#i stand by this btw. the only way you could make me enjoy these four more is if they were women

[akuma-tenshi]

this is my truth

[eetherealgoddess]

ꨄBeneath The Watersꨄ

Oneshot - Yandere Mermen/Soulmate Au

❦Y/n, a new marine biologist, was working along with her older brother and coworkers on a trawler. They come across the most ethereal yet dangerous sea creatures. Survival rate? Guess who the one percent is❦

Sano Manjiro, Hanemiya Kazutora, Sanzu Haruchiyo, & Haitani Brothers x Reader

Not fully proofread

MY TR FANDOM WORKS ARE ONLY ON TUMBLR, AO3, AND WATTPAD UNDER EETHEREALGODDESS! REPORT IF YOU SEE IT POSTED UNDER ANYONE ELSE BUT ME!!!

Mermaid language is blue

I apologize if I get any Japanese etiquette or culture wrong, I literally have to research the culture for some of my fandom stories so if anything is wrong, please excuse my ignorance.

The guys are mermen princes and they’re all brothers. Their dad is the king so because of their royal blood, they have the gift of singing which puts their victims in a trance, and can form legs. They can also change any human they want into mermaids. They can understand human language but have a harder time speaking it. ‘Human’ language is all languages btw I’m just doing english bc that’s the only language I know.

Notice:

✩Y/n is 18+. I picture her as a black female but you can see her however.

✩Some parts of the story may not be realistic or factual. After all, this is a work of fiction.

✩Although it's a dark 'romance,' I do not condone any of the behavior displayed.

✩Dark content such as: gore, violence, triggering topics, graphic scenes, vulgar language, explicit sexual content, etc.

✩There will be scenes that involve non con and/ or dubcon so don’t read if that makes you uncomfortable

✩That being said, this story is for 18+ only.

Enjoy!

Beneath the Waters

“Did you receive the latest sample for the lab, Y/n?” Darius, her older brother asks as he stands beside her resting form on the trawler. The waves of the ocean rocking the ride slightly as the current carries them on.

“Yes, for the fiftieth time.” She sighs, sitting up from her leaned position against the side of the boat. She pulls her sunglasses off as she places them inside of her backpack. He nods in response as he chuckles.

“Sorry, I just want to make sure you have everything.” He scratches the back of his head with a sheepish smile. She smirks light heartedly as she shifts her arms to rest against her knees which are bent as the platform of her shoes are plastered against the floor.

“There’s nothing to be worried about. I got this! Yeah, I’m new to this thing but you know more than anyone else that I’m a fast learner when I put my mind to something.” She states, waving her hands as she gives him a comforting smile.

He sighs as he looks across the water, “Yeah, yeah I know.” He places his hands in his pockets. “I’m proud of you, Y/n. You’ve come far in this industry.”

“Don’t get all sappy on me now, dude.” She laughs, standing from her spot after their coworkers are heard yelling. She eyes her brother with a raised brow, him mimicking the same expression out of confusion.

The trawler rocks as they walk toward the gathering of individuals, four of them bent as they seem to be pulling a net from the outer side of the boat. Everyone else stands around them. When she gets closer, her eyes widen as she notices a large pink tail flapping around the net violently.

One of the men seems to be holding it down as the woman beside him moves her arms around as if she’s wrapping something quickly. Y/n and Darius walk beside one of the designated divers.

“Check this baby out!” She exclaims, standing from her position as she moves out of the way. Y/n’s eyes widen at the sight of an ethereal looking man. Despite his narrowed icy blue eyes glaring at the employees, nobody could deny the intense beauty of the man’s face. His blonde eyelashes cause his irises to pop as his long platinum hair lays out gorgeously under him, some falling over his shoulders.

Once his wrists are tied, they pull him over the boat, still wrapped in the net as he struggles against his restraints. His long nails, sharp as he accidentally cuts his own skin. Y/n could only look as she felt guilt suddenly overtake her mind. After they bound his tail, holding it down, Y/n had enough.

“I think we should let i-, him go, guys.” Everyone, except the mermaid turns to look at her as if she just grew two heads. Her hands place themselves on her hips as she eyes them back.

“Y/n, you’re new so I’m just going to let this slide. You see, this is a one chance in a lifetime kind of deal, you get it? We’d be the second in years to have not only discovered, but captured a real life mermaid. There’s no way we’re letting him go.”

“But why can’t we just study them down in the ocean as we swim? I know that some can be dangerous but not all of them are.” She suggests.

“Because they are dangerous creatures as a whole. They don’t just think like a fish they can act and think like a human which is bad for us. Not to mention, we’re their choice of food besides other species of fish.”

“I get that but we have gear for that, don’t we?”

“Y/n, stop! Okay? It’s fine, they can breathe for at least twenty four hours outside of water and we’ll put it in a secure tank. If you’re worried about its well-being, it will be fine.” Darius explains, trying to keep her from getting fired.

The blonde merman’s eyes shift back and forth between the two humans conversing, particularly observing the woman who is speaking for the merman. Under the cloth, he licks his lips as he smells the divine scent spewing from the female, closing his eyes as he inhales. The smell brings his tense body to a tingling, relaxed sensation, a deep purr emitting from his body as his eyes shut.

“Fine, alright! I’m sorry. I’ll leave it alone.” She sighs, crossing her arms as she turns away, refusing to look at the creature with pity.

“Alright, everyone! Let’s get this show rolling!”One guy says as they walk over to the netted merman. Before any could move any further, a high pitched whistle sounded in the air, causing everyone to pause. Y/n’s eyes widen in concern as some of the coworkers stop their movements. Everyone stares across the ocean, over the being that’s lying down.

“Shit! Everyone, grab the ear plugs!” Someone yells out.

Y/n immediately turns her body as she runs to her bag. Roughly grabbing the ear plugs as she shoves them into her ears as the sound of a melody occurs. She sighs in relief as she stands from her crouched position, sound muffled as she turns around. Her breath hitches as she watches everyone slowly walk towards the edge of the trawler as they look to be in a trance.

“No!” She yells as she runs to Darius, roughly gripping his arms as she pulls him in a hug, his heavy body walking ahead as if she weighs nothing.

“No! Please, Darius! Wake up!” She smacks his face multiple times as he continues his stroll.

A muffled tune could be heard once more through her ear plugs as she eyes the ocean, four heads peeking from below as only their eyes are shown glaring at the crowd coming toward them.

“Fuck! Darius, wake up! Please!” She runs quickly to grab a random pair of ear plugs dropped from the others. She runs back to him, shoving them into his ears. Unfortunately, the melody is already pulling him in.

She runs to the edge as she blocks him from moving further, though he tries. She turns her body slightly to face the other sea creatures as all the other people climb over the trawler and hop into the water as they swim toward the predators.

“You already have enough, don’t take him goddamnit!” She shrieks. Her nails scrape against the paint as she holds on to the edge as he attempts to push her to the side.

The blonde watches the display as he observes her distressed state. He shakes the feeling of wanting to nurture her, guiding her into letting go of that useless human considering his restraints and her species. The scent gets the best of him as his tail tingles, moaning softly as his eyes roll into the back of his head, the fumes becoming overwhelming as a cold heat fills his body.

The four glare curiously as they ignore their incoming meal to watch the girl struggle. The one with black hair and blonde streaks tilts his head as he watches her actions. He disappears under the water as his yellow tail splashes the water. The other three ethereal beings use their nails and sharp teeth to shred the flesh of their victims.

“Darius, please wake up.” She cries, tears finally falling as he continues to struggle in her hold. The yellow tailed male peaks above the water closest to the trawler as he eyes Y/n.

She makes eye contact with his brown irises. He emerges from the water slightly.

“L-…let go. Too l-late.“ His soft voice struggles to speak English as the human language differs from the sea.

She gasps as she fully turns her body to face the male.

“No! I can-!” Darius shoves her to the side, almost knocking her over as he dives into the water.

“DARIUS!” She releases a blood curdling scream as she runs for him, only to be forced back by the merman jumping from the water and pushing her on her back as he falls on top of her. His tail fits in between her legs as his claws hold on to her wrists. She struggles under him as he uses his heavy body weight to hold her down. Goosebumps form on her body as the water drips onto her from all over, including his hair that drapes over both of them. The symbols embedded into his skin, black and prominent as she analyzes her situation.

“Get off of me! I need to save him!” She yells. He shakes his head as he inhales her scent, his grip tightening when the addictive fumes reach deep into his nostrils. Her eyes widen when his head drops to her shoulder, smearing the water against her neck. Rustling causes both to turn their heads toward the merman who they originally came to the trawler for. The man on top of her points to his restrained sibling.

She ignores him, peaking over his shoulder as the sound of screams and shredding could be heard, muffled through her ear plugs. She grits her teeth as all she could see was red covering the area, splashes here and there but no sign of any humanity. No sign of her brother.

She releases a strangled cry as the emotional pain takes its toll, realization creeping in as she finds it hard to accept her brother’s demise. Her head drops to the floor as her eyes shut tight, tears and snot mixing together as she weeps. The man on top stares in awe as the moisture falls from her eyes, gaining the knowledge of a human being able to express such heart wrenching emotions for another. He uses one hand to hold both wrists as he uses the other to trace the streak of tears. He eases his face lower as she sobs, slowly leaning in to lick the tears before a hiss sounds from the side, reminding him of why he’s here.

He pulls back, using his hand to gently smack her cheek to gain her attention, succeeding as she opens her lids.

“R-release?” He demands, though it comes out more softly as he knows she’s in a vulnerable state.

“Fine.” She whispers, voice hoarse as she sits up from her position. He shifts his body to allow her to stand up. The pink tailed man stares at her as she walks toward him. He observes her intently as she releases his restraints, including the cloth around his mouth causing her eyes to slightly widen as she notices the scars shaping his lips. She also notices the blood staining his wrists from when he cut himself. He sits up as they face each other. She yelps as she grabs his wrist by reflex when his hand wraps around her throat and pulls her in.

He inhales her scent deeply as he breathes heavily, revealing his sharp teeth as blood rushes to his face. She watches with concern, kneeling as he pulls her once more. His nose reaches the side of her neck as he takes in more air. It’s only in this instance that the feeling of danger comes back, as she is now alone on this boat with these man-eating creatures.

She removes his hand gently as he allows her to before standing back.

“I have to leave so everyone just needs to get off this boat so I can.” She sniffs, wiping her eyes as well as her nose. She hears a muffled shriek as she turns to the end of the boat where the other three mermen float. Her body tenses as she sees faint blood dripping from the corner of the black haired one’s mouth, his dark eyes boring into hers. Seemingly, at the same time the three men inhaled the air before the blonde and black haired man on the left opened his mouth, indicating his singing as she could hear a muffled hum through her ear plugs.

“No, you can’t eat me.” She growls, pointing to her ears as her eyes narrow. “Haven’t you had enough anyway?”

She eyes the faint colors of their tails, two of them being a matching purple while the middle blends in with the darkness of the ocean, a little darker indicating that it’s black. She turns on her heel as she begins to walk to the wheel, luckily having the knowledge of driving this kind of boat. After hearing the water swish, she hears footsteps behind her, she turns quickly, hoping it to be another human. Her breath hitches as her eyebrows raise when she sees the men climbing on the boat with their newfound scaly legs, a pale hue that matches with their individual tail colors, though shimmering as they walk. Her eyebrows furrow at the nakedness, quickly looking away as her face warms. To the side, she sees that the yellow and pink tailed men are now standing on their own pair of feet.

How could I forget that the most powerful of mermaids can shift their tails to walk on land? They’re also the same type to even use their voices as a weapon. They even have tattoos that symbolize their royalty! What did we get ourselves into?

She internally gulps as they all stand intimidatingly across from her. She looks around for any weapon near her, unfortunately one not in her eyesight whatsoever.

“Shit.” She whispers. All she could do is stand alert as she watches them, attempting to cover her evident fear as she eyes the murderous creatures standing in front of her.

She eyes them as she notices all inhaling intensely, furrowing her brows when she observes through her peripheral how their bare cocks erect the more they inhale. Besides the very light hue of their normal tail colors covering their erections, it looks human for the most part besides that and their size. Nothing too big but bigger than the average human.

She shrieks as the blonde and blue haired man and his black haired twin run full speed towards her, grabbing her arms before she had time to move. They hold her arms, long nails slightly piercing her skin as they grip her, all forcing themselves on the ground to kneel as they force her to sit on her bottom.

She breathes heavily as she watches the other three get closer. She struggles harder as she yanks her arms. One of the grips actually uses his claw to scratch her skin, splitting it slightly as he leans to her ear.

“Stop it!” The blonde and blue haired man hisses, giving her a painful squeeze as the blood drips down her arm. She yelps as she stops pulling.

“Big brother, what are we going to do with her?” The pink man asks, her eyebrows furrowing at the differing language that consists of croaks and low shrieks.

“Take those things out of her ears.” He answers. The black haired twin listens as he uses one hand to take out both ear plugs and throws them to the side, causing her to gasp.

“Get away from me!” She yells.

The short man walks forward before crouching in front of her, kneeling and crawling half way on to her body. His cold skin drips with water as it falls on her. He inhales her scent once more as his palm holds her cheek. She sits frozen in fear, not anticipating what comes out of his mouth.

“Mate.” He states in her language. Her eyes widen as she pulls back.

“N-no! Humans don’t have mates!” She exclaims.

“Mate.” She hears the others whisper.

“No, absolutely not!” She shakes her head, frowning at the creatures surrounding her.

“Sanzu, Kazutora, secure her legs.” They comply by grabbing her legs and pulling her to lie on her back as the other two secure her arms down.

“What are you doing?” She questions, anxious thoughts forming as the worst case scenarios appear. He climbs higher as his hair drapes over both of their faces. His dark eyes staring at her with intensity and determination.

“Mikey.” He says, wanting to hear his name from her lips. She pauses as she hears his words.

“Mikey, please get off of me! All of you, just go away! I want to go home!” She exclaims in frustration, wanting privacy and peace to mourn before having to contact their facility about the deaths.

“Home?” The older brother on the left asks, his purple eyes observing her as he points over to the ocean. “O-our, no…. y-your home.” He nods.

“No, no, no that is not my home! I am not your mate! I’m not anyone’s mate, I’m human!” She reasons, hoping to get that through their heads. She yells in pain when she feels a harsh scratch on her leg, blood oozing from the wound.

“Y-you are mate!” Sanzu hisses, his nail paused against the end of her wound with his other hand wrapped around her ankle. Kazutora grips her other leg tighter as a frown falls on his face to the rejection, his eyebrows furrowing. The twins glare at her as they also give her a warning squeeze, involving the tip of their nails. She breathes heavily as she tries to ignore the pain.

“N-no, I’m not! I can’t be because I’m -!” She’s cut off by cold lips smashing on hers, Mikey gripping her chin painfully as he roughly combines their lips. His other hand grabs her shoulder as his naked chest is pressed against her clothed breasts. His erection pressed in between her legs.

The two brothers above her bend their bodies to gain better access to her neck as they satisfy their taste buds. Nipping and sucking as they bruise her skin. Sanzu licks the blood of her wound, slowly savoring the taste. Kazutora purrs as he caresses her other leg, removing her shoe and sock, throwing them to the side. Sanzu does the same so he can smell more of her sweet flesh.

“Rin, let’s release the stimulant.” The oldest twin says. He nods his head as they both bare their sharp teeth, piercing her skin as they release the venom. She let out a scream as the pain was sudden and prominent.

“Oh, God!” She exclaims against Mikey’s lips as the feeling becomes unbearable, the throbbing in her neck reaching all over her body.

“Ah.” She breathes out as the feeling turns into an intense sensation, tingling and arousal surrounding her body as her nipples harden and clit gains a heartbeat. Wet slick forms, beginning the breeding process her body has been forced into. Her chest rises and lowers as she breathes deeply, her eyelids heavy as her body yearns to be bred.

“Fuck, n-no! L-let me go.” She whines, sobbing as her reproductive system takes over, her clit pounding as her hips slightly buck against Mikey’s erection. She shivers as they all smile in content, smelling her heat as her pheromones fill their nostrils, turning them on even more.

Rin rips her shirt open, revealing her bra as she yelps. Mikey grabs her hand from the other twin as he wraps his lips around her finger, slowly suckling as he sits himself on top of her torso, using his other hand to trace from her chest to her stomach, lightly scraping his nails against her skin. Both twins rip her bra apart, revealing her diamond hard nipples, her gasping at the cold air hitting her breasts.

She begins to struggle against their holds, only to regret it as Mikey pulls her finger out and chomps on her hand as a warning, drawing blood. She cries out, tears falling as her mind conflicted with the sensations all over her body. He returns to suckling her fingers and tracing her skin, licking the blood up as well. The twins move to grab her breasts as both use their tongues to lick her nubs, Rin roughly pulling and nibbling her as his brother gently sucks and kisses her other. She could only breathe heavily as they continued their assault.

Kazutora and Sanzu tore her pants, spreading her legs as far as they could while gripping her thighs with one hand. Both men position their heads between her legs before using a claw to slice her panties off, leaving her wet and bare for them to see. Her head falls back as her clit throbs, anticipating contact but only bucking her hips against the air.

Kazutora leans in as he gives a slow and light kiss on her clit, her twitching at the contact. She bites her lip to remain in control, not moaning out or begging for more. Sanzu retracts his nails to a normal size, using his finger to scrape her juices and wrap his lips around his own finger, quietly moaning as her taste reaches his tongue. Kazutora takes her whole clit in his mouth, sucking her clit as he bobs his head slowly.

“Oh my god.” She whispers, the sensations becoming overwhelming as she feels Sanzu gathering more slick and entering a finger into her vagina. Mikey takes the opportunity to lick all around her hand and wraps her fingers around his cock. She attempts to pull back but his hold is tighter.

“P-please? N-need it.” He says softly. Although she’s almost blinded by pleasure, she wants to end everything as fast as possible. She begins to move her hand up and down at a steady pace. He moans as he thrusts back into her hand.

“Feels good, Mikey?” He teases.

“Shut up, Ran.” He whispers as his head falls back, thrusting a little harder as his cock pulsates. He grabs her wrist to balance himself. Her head is pulled to the side as the blonde and blue haired man eases the head of his cock to her mouth. She shakes her head and attempts to turn away. He keeps his hold on her head as he grabs her nipple roughly.

“B-bite off.” He growls, threatening her as his cock throbs in her face. He releases her nipple when she nods and opens her mouth. He shoves his erection all the way to the back of her throat. He grunts as he pulls back and enters again. She whimpers around his cock as she feels two fingers hitting her g spot as a tongue flicks her clit. She grinds her hips subconsciously, seeking more as they continue to stimulate her.

Both Rin and Mikey moan as they thrust into her, eyes rolling in the back of their heads as their hair flops against their back. Ran reaches for his own cock as he plays with her nipples.

Suddenly, an idea popping into his head, he restrains his thrusts as he gives her hand to Ran. He positions his cock between her breasts and squeezes them together. Mikey thrusts her chest as he purrs. Ran takes the opportunity to wrap her fingers around his cock, essentially the same idea with Mikey a minute ago.

Kazutora and Sanzu stop their motions, their dicks tense and in need of assistance, dripping as they throb.

“Guys, readjust so I can get behind her.”

They ignore him until he lets out an ear piercing shriek, causing her to groan in pain for her ears. This gets everyone’s attention so he repeats himself. Everyone readjusts so that he she lies on top of him, her ass rubbing against his abdomen.

Mikey stays sitting on top of her in the same position and fits his cock back in between her breasts. Sanzu sits behind Mikey, positioning his cock to her entrance. Rin reconnects his erection with her mouth as well as Ran using her hand.

She cries out when Kazutora and Sanzu shove their cocks inside of her until they reach the end of her walls, deeply stuffing themselves inside of her slowly. Kazutora grips her hips as Sanzu grips her legs. Both men pull back as they slam back in, the slick coming from their cocks moisturizing her up enough to enter, besides her own slick.

She grunts loudly as they fill her up, her body being used every which way as her nipples are pinched occasionally. The men’s beautiful moans echo in the middle of the ocean, enticing her as she feels nothing but intense pleasure. The wet squelching sounds of their cocks connecting with her skin accelerate as they move faster.

Her own walls tighten around Kazutora and Sanzu’s cocks, pulling them in as they push, sinking deeper into her as Sanzu hits her cervix. The feeling of her body bouncing with movement was enough to send her over the edge as her body is very sensitive from the stimulant.

“Mm, s’ fucking good.” Kazutora whispers as he takes her ear into his mouth. His grip tightening, leaving indents in her skin. His thrusts are steady and hard as her asshole grips him.

Mikey breathes hard as slight moans draw from his lips occasionally, almost slamming his cock against her chin as he relentlessly thrusts his hips. Sanzu moans as he leaned over her lower body, thrusting hard as he bites his bottom lip.

“Good fucking girl. So fucking good for me.” Rin’s head falls back as he fucks her mouth. He holds her head in place with both hands as he rises closer and closer. Ran releases breathy moans as his jaw falls slightly open, gripping her wrist tightly as he gets close.

She moans loudly as she releases, the men following behind as Sanzu and Kazutora cum deep inside her, semen falling out of her holes as there was too much to fit all of it. Mikey’s cum reaches her chin and chest as Ran hits the side of her head. Rin cums in her throat, forcing her to stay in the same place.

After taking a moment to breathe, everyone removes themself as she lies there with tears in her eyes, worn out as she breathes heavily.

“We should change her now and then breed her when we’re home.” Ran states, leaning back against his arms as he sits on the ground.

“No, we should mate her and then change her.” Rin argues.

“No, sex now and then we mate her. I want to breed her.” Mikey pouts.

They continue their argument, Kazutora and Sanzu joining in as Y/n watches the brothers argue weakly.

“How about we mate her, breed and then change her.”

“It wouldn’t make sense to breed her up here.”

“Fine, let’s mate, change her and then finish breeding.”

She would’ve used this opportunity to escape if the stimulant hadn’t weakened her body. She can barely shift on her own comfortably. A hand rubs her forehead as it caresses her cheek. Tears fall as she mourns her brother, coworkers, and life before this moment. She couldn’t even fight as she lay in despair, awaiting her fate to live in the ocean and be tied to these creatures forever.

[thefallennightmare]

Fika-Joakim 'Jolly' Karlsson: 1/2

*made by @madomens. check her out!*

*gif created by me. feel free to use, simply give credit*

Pairings: Joakim 'Jolly' Karlsson x OFC.

Warnings: some angst, swearing, lots of fluff, smut, mentions of death.

Summary: To appease her dying father’s wishes, Astrid takes over the family coffee shop: Fïka. Plans to restore it to its former glory: setting her dreams and ambitions aside- that is until she meets an unexpected stranger. This very stranger changes the trajectory of her life.

Authors Note: Ok what originally was a 26k word one shot is now a two parter! I have the link to part two at the bottom of this one! Enjoy my lovelies. I hope you all enjoy my first time writing Jolly. Oh, make sure you all pay attention closely to this 😏 It took me a month to write this btw.

Tags: @thescarlettvvitch @sammyjoeee @somewhere-diamond @concreteemo @ladispo0p @to-be-written @lilmonster218 @whenthesummerdies @lizzieseveride @blackveilomens @malice-ov-mercy @lma1986 @klutzy-kay24 @baddestomens @cncohshit @jilliemiw86 @cookiesupplier

ASTRID

“Son of a bitch,” I grumbled while struggling to carry the large and heavy box from the stockroom up to the front area of the cafe. 

Another curse fell from my lips as I nearly tripped over the discarded and broken coffee machine that I seemed to have forgotten was lying on the floor. Then when I walked past the break room where two of my employees were enjoying their break, one of them waved me over. 

“Yes?” I grunted while pausing for a moment, still carrying the large box. 

“The turbo oven is doing that thing again where it either burns the food or doesn't cook it at all,” Jessica said with a frown. “Any idea when the new one is supposed to come in?” 

I nodded towards the box. “Two steps ahead of you.” 

As I went to push myself through the door that encased the back of the cafe from the front, my other employee, Sean, yelled after me. 

“The front door is getting stuck again! Can you WD20 it again?!” 

“IT’S WD40!” I yelled back. 

Pushing my way through the door, I felt the box beginning to slip between my sweaty fingers and I quickly walked over to the front counter, letting it fall onto it with a loud thud. 

Curious eyes from the few customers landed on me and I smiled sheepishly while shrugging. “Sorry.” 

“Uh, Astrid?” 

Whirling around, I brushed away strands of my white hair to see another one of my employees standing in front of me with an apologetic face. 

“Oh no,” I shook my head. “What’s broken now?” 

“The sink in the restroom is slow to drain and we’re running low on cold foam,” Tori said with her hands behind her back. 

“Low? How?! We’ve only been open a week and that stock was supposed to last us at least three!” I exclaimed with a high squeaky voice; one that only showed when I was stressed. 

“Sean doesn't understand the measurements,” Tori sighed. “I’ve gone over the sheet with him like four times but he still doesn’t get it.” 

Running my hands over my face, I let out a deep and calming breath, which seemed to help until the front door rattled before being thrown open, almost smacking against the black brick. 

“Jeez, you should really get this door checked out.”

Whirling around on my heels with a low scowl, I was ready to lay into this person because frankly, it was one thing after the other and I’ve fucking had it. But when I took in the appearance of these two guys, I quickly shook my head, heart dropping into my stomach. 

“You guys aren’t supposed to be here until after closing!” 

There’s that high-pitched voice again. 

