the mark on my arm pulsing with him. One path was a guarantee that I would live on with the world, but at what price? Dreams life? The other was unknown, even to Destiny, but all seemed certain that my life would be the one to hang in the balance.

A flash of green flew away from the crowd of butterflies. The softness of its wings glistened in the moonlight as it landed on Dreams thread. I didn't speak a word, not to Destiny or The Fates, I just moved forward following Dreams thread down the left path. There would be no life without Morpheus, not for the humans that relied on him for hope and not for me.

The unfamiliar doors appeared before me, muffled voices behind it, and I didn't hesitate to walk through. A sea of chairs and sleeping people greeted me and there on a stage stood The Corinthian and Dream, his back facing me as he listened to his creation. "Here you are, alone, just as you've always been… As you always will be."

“He's not alone," I said as I walked up the stairs, ignoring the way my heart ached as I slid in front of Dream.

I could feel him for the first time in days. The steady hum of his power sending goosebumps along my skin, the smell of night and stardust and home. His breath fanned across the back of my head as he whispered, his voice sending a wave of relief crashing down over me. “Penelope.”

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[melestasflight]

for the prompts (pick whichever, the prompts sound really cool and i couldn't decide on one!): feanor & miriel + 'some fair dream' or elrond & elros + 'met never again until many ages were past'?

Holiday Silm Prompt fill for @sesamenom. Let's start with Fëanor & Míriel. 😍

some fair dream

When the stone bursts into greenness beneath the light of the early Mingling, Fëanáro finally lets the song die down in a slow decrescendo between his lips. His voice is hoarse from singing. All through the silver hours, he has been holding steady the notes of flowing water and supple green leaves, imbuing their freshness into the dense core of the polished jade.

Now, as Fëanáro turns the stone between his fingers, its light spills from his hands and bathes the walls of the workshop in brilliant hues of green dancing like shadows beneath the canopy of a tall tree in the breeze.

In moments such as these, his heart almost stops beating in anticipation. To know if he has succeeded in his purpose, to taste, at last, the fruit of his long labor. He waits patiently for the stone to open and reveal the life that it now carries. The images form themselves slowly, emerging as small seeds and then growing to unfurl their stalks before his eyes. 

He sees things long withered and broken renewed again – a statue of Nerdanel’s that fell and shattered across the floor when their boys were little now standing whole again, a patch of flowers in Findis’ gardens that did not take to the soil bursting in color as they were meant to be, a smile upon Finwë’s face that has not been seen in many long years. 

Fëanáro looks in awe as these images unfold before him, each one clearer and more palpable than the last, and then he can no longer hold back. He searches deeper into the green stone, pouring into it all the desire of his heart. ‘Let me see her, just once.’

The jewel obeys its creator and summons Míriel’s image at last. Fëanáro has no memories of his mother in life but he knows it is her. Hers are the fingers that swiftly move between threads finer and more delicate than anything the hands of any Noldo have created. Hers the silver tresses that shine as Telperion’s leaves in its zenith. Míriel hums as she labors, wholly absorbed, her voice laving against Fëanáro as rippling water.

‘Mother,’ Fëanáro whispers, letting his voice travel along the current.

Míriel looks away from her needle and meets Fëanáro’s gaze. ‘My little spirit of fire,’ his mother responds as her lips stretch into a smile. 

For a long moment, mother and son look upon each other as in some fair dream, content to do no more but know that they are simply there, together.

As Telperion gives way to Laurelin, the light filtering through the windows of the workshop slowly shifts, slipping away from Fëanáro’s hands. Míriel’s image in the stone disintegrates and the dream fades. He is left alone with the stone, its green now subdued and muted as the lichens trailing along the tree trunks in the north.  

Fëanáro slides a glance across the shelves on the wall where many of the jewels he has created over the years stand as brilliant as Varda’s stars in the sky. They are beautiful, praised across Aman for the skill of their creation and the fineness of their form. But they all lack something. They are all dead.

Suddenly, Fëanáro feels the many hours of labor weighing on him. Looking upon his reflection in the windows, his own gaze appears dimmed by the lack of tree light in his workshop. That same light he has spent so long attempting to preserve into an imperishable form. And he has failed, yet again; the green stone he created is lifeless in the absence of light. But he cannot find it in himself to regret its making. The jewel is still warm in his palm and Fëanáro believes he can still hear Míriel’s humming radiating from its polished surface.

Outside, Laurelin’s blooms open joyfully, bathing the gardens around the workshop in soft gold. I shall try again, Fëanáro thinks to himself as he opens the door and steps into the tree light.

If you enjoyed this story, feel free to drop me a note/kudo on AO3. It makes my day!

[thewritingbeforesunrise]

BALLERINA - Chapter Two.

A Jake Kiszka AU

Physiotherapist!Jake x Original Female Character

Chapter One

A/N: This is the second chapter of this story about ballet dancer Iris and physiotherapist Jake. This is quite short, but I promise, the next one is longer.

Don't hesitate to let me know what you think about this!

Word count: 1.6K

Warnings for this chapter: talking of bad injuries and medical stuff (again, I am not an expert, so I apologise for any inaccuracies), poor mental health, talking of depression, poor mother/daughter relationship (honestly, Iris's mother says some awful hurtful things), soft!Jake.

_________________________________

A week and a half later, on Thursday, the doctors told Iris that the nurses had to inspect her wounds to decide whether or not to remove the stitches.

She was waiting for the same gentle nurse, whose name she learnt was Helen, to come and remove them, so when Jake entered the room, she was very surprised.

She didn't expect him to do that.

He greeted her with the same softness he used on the first day and she blushed again making him grin slightly.

He had his usual white scrub on, his long hair tied back into a low bun this time.

"Hi, Iris. I am glad to see you in another color that is not white. I like this one, it suits you. It makes the shade of your hair stand out." He told her, his voice was so warm and calm.

She blushed more at his comment and thanked him without watching him in the eyes.

She was wearing a powder-blue shirt that was her favourite for the same reason he had just pointed out. When she finally looked at him, she noticed that his cheeks had become a little flushed, too.

"Are you going to remove my stitches?" She asked him, her voice bearing a hint of fear.

"Yes, I am here to check your wounds first. I hope they are healed so I can remove the stitches. I am afraid to tell you that it might hurt a little, but nothing too bad" he nodded, then started to prepare the disinfectant and other instruments.

"Ready?" He asked and flashed her his perfect smile.

Iris nodded and his beautiful veiny hands were on her again. His expert fingers brushed on her thigh and proceeded to take off the first bandage delicately.

He muttered "Perfect, this one is ready" under his breath then grabbed the scissors.

"If it becomes too much to bear just tell me ok?"

He said, still looking at her wound.

She answered him "Ok" and she heard him say something along the lines of "Good girl".

Before she could blush, she felt the thread being cut.

She decided she couldn't watch and focused on his handsome absorbed face.

It didn't hurt at all when he pulled the thread out, and it was so for almost all the other stitches.

"These were 25 stitches, now you can look" he said and Iris looked down on the bigger wound on her thigh.

She saw the scar and noticed that, although it was very big and ugly, the cut was pink and fully healed. He dabbed at it with disinfectant and then went on to take off the other bandage.

"Ready?"He asked again and Iris nodded.

"This one might hurt a little more." He said.

He was right, it did.

He was so sweet and stopped every so often to let her rest and catch her breath in between the pain caused by the thread leaving her flesh.

Once he was done he disinfected that one too and then tidied everything up.

When he finished, he turned towards her.

"Now, I want to try something. But only if you want." He told her and observed her, closely. His eyes were so pretty and intense she was afraid she couldn't hold his gaze.

"I want to see if you can bend your leg, let's try, shall we?" He suggested and Iris nodded, feeling a bit scared about it.

But, honestly, he could do anything he wanted if that meant she could have his hands on her skin again, she thought.

His left hand was on her thigh and the right one under her knee.

Warm and soft as always.

"Ok, now I want you to relax, ok? Lean down on the bed and breathe." He instructed her.

Iris did as he told her, and she heard him say "Very well, now relax your legs. Good, just like this"

She felt his hands shift, now the left one was under her knee and the right one on top of her foot.

"Now I am going to bend your leg, ok? I am going to do it very slowly and I want you to tell me if I am hurting you, even a little bit ok?" She nodded but he wanted her words.

"Use your words, darling" he said, bringing back the tone she had heard him use with her mother the first day she met him.

"Yes" She quickly answered him.

"Good, don't worry and relax again for me now" he whispered and she tried her best.

He started to lift her knee and, at the same time, he kept her foot down on the mattress delicately.

She felt stiffness in her bones, and a strange feeling, but not pain.

"What do you feel?" He asked her, stopping a few inches from the bed.

"I feel very stiff, but it's not painful" she replied and he looked pleased.

"It is perfectly normal, Iris, remember that you suffered a very bad injury, so don't ask too much from your body just now. Allow yourself to rest and heal. I know it's not easy for someone who trained eight hours or more per day, but you have to take little steps." He told her, with an understanding expression in his eyes.

Iris felt his words deeply, they made her wanna cry.

But she didn't want to break in front of him.

So she focused on his hands still on her skin, his thumb stroking her knee cap, soothingly.

She was becoming aware little by little of the wetness starting to pool between her legs.

You shouldn't feel like this for a doctor.

She reprimanded herself but yet there she was, lusting after him because of the simple contact of his hands with her skin.

She could feel his slightly calloused fingertips brush on her skin, eliciting little shivers up and down her body.

When her leg reached a 90° degree angle, a little shock of pain caused her body to tense and her features twisted in pain.

He stopped immediately and asked if she was alright.

"Yes, I am" she told him smiling as he brought her legs slowly back down on the bed and pulled the covers back on her body.

"Ok, that's it for today. I think we can start next week with rehabilitation. On Monday, maybe?" He told her.

She tried not to show him how happy she was that she would be able to see him again so soon.

"Well, I don't know, I am very busy these days" Iris joked and he laughed, not expecting it.

"I am kidding, it's fine for me" she told him, then.

"Goodbye darling, I will see you on Monday, unless you have something better to do" he winked and she blushed.

With this, he left her room.

She hoped he didn't notice her heart-shaped eyes when she waved him goodbye.

She really couldn't wait for Monday to come.

All her excitement was immediately dulled by her mother's visit.

She arrived immediately after Jake exited the door and the smile slowly faded away from Iris's face.

"What got you so happy today, dear?" She asked, even though she had surely met Jake in the hallway.

She didn't wait for her answer and went on.

"Please tell me it's not because of that long-haired hippie-boy I just met in the hallway. I wouldn't allow him to work in a hospital with those long locks of his. You know, I was thinking that we should call a real physiotherapist to help you with your poor leg. Actually my colleagues gave me the number of a great one they know." She kept blabbering on and on with her nonsense.

Iris didn't want to listen to her anymore.

She didn't know that that 'hippie-boy' with his kind smiles and encouraging words had been almost her only anchor during her hospital stay.

If it wasn't for him, she didn't honestly know what she would have done.

"Mum" she tried to interrupt her, but she didn't hear her.

"And Amber told me he is really attractive too, so…" she trailed off, wiggling her eyebrows at her daughter, talking about the other physiotherapist.

"Mum, please, stop talking a mile a minute. I am getting a headache. And stop talking that way about Jake. He told me that he is going to do everything in his power to help me get back to dancing." Iris told her, rather sternly.

Her mother's face contorted in a grimace.

"Stop, just stop talking about going back to dancing! Right now you need to focus on getting back to walking without limping like a ninety-year-old." She snapped back and Iris felt like screaming.

"But, Jake said…" she tried to counter her mother's harsh words.

"Stop, Iris! Stop talking about him. He is a man and they are all the same, believe me. He would never want a girl physically damaged like you." She said that without thinking and immediately regretted it. Iris saw it in her eyes, but it was too late.

She started to feel the familiar sting of tears in her throat and turned away from her mother's touch as she tried to fix a loose strand of hair from her daughter's face.

"Go, Mum, I am tired, I need to sleep" Iris said, her voice was monotonous and lifeless.

She turned around and heard her mother sigh in defeat and pity as she gathered her things and left.

Once she didn't hear the sound of her footsteps down the hallway anymore, silent sobs started shaking her whole body.

She fell asleep after an indefinite amount of time and dreamt of Jake.

He was smiling at her.

His hands squeezed hers and he spoke.

"You will dance again, Iris, I promise" he told her with a gentle, but firm tone.

She woke up suddenly in the middle of the night.

She felt a little happy tear wet her cheek as she thought about him.

He was her only hope.

__________________________________________

Next chapter

Taglist: @why-ami-on-here @jessicafg03 @spark-my-nature @highladyofasgard @sparrowofthedawnsworld @sammyslappers

[bookwormscififan]

I was thinking of Night experiencing Host going through a vision for the first time. With a lot of blood going through the bandages and Night is freaking out over what to do until Dark intervenes 😱

Sorry this took me forever to write!!

Also I couldn't resist slipping a little bit of the chaos twins in there! XD

--

It was a peaceful evening, for the most part. Night had cooked a lovely dinner for Host, feeding him a rich chocolate cake for dessert with a smile, then curling up in the couch to just enjoy the other’s company.

He was just beginning to doze off, fingers threading through Host’s hair to keep the longer strands out of the bandages, when he felt the narrator tense up against him. Turning to look at Host, Night’s eyes widened as he watched blood seeping through the bandages around his own eyes, leaking out from underneath to run down his cheeks.

“What’s happening? What’s going on?” Night asked, losing his composure as fear trickled in his veins. Tugging a handkerchief from his pocket, he pressed it to Host’s cheek, feeling his hands start shaking when the blood seeped through the fabric instantaneously.

He’d never seen so much blood coming from beneath Host’s bandages before; helping to change them had made him believe his sockets were mostly healed. This seemed… different somehow. Despite his tense pose, Host seemed unbothered by the affliction, simply facing forward with his mouth forming unintelligible words.

“I’m going to get some bandages… warm water… cold water to drink…” Night trailed off as he left the room, heading first for the bathroom to get the first aid kit, then going to the kitchen to douse a dishcloth in warm water and fill a glass with cold water. He paused as the thought of calling for help entered his mind, then shook it off in favour of getting back to his partner.

--

Stepping into the room, Night stopped as he spotted Dark kneeling in front of Host, hands on his shoulders with his eyes trained on his mouth, carefully reading Host’s lips and muttering comments about the words. After some time, Dark leaned away from Host and noticed Night standing in the doorway. Clearing his throat, he stood up and motioned for the god to return to Host’s side.

“He’s fine now,” Dark said, seeming to sense Night’s concern. “When he’s had time to rest, ask him about his visions. I have a feeling they’ll be regular occurrences for you. Also please inform him I received his message and will act on the vision as soon as I am able.” With that, Dark left in a cloud of black smoke, leaving Night blinking at empty space before turning back to change Host’s bandages.

