#i found out earlier today but my mind could not process it

[ssahotchnerr]

Aaron having to bring his daughter with him to work for whatever reason? She’s tiny enough to not be running around and mainly just sleep on his chest all day. It’s fall outside and she’s in a warm teddy bear outfit so it’s literally like a stuffed animal on his chest as he works. She wouldn’t remember anything she saw in files but he makes sure her head is never near anything bad. Makes his heart warm and happy when the others realize that she’s there and coo over her and the outfit. Penelope takes pictures of them to send to you too 😭🖤

soak it in

i'm going to CRY cw; fem!reader, girl dad!aaron, small foyet reference

aaron's entrance into the bullpen piqued the interest of several, as it was different from any other, usual morning. not only was his briefcase in hand, but also a carseat, and a diaper bag was slung proudly over his shoulder. there were smiles from the team, some small nudges to look amongst the other units, as today's visitor was easily welcomed.

during breakfast, you had been notified your dentist appointment had been moved up, due to the office closing earlier within the day for whatever reason. with such short notice and jessica being unavailable, aaron was the obvious solution, and your daughter came to work with him - until you were done running a few errands and could drop by to retrieve her.

for the meantime - as she was there - aaron opted to work strictly on the no-pictures-included files. while she was never in close proximity to a file regardless, and today's onesie's hood happened to shield her eyes, and her little mind wouldn't process or remember anything - aaron didn't want to take any chances. he yearned to keep his daughter as far away from that, all the horrors the world possessed, for as long as he possibly could. jack had gained the knowledge - that monsters were real, just in human form - sooner than he would have liked. sadly.

currently baby girl was tucked into his chest, her right cheek smushed against him. she dozed off not too long ago; she had gotten a bit antsy and luckily his swivel desk chair allowed him to slowly rock her as he worked, in addition to soothingly shushing her, whispering that it's okay; ultimately calming her down. her little fingers found a near death grip on his shirt, clinging onto him as she slept.

when he had felt the pull of fabric, he gazed down and couldn't help but smile. aaron also took a moment, to soak it all in. the window of time where this was possible, was limited; her against his chest, small enough to be cradled in one arm, quiet and secure in the comfort of his office. all in too fast progression would aaron blink, and she would be way more interested in exploring and bouncing off the walls.

the thought immediately snapped his heart into two. if only she could stay that tiny, forever.

as he wrote, flipped a page, switched files, aaron was extremely careful to his movements. he tried not to rustle her, despite her being comfortably laid in his not-preoccupied-by-writing arm.

the sudden creak of his door lifts his eyes, penelope entering. the quietest of aw’s leaves her as she approaches, with an extra spring in her step at the sight before her. in addition, she doesn't hesitate to whisk out her phone.

"i didn't know this cutie was here today." the words leave her in a gentle, yet high, pitched tone, giddiness laced within. her jaw fully drops as she catches sight of the cozy onesie the littlest hotchner inhabits, "oh my god look at her outfit!"

“garcia.” aaron lightly warns as her volume heightens, his eyes flicking back up to her from his paperwork, his pen slowing.

“i know sorry sorry, i just neeeed to share the cuteness with the mrs.," penelope grins, aiming her camera at baby girl, and aaron, snapping a few pictures. "this is just, too dang adorable. she needs a copy, i need a copy, and i'll make you a copy too, sir."

that tugs aaron's lips into a smile, a small chuckle leaving him. "she's cute, huh?"

"um hello? cute doesn't even begin to cover it. please tell me you're the one who dressed her today. if yes, i might have to scream. just might."

"not today." aaron admitted, dropping his pen and fixing the small hood, which had fallen a bit too much in front of baby girl's face. again, his lips couldn’t help but pull into a smile. god, he loved being a girl dad, and a dad in general. "but, i may have picked it out."

"i was right. i'm going to scream." quick to realize what she said, penelope held out her hands in defense - before aaron even had the opportunity to open his mouth - clarifying with wide eyes. "internally! i'm screaming internally."

aaron took a slight pause, before speaking. “actually, about the copies - ”

penelope’s shoulders dropped in defeat, her lips pulling to the side - an equivalent to an ‘eek’. “was i too enthusiastic?”

“on the contrary,” aaron’s expression softened, laughing gently as to again, not rouse baby girl. “would you mind bringing me two? i’ll need one for in here, and for my wallet.”

[razzle-n-dazzle]

saw u wanted more Adam fics

Adam x f!reader

reader is trying to sleep but Adam keeps trying to show her and tell her stuff. “Like babe hey babe look at this!”

“Babe babe wait did I tell you?”

“Babe holy shit wait guess what!!”

*meanwhile she screams into her pillow*

ᯓ★ "Adam, Love, SHUT THE F-" Adam / Reader | Drabble-ish

ᯓ Do you know those days where you just need a little piece and quiet? Like after a long day of work, where your boss was being unreasonable and your coworkers were being even more unbearable than usual. A long day when you go out to eat for lunch and yet the place you decide to go is busy more than usual, and of course it's on the one day you just wanted an easy meal, so you decide to sit and wait. What is the harm of that? Apparently, a lot. Especially when everyone has a stick shoved up their ass today, and when running over your lunch would have been understood and excused any day sparked a fire from Hell in Heaven. And it was only my five minutes! You were late to the office by five minutes despite having been sitting, waiting for lunch for twenty out of your thirty allotted minutes, and doing work to be ahead of schedule for your boss! You were late by five minutes because the sidewalks had been unreasonably crowded for that time of day and you had sprained your wing rushing not to be late earlier that morning because your boyfriend wanted to be up your ass for an extra five minutes this morning!

ᯓ Safe to say you just proved that there could be bad days in Heaven, no matter what anyone else said and you desperately needed a nap. Or maybe you just needed to knock out for the rest of the day, you weren't sure, all you knew was that your bed was calling your name and that was the only thing on your mind right now. Well, it had been the only thing on your mind until you stepped foot into your shared apartment. "Oh perfect fucking timing, Sugartits, come here!" Adam, with an obnoxious amount of energy today, waved you down to the couch. "Hurry up! You know I love to see that ass move when it walks, but this is super fucking important." And what could entertaining your boyfriend before you went and knockout for the rest of the night do? You mean, it was only thing he wanted to show you.

ᯓ "Fucking, look. Look!" Adam exclaimed as you heavily sat down next to him, allowing for him to cheekily swing an arm around your shoulder. This promptly led him to lean against you as he stuck his phone out, a video pulled up. You watched it to entertain him and his little fancy for whatever he had found; Being able to snuggle into his side in the process and listen to his hysterical laughter during the whole venture. It wasn't nothing too exciting, some sort of slapstick humor video and you understood why Adam found it hilarious, but you just didn't have the energy to laugh at it today. So you gave him a small chuckle as his arm found itself crossing down your back and wrapping around your hip, his hand resting on your thigh. "Oh fucking shit! You see, now that shit if fucking humor, comedy gold!" You needed whatever acid trip Adam was on and desperately.

ᯓ You would hum briefly in agreement towards his statement, feeling as his chest quickly rose and fall as he choked out laughter. Even with such motions you couldn't help but be drawn in by his warmth, snuggling closer to him. And you're sure he noticed, as he was sneakily trying to coax you more and more, using the hand that now was daringly close to your ass, to sit on his lap. Against his harsher, more lively breath, yours was slower and shallow, and as Adam managed to get you to snuggle up to his chest while on his lap, he took notice. It was hard to not to, especially when the sound of you not laughing with him just hit his ears. So confused, Adam would pear down at you. A few nervous bits of laughter left him, a silent signal for you to take notice of how he noticed your odd behavior, yet he died down as you didn't seem to notice (or care) much. Which caused his eyes to narrow and his eyebrows to frown up, a worried frown tugging onto the side of his lips. "Uh, Babe, you good?" His question was accompted by his gravely voice, which was now lower in volume and a lot less sure of himself. "You didn't fucking laugh at the video."

ᯓ "You do know this is comedy gold right? Gold! Not laughing at it would be a fucking crime." Adam would wave his cellphone near your face, flashing you with the bright light which caused you to promptly turn your head away from him. He noticed as your face scrunched, yet you didn't use your wings or hands to knock the phone out of his hand like usual. And that's when he really started to become concern. You weren't acting as you normally would with him, you weren't laughing at the videos he founded or retorting to his antics with your own. You were just laying there, curled up onto his lap with droopy wings and a weak hold around his chest. "Holy shit, Babe, you're not dying are you?" Was the first thing that blurted out of Adam's mouth, being the first thing thought that crossed his head as finally took a real notice of how bad of a state you're in. How the feathers on your wings seemed all out of sorts, how one wing was a little more puffed than the other, how eyebags had began to form under your eyes, and just how tired and weak you looked.

ᯓ "...and you're not getting fucking ugly either are you? It's not contagious is it? Because I can't be fucking ug-" You were swift to cut Adam off, pressing one of your hands against his mouth to muffle any more stupid shit he had to say in this moment. To which Adam drew back a little and started down at you, a moment of shock before unamusement crossed his face. He was gentle, more so than usual, as he picked up your hand by the wrist and drug it away from his mouth. Though he didn't say anything for a good moment, silently (and a little anxiously) waiting to see if you would say anything to him. And maybe it was the nerves on being the on the battle field too many times, or the anxiety of losing another lover, but Adam grew more and more disturbed at your lack of communication or movement the longer the silence wore on. "Babe," He gently nudged you, watching as you just let yourself roll back into place. You didn't even give a hum that time. Now Adam could feel his stomach doing little backflips. "Babe." This one came out a bit more stern as he nudged you a little harder. Yet, you only rolled back into place, not acknowledging his efforts on trying to make sure you weren't dying. Were you fucking dying? Holy shit, that would not be something Adam would want to go through today. "Babe! Sugartits!" Adam shouted, forcefully shoving you away from his warmth by the shoulders, "Please fucking tell me you're not about to die on me because that would be really fucking traumatic!.. If you're going to die at least do it in like, the bedroom or something!"

ᯓ You knew Adam didn't mean it, that he was just trying to stir a reaction out of you to make sure you were alright, yet his comment kind of pissed you off. Less so than when he forcefully drew you away from your only source of heat and comfort from the cruel reality you had to live today. So, reluctantly, you gave our a murmur, "...tired... shut up.." and forcefully tried to lay against Adam again; Trying to just take a small nap, or simply hide from the day you had today in your boyfriend's arms and warmth. Even if one of his hands had been resting on your ass. "Babe, you can't be fucking tired, it's not even dinner. Who the fuck is going to cook because last time I fucking remember you telling me I couldn't." Adam asked in a huff, though was silently relieved that you weren't just about to die in his arms like some dramatic soap opera. So, he let you lay back against his chest. It felt nice to have your weight there anyways. "Adam... shush.." Again, you tried to hush your rather obnoxious boyfriend, even for a little. And you knew he knew that you were tired, on the verge of passing out; It was a dead give away when he fluffed out his wings and wrapped them around you, noticing had dead you felt against him.

ᯓ "But you're still fucking making dinner though, right?" He would quip, a snicker growing on his dumb face as he leaned down to the side, promptly laying you both down. Now you knew he was just being a dick about it, that or he was just glad that you weren't silently suffering and dying against his chest. But either way, you were going to leave his question unanswered as you buried his head against his chest. No matter how much shit Adam might give you, you always found comfort in his warmth and with him being near. It was kind of like having an annoying dog that looked and sounded all tough and scary and was sometimes a big dick, but secretly cared about you under all the gunk. "Fuck it, I'll just order in." Adam muttered, placing his chin on the top of your head (having to curl around you a little to do so) as you were sure he began to pull up menus of restaurants nearby that delivered. And as you drifted off to sleep, you liked to believe he did so, so you didn't have to worry about cooking when you woke up. But you knew that was only half the truth, the other half was that he was probably craving those lamb chops he absolutely adores. And you were fine with that.

Home | Masterlist

ᯓ★ All posts/fanfictions posted under this blog is owned by @razzle-n-dazzle. Please do not steal, copy, or plagiarize the works! Likes, reblogs, and comments are always appreciated.

[dazed--xx]

SKZ!Reactions: It Was All a Bet II (Maknae Line)

Part 1 Hyung Line Masterlist

Jisung:

“No.”

You growl as Jisung stood in front of you, a guilty pout on his lips. “But Babe…. —nope. Fix that, like now.” You cut him off. His head drops as he stares at the ground. “Y/N, I understand you’re upset b-but I genuinely care about you. I really want to talk about this. I’m truly so sorry.” He whimpers as he grips your hand lifting it slightly to his chest. You stare at him in disbelief. It hadn’t even been an hour since he confessed the truth. Has he no shame? You wonder to yourself. You pull your hand away “I’m sorry but are you like, dumb? Did you forget what you told me?” You snap. Jisung looks up at you with shock and guilt on his features. “N-No…” He stammers panicked. “B-But, please l-lets talk about this.” He pleads. Your eyebrows raise in amusement. “Excuse me?” You snort. “If you haven’t realized, our conversations ended when I told you to go to hell. Cause I mean it. Go to hell Han Jisung. Honestly, any of you that made the bet can go to hell. Was it the guys?” He nods regret evident in his eyes, shame written all over his face. “I’m so sorry….” He whispers, his voice breaking as his eyes well up with tears.

 “What does that do for me?”

He looks at you quizzically, “W-what do you mean?”

“You being sorry doesn’t go back in time and make you not tell me that. It doesn’t change you making the bet in the first place, honestly you saying that right now does nothing but clear your own conscious but of course why am I not surprised? You seem to keep doing things that only benefit you anyway.” He shakes his head rapidly. “No…. Y/N, no…. you’re wrong.—I am? Cause from where I’m standing you confessed to being a disgusting pig and that your friends are disgusting pigs who view women as just simple toys to mess around with as you please, and then after such confession you track me down to my job; ask my manager for me to talk to you for a second then have the nerve to apologize and cry like you deserve anything from me?” You cut him off with a monotonous tone. A look of horror paints his features, his entire demeanor looks crushed as his head hangs low. “At least I said something, I could have never said anything, you could have found out from someone else….” He murmurs, his frustration growing evident. You scoff “Oh?! I’m sorry, of course, you confessed to being crap so I should humor you right?” Jisung looks at you, you notice his jaw clenching in frustration. “Dammit why are you being like this? I’m sorry! I’ve never regretted anything more in my life please just—just talk to me about this…” He snaps before he sighs, letting all his anger leave his body with the sigh. “…I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have made such a disgusting bet, no matter who it was, but I don’t regret being with you. I don’t regret meeting you; I don’t regret going out with you, I don’t regret loving you. I don’t want to lose you.” He breathed.

 You stare at him blankly. “Again, that does nothing for me. I understand you regret your actions and cool or whatever, but that doesn’t change the fact that you used me. You slept with me……for money…. like a prostitute…which is so utterly degrading. Also, I will point out that again I am at work, so I don’t have time to entertain my ex that I literally broke up with earlier today.” You counter. Jisung sighs in defeat “There’s nothing I could do to change your mind? Please Y/N, I love you…. I-I don’t want to break up. I’m really sorry…I couldn’t be sorrier. Please don’t do this…” He pleads apologetically. You shake your head lifting your hand “You can’t change someone’s mind about your betrayal. You still betrayed them; you haven’t even given me time to process what you did. Look I need time, but I hope it was worth it.” You state as you turn away from him and walk back into your job. Jisung stares at the door you just went through.

“How could it have been worth it when it cost me everything?”

Felix:

“You have to talk to me at some point, we’re literally on tour together for the next 6 months….” Felix mumbles as you shove past him. You scoff at him not saying anything as you hand Changbin a water bottle as he requested and make your way back toward your members. Noticing you have a tail, you turn and glare at Felix, who freezes in his place with a look of surprise on his face. “I know you’re trying to intimidate me, but you look way too cute for me to be able to be fearful right now…” He flirts sweetly as he brushes a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “…Please just talk to me, I miss hearing your beautiful voice.” He whispers apologetically as he leans in close “Did you make a bet to date me for a year and then dump me after said year?” You question coldly your arms crossed over your chest as you pull your face away from his hand. He closes his eyes as a look of guilt and regret crosses his features. “Y-Yes, but—no buts…that kinda says it all then, doesn’t it?” You cut him off as you turn away from him and try to continue walking but you feel a pair of arms wrapping around your waist.

“I love you…. I love you so much. I’m so sorry, if you’re still mad at me then I can accept that. If you still want to punish me then fine. But please, it’s been three months since I’ve last been able to talk to you, let alone see you; please let me just have the chance on this tour to fix things.” He urges hopefully. You sigh “Felix…. —Do you still love me?” He cuts you off, his breathing growing heavy as you feel your cheeks heat up. “That doesn’t matter…” You answer, as you attempt to pull yourself from his grip. “Yes, it does…” He whispers, his lips brushing over the shell of your ear.

“No. It really doesn’t. My love for you doesn’t change what you did….”

“It tells me if I have a chance to change your mind though.”

“Why are you so adamant about this? Why can’t you just move on?” You argue. “Because I love you and I don’t want to love anyone else…” Felix states matter of factly. Your heart races at his words. “W-well…I-I’ve moved on…” You lie. You feel Felix’s grip tighten slightly as he buries his face in your neck, you feel a soft rumble on your chest as you hear a chuckle escape Felix’s throat “No, you haven’t…you still love me” He denies. You scoff in offense, turning your head to face him.

“You don’t know that. Not for a fact.”

“I do. Want me to prove I do?”

Your eyes narrow at him “You can’t prove how someone else fee”—your words are cut off by a pair of soft plush lips connecting with yours. Your heart races at the contact as one of Felix’s hands caress your cheek, his lips moving against yours softly. Your cheeks burn a bright scarlet as you instinctively respond to the kiss, a small groan released from your throat when Felix nibbles on your bottom lip. It felt almost like an eternity before either of you pulled away, him being the first to do so. Your lips chasing his for a moment before you hear a chuckle “See…proved it” He whispered in your ear seductively “this is going to be a fun 6 months with you babe” He placed a kiss on your cheek before handing you the water bottle you had given Changbin back and walking away. You stare at the water bottle in confusion “Where did you have this hiding?!” Felix shrugs as he places his hands in his basketball shorts pockets. “I’m an enigma, I’m your boyfriend you should know this…”

Seungmin:

“I’ll tell you now, besides Seungmin. You should be the last person to come and see me.”

You growl at Jeongin who stood with a guilty expression on his face as he stood on your porch. He hangs his head low as he sighs “I’m sorry Y/N, the bet was my idea…I shouldn’t have pushed Seungmin to accept it so much.” He apologized regretfully. “Do you want a medal or something?” You snap as you wipe the tears from your face. “You know what sucks about finding out that Seungmin had this bet going?” Jeongin shakes his head in response, “That he’s a jerk?” Jeongin guesses. “No. that my best friend is just as disgusting as my ex was.” You growl before you slam the door in Jeongin’s face. You sigh as you press your back against the door, your body gliding down the surface until you’re sat on the floor. Tears stream down your cheeks, as sobs wrack your body. The betrayal of Seungmin’s words truly setting in for the first time in days. Pulling your phone out, you press on Seungmin’s contact name and call him.