“Yeah well,” the guy carrying a bucket and paintbrush shrugged. “We finished our other job early so we thought we could get started here.” 

I hired this local paint company to paint the tallest wall inside the cafe only because I didn’t have a tall enough ladder to reach the highest point. I painted everything else but didn’t want to bother with this one; it was right in the middle of the cafe lobby. 

“No, that’s not going to work,” I walked around the counter so I could stand face-to-face with this guy. “I have customers and I can’t have you paint while they’re in here.” 

“Listen, lady, all due respect-.” 

I craned my neck to the side and let out a low hiss. “I fucking hate when people say that.” 

The two painters shared a look before the one who seemed to be in charge raised a brow. “What?” 

“Typically when people say all due respect, it’s rarely followed by a respectful remark,” I said with my arms crossed. 

“Did you want us to paint this wall or not?” The guy who had been silent spoke. 

I snapped my eyes over to him. “Do you want my money or not?” 

That seemed to have shut both of them up but my hands were still shaking as my heart was hammering hard in my chest. Ever since we opened this morning, it seemed like it was problem after problem. 

Why the fuck did I agree to take over this place? 

Because it was your father's cafe and his father’s before him. You promised you’d take care of it when he passed.  

Running a tattooed hand through my long hair, I let out a deep breath. “I closed at nine. Can you come back then?” 

The one painter shook his head. “Nope. We don’t work that late.” 

Glancing at my watch, I noticed that it was barely one in the afternoon, and with less than eight hours left, I had to make a decision quickly. 

Biting the inside of my cheek, I eventually nodded. “Fine, you can start now. But please, be respectful of my customers.” 

There were only three customers in here currently, a total of six since we opened at nine a.m., but I didn’t dare let them know. 

Leaving them to do their work, I let the heels of my combat boots thud against the aging wood floors as I walked back behind the counter to go over the mental checklist of my list. 

Unclog the bathroom sink.

Order more cold foam. 

Personally show Sean the correct measurements. 

WD40 the front door. 

Set up the new turbo oven. 

Quickly tying my hair into a braid, I set to work on the list. Had I known the amount of work and updating this cafe needed before I took it over from my father, I would have said no. I was twenty-five years old and had the rest of my life ahead of me, I didn’t want to be stuck trying to keep this place above water. 

Fika first opened sixty years ago when my grandparents came to the United States for an opportunity for a better life. From day one it was a music-themed cafe where they had live music nights every Friday. It succeeded well after they left it to my father when they retired. He hated the live music nights so as soon as he took over, he axed that idea. 

However, when my father got sick about five years ago, that’s when everything went to shit. 

I grew up inside of these walls and saw the stress it brought on my parents until they divorced when I was twelve. My mother wanted nothing to do with this place, claiming it was cursed, so she left. 

My father did his best to raise me solo while trying to run this cafe full-time. I would help out when I could; be here in the morning before school then here right away after school until closing. I would sit in the corner booth in front of the window to do my homework in between bussing tables. It was like that every day until I turned eighteen and went off to college. 

But any weekend I could, I’d be right back here to help my father out. Then when he got sick five years ago, I dropped out of college so I could stay home full-time to take care of him. He was in this place every single day until the day he died a few months ago. It didn’t make a lot of money the last few years so not only did he leave me the cafe, he also left me all of the debt. I wasn’t drowning in it, I still have a decent amount in savings to at least update it but not enough to create a living. 

So that was why I had put the word out that it was for sale if anyone wanted to purchase it. I needed the money to pay off my father's debts and at least survive the next few years until I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. 

With a groan, I stood slowly from my crouched position as I finished fixing the front door and smiled in victory when it didn’t stick. It was after three in the afternoon and peering over my shoulder, I noticed that the painters were finishing up the now black wall and I had to admit, I felt giddy when I saw my vision slowly coming to life. 

I had a red neon sign that read Fika and I planned on hanging it up on that wall and then hanging a bunch of different guitars around it; my grandfather’s favorite on full display. 

Yes, I did have plans to eventually sell the cafe but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy getting it to where I envisioned it.  

Wiping my hands on the back of my black jeans, I set to work on reading the manual for the new turbo oven, wanting to make sure that I understood every aspect of it to show my employees. 

“Hi! Welcome to Fika!”

Jessica’s cheery voice greeted a new customer who stepped inside, the little bell that hung above the door ringing. It was a special bell, my grandparents brought it with them when they moved here. It hung up in that same spot for the last sixty years and I planned on taking it with me if this place ever sold. 

I paid no mind as I focused on now setting up the turbo oven in its new spot on the back counter. 

“Uh, Astrid?” 

My shoulders slumped at hearing Jessica’s wavering voice from behind me. I didn’t bother turning around; not yet. Maybe it was a simple fix that she could handle on her own. 

“Yes?” I answered while wiping down the new oven. 

“The credit card machine isn’t working,” Jessica now stood in the side of my vision so I had no choice but to turn towards her. 

“I swear if my hair wasn’t already white, the stress of today would have given me gray hairs,” I joked with a faint smile as I turned toward the register. 

My eyes were cast downward to the small white credit card machine, not bothering to gaze up at the customer. 

“It’s working fine,” I showed Jessica. “You just have to remember to type in the total before hitting payment.” 

“OH! Makes sense,” she squeezed my arm. “Sorry.” 

I waved her off. “It’s fine. It’s a new machine so it will take some getting used to. I’ll ring him up if you want to start on his order?” 

With a nod, Jessica scurried off to make the drink as I finally gave the person on the other side of the counter my attention. 

“Hi, it’ll be $3.25.” 

However, my breath caught in my throat at the sight of the man in front of me. Dark amber eyes shined back at me, long strands of even darker hair cast around his face, and his pink, plump lips curled up into a faint smile. The facial hair that encased around those lips made my stomach twinge in the best way and when I caught sight of the small nose ring, I nearly fell to my knees. 

It wasn’t until I saw the black card in front of my face that I snapped out of my ogling and took it with a blush covering my cheeks. 

Ringing him up, I handed back his card with a slight waver in my hand but ended up dropping it on the counter before he had the chance to grab it. 

“Shit,” I cursed as I went to reach for it but ended up knocking over the small tip jar, coins spilling over the counter. 

“Fucking perfect!” I groaned while throwing my head back. 

Could this day get any worse?

An older couple that was sitting on the stools at the bar a few spaces down from me gave me an ice-cold glare. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to curse,” I apologized with a fake smile. 

Even though I never watched my mouth around anyone, I couldn’t risk scaring off customers because of my vulgar words. 

I made fast work of picking up the spilled change and placed it back in the jar before looking up at the man through my lashes. 

“That will be up soon,” I cleared my throat. 

The man smiled, his dark eyes drinking in every inch of my face. “Thank you.” 

Oh fuck. 

Those two words alone made my cheeks deepen even more in a shade of crimson because there was a hint of an accent to them. I couldn’t place it but it sounded heavenly to my ears. 

Turning swiftly on my heels, I scurried to the back, not wanting to embarrass myself in front of him anymore. 

About an hour later after catching up on all the office work I had, I ventured back up to the front of the cafe when I was told the painters had finished and were waiting for a check. 

“We’re all finished, ma’am,” the older painter said with a thin-lined smile. 

My own matched his when I handed him the check. “Thank you. It looks great.” 

He went to leave but slowly turned around. “Fika? What does that mean?” 

I broke out into a genuine smile when the memory of my grandma telling me why she named this place came creeping into my mind. 

“It's Swedish. It essentially means coffee break,” I answered while pulling my black cardigan closer to me. 

As the painters left, I turned to my right to look up at the freshly painted wall and kept smiling. 

“Looks good.” 

Looking over my shoulder, I nodded to Tori. “I’m just glad they managed to stay out of customers' way.” 

“Speaking of customers,” Tori smirked while pulling me closer; she was fresh out of high school and any chance she had to gossip about something, she took it. 

“That guy in the far booth hasn’t stopped staring at you since you walked out here,” Tori whispered low in my ear. 

I raised a brow. “Who?” 

She rolled her eyes, the color matching the blue apron she wore, and turned my chin to face behind me where I saw the man from earlier, perched in the corner booth; exactly like she said. 

He had a laptop on the table in front of him and a notebook next to it; the pen scratching quickly against the paper. As if he felt me staring, his eyes bounced up from the notebook to land on my face. Our eyes locked in such an intense battle of who would look away first but neither of us gave up yet. With the way he was watching me, it brought a heat to my insides and I swallowed thickly, my mouth suddenly running dry. 

“You should go talk to him,” Tori pushed me a little his way. 

I dug my heels into the ground. “You should get back to work.” 

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” she giggled while throwing a hand over her shoulder as she turned to head back to the counter. 

With one final glance over to the man in the corner booth, I bit my lip when I realized he was still watching me with curiosity in his eyes. I felt this unknown pull in my heart, dragging me over to him, and as my foot took one step in his direction, Sean’s voice called from the back. 

“UH, ASTRID! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!” 

Son of a bitch. 

ASTRID

“Wait-what do you mean delay? I was told the sign would be here last Friday,” I groaned into my phone. 

“I’m sorry, miss, but with all the shipping delays it might be another week until you receive what you ordered.” The sales rep said. 

I pinched my eyes shut and sighed. “I need that sign. It was for the outside of my cafe, right now I have a dingy one that has been here since my grandparents opened and the ‘A’ is barely hanging on so now all it says is FIK so imagine my horror when people keep saying “Oh my, fik is a terrible name, dear.” 

I was rambling on to this complete stranger on the phone because of my stress and nerves. When I first took over the cafe a few months ago, the outdoor sign was old and broken so I ordered a new one but I had hopes that it’d be here before I reopened. 

Wrong. 

“I don’t know what else to tell you. We’re hoping to have it for you by the end of the month.” 

“THE MONTH?!” I nearly screeched as I came to a halt in the middle of the cafe lobby; curious eyes landing on me. 

Sean furrowed his brows while making a drink. Waving him off, I turned my attention back to my phone. “Is there any way you could put a rush order on it? Please.” 

“No,” the sales rep deadpanned. 

“Gee thanks,” I grumbled before hanging up the phone, stuffing it angrily into the pocket of my olive green jumpsuit. 

Running both hands through the long strands of my hair while I muttered a few curses. It seemed as if the last week had continued problem after problem. 

The sink in the bathroom ended up having to be replaced. 

Torri accidentally dropped a stack of brand-new coffee mugs, breaking all of them, so I still need to go out and buy some more. 

The new employee I hired last week didn’t show up for their third shift this morning, meaning we were down a person. When I texted them, they never responded. 

There was a family of raccoons living next to the dumpster outside. Sean wanted me to call animal control but I immediately declined. They weren’t hurting or bothering anyone so they could live there. 

“What are we, a wildlife rehab?” Sean asked with disbelief. 

I raised a brow while crossing my arms. “Sean, are you afraid of a couple of raccoons?” 

He scoffed. “Please. Those things just eat trash and cause havoc.” 

“Well, they’re staying. If anyone doesn't like it, they can come to me with their complaints,” I pointed my finger playfully at my employees.

With a sigh, I busied myself for the next little while cleaning up tables, talking with guests, and helping out my employees with anything they needed. I was a hands-on owner and boss, always helping when I could. Anything to make their lives and jobs easier. 

Every so often, when I mingled with the guests, I let my gaze drift to the empty corner booth; where the mystery man sat every day for the last four days. He never came at the same time but when he did show up, I managed to always be busy with front-of-house things or stuck in my office. But when I wasn't in my office, our eyes would catch every so often. However, it was my nerves that stopped me from going to ask him if he needed anything else or to strike up a conversation with him. 

Flirting in general was easy for me but with this man, his dark yet bright eyes locked me into place with a swollen tongue every time his gaze struck me. 

“Astrid, my dear!” 

Pausing from refilling the straws, I glanced at the open door and smiled at one of Fika’s regulars from when my father owned it; an older man named Phillip. 

“Hi, Phillip. How are you?” I helped guide him to a table against the black-painted wall; still empty. 

I haven't had time to hang up the variety of guitars that were slowly overtaking my office. 

“Fine, fine,” he patted my hand as I slowly helped him into the seat. “Just here for my usual honey tea with-.” 

“One piece of lemon so you can squeeze it yourself and two cannolis,” I finished for him with a nod. “Coming right up Phillip.” 

Turning on my heels, I peered over to the counter ready to tell Tori about the order but raised a brow when I noticed no one standing behind it. Glazing at the clock on the opposite wall, I cursed when I remembered that Tori’s break was now and Sean was busy watching a safety training video in the break room. 

As the door above the bell rang, indicating a new customer, I glanced down at Phillip while tapping the table. “Give me a bit and I’ll hand deliver it myself.” 

He paused reading the newspaper to give me a warm smile. “Of course, dear.” 

“I’ll be right with you,” I then called to the tall man standing at the counter but froze when our eyes met. 

His usual long hair was pulled back into a low bun, showcasing the hardness of his jaw, and I absentmindedly licked my lips. He wore a simple gray hoodie and black jeans but something about this casual outfit made my stomach flip. Since his hair was pulled back I was able to see the small piercing in his left ear. 

“Take all the time you need. I’m in no rush,” the mystery man smiled while holding onto the strap of his bag; the same bag that he brought in every day. 

I’ve come to notice that it held his notebook and laptop, with the occasional book he brought out to read every so often. 

“Th-thanks,” I stuttered while rushing behind the counter to get started on Phillip’s order. 

As I was pouring the tea into the cup, the phone from the cafe rang and I quickly answered. 

“Thank you for calling Fika. This is Astrid.” 

“Astrid!” The cheery and younger voice ran in my ear. “It’s Laura. I’m bringing in my study group, we’re a party of seven so I wanted to give you a heads up in case you didn't have the space.” 

Glancing up to the farthest corner of the cafe, secluded away from the rest, the two long sage-green couches were currently empty. 

“The loft is already booked for a private event for tonight but your usual spot is open. I’ll reserve it for you guys. Thanks for the heads up, Laura! I appreciate it.” 

“Oh please, Astrid. You’ve done so much fueling our late-night college study sessions. We’ll see you in a bit!” 

Hanging up the phone, I placed it on the counter while grabbing the tea mug in one hand and the two cannolis and slice of lemon in the other. As I passed by the tall mystery man, I gave him my best smile. 

“I’m sorry for the wait.”

He peered up from his phone. “No need to apologize. I’m very patient.” 

Ignoring the way my skin pricked and burned at the accent in his voice, I gently set down Phillip’s order with shaky hands. 

“Oh, why so nervous, dear?” Phillip commented. 

I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “No reason. Enjoy.” 

Before I could leave, he gently grasped my elbow. “Oh, I’ve been meaning to tell you. I’m sorry to hear about your father.” 

My body went rigid at the mention of my father. It was rare that a customer would bring him up because they were all new so there was no need to talk about my father which I’d been thankful for since it was still raw. The occasional regulars, like Phillip, were the ones that did. 

I swallowed thickly. “Uh, thank you. We knew for a while how sick he was but still, it was a shock.” 

“And you were the one that found him?” 

Out of the corner of my eye, the mystery man turned his head briefly my way but I kept my attention on Phillip doing my best not to let the tears win. 

“Enjoy your tea, Phillip. Let me know if you need anything else.” 

I tapped his shoulder while making my way over to the two couches in the far back of the cafe and flipped over the RESERVED sign then made my way back to the register. 

“Thanks for waiting,” I smiled up to the mystery man. “What can I get you?” 

“Black coffee with two scoops of sugar, please.” He smiled while handing me his black credit card. 

“Any sweets?” I teased, already knowing his order. 

According to Jessica and Tori, every time he came in he ordered the same thing. 

Black coffee with two scoops of sugar. 

They tried to upsell him into something different or add a sweet for his side, but every time he politely declined. 

The man’s eyes sparked as he looked at me and just as I was about to prepare myself for giving him the total, he surprised me. 

He hummed low. “What do you recommend?” 

Tapping my fingers against the edge of the counter I peered at the display case of all the homemade desserts I baked this morning. 

“Depends. What do you like?” I asked, giving him a small smile. 

I didn’t miss the way his eyes ghosted over my entire form, lingering on my tattoos. First, flowers and a crescent moon chest piece that was visible thanks to my thin straps and the low cut of my jumpsuit. Then he looked at the tattoo on my left forearm. It was of four crows flying away with their feathers falling. Then to the sleeve on my right arm, I called my Witch arm; it had different witch theme designs. 

When I scratched my cheek, I noticed the way he tracked every movement of it, seeing the Medusa head I had tattooed on the back of my hand. I had more tattoos that were hidden underneath my clothes but the thought of him stripping me to trace over them with his tongue made my face burn and I shifted on my feet. 

Finally, he shrugged. “Surprise me.” 

Pursing my lips, I grabbed a plate and the tongs, deciding on two small pieces of my grandma’s famous Kanelbullar. She passed down the recipe to me in hopes I would continue to sell them at the cafe. 

“These are a huge hit with everyone. My grandma’s recipe,” I said while handing him the plate. 

“Oh?” The man raised a brow as he looked down at the plate on the counter. 

Suddenly my palms began to sweat as he assessed the dessert. “They’re called kanelbullar; a famous Swedish desert. Otherwise known as cinnamon buns. Some people are turned off by it at first because of how it looks but I promise, they’re delicious. I made them myself this morning. All of these desserts are made fresh every morning. ” 

Now the man was smirking. “Swedish, huh?” 

I nodded. “My grandparents were born in Sweden and moved here to start their dream of opening Fika. When they retired, they moved back.” 

“Are you Swedish?” 

I cringed. “Fifty percent but don’t ask me to speak it because I’ll butcher it.” 

“How much?” He asked with a laugh while pointing to the plate. 

I waved him off while ringing his total up on the credit card machine. “I’ll charge you just for the coffee, in case you don’t like the kanelbullar. But, it’s a one-time thing.” 

I playfully pointed a finger at him, one he chuckled at before taking his card back. 

“That’s very sweet of you, thank you,” he gave me a smile that made me weak in the knees. 

Clearing my throat, I brushed a strand of hair from my eyes and reached for a cardboard cup. “Can I have a name for the order?” 

“Joakim.” 

I paused mid-writing. “Uh, do you mind spelling it? I don’t want to be the kind of a barista that messes up people's names.” 

“You can call me Jolly,” he chuckled.

“See,” I pointed the marker at him. “That I can spell. Joakim is an interesting name though.” 

I began pouring the coffee into his cup but nearly spilled it when his next words shocked me. 

“It’s Swedish.” 

“Wait,” I set down the pot and cup before turning back to him. “Are you telling me you let me ramble on about a Swedish dessert when you fully knew what it was?” 

The man, Jolly, was full-on grinning now as he popped one of the kanelbullars in his mouth, licking off the sticky cinnamon syrup. I had to force myself to bite back a moan at the sight. 

“Du var söt så jag sa inget,” Jolly said, then took a drink of his coffee when I handed it to him. 

With my furrowed brows of confusion, he chuckled. “You have no idea what I’m saying do you?” 

“Not a fucking thing,” I giggled while scrunching my nose. “I was born here in California and my grandma only taught me the basics but those are long forgotten.”

“How long have you owned the place?” He wondered. 

I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “A few months now but I only recently reopened. When I took it over after my father, it needed a lot of upgrades and fixes. Which it still does. But I plan on selling it once it is ready.” 

Jolly raised a brow. “You’re going to sell?” 

“Uh, yeah,” I rubbed my elbow nervously. “Owning this place was never my endgame. It’s been in the family for years, yes, but the potential of the money if I sell would help out a lot.” 

Tears gathered in the corner of my hazel eyes when I knew deep down the real reason why I wanted to sell; it reminded me too much of my father. 

“You’ve created a nice place here,” he admitted while looking around at the place. “The plants add a nice touch.” 

I had a variety of different plants littered all over the place as a way to bring life and color into the dull lighting.  

I hummed. “Here I thought it was the coffee that brought you in every day.” 

“Oh, it is, however, I’m more into the barista who made it today,” Jolly winked. 

My cheeks burned all the way to the tops of my ears. “Oh, well. That’s very sweet of you.” 

With the cup in one hand and plate in the other, Jolly winked. “Thank you, Astrid. I’ll be coming back for a refill.” 

“I’ll be here to help with that,” I rushed out a bit fast and mentally cursed myself for sounding desperate. 

But then I realized he said my name and the way it sounded on his lips made my core itch with desire. 

“You know my name?” I asked while twirling my fingers. 

“I’ve heard it quite a lot the last week from your employees needing something,” he joked. 

I playfully rolled my eyes while making a new batch of black coffee so he could have the fresh stuff when he needed it. “I love them. It’s not their fault this place is old and falling apart.

Jolly sat in his typical booth that was near the ride side of the counter, in front of the window. “Do you know the meaning behind your name?” 

“I know it’s Swedish,” I answered with a shrug.

He nodded. “It means divinely beautiful.” 

Now my entire body was inflamed with how Jolly was staring at me, his dark eyes devouring me, but before I could respond, Sean and Tori emerged from the back. 

“Alright, boss. Where do you want us?” Tori clapped her hands. 

Her break was over and Sean must have finished his training video. 

“Tori, you’re working the private party. They should be here by 3 so can you make sure everything in the loft is set up?” I asked. 

She nodded with a wide smile. “Of course. Who’s it this time?” 

When I took over Fika, I noticed there was this huge, unused space upstairs that I could use for either extra seating if we got too busy or for private events. Tonight, there was a local book club that rented out the space. 

“LA’s Book Ladies.” 

“Again? Weren’t they here last week?” Sean asked. 

Nodding, I handed Tori the box of supplies she would need to set up the loft before ushering her away. “They're interested in renting out the space every Thursday for their book club.” 

The bell above the door indicated a new group of customers; Laura’s study group. 

I motioned Sean over to them. “Jessica will be here in five minutes. She can help you prepare their order once you take it.” 

Once Sean scurried over towards the group, I darted my gaze over to where Jolly was sitting, noticing that he had headphones on as he worked on his laptop, the plate empty. 

Before I could bring him another round of coffee and kanelbullars, my phone rang and I immediately recognized the number. 

“Hi, mormor,” I smiled into the phone. 

“Min älskling,” my grandmother’s old, frail voice made me smile even wider. “How are things?” 

With the sudden commotion from the study group settling in, I decided to take the rest of my phone call in my office.

JOLLY

“Son of a fucking bitch!” 

Snapping my eyes up from my phone, I watched Astrid with a small smile as she stepped onto the small ladder to hang up a guitar, only to be a few inches short. She’d been working on hanging up guitars on the black wall for the last ten minutes, something I watched with intent and curious eyes. 

It had been a few days since our first conversation and since then, we shared stolen glances anytime I was here and she was working up front. We talked when she wasn’t busy but it always pertained to the same topic. 

“How's your coffee?” 

“Would you like a refill?”

Astrid did try to deter me from my usual order but I always stayed the same. 

Black coffee with two scoops of sugar. I did, however, let her decide on my sweets. Today it was something simple; baklava. 

Another thing she baked herself. 

When Astrid slid over the coffee to me this morning, I curled a brow at the mug she had given me. She merely shrugged with a coy smile before busying herself with going about and watering all the plants in the cafe. 

I snicked while grabbing the white mug that had ‘Jolly’ written across it and sat in my usual booth in front of the large window. The green velvet of the bench seat and the oak wood of the table I sat at became a sense of familiarity. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I marveled at how her ice-white hair was pulled back into a tight bun, showcasing her defined cheekbones and bright hazel eyes. Astrid’s leg was exposed due to the long slit in her long black skirt and I caught a glimpse of the tattoo on her shin; a moth, a rose, and a half-crescent moon. She was covered in tattoos and I couldn’t ignore the voice in my head that begged me to find out if she had any other ones hidden. 

When I was walking downtown a few weeks ago and saw the opening soon sign on the battered door of Fika, I was curious about who was taking over. I used to stop in every once in a while when Astrid’s father ran the place but ever since my life and work schedule with Bad Omens took off, I came in less and less. 

But that day when I saw Astrid’s faint figure covered in a type of green paint as she painted the walls, I was transfixed. The vision of her took my breath away and I stopped to watch her for a few seconds. The few times I stopped in when her father owned the cafe, I never noticed her. So when I heard that she was the one taking over, I decided to make more of an effort to stop in when I could, however, I never expected I’d be here every other day. 

Noah called me out last week about how often I came here and told me not to “fall in love”. I had no intention to, not wanting to get into a relationship with how often I was gone on the road, but the second my eyes met with hers, I knew Astrid would consume every part of me. 

“I chose the wrong day to wear my fucking vans.” 

Shaking from my thoughts, I peered over to Astrid as she now stood on the tips of her toes to try and hang up a guitar on one of the highest hooks. 

“Need some help?” I asked while rising to my feet. 

She was only a few feet away from where I’d been sitting. 

“Oh, no, Jolly. I don’t want to bother you,” Astrid said, waving me off. 

I shrugged while brushing the hair away from my face; opting to leave it down today. 

“I mean this is the nicest way possible Astrid, but you’re shorter than me. I could reach that hook with ease,” I informed. 

She playfully gawked with a hand over her heart, the other clutching the guitar. “My, I thought you were one of the sweeter ones.” 

I chuckled and motioned her to step off the ladder. “Get off of there before you hurt yourself.” 

“I’ll have you know,” she came down the three-rung ladder, “I did every single update in this place. Without hurting myself.” 

I took the guitar from her with a raised brow. “Are you sure about that?” 

Astrid rolled her eyes. “Okay, maybe I tripped over a bucket of paint and cut my finger while setting up the new coffee machine but that’s it.” 