--

“Sorry about that,” Host said quietly as he leaned toward Night, tilting his face to let him clean the blood. “Sometimes I can control when I have a vision, but today it couldn’t wait. I’m alright, though,” he finished, reaching for Night’s free hand.

“Did it hurt?” Night asked, carefully wrapping fresh gauze around Host’s head. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Having the visions don’t hurt,” Host replied, curling back into Night’s side once he heard the click of the first aid kit closing. “Mostly, it’s just annoying. I was going to tell you tomorrow, because Dark needed me to experience a vision for his next job, but I guess the vision couldn’t wait.”

“Do you need me to help you in any way when this happens?”

“What you’ve done is more than enough,” Host said with a smile, shifting slightly to rest his head on Night’s chest, humming when Night draped his arm around his shoulders. “The visions don’t last long, but afterward I will need a bandage change and a lot of water. In rare cases a shower would also help.”

Night nodded, humming in acknowledgement before holding Host closer, pressing a kiss to the top of his head and relaxing more against the couch cushions. As he listened to Host’s breathing even out, signalling he had fallen asleep, Night couldn’t stop the swarm of thoughts and questions he had about Host’s visions.

With a sigh, he decided to ask them on their next date, opting instead to do some research into the illusion magic that was probably involved with Host’s visions. And what better way to research than to ask the illusionists born from chaos magic themselves?

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Night sent a quick text out to a specific group chat, turning off the phone and closing his eyes after hitting send. Need to ask you two about illusion magic. Can it happen in the psychic threshold? Meet me at the cherry blossom tree tomorrow, noon.

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

@iamvegorott @brokentimewatch

[thatdrunkarchon]

no longer counting without you || hanako x reader headcannons(?)/oneshot || Part two bc I can't with that cliffhanger I literally made

God I literally hate myself- after those hc's I really wanted to do a oneshot follow up because I'd end up feeling really bad afterwards Also I just watched the last video of Stampy's lovely world and I'm crying Like seriously I'm not even kidding ANYWAYSSS Below will include; Angst, Fluff, slightly funny moments, horrible writing lmao

Maybe Hanako made a mistake.

Maybe he should've continued hesitating. If not for just a little bit longer.

Sitting on the windowsill in his bathroom, Yashiro mopping around the floor, staring out the window.

It felt.. increasingly nostalgic. Both the good and bad type.

"Hanako-Kun?" 'Amane?'

He blinked, freezing up. It was just Yashiro. It was just Nene. He turned to her, giving her a confused look.

"...Can I leave for the day?"

He snorted, finding it ironic that he was so tense, like she was about to turn into you or something.

Would she?

"Why do you wanna go home so early on in cleaning? What, another boy asking for a rendezvous in an empty classroom, organizing papers?~" He teased, Yashiro huffed.

"I didn't even go! You threatened me, Hanako-Kun!" She flicked her hair over her shoulder sassily, turning away with the mop in her hand, holding it to her chest and looking up like she was fantasizing.. something.

"I'm going to be meeting up with a new spirit! It's a little white kitty, and they said they were my protector! Uwaa~, I wonder if they can transform into a hot guy and we can fall in love, ehehe~" Yashiro giggled dreamily.

Hanako was.. not amused, to say the least. He jumped down from his place at the windowsill, turning her to face him. "You're going to have to tell me where this 'white kitty' is."

She happily complied. "They said they'd be waiting for me at the entrance of the scho- Hanako-Kun?" And just like that, he was gone.

Blush colored petals falling between an apparition and a cat, gracefully threading through the air like dancers desperate to be seen.

"The cherry blossoms are beautiful, are they not?" The cat would ask calmly, in that all too familiar voice. But he can't be too sure yet. He needs to know whether this milk white feline has overstayed their welcome. They could cause trouble. However harsh he was planning to treat the spirit in front of him, however, died down a bit with just the sound of a voice. He was weak, and he knew exactly why.

'God damnit.'

"You know, I don't think letting yourself in is a good idea, Yōkai. What if you were a Yakubyō gami, hm?" "I am not a Yakubyō gami, nor do I intend to act like one." It politely shut him down. Okay.. Alright. Maybe assuming a Yōkai was a Yakubyō gami was a bit offensive. Next apparition name, then.

"So you're just an apparition then." It nodded. "My job is to protect those who summon me. I do not mean to cause harm in any way by associating with that girl of yours." He couldn't help but perk up at that. There was a tone beneath their words. He just couldn't tell what it was. "Girl of mine? She's simply my assistant." This might be more interesting than he'd ever hoped for. "And what about you? Do you not have some sort of a human form, or are you too embarrassed to change into it? You seem quite stoic, though.." Does it look like they're laughing? He certainly is. "I.. do. Would you feel more comfortable if I was in it?" He didn't care, really. He talked to Yako on the daily, but.. He was kind of curious.

"I guess so."

He was surprised, to say the least.

Of course it was you. It had to be you.

What did you even do to end up like him?

Why didn't you come by sooner?

He was lost for words, how could he not be? You were standing right in front of him.

His hand twitched.

His leg moved forward.

But he didn't move. He couldn't.

This isn't the first time this has happened. Both as dreams and hallucinations. How can he be so sure? How can you blame him?

He regrets a lot of things. But he has to admit, one of the things he regrets most is leaving you behind.

You're still here though. Your not disappearing, he's not waking up, Yashiro talked about you for heavens sake.

A sob escaped him, taking off in a sprint and tackling you to the ground. God, it's been so long since he's even shed a tear.

Maybe he wasn't alone anymore. No, he wasn't.

He was no longer counting without you.

[dapper-shipping-forever]

idk if you wanted anyone to send these in (if not, feel free to delete this), but “I’ll be back very soon, but don’t come out. Stay there hidden until I come back and try not to make a noise, hmm?” *forehead kisses being a must here* for whoever?

Putting this in the au where Gill gets her memories erased again and can't remember her friends. Vash knows he's in love but Gill can't remember how she also loves him.

---

Vash raced, the cracked walls of the building whizzing by; all that kept him from running faster was his hand clasping Gill's while he basically dragged her. The stamina she'd gathered as a bounty hunter remained, but without her previous memories she no longer knew how to use it. The fact she wasn't sure who they were running from now wasn't encouraging her to move faster; but Vash knew that the man who'd been hunting them had a single minded purpose to possess her.

Lyric hadn't stopped trying to find her after they'd taken her back. They'd mostly managed to stay hidden, though now Lyric knew they were here. The only advantage was he wasn't sure exactly. All they had to do was divert him and keep him from tearing every building to pieces to find her.

He urged Gill along. He knew how confused she was about their behavior; they hadn't told her who Lyric was and what he'd been doing, that he was who took her memories, again. Because what would that make her feel, to be told someone she can't remember was her closest companion who had been continuously betraying her and stealing her memories? They couldn't do that, and none of them felt particularly alright with withholding information now.

Keeping Lyric from spotting her was the best option. Eyes flicking around, he spots a door. Skidding to a halt in front of it, and steadying her with his hands when she almost falls right into him, he pulls it open. Quickly, he maneuvers her inside.

He takes a few deep breaths, hands on the frame as he stares at her; he sees her eyes wide open, innocent and confused and nervous, the flush to her cheeks from running, and the softness of her parted lips as she breathes just as deep. His hands clench.

He says nothing for a few beats. He should be already leaving and there's several things he wants to say. Stay safe, nobody is going to harm you, I love you. He can feel those words within him.

Her head is tilted to look at his face. "Vash? What are we doing?" It's isn't right for him to keep stuff from her and expect her to just listen; he feels like he's not treating her different than how she had been, making her go along with his whims.

His only reply right now is. "I'm going to be back soon, but you can't come out for a little bit. Stay here hidden until I come back; and try not to make any noise, alright?" And before she can say anything and unintentionally make him feel more terrible about this, he grabs hold of the back of her head, fingers threading into her silk hair, and pulls her closer to press a chaste kiss to her forehead; his lips firmly plant themselves there just a few seconds and his eyes crinkle when he tightly closes them, he wants to linger but not now.

He shuts the door, waiting to to see if she is going to listen. He triple checks the bullets in his gun and with a flick of his hand closes it. His eyes burn, rage and a need to protect making his kind face stoney. Nothing hurts her, not at all.

---

Bonus:

He walks the same hallway, his steps slowed from how heavy his body currently feels. Lyric is like a force of nature. He's brutal and the ice he creates brings a coldness Vash hadn't felt since the cryochamber in ship five. Though, seems that he can't continue keeping it cold after it's made; it melted quickly in the lingering desert day's heat.

He stands in front of the room, taking a steadying breath. Please, let her be there. He needs her to have stayed.

He opens the door, and the sweet view of Gill sitting along the wall welcomes him, his shoulders falling with relief. She's uninjured.

Her head raises with a jerk. "You're back, Vash !" She scrambles to stand, coming to stand before him.

He smiles at her, and he thinks his feelings must be on display but she can't recognize them right then. "Yeah, sorry to keep you here by yourself." He reaches out, cupping her chin in his fingers, his thumb rubbing the line of her cheek. He's a lot weaker than she is; days of realizing he's in love and he feels like he's taken far more selfish opportunities to hold her than she had, and she couldve taken more.

She frowns. "Im sorry."

He raises an eyebrow. "What for?"

"For not being useful. You guys are all super skilled and I can't do anything; you've just been taking care of me since we met. Since I met you." She clarifies, words becoming quiet. She knows they've known her longer than she remembers, but for her they first met mere days ago.

He softens more, continuing to sooth his fingers on her face. "Hey, hey, hey; you have nothing to be sorry for. I know that you have no idea what exactly I mean by this, but believe that there is not anything that makes me happier than making sure you're safe." He swears that.

He sees the frustrated balling of her fists, and he wishes he simply could just tell her exactly how capable she is; there's nobody he trusts to be by his side quite like her, he knows her skills aren't rivaled. But she drops it.

She raises her gaze and sees blood from the hole torn in his shirt on his shoulder. "You're hurt !" She sucks in her breath, hands going to the deep gash Lyric's pressurized streams of water.

He grabs her hand, head shaking. "It's not anything bad." He assures her.

He sees the worry in her eyes as she looks back to him. "But it's bleeding. Let me help, please. We can get it bandaged." Her words are quick and emotional.

He knows it may be an out of place expression, but he only feels fonder. He couldn't say just how often she's fussed about his injuries, insisted on helping. He'd never fully appreciated it, always feeling like he'd taken advantage of her sweet nature. But he does appreciate her, deeply.

"Yeah, alright. But there's nothing to be rushed about; it's just a gash. We can head back to our bags. Please, I'm alright. Trust me?" His hands are firm and steady where he touches her.

He's unsure of its a testament to any underlying memory of their bond or to her kind nature, but she looses a little tension. "I trust you." He feels relief wash along him. He'd guide her back to their bag and let her attend to him, selfishly welcoming her touches; relishing in her presence with him. She's safe.

[problemwater]

reimob a.b.o. tweet thread let's go

hmmmmmmmmore reimob on the brain

a.b.o where reigen is an alpha, mob is young and hasn't quite presented yet, post-canon

a normal day staring s&s, waiting for mob, seri, n tome to arrive

mob shows up first and reigen almost doubles over from the smell of pheromones pouring off of the boy

mob is having a hard time walking, something painful encompassing his senses, but something about seeing reigen makes it all better

something about reigen made the pain subside, just a little

so mob fought his way closer, stopping just short of where reigen was standing, wondering why reigen was stepping away from him as he approached, slowly cornering reigen against the wall

"shishou" he pants "shishou, what's,,, help" he was clenching at his chest, unaware of what was wrong

but reigen knew

and reigen wishes he was that blind asshole who could teleport right now

because right here, right now, in his office, mob was having his very first (unmedicated) heat

and was staring at reigen with desperation for something reigen should not, could not give him

"mob, we need to get you home" reigen tried, but sense wasn't helping

"I just got here,

"you smell so good, shishou," he stepped even closer to reigen, powers staring to flicker around him like he was losing control

even after everything they'd been through, reigen was still not afraid of mob hurting him, but this time it wasn't any physical danger he was in

mob closed his eyes, breathing in reigens scent, and when he opened them again they were glazed over with desire

reigen couldn't move

not wouldn't, because dear fuck did he want to

he /couldn't/

mob had him pinned, unconsciously

"mob, you're in heat. we really need to get

you home" reigen tried again "ekubo, are you here, can you help?"

ekubo appeared looking just as concerned as reigen felt, "you know I can't overpower him"

reigen knew that, but hoped this would somehow be an exception

he couldn't move his legs at all, but he could somehow get his arms moving, if he tried really hard

he reached for the phone in his pocket

"heat?" mobs voice was also strained, "it hurts, shishou"

his hands were starting to clutch lower, at his lower belly, and lower until one was just above his pants

his eyes drifted down to reigens crotch

"mob, really, we- you really need to leave" he was desperate now, because mob was putting things together and was absolutely not in his right mind about any of it

he slowly but surely punched in the number for ritsus cell

it rang, and mob stepped closer still

inches away now, powers framing reigen, who could no longer move his arms

"shishou, I need... need" he fell to his knees, face so, so close to reigens very unfortunately hardening dick, leaning in and breathing deep, "smells so good, shishou"

reigen definitely didn't shriek

"hello? reigen, whats-"

"/shishou/" mob moaned

"nii-san?? is everything okay? reigen I swear I will not hesitate t"

"h- help!" reigen was struggling to form words at this point "mob's. heat. lost control... get hanazawa"

he could hear wind rushing as the call disconnected

assuming and hoping it meant that he and hanazawa were on their way

hoping they could stop mob, somehow

"mob, mob hey, listen to me, you're using your powers on me"

mob didn't respond, not like he didn't care but like he didn't hear reigen at all, completely focused on chasing the desperation he felt

he brought his hands up and bracketed reigens hips with them, closing the distance between his face and reigens groin

"mmmnn,,, shishou" reigen was mortified hearing such noises coming from mob, "reigen-shishou"

hearing his name like this, from mob of

all people

mob, who was barely 15, not even in high school yet

"mob, really, you need to stop this." he pleaded "I... you're so young mob, please... I can't"

mob nuzzled his crotch, drawing a yelp-moan from reigen, "shishou... I want..."