He answers on the first ring “Babe?” He gasps out quickly. “D-don’t.” Your voice cracks.

“A-are you crying?”

“Yup. Thanks for that by the way….”

“I—I know it doesn’t mean anything to you, but I am really fucking sorry.”

You sigh into the phone as you sniffle “You’re right. That means absolutely nothing to me. I called because I’m really upset and its your fault and I’m really fucking mad at you right now. How could you do this to me? I thought you liked me…. I thought I meant something to you…” you sob. “You do! Please don’t think you don’t…. please…” He pleads desperately. “You mean everything to me. I just made a massively stupid mistake. I-I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted you to find out this way….” You scoff “This way or at all?” Seungmin pauses for a moment “Honestly, I wish I could say I would have told you but if you didn’t overhear me, I wouldn’t have ever told you about it.” He confesses, his voice cracking toward the end. “Why not? You won right?” You retort sarcastically.

“Don’t.” He groans “Don’t do that, please? I didn’t want you to know because I knew this would happen. I know I deserve this, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt me too. You don’t think I hurt myself too? You don’t think I hated myself every time I saw you and you looked at me in that perfectly beautiful way you do, and I knew that it all started from some disgustingly misogynistic bet? But that doesn’t change that I loved you the whole time. It doesn’t change that I knew you were meant for me since the moment I laid eyes on you.” Your heart races at his words. You notice the soft sniffles coming from the other side of the phone. “A-Are you crying?” You ask. “I shouldn’t be. I caused this. I stupidly listened to Jeongin, and I knew it wasn’t a good idea…I knew you had no interest in Jeongin at all, but—sigh—I let my stupid jealousy make a decision for me. I regret it. I’ve regretted it ever since I made it.” He confesses. Your heart feels conflicted. His words sway your resolve more and more. “Can I have some time?” You ask softly. “I need to feel not completely and utterly foolish to continue this conversation…”

“Take your time…I’ll wait as long as you need me to…. but I do love you….”

Jeongin:

“Please, I’m sorry, I’m more than sorry…”

Jeongin pleaded as he trailed behind you on your walk home from work. “God, I hope dispatch doesn’t find out where I live….” You groan as you stand in front of your apartment building. Glaring at Jeongin who stood there, face exposed, exclaiming his love for you. “Does that really matter right now?” Jeongin questioned frustratedly. “I mean considering we broke up over two weeks ago? Yeah. It would be a major problem.” You argue. Jeongin shakes his head in denial, “No. we’re not broken up. I never agreed to breaking up.” He whined, tears forming in his eyes as he continued to argue “I’m giving you space and time to be upset, I deserve you to be mad at me. I know you deserve better than someone as gross as I am who would make a bet like that, but I promise you, when I said it was the easiest 500 dollars, I ever made I meant it in a good way. I meant it was easy to be with you because you’re so amazing. B-because I love you, that’s why it became so easy. Honestly, before the guys said something that day, I forgot I even made the bet.”

 “Can you like…not be so fucking rational all the time?” You groan in frustration, “But I don’t care if you wanted to break up or not. Like you said, you made a gross ass bet with your gross ass friends. I’m not some random desperate insecure girl hoping and praying you’ll stay interested in me. If you mess up this bad it’s not up to me to help you fix it. This shit is gonna take time if I even want to see you again when I’m no longer angry.”

“If? Y-You don’t want to see me anymore?” His voice cracks as he stares at you apologetically, tears now streaming down his cheeks as your words hit him. “Y-You won’t even give me a chance?” You rest your forehead on the palm of your hand for a moment. “You made a bet to sleep with me and then break up with me after I said I love you.” You remind him. Jeongin looks nauseous at the mention of his misdeed. “b-but I didn’t. I-I didn’t do it…I didn’t break up with you. T-the guys—I don’t care” You cut him off “who cares if you and the guys changed their minds after the fact—'b-but we really felt’—I don’t care. You guys should feel guilty. I’m a fun, and nice person, I have awesome memes and I value honesty over everything. The fact that you could lie to me for almost two fucking years is insane.” You snap, your blood boiling as he continues to try to make excuse after excuse. “If you didn’t fall in love with me or whatever, you would have ripped my heart out.” You state matter of factly. Jeongin shakes his head in denial. “T-that’s not true, I’m not like that. I would have told you the truth, I swear I would have said something if I never felt anything for you. I felt like telling you the whole first two weeks of us dating.” He counters. You snort at the irony “So you had no feelings for me the whole first two weeks of us dating? What changed? Why’d you suddenly get feelings? You sure you didn’t just trick yourself into thinking you loved me out of guilt.”

“I’m a good guy, but not that good of a guy. I’d love to say this is not like me but that wouldn’t be true. I’ve done these types of bets with the guys before. I’ve liked some of the girls and some I didn’t either way I always told them the truth at the end of the timeframe. But for you, it was at that party we went to in Seongnam; Felix was really drunk and rambling on and on about the bet when you went to the bathroom and the whole time, he was talking all I could think about was how I didn’t want you to break up with me on the same night I had realized I liked you. I mean how could I not? Y-You’re perfect. You’re so kind and understanding and forgiving….” His voice breaks as he tries to contain his tears “…. You’re the most beautiful person I know, and I-I can’t lose you. Not like this. Please. Not like this” He begs as the tears continue to stream down his face.

You stand there for a moment, silence taking over both of you. For a moment it feels like time has stopped completely and you two are the only ones in this place. “I-I…I can’t.” You whisper, a look of bewilderment is written all over Jeongin’s expression. “N-No…y-you love me…w-we love each other. You can’t—you can’t do this. Please don’t—don’t do this.” He stammers in denial. “I-I’m not saying we have to completely break up…b-but I need time, I can’t trust you anymore. It feels like I don’t know you anymore….” You reject softly. Jeongin sobs “Y-Yes you do! You know me better than anyone, I made a mistake, I know that. But I’ll never hurt you like that again, ill never betray your trust again please….”

“I love you; I do. But I need time….”

“Please…. don’t walk away from us, I care about you so much. It was a mistake, promise you that” He pleads as he walks toward you, his hands encasing your arms. His eyes connecting with yours, you turn your head looking away. His hand caresses your cheek. “I love you please give me a chance to make up for this, please don’t leave me like this. I’m sorry—I’m so sorry I just want to fix this I don’t want to break up.” He urges as he rests his forehead on yours. “I need time I can’t just get over this please give me some time.” You sigh sadly. “B-But—no…. I can’t accept that you did this to me….it hurts too much for me to just jump into something with someone I can’t trust.” You cut him off.

“But you can trust me. Please give me a chance to prove that….”

“I don’t know, I need space…. I need time…. This hurts so much, and I can’t just move on from it. I need to process everything so please give me time and we can talk later—another time.”

His eyes fill with horror as he shakes his head rapidly “I-No….no…. This can’t be happening. P-please….im sorry” you sigh taking a step back. “It is happening, but I need to handle this alone, I can’t be with you please leave….”

He stood there, tears streaming down his cheeks as he watched you disappear into your building. “Please, I’m nothing without you….” He whispered nothing.

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[hiitsm]

Heartfelt Moments

Your girlfriend helps you completing a milestone in your heart operation recovery process

Pure Fluff

-

"Okay, mi vida, are you ready for this? It's totally fine if you're not; we can head back home," Alexia says, her brow furrowing with concern, which makes you chuckle softly.

You reach out, smoothing the worry lines on her forehead. "I am ready, amor, and I'm so glad to be doing this with you," you assure her, smiling softly. She responds by leaning in and gently pressing her lips to yours.

"Okay then, let's keep a slow pace. We'll start with a half-field run, okay?" Alexia suggests, her voice still tinged with a hint of worry.

"Yes, mi amor, that’s perfect," you agree. Although you received clearance to run a few weeks ago, you hadn't felt quite ready until today. Now, with Alexia by your side, you feel prepared to take this step.

Alexia had brought you to the FC Barcelona training grounds, not only because she knew the way there as the FC Barcelona Femení captain but also because she was aware of the abundance of sports physios available to assist you if needed.

Despite your assurance that you could manage a run in the park, your stubborn girlfriend wouldn't hear of it. And secretly, you loved her concern.

"Are you feeling okay, amor? Is your condition acting up? Do you need a break?" Alexia asks, her worry evident, as you reach the 100-meter mark.

You were born with dextrocardia, a condition where your heart is on the right side instead of the left. For years, it hadn't caused any complications beyond the unusual placement of your heart. Yes, maybe you are out of breath a little before other people would be, but you haven’t really had a negative experience with it. However, nearly a year ago, you began experiencing complications: cyanotic heart disease.

"Amor, please don’t worry too much. I'm feeling alright. This pace feels nice," you reassure her, offering a smile to ease her concerns. Alexia returns the smile softly, squeezing your hand lightly before resuming your usual running position.

"You know, running with you always brings back memories of the first time I saw you," Alexia says with a cheeky grin, causing you to playfully roll your eyes at her.

Alexia had been strolling around the park, a routine she followed most evenings, a ritual that helped her unwind before attempting to sleep—though sleep rarely came easily to her. Her mind buzzed with thoughts of upcoming football training sessions, matches, and how she could inspire young girls to pursue their dreams, regardless of their backgrounds.

As you round the corner into the park, your lungs tighten, and your breathing quickens—a familiar sensation that prompts you to slow down to a walking pace. Running has always been your escape, a way to quiet your mind, but your dextrocardia often leaves you breathless sooner than you'd like. Despite the warm Barcelona sun, you wear a running tank top and shorts, embracing the comfortable attire.

As you noticed a beautiful woman walking out of the park, you attempted to control your breathing. But before you could, she spoke up. "Are you alright? Do you need some water? The bottle is still unopened," Alexia offered kindly, her eyes flickering over your face and down your body, causing a blush to rise to your cheeks as you realized she was checking you out.

"That would be nice, thank you," you replied softly, accepting Alexia's bottle of water and taking a few sips.

"Do you come here often?" she asked curiously, her question more for her own benefit than anything else, as Alexia secretly hoped to see you again. But she kept that to herself, of course.

"Yes, this is my usual running route. Some days are better than others," you admitted, feeling your cheeks flush even redder as you noticed Alexia glancing at your sweaty shorts.

"That's fine, we all have those days," she replied with a cheeky grin, a stark contrast to her earlier shyness. Her playful response elicited a chuckle from you, and you found yourself drawn to her presence.

"You know, you were kind of stalking me a little," you teased Alexia as the two of you finished your first half-field run, now resting for a couple of minutes before tackling another round. Sitting on the grass, the warm embrace of the Barcelona sun kissed your skin, and Alexia rested her head on your shoulder.

"It wasn’t stalking, amor. I was just at the park when you happened to be there," she defended herself, determined to make her point. "Besides, I just liked seeing you," she quickly added, a hint of shyness in her voice that made you smile.

Tilting your head slightly to look at her, you echoed her words, "Do you still like seeing me?" You loved how Alexia wasn't the most eloquent with words, but her actions spoke volumes, and it was utterly adorable.

"Of course, mi vida. I always like seeing you... no, wait,.. love seeing you," she corrected herself with a soft kiss, her lips lingering against yours. Then, with a mischievous grin, she continued, "Especially when you’re beautifully lying on our bed, with your legs spread, while being naked." Her cheeky comment made your cheeks flush crimson, and you playfully swatted her hand away as she traced her finger across your shoulder, ending up over your right breast.

"That was awful," you laughed and Alexia joined in, her laughter infectious.

"Do you remember when I first saw you naked though?" Alexia raised her eyebrows teasingly.

"Of course, amor, how could I forget? I was in a rush," you replied with a chuckle, recalling the amusing yet memorable encounter.

"Bebita, I love what you're wearing, but maybe it's a bit too much?" your girlfriend sounded a little insecure as she voiced her concern. You sensed she was trying not to hurt your feelings, but her words only left you feeling confused.

"What, why? I'm meeting your mother and sister for the first time," you replied, gesturing for Alexia to enter your small apartment. It was compact, with the bed, kitchen, dining area, and living space all crammed into one room, along with a tiny bathroom. Alexia had been here before but still seemed bewildered by its size.

"It's just a home-cooked dinner at my mother's house, amor," Alexia said, pulling you close to her. "Even though I love this red cocktail dress you're wearing, you don't have to. It's just dinner. I bet Alba is even wearing her sweats, like usual, just like me," she added softly. "I'm sorry if it was my fault for this dress code you've got on."

"No, mi vida, it's all on me. I just want to make a good first impression," you sighed heavily.

"You'll make a great impression just by being you, amor," Alexia assured you, leaning in to kiss you, and soon the two of you were getting carried away. But reality quickly snapped back as you realized the time.

"Oh, we're going to be late," you exclaimed, feeling the stress mounting. "Amor, please pull the zipper down," you instructed, turning your back to Alexia. She did as you asked. Instead of heading to the bathroom to change, you surprised her by all but tearing your dress off, standing there fully naked. Alexia stood still, trying to process the sudden turn of events.

"I'm sorry, amor. I know this is chaotic, but this is as fast as I can go, and we'll do this properly another day," you half-yelled hinting to your nudeness, rifling through your closet for the right clothes for a simple home-cooked dinner. Comfy clothes were what you were after. Alexia chuckled, finding the situation so typical of you.

"Amor, you weren't wearing anything under your dress?" she asked, baffled yet smug, her eyes drinking in the sight of you completely nude for the first time. Your scar from a heart operation in your youth was visible on your right side, a few lines marking where your heart was misplaced, slightly blue due to the lack of oxygen. Alexia found it mesmerizing. You were so beautiful.

"Lines of bras and panties are ugly, Ale, you know that," you huffed, snapping her out of her trance, hastily putting on undergarments and slipping into pants and a sweater.

When you were finally ready and grabbed Alexia's hand to leave, she pulled you back, cupping your face gently in her hands and kissing you lovingly. "You are beautiful, amor," her gaze soft and full of love. You blushed, realizing her words weren't just about the clothes you wore now. "I'm sorry for the chaos," you apologized, a little embarrassed.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she replied sofly, pulling you towards the door, ready to face the evening together. It made you smile brightly.

"Let's take it easier now, okay amor?" Alexia's voice was tinged with concern as she observed your labored breathing and slowing pace. She knew you well—knew that you were usually one to push your limits. But ever since your surgery for cyanotic heart disease six months ago, those limits had inevitably shifted. Since then, she'd taken it upon herself to care for you more attentively, watching over you as you both navigated this new chapter. She understood your eagerness to return to running, yet she also recognized the challenges it entailed.

You remembered how, when Alexia had torn her ACL during football training and underwent surgery, the road to recovery was arduous. Having you by her side had been her solace, her strength. She knew well that recovering from a heavy heart surgery wasn't comparable to an ACL repair, but the principle remained the same—a solid support system was invaluable, and that was what she intended to be for you.

"Let's sit down on the grass over there, under that shade?" you suggested, pointing towards a welcoming patch of coolness.

"Yes, amor, I'll be right there," Alexia replied, quickly sprinting towards the FC Barcelona facility to fetch a fresh, cold bottle of water for you. She returned in less than a minute, her efficiency bringing a smile to your face. "Here, please drink," she said, gently brushing a stray hair from your face and tucking it behind your ear. You took a sip, immediately tasting your favorite electrolyte flavor—a thoughtful touch that warmed your heart.

"Thank you, bebita," you murmured, taking her hand and pulling her down to lie beside you on the grass. "Thank you for being here," you added softly, your eyes closed in contentment as you spoke. Alexia squeezed your hand in response. "Of course, amor, I will always be by your side," she assured you, her words reinforcing the bond you shared and evoking a cherished memory, fresh yet profound.

You layed in the hospital bed, the sterile white of the room blurring into a haze of nerves as the time for your operation approached. This wasn't your first heart surgery; the last one had been years ago when you were still a teenager. Now, as an adult, the decision to undergo another procedure felt heavier, tinged with a fear you hadn't anticipated. Alexia had been your rock, discussing the pros and cons with you until you both agreed that the surgery was necessary for a better future together. Despite her own aversion to hospitals, a remnant of painful memories associated with her father, Alexia stood by your side, her presence a silent vow of unwavering support.

Noticing the nervous pacing beside your bed, you couldn’t help but feel moved by her loyalty. Your eyes welled up with tears, which Alexia caught instantly, rushing over. “Are you okay, bebita? Do you need anything?” she asked gently.

Shaking your head, you reached out and gently pulled her arm, a silent invitation. “Can you please lay your head on my shoulder, Ale?” you requested, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course, bebita,” Alexia responded without hesitation, knowing how much comfort her closeness brought you. She nestled beside you, her head resting on your shoulder, grounding you with the familiar warmth of her presence.

“Okay, I’m just going in the operation room, I will be put to sleep, I will wake up, and I will see you,” you whispered, repeating the mantra a few times to steel your nerves. Each repetition made you feel a tad more ready.

“I will be here, amor,” Alexia murmured back, her hand gripping yours, her thumb soothingly caressing the back of your hand. “Te amo mucho, mi vida” she whispered, sealing her words with a gentle kiss.

When the doctors arrived to take you to the operating room, a deep sense of gratitude towards Alexia filled you, easing the tendrils of fear as anesthesia drew you into darkness.

Hours later, you awakened to the sight of Alexia's concerned face. “Hola, mi vida. How are you feeling?” she asked, squeezing your hand with a loving gaze.

“Just a bit tired, but happy to see you,” you whispered back, relief flooding through you as she relayed the doctor's positive report on the surgery.

''I'm glad that you're here with me, my sweet bebita,'' your girlfriend said softly. Tears welled in her eyes, and you reached up to tenderly wipe them away. Waiting till you got back from your surgery must've taken a toll on your girlfriend.

“And I’m glad that you’re here with me, my sweet Ale,” you said, voice thick with emotion. Hearing your words, she smiled softly.

That smile reminded you of another, more mundane need.

“Ale, please, can you grab me my favorite food?” you asked with puppy dog eyes. Alexia’s laughter rang out warmly in the quiet room.

“Of course, bebita, but you can only eat after another three hours,” she said apologetically.

You grunted in mock frustration, your hangryness palpable, but the shared laughter was like another layer of medicine, healing in its own right.

As you walked through the door of your shared home, a surprising sight greeted you—fresh flowers beautifully arranged on the kitchen counter. Puzzlement crossed your mind. You and Alexia had left together this morning; when could she have...?

Before you could process any further, Alexia's voice chimed in, bubbling with excitement. "I brought you some flowers, bebita, because you just ran a full football field today, and that milestone should be celebrated!" Her words caught you off guard, turning you around to face her with a look of awe.

"I love you, Ale, so much," you managed, your voice thick with emotion. The words barely scratched the surface of your gratitude and affection. Over the past few months, Alexia's gestures of love had continuously touched your heart deeply.