“For now,” I joked while taking a tentative step toward her. 

“Oh, someone thinks they’re funny today,” she crossed her arms but the smile on her blood-red lips told me she was loving our banter. 

With mere inches between us, Astrid peered up at me through her long lashes and swallowed thickly. 

“Well, I must say. You are taller than me,” her voice was quiet but yet loud enough just for me to hear. 

My fingers itched with the want to brush away the loose strand of hair that hung in her eyes. When her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip, I internally groaned at how seductive that simple action was and I almost had to force myself to take a step away from her. One of my hands was still holding onto the guitar, and the other was hanging to my side, so close to Astrid’s that I could feel the heat radiating off of her. Our eyes were locked with each other, my dark ones paled in comparison to her bright hazel ones. They burned deep into my soul, in the best way, and I found myself swimming in their depths. I was hypnotized by her gaze that I didn’t realize our fingers brushed against one another, sparks shooting through my entire essence with the simple touch of her skin on mine. 

“How many do you have left to hang up?” I cleared my throat, breaking the sudden sexual tension, and held up the guitar. 

“Uh,” Astrid blinked. “Just two more. I have to run to the back to grab the last one.” 

With a nod, I let her run off to grab the last guitar as I took the two steps up the step ladder, hanging up the guitar I had on its designated hook. Once back on my feet, I took a few steps back to admire how the guitar wall looked. The bright red, neon FIKA sign was in the middle with one unused hook underneath it. 

“Here we go!” Astrid smiled as she came back to the front of the cafe. “Please be careful with this one. It’s an old one and means a lot.” 

For once, she didn’t have my full attention. It was on the guitar in her hand. 

A blue Teisco Del Rey ET-312. Otherwise known as a sharkfin guitar. Something I made known. 

“You know guitars, huh?” she asked as I gently took it from her. 

“Yeah, I know a thing or two,” I kept my answer simple, not wanting to give too much about me away. It was clear she had no idea who I was outside of the cafe and I wanted to keep it like that for a little while longer. 

As I gazed down at it, Astrid told me the story behind it. 

“It was my grandfather's. He absolutely loved playing it when he wasn’t spending all of his time here. I remember he let me play it one Christmas when I was 7. I was terrible and my parents vowed to never put me into any lessons to save their ears,” she ended her story with a light chuckle. 

“He didn’t take it back with him when they moved back to Sweden?” I asked, remembering she told me her grandparents moved back a few years ago. 

“Nope. He gave it to me. I’m not sure why, though. I never learned to play. Hopefully, he won’t be so mad that I decided to hang it up.” 

Ever so carefully, I went back up the step ladder and placed it on its hook. It wasn’t until I was standing next to Astrid again that I gave her a wicked smile. 

“This looks pretty badass, Astrid. I love how it turned out,” I admired. 

She smiled, eyes sparkling as she looked at it. “Me too. Thank you for your help, Jolly.” 

Astrid bumped her shoulders with mine and not only did the sparks return but so did the fluttering in my stomach. 

The bell above the door jingled, making her jump slightly before turning around, her voice raising an octave to greet the customer. 

“Hi, welcome to Fika!” 

I didn’t miss the ‘woah’ under her breath and with furrowed brows, I turned on my heels but rolled my eyes at who walked in the door. 

Noah took one look between Astrid and me, how close we were standing next to each other, and the corner of his lips curled up. 

“Hi,” he smiled. 

“What can I get you?” Astrid asked as she walked over to the register behind the counter. 

“Oh, I’m fine. Thank you, though,” Noah declined politely while holding a hand over his chest. 

“You sure you don’t want some mochis? I hear they’re pretty special,” I teased. 

Noah shot me a glare, one I ignored by packing up my things. He must have finished his therapy session early and we're going to head to rehearsals for the next two days to prepare for the upcoming week-long festivals Bad Omens were set to headline. 

“You two know each other?” Astrid pointed between us. 

“He’s my roommate,” I answered before Noah could. 

He picked up on how rushed my answer was but knew with my pleading eyes not to say anything else about how we know each other. 

“I’m Noah,” he extended his hand towards her. 

She smiled while shaking it. “Astrid. Owner of Fika.” 

“I’ve heard great things about you. And this place. It’s one of Jolly’s favorites,” Noah said. 

Astrid’s eyes glinted as we looked at each other and I swore all of the oxygen left my lungs with how intense her gaze was. 

She hummed low. “I’m starting to realize that.” 

Hiding my burning cheeks beneath the length of my hair, I cleared my throat and patted Noah on the back.

“We should go.” 

He nodded at me before turning back to Astrid. “It was nice meeting you. Maybe next time, I’ll join Jolly.” 

“Sure,” she nodded, still wearing that beautiful smile. “Oh, here. At least take some coconut water for the road!” 

Astrid bent down to reach into the fridge and I couldn’t help but let my gaze linger on her. Noah snickered next to me which in turn, made me smack his chest. 

“Fuck, man,” he grunted while rubbing it. 

“Here you guys go!” She handed us the two bottles of coconut water and my fingers grazed hers yet again when I grabbed mine. 

This time it was Astrid who seemed affected by it with the way her breath hitched and quickly stuffed her hands in the pockets of her long skirt. 

“What do I owe you?” Noah asked while reaching for his wallet. 

“On the house,” she said.

“Now I can see why Jolly likes you,” Noah ran a hand through his hair. 

The new shorter length was something not only he but I was getting used to. As long as I’d known him, Noah had some sort of long hair. 

Before I could retort, one of her employees came rushing up behind Astrid, needing her attention for something. 

“Sean, they’re just raccoons. As long as you leave them alone, they won’t bother you,” she laughed. 

The noise made my heart ache in my chest, wanting to be the only one to be the reason why she laughed like that. 

“I’m telling you, Astrid. There are at least six of them now. How am I supposed to throw away the trash if they’re living in the dumpster?”

With a deep sigh, she excused herself from us with a small wave and that was my cue to pull Noah along as we stepped out into the late Los Angeles afternoon air. 

He took a long drink of his coconut water as we walked towards his car which was parked down the block. 

“So that’s Astrid,” he noted with a hum. 

“Don’t start,” I grumbled while putting on my sunglasses. 

Noah held up his hands. “She’s cute, Jolly. I can see why you spend a lot of time here. Though it doesn’t seem like she knows who either of us is.”

I shook my head with a thankful breath. “No, she doesn’t. Although you seemed to take her breath away when she saw you.”

He snorted. “You don’t have to worry. I only have eyes for-.” 

“I know, I know,” I waved him off before he finished his sentence. 

It was clear who Noah only had eyes for. It took a long time for him to finally realize that.

We reached Noah’s car and as he stood in front of the driver's door and me on the passenger side, we both rested our arms on the hood of the car. Noah’s almond eyes were hidden behind his black sunglasses but I knew they were assessing my face. 

“Do you plan on telling her who you are and what you do?” He wondered. 

“If I’m being honest, it’s been nice not having her know or treating me differently.” 

Noah nodded. “I understand that. But take it from me, not communicating the truth can delay things. And it’s not healthy.” 

Understatement of the year.

“I’ll tell her; soon,” I said. 

“What is she going to think when you’re gone for 9 days and don’t show up for your daily coffee?” 

“We should go, you know how Matt gets when we’re late,” I said, changing the subject, and opened the door to slide into the passenger seat. 

Noah tapped the roof of his car before he followed my actions. 

ASTRID

“I don’t know what to do, mormor. One guy put in an offer, it wasn’t great but enough to keep me afloat for a while if I do decide to sell,” I spoke into my phone as it was perched between my shoulder and ear, hands busy stocking the cafe. 

“Astrid, I sense there’s something else stopping you,” my grandmother observed. 

I shrugged with my free shoulder. “If I’m being honest, I like running Fika. It keeps me motivated to get out of bed every morning. My employees are great, same with the customers. I have a lot of regulars that tell me I should keep the place; keep it in the family name.” 

One especially lingered on my mind always. His long brown hair, ever darker brown eyes, and that nose ring that seemed to accentuate his face perfectly. 

“Min älskling, it’s whatever you decide. We left Fika to your father who in turn left it to you because we trust you. Don’t feel as if you need to keep it for us. We don’t want to see you do something with regret.” 

I finished stocking the straws and went to work stocking the sugar packets. “I know. I do wish you and farfar could come visit and see what I’ve done with it.” 

My heart sank when I thought of my grandfather and knowing the real reason why they couldn’t leave Sweden right now. My grandmother was still young and healthy enough to travel but she couldn’t leave my grandfather in case something happened to him. 

Alzheimer's had slowly been deteriorating his brain, making life difficult for both of them. It was the same disease that took my father months ago. 

My grandmother sighed. “Someday I’ll come visit. But your farfar-.” 

“I know,” I said suddenly. “It’s alright.” 

We talked for a few more minutes before I said goodbye and pocketed my phone into my jeans. Rolling up the sleeves of my orange cardigan I busied myself with more work. It was Saturday afternoon and Fika was busier than normal; the sunshine and cool LA weather brought everyone out. 

Well, not everyone. 

For the last week, anytime the bell above the door jingled, my head would snap up expecting to see Jolly, but every time my heart would drop when it wasn’t him. I had become so accustomed to seeing him almost every day that when he stopped coming in, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was something I had done. 

Maybe he finally grew sick of your coffee. And you.

Shaking the thought from my mind, I went about mingling with some of my regulars. The cool air slipped inside as someone walked in through the door, tickling the exposed skin of my stomach because of the black lace bralette I wore. 

Deciding to head to my office, I was in my head thinking about what I possibly could have done to make Jolly leave for a week, that I didn’t see the body I collided with until it was too late. 

Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, large hands gripping the small of my back, as my hands sprawled out on the thick chest. Peering up through my lashes, I drank in the sight of those dark eyes. 

“H-hi,” I stuttered while swallowing thickly. 

“Hello,” Jolly smiled as his hands absentmindedly rubbed at my back. 

The feeling sent a shockwave through my veins and I reveled in his touch, desperately needing it all over me. 

His hair was hidden beneath the hat he wore, the hood of his black sweater pulled over that. There was a new look of exhaustion in his eyes, something I hadn’t seen before. It was as if the usual light behind them had dulled since our last encounter. 

However the longer we stared at each other, I could see the light returning. I so badly wanted to ask him where he’d gone the last nine days but didn’t want to make it seem like I noticed. Even though I did. 

I also found myself missing his presence after the third day he didn’t show up. 

“The usual?” I asked after a beat of silence. 

Jolly gave me a warm smile, hands still wrapped around me. “Have I worked myself up to a usual kind of guy?”

I playfully patted his chest. “It's easy when I can make your drink in my sleep.” 

“I like what I like,” he said, keeping his eyes on mine as he did. 

Silence fell between us as we continued to stay in each other's embrace, neither of us ready to break apart. Until Tori’s voice broke through the small bubble Jolly and I created. 

“Astrid, there’s a Jackson on the phone for you.” 

Shit. 

Slowly removing myself from Jolly, I cleared my throat. “I have to take that, but give me a few minutes and I’ll bring you your coffee.” 

“Of course,” he nodded. 

Turning my back to him, I took the cafe phone from Astrid while ignoring her smug smirk as she watched Jolly walk to his table.

“This is Astrid,” I answered the call. 

“Astrid, this is Jackson Hewitt, I’m calling about that little coffee shop you own on the corner of W. 9th Street. Freka.” 

“Fika,” I corrected with a stern voice. 

This was our third conversation and he still couldn't pronounce the name correctly; either he couldn’t or didn’t bother enough to care. 

“Right,” he cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’m calling to check in to see if you’ve thought about my offer.” 

Staying on the phone with him, I poured the black coffee with two scoops of sugar into the white Jolly cup and plated two chocolate chip cookies. 

“You only sent the offer the other day, Jackson. I need longer than that to think if I accept or not,” I said as I made my way over towards where Jolly sat. 

His usual booth in the corner by the large window.  

“Or not?” Jackson repeated my words. “Come on, Astrid. This is probably the best deal you will get for that place. It’s better if you take it now because I can’t promise it will be the same amount next time I make it.” 

I set the plate and coffee down on the table in front of Jolly with a bit of force, not meaning to, so he glanced up at me. 

“Listen, Jackson. With absolutely no respect, I’m not interested in selling my place to someone who’s going to turn it into a chain restaurant. If I lose money, so what? At least I kept my dignity and didn’t sell out.” 

I placed my hand on my hip, still standing in front of Jolly who watched me with a slight smirk. 

“Woah, Astrid. In no way are you selling out. I just have great plans for that space. I know how hard it has been keeping it afloat after your father died.” 

My body went rigid as a low scowl pulled on my lips. This asshole knew absolutely nothing about my father or how well Fika had been doing. The first few weeks were rough but I found a good rhythm and soon, we began to flourish. The income had been steady for everything and everyone involved. 

Plus, I hadn’t smiled or felt this good about my future in a long time. 

“My father and his passing have nothing to do with my decision. You’ve never stepped foot inside of Fika, so don’t pretend you know how my business is doing,” I did my best to keep myself composed in front of the customers, especially Jolly. 

“You know what, I’ll give you another day to think-.” 

“No, I’ve made my decision. Fika is no longer for sale, thanks for your interest but please do not contact me again.” 

Before Jackson could respond, I hung up the phone and pinched my eyes shut; the ongoing onslaught of a migraine creeping its way into my head. 

“You’ve decided not to sell?” 

Jolly’s soft voice made me jump slightly and when our gazes met, it pulled me in to sit across from him.

“Yeah,” I nodded while tapping my fingers against the table. “I’ve talked with my grandma a little bit about it. She supports me no matter what I decide but I couldn’t imagine letting this place go. It has too many memories behind it.”

“It’s a great place, Astrid. You should be proud of what you’ve done here,” he said. 

I smiled. “I am. I’ve slowly put myself into this place so I can’t let it go.” 

“Well,” Jolly took a small sip of his coffee. “I’m glad you’ve decided to keep it.” 

I rested my chin on my palm. “Me too. It helps that the clientele have been so wonderful.” 

A low rumble emanated from his chest as he pointed to his coffee. “Does anyone else get a special cup with their name on it?” 

“No, those are saved for the real special ones,” I winked. 

Something dark flashed in Jolly’s eyes as he leaned farther back into his chair, extending his long legs on the right side of me, locking them at his ankles. My eyes dragged up the length of them until my gaze landed on his eyes, a playful gleam behind them as he caught me staring at him. 

My cheeks burned as I shifted in my seat. 

“Nervous?” Jolly questioned with a sudden darkness in his voice as he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. 

We were so close now, that I could feel his warm breath across my face. 

“N-nope.” I did my best to remain calm and poised but was failing. Something he immediately picked up on. 

“Are you sure about that?”

Licking my lips, I parted them to speak, something Jolly tracked with intense eyes. My pussy was aching with such a force of desire I was afraid he would be able to smell my desire with how close he was to me. There was this sudden pull between us that made me lean up towards him, Jolly’s lips meters from mine. I almost missed the intake of his breath, the sound muted with the hustle and bustle of the cafe.

“Astrid, the delivery truck is outside!” 

Jumping away slightly from Jolly, I cleared my throat while looking towards the counter, Sean waving me over. 

“I should-.” I threw a thumb over my shoulder when I looked back at Jolly. 

He nodded, adjusting the hat on his head. “Of course.” 

With one final glance, I stepped out of the booth and spent the next long while putting away the respective boxes from our weekly delivery. It was a bit larger than normal so by the time I finished, it was nearing 4 in the evening and when I emerged up the front of the cafe, the large groups that were there earlier dwindled to only a few. 

“How have things been?” I asked Jessica. 

She was wiping down the front counter and shrugged. “Not too bad. A steady influx of customers. But one managed to stay the entire time you were busy.” 

“Almost as if he was waiting for you,” Tori popped up from in front of the counter as she was cleaning the glass of the dessert display case. 

I crossed my arms. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

Sean snorted from his spot in the little kitchen to my left. “Astrid, this guy has been in here almost every single day and stays for a few hours all while looking at you. Take it from me, this guy is interested.” 

While they were a few years younger than me, I didn’t brush off their observations yet. 

“Jolly is a regular,” I started to defend. 

Tori’s eyes widened. “That’s why you’ve been giving him his coffee in that cup!” 

I hushed her with a wave of a hand when other customers peered over at us. Thankfully, it seemed as if Jolly had his headphones in as he clicked away at his laptop. 

“You should give him your number,” Jessica suggested. 

“No,” I shot down with a shake of my head. 

Although the prospect of giving Jolly my number did make my heart flutter. 

“Oh come on, what's the worst that can happen? He ignores you?” Tori wondered. 

I placed my hands on my hips. “Don’t you guys have better things to do than worry about my dating life?” 

“He’s here almost every day and I hate to break it to you, but it’s not because of the coffee. He can have simple black coffee at home but he chooses to come here,” Sean said once he finished cleaning one of the ovens. 

“I’m going to see if he needs anything else,” Jessia piped up, quickly scurrying around the counter. 

Her name fell in a hushed tone as I watched her walk over to where Jolly sat. Their conversation couldn’t be heard from my spot in the cafe but when he smiled politely at her with a nod, my stomach fluttered with those damn butterflies. Every part about Jolly made my skin buzz with electricity and heat. Jessica returned to the front counter with a sly smirk. 

“Jolly said he will take a coffee for the road and a dozen of you famous Kanelbullar’s. Oh, and a pack of those chocolate mochis. Something about a friend of his loving those. But Tori and I can’t make his order because we have to clean the loft.” 

“We do?” Tori asked with confusion which made Jessica smack her arm. “Oh, yes! Right. We do. Sean, can you take care of Jolly’s order?” 

“No can do. It’s time for my break,” Sean said as he walked into the back.

I playfully narrowed my eyes at all three of them. “You guys think you’re so slick but I know what you’re doing.” 

As the three of them dispersed, I went to work on getting Jolly’s to go order together. With my fingers wrapped around the togo cup, I mewled at my decision for a long moment before internally saying fuck it. The worst that can happen is that he ignores my texts. 

And break your heart in the process. 

Choosing to ignore that thought, I scribbled down my number with the letter A on the cup, then filled it with black coffee and two scoops of sugar. As I was bagging his desserts, Jolly came up to the counter with his card in hand. 

“Tell your friend these mochis are a favorite here,” I smiled. 

“I’ll make sure to let him know. He kind of has a weird obsession with them,” he chuckled. 

Ringing him up for everything, I handed back his card then hesitantly his cup and bag of goodies. Jolly gave nothing away that he saw my number written in black ink on his cup. 

“So, see you tomorrow?” I asked, not being able to hide the hope in my voice. 

He ran a hand over his jaw. “I actually have this party that will have my attention all day. But I’ll be back on Sunday. Can't go too long without these Kanelbullars.” 

The front counter stood between us and with the way he smiled, I wanted to jump across it into his arms. 

Instead, I decided to remain professional and nodded. “Well, I’ll make sure to have a fresh batch for you on Sunday.” 

With a wink, Jolly raised the cup to his lips to take a small sip of his coffee. “I can’t wait, Astird.” 

The way my name fell from his lips nearly made me moan in pleasure and I wanted to hear him say it again; the accent doing wonders for it. 

With a gentle wave, I watched him walk out of the cafe before busing myself to help close up the cafe. Every so often I would peek at my phone to see if there was a new message from an unknown number and every time, my heart would sink when I realized there wasn’t. 

Just as I was about to give up hope, my phone buzzed when I was locking up the front door and walking to my car parked across the street. 

Unknown: Hi, it’s Jolly. Apologies it took me a while to text you. I noticed your number on the cup the second you handed it to me. But with work, it pulled me away from my phone. So now that I have a minute, hi.

I grinned as I read the message over a few more times before plopping into the driver's seat of my car. I debated on how to respond for a few minutes. 

Me: Hi :) how did your friend like the mochis?

As I finished saving his contact, Jolly responded. 

Joakim: Loved them. Ate half of the Kanelbullar as well. 

I giggled at the next message that came in; a simple frown emoji. 

Me: Well, I’ll make sure to throw in a few extra just for you next time.

Joakim: I’m looking forward to it. 

With the smile still plastered to my face, I plugged in my phone to my car and for the first time in a long while, enjoyed the drive home after a long day's work. 

ASTRID

I opened Fika about two hours ago, a slow steady stream of customers coming in as soon as the door opened, and I’d been carefully watching to see if Jolly would show up. We texted for a little while yesterday since I was home sick in bed and when he sent me a picture of the outfit he wore to his party, I had to pause my movie to stare at it. Black jeans, black long sleeves, and a black jacket on top. 

With the large mirror I had leaning against one of the cafe walls, something I set up for people to take selfies in front of with their coffees, I brushed away any lint on my black sweater dress and adjusted my tights. I made sure not a strand of hair fell out of my French braid and smiled to myself. 

“You know what they said about Narcissus,” Sean chuckled as he caught me giving myself another once over. 

“Ha, ha,” I narrowed my eyes while resting my hands on my hips. “Shouldn’t you be bussing tables?” 

“Waiting for a certain someone?” He teased with a raised brow before he went to work cleaning up the tables. 

Before I could retort, the bell above the door rang which made me turn swiftly on my feet. My heart rate picked up at the sight of Jolly as he walked in with two other guys on each side of him. His hair was falling to his shoulders in chocolate waves and when he took off his sunglasses, his dark amber eyes immediately found me to scan every inch of me. I felt frozen but hot under his gaze and pulled at the ends of my sweater dress, suddenly feeling as if it wasn’t perfect enough for him. 

“Hi,” Jolly smiled. 

The two men he came in with watched us with curious smiles, the one of Jolly’s left I recognized as his roommate that came in here a few weeks ago. 

"Hey you, the usual?" I asked. 

He smiled with a slight nod. "You know me so well."

I peered over to the two others, pointing to the one I recognized. “Noah, right?” 

The heavily tattooed man nodded while adjusting the hood of his sweater and that's when I noticed the writing along the front of it. 

“Oh, shit. Hereditary! I love that movie,” I exclaimed. 

Noah's eyes brightened. “Yeah?” 

“A24 has made some phenomenal films. Although, the ending kind of fucked me up,” I admitted with a laugh.

As I looked over to the other man who wore glasses, I missed the look that Jolly and Noah shared. 

“Hi, I’m Astrid.” 

“Jesse,” he held a hand against his chest. “Jolly’s other roommate. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about this place.” 

“Oh,” I gazed back over to Jolly, never taking my eyes off of him. “All good things, I hope?” 

Jolly licked his lips. “Definitely.” 

It seemed as if time slowed to almost a stop as we stared at each other and there was a pull deep within my soul that made me want to step into his embrace, letting him wrap those arms around me. 

Clearing my throat finally, I motioned to the coffee machines. “What can I get you guys?” 

Already knowing Jolly’s order, Noah and Jesse gave me theirs and I went to work getting it ready while they sat in Jolly’s regular booth. When Tori came in for her shift, I asked if she could carry Noah’s and Jesse’s drinks while I carried Jolly’s and the large plate of a variety of sweets for them. 

“The one in the black hoodie is cute,” Tori nodded towards Noah. 

I tilted my head towards her. “Oh, what happened to Tyler?

“Ugh, don’t say his name. I want to forget the last two weeks of my life with that man,” Tori stated. 

“Fair enough,” I nodded firmly and chuckled. 

“Besides,” she shook out her long red locks, “I seemed to have found someone else to occupy my mind with.” 

“Tori,” I warned as we walked over to the guys’ table. 

“Here you guys go,” she all but ignored Jesse while smiling down at Noah as she gave him his drink. 

Noah kept his attention on his phone, only briefly giving Tori a smile of thanks before he went back to typing away on his phone. Her confidence deflated but she still kept that brightening smile on her face. 

As I set down Jolly’s cup and plate of fresh kanelbullar as promised, he gazed up at me with a smile. 

“Thank you, Astrid.” 

I shivered at the way he said my name. 

“Of course. Do you guys need anything else?” I asked all three of them. 

“Actually,” Noah spoke up while giving me his full attention. “My girlfriend is meeting us here and asked if I can put her coffee order in.” 

Tori faux sighed before retreating to behind the coffee counter. Jesse watched her with raised brows. 

“Tori will be fine,” I chuckled. “What does your girlfriend want to drink?” 

“Medium chai tea iced with oat milk, please,” Noah smiled warmly as he rattled off the drink; almost as if he was remembering a memory. 

“Oh, a girl after my own heart,” I joked. “What’s her name?” 

After Noah told me her name, I tapped the table twice before stalking back to the coffee bar, feeling a set of hot eyes on my back the entire time. I was quick to make the drink, all while humming a soft tune to myself, and as I turned back to bring the drink to Noah, the bell above the door rang. I watched as a brunette walked in, eyes gazing almost over every inch of my space with a faint smile before she noticed the guys. Quietly, she tiptoed over to Noah and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, leaving a gentle kiss on his cheek. 

Just watching how the two of them interacted and all the love in their eyes, as they stared at each other before Noah cupped her cheek to lay a kiss on her lips, made my heart yearn for love like that. 

"Sorry I'm late,” the brunette apologized as Noah pulled out the seat next to him. “Chase and Malcolm wanted to catch up after the album release party.” 

"Order for Y/N!" I called out with a smile.

The brunette, Y/N, went to stand, but Noah was quick to force her gently back into her seat. “No, angel. Let me get it.” 

My eyes locked with Jolly’s and he quickly waved off his friends. “I can do it. Sit.”