"no, mob. no you don't. you're in heat you aren't thinking straight," reigen was getting tired of pleading, tired in general from the pressure of mobs powers

he could feel himself starting to slip, sliding toward the floor

he hoped it would deter mob

(it didn't)

mob lifted away from him (thank god) but as reigen

slipped, mob stayed where he was, kneeling in front of reigen, until reigen hit the floor and mob was almost seated in his lap

"mob, dont-"

mob let himself rest his weight against reigens hips, aligning his ass with the fresh tent in reigens pants

mob let out a garbled whine at the contact, his body figuring out what it wanted

"mob, no-"

"shishou..." he shifted his weight, grinding down against reigen, letting out a moan from the stimulation, "I need-"

the door bust open

ritsu and teru paused briefly at the sight, having expected something very different (ritsu had misunderstood, thinking it was reigen who'd lost control, not mob, and had come ready to K word reigen)

but they realized quickly what was actually happening, working together to lift reigen up and far away from mob

"oh thank heavens, ritsu" reigen was ready to cry he was so relieved to see them

mob collapsed on the floor, crying out in desperation from the loss of contact, closeness with reigen

a small wave of power radiated from him, dropping reigen back to the floor

ritsu had already ran up to try and comfort him,

telling him he'll get mob home where he can relax

mob didnt want to go home, he wanted to be closer to reigen again

but teru had pulled reigen farther away again, shrouding him in his own powers to try and contain his smell

mob choked out a sob as he regained his sense

breathing heavy breaths like he'd been drowning

"let's get you home, nii-san"

mob only nodded, letting himself be lifted by ritsu, who led him out of the office

reigen sat panting, thankful that they had arrived on time, before /he/ lost it

"you okay?" teru asked

reigen caught his breath, "I... yeah. I will be, I think"

teru looked worried for him, "we'd really assumed the worst, you know"

reigen paled, knowing full well what he meant, "thanks for stopping it from getting that far, really"

"would you have? lost control?"

reigen

sighed, "I couldn't move. I don't know"

teru grimaced, "well. thankfully that isn't what happened,"

reigen only nodded

there was a beat of silence before reigen spoke again, "can you... can you tell him I'm okay?"

"yeah, I can do that"

"and tell him... Im not mad at him"

"... right" teru gave reigen one last, knowing look, before heading out of the office

reigen sat there in silence, breath still slightly ragged as he processed what had happened

serizawa walked in, eventually, to reigen still sitting on the floor, slightly disheveled

the whole room smelled like mob, like heat, and serizawa was immediately very concerned

"reigen? what happened?"

reigen sighed, slowly working his way to standing back up, trying to make sense and words of what /had/ happened

"well... mob presented today. he's having his first

heat"

serizawa bristled, "sh-shigeo?? is. is he... okay?"

"he's. fine, probably. his brother took him home a while ago"

"..... and you?"

"I... he couldnt control himself, and... I was the alpha closest to him"

a pause, "did. did you..?"

"no. thank god, no. they stopped him"

serizawa visibly relaxed at that, "oh. good. I think"

"are... you? okay?"

reigen wasn't sure, really. he was physically alright, well, mostly, but mentally?

"I think so? a little shaken, but. I'll be okay"

serizawa wasn't sure if he should believe him, considering, but didnt

press the issue

mob, on the other hand, was very much Not doing okay

ritsu had gotten him home and, much like he and teru, their parents assumed the worst when ritsu told them what had happened

but ritsu cleared everything up with them, ushering them to contact the family

doctor to get mob help asap

mob was in his room, rutting down against his futon desperately, trying to recall the exact feeling of reigens dick against his ass, the smell of it against his face

he didn't know how to masturbate, never really needed to before

and now he really,

really needed to

he grabbed at himself, thinking about what his body wanted

he could hardly form cognizant thoughts, but he was getting somewhere

heat meant he's an omega, right? omegas have sex by...

the thought sent shivers down his entire body

that's why it felt good to

sit in reigens lap

he gulped, reaching a hand around himself, dipping a finger between his ass cheeks, feeling his hole, slightly wet with slick, for the first time

he took a deep breath and pushed it in, a whine escaping him at the sensation

it felt so good, but,

simultaneously made his body want more

he tried to satiate it by putting in another, pushing the two in and out of himself desperately

he reached down to his dick, squeezing too hard, and rutted into it, chasing both his fingers and his hand with every movement

he eventually

came, a long whine leaving him as he did, his whole body tensing

he breathed hard against his pillow, realizing quickly that his body still wanted more

he huffed, too overstimulated to continue, instead curling up in himself and trying hard to catch his breath

a soft knock

rang from the door, "nii-san? the doctor is here"

he hurriedly threw his clothes back on, wiping his hands off on his sheets as he clambered to get up and answer his brother

he opened the door, ritsu giving him a concerned, embarrassed look, "come on"

the doctor gave mob a

sedative and hormone suppressants, for his heats. and a long lecture about how to track and predict when they would happen

by the time the doctor left the medicine was doing its job, and mob wanted nothing more but to sleep

he woke up the next day feeling the same drive as the previous, but not nearly as strongly

his memory of the previous day was a little fuzzy, but as he got ready for school he remembered slowly

and suddenly, the memory of what he'd done to reigen hit him like a truck

he stopped brushing his teeth, blanching at the memories flooding him

oh no. oh no oh no oh no

what did I do???

he was immediately consumed with regret

he knew, of course, that he had developed feelings for reigen

but that was.

he used his powers on him

he gripped the sink

as the previous day replayed in his head, knuckles whitening from the pressure

he'd messed up

reigen definitely hated him, now

after something like that, using his powers on the one person he swore he never would, thought he'd never be able to, the one who taught him not to

he felt like he was going to cry

a knock disrupted his panic

"shigeo, your friend is here"

his mother's voice stopped his spiraling, even if it were temporary

"okay"

he finished brushing his teeth, wondering exactly which friend was here

he got dressed and made his way out

to where teru was waiting for him

he paled, "h-hey"

"hey, kageyama, let's walk together"

mob was worried, since teru was the one who'd gotten reigen away from him, he knew what had happened the day prior

"kageyama? you okay?"

mob didn't have time to reply, "no I mean, of

course you aren't, not after yesterday. that's why I'm here to talk to you"

he was shocked, but he calmed down and started walking with him

"reigen is fine, by the way," teru started, relief washing over mob, "he isnt hurt, and he wanted you to know he isn't mad at you, either"

mob stopped walking

he was surprised and so, so relieved to hear reigen wasn't mad (provided he wasn't lying)

"he meant it, too" teru supplied, as if reading mobs thoughts

"you're sure?" mob asked quietly

"he's a world class liar, that master of yours, but he meant this one"

teru sounded so sure, so mob believed him

"he has no reason to be mad," he continued, confusing mob

"you weren't in control, kageyama, he knows that"

"but I... used my powers"

"he knows that was unintentional, too"

mob wasn't so sure, but hearing it made him feel slightly

better

he managed to get through the school day, only beginning to dread returning to the office after his last class was over

he considered calling in, but before he could even pull up reigens number, his phone was ringing

reigen was calling him

"hello?"

"mob! just wanted

to let you know that I understand if you can't make it in today. don't feel pressured if you don't feel well!" reigen /sounded/ okay, at the very least. but mob knew better than to trust that alone

"shishou, I'm so sorry abou-"

"don't worry, mob, you didn't do anything you need

to apologize for," reigen brushed him off

mob huffed, "shishou. you know that isn't true," reigen started to interrupt him but he continued, "I used my powers on you, and..."

he heard reigen sigh through the phone, "mob... you couldn't control it. it's okay. heats are tough,"

it was mobs turn to sigh, "shishou,"

"I mean it, mob. it's okay. /I'm/ okay"

mob felt like crying again, "... you're sure?"

he could almost see reigens face, confident and smiling at him, "I'm sure, mob"

mob was glad this was a phone call, and reigen couldn't see him flush

red, "okay."

reigen didnt hang up, instead asking again if mob wanted to skip work today, ensuring that serizawa would be there if there was a real spirit

mob decided to take him up on the offer, electing to not risk repeating the previous encounter

his heat passed, and things gradually found a new normal. every few months mob would need to skip work for his heat, staying home (still dreaming of that first day, the feel of reigen against him, mind filling in more and more as time progressed), reigen missing a day every so often without telling why

(he was absolutely Not going to risk being in rut with mob around, no way)

the years past and eventually, mob was older, bolder, and more sure of his feelings for reigen

and reigen (bless his heart) started feeling the same, seeing mob fully grown, muscular but still thin,

taller, more confident than ever

he buried the memory of mobs body against him, only surfacing when he wasnt thinking clearly

but the memory didnt stay a memory for long

mob confessed to reigen, who protested despite wanting to reciprocate so, so badly

but mob was unrelenting

he could tell reigen felt the same

could feel reigens gaze on him when they ran together, when he used his powers, all the time really

could see the longing in his eyes when they separated for mob to go to college, the desire for his company when they went out for food together

he told reigen all of this, ignoring reigens assertions that mob was imagining things

mob didnt give up, however. he knew reigen was denying himself because he felt guilty for not being enough for mob

but mob knew, knew that reigen was the absolute best thing that ever happened

to him, and that ever would

he lifted his hand, inches from reigens chest, "do you trust me, reigen?"

reigen startled at the use of his name, no -shishou attached to it, but answered, "of course, mob"

he was, however, very, very worried because the last/first time mob had used his powers on him, well...

this time though, mob closed the distance between his hand and reigens chest, concentrating hard, and poured everything he felt about reigen into one telepathic pulse

reigen doubled over, tears forming in his eyes faster than he could process the information, "mob..? what?"

"my feelings for you"

reigen looked confused, but slowly realization hit him. tears fell down his cheeks as he clutched at his chest

"mob, I... I'm just an average guy, youre-"

"also just an average guy, shishou. I always have been,"

reigen looked

up at him, "mob, you're so much more than average, you're amazing, you're so strong and kind and-"

"and so are you, shishou."

"I'm not,"

"you're amazing, reigen. you changed my whole world, saved my life before it really even began. everything about you is perfect, and" he

took a breath, "and I love you, reigen"

reigen let out a sob he'd been trying to hold back at the words, "fuck," it took him a moment to compose himself, looking back up into mobs eyes, completely sincere, staring back at him,

"fuck, mob. I... I love you, too, mob"

mob only smiled wider at him, slightly mischievous, "I know," he said, "I just wanted to make sure you knew"

mob cradled one of reigens cheeks in his hand, wiping away the tear streak, leaning in enough to make his intentions clear

and reigen closed the gap eagerly, kissing him

/finally/ mob thought, closing his eyes and losing himself in the feeling of reigens lips pressed against his

reigen jolted at the quiet "click" from across the room, the defining sound of the office door locking

"mob... we're at work"

"we're alone, the shop is closed, and..."

he tucked his face into the crook of reigens neck, "I've wanted this for so, so long"

a shiver ran down reigens spine. he didn't need mob to tell him exactly how long, he could figure it out

still, "what if someone comes? tome has keys!"

mob pressed his lips to reigens neck,

"I'll hold the lock, if it comes to that,"

reigen could feel the protest leaving him, desire taking its place very quickly as mob continued nipping at his nape, "mob," he gathered his resolve, "we should do this in a bed,"

now, that was an argument mob couldn't argue with

mob reluctantly pulled away, "your place is closer"

reigen laughed, "yes it is,"

"would that be okay?"

reigen thought hard about the state of his apartment, he was sure hed left some trash around, not really anticipating..... any of this, really

"I suppose," he answered

mob stood quickly, extending his hand to help reigen up

"we're walking there, okay. taking our time." reigen asserted. he didn't want mob flying them over, and he needed some time to process that this was indeed a thing happening, make sure they're both sure about it

mob pouted, but agreed (reigen knew he wanted to rush)

they walked slowly, as promised, but anticipation stirred in both of them

reigen was surprised that... he wasn't doubting this. he was sure if he had a moment he'd think of some reason to turn mob down, but nothing came

he was confident that mob wanted this because /fuck/ he knew mob wanted this, and he... he wanted this, too. he has for a while now (not as long as mob but that's to be expected)

they arrived at his apartment, and he could feel the crackle of mobs aura

mob was barely holding

back, waiting impatiently as reigen opened the door

he'd been here a couple of times, short visits usually

nothing like this, of course

the door opened and mob was engulfed in reigens familiar scent

he slipped off his shoes, following reigen inside

they barely made it across

the room before mob was pulling reigen in close, burying his face in reigens neck again, breathing in deeply

he sat down on reigens bed for the first time ever, leading reigen to stand in front of him

"I want you, reigen," he said, pressing his lips to the skin of reigens neck again

reigen breathed deep, breathing in the smell of mob, "me too, mo- ... shigeo"

the sound of his name drew a small moan from him, desire building even more

he drew reigen in close, opening his legs to let reigen slot between them, lifting his face to kiss reigen properly

this time deepening the kiss, tongue pressing against reigens

reigen broke the kiss, panting, because he had a question he didnt know if he could handle the answer of

"have you... done this before?"

mob looked at reigen and shrugged, "ive kissed before... I tried to date teru for a while, but..."

he trailed off, but reigen understood

"so you've never. had sex?"

mob shook his head

reigen swallowed hard, it wasn't unbelievable, considering mobs age

mob looked at him expectantly, "and... you have..?"

reigen wanted to laugh, "I have...

"just, not. recently is all," shoutout to that one guy in college, he thought

mob nodded, accepting the information

mob lifted his hands to play at the collar of reigens shirt, slowly working the first button undone, watching reigen like he might just run away like a startled animal

reigen smiled, leaning in to bring their lips together, also getting started by pulling at the bottom hem of mobs shirt, letting his hands slide up against mobs torso, drawing quiet noises from mob, who continued unbuttoning reigens shirt

reigen slid his thumb across

mobs nipple, mob gasping against him at the sensation

reigen felt his shirt being pulled from his pants, the slide of the fabric against his groin causing him to let out a sharp breath, "shigeo..."

mob shivered, bringing his hands to explore reigens now exposed front, moaning

as reigen started tracing kisses down his neck

reigen lifted mobs shirt up the rest of the way, pulling it off of him, shrugging off his own before returning his hands to mobs toned chest

mob brought his hands to play at reigens belt, unbuckling it and pulling it loose, before

pressing one hand gently against reigens clothed dick, earning him a "ffuck, shigeo"

mob rubbed it gently, feeling reigens hips twitch forward to chase the feeling

he wants it in him

he unbuttoned reigens pants, slowly pulling down the zipper, before grabbing the waistband of the pants and boxers underneath, meeting reigens gaze as he pulled them downward, releasing reigens erection, letting the clothes fall to reigens feet

reigen stepped out of them, watching as mobs eyes traced down his body to stare at his cock

he laughed, "my eyes are up here, shigeo,"

mob blushed, realizing he was staring, "it's just. I just. I mean. it's"

"hm?"