Laughing softly, Alexia added, "I love you too. That’s why I've also ordered your favorite sushi. It’s on its way." Her grin was infectious, prompting a playful eye roll from you.

"It’s also your favorite sushi, Ale," you reminded her with a smile, feeling the shared joy of the moment.

"Your win is my win, bebita," Alexia teased, her eyes twinkling as she took your hand and led you toward the couch. With a gentle pull, she guided you to straddle her lap, enveloping you in the comfort of her embrace.

"Estic tan orgullós de tu," Alexia whispered in her mother tongue, her words sending a thrill through you. The intimacy of her voice and the warmth of her body drew a sigh of relief from you. In her arms, you felt an overwhelming sense of safety—a confirmation of all the reasons you loved her so deeply.

-

I hope you all liked this one.

I'm trying a few writing styles so this might not be perfect, but when will writing ever be perfect?

Have a nice evening x keep it kind :)

[nieceeee]

"Let Me Help"

P/S: You and Eren decided to co-parent and things have been going well. You managed to keep a good distance and keep your hands to yourself. Until your hormones get the best of you and him being a good baby daddy offers to help solve your problem W/C: 2007

A/N: smut, minors DNI, baby daddy eren x reader, nicknames (mamas because you're his baby mama, babydoll) oral sex, praise kink, pregnant reader, NSFW,

I took some pieced of my original work and changed the characters so enjoy. I think I want to start adding more fluff. let me know if you're interested

“E don't, okay.” you huffed, holding a hand up at him. You and Eren had just made it back to your apartment. You had some errands to run earlier and he insisted on being there. You can't carry all that in your condition anyway he had fussed at you over the phone. You roll your eyes, placing your hand over your swollen abdomen as he opens the passenger side door for you. 

“I told you I didn't need any help.” you complained but like always, he refused to listen to you. 

Honestly, you were grateful that he was still around to help you out. After your relationship ended, you both decided it would be best to have a decent connection for when the baby arrived. Eren refused to let his child grow up without him so you both had to sit down and compromise. Despite all the drama from your relationship, you both managed to remain good friends and work on coparenting. 

Until today.

When those pregnancy hormones started to kick in and you woke up this morning with your fingers pressed against your clit, trying to find some sort of relief.  As your fingers circled your opening, you found yourself imagining a very familiar hand replacing yours. You whimpered at the image of Eren’s fingers pressing deep inside of you, stroking that ridged spot that you loved so much. 

“You look so pretty when you cum for me babydoll.” he praised, “Do it again. Make daddy proud and cum all over my hands. Can you do that?”

 Ironically, that was the day you actually made him a daddy. You were so terrified at the two little lines on the test that you took 5 more to make sure. Eren was ecstatic. He had always wanted kids. But your relationship with him had been so toxic that you were scared of what would happen if you tried again. So you both decided to remain friends in order to have a healthy relationship for your child.

All of that went out the window this morning as you coaxed another orgasm from your body, his name falling from your lips. But it wasn’t enough. The fire that burned in you refused to be sated. You needed today to get out of the house and blow off steam, anything to get your mind off of the aching in between your legs. Everything was going fine until he made his daily call. The minute his face popped up on screen, you felt the heat pass through you again. Fucking pregnancy hormones you groaned internally. 

“You all good mamas?” Eren asked you. 

Your toes curled in your shoes at the nickname, “Yes, I just have some errands to run today so I’ll have to call you later.” you rushed. Looking at him was driving your body crazy and you knew you would need your vibrator again before you could leave. “You doing all that by yourself?” he said, brows arching in concern. “Yes, E. I’ll be fine.” you fussed, your leg shaking with anxiousness. You just needed him off the phone. “I’ll be there in 10.” You couldn’t process the words he said before the phone disconnected. Fuck. you thought to yourself, you couldn’t be around him today. Not like this. You hobbled yourself to your room, grabbing your rabbit out of the top drawer and lifting your dress and pressing it against your swollen center. “Shit.” you let out as your juices dripped down your legs. You rushed to clean yourself up just as the doorbell rang. 

“Hey, babydoll you ready?” his voice called from the front door. You cussed yourself for giving him the spare key. For emergencies only you had told him but he still used it as he pleased. 

You met him at the door, hoping that your actions were disguised. He took his time looking at you. His eyes dragging from your head to your feet as he swiped his tongue out over his lips. “You look good mamas.” his deep voice lowered, caressing your eardrums and everywhere in between. “Stop looking at me like that.” you snapped. He gave you a sexy half smile and shrugged his shoulders, opening the front door and holding it for you. 

Running errands with Eren seemed nearly impossible. You found yourself watching his every move. You never thought a man putting groceries in the car would look so sexy. Those veins popping in his hands and traveling up the crevices of his muscles was making you dizzy. “It must be the heat” you explained to him when you needed to grab a seat to catch your breath. By the time you made it back to your apartment, your pussy was throbbing. You needed to make him leave.

Eren noticed you had been distant with him all day but he assumed it was just the heat and the hormones. But as much as you pushed at him, he wasn’t leaving you in that state. Something was going on with you and he wanted to know what. “You can go now.” you forced out. “You’re not putting all this away on your own.” he fussed, starting to unpack the groceries. “Eren, please just go.” you were practically groveling, the need between your thighs growing stronger. “Did I do something wrong?” he questioned, turning to you. His green eyes gazing at you with concern and confusion. “No, you didn't .” you expressed. “So why have you been pushing me away all day? I don't get it.” he urged. “E, please.” you started but he cut you off. “No, not until you talk to me babydoll. What did I do? I want to fix it.” “EREN. I'M HORNY OKAY!” you screamed out dropping your head back in frustration. His eyes blinked. Once. Twice. The room was silent. “I- my hormones are spiking and I have been having trouble all day.” you explained. “You being here has not helped.” He remained calm as he stepped towards you. “Do you need me?” he asked calmly. “What?” He stepped closer, standing right in front of you, forcing you to look up at him. “Do you need my help?” he whispered down at you. 

“What do you mean help ?” you asked, anxious to know the answer.

He smiled down at you. “Come here mamas.” he said softly. You walk towards him, taking his outstretched hand. He leads you through the house and to your bedroom. “E-” you start. He looks back at you and all your words get caught in your throat. Eren positions you next to your bed, coming up behind you. He gently slides his hands underneath your belly, a warm feeling running through his chest as he lifts slightly to offer you some relief. You sigh sinking into his arms, your back pressing against his chest. “Eren, are you sure this is okay? We said we were setting boundaries.” you said softly. “I know.” he whispered, rubbing small circles on the underside of your belly. You hummed in delight at the sensation of his warm hands on your skin. “Look at it this way mamas.” he explained. “My goal is to make sure you are as comfortable as possible. And this is causing you discomfort, yeah?” You nod, riding the high of his words as he continues to massage you. “All I want to do is help you get a release.” he whispers, leaning down to you. He rubs the tip of his nose against your neck before clamping his teeth down gently into your shoulder. Your legs buckle slightly as he runs his tongue over the mark. “You smell so fucking good babydoll.” he groans, his dick hardening behind you. You both stand there for a moment, you pressed against his chest as he rubs your belly and plants kisses on your neck.

“Come here.” Eren says, releasing your belly, He guides your hips back to the bed and lays you down. “Eren, are you sure about this?” you asked breathlessly. He looks down at you as he pulls half of his hair back into a ponytail. “Positive.” he grumbled. He guides you back gently against the mattress. “Just let me take care of you baby. I’ll make you feel good.” he whispered. “You always do.” you let out. He hummed his approval before pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. Eren takes his time, kissing down your neck and into your shoulder blades. Your eyes flutter close as you sink into the bed. He takes his time trialing kisses down to your swollen breasts, his lips closing around the hardened mound as his fingers roll around your other nipple. Your hands travel up his back and into his hair, gripping softly. He growls, biting down gently on your nipple as he continues his descent down your body. He takes extra time kissing around her belly, a smile playing at his lips as he trailers the linea nigra in the center of your abdomen. He travels further until his head is centered between your legs. An audible gasps escapes your lips as the warmth of his mouth attaches to your aching middle. Eren takes his time, sucking at your clit, rolling it gently between his lips before slipping his tongue inside of you. Your back arches slightly from the bed as you revel in each swipe of his tongue, the wetness getting louder as he swirls the muscle inside of you. The wave of heat washes over you once more as he growls into your pussy. “E, baby. Fuck.” you call out to him as he feasts on you like you’re his last meal. You body jerks as the orgasm spills out of you and into his mouth. He stays there, holding onto your thighs lapping at you until you come down from your high. Your essence drips from his chin as he sits up and looks at you. “You taste better than I remember.” he said softly. Your breathing is heavy as you stare into each other's eyes. 

You part your legs slowly, beckoning him closer. Eren’s eyes widened slightly. “You sure?” he asked, his gaze heavy. You nodded. You needed more of him. “Please” you beg. 

He smirked and cupped his hands under your upper thigh, sliding your body closer to him. “E…fuck.” your mind went blank as he rubbed his tip against your opening. “You okay baby? You need to stop?” he looked up at you, his gaze heavy. You looked down at him, thick and heavy, his body begging for release. He was a force to be reckoned with down there. “Y/n?” he asked, stepping back slightly. “I- I ‘m okay.” you responded quickly. “You sure?” he said, still standing back, concern etched on his face.  “Yes. I’m sure.” You lay back on the bed again, opening up wider. He took a breath and stepped back into your space, pressing against you again. Your fingers gripped the sheets as you felt his tip push inside of you. “Fuck” you cry out. He stilled. “Am I hurting you?” he asked. You were drunk on pleasure at the feeling. “No please keep going E, I need it.” you moan out. He shuddered at your cries, and worked his way in a little more. He took his time, slipping in and out of you with shallow strokes, rubbing your clit when you clenched around him. He knew your body inside and out. You felt another weave of pleasure overtaking you. Your walls clenched around him. “It's okay. Release for me babydoll.” he said gently coaching you through your final orgasm. He stayed sheathed inside of you until he’s sure you’re done and slowly pulls out, your creams spilling onto the sheets beneath you. His gaze seared your body as it trailed you from head to toe. “What?” you ask shyly. “You are so fucking beautiful, you know that.” He ran his hand down the side of your face, wiping a few of the tears from your eyes. You smile up at him. 

“Thank you, Eren.” you say softly. “I told you babydoll. I’m always here to help.” he smile before planting a gentle kiss to your forehead.

[iikatsukii]

the lost sully

synopsis: there was one rule…

pairings: sully family x sibling!reader 

warnings: angst no comfort

word count: 1.3k

a/n: i'm taking a hiatus. Idk for how long but i will not be posting or responding to anyone or anything unless we are mutuals and i’ve told you what happened. Please don't pry all i will say is someone very close to me died today. this will be the last thing i post for a while so sorry if its halfassed.

"now they'll never find me," you said as you laughed, feeling the rush of the wind blowing on your face. you had broken the only rule you and your siblings had when playing hide and seek.

no ikrans

you figured it wouldn't be a problem because you knew the forests like the back of your hand and weren't going far anyway. you spotted a clearing near high camp where neteyam was counting, giving you guys 20 seconds to hide around the nearby area. you, on the other hand, were feeling daring today. you hadn't won a hide-and-seek game in years, and your siblings continuously rubbed it in your face. 

of course, as you guys grew up, you had less and less time to play games, but recently, with you finally completing your rites, you were able to hang out with your siblings more. you would find yourself tagging along with lo'ak, kiri, and neteyam when they went to hang out with other na'vi your age. 

thinking about your siblings made you laugh as you finally settled into your hiding spot. you were hiding inside a log in the clearing you had found earlier, waiting for your eldest brother to find you. you placed your palms flat on each other, facing the ground, and rested your face on your hands, allowing them to act as a pillow as you drifted off to sleep, knowing you would be the last one found. a little victory nap wouldn't hurt.

you would rest here amongst the flora and fauna of your home. a little fan lizard scampered into the log, snuggling up to you, seemingly joining your nap. then you felt another running up the back of your leg, coming up to cuddle into the small of your back. you giggled as a few more gathered around you, packing into your little hiding spot. you loved moments like this. moments that you could share with the fauna that eywa has blessed your home with. 

much like kiri, you were very in touch with the great mother, but while kiri leaned more toward the flora, you were more in tune with the animals of pandora. always being able to steer away an angry mama palulukan rather than having to fight. you sighed as you felt sleep consume you. who knew sleeping in a log would be so comfortable? was the last thought to cross your mind before you allowed your dreams to consume you. 

waking at the sound of an ikrans screech was startling, to say the least. unfortunately, you forgot where you fell asleep, so when you jumped up, you hit your head pretty hard against the top of the log. 

"OW- ow. oh my god, ow…." you whimpered out, being in so much pain that the only thing you could do was just sit there and process what the actual fuck was happening. so much was happening so fast that you didn't have a moment to collect yourself. your blood was rushing thanks to your little alarm clock, so you slipped your body halfway out the log, looking up at your ikran, txep, with a glare. he returned your look with a mischievous glare of his own.

"oh, you think it's funny." you sneered at your companion. he screeched in response as if he was antagonizing you. 

"well, i'm glad you do because now we're both gonna have a headache while flying back, you skxawng." you groaned as you pulled the rest of your body out the log, wincing as you stretched. you brought your hand to the back of your head, which was now a dull pain. you decided to sit down for a second to give yourself a minute to gather. 

and then everything came back to you, the hide and seek game, your ikran ride, your "victory nap"...

you looked to the sky, wincing as you noticed it's been eclipse for a while now. 

mom and dad are gonna kill me…

you were honestly scared. you were never one to get into huge trouble like your brother lo'ak, but you knew that you would definitely be getting into huge trouble when you got home. you sighed as you stood and looked over at your ikran, still coddling the back of your head. 

"come on. let's go home," you said as you made tsaheylu and mounted your saddle. txep made soft noises of uncomfortability as he now felt the effects of your pain through the bond.

"sorry, buddy, but you can only blame yourself here." you managed a laugh in times of grave fear. taking off in the direction of home, you knew you were only 5 minutes away from the scolding of a lifetime. at least, you thought you were until 5 minutes turned into 20. then suddenly, 20 minutes became 40, and 40 minutes became an hour. you felt like you were flying in circles. you couldn't find high camp, your headache worsened, and your vision blurred. txep could barely fly straight.

you decided it would be best to land somewhere to avoid getting hurt while flying around with an injury like this. the time between when you were in the air and landed on the ground was a blur. but as soon as your feet touched the ground, you passed out. the exhaustion and pain was too much.

as you awoke again, you heard strange sounds disrupting your sleep. you groaned, assuming it was your brothers messing with you, but once you opened your eyes, you saw a roof above your head. but the architecture isn't that of the omatikaya, and the air smelled of salt water and sea life. you shielded your eyes as you were met with the sun gazing through a… window?

"oh, thank eywa, you are awake. my mother began worrying when you had not woken up after a week."

A WEEK?!?!

she noticed the panicked look on your face and quickly settled beside you, rubbing your shoulders as a comfort method. 

"do not worry. you are safe. your ikran is safe. you had a head injury and were passed out on an island just outside the reefs. i am going to ask you some questions. is that okay?" the girl asked. she had teal skin, and her arm, legs, and tail were thicker than your own. 

"what is your name?" she spoke softly like she didn't want to scare you. 

"y/n," you replied, barely above a whisper. you didn't even feel your mouth move.

"hi, y/n. my name is tsireya. how old are you?"

"i'm 13. i just got my ikran… i just completed my rites… i–" your voice was shaking.��

"hey, y/n, it is okay. i just have one more question for you," she said as she continued to comfort you. you sighed, not wanting to speak anymore as your reality came crashing down on you. 

you don't know where you are.

you had broken the only hide-and-seek rule you guys had, and now you're lost. stranded on the islands of pandora, not knowing how to get home

"do you know where you are?" you didn't respond as you felt your tears escape the corners of your eyes. whimpers and sobs creep out of your throat as you shake your head in response to her question. she sighed, her ears pinned to her head as she could only feel sad for you. 

she decided to lay down, holding you in her embrace until she felt your breathing even out. she wigged herself out of the cot you were lying on as she left the pod. tsireya assumed that you had fallen asleep, but she was wrong. the second she left, your tears returned tenfold, but you managed to hold in your sobs. your thoughts were loud in your mind, but one sentence silenced them all. 

one sentence that had intensified your cries, now having to use the cushion under your head to muffle your cries.

now they'll never find me.

[universesweetheart]

Birthday Gift (Dazai x Reader)

In which it's Osamu's birthday

Is it his bday? No, but do I want to write and post this? Fuck yes. So enjoy you virgins

Read my other Dazai's oneshot here, here, here & here :]

Bye now - Mars ♡

“Bella?” Dazai called out as he entered the room. Dazai has had a whirlpool of devasting thoughts when you didn’t pick up his call. This was a first, you were always so willing to hear from him. To talk with him. He couldn’t help but be worried when you didn’t. Afterall, he was now accustomed to your affections. He even shamelessly sought them out. So imagine his surprised when he called his Bella and she didn’t pick up and greet him with that sweet sweet voice that made him rock hard in an instant.

“Kitchen, love” your sweet voice called out to him, like the riches of honey pouring over his raw soul. Without hesitation he found himself rushing to the kitchen, only to internally gasped when he saw the sight in front of him. Heart like a wild beast confined by his very ribs, trying to leap out of his chest.

You, his belladonna, were in pajamas pants with a bralette loosely covered by a Kiss the Chef apron. In front of you on the island counter there was a cake, the icing only of a white layer and when his eyes caught hold of the multiple colors in different bowls, he guessed it was unfinished.

“I guess it won’t be much of a surprise then,” you laughed, “that’s fine though” placing down your piping bag you closed the distance between the two of you and greeted your boyfriend with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I missed you today, Osamu” you kissed his lips, “So much,” you kissed his lips again.

“Mm”

You loved kissing Dazai, you loved showing Dazai affection and receiving affection from Dazai. You felt safe and secure whenever you were with him. His lips were the softest plush heaven you’ve ever felt. To have access to such divinity, to have it be yours made you feel like the goddess you were. Even the thought of Dazai brought you a sense of warmth. Oh, how you loved this man.

Dazai, of course, willingly kissed you back repeatedly. How could he ever be tired of your affections? Of your kisses? Of you? He felt like a man that just had a sip of water after days of going without it. “Why didn’t you pick up earlier? I got worried” he pouted but you saw the genuine concern within the depts of his brown eyes. Beautiful brown eyes. Milky chocolate pool of richness.

Your face beamed as a bright smile overtook it, “Promise you won’t laugh” you kissed the corner of his mouth, arms still secured around his figure, “I didn’t want to get my phone messy” you giggled, “Sorry if I worried you, love, wasn’t my intention.” Eyes crinkled as you smiled.

Dazai let out a breath, chuckling “what am I going to do with you?” his arms found your waist bringing you closer to his body. As a result, you felt your breast pressed up against his chest.