While he walked towards the counter, I noticed Noah mutter something in Y/N’s ear, her giggling widely. 

“Could I also get a few mochis?” Jolly asked as he reached me. 

I nodded. “Of course. Any specific flavor?” 

“Whichever is fine. Y/N and Noah have a weird connection with them.”  

My brows furrowed as I went about to plate a few of them. “Really?” 

“That’s his nickname,” Jolly smiled as I handed him the plate of mochis and Y/N’s coffee. 

“A nickname, huh?” I wiped my hands on the sides of my dress before leaning my elbows on the counter to rest my chin in my palm.  

“Don’t tell him I told you, he gets uptight.” He chuckled while leaning down towards me. 

I peered up at him while fake-locking my lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Have you,” Jolly’s fingers grazed over one of the tattoos on my arm and I shivered under his touch. “Have you ever had a nickname?”

His tattooed fingers brushed back the long strands of hair as I gazed upon the sharp features of his face, the defined cheekbones, and the facial hair that surrounded his perfect, plump lips. 

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been given a nickname," I answered truthfully. 

“Oh well that’s just a shame,” Jolly shrugged. 

His confidence gave me some of my own and I gazed up at him through my lashes as he continued to stand on the other side of the counter. 

“It is," I tucked a strand of my white hair that somehow fell from my French braid behind my ears. "Any suggestions?”

“Käraste," Jolly said almost too quickly, as if he thought about this before. 

My cheeks burned as I locked eyes with him. Hearing the unknown word fall from his lips made my stomach flip and pussy clench. I squeezed my legs together to curb the itch. 

“What? Too much?” He asked, suddenly self-conscious. 

I quickly shook my head to reassure him while standing straight up on my feet. “No. No, I- I like it. What does it mean?”

With a smirk, Jolly tapped the counter before grabbing the cup and plate of mochis. "I think I'll keep that to myself." 

I chuckled while shaking my head and watched as he walked back over to the corner couch, where his friends waited for him.

For a while, I was busy running the front counter while Sean and Tori worked the kitchen area. There’d been a slow steady stream of customers that kept us all busy but I knew that at some point I needed to slip back into my office for management work. However, before I did that, I brought the pot of black coffee and a small jar of sugar over to Jolly to refill his cup and then set down the sugar. 

“Hi, I’m Y/N!” 

Giving her a bright smile, I shook her extended hand. “Hi, I’m Astrid.” 

Y/N motioned to Jolly. “I’m glad I listened to him about coming here. I’ve been wanting to for a while now, my therapist is right next door, and every time I walk past, the smell of the sweets gets me.” 

“Oh, Dr. Poulos! She comes in every day before her two p.m. appointment and gets a small cup of Greek coffee and baklava to go,” I informed. 

Noah spoke next. “You know, I noticed the to-go bag in her office one time but never put two and two together.” 

Y/N linked her fingers with his to rest them in her lap. “Well, it’s a lovely place you have here. The mochi are delicious.” 

“Thank you,” I smiled. “Well, I won’t bother you guys any longer. If you guys need anything else, let Tori or Sean know and they’d be happy to help you.” 

Before I could walk away, Jolly’s fingers grazed over mine and I peered down at him. 

“Thank you, käraste.”

My cheeks burned as I squeezed his hand and slipped away from them, into the confines of my office to enjoy the way the nickname set every fiber of my being ablaze. 

Since it was Sunday, I always closed Fika at 5 p.m. so I could enjoy the rest of my evening at home. So for the next few hours, I spent time in my office to finish my bookwork. By quarter to five, I dismissed Tori and Sean, sending them home, and walked up front to start closing up. Nearly tripping over my feet, I was shocked to see Jolly was still sitting in his booth. 

“You’re still here?” I asked, coming to a stop in front of his table. 

He shrugged while closing his laptop. “I know the shop is closing soon and wanted to make sure you’re fine closing up by yourself.” 

I quickly shook my head. “Oh, you don’t have to do that, Jolly. It’ll be a while before I’m ready to leave and I can’t ask you to stay around and wait for me,” 

“You didn’t ask. I offered,” he smiled while rising from the table, and going about to help me clean up. 

We worked in silence as I shut down the machines and when I was shutting off the lights, hiking my bag up on my shoulder, I let Jolly lead me out the front door so I could lock it, not before setting the alarm. 

“Can I walk you to your car?” Jolly asked. 

“Yeah, I’d like that,” I bit my lip and nodded. 

The setting sun cast him in an orange hue, with pinks, and purples emanating from behind him and I sucked in a breath and how gorgeous he looked. We began walking step by step to the back alley where I parked my car, Jolly’s fingers grazing over mine and it was just enough contact to make my heart hammer loud and hard in my chest. 

“Your friends seem really nice,” I said, finally breaking the silence, as we came to a stop in front of my car. 

Jolly smiled. “They are. I love them, they’re my family.” 

My lips pulled in a tight line. “It must be a nice thing to have. I’m the only family I have here.”

He picked up on the way my voice faltered with my words but didn’t want to press the issue. Instead, he lifted a hand to brush away a strand of hair, tucking it behind my ear. His fingers were on the side of my neck and I let my eyes flutter shut at the feeling. 

“You’re welcome anytime with us, Astrid,” Jolly’s voice was hushed. 

Now his fingers were wrapped behind my neck to tilt my head up towards him. Opening my eyes, I sucked in a breath at how close his lips were to mine, his warm breath fanning over my bottom lip. 

“I’d like that,” I admitted with my bottom lip caught between my teeth. 

His eyes scanned my face. “We’re having a small party tomorrow night. A little housewarming thing. I’d love it if you’d come.” 

We were so close now, that I could almost taste his lips.

“You would?” I questioned. 

Jolly eyes told me his answer before his words did. “Definitely.” 

When I first opened Fika, I told myself not to fall into bed with the first handsome customer I met because it could spell disaster if things went sour. I needed to focus on my business, not let a pair of dark almond eyes distract me. And yet, here I was sinking further deeper into the abyss of those eyes. 

“Sure, I’ll be there,” I said while my hand gently played with the strings of his sweater. 

One of his hands was still grasped behind my neck while his other rested on my hip. “Käraste, kan jag kyssa dig?”

I blinked up at him, confusion etched on my features, and I shook my head in his grasp. “What did you say?” 

“Can I kiss you?” 

Jolly’s voice dropped to a dangerously low level and it made my insides burn. My stomach flipped a few times over as he repeated the question in Sweden again and throwing out all the negative thoughts on how this could be a bad idea, I stood on the tips of my toes to close the small distance between us finally. 

His lips were warm with the bitterness of his coffee but the sweetness of the kanelbullars. At first, we stood frozen, unsure who would make the next move, but soon Jolly’s tongue brushed against my bottom lip in a way to ask permission; one I immediately granted. His tongue glided over mine and it swallowed my moans when Jolly walked me back against my car, locking me in place with his hips. 

What started as a slow, passionate kiss, suddenly became one with force. Teeth scraped against each other before biting into the flesh of lips, hands grasping at anything they could touch. Jolly's mouth never left mine as he focused solely on making every one of my senses ignite with a blaze that shot straight to my core. He held me in place with his large hands on my lower back while I ran my hands through the long strands of hair, reveling in the softness of them. 

His scent engulfed my senses, making me dizzy, and when I fell into him Jolly made sure to hold me tighter. I felt the hardness of his cock pressed against my clit and dropped my head back against the car to let out a moan, one he quickly hushed by finding my lips again; almost as if he didn't want to let them go. 

To let me go. 

“Astrid,” he muttered against them, pressing his hips into me once again. 

I was nearing release by his kiss and the gentle brush of his cock against me. My body was sensitive to his touch as rough fingers dragged down the sides of my face to pull me closer to him. Our tongues danced together in perfect harmony and I nipped then sucked on his bottom lip just before he pulled away, resting his forehead against mine. 

“Woah,” I whispered while bringing my fingers to my lips. 

Jolly brushed his mouth over them in a feathery peck. “If I’m being honest, I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.” 

I giggled while wrapping my arms around his back. “I’m glad we feel the same.” 

We began to lead towards each other for another kiss but were interrupted by my phone going off. Reluctantly, I pulled away from Jolly to grab my phone from my purse, only to stare down at it with puzzled eyes. 

“Everything alright?” Jolly asked while brushing a finger over my cheek. 

I smiled into his touch and nodded. “Yeah. It seems like the cafe’s alarm is going off.” 

With quick fingers, I disarmed the alarm from the app on my phone and then gazed up at him. His cheeks were flushed still from our kiss and his eyes were pure black now, pupils blown wide from his own desires. 

Fuck, I wanted nothing more than to jump into the backseat of my car with him. Ride out the now fading high against his thigh. 

Shaking my head at the thought, I motioned towards the cafe. “I should go check it out. Just in case.” 

“Do you want me to come with you?” 

I quickly shook my head. “No, it’s alright. I probably didn’t pull the door shut all the way so the sensor tripped. But I will see you tomorrow night?” 

Jolly’s eyes lit up. “Of course. I’ll be busy helping the guys set up for the party so I might not make it in for my coffee.” 

I made a show of rolling my eyes. “How will I ever survive without you?” 

The corner of his mouth lifted with a smirk. “I’ll send you the address. Can you let me know everything is fine with the alarm then once you're home?” 

My heart jumped into my throat at his request. “Of course. Do you need me to bring anything tomorrow?” 

Jolly brought my hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle. “Just you, käraste.”

CONTINUE TO PART TWO HERE

[cockdestroyer32]

i'm never lonely

tangerine x fem!reader

word count: 1677

tags: touch starvation, kinda fluff? hurt/comfort, injured reader

summary: after getting hurt out on a job, tangerine offers to help you with your injury

authors note: wassup. this took me forever bc of school, wouldn't say this is my best work but I hope u enjoy nonetheless. this one goes out to all my lonely girls out there I love y'all and im wit u. not even sure if a lot of tangerine enthusiasts are still alive but if you are, this is for you whores. title is from 'to be loved' by aurora which is a banging song btw. thx

There were only four guys currently in the room you were in— Tangerine fighting half, and you the other. But before these four guys there were two, then five, then three that you’d fought in the other rooms of the stash house, so needless to say, you were pretty fucking tired. You kept your fists up, breathing heavily trying to get oxygen back in your lungs as quickly as possible, hoping it’d make you feel as strong and confident as you usually do when fighting. You were still quick to your feet, putting up a very good fight for the two guys. You could hear Tangerine struggling with one of the men, apparently having successfully knocked out the other one. On any other fight, this would’ve been your cue to get your head up and deal with these little shits as quickly as possible, you couldn’t let Tangerine defeat his bunch before you could yours, but at this point, you were just hoping he could help you knock them out so you could go to your hotel room, take a shower and get some rest. You finally managed to drop one of them to the ground, now only having to focus on dimwit over here. You struggle for a bit. However, out of nowhere, the motherfucker you dropped picks up a cane off the floor and hits you over the head with it. The pain is tremendous— with you instinctively shutting your eyes and placing your palm on your forehead, ignoring the fact you were still part of an ongoing fight. Your hearing is muffled, and since you shut your eyes you can only feel your body fall to the ground, refusing to remove your hand from your forehead, as if you were trying to fix the throbbing pain and have your brain waves be in agreement once again. After sitting on the concrete floor for a few seconds, you see Tangerine. He removes your hand from your face and brushes your hair back, trying to see how much damage was made.

“Fucking hell, you’re bleeding. We need to get you out of here, come on.” You try and stand up with his help, then you make your way to your car. You practically throw yourself into the passenger seat, and when you shut the door you rest your head on the window. The rest of the drive to the safe house was a big blur, with you being awake but not quite there, like that feeling when you’re half asleep and all your thoughts just stop making sense.

The safe room was secluded enough, since none of the outside lights were on, the building blended into the night obfuscating its details, but not enough so you couldn’t make out the entry door. You open the car door and make your way to the entry, not looking back to Tangerine who you expected to be right behind you. He pulls out a key and opens the door. This wasn’t Tangerine’s safe house. The man who’d hired you gave you the key to this place to hide in and patch yourselves up in case things went to shit. This is things going to shit. Kind of. The place looks pretty beat up, with some dust covering the floor and most of the other surfaces. There were half-drank Coca-Cola cans on the desks, and a few jackets lying around the room, but the unsatisfactory aesthetics of the room weren’t your center of attention at the moment, that title would go to the much-needed first aid kit on one of the desks. 

“I need a mirror.” You request Tangerine as you sit down on the chair next to the desk, ready to start your ‘patching myself up’ routine. But instead of doing as asked, Tangerine pulls the other chair next to the same desk in front of you and sits down.

“What?” You ask.

“I can do that.”

“I can do it, it’s fine.”

“With all due respect love, just a few minutes ago you could barely stand up by yourself, so it’s probably best if you let me help you, yeah?” He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, as if you had already said ‘yes’ to his suggestion. This really was not the time to get into an argument with Tangerine. You were much too hurt and too tired to argue that you were capable of taking care of yourself. 

You don’t say ‘yes’. You don’t even say ‘okay’. You just put the gauze pad and solution down. He drags his chair closer to yours— your knees practically touching now, and brushes your hair back with his hand, his fingers grazing your skin, you instinctively close your eyes at the surprisingly tender touch— which you do not appreciate, not one bit. In this line of work, intimacy was a rather hard commodity to find. You are always moving, always going to different places for jobs, and even if you could stay in one place, bonding with someone would be quite impossible. This job, as good as the money is, had slowly ripped out the last of your patience, and wish to meet people and cultivate relationships. And even if you were to get over all of these things and meet someone new and normal, there was still one little thing: you were still a goddamn assassin for hire. 

It didn’t mean you didn’t want it: some nights, after jobs you would go to a café and sit down on a chair outside the venue, and you would watch people. You saw them interact with each other under the bright city lights; families, friends, people and their significant others, everyone. Whether they were happy, sad, or angry— they were usually with someone, either if they were laughing, crying, fuming...it didn’t matter, because they were together. And you sat by yourself in the café. Then you would go home, and sleep on the much too big hotel bed, by yourself. You just hated it was him. You hated that as much as he plagued you when you worked together he had just touched you and you melted.

“Don’t fall asleep.” He urged, referring to you shutting your eyes which totally-was-not an accidental moment of weakness.

“You know that’s a myth right? I won’t die if I fall asleep.”

“Well right now I can’t really spot the difference between you falling asleep and dying and I really don’t feel like having to drag your body outside for burial today.”

You scoffed. Tangerine takes the pad close to your face and starts to clean up the wound. Your shoulders are relaxed and your vision locked on your knees, not moving one muscle, terrified that if you look at him he’ll see right through you, that he’ll see just how much this small gesture is messing with you right now. He was attentive with his craft, touching your skin with absurdly light dabs as if you were made of glass. He put his left hand on your cheek, lightly holding your face so he could have more support while cleaning your wound, and you’re going fucking crazy. You want to put your hand on his and interlock your fingers together, or maybe hold his face and trace his details with your finger, or maybe have him hold you for a second, anything to make you feel close to him a while. You wondered if he felt the same: he had his more pleasant brother Lemon, but you couldn’t help but wonder if it was enough for him, if he wanted someone else in his life, if he longed for connection as much as you did. You would never dare to ask. You find yourself much more relaxed than when you had first sat down on the chair, your eyes falling heavy, shutting and opening them as your thoughts got even more scrambled than they were before.

He moves on to putting the tiny white band-aids on your wound.

“We’re done.”

“Mmhmm…”

“You alright?”

You mumble some nonsense. At this point you’re practically sleeping. Tangerine smiles and observes you for a second, unsure of what to do. 

He wraps his arms around you, as if starting a hug, and lifts you up. Your barely conscious self rests your head on his shoulder and returns his favor, wrapping your arms around him. He takes you to a couch in the side of the room, places you on it, then takes off his jacket, folding it and placing it under your head as a pillow. He’s not sure he’s ever seen you this calm before, so he makes sure not to take this moment for granted. He doesn’t know what to do now. Does he sit next to you and hold your hand as you sleep? Does he stroke your hair? He may want to, but should he?

He places a chair near the couch and watches you. He kind of feels like a creep for doing it, but he’d curse himself more if something bad happened while you slept than if he was potentially being creepy right now. 

He wondered if you saw how mortified he was while helping you, if you could hear how fast his heart was beating, if you could see right through him. He wanted to be close to you, to be held and to hold, but he was also too scared to even look at you. He laughed at the thought of you finding out. If you knew just how much he wanted this you’d never let him hear the end of it. And if he knew how much you also wanted it he’d never let you hear the end of it. 

This time he doesn’t have to be scared, you’re asleep, so he’s sure you’re unable to see his anguish right now.

He watches you breathe. He wants to take your hand. He doesn’t. And he wonders if anything will change tomorrow, if you’ll see through each other. But in the meantime, he’s just gonna keep looking at you.

[ghostlygeto]

pairing: sakusa kiyoomi x fem!reader

warnings: not nsfw, but mentions toys so mdni!!, fluff, atsumu is there and a dumbass, atsumu specifically calls reader "girl", more selfship content because im insane :D, bad ending bc idk, i only cared about the middle bits. i never ever proof read btw

wc: 1k again somehow?? im crazy

the way you met sakusa kiyoomi was incredibly, and i mean incredibly, embarrassing. you would be out of town for four days, so you had to ask your incredibly attractive neighbor to take your package for you. he agreed, of course. and then the two of you moved on.

but when he gave you the package back, his ears tinted pink (you could only assume his cheeks were, too, but the black mask unfortunately covered them so you couldn’t tell), you felt mortified.

“sorry, my dumbass friend opened it when i left him in the same room as it,” sakusa’s words drilled into your brain, you felt your stomach fill with embarrassment. 

sakusa remembered the exact moment it happened. atsumu kept insisting that it “wouldn’t be a big deal, you’ll never know the difference”. he’ll be extra careful in cutting through the tape, and make sure that he rewraps whatever is inside the little box just the way it came. sakusa warned atsumu not to, that it was impolite to snoop in other people’s things. atsumu swore it’d be fine. you’d have no idea he was even in there. sakusa threatened him some more, but made the mistake of leaving atsumu alone in the room with the package.

until he opened the box and saw the cute little sex toy, causing him to laugh out loud. “omiomi, yer neighbors a li’l perv! look at this!” he held it up, giggling some more at the clear glittery silicone in his hand. “can’t believe she’d buy somethin’ like this, why don’t she jus’ ask ya for the real deal? or if yer not interested maybe i could help ‘er out.”

sakusa walked back in the room horrified, seeing his best (soon to be dead) friend holding the contents of your package in his hand. “put that away, miya. you know you’re the perv here, going through someone else’s things like that. and we’ve barely spoken past our conversation when she asked me to pick up the package for her. i highly doubt she wants or needs any help with that. especially not from someone like you.”

“mean,” atsumu rolled his eyes, rewrapping the toy in it’s cloth packaging and bubble wrap. “nev’r hurt t’ask ‘er. maybe she’ll be thankful. do it, when you give it t’er! i’ll give ya money if ya do it.”

“i don’t want or need your money,” sakusa snatched the box out of atsumu’s hand, sighing as he realized now he’d have to explain to his pretty neighbor why her package was opened. and try to pretend that he didn’t know what was inside of it.

— – - – —

“uh, enjoy.” he wanted to kick himself in the stomach as he shoved the box into your arms, leaving you standing in your doorway somehow more embarrassed than you were to begin with.

why, why, why would he say something like that. you wanted to curl inside a hole and die, never to return. you had been kind of excited for the toy prior to now. but now even thinking about using it made you feel kind of sick to your stomach.

“thanks,” you replied while his back was turned, wishing you could retreat into yourself and never be seen by anyone outside your apartment ever again. you opened up the box when you were behind closed doors, seeing the poorly rewrapped bubble wrap before sighing loudly. you needed to do something as an apology. but would that make things more awkward? to bring him over some sort of baked good as an apology?

— – - – —

the knock on his door made his heart sink a little. sakusa hated unannounced company, and the only person who ever showed up unannounced (atsumu) was already sat comfortable in the living room of sakusa’s apartment.

you pretend to not notice the combined looked of shock and embarrassment when sakusa opened the door. you held up the tray of sweets, a combination of cookies and brownies. you weren’t sure what he liked best, so you settled with the most common desserts that almost everyone enjoyed: chocolate chip cookies and brownies. “these are for you, sakusa. as a thank you and apology for my package.”

sakusa stared down at the tray in your hands, trying to decide if he was going to accept it or not. he didn’t feel like he needed an apology (though the thank you was nice, as it’s the normal thing to). but the sound of sakusa’s grandma rang in his head, telling him that rejecting gifts was rude. he grabbed the tray from your hands, getting ready to bow and say his thanks when probably his worst nightmare came true.

“oh m’god, ‘re ya dildo girl?” atsumu asked, a large smile covering his face, “y’know i really hope ya didn’t mind my lookin’ in the box, omi told me not t’, but the curiosity was killin’ me.” he walked closer to the door, staring down at your blushing face. “not sure if he relayed my message, but if ya ever get tired of the dil-”

“enough, miya,” sakusa hissed, shoving his friend further back into the apartment. “i really am very sorry, y/n. about him, and the package thing.” he had to pretend he couldn’t feel the heat in his cheeks, hoping you’d do the same. “we can just pretend that never happened, if you want.”

you nodded your head, though you couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. the tall, pro-volleyball player sakusa kiyoomi towered over you, blush spread across his cheeks as he apologizes for his best friend, pro-volleyball player miya atsumu. if the circumstances were different, you’d be living your best life. “we can pretend none of this happened, if you prefer. we’ll have a formal meeting another time.”

without further goodbye, you walked away from sakusa’s front door and toward your own. if these few interactions with your neighbor were any indication for how the rest of your time living there would be, you knew that there wouldn’t be many dull moments.

reblogs, comments, nd likes appreciated (っ˘з(˘⌣˘ )

[beyondtheglowingstars]

Ok but what if Spirit were part of the chain- somebody needs to whack me on the head with a bat

Bullying Legend is my hobby btw

Unsuspected Beast (LU Chain + Spirit)

Word count: 2.2k WARNING(S): None General info: How was Legend to be at peace when one of his enemies was freely roaming around his brothers? Not only that, but what was he to do when nobody believed his warnings and instead, mocked him? Spirit might just have a solution.

“Can someone just… get it away from here?!”

The Veteran pleaded as he tried to discourage his tormentor from getting any closer, waving his arm around in hopes of scaring the vile creature. It was to no avail. Now Legend had to keep his cool as best as he could while one of his sworn enemies hung around him, ruining his plans of getting a pleasant rest.

He tried to ignore them, crossing his arms as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face, frantically looking for a way to distract his mind and forget the fear. But it didn’t work, nothing did, it didn’t matter what he did. He was also beginning to grow annoyed by the rest of the heroes as no one did anything to help him. A few muffled snickers made their way to Legend’s ears, he could already imagine who those belonged to, rubbing salt on the wound and his cracked pride.

“Bunch of reliable friends you all are.” Legend huffed and cursed under his breath, standing up and backing away slowly from the terrifying creature, never taking away his eyes from it.

More snickers joined the first, a few members of the chain had begun to gather around the veteran in amusement. The intimidated hero could only groan in annoyance, the frown on his face somehow managed to increase in intensity.

“Vet, are you afraid of cuccos?” Four stood beside Legend, looking at the taller man with eyebrows arching in a questioning manner and a teasing smirk.

Legend did not meet his eyes, he instead took a step further away from the smith. He let out a sound of annoyance that was similar to a growl more than anything else, feeling his face heat up considerably and his cheeks take on a faint red hue.

“Of course not, I just merely don’t like them.” Replied Legend, dryly.

They had all found out he feared the chickens, it was impossible to not notice it now with the way he was trying to avoid the avian that had walked into their camp. But even if everyone had caught on by now, Legend would never outright admit he was afraid of chickens not even if he were lit on fire on his deathbed; best he could do was to hide his fear in the most believable way possible. After all, disliking something didn’t necessarily mean that you were afraid of that thing.

“Yeah, and I was born yesterday.” Piped in Warriors with a cocky grin, enjoying the veteran’s reaction to the bird.

Just as Legend suspected, no one bought his lie. Had it not been for the strong feeling of shame coursing through his body and he would have choked the captain with his own scarf right there without hesitation. It did not help that the cucco stopped clucking and instead, stared right at the veteran, making him curse Hylia in his mind for assigning him this fate.

Those beady, black eyes made him feel uneasy, froze his body on the spot. Four noticed the silent interaction and then Legend’s body language, he was slightly concerned for Legend now.

“It’s okay, I’ll take care of it.” Sky spoke as he approached the two heroes and the chicken, a prominent grin on his face that indicated he might have been laughing a little about Legend’s predicament as well.

As the bird enthusiast elected by Hylia herself, Sky had no fear about kneeling down on soft grass right in front of the rooster and looking at it with a friendly expression.

“Hello, little friend. Would you mind coming with me for a second? We won’t harm you.” The skyloftian spoke in a soft voice to the bird.

The cucco turned its head left and right to scan Sky up and down as best as it could, emitting and dragging out a high-pitched noise that lasted a few seconds. Meanwhile, Sky had been moving his hand closer to the animal. The chicken did not seem to have suspected a thing, and if it remained in the same place, Sky would be able to grab it very soon. But just as the knight is already celebrating in his head, the bird seemed to have become wary of the hand getting closer each second, examining the extremity.