"... big?"

this time it was reigens turn to blush, "right." he looked away from mobs eyes, "I mean im. an alpha, yknow?"

mob was painfully aware of the fact

mob didn't respond, just brought his hand back up to grab it, feeling the bump where reigens knot would grow, giving it one test stroke

reigen moaned, long and shaky and mob decided he wanted to hear that sound again and again and again

reigen wasnt about to leave everything to mob, though, and reached to unbutton mobs jeans, starting to pull them and his underwear down mobs legs, mob lifting off the bed just enough for reigen to slide them all the way down, reigen stepping away temporarily to pull them free, stepping back between mobs legs

"now who's staring" mob asked, smug

"that'd be me" reigen responded, unabashed

mob rolled his eyes, reaching to resume touching reigen

but reigen stopped him, placing his hand on mobs chest, pushing unyieldingly until mob understood and laid down, back hitting the bed as reigen loomed over him

reigen leaned down

reaching one hand underneath one of mobs knees, pulling it close enough for him to kiss the inside lightly, mob going bright red as reigen kissed up his thigh, closer and closer to his crotch, hand trailing behind it oh so sensually

mob moaned loudly as reigens lips brushed his dick, his hand coming to slide down, past his balls and press gently against his hole

mobs voice shook as he groaned, hands grasping wildly at the sheets below him

reigen didn't let up, licking a stripe up mobs dick before taking it into his mouth, sucking in and rubbing the underside with his tongue

he heard more than saw the objects in his room beginning to lift off their surfaces, and he figured it would probably be okay

probably

mobs breathing became more labored as reigen continued, starting to bob his head along mobs dick, rubbing at his entrance

"r- reigen... please"

reigen hummed against him, drawing another long moan from mob, before pressing harder against the hole, slipping his first finger in effortlessly

mob may not have had sex, but this was definitely not the first thing inside him, reigen thought

his insides were warm and soft, and reigen groaned at the thought of the feeling on his dick

he pushed the finger in and out, slick slowly building until he felt comfortable adding a second finger, drawing another moan from mob

he thought hard about adding a third finger, not really sure if it would be necessary, but his thoughts were brought to an end because mob was starting to ask for "more... more, reigen, please"

reigen decided to slide in a third, a low sound rumbling in mobs chest

reigen slid his fingers along mobs insides, feeling for the sweet spot inside him

he felt it soon, mob gasping as reigen began rubbing circles around it with his fingertips

mob whined, a string of "slow down"s and "stop"s halting reigen, who looked up at mob patiently

mob had to catch his breath before responding, "I don't... want to come yet... not until you're in me..." reigen moaned a little, lifting away from mobs dick, pulling his fingers free

"well... guess I'll have to get in you, then," reigen said bringing his hips forward, sliding himself along mobs wet hole, the head of his dick catching on it occasionally

mobs breath sped up again, incoherent "please"s and "fuck me"s coming from him

reigen hummed a moan at the sound of mob cursing, begging for him

he grabbed himself, holding steady as he pressed forward, sliding slowly into mob

mobs back arched slightly off the bed as he felt reigen spreading him open, so, so different from fingers or toys

he gasped for air, feeling his orgasm building much too soon for his liking

"oh, fuck, shigeo" reigen his hips snapping forward, unable to control himself, already close himself

mob moaned, feeling reigens hips against his ass briefly as reigen continued jerking in and out of him

"reigen. reigen, ohhhhnnnnn" mob tried to hold on, he wanted more, but he could hardly hold back, "reigen, Im... I'm gonna"

reigen tried to regain a sense of rhythm, trying to control his thrusts

"me, too, shigeo... fuck"

mob whined, feeling reigens dick starting to catch, knot swelling as he grew closer to coming

reigen pushed in one more thrust, before he could no longer pull out, feeling his body starting to tense as he started coming, pouring inside of mob

mob could feel the heat filling him, the sensation overwhelming him, coming hard against his belly, squeezing around reigen, the pressure causing both of them to let out long, shuddering moans

reigen spilled all he had into mob, knot receding enough for him to pull out, come dripping out of mob

reigen collapsed, falling onto his side next to mob, the two of them catching their breath

"fuck," reigen felt the now foreign desire for a smoke, feeling the waves of pleasure slowly dissipating, being replaced with contentment

mob laughed, "yeah," turning to smile at reigen, who in turn smiled back, laughter building in both of them until they were both giggling

"I love you, shigeo" reigen said, freely. honestly. confident and comfortable

mob felt his expression soften, looking back at reigen, "and I love you, rei-"

he paused, "arataka"

the name felt foreign on his tongue, but so, so right

"arataka" he said again, enjoying the feeling of the word in his mouth

reigen was beet red, enjoying the sound of his name ass name coming from mob

reigen pressed his forehead to mobs, enjoying the

closeness

mob was right

of course he was, he thought

how could he have ever said no to this

[a-writer-on-elm-street]

Would it be possible to do a smut for Ralph where they’re caught having sex?

Tell The World

Pairing: Ralph x Fem!Reader

Summary: You've been keeping your relationship with Ralph a secret, and you've been successful, that is until someone walks in on you whilst in the middle of something...

Warnings: Handjob, oral sex (m recieving), unprotected sex.

A/N: I actually had a lot of fun writing this. Hope this is okay!

You struggled to keep a straight face as you glanced over at Ralph, who was watching you from where he stood in the doorway. If you weren't currently sitting beside Victoria you'd probably jump him right there.

You and Ralph had been secretly seeing each other for a couple of months now. The secrecy was mostly on your part because you were worried his sister might not approve. And Ralph loved his sister so you couldn't bare the thought of her being against your relationship.

After a few more minutes of Ralph staring at you from the doorway, you couldn't take it anymore. You shot up from the couch, spinning around to quickly tell Victoria you were going for a lie down, and then you almost knocked Ralph over on your way out of the living room.

He clearly got the message as it wasn't long before he was following you up the stairs to your room.

"Ralph you really should stop staring at me like that when we're in public."

"But how can I when you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen." He answered, gently closing the door before making his way over to you, his hands snaking around your waist.

"How did I get so lucky?" You sighed, bringing a hand up to rest on the side of his face.

He smiled as you pulled him down to you, gently pressing your lips against his. You hummed against his lips when you felt him tracing small circles on your hips with his fingers.

And when you parted, you simply couldn't wait any longer. You led him toward your bed, gently guiding him to sit down before undoing his trousers and slowly sliding them down his legs along with his underwear.

You heard him mutter a quiet 'oh' when you wrapped your hand around his length, swiping your thumb over his tip. You looked up at him when you started to move your hand over him, grinning as you watched his eyes flutter closed, his mouth slightly agape.

"You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen." You repeated his words back to him, smiling as he let out a quiet moan.

You pumped him a few times before releasing him, leaning down to leave a trail of kisses over his thighs, slowly making your way up to his swollen cock. You heard him whimper when you finally closed your mouth over his tip, sucking slightly before taking him into your mouth.

"My love." He muttered, releasing breathy moans. "That...that feels amazing."

You started to bob your head up and down on his lap, holding onto his thighs as he squirmed beneath you. As you continued your movements over him, you felt him carefully thread his fingers through your hair.

"Oh...oh god." He groaned, his fingers tightening in your hair as you felt him twitch inside your mouth.

You flinched slightly when you felt his load hit the back of your throat. And when you pulled off of him, he still had his head tilted back as he tried to catch his breath.

"Would you like to continue?" You asked him, standing up to reach under your skirt, removing your own underwear.

He quickly nodded, sitting up straighter now as he watched you approach, a nervous smile on his face.

You climbed onto his lap, positioning your legs on either side of him. And you took no time in reaching down to guide him toward your entrance.

He moaned when you finally sank down on him.

"Oh Ralph." You groaned as you started to grind your hips over him, his hands coming up to wrap around your thighs. "You feel so good."

He could only respond with a soft moan as you continued your movements over him.

However, your moment of bliss was soon interrupted when the door swung open behind you and you were met with the sound of Victoria's voice.

"(y/n)? Have you seen-" She cut herself off when she saw you both. "Ralph."

"Oh, god." You frantically tried to push yourself off him, landing on the floor with a thud as you looked up at Victoria in the doorway. "Oh my god."

"Victoria, um...what...what are you doing here?" Ralph questioned as he quickly dressed himself, standing up.

"I was looking for you." She chuckled, leaning a hand on the doorframe as she watched you both. "And you two seemed...close, so I assumed (y/n) would know where you'd gotten to."

"Victoria, I'm so sorry." You started to say, standing up now, hoping you didn't look too dishevelled. "We were going to tell you eventually, I just-"

"Oh no, I don't care what you get up to in your...free time. I'm just happy my brother has finally found someone."

"You...you are?"

"Of course! Now, would you like me to give you a moment to finish, or can I take Ralph now?"

"Just...please give me a moment." Ralph said, awkwardly waving a hand at her.

She just gave you both an amused look before slipping out the door, leaving you alone.

"My love, I am so sorry about my sister." He started. "I had no idea she was just going to walk in like that. If I'd have known-"

"Ralph." You interrupted him, bringing your hands up to rest on either side of his face. "It's fine. I'm just glad she doesn't hate me, hate me being with you."

He just stared at you then, like he was unsure how to respond. And you couldn't help the smile that tugged at your lips as you looked up at him.

"I love you, Ralph. And now that Victoria approves, I can tell the world."

He grinned. "Well in that case, I'd like to take you out tonight."

"I'd love that."

[Main Masterlist] [Ralph Masterlist]

[live-the-fangirl-life]

Stolen Stamps

Aelin Galathynius x Rowan Whitethorn - Stolen Passport Oneshot

“You took me on a trip just to break up with me so I stole your passport” - Prompt from @dailyau

I don't know where this came from, it just kinda happened, enjoy! Minor Chaolaena, Rowaelin endgame

Masterlist | Read on Ao3

Warnings: Language

2494 words

*******

The faint hum of the air condition filled the meticulously organized room in the back of the post office.

“Ms. Galathynius,” A deep, accented voice addressed her.

Her gaze on the tall bookshelf in the corner jerked back to the man sitting across from her behind his desk. His hands were crossed, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, exposing part of a tattoo that wrapped around his muscular arm. She tried not to watch as the muscles shifted as he leaned forward when he spoke to her.

“Can you please explain to me why you were trying to mail a very,” He paused, glancing at the messily-wrapped bundle on the center of his desk, “suspicious-looking package to the Adarlan embassy in Antica?”

Aelin opened her mouth to try to explain, but no words came out.

He raised a silver eyebrow and waited.

She sighed, “I swear, it’s not what it looks like.”

***

The cab ride to the airport was a blur. So was the flight, and the ride to her hotel. It wasn’t until Aelin locked the door of her hotel room and set down her bags, that the events of the day finally hit her.

Whether it was adrenaline or shock or relief, she couldn’t be sure. Aelin fell back onto the bed and rubbed her face, groaning. She thought back to that morning when everything had been fine.

Fine, not great, just fine. That’s how things always felt with Chaol, just fine.

Her brain was still working through what happened when she jolted up from the bed, eyes wide.

“Shit. What did I do?”

Aelin scrambled towards her purse and rummaged through it. She couldn’t find it; maybe she didn't take it. She turned the bag upside down over the bed and watched as her things fell out. She pushed aside her little paperback mystery novel, her lipstick, her boarding pass, she moved aside a wrinkled coupon and froze.

“Fuck.”

***

After wearing a track into the carpet with her pacing, Aelin decided to call Lysandra. It was going about as well as she expected.

“Lysandra, I did a bad thing.”

Aelin chewed her fingernail between her teeth, a bad habit she couldn’t kick when she was stressed, as she tried to tell her best friend what just happened. She was standing on the small balcony of her hotel hoping the fresh air would help clear her mind. So far, it wasn't doing a great job.

“Aelin,” Lysandra’s voice sounded amused through her phone, “This is you were talking about, you’re going to have to be a bit more specific.”

Rolling her eyes, Aelin ran a hand through her hair. “I did a petty, horrible, impulsive, really bad thing.”

There was a long pause as Lysandra seemed to realize how serious Aelin sounded.

“Okay. Now I’m getting worried.” Then a sharp gasp, “Was it illegal? Have you been arrested? Are you calling me from a foreign prison?”

“Lys—” Aelin tried cutting in, she wanted to stop the hysterics before her friend’s imagination got out of hand.

“When you told me you were going on a trip with Chaol I thought you’d be spending time on the beach, not using me as your one phone call from a dirty jail cell hundreds of miles away!”

“Lysandra!”

“And where’s Chaol? Is he there with you?”

“Lysandra, stop! I haven’t been arrested, I’m not in prison, I’m fine. Actually, I’m great.” Aelin closed her eyes and sighed, trying to scrounge up some guilt but failing. “Actually, it's because I’m feeling great that makes what I did so much worse, because I don’t really feel bad about it.”

“Don’t scare me like that.” Her friend's voice echoed in her ear. “If you’re fine, then tell me what happened and tell me why you’re calling me at,” she paused and groaned, “six in the morning.”

“Sorry,” Aelin winced, “I’m still on a different time frame.”

“Still? Where are you now? Are you not in Antica anymore?”

“Slow down, Lys.” Aelin loosed a breath and ran a hand through her hair, “I’m back in Terrasen.”

“What? When did you get back?” Lysandra sounded confused, and Aelin couldn't blame her, after all, she was supposed to be in Antica for four more days.

“Today. Less than an hour ago. I’m at a hotel, I just needed to clear my head.”

After a moment of silence, Lysandra asked again, “Where’s Chaol? Have you talked to him about whatever this is? Not that he’d help much “Lysandra muttered the last part, but Aelin still heard.

Here we go, Aelin thought, “No. We broke up.”

“What?” Lysandra was definitely awake now. “Really? Oh, honey, I’m sorry if you’re hurting, but good for you, I never really liked him.”

“Yeah, I know.” Aelin barked a wry laugh, “He dumped me, actually.”

“He dumped you?”

Aelin barked another laugh, getting angry as she told Lysandra the rest, “Get this, that bastard invited me on this trip specifically to break up with me”

“What the actual fuck?”

“Yeah, and honestly?” Aelin took a deep breath, feeling a mess of emotions as she explained. “I can’t blame him.” She amended herself quickly at Lysandra's sound of protest, “I don’t mean about taking me on a trip to do it, because that’s fucked up, but I mean the actual breaking up part. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, it was more about who would pull the trigger first. Come on, Lys, you knew I was more excited to spend a week on the beach than to spend a week with him.”

Lysandra snorted, “Yeah, Ace, I knew that. I was hoping you realized that, too.”

“Well, I did. So, I left. I’m back in Terrasen, there was no way I was staying there with him any longer, that would’ve been too weird.”

Aelin could hear Lysandra’s coffee machine buzz to life through the phone and suddenly wished she had a cup of coffee. Once she figured this mess out, she’d go find a cafe.

“Right. Okay,” The brunette’s voice rang out, “let me get this straight, Chaol took you on a trip solely to break up with you, and now you’re back in Terrasen while he’s still on the Southern Continent. I’m still not seeing what exactly you did that’s making you freak out.”

At that, Aelin flopped back onto the bed and flung an arm over her face, groaning.

“I know breaking up with Chaol is for the best, Hellas, I feel relieved. But at that moment, I was so angry. I was furious that he’d take me on this trip instead of just doing it at home like a normal-fucking-person—I mean, who takes a break-up vacation? Anyways, when I was packing my things to leave, I, kinda, sorta, took something of his.”

“Aelin…what did you do?”

Aelin looked at the foot of the bed where the remains of her purse were strewn over the blanket. Her eyes caught on two matching little booklets with gold seals on them.

“I stole his passport.”

***

“Ms. Galathynius—”

“Aelin, please.” She cut off the silver-haired man behind the desk.