“Hmm well for starters, help me finish this cake” you suggested, “What’s it for?”

“Osamu Dazai,” you said sternly, and a childlike smile crept up on his face, his handsome face that you could stare at forever. “Your birthday, old man”

“Ah, that was today? It must have slipped my mind” he thought out loud. Truth was, he remembered it quite well, he just hated the idea of celebrating his birth into this god forsaken world. Life wasn’t worth celebrating to him, not his at least. He’d celebrate yours everyday of the year if you let him.

You kissed his lips again, “I know you dislike celebrating it, but I thought a cake would be nice, mostly because I wanted cake” and in a singsong voice “Plus I got you a gift,” another kiss, “and… another gift too”

As he eyed you, a smirk found itself onto his lips, leaning down he kissed you biting your bottom lip in the process of pulling away. “Must you always tease Bella?” his hand found it’s path lower onto the curve of your ass; squeezing it. Kneading the soft fat, pushing, and pulling and gripping and jiggling it. Gods, he was obsessed with your sweet ass.

“I don’t know what you mean babe” you reached up to kiss him for the millionth time since he came but he pulled away. Standing at his full height. Cheeky bastard. You tiptoed and placed your hands around his neck, bullying your way into his space to steal yet another kiss. “Don’t deny me of these lips, baby”

Your lips left his and went to his jaw, and then lower to his neck and when you bit down on that sweet spot, he found himself groaning. Hands automatically squeezing your ass harder. “Such a tease” he mumbled in between gasps as you kept sucking and biting his neck. No doubt leaving a trail of purple marks that will later birth hickeys.

“So which present do you want first?” you asked staring at his lust filled eyes. The gods knew what they were doing when they made this special face of your lover.

“The gift…the gift” he smiled and sought out your lips again, swallowing your words of praise.

“What about finishing this cake?”

“I want another cake” Dazai scooped you up, your legs instinctively wrapping around his waist, “can wait” he mumbled as his mouth found your neck. Licking, biting and then sucking and the pattern continued from your jaw down to her neck and then your collarbone, and even lower to your breasts.

He walked to the couch and sat down, your bodies close, fitting perfectly, together. “My gift woman”

“Eh? Demands?” you pulled away, your body straddling his thighs, “I’m only letting you off because it’s your birthday and I love you.”

He smiles, “Are you going to keep your birthday boy waiting?” teasing words as his smile stretches into a smirk, “And I love you too, Bella”

Returning his smile with one of your own, you stand up and shimmy down your pajamas pants, revealing your nude bottom half.

Dazai’s eyes beams in excitement, and he licks his lips, “It’s pink for self-indulgent purposes”

He waits for you to explain yourself further, but you don’t. “Take a guess please.”

“Bend over and let me see”

“You’re no fun, at least act surprised”

“Oh Bella, what is it? What is it?” he fakes excitement and smiles as you roll your eyes. Soon enough, he’s pulling you down and holding you down over his lap. Shamelessly ogling your juicy behind. Dazai is not always a patient man, you’ve learned that the hard way. The very hard way.

His hand come down and lands a hard smack on your ass cheek, causing your body to jolt forward and a whine to escape your lips. Rubbing the red flesh and massaging the skin between his fingers, he uses his other hand and spread your ass apart revealing the baby pink jeweled dazzling butt plug stuffing you.

“Happy birthday to me” he whispers and kisses your ass, teeth biting into the plump flesh. A soft whine escaping your lips as your lover bit down on your ass.  

Part 2: here

[carooosa]

Enchanting Distractions

Summary: Tav (reader) has ADHD/is bad at setting boundaries when it comes to their party members. Astarion comforts them.

Word count: 3.5k

A/N: Semi-canon compliant, takes place after the tiefling party and literally right before entering Act 2. I barely proofread it so sorry in advance. I was feeling particularly upset at myself today and so this is what I wrote up.

The days had been starting to blur together as you made your way through the mountain pass. Tomorrow your party would step into the shadow-cursed lands, so it was decided to set up camp early for the night to ensure that everyone was well-rested and prepared. Tension ran through the camp, everyone on edge with the possibility of finding the cause of the tadpoles. Whatever happens tomorrow could very well be the end of your journey.

As everyone set up their tents, you began to look through your supplies, separating potions, arrows, and scrolls into piles to give to your companions. While organizing everything, the sound of Lae’zel and Shadowheart bickering caused you to lift your head. They had never gotten along since the beginning of this tadpole mess but after the Githyanki Creche their hatred for each other seemed to amplify.

“I would say that I’m surprised that machine was unable to get rid of the tadpoles, but then again, I wouldn’t expect gith to know what they were doing,” Shadowheart had taunted Lae’zel.

“The zaith'isk was tampered with! Githyanki technology is far beyond your understanding, and if you had something other than a tadpole in your brain, you would realize the mistake in your words,” Lae’zel shot back. She turned to herself before saying, “Useless istik, mindlessly following a false god”

“What did you just say?” Shadowheart said as she readied herself to attack.

“Your ‘goddess’ ordered you to steal a precious artifact from my people, and yet knowing that does not change your unwavering belief. A goblin has more integrity than you,” Lae’zel said as she continued to walk away.

“Shar is a real goddess, unlike the githyanki’s petty attempt at a goddess, Vlaakith,” Shadowheart yells as she begins to sprint toward Lae’zel. The fighter had already pulled out her sword and the clashing of metal rang through the air. You sighed, standing up from the mess that laid out before you, and ran towards the fight. Before you could intervene, Karlach had taken her great axe and held it out in between the two aggressors before berating them.

“For fuck’s sake guys, the whole point of setting up camp early was to rest for tomorrow, not argue and waste our energy on dumb fights.” As Karlach said this, Shadowheart cast gust of wind to push her opponent back, accidentally hitting Karlach in the crossfire. She had succeeded at causing Lae’zel to lose her grip on her sword but had caused that sword to slash into Karlach’s leg. The tiefling groaned as she kneeled to the ground, clutching her thigh.

You ran back to your bag and turned it upside down, dumping all the contents onto the piles you had started to make earlier, and rummaged through your items until you found a healing potion and some fire-resistant bandages. When you ran over to Karlach to heal her, Wyll was already yelling at the two women who had caused an unnecessary injury.

“Your recklessness has caused this bloodshed!” he sounded exasperated as you handed Karlach the potion, unraveling the bandages and starting to dress her wound, careful to not burn yourself in the process. “You both are distracted by your own prejudices and disdain for each other that the thought you may be hurting others in the process never crossed your minds. So caught up in yourselves, you have yet to see the irony of the words you throw at each other.”

Wyll continued his lecture as you focus on Karlach, watching her toss aside the empty potion bottle. “Thanks, soldier,” she says with a weak smile. She pushes herself off of the ground, causing Wyll to pause his lecture and rush to her side. “I’m fine, just gonna head to bed early,” she says while sidestepping past him.

You take a breath and start to think of how to address the situation that just happened when suddenly, Gale is by your side, anxiously fumbling with his hands. Realization overcame you and you tried to recall the last time you had given the wizard an enchanted item to consume the magic from. 

“I know now might not be the best time,” he starts, “but there really never is a good time nowadays, is there?” he finishes with a chuckle to himself.

“I should have an enchanted ring in my bag—“ you stop when you glance back at your backpack, contents strewn across the ground.

“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Gale says quickly. “Dinner isn’t going to cook itself!” He makes his way to his tent and you drag your feet back to your backpack, dreading the mess you’ll have to clean up. Sifting through the items, you create another pile of the things you already looked through. Focused on organizing, you don’t hear Astarion sneak up on you.

“My my, these are quite the… piles you have here,” he says while crouching down across from you. “What’s with all these arrows and grenades? Have you decided to try your hand in ranged combat? Because if so,” he pauses, crimson red eyes staring into your soul, “I’d be more than happy to give you some private lessons.” He bares his teeth, his fangs glistening. You’re tempted to take him up on the offer before you remember why you got those items in the first place.

“Oh, those aren’t for me. I’ve been picking up stuff here and there, and I figured before heading out tomorrow I’d give some to everyone. I was actually organizing everything,” you say, completely forgetting that you were looking for a ring, “and I was going to try and figure out what would be best for everyone to have, but since you’re here, you can pick whatever you want.”

“I can choose anything here?” Astarion asks with a smirk. You nod your head and he responds by picking up your hand and giving it a kiss on the palm, “Then I pick you, my dear.”

Your cheeks flush red as you stutter out a response. “That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Astarion had been teasing you a lot more lately, and while you didn’t mind, it had proven to be an extra distraction. 

He chuckled at your pout, caressing your face with his other hand, his thumb pressing down on your lower lip. You both stare at each other for a moment, before he sighs and brings his hands back to his side. “Well, if I can’t have you I guess I need to figure something else out.” He scans over the pile and picks up a necklace.

“Wait, not that,” you say while snatching the jewelry away from him. “That can restore one of Shadowheart’s spells, I should go give that to her.” You stand up and run off to find the cleric, not noticing the disgruntled look Astarion has on his face. He sighs and looks down at the clutter, beginning to sift through the items.

While making your way to Shadowheart’s tent, you hear Halsin comfort a whining Scratch. “There, there, I’m sure we will retreive it soon enough,” the druid says while gently petting the dog. “Ah, Tav, could I bother you for a moment? Scratch seems to have lost his ball in a burrow and neither of us can reach it. Would mind seeing if you can grab it?”

Scratch runs up to you and paces around you in circles before you lean down to him, “Of course I’ll help you out, buddy.” Without thinking, you set the necklace on a nearby rock, crouching down to the burrow and searching for the ball. In the shadows you spot it, deep inside the tunnel, and you reach your arm in. 

Your fingers are barely able to reach the toy, and you’re about to maneuver the ball out when Gale speaks. “Tav, I’m terribly sorry to ask again, but were you able to find the enchanted ring perchance?” The ball rolls out of your grasp, and you let out a long sigh before retracting your arm.

“Sorry, Gale, I got distracted. As soon as I get this ball out for Scratch I’ll go and get it for you.” Content with that answer he nods and walks off. Reaching your hand back into the hole, you push yourself against the ground, the extra leverage closing the distance between your hand and the toy. You let out a breath before throwing the ball, Scratch bounding after it.

“Thank you, Tav!” Halsin says as he runs after the dog.

Walking back to where Astarion sits rummaging through your things, Wyll interrupts you. “Tav, do you by chance have a fire resistance potion? I was wanting to give Karlach these flowers to cheer her up,” he says, holding the bouquet in front of him sheepishly. Although Wyll and Karlach had been foes in Avernus, they’re relationship was slowly blossoming into a gentle romance.

“That’s very sweet of you, Wyll. I should have one in my stuff.” You both head over to the piles of items that Astarion had started to organize. It would be nice to have someone think about me like Wyll thinks about Karlach, you ponder as you bend down next to Astarion, grabbing the fire resistance potion that sat buried within the clutter. “Here you go,” you hand Wyll the potion, “I think those will make her very happy.”

Wyll says a quick thanks as he opens the potion with his teeth, hastily pouring the contents over the bouquet and heading off to Karlach’s tent. Clearing his throat, Astarion asks “Did Shadowheart enjoy your gift?” he says with a slight frown and a twinge of annoyance in his voice.

“My what?”

He stares at you for a second, before elaborating, “The necklace? The one that you oh so rudely snatched from my hands.” He watches as your face scrunches up tightly trying to remember what he’s talking about before you gasp.

“The necklace!”

“Yes, the necklace,” he sighs.

“Where did I put it?” you say as you frantically pat down your pockets.

Astarion starts to tease you again, “Really, darling, how could you misplace something like that? I thought that necklace was important after you had yanked it out of my hand and ran off to Shadowheart.” He’s chuckling to himself when he notices the genuine frustration that is starting to seep off of you.

“I just had it. I was holding it in my hand. Where could I have put it?” you mutter to yourself, your breath starting to quicken. Dread creeps through your chest as you begin to mentally retrace your steps. “Think, dammit, think!” Tears start to form in the corners of your eyes, a lump taking place in the back of your throat. Astarion stood up and reached his hand tentatively towards yours, squeezing it gently to try and bring you back to the present.

Gale had made his way back over to you, seeing that you were near your things. “I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but I really do need that ring if you have it,” He says while clutching his chest. Astarion glares daggers at the wizard who is either oblivious or purposely ignoring your stress, but you don’t notice as your mind has drifted off.

Right, you think to yourself, I came over here to look for the ring. Without saying a word, you push away Astarion’s hand and sink to the ground, aimlessly pushing around everything trying to find the ring. Astarion studies you, the way your hands seem to be searching for the relic while your eyes glaze over and stare at nothing, until your hand brushes over the small golden circle and you grasp it firmly. You sigh and recollect yourself before turning around and jumping up to Gale, handing him the ring with a forced smile and laugh. “Sorry for the delay! I’ve been so forgetful lately.”

He takes the ring from your hand, clutching it tightly while absorbing the magic into his chest. When he opens his hand, the ring is broken into two. “Ah, apologies. Dinner should be finished soon. Thanks again,” he says with a bow before leaving.

You sigh before returning to the pile, starting to organize it once again. From the outside, people would assume that you’re just forgetful and easily distracted, most even finding your frantic and hectic demeanor cute. You can’t help but feel like a burden, requiring constant reminders to stay on task, feeling like you need to rely on others instead of yourself. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, either, but no matter how many times you repeated tasks to yourself, how many times you had written down what needs to be done, how many times you had try to will focus into your mind, nothing changed. It's always been like this, and now with the stress of the unknown ahead, you’ve been getting distracted more.

Astarion watches you, determined to organize the mess on the ground. When he first met you, you had brushed off your forgetfulness and laughed along with anyone who had made a joke at your expense. It had annoyed him to no end when you would walk into the same room, multiple times, that you had just looted. This aloofness only seemed to grow after you both had come to an agreement that Astarion could drink your blood in order to satiate his thirst, the only side affect being your increased mind-wandering.

After another 30 minutes of watching you return to the same room over and over to loot, he had decided that you both would search the rooms together, if nothing else to lessen the time it took at each town. He didn’t expect that during the extra, private time you both were now spending together he would begin to grow fond of you. While he would be working on a lock of a chest, you would grab a book and immediately become immersed in it. At first, he would use this time to pocket the most valuable items found in whatever container he had just opened, but as time went on, he had started to ask you questions about what you were reading.

It had caught him off guard when you looked up at him with excitement in your eyes as you explained the gossip in the diary you found, and he couldn’t help but become intrigued himself. Quickly, a new routine had started: while Astarion would loot and lockpick whatever he could get his hands on, you would find diaries, notes, and books to read outloud. He would respond to the especially vulgar and outlandish things you would recite with theatrical gasps and awes. One time, you had stumbled across a particularly sad letter from a person who begged their lover to wait for them, only for their lover to respond that they had never returned. A choked sob had escaped your lips when you finished the letter, and Astarion had quickly called you over to distract you.

“It’s about time that you learn how to use one of these,” he said while he pushed a lockpick into your hands. “If you’re going to stare at me while I do all the work, you may as well get something out of it.” He had been joking, but you hadn’t taken it that way. A wave a guilt and embarrassment had washed over you as you resolved to force yourself to learn what he was teaching you. It was all in vain, however, as every ten minutes when he would ask you to demonstrate, your hands would clam up and your mind would go blank.

“Darling, is it really that hard to focus? Or am I just that distracting, hm?” he had joked.

You wouldn’t look into his eyes, instead you had begun to fumble with the lockpick in your hands. “I’m sorry,” you had whispered, “I’m really trying.”

You had expected him to berate you or to even make a joke about how useless you were, but instead he had sighed and positioned himself behind you, placing his hands over yours as he talked you through the steps, yet again, of lockpicking. When you had heard the final click of the lock, you quickly turned to look at the man who had helped you. Inches away from each other’s faces, he smiled softly and brought one of his hands up to your cheek as he placed a gentle kiss on your temple.

“See? You can focus,” he had said while giving you a tight squeeze.

The sound of your sigh brought him back to the present, and he stared at you for a moment before asking, “Do you want me to go and look for the necklace while you do this?” You stop moving things around and just sit there, defeated. The necklace had completely slipped your mind, just like the ring. Your body begins to shake as tears run down your cheek. Astarion slowly kneels next to you, grabbing the potions and arrows from your hand and setting them off to the side. “Hey, it’s alright. Shh-shh-shh, there’s no need to ruin that beautiful face of yours.”

You start to sob quietly. Why was this so difficult for you? You were able to talk your way out of situations, fight enemies with ease, and coordinate a fighting strategy that used everyone to the best of their abilities, yet you were unable to do such simple things. You draw your hands to your eyes, pressing harshly into them to try and stop the tears that fall out. Astarion gingerly moves his arms around you in a hug, as gentle as he can muster as to not startle you. He squeezes you tightly and you stay like that for a while, before you’re able to croak out a simple question that leaves a pain in his chest.

“What’s wrong with me?” You move your hands away from your face and turn your head to look at him, expecting to see frustration in his eyes but instead finding something softer. It looks as if he’s genuinely concerned. 

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Tav,” he says quietly, barely above a whisper.

“Then why,” you say with trembling words, “why can’t I do such simple things? Why is it so difficult for me to remember what I’m doing, to not get distracted?”

Astarion sighs as he looks at you with his big, round eyes. “You are capable of much more than you know, my sweet. You were designated the leader for a reason. You’re brave, witty, and above all else, kind. You are so sickenly kind and patient with everyone, yet you don’t afford yourself the same grace,” he says as he rubs circles into your back. “You’ve been kind to those that don’t deserve it, but you’re never kind to yourself.”

“Thank you,” you reply meekly. You hated crying in front of your companions, but you found that you didn’t mind being comforted by Astarion.

“Besides, darling,” the vampire joked,” It’s hardly your fault that you keep getting distracted when there are six adult children who need constant supervision.”

“Don’t you mean seven?”

He pulled away from you with a gasp. “I think I am more than capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, you don’t need to see me for blood anymore then, right?” you teased.

Astarion squinted at you before his eyes softened and he pulled you into his arms again. You both sat like that for a while before he spoke, barely above a whisper, “I don’t only need you for blood.” Before you can respond, Gale’s call to dinner causes Astarion to push you up. “Go on, enjoy dinner.” You start to protest and gesture to the mess that still needs to be cleaned up before he cuts you off, “I’ll take care of it.” As he begins to sort through the items, he catches your eye before you leave. 

“I hope you know that I’m still expecting to see you tonight,” he says with a sultry voice. If you hadn’t gotten closer recently, you would take what he says at face value, a meaningless flirt to rile you up. But beneath his smirk you can see a hint of sadness in his eyes.

It will need to wait for another time as your stomach grumbles, and you remember that you had forgotten to eat lunch that day. You say a quick thank-you before running off to join the rest of the party, feeling more at ease about the adventure that lay before you.