In a very unexpected moment, the rooster pecked the brunet’s hand faster than he could have reacted. Strong enough to pull some of the skin on Sky’s palm with its beak, making the young man flinch and pull his hand away from the animal as he grunted in pain. The bird only trotted to somewhere else on the camp and away from the hero, as if nothing had happened and it didn’t leave a mark on the man’s palm that would remain imprinted for a few days.

“And you all were making fun of me for not trusting those things!” Legend exclaimed with a smidge of superiority in his voice now that he had more ammunition against cuccos.

“Calm down, vet. It’s not like the chicken ripped his hand off.” Stated the captain, firmly placing a hand on Legend’s shoulder while Sky could be heard voicing a similar thought to the one that Warriors shared, just not in a mocking manner.

“Why don’t you wait for it to go away? It’s gotta leave at some point.” Suggested the rancher, probably more concerned for the rooster than he was of the veteran.

“Or you could lure it away with some food.” The smith suggested in his usual tone, no longer as entertained by the scene.

Legend’s face couldn’t possible get any more red than it already was due to the mix of embarrassment and frustration.

“Do you two seriously think that-” The veteran brought his hands to his head, gripping his blond locks and ruffling his hair in irritation as he groaned.

And so began a loud back and forth between Legend against Sky, Four and Twilight, who were trying to reason with the vet and calm him down, and the captain, who was really only interested in adding firewood to the violent flames that Legend’s state had become.

Time held his head in his hands with a sigh leaving his lips. Hyrule awkwardly watched everything go down from the spot he was sitting on, but was saved by Wild initiating conversation with him while he cooked. The sailor and Spirit watched from a few feet away, with Wind giggling to himself and the engineer smiling in great amusement.

“Why do ya think the vet’s so afraid of chickens anyway?” Wind directed the question at his successor with a grin from ear to ear.

“I dunno, maybe… maybe a bad experience from childhood?” And it was only until he spoke those words that a pang of guilt hit him.

He almost laughed at Legend’s panicked state earlier, while failing to realize that he might associate the birds with a previously traumatic experience in his life.

“Ya think? But what if something really funny happened to him instead?”

It’s almost as if Wind had read his mind and had tried to cheer up his mood.

“Maybe, you never know.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Spirit spotted the long forgotten chicken again. Who seemed to be heading for the arguing group. The sailor was throwing around possible ideas on why the veteran was deadly afraid of cuccos but the engineer wasn’t there, utterly transfixed as he paid close attention to the bird’s movements. Wind went on for a couple seconds until he noticed the other teen’s eyes not on him; face expressing a puzzled look, wondering what Spirit could be looking at until he followed the general direction the engineer had his eyes on and then he noticed it too.

“… Should we tell him?” Wondered Spirit, watching as the rooster walked with a funny strut towards Legend.

Too late to do anything or for Wind to even reply. The cucco had lightly pecked the veteran on the leg for an unknown reason, Legend’s neck snapped quickly in the direction he felt the tap on and instantly jumped a few meters into the air with a yelp; not realizing that he was gripping Warriors’s tunic for dear life as he tried to scare away the chicken by flailing his leg. The cucco did not flee, instead, it felt challenged and jumped at Legend’s leg with its feet out in attack.

Attention was back on the group and this time it was impossible for everyone to stop their laughter. Twilight wheezed from his comfortable spot on a log as he watched the show, a few others slapped a hand to their mouth to stiffle their sounds, Wind was on the forest floor openly laughing, hell, even the old man was clearly enjoying it.

The captain would have laughed too if he didn’t have to keep his balance and had Legend not accidentally hit him on the face during the commotion from earlier. Even if Spirit had felt bad about getting a few chuckles from the veteran’s misfortune, he had to admit that he found the current situation more humorous than the last and now he laughed openly as well.

Half a minute passes and it doesn’t look like it’s gonna get any better, with Legend still clutching the captain’s clothing and close to the brink of screaming as the cucco keeps launching itself to attack. Spirit was the first to recover from laughter and chose to help, standing up and taking the Spirit Flute in his hands. Having walked towards the edge of the camp, he brings the instrument close to his lips.

The amount of practice he’s had become apparent as he expertly blew into the pipes to create a beautiful, soft melody. Spirit enjoyed himself as he played a sequence of notes he knew all too well, one of his favorite songs. The forest was quickly filled by the Spirit Flute’s sound, reaching every corner and delighting anyone that heard the music. It was a short melody, it was over sooner than he realized, everyone’s eyes on him the entire time.

“What was that for?” Asked Wind with big, curious eyes.

Spirit made a motion with his hand as a way to communicate ‘Wait’ as he put away the flute, and that reply seemed to please the sailor judging by his body language. Meanwhile, Legend was relieved to finally see the cucco not focusing on him and instead, run to where the engineer was standing. Spirit looked at the bird with a smile as he slowly lowered his body and picked up the chicken without any difficulty, hearing several sounds of surprise come from the other heroes right after.

A few seconds after and one of the forest birds comfortably perched atop Spirit’s head, then it was another bird on his shoulder, and then another taking a spot on his other shoulder, and then a brown bird watching from a nearby branch.

Wind watched the spectacle with stars on his eyes, believing it was the coolest thing ever.

“Wow! I didn’t know you could do that!” The sailor cautiously extended his hand towards one of the birds on the engineer’s shoulders, and when he noticed the avian didn’t feel threatened, he pet the animal with pure glee.

Sky joined the pair of younger heroes with the same interest Wind had shown.

“Mind teaching me how to play that, Spirit?” The brunet, too, pet one of the birds resting on the train conductor.

“Sure!” Replied Spirit with a grin, excited at the thought of spending more time with Sky in the future.

Meanwhile, the other heroes still at camp had gone back to their business, although Legend and Warriors were still having a quarrel about the mishap from earlier; Time could only pray that they would both stop soon, before he had to step in.

The argument stopped abruptly, but it was due to a reason no one could have predicted. Warriors and Legend remained silent as they heard more cucco sounds in the distance, getting closer each second. One chicken popped out from the vegetation and ran at the engineer with great speed, making Legend jump from and he was back to death-gripping the captain’s tunic. Warriors was about to make a mocking remark but another cucco appeared from behind him, flying high enough to collide with his head, making him squeal and run his hands through his hair as if to make sure the bird didn’t get stuck there.

Legend was about to begin laughing at the captain’s misfortune until a multitude of chicken sounds from deep within the forest were heard; one cucco ran past them, then another one, and another one and next time they blinked a horde of chickens was making their way through the camp towards Spirit. Legend was screaming bloody murder as he and Warriors held on to each other for dear life while they watched the birds invade their space more than they were comfortable with.

Wind gasped in surprise as he witnessed the chickens forming an organized line one behind the other and stood before Spirit. Sky and everyone else were just as amazed at what had just happened. Several Links approached the trio and avians with newly peaked interest, while the engineer sighed and then giggled at the sight of that many cuccos.

“Guess I’ll have to find all of you a new home.” Spirit held the rooster from earlier in front of him with a grin.

A/N: God this was so dumb lol. Also don't worry guys, Legend just watched a monster hit a cucco once upon a time and witnessed how said monster got disintegrated for doing so, he never got harmed. It was a similar experience for Warriors.

[peaky-shelby]

Define Me | Neymar x OC [6]

Summary: Famous Singer and Actress, Gabriella Hamill, travels to Qatar after being invited on live television by her favorite player, Lionel Messi. Despite the invitation, Ella tries to avoid the cameras and hide in plain side, wanting to enjoy the games without the chaos that comes with being in Public places and it all seems to be going well until she meets Neymar Jr. in this bad boy meets good girl story, the definition of good and bad is lost between the lines and redefined by the past and future.

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Chapter 6: regretful by definition

Chapter summary: I'll let this one be a surprise 👀

Writer's note: as always please reblog and most importantly comment so i know y'all are still reading and i can write most chapters. There are probably only four left in the series btw.

Taglist: @xngelsau @sirensanction @reneyahh @thegrinch101 @geekwritersworld @chaotic-taco-collector-blog @blondedjoys @maneaterss @inthemoonlightblue @iluvneyney @woozarts @missamericana69 @bjoriis @marialikescherries @measimp @morganadpl @neymarloverxxx

Ask anyone in the business and they’d tell you that Peter Evans and Gabriella Hamill were the IT Couple of Hollywood. Long time friends before they were actually a thing and when they became a thing the internet went wild. Both at their high of their careers, with Peter taking over Marvel Studios and Lily with her own TV show and a fresh Oscar win. America’s sweetheart was dating Captain America himself and they seemed more in love than anyone and It was true they were. Paradise lasted for a year before it turned to the typical one-sided relationship in which both partners go on and on about their wants and their needs but neither of them seems to listen meanwhile the pressure of the media was always there, pressuring them to get married, to start a family to become a Hollywood royalty. Peter wanted that, she didn’t.

“Peter, I’ve told you before- I can’t do this!” she yelled, while making her way to the kitchen, trying to avoid him but he followed behind her like an angry dog.

“There’s difference between can’t and wont Ella!”

She turned aggressively back at him, pointing with her finger “I was honest with you from the start! I told you I didn’t want kids, not for a long time-“

“That was two fucking years ago, relationships evolve!”

“There has not been a day in this fucking relationship that you haven’t pressured me about it!” she said louder. “All your fucking jokes on interviews, talking about how much you want to be a dad, throwing shots at me whenever- it is in fact exhausting-“

Their fights would usually end nowhere good but at least most of them were at home, where no one else could hear them or record, meanwhile they’d play the happy couple on the carpet. Until it exploded in their face.

January 7, 2020 – One Day Before A Concert, Greece

“I’m tired of you pretending that we are fine, we are not fine Peter!” she screamed in between her sobs.

“Maybe it’s because you were fucking your fucking guitarist a moment ago-“ he mumbled, standing in front of the wide window from were he could see Acropolis. The hotel room was small, so small that it could easily turn into a war zone in just a few seconds. Gabriella watched him with her eyes wide open.

“You think I’d do that to you?” she asked, her voice cracking. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “no” she shook her head “You’re just looking for a reason to blame this on me, so you won’t blame yourself- its what you’ve always done!”

He turned to face her, his expression blank, his t shirt wrinkled. “It’s not my fault you can’t have any kids, it’s yours, isn’t it?”

To that she didn’t respond but if there was a sound to describe her heart breaking it would be the cold sigh that escaped her lips. She had never felt this pain in her chest before, the man she loved most in the world stabbing her with words she had only ever trusted him with. A part of her wanted to find an excuse, to blame it on the drinks he had before he came to her hotel room but another was sick of the gas lighting and the manipulation and being distracted like that.

“How dare you?” she whispered. He avoided her eyes, looked anywhere but her. He rubbed his face while she got closer. She hit him on the chest, slapped him repeatedly until he grabbed both of her hands and dropped them. He walked away from her, grabbed his jacket from the bed and put it on. Gabriella watched him leave and when he opened the door, she grabbed the nearest glass she could find and threw it at him on the hall, yelling every curse word she could think of. Everything else from that night was a blur, she knew people had seen her in the hallway in the hotel. She locked herself in her room, drank every bottle of alcohol she could find and woke up in the shower, while Maggie was throwing water in her face. Broken glasses and broken bottles covered the floors, which she must have stepped on and fallen on repeatedly because she had was bleeding from multiple scars. Next time she opened her eyes, she was in a hospital room, everyone wondering what the hell had happened to America’s sweetheart.

It wasn’t long before she fell back in her old habits, painkillers and sometimes heavy drugs. That addiction had started when she was 20. Only Maggie and Chris knew why, only Maggie kept the secret because on November 1st, just a few days before the election the whole world found out about the “Abortion of the America’s sweetheart”. She never thought she could be used as a political weapon, until she watched republicans yelling on TV about how the “democratic” actress and rolemodel would ruin their daughter’s future. She didn’t think she could ever love anyone after that until now.

But he didn’t kiss him. Although his lips hovered over hers for what felt like hours, she didn’t kiss him. She walked out of the car and walked back home, keeping her head down as she thought about kissing him and what it would mean. Ask her why she didn’t and she wouldn’t give you a straight answer because the truth is she didn’t know. She didn’t even wait for him to come after her like they did in movies and grab her in the most romantic way before putting his lips on hers. She was a lonely, scared, defensive idiot that couldn’t allow herself to fall in love with anyone and she really thought she had succeeded for the last 2 years in doing that. She really hadn’t fallen in love with anyone, anyone she’d kiss would be a fling, burnt out by noon and yet Neymar was a fire, and she hadn’t even kissed him yet.

She laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. At some point she fell asleep and her mind started wandering in her darkest memories, reminding her of all the reasons she didn’t kiss him, all the reasons of her disappearance. When she woke up in the morning she had her coffee alone on the balcony, she didn’t even open her phone to see how the game with France ended. Maggie didn’t even try to begin a conversation; she knew better than that. And the whole day seemed to be going as silent and as that until she heard the doorbell and it was weird because every inch of her body wanted to be Neymar. She opened the door hopeful and was met by the kind smile of Antonella. Holding a bowl of Ice Cream on her hands. “Mama said it can freeze away any worry.” Gabriella couldn’t help but smile and let her in, leading her outside on the balcony where they both sat, eating from the same bowl.

“Did you see the game?” asked Antonella, taking a full bite of ice cream.

“No, I was too busy regretting all my life choices” she said, swallowing the ice cream.

“It’s fine the English seemed to be doing the same thing-“

Gabriella left down her spoon, surprised “England lost?”

“Hmm” nodded Antonella “France is on the semi finals.”

“France against Portugal then?”

“Oh no!” Antonella said quickly raising her finger “Morocco”

Now she was in real shock, she laughed, covering her mouth “Are you kidding?”

“Nope.” She smiled “Hakimi showed Ronaldo how it’s done.”

Gabriella shook her hand and reached for the phone on her pocket, finally opening it. All the texts that had been sent overnight while she had it shut down, reached her, beep after beep and she ignored them all until he name popped on her screen. Her expression fell, her eyes closing.

“Estas Bien?” Asked Antonella. Gabriella left her phone on the table and leaned back on her chair, letting out a deep huff “No, no I am not.” She said quickly “Think I’ll spent today regretting all my life choices as well.”

“You could do that.” Antonella reached for bowl, digging in her spoon until she was satisfied “or you could make some new choices.” She added, eating from her spoon.

Gabriella glanced up, raising her eyebrows “What is that a Spanish saying or something?”

“I mean I could say it in Spanish if it makes you feel better.”

Gabriella sat better on her chair, looking at Antonella like a kid. She hesitated but then- “Can you please?” she asked. She wanted to hear the language, she wanted to pretend it was her mother across from her for a while. Gabriella smiled and pulled the chair closer to Gabriella, reaching for her cheek. “puedes pensar en las elecciones pasadas o puedes ir y hacer nuevas y buenas elecciones.” She leaned closer as she said it and perhaps it was an automatic response but Gabriella threw herself on her and hugged her as tight as she could, hiding her face in her hair. “está bien chiquitín! ¡no te preocupes” whispered Antonella, rubbing her back while she sobbed in her arms. “Hey- hey, ¡Oye! Mírame.” She asked, and Gabriella obeyed, looking up to her. Antonella wiped her tears away quickly “Fue él quien me dijo que viniera a verte. Estaba muy preocupado.” Gabriella knew she was referring to Neymar. He's the one that called her to come, something along those lines. Antonella was quick to translate it to English “He called me and told me he was worried because you weren’t answering” Gabriella felt immediately bad, she sniffed back her sobs. “Leo had an advice too.”

“Leo knows about this?” she asked, feeling embarrassed.

“Of course, he does. He wanted to come but he had training.”

“What’s his advice then?”

“cuando tienes el balón, marcas. Sólo pasan unos segundos antes de que llegue alguien, te lo robe y te placen mientras lo haces.”

Gabriella smiled. She got a few words, something about scoring when you have the ball otherwise you will get tackled and broken before you even know it. “It’s always about football with him, isn’t?” she laughed in between her sobs. Antonella nodded, smiling.

“You learn to get used to it.” She said and hugged her again, holding her close to her chest.

NEYMAR’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Outside it was raining. Inside Kylian Mbappe was making most of the noise, yelling at the screen whenever he’d miss a chance while playing fifa. “Hey! Wake up!” he yelled looking at Neymar, who was barely playing. Kylian paused the game, throwing the control on the couch and then grabbing a pillow and throwing it on his friend’s face.

“HEY!” Neymar yelled back at him “what the fuck?” he asked, holding on the pillow.

“You wanna focus on the game?”

“What does it matter, it’s just a game isn’t it?” he mumbled, throwing his controller on the table.

“Is this about brazil loosing?”

“What else would it be about?”

“I don’t know mystery girl aka Gabriella Hamill possibly.”

“No.” Neymar answered quickly, leaning back at the couch. He could feel Kylian staring and it was in fact getting annoying “Maybe it’s both.”

“Maybe.” Kylian mocked, laughing. Neymar got up and headed straight for the table with the drinks.

“I think I’ll leave tomorrow. Head back to brazil-“he said while pouring a drink for himself. Kylian watched him from over the couch, shifting his body to look at him.

“You just rented this apartment.”

“They’ll get their money. It’s fine. I wanna go back home…”

“Or get away” mumbled Kylian under his breath, sifting his body to look back at the screen.

“What does that mean?”

“Come on Ney. You always run away when things are hard, it’s your thing, either that or you get it out on the referees.” He laughed, Neymar got an ice cube from the bowl and threw it at him.

“HEY!” He yelled rubbing his head and looking back at Neymar who sat back to where he was sitting before, taking a sip from his fresh drink. “Didn’t even make me one?”

“Shut up.” Mumbled Neymar as a thunder sounded from outside the house. Just a few seconds later, the door bell rang, startling both of them. If someone had recorded their reaction it would have gone viral, Neymar jumped so abruptly he spilled his drink on the floor and Kylian cuddled himself on the corner of the couch. Kylian kicked Neymar.

“Don’t open the goddamn door. I’ve seen horror movies starting like that-“

Neymar took a few breaths to relax and completely ignored his friend. He got up and walked to the door. Looking at the camera screen, first. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He opened the door quickly, her small figure standing in front of him. Covered just by her hoodie which was completely wet by now, he stared down at her, now knowing how to act or what to do.

“hey.” She whispered, coughing.

“Hi.” He responded. The tension between them raising until-

“Bonjour!” jumped in Kylian, getting Gabriella’s attention who let out a small laugh when she saw him. She covered her mouth quickly.

“Bonjour Kylian.” She said from behind her hand. Neymar smiled at the way she was blushing.

“Are you going to invite her in dude?” he asked, reminding Neymar his manners. Neymar motioned for Ella to get in and closed the door. “Ms. Hamill, enchante” he said sitting up on the couch.

“Comment ca va Kylian?” she asked, while Neymar unzipped and took of her wet hoodie leaving her with just her t-shirt.

“Tu parle francais?” he asked surpised and got up to walk closer to her.

“I’ll get you another one.” Said Neymar quickly, running to his bedroom to get another hoodie. Meanwhile Kylian seemed to be enjoying the awkwardness.

“En peu.” She answered his question, narrowing her eyes “felicitations pour la victoire!” she added, smiling up at him. Neymar sprinted back to her with one of his hoodies, helping her wear it. After that he just kept staring at her and she at him, while Kylian was staring at both of them.

“Kylian.” Neymar addressed him without even looking at him.

“Hm?”

“Get the fuck out.”

“it’s raining.” He smiled, looking at Gabriella now.

“thankfully you’re not made out of sugar.” He answered quickly.

“What if I get hit by a thunder.”

“Kylian.” Repeated Neymar, this time more as a warning.

“Yes of course.” He nodded and ran to get his shoes, putting them on quickly and returning to where his was before. He took hold of Gabriella’s hand and kissed it, smirking at her. “You be good kids.” He added before leaving them alone.

When he shut the door both of them seemed to relax.

“You want a drink?” asked Neymar, moving to the table with the drinks.

“Yes please.” She asnwered, following behind him, slowly. All while he was pouring the drinks, she was staring at his hands, tracing the tattoos on his skin, the ones she could see, with her eyes. She was still staring when he turned back to her to hand her drink and she made sure to touch skin as he took the glass in her own hands. Her gaze slowly lifted to land on him. There was something about her eyes, he hadn’t noticed before, lust. The way she looked at him like she was promising a future, like she was begging for one. She got closer and Neymar actually felt his heard beating faster, he was anxious. He was never anxious. She let her glass down on the table, there was so much silence he heard the glass settling on the silver, like a warning. He took another sip while he watched her and he would have taken another one if she hadn’t reached for his glass, taking it away from him, leaving it next to hers while her eyes remained on his. Then she held on his shit, pulling him down to her.

“I stopped you last night.” She said in a whisper. He was stepped closer, his confidence returning, he gently rubbed his nose against hers. “Would you accept my apology?” she asked, their lips inches apart. He smirked.

“Depends. What do I get in return?”

She looked back and forth between his eyes and his lips, her face serious, sexy, her expression hypnotizing. “Me.”

He crashed his lips on hers without sparing even a second. Taking in her taste, her smell, everything she could give him in that moment and if you asked her, she’d tell you that she would give him anything, anything he wanted as long as he asked her for it. He lifted her up in his arms, almost like he wanted to make sure she was real and not just a fantasy. His kisses trailed down to her chin and then her neck as she leaned her head back, she he’d have better access, a soft moan escaping along with her breath. That was enough to give him all the confidence he needed for the whole night. “me” she said to him and he would take all of her as if her life depended on it. He carried her to his room, laid her on his bed as he took of his shirt, showing her every single tattoo all over his body. He hovered above her, balancing his arms on the bed. He started from her neck, leaving a mark on her skin as a reminder in the morning and then her ear, biting it slightly.

She grabbed his face in her hands, pulling him down to kiss her lips instead because that’s what she wanted most, to taste him, to keep kissing him until her lips were dry and she had no air left in her lungs. He pulled of his hoodie from her and just a second later, he took off her t-shirt, kissed her breast while she let fingers get lost in his curls. She reached under his chin, to make him look up at her. He smirked again, leaning his head down to her ear.

“Apology accepted.” He whispered and made sure that night he’d take exactly what she promised him… her.

dw the steamy part is not over, just wanted to let you look forward for the next chapter. As always please please comment, it's very important to keep my going. I love you all xx comment what you like so far. How do you think this will end? Will they just be happy for the next 4 chapters? Or is there another storm coming 👀👀

[aveegrex]

DEITY UZUIS X READER

four-handed tengen, and exactly one wife short to have a handful. now, we shall fix that, shan't we?

genre: smut pairing: the deity!uzuis x f!reader word count: 2,7k cw: voyerism, group sex, cunnilingus, face-sitting, mating press, creampies, fingering, monsterfucking, kinda suggestive bathing, breeding kink, sex pollen (kinda), tengen is a god of fertility btw, cum-eating, a little bit of masturbation

author's note: did I write a fic to make this silly "four hands and only three wives" joke? yes, yes I did. Also, this piece goes not only into my kinktober event, but also to the @h-jime 's monsterfucker event. I'm extremely thankful to all my followers who were patient enough with me and my catastrophic time management. Thank you, loves, and I hope you enjoy this.

aveegrex kinktober masterlist

“And how did a cute thing like you end up here?”

You gulp under his intent gaze, curling further into the corner of a small room. Honestly, the answer was simple - a lone girl lost in the woods while picking mushrooms and berries, desperate for shelter from brutal rain and wild beasts, indicating how far from the village you have wandered. Wet to the bone and with your kimono now all torn from sharp twigs, you’ve been lucky enough to stumble upon an abandoned temple. “A divine gift” you thought to yourself and snuck inside, too caught up in despair to notice someone’s presence

But wording this out to the tall stranger with eyes of cherry is way harder. So you just shrug sheepishly, adjusting your kimono. “Dunno” you mutter, eyes glued to his bare feet. “Sorry”

“Sorry?” he echoes, voice booming over the rain. “Whatcha sorry for, gem? Didn’t say I mind it”

Still, even after his nonchalant reassurance, you hold your sight down. Who knows what a large man could do when the only coherent witness to his deed is that of a little cat on the porch? 

It’s freezing, rain washing all the day’s warmth away, and you pull on your clothes to snuggle deeper, a visible shiver shaking your form. Damned be the curvy paths, you could have been asleep by now by your fireplace, all wrapped in wool and d r y, for heaven’s sake, and with your stomach full, but no. It’s cats and dogs and brawny strangers with little social etiquette for now, so a corner in a not so abandoned temple should do. 

“You’re freezing, gem!” he points out, and you barely hold yourself from grumping on his brilliant deduction. ”Why didn’t you say so? Here, lemme warm you up!”

He’s striding closer and your eyes shoot up, wide and filled with fear. Warm you up? Hell, the judge would be reluctant to take the cat’s word, and you’re scooting away from his nearing form, still unable to make out any features.

“My Tengen!” a creak of wood and a soft worried voice still the man in his steps. “My Tengen, oh, my love, you’re scaring her!”

Your eyes dart to the smaller frame by the door to the hallway and for a quick second it stands just right for you to make out the concerned eyes. 

“Oh, my Tengen” the figure nears, squatting beside you and covering your shaking form with a blanket. ”She’s drenched! Why haven’t you invited her in?”

The man freezes in his place, head tilted to the side. “She didn’t say she wanted in” he’s quieter now, and you turn your sight to the woman whose hand now urges you up.

“I wonder why” another voice, fiesty and sarcastic, chimes in, and you wonder how you managed to miss such a crowd in here for about an hour. "Three wives in and you’re still clueless”

“Makio!” two voices precipitate the newer one and you relax into the second pair of hands, a whiff of jasmine invading your senses. 