The only change in his stoic demeanor was a small twitch of his lips. “Aelin. Can you explain what exactly you’re trying to mail, that looks like that—”

‘That’ being the layers of spare newspaper she found tucked away in her hotel room haphazardly wrapped and tied with the thread from the complimentary sewing kit, also from her hotel room. She hadn’t been able to find any tape. Aelin thought if she brought it to the post office then she could re-package it with actual materials, but she’d chosen not to unwrap it before getting there. An obvious mistake.

“—to an official, protected, government Embassy?” His voice was stern and his green eyes steady.

This looked bad. Aelin could easily admit that this looked really bad.

She placed her hands on his desk and watched as his eyes tracked the movement. “I can explain. It's definitely not as bad as I’m sure you think it is.”

He remained silent, watching her expectantly.

She caught sight of the nameplate on the side of his desk. “Mr. Whitethorn—”

“Rowan, please.”

Did he sound amused?

Taking confidence from that, she sat up a little straighter and said, “Rowan,”

His mouth quirked a little higher as she said his name.

Clearing her throat, she started again, “Rowan, you can open the package, I assure you it's nothing bad. It’s just a passport.”

One of his eyebrows rose skeptically, “A passport?” He asked doubtfully.

“Yes, a passport. That’s why I was trying to send it to the embassy. It belongs to my b—ex.” She stumbled over the last word, still unused to Chaol’s new title.

He—Rowan—looked even more intrigued.

“You’re mailing your ex their passport, but decided to wrap it in the most suspicious, threatening way possible?”

Aelin winced. “I didn’t have many options.” She chuckled, remembering trying to tie the string together in the hotel bathroom’s fluorescent lights. “I thought I could fix it once I got here, but I didn’t even have a chance to ask for materials before being escorted in here.” She waved a hand vaguely and looked around his office.

Rowan was fully smirking now. He leaned back in his chair and watched her for a long moment. “It is my job to confiscate suspect packages. Especially when those packages are being sent to, say, a government building.”

Leaning forward slightly she smiled and told him, “Well, you seem to be very good at your job.”

Gods, was she flirting? She and Chaol literally just broke up. But she couldn’t deny she was attracted to Rowan. Not with the way his pine-green eyes lit up with amusement or the way the muscles in his arms flexed when he shifted in his chair. Not to mention that tattoo; she was a sucker for tattoos—and she’d never told him this, but it always disappointed Aelin that Chaol never even considered getting any ink.

Good gods, she was flirting. And not very well.

Still smirking, Rowan leaned forward and asked, “Care to tell me why you’re sending your ex their passport?”

Was it her imagination or did he say ‘ex’ like it was the most interesting word in his question.

She couldn't stop the small smile twisting her lips. “I don't see how the ‘why’ of it is any of your business.”

Rowan surveyed her and Aelin tried not to blush under his gaze. She couldn't stop herself from comparing him to Chaol, he never made her feel this flustered with just a stare. Rowan's eyes tracked her face, tracked the way her cheeks heated, and she tried with all her might to fight the blush.

She wasn’t a teenager with a crush, she was a woman who knew how good she looked and was very attracted to the man whose eyes had not stopped roaming over her. She fought down the blush and flipped her hair over her shoulder, smiling charmingly at him.

He seemed to like it and his grin widened before putting on a faux stern face.

“I try to be as thorough as possible, Aelin,” Gods, the way he said her name made her toes curl. “It would make things easier if you explained why. I could finish my paperwork quicker, get this thing sent off, and we’d both be free of this passport and your ex.”

Wow, he wasn't beating around the bush. She liked it.

He sent her a slow grin, “I’d be able to take my break at nine, and go for a cup of coffee.”

The way he said the last part left no room for guessing what he meant. He wanted to take her out for coffee.

A small part of her hesitated, she had just broken up with Chaol. But on the other hand, he took her on a fucking breakup vacation, so screw him and she could do whatever the hell she wanted. And she wanted Rowan. She wanted to go get coffee with Rowan.

So she smiled, winked at him, and said, “I’m mailing it back to him because I stole it from him.”

Rowan’s smile faltered and he blinked.

“You what?”

“I stole it from him.”

He stared at her another moment before a chuckle escaped his lips and he was shaking his head but smirking.

“You stole his passport.” He sounded very amused as he wrote a note down, most likely for the report he’d have to file.

“Yup,” Aelin’s grin turned feline, “He took me on vacation to break up with me, so I stole his passport and left him there.”

Rowan stopped writing and looked at her with raised eyebrows, “He’s still there? You have his passport, and now he’s stuck,” Rowan glanced at his notes, “in Antica?”

Aelin laughed; a loud, cheerful, sound that filled the office and pulled a small grin onto Rowan’s lips.

“Okay, I’m sure you think I’m a bit crazy,” Her grin didn't falter, “but it was impulsive and as soon as I realized what I actually did, you know, kinda leaving him stranded there, I tried to send it back to him. I couldn't remember what the hotel was, so I figured the embassy would be a good choice given it's a passport, and he is from Adarlan.”

“He’s from Adarlan, you’re not?” Rowan asked.

Aelin smirked, “That’s what you got from what I said?”

He matched her smirk, “That's what I want to know.”

“No,” Aelin shook her head and glanced out the window in his office, “I’m from here, Terrasen is in my blood.”

It seemed like that was the answer Rowan was looking for. He smiled, wrote down a final note, and looked back at her.

“I think that’s all I need right now, Aelin,” Again, the way he said her name sent butterflies flitting around her stomach.

He stood up and she did the same, pulling her purse back over her shoulder. He walked around his desk and opened the door for her.

“Aelin,” Rowan’s voice made her pause as she stood in the open doorway.

“Yes, Rowan?” she looked up at him expectantly with a small smile.

“I take my break in half an hour, there's a coffee shop just down the block, if you want to hang around or come back then, I'd like to take you out for coffee.”

Aelin smiled brightly at him and nodded, “I’d like that. I’ll come back in half an hour.”

He grinned and held her gaze another moment before she turned to leave.

“Oh, and Rowan?” She turned back to look at him but saw he already—or still—had his eyes on her.

“Yeah?”

“You don't have to use express shipping on that, it's fine if it takes a couple days.”

The sound of Rowan’s deep laughter followed her through the doors.

*****

Taglist:

@acourtofsnakes @allthebooksunderthemoon @astra-ad-mare @becarefuloflove @bisexual-genderfluid-loki @booklover41802 @charlizeed @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @danibutterr @doubt-less @emily-gsh @enormousbooklover @foughtconquered @fromthelibraryofemilyj @hakunamatatazz @i-have-but-one-brain-cell @in-love-with-caramel-macchiato @jorjy-jo @lemonade-coolattas @mariamuses @mayhemories @midsizewitch @miserablesmusings @morganofthewildfire @nehemikkele @rowaelinismyotp @rowansfirebringer @sayosdreams @sheharahu @sleeping-and-books @stardelia @story-scribbler @superspiritfestival @surielandiareendgame @swankii-art-teacher @tomtenadia @westofmoon @whimsicallyreading @ladygabrielli1997 @moodymelanist @realbookloverproblems @gracie-rosee @julemmaes @yesdreamblog

[viacursecasting]

Vampire.

{ Sonadowtober #9 }

It had been almost a week since Sonic had seen Shadow. Though he usually heeded the warning on the lifeform's bedroom door—DO NOT DISTURB—he did not do so this time, knocking on the wooden panel. "Shads? Are you alright?"

It wasn't unusual for the agent to hole himself up for a few days, but it was strange that he didn't answer. Sonic called, "Shadow, you're starting to worry me."

Still no answer. He tried the doorknob, but it was locked. He steeled himself. "I don't wanna do this, but you leave me no choice. I'm coming in on the count of three." He took a few steps back, ready to spindash. "One, two..."

He waited a little longer in the hopes that Shadow would respond, but there was only silence. He took a deep breath. "Three!"

He burst through the door but was immediately pinned to the ground, a disheveled, shaky hedgehog straddling him.

"I told you... never... to come in," Shadow rasped, his throat as dry as a desert.

But Sonic wasn't worried about himself. "Shadow! Your eyes are—!" Black, he was about to say, but the agent buried his nose in the crook of Sonic's neck, making the hero gasp.

Shadow murmured against his azure fur, "Intoxicating..."

Sonic's heart began to race, from fear or something else, he wasn't sure. "Sh-Shadow, you're... crushing me..."

That seemed to snap the lifeform to his senses, for he reeled back, stumbling. He used the edge of a vanity to steady himself, massaging his temples. "Sorry... I'm sorry..."

Sonic looked up with concern, but then he caught the state of the room. Empty blood bags were strewn about. Blackout curtains only let in a sliver of moonlight. Most unsettling, though, was that when Sonic caught sight of the vanity mirror, he saw his own reflection...

Only his own reflection.

"You're a..." Sonic couldn't seem to finish the sentence. He'd seen crazy things, sure, but to have something like this happen right under his nose... It was almost too much to process.

"You should leave," Shadow stated with his back toward the hero, sounding like he was out of breath, his shoulders hunching from the effort of standing.

Sonic got to his feet warily, though he had no intention of leaving. "You need blood, don't you?" He heard the lifeform's breath hitch. "I'm right, aren't I?" he pressed.

A low rumble formed in the back of Shadow's throat. He dug his claws into the edge of the table, his self-control hanging on by a thread. "I. Said. Leave."

"Not until you've regained your strength," Sonic countered. He clenched his fists to brace himself. "And I'm right here."

The air was tense for what seemed like an eternity. Then finally, keeping his gaze averted, Shadow asked with a barely audible voice, "Are you sure?"

Sonic swallowed. "Yes. I trust—ah!"

Shadow tackled him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him, as he bore his fangs deep into the speedster's neck with an animalistic growl. Sonic hissed in pain as Shadow drank, but he couldn't help but notice that the lifeform seemed to caress him, as if to ease the pain. Sonic focused on these gentle touches to numb the rush of blood coursing through his veins, his fast-paced breathing soon becoming even.

To avoid making a mess, Shadow occasionally licked his flesh, sending shivers down the hero's spine. Sonic had an inkling that the agent was holding back, so he combed his fingers through ebony quills, bringing him closer, urging him to take as much as he needed.

An average mortal would have passed out by now, perhaps even died, but Sonic's resilience was unlike any other. On top of that, he tasted sweet, and soon Shadow drank not out of need...

But desire.

Despite his strength, Sonic nearly fell unconscious, whether from the loss of blood or relaxation, he wasn't sure. But his ears perked at attention as he heard the lifeform moan hungrily, the soft caresses turning into an iron grip. "Shadow...?" he croaked.

Shadow gasped, peeling himself away from the hero. He cradled Sonic's head in his lap, holding his hand as an apology. "Damn it," he berated himself. "I nearly got carried away."

But Sonic didn't seem to mind, especially now that Shadow's eyes had returned to their natural ruby hue. "It's alright," he reassured as he squeezed the agent's palm. Then he gave a weak grin. "I know I'm irresistible."

Shadow couldn't help but smirk, relieved he hadn't done any lasting damage. "Don't flatter yourself, hedgehog."

[ethanharli]

Requested: On Tumblr; May I ask for a Giyuu x male!Reader smut? Perhaps the reader being a little rough with Giyuu please?

Pairing(s): Giyuu Tomioka x Top Male Reader.

Warning(s): NSFW/SMUT, Bottom Tomioka, Energetic reader, Choking, Slight dirty talk and degradation, Hair pulling, ✨ Aftercare. ✨

DNI; if you use she/her pronouns.

A/n- I'm such a slut for this man smh

___________

I couldn't help but smile brightly when I saw Tomioka a little ways away from me, we were assigned a mission a couple of days ago to a quiet town in the east, where a demon has been taking young drunks and since I got here a day or so before him I made sure to look around and get familiar with the area. So I gently tapped my index and middle fingers together as we approached each other, seeing the slightest of smiles tug at his lips once he saw me, "[Y/n], you burned Wisteria incense?" He asked, now looking up at me with his usual stoic expression and all I could do is let out a small 'Mm-hm!' With a quick nod and a wide grin, not being able to speak much due to my damaged vocal cords. So taking a step closer I leaned down besides his ear not noticing the sudden stillness of his body as I spoke, "Should give us a bit more time to search around" My now deep and raspy voice wasn't something I had gotten used to yet, and it didn't help that I couldn't speak any louder then a whisper. However I did catch the small hitch in his breath, causing me to frown a bit as I pulled away and looked at him, his face was flushed and his lips were slightly parted, his gaze was fixated on the ground and I could finally see just how still he was standing.

It was only when I pressed the back of my hand to his forehead that he finally looked back up at me with slightly widened eyes. "You're warm, maybe you're sick?" My throat slowly started to itch again and I had to resist the urge to scratch at the scar along my throat. It was quiet concerning though, Tomioka has been getting warm like this a lot recently, I've tried to ask others about it to but they would just give me a knowing smile and tell me everything's alright, but that didn't stop me from worrying. I'm pretty sure it started around the time I was at the butterfly estate since Shinobu was helping me with my throat and damaged vocal cords. "Maybe you should sit this one out, I don't want you getting hurt" The worry in my tone was clear, but Tomioka simply took my hand in his and leaned up to place a gentle kiss on my cheek before pulling away, "I'm fine [Y/n], now let's go look around."

Stubborn bastard.

I couldn't help but sigh and follow after him, not wanting him to get lost since he's only just arrived. So while it was still light out I showed him all the important places where the demon might be hiding or might target next, taking an occasional look around at all the Wisteria incense I put out to see how much longer we had left and finally talking with some of the residence here, which luckily didn't end to badly since Tomioka had to do most of the talking. Nevertheless we eventually came up with a plan, "So we're going to tail a drunk?" I asked, looking at Tomioka with a slightly disapproving glare, not really wanting to use a towns-person as bait and I could tell that Tomioka new what I was thinking when he rested his hand on my shoulder, looking up at me with those beautiful dark blue eyes that practically own me at this point. "I won't let them get hurt, I promise" Even though he sounded confident I still held my doubts, but with a heavy sigh I traced the back my fingers along his jawline, pulling him in for a sweet but gentle kiss, "You're lucky I love you cause if it were anyone else I'd probably strangle them for even suggesting this idea."

I could practically feel the way my heart fluttered at his sudden chuckle, the sound of it so foreign since he rarely ever shows emotions, and I couldn't help but pull him back for another quick kiss, before heading off to my station, "Stay safe." It was the only thing I could hope for as I stood at the back of the bar, I was thankful that there was only one due to it being a small town but that didn't make the situation any less dangerous. The incense finally wore off as the stars danced across the midnight sky, while I sat myself down on the roof, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious or even just someone leaving and so far everything seemed alright, until a shadow flickered from the corner of my eye.