[sonoyoung]

Meadow ❀༉‧

non idol!crush!mingyu x gn!reader | fluff + friends to lovers | 1.0k | slow dancing - pow

a/n. i am back again after impulsively deleting my account for the 3rd time, i truly do believe this time i will stay, i just have to stop being a hater !! also the lets dance part is just me being obsessed with emma stone :)

When the feelings started rushing in, when you realized you were starting to grow feelings for your friend, Mingyu, you figured they would pass just as quickly as they came, that you would have to tell him because feelings could be concealed but now it was unclear. The feelings that you wanted to keep tucked away so badly were slowly dictating your behaviour around him, even he was noticing the change.

It was probably closer to the time you woke up than the time you went to sleep by now, you had been pumping your blood with alcohol of all sorts hoping maybe you could spend one night where the primary thought in your head wasn’t your friend, and perhaps it had worked out for the majority of the night but it wasn’t working it’s effects anymore.

Here you were once again alone with him, somehow through all your avoiding you found him and mentioned the field you had seen earlier on your way there, consequently you were now surrounded by tiny drops of yellow and white in a vast field of green and of course you were with him.

“We could just stay for the sunrise, this is really beautiful” he smiled looking out to the horizon where far at the end of all the daisies you could see the brightness peaking in, you nodded, it felt like a scenery that was begging you to erupt all your dumb emotions, this is where people confessed, in a nice scenery far away from any distractions.

A faint melody brought your attention back to him, he had been watching you stare at the view, towering above him as he sat on the grass, he knew something was on your mind and had been for a while but he also knew you didn’t want to talk about it so he just looked carefully when he knew you wouldn’t see it, trying to reassure himself that you were okay and you just needed some time for the words to freely flow out.

Mingyu didn’t mind waiting for that moment as long as he could be by your side in the process, he would be patient for you, it was the least he could do, he cared so much about you it sometimes hurt. He wasn’t sure if you knew this or if it was something to share with you. He never knew how much was too much with you, and he didn’t want to scare you off, if the way his heart melts at the sight of your smile was too much.

Listening to the quiet music from his phone surrounding the both of you as you soaked in the moment, you finally made up your mind it felt like all the signs were pointing to it, you wanted to make sure you had savoured your friendship even if your words ended it all today. You stood up brushing off every thought, just to enjoy this at least, smiling at him as you shake your shoulders playfully along to the beat of the song playing.

“Oh my God Mingyu, get up here! Let’s dance,” looking up at you from his spot in the grass, smiling so adoringly loving every minute of your little show before taking your hand stretched out for him to join you, “let’s dance”.

As if you had totally gotten rid off the encumbering thoughts that had been plaguing you, you danced to the music carefreely not even minding the distance between you, laughing at the absurdity of the situation, at the stupid moves you’d form trying to freestyle through it. As the tempo changes, slowing down you almost retrieve back to the green, but he takes your wrist gently pulling you closer, placing it on his shoulder, swaying to the jazzy tune. Now your eyes had met and there was no escaping this, his soft smile was enough to put you at ease, you let your arms rest on his shoulders, holding your hands together behind his neck.

You could see the yellow sun splash against the daisy meadow, the light hitting your back sun beams shining through the gaps in your hair, his eyes were glistening almost shining back the light on you, he was so beautiful in this filter, that was all you could think.

“I might be the luckiest man alive” his voice is quiet almost silent mumbling those words, you tilt your head amused by his remark, “this is a such beautiful view” he told you keeping his gaze fixed on yours, you let out a quiet “oh”, the feeling of your cheeks heating up from the sudden realization had your eyes bouncing around unable to maintain the contact, but it felt useless when you were standing so close. You hadn’t realized how close he was, how his hands held onto your waist like you were the most delicate thing in the world.

He studied your face as you stood there your chest heaving against his, trying to keep any absurd thoughts away, but the proximity made it so hard to focus, the music could have stopped but your focus was elsewhere. You wanted so badly for him to do something, say something anything to save you from yourself, you could only hold back for so long, as much as you wanted to escape from the situation you wanted to stay even more, just to see.

The soft gasp escaping your lips from the feeling of his hand against your neck sliding his fingers gently to your nape, letting them into your hair, you could barely hide the anticipation in your face as he leaned in closer, looking at your face, his gaze bouncing from your eyes to your lips for confirmation, a slight part in your lips and it was done. It felt like dancing once again, the way his lips pressed so gently yet passionately against yours. His hand on your waist massaging you softly along with his kisses, exchanging breaths as you pull away.

“Kiss me more?” you plead as you lean in closer so easily drawn to his lips again.

ty for reading feedback is much appreciated

[hyperactively-me]

king!ghost x reader -- introductions

Approaching the kingdom of Kastron was nothing short of intimidating for you. The crowds of people cheering, the buildings, and the castle looming ahead all overwhelmed you. 

It’s late afternoon now. Earlier that morning you had woken up by Ghost shaking you awake roughly. 

“Today’s the day,” he whispers. “We’re leaving soon.”

Last night was when you had your little…argument. That is, if you constitute slapping him across the face as an argument. He hadn’t forgiven you for that. But he didn’t bring it up again. You had only hoped he chose to overlook it. After traveling all day, you had finally reached the kingdom of Kastron. 

The weight of the occasion settled heavily on your shoulders. This wasn’t just any visit – you were here to be his wife, making you a queen; an alliance between your home kingdom and Kastron, a critical step towards ensuring peace and prosperity for both kingdoms. 

As you rode farther into the village, the cheers became deafening. Villagers had come out of their homes and businesses to witness your cavalcade, your arrival to their kingdom: their new queen. The echoing cheers of the gathered citizens seemed to blend into a continuous roar, and the dark flags of Kastron waved in the wind as you passed. 

Despite the beauty and grandeur of the surroundings, your mind was preoccupied with thoughts of your impending new life. Doubts crept in – were you prepared enough? Would your presence hold weight in Kastron? Could you navigate the diplomatic landscape that lay ahead? Yes, you had gone through countless years of training, but that was mostly to be a wife. You had some diplomatic lessons here and there, but they were never in-depth enough for you to be an adequate leader. 

As the entourage came to a halt in front of the castle, you took a deep breath, attempting to steady your nerves. The moment had arrived. Still staring at the grand castle, you hadn’t seen Ghost approach your mare. He clears his throat loudly, motioning for you to take his hand to help you dismount. Taking his hand tentatively in your grasp, he helps you down, granted, he squeezes your hand just a little too hard. 

He drops your hand, beckoning you to follow him up the steps to the entrance. At the top, you were greeted by a procession of Kastron's dignitaries. Each introduction was accompanied by a bow or a curtsy, and despite their polite gestures, the tension in the air was palpable. You knew they were looking at you with apprehension, but you pretended not to notice. 

Ghost turns to you after all the introductions have been made. 

“You will be shown to a room. I will see you at dinner.” 

And with that, he turns and leaves you with a servant. His tone of voice left no room for argument. You could tell he was still displeased with your little stunt from last night. After a servant led you to the guest quarters – a temporary arrangement until you would eventually share chambers with the King – you found yourself never wanting to leave. But, you knew you had to. You didn’t make your first impression amongst the staff of the castle as you being a bratty little girl. No, you had to show them, show him, that you were capable of being a queen.

. . . 

The dinner was mostly silent, with you and Ghost sitting at opposite ends of the table. Surprisingly enough, Ghost still hadn’t removed his balaclava, even to eat. He had rolled the mask up enough just to reveal his mouth. 

“Why do you cover your face?” you question in the silence. 

He looked up at you, seeming to think long and hard about it. 

“It’s a tactic.”

“What kind of tactic?”

He doesn’t answer.

“It’s a symbol of my fortitude, my endurance. Of who I am.”

You put your fork down. 

“And who are you?” 

“You'll have to find that out for yourself,” he said, standing up from the table. 

. . . 

The next day came too soon. The day you would be told of the wedding plans. You twist your engagement ring on your finger, biting your lip with anxiety as you realize the wedding is tomorrow.

A barrage of maids had woken you up, pulling you into different rooms to show you the pre-planned wedding details. You noticed they had chosen your kingdom’s native flowers to be your bouquet. Your heart hurt in your chest seeing them wrapped so prettily in ribbons. 

. . .

That evening, while you were in bed in your nightgown, there was a knock on your door. You swing out of bed, moving to the door. You crack the door slightly, just enough to see who’s outside. It’s Ghost. You hadn’t seen Ghost all day.

“What do you want?” you ask bitterly.

“Just checkin’ on you. Haven’t seen you all day.”

“Hm. Making sure I didn’t ‘run away’ again?” you quip. 

He tenses immediately.

“When are you going to stop with the attitude?” he says abruptly, his voice tinged with exasperation, his hand pushing the door open wide. His hand forcefully pushes the door open wider, and you instinctively try to push it shut, but his resistance is stronger this time. The door slams against the resistance of your palm, and you stumble back, the suddenness of the motion catching you off guard.

“Hey—”

“What are you trying to do here?” he interrupts, his tone both accusatory and probing. He closes the distance between you, and you find yourself pressed back against the wall, the cool surface providing an unwelcome contrast to the heat of the situation.

Your heart races, and you meet his gaze with defiance. “I still can’t believe you’re asking me stupid questions,” you reply, your voice firm. “I’m trying to stand up for myself.” 

His eyes narrow, his frustration palpable. “It feels like you're doing more than that,” he retorts, his words edged with a mix of anger and confusion. “You're pushing me away, shutting me out.”

He places his hands on both sides of your head, caging you in against the wall. Your heart pounds against your chest, the closeness of his presence sending a rush of emotions through you.

You take a shaky breath. “I won't compromise who I am for you.” 

He leans his head down, his face coming closer to yours. Panic wells up within you, and you instinctively turn your head, pressing your cheek against the wall to avoid his gaze. His hand reaches up, fingers grazing your chin to force you to look at him. 

There's a vulnerability in his eyes that you hadn't seen before, a flicker of something beneath the frustration and anger. It's a glimpse into the complexity of his feelings, a crack in the facade that had shielded his true emotions.

“Listen,” he begins, his voice softer now, the anger giving way to a more contemplative tone. “I'm not asking you to compromise who you are. I just want us to find a way to understand each other without it feeling like a goddamn battle.”

He takes a beat. 

“After all, we are about to be husband and wife.” The weight of his statement hangs in the air, the reminder of the impending commitment that you both are going to have to undertake. With that, he backs away from you, his hands balled into fists. 

“You’re just a scared little girl.” 

Your mouth hangs open to retort, but he’s already gone. 

You have to marry the bastard tomorrow.

- - - - -

(masterlist)

[rebelliousstories]

That’s My Wife

Relationship: Luke Alvez x Reader

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Request: No

Warnings: Angst, Descriptions of Violence, Fluff

Word Count: 3,662

Main Masterlist: Here

Criminal Minds Masterlist: Here

Part Two: Coming Home

Summary: When the team gets called in on a case, an interesting revelation comes out about the newbie.

Khalil Gibran once said, “If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.”

“What do we know?” Emily was in a mood today, and it was not one to mess with. Having just got off the phone with the director of the FBI, she was frantic in finding out what was going on.

“Earlier today, as in two hours ago, there were reports of a bank robbery in progress. But the M.O. is what caught our attention.” Garcia responded, clicking the remote to activate the tv in the round table room. As the other agents filed in, they were met with a horrifying sight.

Animal masked robbers were parading around the lobby. A lion, a tiger, a wolf, and a shark were present. They waved guns around without a care in the world, and kept their finger on the trigger. Shark took off and began to stuff money into his bags, while the other three kept their eyes on the groups of people they were holding hostage. Everyone was analyzing and scrutinizing every frame of the video feed.

“What bank?” Luke asked, keeping his eyes on the feed.

“Three Ring bank in downtown D.C.” Penelope responded, looking around in confusion.

Without a warning, the agent took off to the bullpen silently. He pulled out his phone and was shocked to see a voicemail in his inbox waiting for him. Luke answered the call and just listened.

“Hey baby. I know you’re probably at work, but I am finally home from tour. I was gonna keep it a secret and surprise you tonight, but I just couldn’t wait. Go catch those bad guys, baby. I’m goin’ to the bank and then goin’ to see our baby at home. I love you, sugar. Go be a superhero.”

His fist clenched as he lowered the phone from his ear. Luke turned and was surprised by Emily standing directly behind him.

“Is everything alright?” She asked, despite knowing the answer to her question. The agent took a moment before he responded.

“Our bank is Three Ring. Specifically, we go to Three Ring in downtown.” Luke whispered, rubbing his hands over his face. Emily held an understanding look on her face as she processed the information.

“Is there anything I can do?” Getting her phone out, she listened and read her text at the same time.

“Just don’t take me off of this case. I need to find her.” Prentiss nodded her head and set a hand on his shoulder.

“Go find a quiet, empty room. Clear your head and get all of your frustrations out. Then I want you back in the round table room and getting to work.” Turning on her heel, she left Luke and trusted he would do what she instructed.

“What have you got, Garcia?” Emily marched in to her lair with determined voice and step.

“Um, so I was looking in to who I could identify on the video feed. Now these guys have been staring at a woman, just one in particular. So I did my usual sleuthing into this mystery woman that seems to have their attention and-”

“Get on with it, Pen.”

“Of course,” she readjusted her glasses, and started again. “This woman is the girl behind the concert we went to last month, Amour Yen. And doing some additional digging I found out her name, address, phone you name it. Maybe we can use it?” The colorful analyst rambled.

“Bring up her driver’s license photo again, and shoot it over to my phone, please.” Emily left shortly afterwards. Everyone was tense and on edge as they tried to find out who the men in masks were, but the unit chief only had one job she needed to do. The ping came through, and she searched the sixth floor empty rooms until she found Alvez sitting in a chair, with his head in his hands. Prentiss closed the door which made the agent look up.

“This is her?” Her tone was soft, as she showed him the DMV photo on her phone. Luke nodded without a word, and bowed his head once more.

“We will get her out safely, Luke. But you need to tell them. We think she’s being targeted.” The agent lifted his head abruptly, and made his way to the round table room. Emily followed close behind, and signaled for everyone else to join them. She shot off a text to Garcia, and was met with the whole team upon entering the room. Shutting the door, Emily addressed everyone first.

“Before we continue our investigation, and get our feet on the ground at the bank, there is something that needs to be revealed as Garcia has pointed out that a specific woman seems to be targeted.” She gave way for Luke to pick up.

“I’ve kept something from the team and I can’t do it anymore. The woman in the video is my wife.” There was a pause as the secret was finally out.

“Is that why her last name is Alvez on her license?” Penelope asked, breathless from the information and fear of her team’s family being targeted. Luke nodded before he continued.

“We keep it a secret and keep it on a need to know basis because of my job. The only person who knew before this was Emily, but that was because I had to list her as my emergency contact. Even when I was in the Fugitive Task Force, we kept it close so that no one could use us against each other. If she is being targeted, it’s because of me.”

“We’ll start by digging into Luke’s background with the FTF, then with the BAU. Garcia, I need everything you can find everything you can about his wife. We need to figure out what we’re up against. Rossi, I want you, Reid, and Simmons with the mobile command center in downtown. Let’s get to it everyone.” As the team dispersed, Luke tried to follow the team going downtown only to be stopped by Emily.

“Please, I need to go make sure she’s okay, Prentiss.” Luke pleaded, watching helplessly as the three men left for the SUVs.

“I said I wouldn’t take you off of the case, even though it is protocol. But I will not have you in the field. You’re going to be more useful to us, and to her, here. Now help us figure out who these people are.” She redirected him to go back to the round table room, and begin sifting through his career.

~

“Keep your heads down!” Lion shouted, waving his pistol around as people whimpered. Huddled with another woman, determined eyes were assessing the whole situation. She twisted her wedding ring around on its chain around her neck while trying to remember what her husband taught her. There were only four men that she counted, and one entrance and exit. Sirens were already outside, which coupled with the entry and exit point predicament, it meant one thing; everyone in this building were trapped together.

Keeping her breathing in check, her hand reached into her pocket, and tried to type discreetly.

Sierra. Oscar. Sierra. Alpha - Delta.

“What the hell are you doing?” A voice startled the phone back in her pocket, and she looked up. Tiger was pointing a gun to her.

“What’s in your pocket?” Reaching her hand back in, she wrapped it around the object and pulled it out to show him.

“Candy? Really?” He asked, not convinced.

“I have blood sugar issues. I keep snacks on me to help regulate it.” She replied, holding the hard candy out for him to take. Tiger snatched it from her hand and slipped his mask up just enough to plop the candy in his mouth. What he did not see, was that she was staring intently at his face at an identifying mark. A long scar on his cheek. Tiger turned around and she hurriedly ducked her head to send another text.

Scar. Tiger.

“What are you doing?” A woman next to her asked. Mrs. Alvez saw the wedding ring on her finger.

“My husband is FBI.” She whispered. “What’s your husband’s name?”

“Frank.” They kept their voices down as they spoke.

“Mine’s is Luke. We’re going to go back to them, okay? They haven’t removed their masks which is a good sign.” A buzz rattled her hand causing her to look down.

Roger. Head down. Romeo, Romeo, Sierra responding. At King Arthur.

The wave of relief at knowing that Luke’s teammates were coming to help her made her relax just a bit. All she could hope for now was that they would get in before the team of robbers dropped their masks and started shooting.

~

“Just got a text from my wife. She says that the one in the tiger mask has a scar.” Luke walked over to where Garcia was remotely set up at the round table. “Can you search the feed for anywhere that man might have a scar?”

“Of course. Yes. I can do that.” As Garcia worked, Luke watched her efforts on the big tv screen behind them. The tape was rewinding, and rewinding before he intervened.

“Wait, wait, wait. There. Stop.” Penelope followed the order. “There. Do you see it?”

“Yeah. He takes something from her hand and slips it in his mouth.” The tech analyst was confused as she tried to think of reasons, but Luke breathed out a sigh of relief.

“She keeps candy in her pocket for her blood sugar. But I taught her, in a situation like this, she needs to try and find identifying marks on unsubs. Look for men who were put away for armed robbery with a pronounced scar on their faces. Look in neighboring states as well.” Luke turned back to the files as the woman worked beside him.

~

A big black SUV rolled up on the scene, and out popped three agents already dawning their FBI issued Kevlar vests. Rossi walked forward and went to the command center lead, while the other two trailed behind him.

“You must be captain Romanov. SSA’s Rossi, Reid and Simmons with the BAU. Have there been any demands?” He shook hands with the police captain.

“Not yet. Your guys just finished setting everything up, and helping my guys secure the area. We have access to the security cameras inside, but there has been no contact.” She explained, showing them around. Rossi assumed his position next to the phone box and casted his eyes towards the bank.

“Well, let’s see what we can make happen. Is this tapped in?” With a conformation, he pressed dial.

~

A shrill ring sounded through the bank. Everyone looked around for the source of the noise, but no one could see it clearly. That was, until, Lion stalked over to a phone that was behind the tellers booth. He yanked the phone off of its resting place, and held it against his ear.