The fiesty one seems to ignore her tamers, instead cooing at you with a kind smile. “Come, dear, don’t mind him” she chuckles, and you reciprocate her grin. “God you’re cold, hold on- SUMA!”

You wince as her voice cuts through the thick damp air. A loud bang and timid pattering are heard from the adjacent room, and yet another head (heavens, how much did you actually miss?) pops from behind the door, this time accompanied by a candlelight. 

But before this timid pretty brunette has a chance to speak, Makio ushers. “A bath, Suma” hazel eyes linger on your for a second. ”And towels, a lot of towels!”. She pushes on your waist, leading the way inside the temple, and your scattered mind is too overwhelmed to take in everything as the patter is heard again, the Suma one gone as soon as she came.

You’re too lost in this sudden commotion to register how your poor freezing body ends up in a wooden tub, submerged into hot water among the candlelights and three so differently worried women. 

“So cold! She’s so cold, Hina!” through lidded eyes, quick to submit to relaxation the water provides, you recognise Suma. She’s hovering above your head, wide doe eyes sparkling with worry. “Oh, she’s not gonna make it! I don’t think she’s gonna make it! Hina, what if we’re too late?! Oh, Tengen was so mean to not invite her properly, he should have invited her, and now she’s cold and those berries are lost and she’s probably haven’t eaten anythingandshewilldiebecausesheshungryandcol-”

“Shut up!” and here’s Makio, gently lathering your bruised feet with soap despite her biting tone. “Suma, your babbling is what’s gonna kill her, not that silly drizzle!”

A calm, velvety voice breaks through to your ears, and you turn your dizzy head towards the source, coming face to face with your initial savior. “I’m so sorry for them, my dear” you can swear here and now you’re witnessing the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen. “Don’t fight sleep. You’re safe here”

Oddly, no reason not to trust her comes to your tired mind. She’s cooing something about how they’re gonna take care of you, but you just nod thoughtlessly, a foolish smile tugging at your lips, and let your eyes flutter close, relaxing into touch and homely banter. It lulls you to the sweetest slumber, and in no time you doze off, limbs heavy in three sets of caring hands.

…

Still half dazed, you feel yourself coming back to your senses, the sound of raindrops against the wood getting more and more defined. Tap, tap-tap, tap-tap-tap-tap-tap, it’s both persistent and unassuming, gentle in pulling you out of sleep. 

Sleep. 

You’ve been sleeping? 

Where? 

WHERE ARE YOU? 

Eyes blowing wide, you sit up on the very soft (so definitely not your own) futon, sudden rush of horror washing over you. It’s dark, the room barely lit by a very subtle flow of warm yellow from the hallway, but it’s enough to figure out that you’re certainly not home. The walls are empty besides for flowers and ivy crawling up the walls, and you can’t help but wonder how the place seems so well-kept despite the overflow of nature. 

Hesitantly, you push off the covers, coming up to your feet with a barely restrained groan. your legs hurt, and it’s helping the memories of a berry hunt to shine through. 

Oh yes, you were lost. 

But still, what is this place? 

Timid, you cautiously slide the door open, careful not to make a single sound, and step out to the better lit hallway. It’s the same, flowers and ivy blooming all over the walls, but here those are much brighter, and almost … breathing? “No, it’s just the remaining sleep” you tell yourself, tiptoeing to the source of light. 

The closer you get, the bolder the colors are, soft hues of pink and yellow giving way to scarlet, canary and magenta. It’s the smell too, you note, unable to hold yourself from reaching for a burgundy lily, and a stripe of brownish pollen marks your skin. You’re about to wipe your hand when

“Ah, Tengen!”

…

“Yes, yes-ah! Tengen- OH!!”

You freeze, mere steps away from the source of light, a slit in the door promising more questions. 

Slowly, alert of any and all possibly squeaky floorboards, you close the distance to the opening, leaning in to peek inside. There, amidst the abundant rampage of flowers and plants and all trees (inside? trees of wisteria inside?) you see a swarm of bodies. Moving rhythmically, limbs tangled in tantric dance, all pulsating in slow tides, there are your hosts, as you make out already familiar hair and faces. 

These faces though, blooming in blush and heat, are all contorted in bliss. Pure thick bliss, heaving the air with the most erotic gasps and moans, filled with wet sounds, smells so intoxicating, so ripe, so fertile.

One of the bodies comes higher, strong back stretching up, and you barely hold in a gasp. Four hands protrude, two on each side, and they’re all taken by the women who have not so long ago tended to your more prosaic needs. 

There’s Makio, whose hips are stuttering as she grinds on Suma, both latched to each other by their cores, needy whines escaping the brunette’s lips. And two hands tend to them, filling one’s mouth and grasping another’s palm as Makio’s struggles to hold herself up right above her partner. 

Eyes moving to the side, you see Hinatsuru’s face, eyes rolled into her skull as other two hands hold her neck and waist respectfully. Her face gets hidden by a pair of strong thighs, moving rhythmically in all too familiar motion, lower groans and moans being absorbed by the moss on the walls. 

It’s hypnotizing, and even though you’re obviously barging on to something you’re not supposed to see, there’s no shame flashing through your mind. No, your thighs squeeze naturally, a faint blush creeping up your cheeks, and you almost feel welcome to watch the carnal show. 

“Oh, Tengen-” Hinatsuru’s hand wraps weakly around the bulging muscle, and you notice her dainty feet wobbling atop of the man’s shoulders, toes tickled by his luscious platinum hair. 

Tengen. Tengen? 

Oh, that Tengen? 

You remember a towering figure from a few hours ago, the one with a loud voice and heavy step, cornering you in a cold entryway. You had no chance to see his full face, nor to make out an unusual amount of limbs that time, and now your interest peaks, tongue gliding over suddenly so dry lips. 

Apparently, he’s doing something especially skillful, since Hina’s mouth hangs open, giving way to the lewdest sounds. Pollen dances in the air, glimmering in the unknown source of light. Makio rolls her head, pink lips so wet and plump of all the biting they’ve endured, and you see her and Suma shuddering, sweaty tits hanging heavy over her heaving chest. 

You almost miss your own hand gliding down to palm at your heated core, arousal pooling in your lower stomach, weighing down on your neglected folds. You notice the urge, but it only feels so natural to follow it, to give in and touch yourself to the love unraveling before your eyes, until

“Coming in, cute thing?”

His voice cuts through the thick air, making you still your movements like a deer in headlights. He’s still facing away from you, hips still rutting into blissed out Hina, and Makio and Suma seem to be too preoccupied with tasting each other now to care about some peeper, so how?

“My beautiful - ah - wives told me off before” he turns his head and you almost faint of his glory, deep magenta eyes staring right into your soul. A kind grin adorns his face, and he hisses before continuing, landing a fat smack against Hina’s thigh. “For being a rude host, that is. Doesn’t my cute guest want to join in?”

“T-tengen, don’t tease!” Hina whines, but it’s unclear what she’s referring to, rutting against the man’s hips needily. “It’s my turn now-ah”

You rock on your heels, thoughts sloshed together into incomprehensive mush, core pulsating with unattained need, and fuck it, they look so good, they feel so good there, rutting against each other in sync, making the air buzz with overwhelming urge. 

Stepping in shyly under Tengen’s pleased coo, eyes shooting between all the bodies, overwhelmed with the choice, you undo your waistband, letting the kimono fall to the ground. 

It smells of slick and lust there, it bathes you in the fertility of all, of this security in want, and the closer you get to the mossbed, the quicker your pace gets. You’re kneeling on the soft grass, unsure of what to do, but once again, four hands hug you from behind, open mouth kisses pressed to your buzzing skin. 

“She’s beautiful” a whisper to your left ear. “She’s needy” a playful sneer to your neck, and you feel a small hand creeping to your drenched core, dainty fingers ghosting over the slick. Your hips stutter towards the tease, and two digits snake along your folds, gathering the essence before diving in. 

“So responsive” you recognise Makio’s bite, although it’s softer now, catching the moan that falls from your lips. “Let go, sit down” Suma’s playfully cooing from under you (when?), her hot breath tickling your clit, and you give in, thighs splaying on each side of her soft cheeks, a hungry mouth latched to your doused cunt. 

“They’re so attentive, my loves” Tengen strains, his own hips shaking of nearing climax, and you bite your lip as a rush of something hidden deep within washes over you. Hina’s heels are now digging into his back, urging him deeper, pleas of his divine gift stuttering into the ripe air of the room.  

Your own body is too lost in Makio’s lips wrapping around your nipple, in Suma’s playful tongue toying with your clit and entrance, but your full attention’s trained on Hina’s exposed core with thick endless globes of white spilling out of her twitching hole. 

“You’re next, cute thing” another four hands roam your body shamelessly now, squeezing and groping the fluttering flesh, and his lips slot against yours, long tongue drawing moans after moans from your blissed out self. 

Makio helps you down, laying you gently on your back, and Suma’s too engrossed into her feast to let go of your happy cunt, urging your thighs up, swallowing your juices before giving way to her man. 

“P-please” you muster, weak hands flying to his shoulders. “Sshh, sweet thing, I know” he muses, his heavy girth gliding along your folds, firm tip sending jolts of electricity into your needy clit with each bump. “I’ll take care of you too, no worries”

You don’t even think how he’s hard again, only pressing your core onto him, begging him weakly. “T-tengen, please” you almost sob, as he presses into you, hard length stretching you out just right. 

“So responsive indeed, gorgeous” and your ankles on his shoulders tremble, hands clutching onto the strong neck. You register Suma and Makio babbling on each side of you, their lips finding purchase on your neck. Tengen’s two hands tend to you, while other two stuff his wives, making them rut against thick fingers towards another climax. 

It’s all too much, it’s so right, so natural to open your legs wider for him, to dig your fingers into his toned ass, to gasp as his tip finds your sweet spot and abuses it so deliciously, harsh slaps of his crotch and balls stimulating you further into ecstasy. 

You make out a cunt over your face, hazed mind slow to understand that Hina wants more, but thoughts give way to instincts as she lowers onto your face and you taste her sweet release mixed with Tengen’s tangy seed. You drink her up, tongue drawing circles into her cunt, the smell of sex and the feel of Tengen’s cock throbbing inside pushing you into your own nearing orgasm. 

He’s ramming inside, driveling something about how tight you are, how good you’re locking him in. Faster, harder, aching tongue neglected to have Hina squeeze your head with her plush thighs and gush her load all over your face. Faster, harder, sweetly abused cunt clenching around inhuman girth pounding the last neurons out of you. 

“Just a bit more, sweet thing-AH, just like that, uh-huh” they sing in unison, and you moan into Hina’s fluttering core, sound of Tengen’s gasp muffled by the clench of your thighs as he shoots his thick load into you. His thumb rubs at your clit, cock nestled right against your drowning cervix, and you gush, squirting all over the mossbed and his stomach, orgasm making your body seize up in shock and bliss. 

You barely understand anything that happens later, too out of it to even uncross your eyes, hips still twitching of intense climax they’ve gifted you, but you make out one thing before falling into slumber entangled with them. 

“I still have one hand free of wife, cute thing. Mind taking up the empty spot?” MDNI, reblogs and comments are welcome, and say yes to the mating press

taglist: @hoohoohope @justanothernpcartist @the-b-u-n-n-y @muzans to join the taglist, please leave a comment on my kinktober masterlist or dm me (remember u have to have ur age in bio)

© 2022 AVEEGREX, all rights reserved. reposting and copying my works without my consent is forbidden.

[prototypelq]

if i may ask, what's your favorite fictional horsie? (ask inspired by the recent darksiders posting, which btw has some awesome-looking horses :D)

MUTUAL YOU HAVE STEPPED ON A LANDMINE. or more like a pressure plate that is wired to a nuclear landmine under Me.

oh no I am forced to confront my sins over unhinged animal obsessions now, okay

(MAGIC HORSEGIRL TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCE)

sidenote: while writing this I realised that the ask implied any kind of fantasy horse, but I'm now shoulder-deep in gaming horses tangent soooooo lol sorry not sorry. as for fantasy outside of games I really like the idea of Sleipnir, or any other kind of multi-legged horse, Ghost Rider flaming spirit horse is also super cool. Any horse-like creature that is predatory is freakishly awesome. Additional points for adding horns, scales, or swapping hooves for split-fingered/artiodactyl-like legs.

To be honest, I wish this ask was harder to answer than it is, because truth be told, there are very few games with horses. Decent horse animation is even less common than actually good horses, which is another factor that makes me very sad and harder to enjoy these mounts. Additionally, most of the games use horses as... 'car stand-ins' basically, there's very rarely anything uniquely Horse TM about the mounts, and usually they feel like glorified speed booster with questionable animations.

(spoiler: no, rdr2 does not have good horse animation, I have looked with literal scientific lens at thas game, consulted with different horsegirl enthusiasts about it, saw literally every available to public lecture on everything-horse-developed for it, and have concluded that, horse animation is overly complicated with little to-no noticable results, as are most things with that game. more on this later)

I'll obviously be forced to come back to RDR2 topic, but shelf it for now. Here be some of my fav horsies in games, not in any particular order (except RDR2 which will be discussed below).

Darksiders is pretty much a DMC-cousin series but with horses and this makes it so cool. The designers of horses for the Riders of the Apocalypse have gone out of their way to make all the Riders and their mounts look absolutely stunning. Despair looks both awesome and riveting and is my personal fave, Rampage has Mane Magic TM same as his rider Fury, Mayhem looks really cool in that armor, but, of course, Ruin is the posterchild for the series, and rightfully so!

Ruin is built absolutely true to his name. This horse looks like it runs on V8 infernal engine and pisses nuclear monster energy. He has fangs. His hooves scorch the ground underneath. This horse has the muscle mass of a red giant sun about to go supernova. He looks absolutely insane, the only thing you could fear more than this horse in a room is the person who is controlling him. So yes, an extremely fitting mount for War. (Ruin also has awesome mane physics, much appreciated)

Sadly, out of four Darksiders games, there are horse levels only 2 of them - those being the first two games (3 and Genesis are good, Genesis especially, but they both distanced themselves from 'big maps with dungeons' style maps, so horses are not really needed. Genesis has levels you can ride in, but the horses are not really needed in it, still, they are a welcome addition, especially with fans getting the final fourth horse design). Darksiders I and II are very much horsegirlgamer games, as both have Mounted Bossfights, which are BADASS, the Guardian fight in DS2 especially. Both really make you feel like the mythic Rider of the Apocalypse, they are amazing.

Darksiders II also gets an important mention from me for having The Best Trot Animation In Gaming To This Date. The horse trot is fluid, looks very expressive and it's clear Despair slows a lot of this, so it's not his preferred gait for riding, but the main highlight is Death's animation.

Most of the games are lazy with trot, as one of the riding techniques for handling it is just...sitting in the saddle aggressively (I mean it literally, as horse movement on trot is designed to throw you off, so technique number one is basically pushing yourself back into the saddle to counteract this). So the games are usually lazy and just glue the rider to the saddle to show this. However, the second, easier really, way to ride on trot is posting, which is standing up and down in rhythm with the horse's leg movement. Problem with trot is that you need to relearn it for each individual horse, as they all have different builds, leg lengh, breed, etc. With one horse it's easier to stay sitting, with another it would be impossible, but posting will be easy to do, and with some horses you can't do either, so your only hope is holding on until you change speed and gait.

Death's movement in this trot animation is so fluid, so minimal and effortless - it's natural for him. He is in complete harmony with Despair, and the way he posts shows exactly that. 10/10 best trot animation ever, fight me.

Okay so, from a very much deserved highlight, to a not really deserved one - Dragon Age Inquisition. I'll say from the get-go, the mounts in this game suck, they don't even alter your speed of movement! They are completely useless. You could rip a minecraft horse in their place and it would feel better to control, be more useful and have better animation than DAI native mount system. That said, their designs are so cool, Dracolisks especially.

Fun fact, even the game's Horsemaster pretty much throws hands at seeing these things. You know how a normal horse when mean transformes into a 400 kilo beast with immense bite force and body mass that can crush you? Well, dracolisks don't look that heavy, but they also seem to be ready to hunt you for sport and giggles. 10/10 intense factor, they look awesome and as a supposed leader of a world-saving institution you look very impressive while riding them (and frighten 99% of the population). (it's also hilarious to imagine a Maximus-Flynn situation from Tangled between these temperamental beasts and your poor party members or love interest)

Thankfully, most of my mutuals have been acquired pretty recently, meaning, after my Big Horizons Phase xD I really love HZD, and one of the neat things about it is actually horses!

Horizon ZD is the game that has the best controlling horses out of all the games I've played (yes, even rdr2 loses to it for a big reason I will elaborate later on), and the formula of it's success is very fun to look into: it lies in three very important factors: horse brain, player controls and animation, all of which have been solved simply, yet with grace.

HZD has made sure that your chosen mount has it's own pathfinding system, which does not turn off when the player starts riding the creature, so you can, and I almost quote the devs here - you can ride into a patch of woods on high speed, leg go of your controller, and the horse will avoid collision on its own. Isn't it just great when your supposed animal has it's own pathfinding made to simulate brain activity and their feeling of self-preservation. Point two: controls. The most important aspect of HZD mount controls is that - you keep controlling Aloy, the moment she starts riding there is no magical control transition in favour of your mount. There is no 'go forward' button, even pushing the stick forward works only for walk. You keep controlling Aloy, who is now riding on top of a horse-like-machine, so to go faster you press the button for her to kick the horse into next gear. To stop or slow down, you don't use sticks and don't let go of 'go forward button', that will actually do nothing, instead you need to press the button to make Aloy hold the cords of the machine closer. Under the surface, every game's horses are just 'reskined cars', but details like this make the player feel different, make you feel like your controls don't magically transcend to the animal your controlled character is on top of. This detail is small, but it's impact is very big, I assure you. Point three: animation. HZD devs did an awesome animation trick for the running cycle of Aloy and the horses, as those two are the ones players see the most of, and they are the first ones to get repetitive and boring for the player. Basically, animators did three variations of run cycle with different weight distribution (model veers sideways and steers back into weight neutral position), then coded in a system to randomly blend bits of these run animations together. The result is a partially randomised run animation, made out of fleshed-out hand-made ones, so it always looks good, quite diverse, and is not as repetitive. (I wish I remembered the specific talk where devs explained this, but there are so many of them, all fascinating btw, and its been a few years so sorry no source for you)

Two honourable mentions for the games I have not played myself, but they really deserve it when we're talking about horsegirlgames: Zelda BOTW and Shadow of the Colossus. These games have horses right out of every horsegirl's dreams - they are big, their manes long and gorgeous, their run animation so cartoonishly expressive yet graceful, it's mesmerising. Certified horsegamergirl games.

Honestly, it's impossible to not fall in love with them (unless you don't have a platform to run either of these, ahaha, fuck console wars).

And now. Now for the black sheep of my horsegames list. RDR2.

Disclaimer: I have spent way too much time in this game. 'got Zoologist' kind of too much time. While I will be critical, the game is certainly an acquired taste, and there have been enough people singing praises to it and never having the issues I got after putting hundreds of hours into it. I had a great time, which turned very sour after these hundreds of hours. Some players keep loving this game forever, some despise it from the start. Play on your own to formulate a personal opinion and don't defer to any of these camps.

RDR2 is a western movie through and through, and by that I mean that the game is extremely pretty on the outside, but has nothing substantial on the insde. This illusion held for me for long enough, but I was much saddened by peeking behind the curtain, and seeing what I found there. Again, this is a personal issue, it doesn't mean the game is bad or good, but my dissapointement is tied pretty much directly to how the game handles horses, since, y'know, this is supposendly 'the ultimate horsegirl game'.

The sad truth is that RDR2 horses are exactly 'reskinned cars', which is the trap that renders most of gaming horses so so so boring, but the illusion the game creates holds strong for a long while, plus the personification of your horsie (saddle, mane customisation, etc.) actually strenghtens that illusion big time.

I have pointed out what HZD did right for horses to feel so good thoroughly for a reason, said reason is: RDR2 got every point on that list wrong.

Let me show you some examples of RDR2 horse pathfinding.

I chose these two specific clips for a reason - both are prime examples of exactly how lobotomised RDR2 horses are, but in different ways. First clip is user error (besides the fact that no horse could ever run on railways but I digress) - I have been enjoying the scenery too much, and the stick angle proved too much, so me and my beloved horse fell straight to our deaths off the side of that railway. I think it's pretty self-explanatory that irl horses are very self-preservation centered animals, and they don't just fall down random pits. If the RDR2 horses had kept their AI pathfinding running while the player controls them, this simple user error could have been negated - as the pathfinding system would quickly flash a 'don't fucking run into a pit', keep input from registering and the horse would just follow the side of the road without tumbling down. Which, in gamer's eyes would also roleplay as horse having it's own brains. The second example is even weirder - I've been using the 'cinematic mode', which means I put down the controller, and the horse is following the road to my chosen destination on his own, so, y'know, this should be a prime example of horse pathfinding. Wrong again! Granted, that weird woman is some sort of random event, she is not usually there, nor are there barrels, but if the object has a collison parameter it should have been freakin registered and the horse was supposed to jump over it.

So yeah, RDR2 horses are completely lobotomised to any sense of navigation, this has been likely done in favour of more direct player control and easier cinematic setups.

Point two: controls. This one is actually mixed, and I'll start with the good thing for a change. The good thing is RDR2 is literally the only game to allow for lateral movement for mount, in short, this allows you to turn around your horse clockwise while remaining in one place, basically spinning, on trot and gallop too no less! If you try the control inputs for this in any other game, you will end up circling around a set point, and not spinning in place. Which, very cool actually, and yeah the opportunity to do this feels good. Another great detail is Handling stat - which is, how responsive is your horse to your inputs (ex. more or less maneuverable, time to turn after input, how much you mash X to speed up to another gait), which all feel very distinct. Arabians are known for having exquisitely tight handling, you need only to lightly tap the button for them to listen to you, in contrast, work or draft horses will make live for your big thumb a living hell, as they need to be kicked a lot of times to do literally anything. This idea of changing character controls for each horse is very very good, and this I will gladly praise.

On the other hand RDR2 horse controls (dreadfuly). First off - your horse works based on a 'go forward' button mechanic, also the gait change is tied to it, and if you, for some reason, just 'let go' of your 'go forward button' you will after slowing down. I remember seeing a meme where the trigger and the X buttons were duck-taped to be constantly pressed on their own, and I can tell you it's not a joke. You just might need another controller after all the X mashing this game requires you to do. Just for horse controls - you mash X to go faster, you keep pushing X to remain at current speed, and the only time you let go of that button is to either mash it again, or if you want to slow down for a stop.

If you look at HZD controls explanation again, you might see just how damaging this control scheme is to the feel of your horse being an actual animal with their own head and brain, pair this controls madness with nonexistence of pathfinding, and well, RDR2 horses are justt lobotomised to a point of being a 'reskinned car'.

Last point, might be our saving grace here - animation. And, ehhhhhhhhhh, this one's positive but mixed. RDR2 devs did a great job at recognizing how different gait speeds for horses work, as well, gait is just the type of movement horse uses, it is not as strictly tied to speed as you might think. Just as you can hop down the street, or walk down the street at the same speed, trained horses can gallop at practicaly walking speed for shows (this does not work in reverse though - you cannot reach gallop speed while trotting). Game animators did their best to recognise and implement this, so the game is calculating leg movement and is blending animation when the gait-change is happening. However, what I ended up with in game, a lot of the time, is this:

I am not sure what this is caused by, I interpret this as the animation engine shrugging and going for a coffee break. This mistake is not uncommon at all, and there will be a lot of time when you see your horse 'hopping' like this with both front and back legs for a couple of seconds.

Let's just say, this is not how horses run. This is not even how they could run if they want to, or are trained to do this. Horses' entire anatomy revolves around their movement, which is built on a foundational truth that legs move in a set pattern, if that pattern is broken - horse will damage itself.

Again, this is likely just a technical issue, it appears often enough, but unless you know this is an error, you will likely sleep soundely at night. As you can see, I am not one of those people. I did not sleep soundly at night after looking into this. I have also consulted with all my horsegirl friends and a horsekeeping student over this and all of them confirmed this as an error. Still, it is very strange, that a game that bragged it has horse testicle physics down, has this blatant and frequent animation error in it.

Okay, I've thrashed RDR2 quite enough I think, the last bit I wanted to list here is another positive one. Muscle animation and animal sounds is this game are certified clinically insane. All the breathing muscle movement after cantering has been noted and animated to a golden standard, head muscle, snorting, leg muscle, all of these look insanely good. I mean literally insanely good, the animators that worked on this deserve awards.

Also, you could never say no to horse customisation. So, I wanted to wrap this monster of a post with a compilation of my RDR2 pretty horses photomoding.

[ohlookanothercartoontofallinto]

Writing prompt: Four gets brainwashed by an enemy, Wind tries to save him. How it goes is up to you. I know how much you enjoy killing Four, so if someone in the Chain accidentally does so in the process of knocking them out so they won't be a threat or etc... 👀

(I wouldn't say I like killing four? Actually I don't think I've ever killed four. I've made him suffer but killed? Not that I can remember. Anyways went in a different direction but I hope you enjoy.)

(Btw Blood warning)

Four against one really wasn’t that hard it really wasn’t. Wind had fought five to one against Darknuts before, and don’t get him started on miniblins. However this time it was different. Because the person he was fighting was no evil-born monster. No, it was his brothers. 