In one swift movement I drew my blade and slashed it at the demon who managed to jump out of the way just in time, now standing from my seated position I narrowed my eyes at the ugly bastard, "So you're the one that's been eating all these people?" I asked calmly, trying to raise my voice a little higher so I could be heard, and I couldn't help but raise a brow in confusion from the way she suddenly swayed, a deep blush now coating her grayish complexion. "It's a pity your a Demon slayer, with a voice like that I'd love to have you in my bed" I couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable about her suggestive tone and lustful gaze, but something in the back of my mind nagged at me. So trying to brush it off I rushed at her, dodging any hit she sent my way while she managed to dodge my attacks as well, "Sorry lady but I already got a lover, and I don't plan on letting you live tonight." Her smirk only seemed to grow at my words, as I closed in on her, hoping she wouldn't notice the way I was backing her into a corner, "Then they must be real slut for you hm? Wanting nothing more than to get off to deep voice of yours-"

Blood splattered onto my cheek and clothes as I cut off her head, "Demon or not, no one talks about my lover that way" I sneered slowly feeling my anger subside as I watched her burn away. Though I couldn't deny the fact that her words got me thinking, and eventually led me to connecting the dots about Tomioka's recent actions. So when the male appeared beside me with worried eyes I couldn't help but smile and nod my head before sheathing my blade, I also convinced him to stay the night with me since we've been away from one another for so long, and maybe for the fact that I wanted to figure something out.

-----

I didn't bother to dry my hair as I walked into our shared room, spotting Tomioka sitting on his futon with a book in hand, gently flipping through the pages as I made my way over to him, "[Y/n]?" Ignoring the call of my name I happily moved myself between his legs while pushing him onto his back so that I could rest my head on his abdomen. "It's been so long.. Since we've last seen each other" I mumbled softly, wrapping my arm around his waist so that I could hold him closer against me, while my other hand slipped under his robe and gently traced small circles along his skin, smiling when I heard a sigh of content slip past his lips. However I couldn't help but trail my hand up higher as I lifted myself onto my knees, looking down into Tomioka's slightly widened eyes with a small smirk tugging at my lips.

"And it's been even longer.. Since I heard those pretty moans of yours" I could feel the way his body shivered under my fingertips and it only caused my smirk to grow as I attached my lips to the base of his neck, dragging my teeth and tongue along his pale skin, not wanting to leave a single place untouched while my hands opened up his robe. Gently tracing my fingers along his toned abdomen and pushing my thumbs against his hardened nipples, as I bit into his shoulder, drinking in the way he moaned my name with a choked gasp. "[Y-Y/n].." The way my name rolled off his tongue nearly caused me to growl as I captured his lips with my own, dragging my tongue along his lower lip before I took it between my teeth, giving it a soft tug. While my hands traveled down to his pants, slowly pressing my fingers under the band as I pushed my tongue past his parted lips, slowly losing myself to the taste of him as he pressed his hips against my own.

"Now now baby, there's no need to rush" I whispered against his lips as I slipped off his pants, noticing the fact he wasn't wearing any undergarments and the way his cock slowly started to leak pre-cum. "Already? I barley even touched you" The teasing tone of my voice forced a whimper past his throat as I wrapped my fingers around his cock, pressing my thumb against the slit and smearing his pre-cum around it before licking it off my fingers. "[Y-Y/n] please" I couldn't help but drag my tongue along my upper lip before leaning down to kiss along his jawline, threading my fingers through his soft black hair. Tightening my grip I yanked his head back, "Ah-!" His sudden moan caused my heart to thump and my core to tighten, reminding me of the uncomfortable erection in my pants while starring into those beautiful dark blue eyes of his.

"Now be a good boy and suck" I growled, pressing my fingers to his slightly parted lips as he wrapped his hands around my wrist and wrapped his tongue around my middle finger, skillfully coating my fingers in his saliva and I couldn't help but press the pad of my finger against the back of his tongue, hearing him gag a bit as he stuck out his tongue and looked up at me with a hazy gaze. "Absolutely stunning" I breathed out, instantly moving my hand so I could capture his lips with my own, feeling our noses slightly bump against each others as I took his lower lip between my teeth and trailed my hand down to his entrance, carefully circling my finger around the rim. "Are you ready?" I asked, looking into his eyes for a brief moment, waiting for his consent, "Yes- Please hurry.." He whimpered out as I nodded, slowly pushing my finger in so I wouldn't hurt him.

His soft moans and gasps caused a slow heat to rise to my face as I pushed in another finger, moving them in a scissoring motion to make sure he's stretched out enough to ensure I wouldn't hurt him, "Hah! F-Fuck, [Y/n] pl-please just fuck me!" I couldn't deny his pleading tone and immediately went to pull off my clothes, throwing them off into some other part of the room as Tomioka wrapped his legs around my hips, causing my cock to rub against his entrance. A low whimper slipped past his lips while I hooked one hand behind his knee, pushing his leg towards his chest as I positioned myself at his entrance, looking into his eyes for a brief moment before slowly pushing it. "Ngh- Hah!" The sound of his moans and the way his walls quickly tightened around me caused a low gutteral goan to rip past my throat, and I couldn't help but bring my hand up to wrap around his throat, as I've done many times before, watching as his pale skin turned a deeper shade of red as he wrapped his hands around my wrist.

"Damn, such a slut for me aren't you?" I smirked, fully pushing myself into him as I dug my fingers into the sides of his neck, making sure not to press against his throat as I began to rock my hips, searching for that one spot that always had him trembling beneath me, "Hah- Ah, [Y/n]!" Ah, there it is. Loosening my grip on his neck I pounded into him, aiming for his prostate as his moans and whimpers echoed throughout the room, my name rolling off his tongue like a prayer, causing my core tighten from the sound and the addicting way his walls tightened around me with each thrust. "Fuck.. You feel so good baby" I practically growled out the words through panted breaths, leaning down to press sloppy open mouth kisses along his shoulder as he desperately tightened his grip on my hips, "I'm, I'm going to-" His body began to tremble under me as he looked up at me with hazy eyes and a silent plead. "Go ahead baby, cum for me" Digging his nails into my wrist he came on his lower stomach as I quickly came after him, heavy pants slipping past both our parted lips as I pressed a gentle kiss against the newly formed bruise on his neck before reaching for the towel I was supposed to use to dry my hair an hour ago.

"Giyuu, are you okay?" I asked while cleaning us both off, noticing the way he was practically half-asleep already. "Yeah, just a bit sore.. But it was worth it" Not wanting to embarrass him I merely nodded my head, pretending I didn't hear that last bit as I laid down beside him, pulling the cover over our bare bodies. However I couldn't help but smile as he snuggled against my chest while I gently traced small circles on his hip.

"I love you.."

"I love you too Giyuu."

[midnightmoonkiss]

All For You.

Villain! Midoriya Izuku X Reader

Summary: You didn’t ask for this, and yet he gave you the same sick gift again and again. You hated him.

WARNINGS!: blood, death mentioned, dark themes

Category: Angst

Word Count: 1.7k

Masterlist

A/N: Was listening to “If I killed Someone For You” and.. I think it fits Villain Deku perfectly.

Just To Clarify:

You’re both adults

Izuku has OFA

He is not necessarily a yandere

You live alone for a reason

Frigid water poured steadily from the faucet as he rinsed his pale hands, turning the water crimson as it washed down the rusted drain of the medical sink.

The room was dark, the only light being a flickering candle that dripped white wax onto the concrete floor below.

The handle creaked as he turned off the water, a soft sigh slipping past his chapped lips.

Stray droplets broke the silence of the room.

It would have driven anyone else insane.

Dull green eyes stared into a mirror, the dirty surface reflecting his disheveled appearance. 

Blood stained his clothes, smudging against his freckled cheek.

His green hair was a mess, once slicked back with gel now all over the place from his habit of running his fingers through his hair when frustrated.

It certainly wasn’t the look he was going for.

Two knocks sounded on the other side of the metal door closing the room off, the noise echoing in the nearly empty room.

Inhaling deeply, the man fixed his hair up with wet digits best he could, only after he finished did he notice his forest green tie had splotches of blood on it as well.

He giggled to himself as he fixed it, tightening it up to his neck. 

It looked festive.

Turning around on his black leather heels, he looked over at the bloodied corpse tied up in the corner, all life completely drained from its opened, bloodshot eyes that were once filled with curiosity.

“You know…”

He whispered to it, 

“If you hadn’t been so cruel to my beloved, you wouldn’t look so fucking disgusting right now.”

His dress shoes clicked against the floor as he made his way to the large door, knocking thrice in a particular pattern.

It unlocked with a loud clink, and he was out of the room that once held two very alive people.

He didn't like soiling his clothes or getting his hands dirty, but whenever it came to you, he was willing to do anything.

Midoriya Izuku was a dangerous man, and he wasn’t afraid to bare his teeth and leave a lifeless body behind him.

He’d done it before, he’d do it again.

Though he was exhausted, he didn’t let it show. The dark circles under his eyes have been there since he was a child, they didn’t give away how he felt anymore.

“I’ll be heading out.” 

He stated, voice low and challenging, daring any of his subordinates to object.

“It’s raining…” One brave soul spoke up from the back,

“I know.” He could smell the asphalt from here, as well as hear the thumping of raindrops on the metal roof five floors above the basement they were currently in.

He took his time climbing up the metal stairs, pulling his black leather glove from the pockets on his slacks and slipping them on.

They prevented fingerprints, and they were quite warm.

..

..

..

The rain was unexpected, leaving you completely soaked all the way down to your shoes as you fumbled with your keys. 

You just wanted to get inside, undress, relax in a bath, and go the fuck to sleep.

Today was far more stressful than it had to be, considering your bitch of a boss decided to skip work today without telling anyone - leaving you in charge during the most hectic time of the month.

You were freezing and both mentally and physically exhausted, and what was pissing you off even more was how this was the third time you dropped your damn keys.

Your fingers were numb as you shivered, hard to grip the slippery keys.

You felt like crying victoriously when you finally got the door unlocked.

Slipping your dirty heels and soaked pantyhose off, you dragged your feet through the house, making your way to your room without the use of a light switch. You were too tired to fumble around for it.

Inside your room, you shrugged off your coat and unbutton your white blouse, making your way to your dresser for a fresh pair of clothes.

It was a Saturday, and knowing you had the day off tomorrow was like a sweet kiss.

 “(Y/N)..” 

You froze, body no longer shaking just from the cold.

That voice.. It haunted you.

Once so sweet and kind.. now all you could associate it with was the stench of gunpowder and the coolness of a blade.

You could see his silhouette in the mirror, his tall, dark figure beside the window you hadn't noticed was opened.

Bile burned your throat, you didn’t want to be near this man ever again. 

You were foolish to think you had escaped his reach.

“I’ve missed you..” He drawled, sincerity threading itself through his words as he took a step towards you.

“Really?” You huffed, “I don’t miss you at all.”

“I know you do,” 

He was behind you before you could blink, the frightening sparks of his quirk sending chills down your spine as they lit the room in a green glow for just a moment.

You were trapped against the dresser, one hand pressed against the mahogany wood, and the other slithering dangerously around your throat like a snake that could strangle you at any moment.

You gulped, breath stuttering as you fought to stay calm.

His chest was pressed to your back, his figure towering over you.

He always made you feel so small and helpless.

“You reek of blood..” The scent burned your nostrils.

Soaked green locks brushed against your cheek as he pressed his nose into the crook of your neck, inhaling your perfume that drove him crazy.

He had purchased the same scent a while ago, his sheets were covered in it. He could never get enough

“And you smell delicious, my love.”

“Don't call me that-!” You spat through your teeth, venom in your voice only making him smile against your clammy flesh.

You reminded him of an angry mouse.

“And why’s that?” His voice was always so deep and dripping with authority. 

His thumb and forefinger gripped your chin, pulling your face to the side so that he could look into your mesmerizing (E/C) eyes. 

They were like a drug to him, heroin that he shot into his veins every time he had the pleasure of looking into them. 

Even if all they held was fear and disgust, they were still so beautiful to him.

You didn’t answer.

He sighed.

Looking down, you noticed the red blood on his collar, the sight making you gag. 

He no doubt had more on his person, and yet he was pressed against you. 

You wanted to throw up.

“Who was it.”

The question hung in the air, and he found himself not wanting to answer it.

“Midoriya, who was it.” Your voice shook, tears blurring your vision at the thought of him torturing another person because of you.

You tried so hard to keep away from people.

You cut contacts with all of your friends and moved cities to keep them safe - hell, you hadn’t even dated after what had happened with your last lover.

He ruined everything.

He stalked you like a predator, and you clearly had nowhere to run and hide.

You would forever be caged like a pet, and your own pathetic attempts to fight back only ever made him smile even wider.

That smile used to bring butterflies to your stomach, and now it just made you nauseous.

To him, it was a game. 

The game of seeing how long until you break and give into him.

He’d let you run ‘free,’ act as though you can fight against him.

He adored that spirit of yours, but he knew that it would break some day.

He couldn’t wait.

You’ll be completely his one day, not that you weren’t already.

Looking into his eyes, you somehow knew who it was.

Shame burned your veins.

Your boss..

Even if he was cruel to you, he had a family.

“Don’t cry, (Y/N)..” Izuku whispered, fingers falling from your chin to brush away your onslaught of tears, “I hate it when you cry..”

“You always make me cry, Izuku!” Sobbing out loud, you fought to get away from him, though it was useless you couldn't help yourself from trying.

“I hate you-! Mph!” 

Your outburst was silenced by his fingers, two digits knuckle deep in your mouth.

You choked around them, cringing at the taste of leather.

Sniffling, you breathed loudly through your snotty nose, tears stinging your cheeks.

“I don’t like it when you talk like that..” He muttered darkly, making the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

You were afraid of him. 

You always were.

 It was like there was an invisible knife pressed against your neck, slicing into your skin and daring you to try and speak again.

His forehead fell to your nape, and you stood there in silence for a while, the pitter patter of rain doing next to nothing to soothe your nerves.

It felt like time had stopped in the silence, like you were waiting for your own death.

“You’re soaked..” He commented, pulling away, saliva dripping down your chin as he finally pulled his fingers from your mouth.

“No..”

That made him chuckle, the sound making your skin prickle.

“You were going to take a bath, right?”

Despite being a murderous villain, Izuku still treated you with an ounce of respect, never once looking down at your exposed chest despite a large mirror allowing him to do so.

You hated how he was a gentleman despite everything he’s done and will continue to do.

“You should get out of these clothes.. You’re going to catch a cold.” 

And you hated how he fretted over you.

You hated everything about him.

The faint sound of sirens pierced the atmosphere, not too far away but getting louder and louder every second.

“I suppose I better take my leave, my love,”

“Don’t call me that..” You repeated meekly under your weak breath,

“I’ll see you again soon..” He turned around, pausing for a brief second, “but you won’t see me.”

He somehow always made your skin crawl without even having to touch you.

Biting your lip, you whipped around, ready to scream at him, only to see nothing.

He had already left.

And yet..

You knew he was never really gone.

You wished you never met him.