“Hello? Who is this?”

“This is SSA David Rossi. Who am I speaking to?” the man on the other end chuckled as he looked out to the room.

“You can call me Leon.” He answered.

“Okay Leon. What do you say to letting the hostages go? You don’t have to go through with this.” David tried to reason with him.

“No. I don’t think so. There’s some pretty special ones in here that we need.” Leon looked over to the rest of the people around him. His eyes stopped briefly on a woman that his brother stopped by earlier. Shark was trying to find an alternative way out, while Wolf and Tiger were managing the people.

“Is there anything that you want? Something that I can get you?” Rossi asked, looking towards his two other agents.

“We want a way out of here. Call off the cops, call off the feds, and let us go free.” Leon was starting to get agitated the longer he was on the phone.

“I will see about what I can do, but you know that won’t be easy.” The agent was being real, and really hoped that the man with the gun would not use it.

“Tell you what, you call your buddies off, and I don’t kill everyone in here. Deal?” A dull tone rang through as the phone was hung up on Leon’s side. Rossi looked around to his teammates and suddenly had an idea.

“This doesn’t sound like he’s going to follow through. Murder is not in the M.O. but someone inside might. Matt, you and Reid try and find groups of four that commit armed bank robberies. This isn’t their first rodeo.”

~

Luke marched into Emily’s office with a file and determination. Tara was in there with the unit chief helping her sift through his career.

“Found the man in the tiger mask.” The file plopped down onto the woman’s desk.

“Theodore Jameson. Served five years for a job he did with his twin brother back in 2010. Got a nasty cut from the botched job. The clerk of the store they were trying to rob got him with some broken glass from a window. It healed over into that jagged scar that we saw on the tape. I was the one that put them away. One of the men has to be his brother, Leonard.” Luke explained, feeling accomplished.

“Good work. But who are the other two? And which one is which?” Tara complimented.

“Tiger is Theodore so Leonard has got to be the Lion. Now we need Wolf and Shark. Have Garcia see if there are any connections in or out of prison.” Emily commented, handing the file back to Luke who took off to do the work.

~

“Come on man. We need a way out of here.” Leonard commented, badgering Shark.

“I’m trying man. Give me a minute.” He replied, disappearing again. Wolf sat at a table and kept quiet as he observed the place. This entire operation had gone to hell.

“Where is the woman? Where is she?” Leonard barked looking around, scrutinizing everyone from behind his mask.

“I’m looking for a woman with the last name Alvez. Where are you?” He yelled. From his right, a woman stood up, however this was not the one he was looking for.

“I’m Sofia Alvez.” She whimpered, standing on shaking legs. But Leonard just scoffed and waved her over with the hand with the gun. Sofia walked over and was practically shaking in fear. He brought his hand up and pistol whipped the woman. It did not kill her, but rather knocked her out cold. Shaking his head, he looked around to see who else was here.

“I’m bored, Leon.” Theodore commented as he waved his gun around. Without a warning or word, the man grabbed a random man and shoved him towards the glass doors. The entire police and FBI forces were on edge as they watched what was unfurling. A bullet planted itself in between the man’s eyes and he slumped forward. Screams erupted throughout as everyone was startled by the display. Theodore laughed as he stalked around. His mask muffled some of his words but everyone he got close to understood what he was saying.

“Eeny meeny, miny moe.”

~

Garcia shuffled her way into the round table room with an excited air about her. The remaining BAU members gathered around, and patched in the three that were at the bank.

“Okay, so you asked for any connections that would be relevant and I found it.” Pulling two additional pictures up on the big screen, the colorful analyst began.

“So when the Jameson twins were serving their five in the Virginia corrections facility, they were block mates with another set of twins. This time they were serving ten for pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter after their last job ending in the store clerk being dead. I now present to you Wulfric and Samson Mitchell.” They were drawn to the tv once more.

“Yeah, I remember that case,” came Luke’s voice. “They claimed they were doing the robbing out of necessity and claimed that because they came from a trailer park that the judicial system was prejudiced.”

“So we know who they are. What’s our plan Rossi?” Emily called over the phone.

“They’ve already killed one person. Unsure about anyone else. But we’re trying to establish more contact.” He explained, keeping his eyes aware all around.

“Do we know who was killed?” Luke pleaded urgently.

“It’s not her, Luke.” Garcia confirmed, looking through her screen at the camera. He peered over her shoulder and let out a sigh of relief to see she was telling the truth.

“Rossi, get him on the phone and see if we can break them up. Penelope, give us a full blue print of the bank. I want to know every square inch of the place.” Prentiss ended the call, and delegated the rest of the team to finding out everything they could about the two sets of twins.

~

“Where are you? I know you’re in here.” Tiger sing-songed as he walked through the lobby waving his gun. When his eyes landed on her, he smiled behind his mask. Stalking forward, he grabbed Mrs. Alvez by her shirt and hauled her to her feet.

“Oh, hello pretty lady. I knew you would be here today.” The man got right in her face, and brought her over to a chair where he dropped her down without grace. “Stay.”

Watching him walk away, she realized that she was in view right in front of the window. She turned and tried to see if she could flag down the uniforms outside.

“Leo! Look at who we have here!” He called out, grabbing his brother’s attention. Leonard came around and laid his eyes on the woman in the chair.

“I think it is high time we have us a little reunion.” Leonard sneered as he neared the woman. Her nerves were going haywire as she realized that they were closing in on her.

~

Piling in to the SUVs, Luke was furious. These criminals had laid their hands on his wife, and they were going to pay for it. His vest was strapped on tightly, and his firearm was ready.

“How would they know that she was your wife if even the team didn’t know?” Tara pointed out as they drove on.

“She’s a public figure. They could’ve stalked her, or me. Or any variation of the two. Let me get Garcia on the phone.” They turned the corner and parked right as Penelope answered the call.

“Oracle is ready and willing. Whatcha need?” She answered somewhat chipper, but people could tell that it was a flimsy cover.

“Garcia, I need you to track her social media, phone calls, emails, anything. Looking for repeat offenders, text that were deleted or weird phone calls. Anything.” He stated, waiting impatiently with the rest of his team.

“Okay. Don’t know exactly what I’m looking for but…”

“But what Penelope?” Luke was getting fed up with this whole day.

“There’s an account called ‘tigerted’ and it has visited her social medias everyday for the past six months which just so happens to be the same amount of time that all four of the men inside of that bank have been released.” She whimpered.

“Garcia, look into any robberies in the last six months in surrounding states. What’s their endgame?” Matt asked, hands on his hips while they waited.

“I’m not sure,” she started, “they’ve never been around long enough to be caught. They’ve always been in and out with insanely good precision.”

“That’s not going to work, Penelope. Give us something to work with.” Luke growled, pacing back and forth with his phone in his hand.

“I’m trying to help but I have nothing in their previous jobs.” Tears of frustration were starting to build up and push over.

Before anyone else could respond, the phone rang from inside. Rossi held up a finger, and got the phone answered.

“Hello?”

“Agent Rossi, my partner has already killed one person. Who else are you going to let die before you let us go, huh?” The voice of Leon answered.

“Leon, who killed the victim? Was it Wulfric? Samson? Theodore?” There was silence over the other end of the phone.

“Leonard, you can end all of this right now if you let the hostages go, and you put down the weapons.” Rossi reasoned, but the sinking feeling in his gut was not helping.

“You know who we are?” Leonard asked, sounding out of breath.

“We know that you and your brother were put away by one of our teammates, and that you met Wulfric and Samson in prison. This is the first time you have ever been caught and cornered and you need to ask why. Somebody betrayed you, Leonard. It’s time to give it up.” There was more silence. It took a minute before someone finally spoke, after some commotion on the other end of the line.

“There’s no giving it up.” Dial tone greeted the BAU as they watched each other for a minute.

~

Theodore hung up the phone and pranced around the lobby. He removed his mask, which prompted Leonard to do the same.

“They know who we are. Including how we work. They know who we all are.” Leonard spoke, sounding like he was in disbelief.

“So what? No more hiding now bro. Now, we get to have some fun with her.” Theodore waved his gun to where the woman was sitting. She was still watching everyone with skeptical eyes as they moved about. Wulfric, who was sitting partially on a desk, removed his mask when the other two did, yet remained silent.

“You are just gorgeous. Don’t know how that man ever landed you.” As he grew closer, Theodore raised his gun with his finger on the trigger, and fired.

Bang

[cath-lic]

Hello, I was wondering if you believe non-Christians can be saved? I know many Catholics believe everyone that doesn't accept Jesus will go to hell. Personally, I find this outlook very sad and I was curious on other points of view so please anyone respond with their own opinions. I mean to ask you this: If God is love and is forgiving of our sins, why would he send everyone to hell simply because they could not find their way to him?

hi!! YES absolutely everyone is saved!! now, everyone and their brother has a conflicting opinion on this, but i’ll throw in my two cents.

my first, more concrete point: john 3:16. the everyman’s verse!!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

okay, but what if someone doesn’t believeth? vatican ii’s lumen gentium, no. 16, also covers this. (italics added by me)

Those also can attain to everlasting salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the gospel of Christ or his Church, yet sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, strive by their deeds to do his will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does divine Providence deny the help necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God, but who strive to live a good life, thanks to his grace.

however, it’s important to note LG no. 14. bear with me here.

Whosoever knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by God through Jesus Christ would refuse to enter her or to remain in her could not be saved.

i’m not a theologian, i’m just joe off the street—so i may be taking things out of context. forgive me!

however—as much as i am catholic, i believe that this is putting WAY too much importance on the catholic church as we know it today. it is far, far different than the original organization founded upon the rock of st. peter, and i believe that there are many things that god takes issue with in the catholic church (notoriously, jesus criticized large institutions like these). therefore, i don’t know how much i believe that the catholic church today, nor as a whole, was made necessary by god through christ.

my second point: my most fervent belief is that god is love. pretty much all of my friends are atheists, and they are kind and caring and loving people. it is, therefore, impossible for me to believe that they are not saved.

my second-and-a-half point: i take a little bit of issue with your phrasing of “send” to hell.

personally, i believe that hell is not necessarily Dante’s inferno, but a place of complete and total separation from god. i also believe that hell is not a place you are sent to, but rather a place you send yourself.

i mentioned purgatory in my earlier answer to a different anon; this is where that comes in. i generally concur with pope francis when he says that he likes to think of hell as empty (note: he was not issuing doctrine here). i believe that in purgatory, 99.999% (you get it) of people, if not 100%, are able to reconcile with god and see the consequences of their decisions, good and bad, throughout their life.

you know when you tell someone something that is true, but they keep on rejecting it, no matter what evidence you show them? that’s what i imagine is happening to the other .001%.

god is endlessly patient; he doesn’t mind spending eons trying to convince others to have empathy for their fellow man. however, humans are not as patient. they get fed up and walk away—and this is my (limited) understanding of the process of going to hell.

i’ll be honest, i don’t know if hell is permanent, temporary, etc. i’m not sure how helpful it is to debate it, either. but what i do know is very helpfully summarized in this post by the lovely hymnsofheresy.

whenever i have doubts about some aspect of what i believe being incorrect, i remind myself that god is love. he loves us more than anything in the world, and nothing we can do will ever change that. he doesn’t look for reasons for you to go to hell; he wants to be with us all the time.

thank you for sending in this ask, and i hope it helped ❤️❤️❤️

[aidulusion]

FLOWER GARDEN

pairing : Sukuna x Reader

note : This takes place in the heian era!

proofread? : maybe

It was a perfectly normal day, you were taking care of your very cherished garden whilst humming peacefully. Hovering your delicate hand over the bundle of alluring flowers that had bloomed today, you then looked up at the sky. It was around evening or so, the red and orange covered the horizon to create a charming sight.

Some time had passed, the sky was getting darker but you did not feel like going inside just yet. The smell of wet soil from the rain earlier was lingering in your nostrils triggering an oddly peaceful feeling, accompanied by the slow chirps of birds, making you feel like you could fall asleep there. You did not expect any commotions to bother you but something felt quite odd, like somebody was watching you from afar.

You lifted your head to the slightest only to be met with the menacing sight of an obnoxiously tall humanoid creature watching you from a nearby hill, but before you could move even a single muscle, he was now in front of you and behind your sweet garden. 

“I wasn’t expecting to find a beauty like you tonight.”

You were too stunned to process anything, how did he move so quickly? Why is he so tall? All these questions just came flooding to your mind. But once you took a good look at him, he wasn’t quite monstrous after all. The ‘creature’ had four arms, one pair folded together and the other resting on his torso, and he didn’t really bother to wear a shirt out in public. You hadn’t even noticed the mouth on his abdomen yet. 

The man brought you back to reality by snapping two fingers in front of your face, you quickly jolted upwards and looked at his face. He had four eyes, but a part of his face was covered by some sort of wooden mask that had openings for his two distorted eyes. Despite that, your subconscious mind found this strange man quite good-looking. His gaze was absolutely menacing, you felt like you could crumble any second, but it softened once he looked at your lips. 

“W..Who are you?” Your soft voice reached his ears, expressions relaxing the tiniest bit. He let out a dark chuckle, and seated himself beside you. You glanced upon him once again, observing his now relaxing features more closely. He met your gaze unexpectedly whilst the corners of his mouth stretched to form a smirk. 

“I could just kill you right now if I wanted to, you know that?” He chimed in nonchalantly, and if you weren’t scared before you definitely were now. He did look like he could kill someone with a swing of a finger, but why was he interacting with you like you were some good friends? This strange behavior just messes with your mind even more, if he can just kill you, why won’t he do it?

“Why won’t you kill me?” You asked, your voice laced with fear and a slight hint of curiosity. The pink haired man smiled again and looked in front, more specifically, at your garden. He blinked a few times before glancing back upon you, taking in your figure before standing up and walking towards your most prized possession. You were just begging the gods to not let him destroy your years of work.

The man crouched down before it, taking a good look at the delicate flowers before his hand slowly reached one of the flowers which had bloomed today. You could hear yourself screaming in your mind and telling him to not pluck it, unfortunately, he could not hear your inside voice. 

“Wait, don’t!”

You were too late. The flower which was slowly withering nestled itself in his large hands as you felt your whole body stinging. He looked at you with a smug grin, he could practically feel how angry you were with him right now, and it anticipated him. A beautiful woman with a pout on her face right in front of him, he’d never admit how adorable you looked right now. 

“Come with me, I have a better garden at my place.”

And with that, he swiftly grabbed your wrist and started dragging you out of your garden. The few people in the village who managed to be outside of their houses at this time of the day were left shocked with the sight of you and a monstrous being leaving the village in a hurry. You wouldn’t deny the fact that blood rushed to your cheeks when he grabbed your wrist suddenly. You knew this wasn’t going to end well, but the excitement in you obliged.

“The name’s Ryomen Sukuna, by the way.”

"ill try to post something this week" deadass 💀💁‍♀️

[lucienarcheron]

Spirit Meets the Bones XXIV

Genre: Angst/Romance/Drama Warnings: Mentions of physical abuse. Author's Note: anddd we're finally starting with the new chapters! I hope you all enjoy :)

shoutout to @abruisedmuse for being part of this journey with me!!

tagging: @climb-the-mountian / @vanserrass / @zenkindoflove / @animezinglife / @readthelastpaage / @teddyhoneybear / @positivewitch / @krem-does-stuff / @clockwork-ashes / @carolynmezzosoprano / @carnythian / @runningwiththeoceans / @secret-third-thing / @readychilledwine / @goldenmagnolias / @thedarkinmansfield / @mali22 / @maidr-00 / @electromagnetic-waves / @eastofatlanta / @moobell55 / @bibliophiliaxvignette / @devilsfoodcake22 / @moonfawnx / @weesablackbeak / @ladywhilemia / @alohaangels / @eachies / @feysandfeels / @thelovelymadone / @corcracrow / @dawneternal / @sinnerrsworld / @gracie-rosee / @stormycleric / @queenoftheworld1998 / @wolvesnravens / @theeternalstruggle / @the-midnightwriter / @illyrianvalkyrie / @that-golden-lyre / @ladystarrynight / @rityrooroo / @thewilderheart

Find it all here.

Hearing the words from her lips – it was like a boulder dropping right on his chest. 

But the confirmation made up for whatever else had happened during this day. It set what was left of his wretched soul on fire and the need to claim her nearly had him drop to his knees.

She wasn’t repulsed. She wasn’t running. She stood in his arms, hands at her sides as she stared at him and all Eris wanted to do was taste every inch of her.

“When — how did you know?” she asked.

“I’ve sensed something different about this relationship with you from the very first night we spent together.” he said quietly. “It wasn’t until you were with your father and I felt you. Like an invisible string being pulled.”

“Like a thread.” she said quietly. 

“A thread,” he confirmed. “And it dragged me right to you.”

Iris swallowed and she opened her mouth to speak then closed it once more. Her mind had gone blank as quickly as her heart rate had increased. She couldn’t stop staring at her husband who had always been so much more than she had anticipated. She saw the hesitation in his eyes, the slight panic that hadn’t left him since.

One kiss had changed the trajectory of their relationship.

And this was going to be the one thing that unraveled them both at the seams. 

“You’re my mate.” she whispered again, still in disbelief and Eris nodded. 

His throat bobbed as she said the words once more and the flame that had engulfed them finally disappeared. “Yes.” he confirmed again, watching her chest rise and fall, her beautiful eyes blinking rapidly as she processed. 

“You’re — you’re —”

“Yes.” he said as his thumb caressed the column of her neck softly. “It seems you and I were always destined to meet… and be a little more.”

Iris couldn’t help but think about how much of an understatement that was. She could only think of everything he had just told her, of the loneliness they had both drowned in for years. Only to find their way to each other in a faith-forgotten land — in a place meant to snuff them both out. 

“You knew for hours,” she finally found herself saying. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

She watched his expression dim at her question and after everything he had already shared, Iris hadn’t expected the uncertainty on his face at this.

“I wanted to. I was going to before Finn interrupted.” he said quietly. 

His words from earlier flashed in her mind. 

“I’m terrified to tell you.”

“Because…you are something I had not anticipated. Because you never wanted this. You never wanted me.” he had said quietly. “And I am…overwhelmed by this thing between us.”

And all at once, Iris felt herself soften and a deep, painful ache unfurled in her chest. 

“Of all the things that happened today, this is what you’d been most hesitant to share with me?” she asked quietly and the ache intensified when his throat bobbed again.

“We’ve barely started being something close to… normal.” he said tightly and slowly pulled back from her. “Everything between us has already been moving so fast. You’ve only started to feel safe with me and people don’t feel safe around me. But you —” His fists clenched at his sides. “You do.”

“I - I do.” Iris said softly. “And this seems to be worrying you more than anything.”