The sailor blocked with his mirror shield, using the light above to blind the colors that advanced. 

“Red, Blue, Green, Vio! Mates! I really would appreciate any of you breaking out of that villain's control and fighting alongside me!” The sailor wasn’t sure how any of this happened. All he knew one moment he entered what looked like a battle arena, the next, an out of his mind Smith had split into his four selves and was out for blood. Wind’s blood to be exact. 

Red equipped the fire rode pushing the sailor back. The boy didn’t realize it was into a trap. Blue came from behind, trapping Wind's arms and chest in a lock. “BLUE!” the youngest growled, “Let me go!” The sailor struggled, as Vio pulled out his sword, making his way towards the pair. 

“Not like this.” the sailor mumbled. “Sorry blue!” With the little arm mobility the sailor had, he loosened the wrap on his shield, grabbing the leather straps before launching the shield back. The pointed top struck into Blue’s face, which would no doubt leave permit damage. Blue lost all grip he had on Wind, giving the sailor the opportunity to strike the blue boy in the gut with the hilt of his sword. Blood spat from the smallest mouth. Wind had no time to sympathize, he grabbed the boy's arm, and with all his strength and a little help from the magic bracelets. Launched Blue over his shoulder, into Vio, who had to drop his sword to guarantee no harm come to his brother. The sailor didn’t stop there, while there was a moment of confusion. Wind took his shield and frisbees it towards Red. Thankfully the wind was on the hero of the wind’s side. Because the shield made contact knocking him back with enough force to take Red to the ground. Without delay, the sailor pulled out his grappling hook, thanking the Wind brothers that there was a place he could grab onto, he swung and leaped into the air. 

Only the sailor forgot about the fourth. A freezing arrow shot into the rope, halting all movement in a jaggering motion. Wind only had a second to blink before the second arrow came. This one was lit with flames so bright. He braced himself, as the head made contact with the ice, the rope shattered. 

Wind slammed into the ground hard. The arm that normally donned his shield felt like it was shattered. The Phantom Sword slid a few feet away from the sailor. Coming to a halt in front of Green. Wind wanted to smack the smirk he had off his face. Green with his foot slid the weapon back to the sailor. 

"Pick it up." Green looked like a demon. 

'He's probably possessed by one.' The young hero concluded. 

Wind complied, having to use the sword like a staff to even stand. Blood dripped from his forehead. He took a fighting stance. 

Green scoffed, "Your forms off." The colors leader took a proper form. 

The sailor rolled his eyes, "Reminder I'm basically self-taught." He was getting lightheaded. 

Green pulled in getting ready to strike. Sliding his foot, wind braced himself, four launched forward steel against steel. 

"Oh trust me it shows." Wind pushed back slicing at his brother, Green shuffling back. Thrust aimed for the sailor side. The youngest blocked with the sword, and with his shieldless hand decked the leader in the face. Four stumbled back, “COWARD!” 

Wind tensed, “watch your language, mouse.” 

“I only speak the truth! Some swordsman you are! You choose cheap tactics. Rather than the art of the blade, you’re pathetic.” Green spit. 

The sailor's heart was ablaze, he knew these words were most likely from the evil controlling the Smith, however, it was still hard to hear those words. Especially from his ancestor, he wouldn’t let him know that though.  "Well not all of us could be raised by the Captain of the Royal Knights of Hyrule. Who taught you how to pick up a sword at what the age of four?” Sneakily, the sailor had pulled out his hook shot, aiming it at Green, pulling him forward, attempting to bring the sword's hilt down to knock him out. The green leader was prepared, blocking it, both entering a struggle for power once again. The sailor growled, “Oh also, last time I checked, I was a sailor, a pirate, and a kid that just wanted to live. I never claimed to be a swordsman.” 

A smile on Green's face grew, fear electrified the youngest body. “Good because you're not.” 

Before wind could even realize what was going on, it was too late.

A blade of violet stabbed him through the back. 

A blade of blue stabbed him on his right side. 

A blade of red stabbed him on his left side. 

And a blade of green stood before him. 

The hero of the wind’s fell to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth. “Who’s using cheap tactics now?” 

The smile was whipped from Green's face and he lunged his sword into his youngest brother’s chest. Not stopping until it came out the other side. The sailor took one large gasp and shrank in on himself. 

Green, Red, Blue, and Vio stepped away pleased with what they had done. 

As the droplets of the sailor’s blood hit the floor, the magic that had taken their mind dripped away as well. 

Reality became clearer, time became present, and their voice was in control. The first thing Green heard was the shriek of Red. ‘Who dares touch his brother?’ Followed by the desperate cries of Blue, begging for Vio to do something. ‘What needs to be done that I can not do?’ 

The world came into view, the sailor came into view. 

He was looking up at Green, pale as a ghost. 

“Teal…” Green whispered like a mouse. 

The sailor began to fall forward. Green fell down with him, Wind’s head pressed against his chest. Green lifted his hand, it shook violently, as blood dripped off it. 

“Oh Hylia, what did we–” Green breath was taken away as he tried to process what was happening. 

Red had not stopped his screams, as Blue hugged him for dear life, his wound still spilling blood as well. “What do we do, what do we do, how do we fix this! Vio! Green?” Blue wanted any answer. That neither party could provide. 

Vio stood frozen like stone, eyes fixed on the sailor, and on the four swords that pierced his skin. 

A weak voice called out. 

“Brothers…” Wind spit up more blood as he lifted up his hand for Green to take. “Promise me you will continue to live your lives, please.” Tears began to stream from the sailor's eyes. “I need you to live your life.” 

Green looked into the youngest hero’s eyes, they were the same as his. Green cowardly took the sailor's hand, and kissed his knuckles. “We–We promise.” 

Wind let out a weak smile, “Smith…I don’t want to die.” 

[ladysomething]

atp I don't even know why I keep asking stuff as an anon. my identity has been revealed but fuck it.

one more time, let's do 5+1

1. Charles thinking he's the world's most clever person ever has me on the fucking floor. you go get them babe. yes, surely keeping the other idiot satisfied is only because you want to escape. of course sweetie. but question: are omegas more prone to their alpha, or that only goes so far and then they actually can control the feelings said alpha causes on them?

2. Max is an idiot, isn’t he? like, I actually want to open his brain to see how the fuck it works because I am amazed at its capacity (or lack of it/j)

3. I have a thing for the starved man comparision, and it's lovely to see such an accurate scenario for it. because Max actually short-circuited. he's just a man and Charles broke his brain in what? like, less than 5 minutes?

4. Carlos is a little rat, but I'm actually thankful that's he's not like. gross. (please, I'm begging you on my knees. don't make him or other drivers gross) I have this thing where I can kinda stand when oc are gross and little shits, but, even if some would consider said person a little shit (completely reasonable, people are allowed to not like drivers) I don't like it when on fics, they're outright assholes and disgusting craps, cause I don't know with certainity if they are like that irl. idiots and that I can do but over that is too much to bear for me. that's the point where I am reminded that they're real and that stuff. of course, is totally on you, and I don't expect anything, but picture me making puppy eyes at you on this one. and I was wondering, what is he? a beta or an alpha? it probably was said somewhere but I don't remember. because according to my reasoning, he's a beta because he was not in the auction. or was he?

5.I'm so fucking glad I chose wygig as this year's questionable fic. I love it and I have now developed a deep emotional dependence towards it. but haven't we all? (this is to say I love it)

+1. glad you're enjoying (I'm also trip anon btw) had I been in Italy, I would've loved to go to the bar to watch the race. even though I've never gone to watch a race at a bar in Rome, in Italy, depending on where you go, it can be really exciting and ehmmm... definetely an experience, may I call it that way. but sadly, first of all there's a four hour drive from Toscana to Rome and I would get my ass even flatter, and second I left months ago. maybe next time

and as you may have noticed, I gave up with trying to tell you how many points there will be in my ask. have a nice day Mads, enjoy your vacay hun!

look I'll honest. you say your identity has been revealed but you could be any of a handful of anons that have revealed their identity to me. so my terrible memory means that your secret is still safe!

wellllllll ... hm. omegas are definitely more SUSCEPTIBLE to their alphas e.g. with the alpha voice. but anything Charles feels is his real feelings.

haha Max IS an idiot, but so is Charles. they're two idiot peas in an idiot pea pod.

yeah no for real, Max's brain was completely broken. it was like Christmas morning for him haha

Carlos is a beta - basically everybody is a beta. there's only one person whose designation hasn't been revealed yet, but they're not a driver, so. you can pretty much just assume that everybody is a beta. as for making drivers assholes - I don't really do that in general, because usually it's too one dimensional for what I'm writing. it's fun in some scenarios (particularly shorter fics) but even the drivers who are currently 'villains' aren't outright bad people.

hahaha and at the rate it's going, it's length will mean it probably lasts half the year too haha

+1. yeah, I'm really excited!!!! I was kind of like ... if I can't go to Iola, then this is simply an experience I MUST have. cheering for ferrari while they're driving in Italy while I'M in Italy??? ahhhh.

thank you so much, you have a great day too!

[eetherealgoddess]

i’ve been getting some requests on wattpad so i thought i should finally write one of them <3

reader operates as both a cop and detective btw

ꨄEdge Of The Lawꨄ

Oneshot - Yandere Bonten Au

❦You’re a detective who has spent years trying to take down Bonten❦

Sano Manjiro, Hanemiya Kazutora, Sanzu Haruchiyo, & Haitani Brothers x Reader

Not fully proofread

MY TR FANDOM WORKS ARE ONLY ON TUMBLR & AO3 UNDER EETHEREALGODDESS! REPORT IF YOU SEE IT POSTED UNDER ANYONE ELSE BUT ME!!!

I apologize if I get any Japanese etiquette or culture wrong, I literally have to research the culture for some of my fandom stories so if anything is wrong, please excuse my ignorance.

Notice:

✩Y/n is 18+. I picture her as a black female but you can see her however.

✩Some parts of the story may not be realistic or factual. After all, this is a work of fiction.

✩Although it's a dark 'romance,' I do not condone any of the behavior displayed.

✩Dark content such as: gore, violence, triggering topics, graphic scenes, vulgar language, explicit sexual content, etc.

✩There may be scenes that involve non con and/ or dubcon so don’t read if that makes you uncomfortable

✩That being said, this story is for 18+ only.

Enjoy!

Edge Of The Law

It had been years since you hopped on the case regarding the infamous criminal organization Bonten. Having put in an exceeding amount of work in tracking their illegal endeavors as well as the individuals who cause the gang activities to soar. So far the only information you have been able to obtain was that you have a few traitor cops in your vicinity, one who very well may be the chief.

Unfortunately, the only proof you’ve received was during a personal outing of your own. You sat on a stool in the dimmed bar, a low melody playing in the background from the speakers connected to the ceiling. Only a few people were scattered around the room, sitting in their own booths or a couple stools down from you, sipping on their drinks as they talked amongst themselves. Your bartender had just finished your drink, sliding it over as you immediately downed the beverage.

“Damn, tough day?” The woman chuckled, continuing to make the other customers’ drinks as she conversed with you.

“You could say that.” You motion for another as you remember the frustrating discovery of all the paperwork you had on the case completely missing, nowhere to be found. You could only determine that it was an inside man’s job, a dirty cop who knew exactly where to find the confidential information.

After downing four shots while conversing with the bartender, you walk towards the bathroom. After releasing your fluid and washing your hands, you stepped out of the bathroom, perking up when you noticed a familiar individual who just exited the male’s bathroom. Although he wore casual clothing, you could tell he was your chief, having worked under the guy for years.

You follow him from afar, dropping some cash on the bar table as you make your way outside. You stood at the corner of the building, staring ahead as you peaked around the wall into the alleyway. You crouch as you make a run for the dumpster, basically prancing on your tiptoes so he wouldn’t catch you there. You kneel on the dirty ground, peaking out to watch him.

The chief stood in front of a tall man wearing a suit. You couldn’t hear anything but slight chatter, both parties standing too far for you to hear the conversation so you took a moment to view the suspect in front of your boss. One of his hands moved to swipe through his hair, fingers entangling with short purple strands. His purple irises gaze ahead lazily as his expression remains blank. What stood out to you the most was that symbol on his neck, prominent and black.

“That symbol…” You murmured to yourself before taking your phone out of your pocket and snapping a few pictures of the two men, one a close up of the broad male.

You sat at the desk in your room, searching through your drawers and folders of different forms and pictures you had kept. You weren’t allowed to have some of the papers in your personal home, though there were key points in some of the cases you were assigned that stuck out to you, resulting in off duty research.

Grabbing a familiar folder labeled, ‘Mark of the Prey,’ a dramatic name you so boringly created for the information inside. You snatch it open, searching through until you make an abrupt halt. Pulling the page out, you placed it next to your phone that displayed a close up of the man who spoke to the chief.

“Knew it.” You huff as you compare the symbol of Bonten to the tattoo embedded on the guy’s neck. Although this discovery confirms your suspicion, you have no clue why your chief would be in cahoots with the organization other than the fact that he’s working with them. Unfortunately, you don’t have enough proof.

The following days, you had decided to figure out a way to look through your boss’s office for any clues regarding his partnership. The first thing you want to come across if nothing else is your original paperwork that you kept hidden in a specific drawer. The only person who would’ve known the correct placement was your boss. You knew you had to wait for the perfect opportunity so you patiently waited for the right moment to sneak into his office.

It was hard, but you finally found the perfect time during a lunch break to search. You had no idea when he’d be back so you quickly searched through file after file. You were careful to place everything back in place to not raise suspicion. You sigh in frustration when you’re not finding the target, standing up from your place only to make eye contact with your chief.

He stepped in slowly, shutting the door behind him as he made his way closer to his desk. Still keeping his distance you both stare at one another in silence. Considering you’ve been caught, you decide not to waste any time.

“You’re working for Bonten, aren’t you?”

The middle aged man continued to stare at you before placing his hands in his pockets.

“There was a reason I dropped you from the case, Y/n.” You recall the utter pit in your stomach the moment you were dropped from the case, having spent a lot of time and effort finding all the evidence you could.

“Where is the paperwork?” You give him a stern glare. He sighed before shaking his head.

“You never stop, do ya? You wanna die or something?” He growled, a look of irritation crossing on his face, “I spared your life by dropping you, otherwise you’d be next on their list.”

“Do you realize what you’ve just done? Do you understand the gravity of what you’re doing? Partnering with the enemy? Are you out of your fucking mind?” Your palms slam on the desk as you lean slightly forward, anger and a sense of betrayal overcoming you.

“You have no right to question my decisions! I do what I have to do to survive. You should be thanking me!” He roared, stepping forward. “They’ve had their eyes on you ever since you started that case! They know what you look like, where you live, where you come from, and more!”

An abrupt siren echoed throughout the building, indicating a warning. The same sound you were taught when there’s been an ambush. Shocked, you immediately snatch the gun from your holster, as did your chief right before you both stretched your arms out to aim the weapons toward each other.

“Saved my life to take it right?” You yell over the alarm, standing at attention.

“This isn’t how I wanted this shit to go! You just couldn’t stop shoving your nose where it didn’t belong!”

“You assigned me to the case! What else was I supposed to do other than my job? You make no sense!”

“I didn’t expect you to find some of the things you did! For what it’s worth, you were my favorite officer!”

Just as he cocked the gun, you gasp when a figure appears from behind him. The sound of a shot rang out, the bullet penetrating your boss in the head, a hole formed as blood splattered on the floor and his uniform. The chief falls to the ground, landing on his body. You move to aim at the culprit, pulling the trigger multiple times as he dodges the bullets.

The sound of glass shattered behind you as another person kicked through the window. You turn to the side to keep both people within your vision, backing up until your back is barely touching the wall. Your gun is aimed at the man with two blonde strands hanging over his face, the rest of his dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, revealing the tiger tattoo embedded into the skin of his neck. His left hand holds a gun aimed towards you, arm stretched out as a smile grows on his face.

The man who killed your boss stood next to him, his right arm held out as the barrel of the weapon was in your view. His bangs fell over the purple eyes that held a sense of familiarity, strands of hair falling into a mullet. Your eyes widened when you saw the tattoo on his neck, the same symbol you had seen on the man before who looks slightly similar to the person in front of you. He wears a bored expression.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” Kazutora dodged the bullet coming his way by moving his head to the side, the metal only grazing his cheek. A small line of blood slides down from the small scratch.

“Who put you in charge, huh?” Before you can shoot him again, another shot rings out followed by a sharp pain shooting through your thigh.

“Fuck!” You hissed before looking down to where the blood seeps through your uniform as you place your trembling hand above the wound.

“You have shit aim.” Rin says to you before aiming at your shin resulting in you shifting out of the way before the bullet can land.

Another shot rang out as Kazutora pulled the trigger, missing as you rushed behind the desk, landing on your bottom. You set the gun down before pulling off your uniform jacket and pull the fabric with your teeth, tearing the sleeve. You wrapped it around your thigh quickly before snatching the gun.

You knew this wouldn’t end well for you. All you could do was survive the best you could. Before you could turn to shoot, a foot kicked the gun out of your hand before two hands grabbed the shoulders of your shirt, yanking you up. Suddenly a fist connects with your face before your vision is engulfed with darkness.

“The surveillance has been disposed of.”

Your eyelids flutter open as you come back to consciousness. The pain on your neck is prominent from your head hanging over while you were knocked out. A soreness appears on your check as you remember the fist impacting your face, knowing a bruise will probably form. You eye your thigh with a hazy vision, the blur of the blood that seeped through the fabric wrapped around your thigh, the throbbing pain still prominent. You accidentally release a groan as you pull at the cuffs, your arms secured behind the chair’s back uncomfortably.

“Good.”

You lift your head slowly, eyeing the figures that stood at a distance from you.

“You’ve been such a pain.” You hear from the shortest man standing in the middle. His onyx orbs bore into you intensely, despite the lack of expression. His platinum hair shapes the structure of his face.

“Sanzu.”

The pink haired man lifts an arm as he aims the gun towards you, cocking the weapon before pulling the trigger. The shot rang throughout the building just as the bullet penetrated your shin on the opposite leg of the wound on your thigh.

“Shit!” You spit out, breathing slowly as you attempt to tune the pain out, failing as the agony grows by the second. Your hands are in fists as your nails leave indents on your palms.

The blue eyed man’s scars stretched as the grin on his face grew. Excitement is apparent in his expression, the sound of your ragged breathing a beautiful melody to his ears.

“You will work for me in place of your boss.”

“Fuck you.” You growl as you feel your blood fall down your leg.

“I’ve been watching you for a long time. You are my secret weapon. Your skills give you an advantage that will be to my use.” You scoff.

“I’m not doing shit!” You exclaim.

“S/n and B/n. They are your siblings right?” Mikey questioned, hands behind his back. Your eyes widened as you glared at him.

“M/n, D/n, and F/n.” He takes a few steps towards you, revealing the darkness under his eyes.

He continued to name off colleagues, friends, family members, and even the bartender you’ve become close to. You gasp when he begins to list off the addresses in which your family members reside.

“That’s enough!” You hissed.

“Show some respect in the presence of the King, Rat.” Sanzu growled before aiming his gun towards you. Mikey holds up a palm, the executive obeying his command.

“You will do as I say.” He said before turning around and heading to the exit, all of the men following behind. You’re left in darkness once the door to the warehouse shuts.

Days pass while you rot in the warehouse, blood already dried from the wounds that may or may not get infected. The pain, although prominent, has slightly numbed. Your whole body is sore. You had thought everything through, deciding that you have no choice in the matter but to go against your morals. You had to protect your family. You only just now understand why your chief did what he did.

After your placement in Bonten was secured, once you received medical attention by their personal doctors, you were sent back to your detective job as an undercover criminal. Before you know it, months pass as you become used to your routine, something you didn’t want to happen. Of course, there was no enjoyment in feeling dirty or like a coward. Everytime your shift at the department closed, you would return to headquarters where you were forced to reside considering their lack of trust for you. You would inform your boss of anything he needed to know or an update on any assignment you were commanded to complete.

There were moments when you thought of different escape plans or to set them up, but one of the executives always had an eye on you. You knew you were being watched every moment you were at work or even around headquarters. It had you on edge and walking on eggshells. You truly felt helpless but you didn’t stop trying to think of something.

You’ve never been the type to be a seductress. Sure you’ve worn sexy clothes a couple of times and had a fair share of dates before you started working as a cop, but you’ve never actively seduced anyone before. Considering your predicament and no better idea, you decide to work on your skills. You visited the Haitani Brother’s strip clubs more often since a few of the men would go on outings and those were the only times you were allowed somewhere other than the department.

You observed the behavior of the strippers and waitresses. You even studied the bartenders and the customers. You watched the interactions carefully. You knew that if you played your cards right, you could gain a little more trust. Enough trust to help them slip up and for you to make an escape and notify witness protection before they can go after your family. You will gain as much evidence as you possibly can to ruin them once and for all.

Weeks pass and you’re seated on a chair in the VIP section of one of the brother’s nightclubs. The thick smell of marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol fills the air. You eye the first victim who sits on the sofa with a blunt in hand, black and blonde hair falling past his shoulders as he leans back in his seat. He blows the smoke out slowly with a dazed look, the woman who was sitting on his lap hopping up after he pats her thigh, telling her to grab him a drink. You take a deep breath, eyeing the other men to see the rest of them distracted, whether they’re entertaining a woman, gambling, or sniffing cocaine.

You exhale before making your way to Kazutora, sitting next to him, though not too close. Your hands begin to tremble as you stare ahead, second guessing your plan as you’re ready to run off. Before you could leave, a hand guides your chin, forcing you to look into the golden orbs that shine through the dark light beams.

“What’s on your mind, Doll?” He questions before releasing your chin and handing you the blunt. Before you became a police officer, you would smoke weed in your youth. Having not had it in a long time, you shake your head.

“T’s not a request. Smoke it.” He says with a heavy lidded gaze and a sly smile. You huff before taking it from his fingers, the wood placed between your index and middle finger as you place the end to your lips.

You immediately cough after sucking in a little more than you could handle, no longer having the lungs for this kind of thing. He laughed as your vision blurred from the tears, a burning sensation filling your throat as you handed it back to him.

Once you are done, you realize that you are higher than you expected to be.

“Oh shit.” You whisper as you stare into space.

“Here, let me help you.” You heard from beside you. Fingers grab your chin once more, turning you towards the man who takes a long hit of the blunt before turning to you and leaning in very close.

“Open your mouth.” You comply as he leaned in closer, the tips of your lips barely grazing the other as he slowly released the cloud into your mouth, his gaze still on you. After breathing in, the weight of your body felt heavier as you became in a more relaxed state. You leaned back against the sofa as you gazed into the room with your own heavy lidded gaze. The plan you had escaped your mind as you zoned into the colorful flashing lights.

“Someone’s in another world.” Ran said as he sat next to you on the other side. His leg pressed firmly against yours as he placed a hand on your healed thigh. You could smell his cologne as well as the tobacco lingering faintly. It was a nice fresh yet earthy scent.

“You smell good.” You say, not bothering to be shocked that your thoughts escaped your lips without any control, something that used to happen all the time when you got high.

“Thanks, sweet girl.” His smile grows as he observes your flushed face, gazing into your features before chuckling and grabbing the glass cup from the table.

You had no clue why you said that. You’ve never been anything but professional around these men. The hand gripping your thigh caused you to look down.

“Hey, what about me?” Kazutora gives a fake look of offense before handing Ran the blunt, causing you to snicker.

“I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Now you are.” He says before wrapping a hand around the back of your neck and pulling you to his chest. Your nose was nuzzled in between his shoulder and neck, the smell of marijuana thick along with the faint smell of cologne.

He hummed before circling both arms around your waist and pulling you closer, your leg forced on the other side of him as he yanked you on top of him, your hands landing on his shoulders. You gasp in surprise, the bulge prominent against your core as your pencil skirt rises slightly.

“Oh?” Ran says before taking a hit as his eyes drop to your skirt.

“I like this position better.” Kazutora smirks as he gazes into your eyes. “Isn’t this what you wanted anyway, Y/n?” You couldn’t focus on anything but what’s pressed against your pussy, your face heating up as your nerves begin to strike. The memories of your plans begin to fly across your brain though you only just now realized how terrible a seduction plan would be. You must’ve forgotten you were dealing with some of the most feral men.

“Let me go.” You say as his grip only tightens causing you to wince in pain.

“You wanted to seduce us right?” Your eyebrows furrowed. “You thought no one would notice your wandering eyes or suspicious behavior?”

“You really are so easy to figure out. It was noticeable when you first changed your clothing.” Ran says with his leg crossed and back leaned against the sofa, bringing the blunt to his lips once more.

“I have to admit, it worked.” Kazutora says while raising his hips, his erection rubbing against your panties as his hands moved to your ass. You gasp when you feel one of his hands pull your skirt all the way up to your waist, revealing your underwear.

“Feel that? You have me all worked up.” A smack on your ass caused you to flinch. “It’s all your fault.”

“Damn.” He whispered as he looked down at your covered pussy sitting on his bulge, hands rubbing up your sides before he shoves his fingers into the crevices where your stomach and thighs meet. You try to pick yourself up, only to feel something against the back of your head.

“I wanna play too.” Sanzu says behind you, gun pressed firmly against your head as you feel his hand rub along your butt cheek, gripping it before smacking the skin.