[death-fears-by-deaf-ears]

swan lake || t.h.

pairing: tom holland x reader

summary: you can't stand tom holland, the guy in your ballet ensemble. But when you two get the roles of Odette and the prince, you two will have to put your differences aside and learn to work with each other.

word count: 2.5k

warnings: language

chapter one

Not again.

This was starting to become a recurring theme - it was Monday and your bus had just left without you. You mumbled profanities under your breath, your duffle bag slung across your shoulder. Frustrated you slumped against a street lantern, when you felt the first drops of rain on your skin. You let out a groan of anger and pulled your hood up over your head, cursing yourself for staying up too late last night. But because you anticipated this, you had already put on your leotard and tights on at home, so when you got to class you’d only have to strip your clothes and start your warm up.

Last week you had gotten whacked on the head with a newspaper for being that late, but with a little bit of luck you wouldn’t have to endure that today.

When you arrived in the ballet studio almost an hour later you were soaked and freezing. You ran through the halls of the studio, already in the process of taking off your jacket and shirt, revealing your dancing clothes underneath. Three minutes left to go.

Your usual locker was already occupied, making you rush to the next best one, ripping the door open, throwing all your clothes in there and only taking your training ballerinas out and slamming the door shut. You had done your hair in the bus already, so it was in a low tight knot. You put your shoes on, running toward the door. One minute left.

“How kind of you to join us today on time,” Sophie, your dance teacher said, following you with her eyes as you took your position. Everyone in the room was staring at you and you could feel their looks drilling in your back. Tom next to you was bowing his head down, obviously trying to hide his laughter. You shot him a poisonous look, rage as well as embarrassment burned inside you. Tom had a special power of making your anger levels go from 0 to 100.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” you said, your face running hot.

“Let’s start with the warm up, shall we?”

“Why is everyone whispering and staring at me,” you whispered through gritted teeth to your friend Hannah, who was helping you stretch. “Ouch!”

“Loosen up,” Hannah whispered, pulling you even closer to her. You were sitting in front of each other on the floor, pushing the others’ legs out. “Haven’t you seen the role sheet today?”

“Fuck,” you whispered, partially because of the stretch, but also because you had forgotten that today the roles for the upcoming show were published. You must’ve not seen the sheet in the locker rooms. “What role did I get?”

Hannah shook her head as you pulled her towards you, adjusting her pose. “You got the role of Odette.”

You immediately let go of Hannah, slapping your hand on your mouth, making her fall forward. You grabbed her shoulders. “I got the main role?” You whisper-screamed, trying your hardest not to get caught by Sophie. “Well, who is playing the prince?”

Hannah cringed and turned her gaze to the side, where a few of your colleagues were standing. Instead of stretching they were very obviously flirting with… Tom. He must’ve noticed you staring at him, as he turned his head and met your gaze. Both of you rolled your eyes as you turned away from each other. “You can’t be serious,” you said.

“I’m sorry,” Hannah huffed, sweat pearling on her dark forehead. “But hey, congrats on the role?”

You finished stretching and continued with your training, going through forms and positions, polishing your moves and getting scolded for flailing your arms too much. As you were approaching your first break, Sophie stepped towards you.

“We will begin with your training for Swan Lake today at 3, make sure to bring your pointe shoes.”

“Yes, ma’am,” you said, your heart fluttering at the idea of dancing to your favourite show. The fluttering quickly vanished when you noticed Sophie walking up towards Tom, telling him the same. So you’d already dance with him today.

You tried to shake the bad feeling and it mostly worked, since focusing on your dream always made things easier. Dancing and performing was a way for you to let go, to get completely lost in the story and think about nothing else. There wasn’t much in the world that could ruin that for you.

Oh how wrong you had been.

“I have never seen people with less chemistry than you two,” Sophie sighed. You have never heard her be this exasperated and desperate. “Do you two even dance? Are you really professional dancers? Where did your grace go, where did the love for dance go! Look each other in the eyes for God’s sake!”

“It’d be easier if you didn’t squeeze the hell out of me,” you spat through gritted teeth.

“It’d be easier if you weren’t this heavy,” Tom spat back, his face falling immediately after he realized what he had said.

You jumped out of his grip, staring in disbelief. “Well-” you stammered, not knowing what to retort. “How about you get a little stronger…”

Sophie whacked him with her newspaper over the head. “That is NOT something you say to a lady!” Tiny strands of hair were escaping her neat bun, making her look even more stressed than she was. “We’re finishing this part today and then you two can go home.”

“Sorry,” Tom mumbled under his breath.

“Save it,” you said, taking your start position. Kneeling down on the floor, Odette would wait for the prince to come and lift her up to start the dance with her. In the original the two would fall in love the minute they laid eyes on each other. You tried to do the choreography justice, although your dance partner made it incredibly difficult for you.

“Smile!” Sophie shouted, making you two put on fake plastic grins.

“I’ll spit on your face on stage,” you said through your grin as Tom lifted you up, making you look down on him.

"Do that and I'll rip your lashes off," he said softly while lowering you on the ground again.

You tried to continue the choreography without any incidents but you couldn't help but feel every step, every nudge to be executed with a hint of passive aggression. Tom basically let you fall on the ground instead of putting you down, you avoided each other's eyes, grabbed too harshly, turned too sharply.

"Alright," Sophie said after about four hours of it. "I can't watch this any longer. You both know the choreography, and that's all I can teach you for now. If you don't know how to be nice to each other, don't bother coming to me for help until you do. We'll work on the solos and the other dances first, until you two calmed down. Dismissed."

You slumped down on the floor, rubbing your face. You untied your shoes and took them off, throwing them in your bag. This was going to be hard.

“So how was it?” Hannah asked while the two of you sat on the studio floor.

As an answer you slammed your pointe shoes on the ground several times, breaking them in a way that made them comfortable for your foot. “Take a wild guess.”

She raised her eyebrows as she was sewing the elastic band into her shoe. “What did Sophie say?”

“She refuses to work with us anymore until we get it together,” you grumbled. You slammed your fist on the top of your shoe, softening the box. Suddenly the door opened, making you and Hannah turn your heads.

Tom was marching in the room, directly towards you.

“What the hell,” you mumbled, putting your shoe down and looking up at him as he stopped in front of you. “Can I help you?”

“Are you free today after class?”

You raised an eyebrow, looking at him up and down and smirked. “Are you asking me out?”

Tom crossed his arms, not saying anything. His foot was tapping impatiently on the floor which was tiled with dancing tiles.

“Yeah, I am. See you then,” you said, rolling your eyes. You waved as a good bye, signalling him to leave you alone. You turned to Hannah. “He told me I was too heavy to lift.” “Excuse me?” You shrugged, taking the thread and the needle. Your friend slapped her hands on her thighs in exasperation. “What an ass.”

You finished sewing and breaking in your shoes while talking about anything other than Tom - mostly Hannah’s new date she was going to see that very day. It was nice talking about something else, preparing yourself for class. You could feel that today was going to be a slow one - you eased into your shoes, then into your stretches, and finally into your training, testing out the waters with your new footwear and getting more comfortable as the day progressed. Your mind was empty, completely free of oppressive and depressing thoughts. Your body moved in unison with the music, following the tides of the melody, back and forth seemingly weightless and freed of gravity.

Before you knew it afternoon rolled around and class finished. You packed your stuff, and settled down in the locker room to have some lunch and lie down, coming down from your training.

As always your lunch break went by way too fast. You stood up, shaking your limbs and grabbing your things to go back to the now empty studio. Tom was nowhere to be found, so you warmed quickly up on your own. Your body had cooled down a bit, and you didn’t want to pull a muscle or something, so you did a few squats, jumping jacks and push ups to get moving again. You took your position at the railing in front of the mirror, practicing positions and movements, taking your sweet time. The clock ticked in the back of the room, showing 3.16pm. Where the hell was Tom?

At that moment the door swung open.

“Took you long enough,” you said in an arabesque pose.

“Sorry,” he said, getting in and throwing his duffle bag in the corner of the room.

You put your foot down, looking at him properly. You raised your eyebrows at his childish demeanor. You were already annoyed by him. “Bad day?”

He plonked down on the floor and began to put on his shoes. “I just want this day to be over.”

“Well then cheer up, do you expect me to dance with an energy as bad as yours?”

He looked at you incredulously. “Can’t I be in a bad mood? Do I have to be all sunshine and daisies all the time?” His voice rose now, making you back away a little, but you weren’t having none of that. You had an idea.

“I just said to lose the fucking attitude,” you said, getting louder now as well.

“What if i don’t want to?! God, you’re annoying!”

You took a deep breath putting force in your voice. “Then scream it out, because I don’t want to deal with this!” His hands turned into fists, his eyes lighting up a tiny little bit at the memory your words just triggered. But he was still angry. “Fuck you!”

“No, fuck YOU!”

And without a cue you two just started wordlessly screaming in the other’s face, a prolonged and agonizing scream, throwing it all out. Dancing didn’t require vocal chords, so you had no qualms absolutely shredding yours. You didn’t know if anyone else was in the building, but you didn’t care.

As you two ran out of breath your shoulders slumped, moving heavily up and down as you gasped for air. The room was awfully quiet except for your breathing. Your bodies seemed to mirror each other, more in sync than when you tried to be. Destruction seemed to be more constructive to the relationship between you two than anything else.

You swallowed, standing up straight. “Can we start now?”

Again you were on the floor, folded over in your starting position. You had decided to train without music, so you jumped a little as Tom’s hands touched your wrists, softer than usual. He lifted you up off the floor, placing his hands on your waist. This dance wasn’t particularly difficult or demanding, but for it to work you need a prince who guides Odette just enough without gripping her too tight, and an Odette who knows how much to rely on the prince and how much on herself. There were a few hang ups here and there, but you danced through the whole routine without saying anything once, enjoying the flow of your movements. The dance was still clinical, mostly about getting the order of the moves right. It ended with Tom lifting you up, and slowly lowering you down, and bringing your faces together, hinting at a kiss between you two. You still needed to work on that part.

“So,” he said as you jumped away as the dance ended. “With music this time?”

You nodded. “Maybe don’t grip me this tight when I do the pirouettes,” you said. You took a sip of water and put the bottle away. “I can basically do them on my own, just give me a quick spin and I’ll be able to do them faster.”

“Alright,” he said, getting into position. “But try to do your moves independently from me. It’ll make them look better.”

You folded over on the floor and waited for the music to start. When it started you closed your eyes for a second anticipating the touch on your wrists. Still it sent a jolt through you. “Softer,” you said as you did your pirouette, and the grip on your waist turned to a fleeting touch every few moments, accelerating your turns.

“Lean in properly,” Tom said as you leaned in his hands to the side to lift your leg. You did as told and managed to lift your leg even higher and with less effort. He lifted you by the waist, brows furrowed the slightest in concentration, turning in a circle. Your hands rested on his shoulders, eyes trained on him. You wondered if Odette really fell in love with the prince on sight.

The routine went smoother with each time you tried it, your movements dynamic and easy like a well oiled machine.

After a while you decided to call it a day, and after you awkwardly said your goodbyes, you went home. Suddenly you didn’t know how to act around him, everything you did felt clumsy and weird. You were used to being annoyed by him and just being generally mad at him. But now that you had to cooperate and put those things aside, what was left?

a.n.: this is the first chapter of maybe two or three, lmk what you think! this is the first time i post to tungle, be kind lmfao

[nanaminokanojo]

Play the Game | Nanami Kento X You | Part 4/8

CHARACTERS: Nanami Kento X You (fem!reader | PLEASE READ THE NOTES BELOW*) | Gojo Satoru | Geto Suguru | Shoko Ieiri | Utahime Iori | other JJK Characters CHAPTER COUNT: 4/8 WORD COUNT: 3,900+ GENRE: romance | fluff | slight angst | smut | ooc depictions | female reader with described appearance* | modern au | rich people au | aged up characters CHAPTER TRIGGER WARNING: profanity | age gap | strong/mature/suggestive language | mentions and use of drugs | smut/mature sexual content SPOILERS: n/a

collection masterlist

one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight

"Play the Game" Masterlist

Nanami let out a deep breath, feeling the stiffness on his back. Pulling the almost dried up towel that was draped over his eyes. He doesn’t remember putting it there although he recalled resting on the couch on the study to rest for a bit some time at dawn, thinking he would wake up in time to move to the bedroom. As it turned out, he wasn’t able to manage that anymore and slept on that same spot until morning.

Sitting up, he saw that his files had been tidied up and there was a note on top which said, “You work too much,” in a familiar handwriting. He smiled to himself, realizing who it was from. There was no mistaking that ugly handwriting – one of your supposed flaws yet he found it very endearing that you were highly dexterous in giving life to still scenes but never really gotten around making your writing legible.

How you stumbled upon him in the dead of night when you were supposedly out camping in the woods with your pals was something beyond him, but he was thankful, holding onto the towel that you had left for him a little while longer before he started with his morning routine. He had every plan to stay indoors for the rest of the morning, probably catch up on some sleep, but while he was dressing up, he happened to catch a glimpse of you by the lakeshore, partly concealed by the trees.

Sleep could wait, he thought, hurriedly throwing on a round-neck, navy blue shirt to match his dark sweats and setting out despite his blond locks still damp from the shower. He jogged his way down the hill, looking for the exact spot where he saw you from the manor, finding you by the clearing near the massive oak tree with low-hanging branches that extended over the crystal water of the lake.

There you were, standing in front of a canvass ensconced on an easel. You appeared like a nymph under newly-risen sun with your long, white tresses braided to the side and hanging over your right shoulder. Breathtaking. There wasn’t another word that would describe how you looked like even with your back to him, dressed in a white, halter, crop top and a long, hippie skirt of the same color that had a slit going up your thigh, exposing the length of your legs.

Nanami had to consciously slow his steps towards you and tell himself to be still when he was near enough, keeping his hands inside the pockets of his pants to stop himself from recklessly reaching out and touching you for fear that the mirage before him will disappear. Except that you were real, existing in the same domain he was in, so near yet also so far.

You acknowledged his presence with a succinct nod, but your focus was on your work. For a while, he just stood behind you, watching the canvass fill with color, reflecting the orange and pink marmalade splashes of light in the morning sky. It was like watching a slow replay of what the heavens had been as the colors dissipated faster in reality while you immortalized it in oil paint, each detail prominent and not a single brush stroke amiss.

You were beautiful and you created beautiful things. And he wanted you. He wanted you so badly, but he didn’t have the heart to wrench you away from what you were doing.

"Why are you up so early?" you asked without turning around to look at him, your hand stopping mid-stroke with your paintbrush suspended from the canvass by a few millimeters. "You should be getting some shut eye after working so late."

God, he loved your voice, the sound cutting through the stillness like windchimes. Nanami distanced himself, satisfying himself with your divided attention and sat on the grass just under the ancient tree, leaning his back on the rough trunk. You were right about that. He was sleep-deprived, but he couldn't seem to rest easy without seeing you first thing in the morning. He closed his eyes, evening his breath out. "Since when were you so strict about sleep schedules?" he teased, knowing how you had such irregular schedules where proper rest was concerned.