“Because now this is another thing I’m shoving at you.” he said through clenched teeth. “Tying you to me and this fucked up family forever —”

Her brows went up as she watched him. “Eris —”

Eris couldn’t look at her as he shook his head and then quietly said, “I have spent my whole life guarding all that I am from everyone. And you came into my life and made me…crave. Want.” He waved a hand almost helplessly. “Being mates is just another thing thrown at you. And I don’t have it in me if you don’t…want me this way. If it’s only a bond making you stay. Tolerating me.”

Iris wondered if he could feel her heart break at the confession. Had no one ever seen how afraid he was? How alone?

“You seem to forget,” she began gently. “That I had nothing before you.” 

Eris glanced at her as she took a step toward him. “This may not have been a choice for either of us in the beginning but…we made a choice to try together,” she said. “You and I decided we wanted to make this work and that was before any bond came to light.” She shrugged her shoulders almost helplessly. “I’d like to think I’m not still here because you’re just tolerating my presence.”

“No.” he said immediately and Iris tried not to smile at the scowl that followed his quick response or at the way the tip of his ears turned red. “I — I —”

Iris mustered a small, teasing smile. “You have so many feelings for me, don’t you?”

His scowl deepened. “If you haven’t picked up on that by now, I’m going to open the window and fling myself out of it.” he snapped, and Iris bit back another smile. “Obviously I like you.”

“Ah, a swoon-worthy confession if I’ve ever heard one.” she said as color bloomed on her cheeks at his reluctant confirmation. “Having feelings must be so difficult for you.” 

“I hate every single thing that is happening to me at this moment.” he said through clenched teeth and Iris couldn’t help the strained chuckle that escaped her. 

“Really?” she asked and moved in front of him again. “Even if I tell you that I… obviously like you too?”

Eris pursed his lips, his face heating. He knew his insecurities had nearly suffocated him today — especially at this moment. But those words sent a warm feeling fluttering in his chest. Eris knew Iris…liked him. And yet. 

Very few people openly claimed to enjoy having him around. He needed to hear her say these things.

“You seem surprisingly calm about all of this.” he said, his shoulders tensing as she watched him, pink coloring her cheeks. 

“Shocked and calm are two very different things.” she said with a knowing look and Eris couldn’t help the way his lips twitched at the words. “I’m still…processing. So maybe I’ll lose my mind tomorrow and you can be shocked and calm about it then.”

He snorted. “Should I offer you my condolences?” he added and though it was a joke, she heard the tension in his tone. “That I’m the one you’re fated with? That you’re truly stuck with me now?”

Iris shook her head and with a breath, her hands grasped his. This male who was burdened with so much, whose deep-rooted fear of remaining alone in it nearly suffocated him. Of being left alone in this life. He had been expecting her to react differently. 

And had it been a few weeks ago, Iris would’ve run. She would’ve done anything not to be tied down to the Eris everyone thought they knew. 

But now? It was…a sense of relief that Iris felt. She was relieved that the person who cared, who made her feel was the one fate wanted her to be with. That the person she may not have initially chosen as a partner was the only partner she wanted. Iris was certainly calmer than she expected because of how right it felt. How much it made sense. 

Any resistance Iris had felt towards him in the beginning, had been chipped away long before a mating bond changed anything. And he felt the same way. He wanted her. And he wouldn’t leave. 

“I’m afraid I should be offering you my condolences.” she said with a small, sad smile and Eris’s brows furrowed.

“Why would you say that?”

“I don’t have much to offer you.” she said quietly. Especially as a mate. Especially if she thought about who he previously wanted to wed; how could she compare to the power of the Morrigan or what Nesta Archeron had offered him? What could she, who had nothing, give to someone who already had everything? 

She glanced away from him. “You’ve given me so much in the time we’ve been together and I don’t know that I — 

But Eris had cut her off by firmly gripping her chin to force her to meet his gaze. “Do not finish that statement,” he said. “You’ve offered me more than you already know.”

She had offered him companionship and soft hands. A relationship where he wasn’t waiting for the other shoe to drop. Where understanding and a little room for kindness were the only requirements.

He forced himself to swallow and hold her gaze as his hand dropped to hold hers. “You offered me a space to be something more than what I’ve been obligated to be for years.” he continued softly. “You have no idea what you’ve offered me.” 

“And is it — am I enough?” came her whispered question.

“Am I?” he asked in return. “Even if staying with me — being my mate, would likely never bring you peace?”

Husband and wife shared a glance and without saying a word, the answer stood between them and a slow, steady tension filled the room: the confession, the realization hanging heavy between them.

Iris glanced down at their hands. “Eris,” she said softly then let out another breath as she glanced back at him. “Being with you is the first time I’ve ever known what peace could look like.”

Eris scoffed weakly, his voice tight as he asked, “How can you say that living here? With all that you know now? With everything to come?”

Iris shook her head slowly, her expression almost helpless. “You bring me ease. You make me feel safe.” she said, flushing deeply at her confession. “Anything outside of us…I think we can manage that together. As best as we can, we can fight for that peace.”

Eris felt that ache of self-loathing in his chest. “How can you say I bring you peace when already, we have to fight so hard for it?”

Iris hesitated, her expression cautious.“Aren’t all the important things worth fighting for?” she asked quietly, and when Eris’s expression tightened, she continued, “You have shared so much with me today and I know that hasn’t been easy. I know everything between us hasn’t been easy either and while I don’t know if I’m ready to fully accept a mating bond yet…” She licked her lips and met his gaze, the flush on her cheeks giving away the shyness she felt. “I do know that I want whatever this is with you. I know that I have accepted you.” 

Eris’s head dipped at her words and he tried not to let the visceral relief he felt show, tried not to let it bring him to his knees. They could work on a mating bond. They still needed time for that and Eris would give her all the time in the world as long as she accepted him. As long as she wanted him.

“I know there’s much we have to figure out together,” he said, a slight edge to his tone. “And I know we will need more time but —” 

“Tomorrow.” She said, silencing him with a hand to his lips and his brows furrowed as he watched her. Iris gave him a small smile and slowly, without taking her eyes off Eris, she walked him back to their bed and gently pushed him to sit. “It’s been a long day. Let’s worry about everything else tomorrow and instead focus on just you and me tonight.” 

“Just you and me.” he repeated and Iris nodded as she stood before him.

All the panic, all the hurt and pain and anger that they had dealt with tonight, all of it seemed to deflate at the simple words. All of it faded away. 

She let a finger gently caress his face and wondered if Eris could hear how wildly her heart was beating as he shuddered beneath her touch. That she, of all people, could make Eris Vanserra shudder — could make him feel.

Her husband had many faces and played many roles but in the end, the most important one was the one that looked at her like she held his world in her hands. The face that was begging deep, deep down to be seen and loved.

They may not have been each other’s choice in the beginning, but they would be each other’s choice from now until they were no more. He was hers in a way she had never dreamed anyone would be and Iris would take care of what was hers. She would take care of his bleeding heart. 

There was so much left to discover between them, so much to see but tonight would be a new start for them both. 

“You and I are used to hands that beat down. That break.” she started quietly. “And maybe everything we went through was so that when we met, we’d understand.”

Eris felt his chest threatening to cave in at the way she looked at him, as though she could see right through him. “Understand what?” he forced himself to ask and the corner of her mouth ticked up.

“That there are hands that hurt and hands that heal. That soothe.” Iris continued, her voice a whisper. “That those hands can be your person and your peace, if given the chance.”

Gods, he was going to throw up. And Eris tried not to show it – tried not to make it too obvious what this day, what this conversation was doing to him. 

“Is that what I am now?” he said, attempting humor that didn’t last when he continued, “Your person?”

Iris gave him a half-smile, feeling her heart spasm at the tiny crack in his voice she hadn’t missed. “Among other things apparently,” she said, her thumb grazing his cheek. “If that doesn’t affect your delicate sensibilities, of course.”

A small chuckle escaped him. “Of course. As long as you being mine doesn’t affect yours.”

“Is that what I am now? Yours?” she teased gently and he shot her a look that had her chuckling. “Careful now, husband, it sounds like you’re very enamored with me.”

Eris forced himself to roll his eyes, feeling heat spread through him at her words – her gaze – her touch. “Oh wife,” he said and sighed without taking his eyes off her. “I am so very enamored.” 

Her lips twitched and Iris leaned in to place a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth then held his gaze as she slid to sit next to him.

And a thrill went through her at the way Eris watched her, his gaze curious, possessive — with a hunger that Iris felt deep in her soul. It overwhelmed her. This feeling of being wanted. Needed. 

Nobody had ever needed her. But Eris did. 

They were starved for a safe touch, for a connection that was only theirs. 

She wasn’t sure how much he needed but if the ache in his gaze matched the depth of her own, Iris wanted to give what he needed – what she wanted. A kiss to soothe. A gentle touch of a hand. To see and be seen. 

“This is strange.” she whispered. 

“Very.” Eris agreed. 

“I’m not quite sure where to go from here.” 

Eris watched her lovely face, clocking the slight hesitation – the little space between them. He opened his palm and the corner of her mouth ticked up as she slid her hand in his. 

“That depends.” he said and she furrowed her brows. “Are you feeling dramatic or tired?”

“Dramatic?” Iris asked with an amused expression and Eris couldn’t help the twitch of his lips.

“Elain didn’t speak to Lucien for three years when she found out they were mates. I’d like to prepare myself if that’s the route you’re planning to take.” 

Iris snorted then nodded to her right. “I was thinking more so to take your suggestion of leaping out of the window instead.” 

And after everything this day had put him through, it should’ve shocked Eris that he could laugh. Even if it was a quiet chuckle. It should’ve rocked his world that he felt lighter sitting here next to the female who had been a stranger to him not too long ago than he had ever felt in his life.

His hand found its way to her cheek and the cracked pieces of his heart shook when she leaned into his hand, her hand wrapping gently around his wrist to hold him, to anchor them both to this moment.

Mates. Mates. Mates. Mates.

It was a melody that wrapped itself around them – a symphony of emotions, too many to process.

Where did they go from here? He swallowed. If it was up to the carnal desires coursing through him at the sight of her and the bond chafing at his skin, Eris would’ve already been buried in her. They would be sharing the pleasures of being mates.

But he couldn’t. Not when he wasn’t in full control of his emotions. Not when he could hurt her in his greed. Not when the thought of his skin touching another person made him want to set himself on fire.

The version of himself before Iris might’ve succumbed just to feel something. Who he was trying to shape himself into now needed more.

Eris licked his lips, hesitating for a moment. He was not used to asking anything of anyone —  did not like the feeling of needing anything from anyone but…

For the second time in a matter of hours, he confessed what he usually kept buried. 

“I am so tired of all this.” he murmured. “Being in this place. Dealing with everything outside of this room.”

Iris’s expression fell, her chest tightening at the words. “I know.” she whispered. “Let’s rest easy. Let me be here with you.” 

Eris licked his lips again, the heat of embarrassment coursing through him at the way he wanted to sink into her words, sink into her arms, and allow just that.

He’d allow himself to sink into her kisses. Neither of them had to say anything. His eyes held the question and Iris answered by leaning closer. 

Holding her face with a tender touch, he kissed his wife. His lips brushed hers in greeting and slowly, Eris let himself go. He kissed her and let every other moment of this day wash away, focusing only on the feeling of her lips, the heat of her body next to his, and the soft noises she made.

“Eris.” she whispered against his lips and Eris couldn’t help but deepen the kiss as she opened for him, a hand running through her hair and down her back. His mouth moved to taste more of her, kissing her jawline and sliding to her neck, his tongue darting out for a taste then back to her teasing mouth to swallow those little noises he loved so much.

 He wanted — he needed —

Turning his body into hers, his hands tangled themselves into her hair, a noise he could only describe as hungry slipping from his mouth into hers and he shuddered when he felt her fingertips skimming across his skin and up his arms. 

A hand slid from her hair and wrapped around her throat, his grip tightening gently and Eris intended to pull her closer, devour her further — but Iris had stiffened beneath his grip and so had he when he felt her fingers dig into his back. A snarl slipped from his throat as a sharp breath slipped from her lips and Iris ripped his hand away and pulled back, nearly shoving him off the bed as he pulled away from her.

“No.” they snapped in unison and then froze, his hands raised away from her as Iris’s own hand covered her neck, their breathing shallow. 

“Not — don’t — don’t hold me like that.” she stuttered.

A tense silence stretched between them, anxiety skating down Eris’s spine and his chest tightened at the expression on her face. At the slight panic she was trying to hide that mirrored his own. At the tense caution, waiting for him to react. As if he’d be upset. As if he didn’t immediately understand why she reacted that way. As if he hadn’t reacted the same way snarling at her like an animal. 

And it crushed him because he could hear the fast beating of her heart in line with his own. He didn’t realize it would bother him. He – he liked her touch. Gods, he wanted her to touch him but not – not –

He straightened, his hands falling to his lap as guilt and embarrassment tore at him. This was exactly why he wouldn’t let himself go further tonight. “I didn’t realize it would bother you.” he finally said quietly. “I didn’t think. I’m sorry.”

“It’s — it’s okay.” she managed, her face flushed and Iris tried to hide her own embarrassment at the moment being interrupted by her hands and her reaction.

“No, it’s not,” Eris said firmly, a muscle feathering in his jaw as he watched her. “I don’t want to do anything you don’t like or touch you in a way that makes you uncomfortable. You are always safe with me.” 

She felt her heart flutter at the words. Safe. Since that first night together, she had wondered if safe would be her reality with him. 

“I know.” she said then swallowed, slowly bringing both hands back to settle in her lap and calm her breathing.  “I’m – I”m sorry for touching your back. My hands just slipped. I didn’t think.” 

Eris shook his head. “It’s – it’s fine.” he muttered. “I told you, you can always touch me…I didn’t think I would…react that way.” 

Iris bit her lip. “I – I didn’t expect to feel that way either.” Her gaze dropped to her hands. “You’ve held me by the back of my neck before and I — I liked it. And I like it when you kiss my neck.”

His hold never hurt. His lips were always so soft on her skin. It made her forget her father’s hand. 

“But no hands wrapped around your throat.” he confirmed gently. 

“Not – not yet.” she whispered and Eris’s mouth curled softly, causing Iris’s flush to deepen.

“Not yet?” he asked and carefully, slowly, raised his hand to brush a strand of her hair back.

She licked her lips. She had thought a lot about his hands and what she’d imagine he’d do with them. Her flush deepened as he gave her a knowing look.

“I…like the idea of your hands on my throat.” Iris confessed shyly. “But for now…”

“Kisses only?” he suggested and after a breath, she nodded, watching his face. 

She hadn’t meant to react that way, hadn’t even thought it would bother her. Until he squeezed and it triggered another hand on her throat. A hand she hated more than anything and Iris wished she had let Eris wipe him from existence so her father wouldn’t ruin more moments for her. 

Her husband only watched her calmly and as he did, Iris felt her shoulders start to relax, her body calming. Eris gave her a small smile.

“Kissing is one of my favorite things to do,” he said. “Especially when your skin tastes like heaven.” 

Iris couldn’t help the weak chuckle that escaped her lips and leaned in to rest her head against his shoulder gently. His hands immediately tightened around her and she felt her chest ache.

A few moments of silence passed before Iris sat back and met his gaze once more. 

“I’m sorry for ruining the moment.” Iris said quietly, her fingers tracing the scattered freckles on his shoulder. 

Eris’s expression flattened and he gave her a hard look. “You ruined nothing,” he said firmly, his hand sliding down her back and back up absently, soothingly. “We were both caught up in the moment.”

Iris shook her head gently. “It’s alright. We’re…figuring it out.” she said quietly then slowly leaned in to shyly kiss the corner of his mouth. “Is your back the only place I shouldn’t touch yet?” 

He felt his wretched heart skip at her question and Eris was already on the edge of a heart attack just with this conversation alone. He wanted her to touch him everywhere. Every surface of his skin to replace any touch before hers. 

“For now.” he only said and she nodded slowly. She watched him as he watched her and Iris would never get over how she had the power to make the Prince of Autumn blush. 

He seemed to struggle with his next words and Iris waited, knowing just how hard this night had been for him.

“Will you lay with me?” he finally asked quietly and Iris blinked at the request, then nodded with a small smile, a light flush in her cheeks.

They let go, their hands reluctantly separating as the two moved to rest on their respective sides of the bed but they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other. There was something in the casualness of the movement, in the routine of them shifting around their bedroom that built a sensual tension between them. 

Until Iris clocked Eris’s stiff movements as he tried to get comfortable on his stomach. He tried to hide how worn out his body was — didn’t want to see the way her expression dropped again even if it made his stupid heart skip a beat, to know that he had someone who worried about him like this. Who could ease these moments for him. And Eris tried not to break when instead of saying anything, Iris silently moved a pillow for him to place it beneath him.

He could only nod in gratitude, color marking his face as he slowly settled in and glanced at her, silently lifting his arm, waiting for her to slide into the space next to him. 

Iris glanced at him for a moment as a silly sense of shyness crawled its way into her chest and she bit her lip. 

“Are you sure?” she whispered and Eris quirked a brow at the question. 

“I like it when you’re close,” he murmured and Iris heard the unspoken sentence to follow those words, saw it in his eyes, what he really wanted to say, I need you close.

A heartbeat passed, and then Iris allowed herself to sink into his side with that small, shy smile. 

Eris pulled her into him and a shuttered breath slipped out of her lips at their closeness, at the careful way he held her, and gods, she knew her heart was beating so fast. 

All of the other times he had held her or touched her…she knew that this time, it felt different. A new awareness sat between them; the hands of fate rested over them. She wished now more than ever the earlier touching hadn’t caused such a panic.

Iris adjusted herself, turning on her side so she could watch him as he always watched her. 

Mate. Her mate. 

The revelation made her skin tingle as they sat in silence and she still, to this moment, wasn’t sure it was real. “Are you feeling alright?” she asked, scanning his expression for any signs of discomfort. “Do you want me to get you more of the healing ointment?”

Eris only gave her a short smile. “I’m fine.” he said but Iris shot him a look that made the corner of his mouth twitch. “Exhausted. But fine.” His brows furrowed as he watched her face. “Are you alright?”

“I’m more worried about you.”

Eris grunted in response, the hand wrapped around her waist moving to slide slowly up her back. “I’ll be fine. So stop looking at me like that or I really will fling myself out the window.” he said and Iris pursed her lips.

“I’m not allowed to be worried about you? You’re my husband.”

“And a little more than that too.”

As it fell silent between them once more, Iris felt her heartbeat speed up at his tone. That low, sultry tone. 

What was going to happen now? Clearly, things had escalated. Where did that leave them? What did that mean for them outside of this room? Do they tell anyone? How long would they wait to solidify their bond? How soon did she want to? 

Her eyes fell to his bare shoulder, the arm wrapped around her feeling heavier. His shoulders bore such a burden and now she was another one added to the list. Another person he had to protect. How could she help him? How could she ease his struggle instead of causing more of it? 

How long would it take him to start resenting that, even as her mate?

“Iris?”