"Since I found you still dressed up with your shoes on, sleeping on the goddamn couch at three in the morning," you sallied. “How you have energy to be walking around the grounds at this hour is just plain bizarre.”

He scoffed. “I could say the same for you, sweetheart. I don’t understand how you are up and about, painting no less, when you’ve been prowling around the study at dawn.”

At that, you laughed, leaning close to the canvass as you painted in more details into your picture. “I wasn’t prowling around as you’ve put it. It got all smoky around our campsite when the fire went out so we decided to sleep in the house instead.” You glanced over your shoulder at him. “I just happened to see that the study lights were still on and found you.”

Nanami met your gaze although it was short-lived since you turned back to your work. “Thank you.”

“I should have woken you up. Your back must hurt from sleeping like that.” You placed your brush on the cup hanging on the easel in time to see him eyeing you quizzically about your statement. “You tend to lean in favor of your left shoulder when your back is bothering you.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at your response. “I have to give it to you and Satoru. Your observation skills are beyond normal.”

“It’s annoying at best when you’re programmed to see every little thing,” you stated, walking over to the edge of the water to dip a washcloth which you then used to wipe paint off of your hands. “But it also plays to our advantage, I guess. For instance, it’s easy to read through you when I notice everything like that.”

“You mean it’s easier to play your games with me when you observe me like you do?”

“Hey now, I’m being genuinely concerned here for once.” You snickered, tossing the washcloth on the pile underneath your easel before walking up to him and bending down slightly to his seated form. “Go back to the manor and get some sleep.”

Nanami clucked his tongue, inhaling the air slowly, savoring your smell as it entered his lungs, intoxicating him. “I find it hard to go back to bed the moment I’ve decided to leave it. I won’t be able to sleep much anyway.”

You pouted at that. “Then just take a nap if you can’t sleep much.”

He grinned at you then. “I’ll take a nap now if you’ll do it with me.”

“I’m not sleepy, but I’ll stay –”

“Then no.”

You shot him a disparaging look. “Are you being serious right now?”

Nanami had to suppress the laughter bubbling in his throat at the look of disbelief on your face, and before you could recover, he hooked a muscular arm over your waist, pulling you down so that you were seated between his outstretched legs with your back against his chest. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Seeing as you didn’t have any choice about that matter, you adjusted your position, fiddling with your skirt so it was shielding your bare skin from the grass. Nanami reveled at the fact that you did not seem bothered that he had his arm around your torso, the warmth of your skin directly touching his. You even went as far as leaning against him, your form slotting onto his perfectly like a puzzle piece.

He closed his eyes, pulling you closer as he leaned against the tree, letting his senses be filled with everything that was you from the feel of your warmth crashing against him to the smell of your hair and your even breaths, seemingly in sync with his. He knew he could live a life with no regrets if he gets to hold you like that every single day.

Giving in to his exhaustion, he breathed out, letting the gentle wind and the soft sounds of nature lull him to sleep. He didn’t know for how long he stayed that way with you, but it was already bright when he opened his eyes, coming to consciousness when he felt smaller fingers threading between his, followed by the faint sound of a giggle. Another hand reached over, landing on the side of his face. Unconsciously, he leaned against your palm, luxuriating in its supple smoothness against his cheek.

“Awake already?” you asked.

He looked down over your bare shoulder, feeling himself stir alive from the inside at the sight of your intertwined hands sitting on your lap. It was like a spark lit a fire in him, radiating from his chest and spreading wildly and searing every fiber of his being. Placing a hand over your hand which was touching his face, he started planting butterfly kisses onto your palm, your wrist.

A gasp left your lips when he lowered his head against your shoulder, nuzzling your bare skin in slow progression until he got to the junction of your neck where he latched his mouth, his gentle ministrations turning possessive and urgent as he peppered your shoulder and neck with kisses. He smiled against your skin when you felt your breath hitch while your grip on his hand tightened.

His other hand made its way up your chin, making you turn your head so he could look into your eyes, letting their blue depths consume him, finding his cue when they flicked to his waiting mouth. You weren’t fighting him, and in your own accord, you leaned in and met his lips with yours, kissing him with ardor, your fingers tangling in his hair as you pulled him closer to you. Your chest heaved, your breasts rising with the action, only restricted by your tight top, tempting his hands.

“I want to touch you,” he murmured into the kiss. “God, I want you.” He let go of your lips, opting to place open-mouthed kisses all over your neck, lingering on the hollow of throat. “Tell me you want it as much as I do,” he rasped, biting onto your collarbone.

“Yes,” you keened, releasing your grip on his hand. “Touch me.”

That was all the encouragement he needed, swooping down once more to claim your lips with his while his large hands leisurely caressed their way up your waist, tracing the contours of your sides, your flesh pliant under the pressure of his touches as the clouds were submissive to the wind. They made their way up to the full swells of your breasts, coveting the succulent flesh from over the fabric of your top, gently squeezing.

Nanami let out an unsteady breath when you moaned softly in his ear, still unable to believe that you were there with him, openly accepting him and melting under his touch. He couldn’t remember the way he saw you before, the fact that you were his best friend’s younger sister, that at one point, he also viewed you the same way, as your lips melded and your tongues mingled. At that moment, you were your own person, the one kissing him back and awakening the heat in his flesh, the one he has his mouth and hands on in outright intimacy…the woman he is utterly and immutably in love with.

He continued to shower attention to your lips while his other hand, slid down to your thighs, finding the slit of your skirt, blindly pushing the garment aside. His rough palm brushed against the inner flesh of your thigh, tenderly stroking. He took possession of your knee, gently lifting your leg so that is was hanging over his, making you spread open.

You pulled away from him, startled when you felt his hand sliding up your thigh. “Nanamin…” you panted, eyes wide as you regarded him, trying to grope for words but none came out.

He hooked a finger onto your lace underwear, leaning close to you as he whispered, “Kento. Call me Kento,” his breath hot and wet on the shell of your ear.

“K-kento,” you repeated. “What –” Your intended question was cut short by a sharp moan when he snaked his hand into your panties, and inserted his finger into you, the action made easy by the slick that had pooled at the apex of your thighs, causing you to arch your back, fingers tangling with the fabric of his sweats.

“You were saying?” he asked with a chuckle before placing kisses on your shoulders again, your hips bucking upwards when he started rubbing your sensitive nub with his thumb while he added yet another one of his fingers to thrust inside you, their length finding your sweet spot repeatedly until all you could think of was him pleasuring you, his ministrations making you see stars.

“Oh god…Ken…” you let out breathily, your hand finding purchase on the grass beside his thigh. “Right there.”

He hummed in response and curled his fingers inside you when he felt your walls clench around them. He started moving at a faster pace. “That’s it, my love. Cum for me.” His tongue lapped on your neck, making you shudder as you reached your high, making beautiful sounds for him as your juices dripped out into his hand. He pulled his fingers from between your legs, glistening with your essence which he licked off with his tongue, eventually placing his fingers into his mouth and sucking them clean.

“You taste so fucking good,” he said, bending down so he could kiss you again.

You were a shivering, panting mess when Nanami finally let go, your chest heaving up and down as you slowed your breath, leaning against him. A thin sheen of perspiration covered your exposed skin, glimmering under the rays of light that shone through the canopy of leaves above you. Nanami marveled at the hazy look about your eyes as you looked back at him in wonder as if he was the only one you could perceive at the moment, your flushed cheeks and your pink lips, raw and slightly parted as you respired.

Unable to help himself, he held you tight against him, resting his chin on your shoulder, just watching you come down from your high, the high he brought you to. If this was what he would see every single time he made love to you, he didn’t think he would ever come to terms of ever letting you go or getting enough of you.

When you finally composed yourself, you started chuckling, closing your eyes and placing a hand over them.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, fingers tracing patterns on the back of your hand.

“Us?”

“Hmm? Why is that?”

You finally opened your eyes and looked at him. “I mean this. You, me. I mean, am I imagining –”

Nanami rolled his eyes and cut you short, kissing you briefly. “Did that feel imagined to you?”

“No,” you answered promptly, stopping him when he leaned close again, causing him to laugh, the action reverberating on his solid chest. You sat up, putting distance between them, cradling your head between your hands. “Seriously, quit frying my brain so early in the morning.”

He squeezed you on the hips, making you yelp and motion to stand up, but he didn’t let you. “So,” he grinned cheekily at you, “I fry your brain now?”

“You know you do.” It was your turn to catch him off guard by kissing him on the cheek before you finally stood up. He was such a sucker for the small things you do to him. You cocked your head to the direction of the lake, hands proffered for him to take. “Take a dip with me?”

Nanami took your hand, standing up as well. How can he resist? “Okay.”

**

My, my. Geto Suguru glanced at Gojo. The groom-to-be was seated opposite him at the balcony that overlooked the gardens and most of the estate grounds, his back to the view. He was completely oblivious to what was going on around him, that much the former has figured. The estate was always refreshing and breathtaking, probably more of a home than any of the houses he owned, but it wasn’t as interesting as what he was witnessing unfold down the hill.

He just arrived, his head hurting from jetlag. Honestly, he was looking forward to resting after meeting Gojo and the family. He was particularly looking forward to meeting you as someone whom he shared a close relationship with, but lunch had come and gone and you haven’t showed up yet. He was told that Nanami was most likely sleeping in after working late, fucking workaholic, he thought, but now, it was evident that his host didn’t know shit about what he was saying where the other male was concerned.

From the walkway going up the hill, he saw you with none other than Nanami Kento. You two of you were walking on the grass, your respective shoes on your hands. You were carrying a covered canvass, a leather bag slung across your shoulder which Geto figured were your art implements while your companion was carrying your easel. By the looks of it, the pair of you came from the lake, took a swim judging from your damp hair and clothes. Definitely a spur-of-the-moment decision considering the glaring lack of the usual bath stuff that the family and guests alike brought to the lake on the occasion that they went for a dip.

It was puzzling to see Nanami being carefree enough to actually be engaging in a spontaneous activity. And was the bastard laughing? Geto scoffed, chuckling at the sight before him. Gojo was still clueless, but Shoko, who had a clear view of you, was nodding her head as she exchanged looks with Geto. “It’s happening,” she murmured.

“Yes, it is.” He grinned. “This will be fun.”

“What is?” Gojo asked, narrowing his eyes at his best friend.

Geto removed his sunglasses, arching a brow at Gojo. “Are you sure I’m the one who had been overseas all this time?”

Utahime snickered, already aware of what they were talking about, much to Gojo’s chagrin. “What are you talking about?”

Before anyone could answer, the sound of your laughter echoed from the main hall, evidently in the middle of a playful banter with Nanami who was evidently running out patience as he countered your every statement with clipped responses. At odds to that, however, was the fact that, when you were within view of the others through the glass doors, you were holding onto his hand above you as you twirled, your smile wide while Nanami looked on in open amusement.

He was the first one to notice the four pairs of eyes who were on the two of you, holding onto your shoulder to stop you from continuing on your way deeper into the mansion.

“What?” you asked him, turning and taking a step back so you were standing less than a foot away from him. Too close to anyone who was seeing you interact, the psychological space between you obviously gone.

“Hi, princess,” Geto called out, noticing how everyone was eyeing you both, their jaws slack, even Shoko who has always been in the know where you and their friend were involved.

You turned your head towards him, the surprise on your face turning into full-blown delight at the sight of him. “Suguru!”

Ah, he thought. Just the greeting he was looking forward to hearing. Mirroring your expressions, he opened his arms wide, waiting for you to come to him, and as expected, you bolted from where you were standing beside Nanami, throwing all your limbs around Geto, hugging him tightly.

“Hello, beautiful. It’s been a while,” he said, returning the gesture with as much fervor, one of his hands coming up your thigh to support your weight. He prided himself with the fact that he was the closest to you apart from Yuuji, and that he was the only one among your brother’s friends who could elicit such a profound, unfiltered reaction from you.

It was further proven by the fact that Gojo had a sulky look while Nanami was pretty much breaking at the seams as he pointedly stared at Geto’s hands on you.

“I missed you!” Your fondness for the man was unmistakable and he reveled in it. “You could always bet I missed you more, baby girl. You’ve gotten prettier since the last time I saw you.” He put you down on the ground and immediately took possession of your hands, intertwining his fingers with yours.

“You think so?” You were positively glowing at the compliment.

Geto smirked. He was also the only one whose compliments you were not immune to. “Satoru better be guarding you well enough to keep your admirers at bay.” He tucked your hair behind your ear before straightening up and looking at Nanami who was standing behind you. He may be a few a steps away from you but the possessive stance he had as he looked at Geto radiated from him.

“Oi, Kento. I wasn’t expecting you to be here.” He greeted, clapping said male on the shoulder.

The blond just nodded. “I was free for the whole week.”

Gojo butted in, his eyes momentarily lingering on you, but he regarded Geto in disdain. “You’ve got guts showing up here three days later than Kento and acting all lovey-dovey with my baby sister!”

“You know why. I’m here now, darling, so shut it.” He always used the sarcastic endearment for Gojo whenever he was sulking like a brat.

He lunged at Geto, placing him in a headlock, giving him no choice but to let go of you although he wanted to annoy Nanami further. He still had tricks up his sleeve to rile the blond though. "Let's catch up later, baby girl. Your baby brother wants attention."

"You're stealing my sister from me. She doesn't even say she misses me."

"I can hear you, Satoru," you muttered under your breath, rolling your eyes.

"See! You've corrupted her against me."

Geto chuckled, turning tables on him. "You're the only one who's ruining your image to your own sister."

“Cut it out, you two,” you stated then turned towards Nanami, and to everyone’s stupefaction, you said, “I’m going to shower. You coming?”

“What do you need Kento in the shower for?!” Gojo, overacting as always, demanded from you.

Shoko laughed, unable to suppress it while Geto whistled.

You flashed Gojo a scathing look then. “For someone who’s supposed to be my brother, you’re kind of a moron. You know what I mean.”

“You’re gonna shower together,” Geto chimed in, adding fuel to the fire.

“I need someone to scrub my back for me, right?”

Gojo looked horrified. “Are you crazy?”

You shrugged, dragging Nanami with you. “Yeah, maybe. Wanna join?”

“Don’t even think about it, Kento!” Gojo warned.

Nanami didn’t say anything, following behind you.

Geto could just smile slyly as he watched the pair disappear into the house again. He has just arrived but things were already taking an interesting turn. It will be a fun week indeed.

-end of part 4-

*I used “you” here, but since my character is Gojo’s little sister who is established to be his female clone for reasons essential to the plot, she possesses the same blue eyes and white hair. I did not exactly want to create an OC (although technically, I did by describing Y/N), but I opted for the best of both worlds in this fic, leaning more towards the literary aspect of it as opposed to it just being reader/you-oriented. I hope this isn’t iffy to anyone, and yeah, i’m not being exclusive or whatever.

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI'S “JUJUTSU KAISEN.” [20210724]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART CREDITS TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.