She blinked and met his gaze as he assessed her. Iris let her eyes roam, focusing first on his bare chest, then resting on his collarbone. She let a hand tentatively slide to trace the bare skin of his shoulder carefully.

“Maybe…Maybe I am being too calm about this.” she whispered and Eris gave her an amused look.

“Are you going to run away screaming now?” he said. “I’ll be a gentleman and give you a headstart.” 

Iris snorted softly. “Chase me until the bitter end, hm?” she said and met his gaze, the look he gave her heating her skin. 

“Oh, absolutely. The chase is the fun part.” 

She tried to chuckle but her expression fell instead. Now that they were mates, tied in a way that couldn’t be changed, that mattered more than anything else…the weight of it all grew heavier. Iris realized how she’d tensed when his hand had slid from her waist to brush up and down her back, soothingly.

“A question for a question.” he murmured and Iris glanced at him, the corner of her mouth curling up.

“A question for a question.” she repeated.

“Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“That’s less of a question and more of a demand, husband.”

“What’s on your mind, oh smartass wife of mine?” he corrected with a teasing tone.

Iris looked away with a small chuckle before sighing softly. “Too many things, if I’m being honest.”

“Such as?”

Iris bit her lip again then frowned. She didn’t want him worrying any more than he already did. They’d – they’d take it day by day. It would be fine. They were in this together.

And yet, she couldn’t help her question.

“Don’t you think this is…crazy?” she said quietly. “A few months ago we were complete strangers…what are the odds of us meeting the way we did?”

Eris gave a slow shrug. “Fate is a funny thing. It is the one thing we cannot escape,” he said. “I barely thought marriage was for me and yet…here we are.”

Iris hummed and then silence fell once more between them. There were so many thoughts swirling in her mind. She wasn’t sure which to ask first. 

“Will we…tell anyone?”

Eris’s expression hardened, his grip tightening on her waist briefly. “I would rather we kept it between us for as long as possible. I can only imagine how much worse my father will make things if he finds out what you are to me.”

Iris bit her lip. “What about your mother?”

She watched as Eris stiffened slightly then let out a sigh. “I’m sure she’s sensed it for a while. I wouldn’t put it past her.” he said but glanced at Iris. “But yes. I do want to tell her.”

“I’m alright with that.”

Eris paused for a moment, glancing away from Iris before clearing his throat and shifting slightly to meet her gaze once more. “Lucien knows.”

Iris blinked. “He does? Since when?”

He nodded, hoping his fidgeting wasn’t too noticeable. “When we visited them…outside, during our conversation,” he said. “I may have been overwhelmed and shared more than I intended.”

Iris blinked again. “I see.”

“Does that bother you?” he asked quietly and Iris bit the inside of her cheek as she watched him, thinking it over before shaking her head.

“No. If you trust Lucien, I trust Lucien.” she said and Eris nodded, swallowing his relief. 

“He’s one of the very few people that I do.” he continued. “That's why I’m glad I  told him. I wanted…I wanted to make sure you had somewhere safe outside this place. That should anything happen, you could go to him.”

Iris felt her expression soften. “Eris…”

Though he shrugged, Eris knew the heat rising on his face gave away his true feelings. “I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have a plan for everything.”

Iris chuckled softly. “You had a plan for everything except me.” 

His chuckle echoed hers. “You did throw a very big wrench into my plans.” he agreed and she flipped him off half-heartedly, earning her another chuckle. “I never said I was complaining.”

“How could you? I’m so lovely.” she said with a polite smile that made him snort. 

“Yes, especially when threatening to stab me. What else could I have asked for?”

Iris couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “This does seem awfully convenient for you.” she mused. “Wife and mate all in one package.”

“For you as well, I’d wager.” He said with a smirk. “I am very rich and well-endowed.”

She swatted his chest gently. “Not to mention incredibly humble. Don’t be crass.” 

He couldn’t help the chuckle and squeezed her waist again, marveling at the fact that he could laugh at anything after this day. “We are well past me being crass. You should know better by now.” he said sagely. “So if you’re thinking about leaving me, it’s too late I’m afraid.”

Iris sighed playfully. “Who knew you’d be so clingy? I mean, one kiss sent you into a spiral, who knows once we’ve done more what you’ll be like? I’m never going to get rid of you.” Her cheeks flushed in delight at his laugh and she couldn’t help her own chuckle.  

“Thinking about doing more with me, are you?” he asked, his voice dropping in a way that made Iris’s heartbeat quicken. 

“Maybe.”

He sighed rather dramatically then deadpanned, “And the saga of maybes continues.” 

Iris’s laugh was muffled as she hid her face. And maybe it was his hand resting against the silk of her robe or his teasing words or the now acknowledged mating bond between them that she remembered his earlier request and met his gaze shyly again.

“Do you remember what you requested before you left?”

Eris quirked a brow, the corner of his mouth curling up. “I do.” he said quietly. “Don’t tell me this is the one time you’ve decided to listen?”

Her chuckle was a little breathless and Iris could only bring herself to nod. Eris groaned, closing his eyes and Iris couldn’t help her soft laugh.

“I did say it was under consideration.” she said. 

His hand seemed heavier on her back and Eris opened his eyes once more, his gaze unreadable as he watched her. 

“Do you remember our first night together? When you helped me with my dress?” she whispered. 

“How could I forget?” he murmured. “I think about my hands touching your bare skin too often for my own good.”

Iris flushed. “I – I think about your hands touching my bare skin all the time.” she said. 

“Do you now?”

“Unfortunately.”

“What a disgusting habit you picked up there, wife.”

“I did learn from the best, husband.” 

  Eris’s lips twitched at her response and without looking away, his hand slid down her curves to settle on her upper thigh, his thumb toying with the slit of her robe. “Oh, the things I want to teach you, mate.” he said, his voice velvet sin, and Iris couldn’t help but shudder, heat pooling low in her belly at his tone, at the way the word mate tugged deep inside her. 

Gods, she wanted him to touch her so badly. They could handle brief, light touches, could they not?

And he must’ve seen the desire in her gaze because slowly, as if giving her room to protest if she wanted to, Eris slid his hand beneath her robe, making contact with the smooth skin of her bare thigh.

Eris heard her intake of breath and tried not to tremble stupidly as his thumb caressed her skin. He tried to breathe easily, his gaze not wavering from hers as he squeezed her upper thigh gently. 

“If this day had gone differently,” he began, his voice low. “My reaction to this conversation would have a different outcome.” 

“Oh?”

His only confirmation was a grunt as his hand squeezed her thigh again then greedily slid up to the curve of her ass and Iris bit back a moan when he slid his hand over her lace undergarment and squeezed again before sliding back down to her thigh. 

“Do you – do you want me to take off the robe?” she whispered and his gaze turned molten.

His mind had already conjured image upon image of how quickly he’d rip any layer between them. How he’d feast on her and gods, would he fuck her. Too easily could he picture how she’d look coming all over his cock. How’d she feel over him and under him and touching him. He could almost taste her. And every time he thought about it, it was everything they both wanted and more. 

But he also knew what trying to have sex right now would be like for him. It would be rough and hard and ruin anything they had built between them because he knew he’d lose control. He was still too tense and for years, sex had always been something empty for him. Something that made him feel meaningless – a moment of fleeting pleasure and nothing more.  He didn’t want that with Iris. His wife — his mate deserved better. 

And if anyone else knew that Eris had hesitated at her question, they’d consider him ill. He had half a mind to get his head checked anyway but knew deep in his tired bones that tonight wouldn’t grant either of them justice. This bond was delicate between them. It was sacred and he’d be damned if, at this significance of a moment between them, he ruined it by thinking with the wrong head. By accidentally hurting her in his haste. Especially after her earlier reaction.

He could be patient. His self-control was a practiced art. 

 So Eris shook his head and chuckled when Iris narrowed her eyes at him. “I can’t take what I want from you tonight, even if you’re willing.” he said.

“Who are you and what have you done with the male I married?” she joked and his lips twitched once more.

“He’s still very much here, plotting sinister and despicable things to do to you,” he replied and Iris bit back a smile that faded when his own expression sobered. His fingers continued to skim her bare skin beneath the robe. “I don’t have it in me to handle more tonight,” he muttered, feeling his face heat at his confession. “So you’re safe with me. This…this is enough.”

And because they were two sides of the same coin, Iris understood. She understood that his skin needed only the softest of touches the way hers did for a while, that he could only tolerate so much of it in one night. 

Iris nodded and then bit her lip, assessing his expression as they glanced at each other. He had laid all his armor at her feet today but he had been giving her pieces of him from the moment she met him. 

She would do the same. She wanted all of him the way he had always wanted all of her — piece by piece.

“You’re safe with me too, you know that, right?” she said and Eris’s brows furrowed. “I’m on your side. I’m here with you.”

Eris felt his insides crumble, his expression falling. What had he done to deserve such a statement? 

“Don’t – don’t say things like that to me.” he whispered and Eris felt himself near a cardiac arrest when her expression softened and she pulled him even closer to her. 

“Why not?” she whispered back, and slowly, as if giving him time to protest if he wished, she brought his body to rest half over hers.

And Eris watched her face as his body rested over hers, drinking in her expression and the trust he found there. The shy caution. Every inch touching and the frantic beating of her heart threatened to send his own heart into overdrive. He felt himself about to burn from the inside out. As though being touched and kissed by her lit a fuse inside him and he couldn’t take his eyes off her as Iris’s hands grazed the back of his neck. Gently. Tenderly.

Gods. Was this what he’d been waiting for his whole life? Were these feelings what had been missing? 

“Iris.” he whispered her name, a plead. A prayer. 

Iris gazed at him, her expression filled with an emotion he couldn’t place. An emotion he couldn't even handle to think about. 

“What do you need to make tonight easier for you?” she said, repeating her question from earlier in the evening, her voice a whisper.

Eris blinked and then he barely could get enough air in his lungs. His mouth parted and the Prince of Autumn couldn't understand why the question knocked the wind out of him. After everything that had happened today, his needs were the last thing on his mind. It…it surprised him to be asked. For a second time, his wife, whom he’d only known for such a short amount of time, asked him what he needed. 

No one ever asked Eris what he needed. He was…he hadn’t been in the right headspace when she asked him earlier but now…to be asked once more…he was touched by her question.  

No one has asked him so bluntly before. No one focused on what he needed. 

And what did he need?

Her.

Need was too light of a word when it came to her. It was a want — a depthless craving to have her everywhere. Her scent overwhelmed him, her body pressed into him with his arm draped over her just like this. The answer was simpler than he had anticipated. Simply…Iris.

Gentler than Eris had ever thought to touch someone before, he brought a hand to her cheek. 

It was dangerous to admit his needs, especially to the person who now held his world in the palm of her hand. And yet, he couldn’t stop the words as they slipped out, “Just you. Right here.”

The corner of Iris’s mouth curled up, flushing at the words. She shifted slightly so their legs were now tangled as he settled comfortably over her and she held him. 

“I think that’s doable.”

Eris’s chuckle slid against her skin as gooseflesh erupted on her skin and she held her breath when he leaned in closer, his nose brushing hers.

“We can decide what to do with this mating bond between us and discuss it to death tomorrow and on,” he began and Iris shifted as his voice dropped. “But come what may, Iris, as of tonight, I am yours. And you are mine. Do you understand?”

The world around them seemed to halt at the words and Iris could feel the shift in the air at his claiming. She felt herself flush deeper and the bond between them went taut as her husband stared at her and she at him, watching, feeling his chest rise and fall. 

There would be no going back to dancing around their feelings after tonight.

“I am yours. And you…are mine.” she repeated, her grip tightening around him and Eris nipped at the corner of her mouth as he whispered,

“Mine.” 

And they sank into each other with slow kisses, the touch of their hands reverent. Every thought, every moment outside of their lips touching slipped away and husband and wife were left with only each other. The weight of tomorrow and everything after pushed away for this one night.

A night where the only thing tethering the Prince of Autumn to this world, was her.  

[dduane]

At Ebooks Direct: today's annoyance

I had a note earlier in the week from someone who let me know that they'd tried to pick up a discounted ebook bundle during the sale over the weekend, but they hadn't been able to. They wanted to use their credit card, but the store wasn't showing any payment method but PayPal.

That was genuinely bizarre, because of course we take credit cards! So I went digging around a bit under the store's hood to see if I could find out what the problem was.

Sure enough, when I tested the shopping cart and tried to go through the. checkout process, no credit card option was displaying. And shortly, with further digging, I found out that an updated gateway app to our credit card processor (Stripe), after being installed, had not also been enabled. Hence the store's front end did not display the credit card option for the whole duration of the sale.

[Insert image of DD wandering around the house muttering imprecations and kicking things.]

...Now, since we have another holiday weekend coming up—it's about to be the June bank holiday in Ireland—I'd already been planning to hold another weekend sale that would be publicized elsewhere. And that'll be going ahead as scheduled.

So it occurred to me that I might as well let people here know about it as well, so that anybody who was disappointed can have a second chance to grab what they're after.

It's exactly the same deal as last weekend: all our bundles are 50% off! The discount's in effect as of right now, because I want people to have some extra time to get at this discount if they want it; and the reduced prices will stay in place until next Tuesday morning (i.e., midnight US Pacific).

The link with the "baked in discount" is over at the sale page. And this time, if you want one of the discounted bundles, your credit card will work. All the details are over here.

...And now I'm going to go get something to eat, and pause briefly to admire the lighting on the water splash in this shot, which caught me completely by surprise. (Also, now to try testing the effect with moonlight, because that one scene from Deep Wizardry has been on my mind for a while...)

Thanks, all!

[anzulvr]

୨୧ On Purpose Karma x (fem) Reader I| Chapter: 06 ୨୧

Prev || 06 Lies || Next

— After hyping herself up in the bathroom mirror for half an hour this morning, [Name] concluded she was capable enough to pull off her plan and manage to get demoted to E-class.

[Name] worried she might get herself expelled but looking back on Karmas situation put her at ease. They practically bring equal academic value to the school and Karma was able to get away with a lot because of it. They'd let him off the hook for fights, pranks and persistently cutting class. If anything this might not be enough to demote her.

A few days prior Gakushuu informed her that his father had a meeting to attend later today. The Chairman is constantly praised for his input during board gatherings, which is why [Name] decided she would sneak into his office and replace his notes for some fake ones written with Karmas assistance. She'd make her switch careless enough he could trace it back to her.

Karma also suggested switching Gakuhō's papers for some questionable magazines would be an easier, more impactful trick, he could get Okajima to give him a few, he probably wouldn't be super-compliant about giving them up but when was anyone ever compliant to anything Karma plotted? He got them but he didn't tell her how he convinced his friend to let him have them.

[Name] had never done anything that could get her into trouble at school, what if it went on her record?

"[Name]? You're here earlier than usual."

She jolted back in surprise and nervously held her hands behind her back, "Yeah, I thought I'd have a change of pace today." She was anxiously swaying back and fourth.

"You? Change? That's rich."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Last time I called you at 7 AM you blocked my number for a month."

Gakuhō came up behind Asano and rested his hand on his son's shoulder,"Gakushuu fix your posture."

Asano straightened up, The chairman looks over at [Name], "It's nice to see you again [Name], how have you been?"

"Im doing good, and you?"

"That's great to hear, I would like to talk more but I need to speak with my son for a moment, if you don't mind."

"I’ll leave you to it then, see you around Shuu!"

Perfect opportunity had risen, he was down here, that means his office would be empty this early in the morning.

[Name] opened his drawers and found many, many folders filled to the brim with papers. She wasn't sure how she was going to find the one she was meant to trade out.

She drew out her own papers along with the magazines, she couldn't help but question what kind of perverted friend Karma had that just has these lying around.

She was digging through them when she knocked into one of the opened sliding shelves a file titled "Confidential" fell out from a compartment hidden underneath the cabinet. She got the feeling she really wasn't supposed to open, the forbidden feel to it only enticed her more.

[Name] wasn't sure what she expected to find but it definitely wasn't government files about the moons explosion. They never disclosed this to the public, why would Gakuhō have this? Her eyes rushed through the pages, there was a picture of the culprit, a price on his head, and way too many details to take in. The documents alleged that End class students of Kunugigaoka High would be the main individuals with the responsibility of assassinating the out law. Failure to assassinate him by the end of the year will result in the extinction of the human race.

There was so much to process, she was going to die? In any other situation she’d doubt the authenticity of these papers but everything lined up with the moon explosion. She couldn't even humor the idea anyone could kill that thing based on description of his abilities alone. The files mentioned the creature being 3 meters tall, and a very long list of his documented capabilities such regeneration, super human speed and strength. It would be stupid to believe some high schoolers could assassinate a monster with the power to destroy the earth in seconds. Her future was essentially gone, and Karma, he knew about this all along.

'Did he expect me to go on living, knowing there's a good chance I'll die before I even graduate?’

How could he? He never mentioned this. This whole time he'd let her believe everything was fine. That he liked his class? The stupid bounty on the monsters life was giving him false hope.

She has good grades, sure, but that's pretty much all [Name] has going for herself. Now that she was thinking about how her future was over this all made her realize she never really had much of a future. Nothing made her stand out from the rest of her peers.

The members of the student council are everything she is and more. Not only are their grades outstanding they each have individual talents that set them apart from the rest. That set them apart from [Name]. The students definitely saw it that way, people often talked badly about how she didn’t deserve her spot with the rest of the student council.

In contrast Karma definitely has a lot going for himself. He isn't just smart, he's great at anything he touches. He has a good reason to live. Maybe that’s why he kept it a secret? He didn’t think it mattered in her case?

She felt herself tearing up, not knowing what to do with herself she kept flipping through the documents. Karma let her continue living so ignorantly, for what? So she could die soon without warning?

"[Name]. What are you doing here?"

Just like that she was taken out of her entranced state, "Nothing! I was waiting to speak to you, sir." She hid the file behind her back, ironically all she did was make herself more suspicious. Kaho did always tell her she was a horrible liar.

Gakuhō wasn't supposed to return to his office this quickly, then again she isn't supposed to be poking around where she's not welcome.

"There are serious repercussions for sneaking into my office and going through student files, you know that right? We place value in the privacy of our pupil."

"Principal Asano, It's not student files I'm interested in. I'd like to be transferred to End class."

“End class... What makes you suggest such a thing?"

“I know the truth.”

"You'll have to get more specific [Name], what truth?" He walked over to his desk, looking straight at her, she hands him back the classified file.

[Name] is taken aback when the chairman laughs.

He was being so casual about it still, for some reason, she felt like there was a knife against her throat.

"[Name] you're a good kid, I'd think about this twice if I were you. You'll have to renounce your position in the student council if I go through with your transfer. We really can't afford to have word get out either. You'll either forget everything you just read or you'll have to deal with the consequences."

His eyes scared her, she was in over her head.

His eyes shift to the messy table top, thanks to [Names] disorganized snooping. The duplicate papers and magazines were front and center of the clutter.

"What are these strange magazines doing here?"

"Those are, uh- not mine! I'll dispose of them regardless!"