“Let me go right now.” You grit your teeth, nails piercing Kazutora’s shoulder as you tremble slightly. This isn’t what you had in mind when you planned to seduce them. Not only was it meant to be an individual thing, you weren’t expecting it to go as far as anything too physically intimate. How stupid you were.

“You should relax, yeah?” Rin says as he walks into view behind the sofa, leaning on the back of the surface with his hands as he gazes at you. He hands Sanzu the cuffs, the pink haired man pulling your arms behind your back and securing you in place. Kazutora kept his eyes on you the entire time, even when you looked away.

You felt Sanzu’s hand slide under your ass, rubbing along your panties as he glides against the slit of your vagina through the fabric, not a care for Kazutora’s bulge being in vicinity.

Tears threaten to spill as you angrily look at Kazutora, who brings a hand behind your neck before pulling you closer to his face, pressing his tongue to your neck as he rubs it along the skin. Rin leans over with a hand on your chin.

“If you bite me, I’ll bite harder.” He warned you before pulling you into a kiss. Kazutora moves from your neck before focusing on your breasts through your blouse. You gasp against Rin’s lips though he took the opportunity to pierce his tongue through your lips. He quietly moaned as he moved his free hand to the side of your face, fingers tickling your ear.

“You’re so wet, filthy girl.” Sanzu said quietly before using a finger to scoop some of the juice before bringing it to his lips, sucking the moisture off his finger before returning his hand to your pussy. He used one hand to move the panties out of the way and replace his hand, using a finger to ease into your vagina. He put the gun back in his holster as he distracted himself with the feeling of your vaginal walls sucking his finger in.

Rin released you, only for Ran to wrap a hand around your head and pull you in for a passionate kiss. You wince as he bites your lip, pulling on it as he pulls back before releasing, only to reconnect your lips together. Sanzu shoves two more fingers in as he stretches you out, causing a muffled yelp to leave your mouth.

Rin unbuckled his pants before reaching into his underwear to pull out his pulsating cock. Ran’s lips muffled the moans that escaped as Sanzu thrust his fingers deep into you at a steady pace. He cursed as he felt your hole tightening around his limbs. Kazutora unbuttoned your blouse to release your breasts that are covered by the bra. Not wasting any time, he reached into his pocket for the pocket knife, using it to slice your straps as well as the middle lining that keeps the pads connected. He pulled the remainder of the bra off and tossed it to the side.

His fingers grabbed your molds as he used his thumbs to fiddle with both nipples. You shut your eyes tight as he kept up the motion with one breast and leaned over to connect his tongue with the other. Ran releases you as he begins to unbuckle his own pants, just as Rin placed his palm on the top of your head before placing his cock near your mouth.

“Open up, pretty girl. I better not feel any teeth.” You turn your head away.

“N-No! Let me go, all of you!”

“Wonder how your family would feel to know that you’re getting fingered by one of their murderers right before I shoot their brains out.” Sanzu says softly against your ear, dazed by his own arousal. You frown as you clench your teeth from Kazutora’s tongue flicking your nipple, as well as Sanzu accelerating his pace.

“Come on, Y/n.” Rin says as he guides your head, you had no choice but to open your mouth. He exhaled as he eased the tip of his cock between your lips, warmth engulfing him as he gained a better grip on your head to pull you forward until the base of his erection was against your nose.

You shut your eyes as he held you there, forcing you to gag on his cock. A mixture of drool and precum slides down your chin as you breathe through your nose to the best of your ability. Sanzu removes his fingers before moving your panties out the way of your behind. Your eyes shoot open when you feel a wet pressure push into your asshole. He used two fingers, the residue slick making an easier access though the tightness stretched painfully.

You whimper against Rin’s base before he pulls you back, only to force you to swallow his erection once more. His cock slides in and out of your mouth at a steady pace, each thrust resulting in the head sinking down your throat. More saliva piles up as well as his semen, leaking as your head is guided.

“You’re a natural.” He moaned, thrusting his hips harder against your mouth as Kazutora slid a hand down to your pussy, feeling for your clit before rubbing along circles with a finger.

Ran rubs his own cock as he eyes your mouth taking his brother, focusing on the bulge that appears on your cheek as he can see the indent of Rin’s cock. He watched as the juices leaked from your mouth, listening to the whimpers and grunts that left your throat.

Kazutora removes his hand before grabbing his own hard cock from his pants. It flapped on your stomach before he guided you to lift up enough for the head to connect with your entrance. He used a hand to rub the tip against your wet pussy, moaning at the warmth.

“Sit.” He demands, using a hand to place on your hip as well as his other hand wrapped around his shaft to aim it correctly. He gazed at your full mouth, finding the mess beautiful on your face.

“Fuck…” He hissed as you lowered onto him, warm walls already sucking him in. “…this is exactly where you belong. Sitting pretty on my cock.” His hips thrust into you as your pussy engulf him fully. The tears streamed from your face as Rin neared his orgasm. Kazutora’s arms wrapped around your waist as he pulled you tightly against him, just as Sanzu added a third finger to your ass, ripping a ragged moan out of you.

Rin’s head falls back as he releases a moan, warm liquid shooting down your throat as he holds you in place, forcing you to swallow all of his seed. Once he pulls his cock out of your mouth, you cry out as Sanzu accelerates his speed, just as Kazutora begins thrusting into you. His cock slides as his feet push against the floor, legs spread as he begins to pound into you. Your juices slicken him up, allowing him better access as the tip of his cock immediately hits your g-spot.

Just as your head was about to fall on his shoulder, a hand holds you in place as another erection slides into your sore mouth.

“Look at me.” Ran commands, you obey as your eyes tearfully move towards the intense gaze he holds. You could hear Kazutora moaning as Rin sat on the sofa, rubbing his cock while he watched you getting plowed from three ends. Ran thrusts his hips as his cock slides in and out of your mouth, groaning as he keeps his gaze on you.

“M’ gonna cum so deep in this pussy.” Kazutora moaned, pounding into you as he forced your hips to meet his thrusts. His lips are apart as he gazes at you taking Ran’s cock down your throat, just as Sanzu used one hand to grab your neck. Your pussy clenched as the stimulation on your cervix caused you to orgasm, bucking your hips as you groaned loudly on Ran’s cock.

“That’s right, baby. Good fucking girl.” Ran praised you for your orgasm, your face heated more than it already was as a funny feeling formed in your stomach. Sanzu removed his fingers right as Ran cums deep into your throat, holding you in place as his brother did. Kazutora continues to thrust into you, forcing you to ride him even while you’re overstimulated. Your head was only able to drop on Kazutora’s shoulder for a second before Sanzu replaced Ran and forced your head up.

“You’re not done, yet.” He smirked before shoving his cock down your sore throat. Your jaw felt sore as it was stretched once more. You whine on his cock at the pain as well as the overwhelming feeling in your abdomen. He begins at a faster pace than the Haitani brothers not allowing you to adjust before he’s fucking your face.

Kazutora continues to hump into you, his head falling back as he groans, releasing into you as deep as he could possibly go. He pressed firmly against you to make sure his semen fills you all the way up. Sanzu’s thrusts become sloppier as he moans, releasing a curse before he bucks his hips slowly, pressing his cock all the way to the back of your throat. He forced you to swallow his cum as he stared down at you.

For the rest of the night you were rotated between each man so they could have a turn with your pussy, all the while causing you to faint a couple of times as your body was completely used for their pleasure. You were out for a couple of days before the dreadful routine of you becoming their cum slut began. They were brutal, more brutal than the first night as they twisted you every which way. Sometimes Sanzu would use you as an experiment by drugging you up with different products you never thought you’d try, praying to not be drug tested any time soon at your job though you knew Bonten would find a way to handle the problem.

In the midst of those days, you had forgotten who you were before. The darkness shaped under your eyes, you lack an appetite, and your poor body is worn out. Everyday felt dark, cold, and empty. You were lying in your designated bedroom, staring at the ceiling until the door unlocked and someone walked in. You shut your eyes as the person got closer, hovering above you before they leaned over, warm breath on your ear.

“Did they break you, yet?” You recognized the whisper to be Mikey’s voice. Your eyes teared up as they streamed down your face, turning away in a fetal position as your boss climbed into the bed with you. His arm snaked around your waist as his face nuzzled on the back of your neck.

“Now you know how it feels.” His lips graze your skin as he speaks. “To feel and be nothing.”

“You are my broken doll to play with.”

One day, you had enough. You were going to leave if it’s the last thing you do. Even if it results in your death, you don’t care. You were done with this. One day you had snuck a bag of sleeping pills Sanzu kept in a specific area in his office. This night was perfect because they’re supposed to meet up for a deal beforehand so Mikey will be there as well. When you arrive at the club, instead of heading to the bathroom like you said, you head to the bar.

After telling the bartender who you’re with, he hands you the bottle with the tray of glasses. He didn’t seem to mind that you hadn’t been a waitress which is perfect. You look around your surroundings before placing the pills in the bottle. You leave everything on the table for the actual employee to take it up so they won’t get suspicious of your excuse for the bathroom.

Once you make it back, you sit on Mikey’s lap like he commanded you to. Your nerves were struck as you watched the woman enter. Excitement prominent as you watch her pour the bottle before handing each man their cup, including Mikey. You watch as all the men take their shots, downing them quickly as they continue their play. You peek down at Mikey’s hand, seeing that he hasn’t taken a sip which made you nervous.

Just as the men started dropping on the sofas or chairs, your hands trembled as Mikey’s arms tightened around your waist, drink still in hand.

“When they wake up, I’m going to let them do whatever they want to you.” Tears appear at the corner of your eyes as the familiar lump forms in your throat.

“I’m going to allow whatever I didn't accept before…” His head dropped to your shoulder as he continued, “…you can drink the alcohol so you can rest beforehand, or you can save it so you’ll be asleep while they tear you apart.”

You stare ahead with a troubled gaze. The trembling became violent as you felt the urge to jump away, ready to run for your life. You subconsciously eye the bruises and cuts along your skin as you bite your lip to quiet the sobs.

“No matter how many times they break you apart, I’ll always be there to put you back together because you belong to me.”

[milfjagger]

lord of the rings actually has good horse casting and here’s why

there are four horses with significant screen time in the trilogy: bill, the hobbits’ pack pony; brego, ridden by aragorn; asfaloth, ridden by arwen; and of course shadowfax of the mearas. asfaloth and shadowfax are of course played by andalusians, the classic “movie star” horses, usually grey or white with a powerful but graceful build and beautiful flowing manes. however i can’t really be mad about it because asfaloth is an elven horse so who knows what magical rituals they are using to keep him shining white…and his colour is also important visually in the flight from the nazgul (all of whom ride black horses). shadowfax is also literally a magical horse and needs to stand out visually, plus he is described in the book as a pure white stallion. basically, having the two horses that are associated with magic be stunningly beautiful and well groomed just makes sense ok

bill and brego are casting choices that i think could have been improved but i understand why they did what they did. bill is actually not played by a pony at all but by a quarter horse, which are usually around 15hh and sturdily built. he doesn’t really look like a pony, but the reason they did it is actually pretty obvious: so that he would be proportionate to the actors playing the hobbits. letting his mane grow out long was a good choice for making him more rustic and pony-like. brego, like all the horses of rohan, is kind of problematic to me, because the vast majority of them are tall, sporty-looking warmbloods which is a horse type that has literally only been developed over the past century or so, as people have a) got taller and b) demanded their horses be more athletic (a tall, lightly-built horse is generally physically capable of jumping higher, for example). rohan is largely based on saxon civilisations, and there is no doubt that their horses were smaller, stockier and much hairier than any of the horses in the movie. HOWEVER, Viggo mortensen is 6’4”, and clearly needed a horse that he wouldn’t look too tall for. i can kind of excuse the horses of the rohirrim looking a bit fancier since they are essentially the king’s guard, but it still doesn’t excuse the complete lack of draft horses and farm horses in rohan.

some other details that i like: all the horses are solid colours. while i wouldn’t mind seeing some piebald/skewbald cobs, especially in the shire, piebald and skewbald horses in the battle scenes would be a complete deal-breaker for me. unless they were full-on vanners (which would be awesome btw) it would give the movie way too much of a western feel, especially i think to american audiences who associate that colouring with paint horses (= american breed, and there is no equivalent of the quote unquote “new world” in tolkein). i also like that legolas’ horse, arod, is a percheron cross!!! those kinds of shorter but extremely solidly built draft horses are perfect for the setting imo. finally, really minor detail but one that i like a lot: eomer’s horse, firefoot, is an iron grey. this is a colour that very rarely lasts throughout a horse’s life, as they tend to lighten very quickly with maturity. this means that firefoot appears to be a young horse, which i think really works for eomer’s character as this fiery young heir to the throne (and also as an excellent horseman)!!!

hope you enjoyed this pointless analysis peace and love on middle earth

[ashes-writing]

burnin for you pt five | stranger things ; g.emerson

tag babes || questions and requests || rules + fandoms || main masterlist

CHAPTERS ; 

one two three four can be found by clicking.

AUTHORS NOTES;

Holy shit, I was not expecting this one to happen quite the way it did. I think I actually rewrote it ten times or so because I was trying to avoid what ends up happening actually happening just yet. But finally, I just said to hell with it and allowed it. So this isn't a sprint, a jog or a real slow burn anymore, whoopsies? I plan to do more with this, btw. Just so you know, it's not quite over.

You guys and your comments / tags on reblogs and the messages about this story, y'all have me all giddy and happy and like.. I'm just emotions. Can't word. You don't know how much it means to me because literally, my only thought when I post things on here is "Thank fuck, it's not in my brain anymore." so to know people are reading this and they enjoy it.. Ugh, it means the world to me, oh my god. Thank you all so so so much.

SUMMARY;

-- movie night with Gareth -and the rest of Corroded Coffin. Things miiight be getting a little.. uhm.. intense.

PAIRING;

Gareth Emerson x Girly!Soft reader

WARNINGS;

Corroded Coffin being shit talkers + cock blockers. Eddie's living room floor. Swearing. Lots and lots of touching, flirting.. Lots of accidental touches and an awkward boner situation and stuff too. Reminder here. Gareth is aged up to 18. Everyone is of age. JSYK.

TAGLIST ;

@allelitesmut

@aries-arcade

@cole22ann

@hcloangcls

@heyaitsklaudia

@krys-orion

@letsbedragonstogether

@musichealsscars

@scoobiessnacks

@skateb0red

Gareth’s truck pulls to a stop behind Eddie’s van and next to Grant’s mom’s station wagon. As he kills the engine, he gazes over at you. “You’re sure you’re okay with horror movies, right?”

And you’re not, but… He’ll be right there with you. And you did say you were going to try to amp up your own flirting with him, just to see what happens. Just to see if you’re right and Chrissy is wrong or vice-versa. You smile and nod. “I’ve told you four times, tiger. I’m fine with it.” you pause and giggle softly, moving so that you’re right next him on the truck seat, “If I get scared, you’re here.”

Your little giggle and your words go straight to his cock. There’s just something about the tone you’re using. It’s almost flirty, not that he’d know for sure, but… It’s not the way you usually talk to him. It’s softer. Sweeter.

“Are we getting out?” you ask, batting your lashes.

Gareth chuckles quietly and he nods. When he gets out, he reaches up and pulls you to him by your bare thighs, lifting you out of the truck with your legs around his waist and he nearly drops you when you put them there. He bites back a needy whine and takes a deep breath, standing you on your feet. Then he grabs his sleeping bag and slips an arm around you after he’s shut the door. You make your way into the house just as Jeff and Grant are arguing over whether you’ll watch Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street first. 

Grant puts the movie in and Gareth’s got the sleeping bag out. You start out on top of it, wiggling around so you can see the television and the entire time you’re doing it, Gareth is all but biting his fist behind your head and the rest of the guys are about to die laughing about it. You finally get comfortable and he settles in behind you, but this poses a little bit of a problem when it comes to arm placement. A problem that rights itself when not even ten minutes into Nightmare on Elm Street, the first kill is made and you roll to face him before you can stop yourself after squeaking. With your face in his chest, he slips an arm over you and honestly, he could just hold you there for the entire night. You peek up at him and ask in a whisper, “Is this.. Is it okay?”

“It’s fine, bunny.” he mutters, reassuring you as he drags his finger up and down your spine through the soft little tank top you’re wearing. You try to roll over to face the television again and Gareth, to be polite, removes his arm. You pull it back where it was and you do not dare meet his gaze when you do it because you can feel your skin burning. His hand’s flat against your tummy, the palm of it warm and reassuring in it’s weight, the metal of his ring cool against the sliver of skin exposed by where his hand is resting. 

And behind you, Gareth is frantically trying to think of that one thing that’ll remedy the way his cock is about to burst against his jeans. And then you wiggle around just a second or two, this rocks your ass back right against him and his face is flushed. Bright red. He’s just glad you’re not looking at him.

Across the room, Jeff, Eddie and Grant are trying not to die laughing about it.

“Think he’s gonna cream himself?”

“Oh definitely. Our man is not smooth, not at all.”

“Did you see him biting his damn fist a few minutes ago?” Eddie chuckles as he whispers the question. “I almost pissed myself laughing. We really should’ve given him a pep talk.”

“Or a better one. I tried.” Grant shrugs sheepishly, “Ya know me and my stunning lack of experience.”

“Yeah, he called me before he went to get her. Told me that he knows for sure she’s the ‘babysitter’ now. That necklace she’s been looking for all week?” Jeff chuckles and rubs his chin. “He found it in the hamper.. With one of her shirts.”

“Oh wow.” Grant laughs. 

“Shit.” Eddie chuckled. “He say what he was gonna do?”

“All he said was he’s gonna do something.” Jeff shrugs and laughs. “But you know him, man.”

“It better not happen on my goddamn living room floor.” Eddie grumbles.

“Do you really think anybody’s fucking on this floor, Munson?” Grant asks, snickering. “Hasn’t been mopped since like 75.”

“Oh fuck you both.” Eddie glares at his friends and turns his attention back to the movie.

You roll to face him again when Freddie appears out of nowhere. “I hate jumpscares so much. Just gonna stay like this….” you breathe out against his chest and Gareth chuckles quietly. “Are you sure you’re alright?” he asks, gazing down at you in concern as he readjusts his arm so that it’s draped over you. You nod and bite your lip. “I told you, meatball. I am fine.” you practically purr the words quietly. “You’re here.”

Gareth flashes you a smirk as he nods. “Just keep lookin at me, bunny. Should be over soon.” he mutters quietly, dragging his fingers through your hair. He tries to shift himself because he’s only getting harder and harder, nothing he’s tried has helped. You bite your lip and look up at him. He wants to die because he knows there’s no damn way you haven’t felt him getting hard.

Just to give himself something to do to take his mind off of that particular situation, he starts to skim his hand over your side. You barely bite back a helpless whine. And you shift closer, melting against him completely. 

As soon as you do this, it feels like the air has been knocked right out of his lungs. His breath catches in his throat and when you start toying with the front of his shirt, he just barely manages to stop a quiet whine. 

He’s snickering quietly and you hit him lightly on the chest as you pout. “It’s not funny.”

“It kind of is.” Gareth mumbles, his gaze settling on your lips intently. So intent that you feel them start to tingle and you can feel yourself starting to get wet all over again. This, in turn, makes you squirmier against him and this has his breath hitching in his throat. He digs his fingers into your body -the frantic thought that maybe it’ll get you still again but that doesn’t work.

The guys have all gone outside to have a smoke and this has left you and Gareth alone in the empty living room. You’re staring up at him intently, a dazed look in your eyes as they fix on his mouth and your hand raises, resting against the column of his neck. He wants to crawl in a hole and die when his mouth opens to say something and he gasps instead.

“G-gareth?” you stammer quietly.

“Yeah?” he mutters, licking his lips.

“N-nevermind.” you lose your nerve to go for it and kiss him.

The thing about this is that he doesn’t. “Fuck it.” he mumbles, mostly to himself. You’d tried to glance back at the tv but you saw another gory scene, so you’re diving again, your head against his chest. He takes a hand off of your body to grip your jaw and make you look at him. “What were you goin t’ say?” he questions.

“N-nothing.” you stammer. Face burning hot because there’s this look in his eyes and they’re an almost midnight blue right now. You want to kick yourself because no matter how hard you try, you just can’t convince yourself to just go for it, just kiss him already.

But one of you has to do something, right?

Gareth’s pretty sure it’s going to have to be him.

“Wanna kiss you, bunny.” he mutters before he even realizes he’s done it. His face on fire as his gaze settles on you just in time to see the way your eyes widen in shock, your pupils blown. You nod as you swallow hard. “Want you to kiss me.” you admit and it feels like this weight has just been lifted.

But it’s just a kiss. What if it’s just because of proximity. You’re practically all over him.

Hearing you say you want him to kiss you has him pushing you onto your back so that he’s leaning over you, his hand engulfing yours as his heart threatens to beat right out of his chest and his mouth inches closer and closer. Until rough lips bump light against your soft ones and you can smell the cigarette and soda on his breath and your tummy does a little flip or two. Your tongue juts out with every intention to lick your lips because he’s just staring at them that damn hard and when it does, it drags against the outline of his mouth.

There’s no turning back now and he knows it.

His hand has yours pinned against the thick sleeping bag, his fingers enmeshed with yours as his other hand settles on your hip. You whine and the next time his mouth meets yours, your mouth falls open easily, granting him access. Not that he needed it. He could have done this weeks ago. Ended this whole little dance you’ve been doing with each other.

But he needed to be sure.

He doesn’t handle embarrassment or rejection well at all and he’d rather die than lose you entirely.

He releases one of your hands and it goes straight to thick curls, your fingers tugging at his hair and dragging over his scalp as he groans into your mouth and his tongue runs along yours. You deepen the kiss while whining into it, needy. 

His teeth graze your swollen lips and you do it again, that cute little needy whine as you squirm around, desperate for him to be closer. And just as it’s really starting to get hot and heavy and his hand’s slipped down with a thick digit dragging over the sliver of exposed skin just above the waistband of those soft and cute little shorts you’re wearing, Eddie’s booming voice echoes through the living room.

“Am I gonna have to get the fucking hose, Emerson? You two,” he nods to you both and your little compromising position as he barely hides a shit-eating grin, “Get a fucking room.”

“This fuckin..” Gareth grumbles in frustration as the two of you settle back into a position that works for watching the rest of the movie. You can feel your ears burning up when he mumbles low against the shell of one of them, “That uh…”

You roll over to face him, gazing up. “Hm?”

Gareth wants to punch his own throat because right now, words are failing him. Every single one he can think of leaves his brain in the same second. And finally, he does manage to get something out.

“I..” he grumbles at himself, annoyed. “I like you. A lot. Like you, like you.. Not just as a friend, okay? Do you understand?” he’s giving you this cute little flustered look and your mind is blown, you’re trying to process, your heart hammering away so fast you think it’ll explode.

You finally get your head around what he’s just said and you give him a sweet little smile as your hand rests against his face and the column of his neck. “I like you too. A lot. I wanted to say something but..” you take a deep breath. “It kinda scares the living shit out of me how much I like you. I’m not..” you fidget with the front of his shirt and look at his chest and he makes you look up at him instead. “I know, bunny. It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.” he mumbles and he says it so calm and so confident that you have no choice but to believe him.

Maybe you can take the risk this time. Maybe it’ll all work out.

You take a few shaky breaths and melt against him, still blushing because his friends burst in on you both just a few minutes before. “They’re gonna do that a lot, aren’t they?” you mutter, making him laugh. “Mhm. Fuckers.” he’s giving the three of them dirty looks while they’re arguing about a scene in the movie.

[tiredassmage]

13: Favorite storyline? 17: A quest(line) you loathe doing? 42: Favorite flashpoint?

Thank you! swtor asks be upon ye

13. Favorite storyline?

I want to inject Imperial Agent directly into my veins. We’re well beyond the lie that I’m fine about Imperial Agent. Any time I think I've become a little bit normal about Imperial Agent, I'm reminded of something and I am, once again, an actual wreck. That 'something' tends to be chapter two related, but Imperial Agent is just... Nothing could possibly compare. It irreversibly affected my experience of all other class stories - and I say that in a completely awestruck and admiring way. It stands on its own, but its the silent, extra drop of nuance and knowledge when you see how it touches so much else in the game in so many ways. It's almost always subtly lurking anywhere you could (and wouldn't) think to look for it.

I think I’m up to four(?) of them lurking around that actually have backstories/justifications, but do not be fooled: the matter of more agents is not if. It is when. And how.

17. A quest(line) you loathe doing?

Planetary arc for Corellia. Either side. I would rather fling myself off the Balmorran elevators than do this planetary questline again. If I even vaguely hear the “take Axial park” initiative one more time, I will combust spontaneously. I will literally do anything but the planetary arc when left to my own devices. I’ve finished off class stories at like level 47 rather than do the Corellian planetary arc. Give me Directive Seven for the last two or three levels if I slack on the planetary quests or, hell, I would even rather do Corellian heroics. And those also suck, btw. Corellia, it’s not personal, I promise, but fuck Corellia daknfsldfsdf.

Some of it may absolutely be that being so close to the end makes me chomp at the bit for that sweet, sweet, epic conclusion to the class story journey, but the Corellian arc, more than anywhere else, felt unnecessarily long, like it baited me several times into thinking we were so close to the end only to pull the rug out from under me and give me an additional twenty objectives and here's three other quests before you even know what an Axial Park IS. We've been talking about it for half of the quests, it's the Thing We Need To Do, but also no, go do this other shit first lmaooo.

(Okay... Maybe I have a particularly strong grudge against Axial Park...)

42. Favorite flashpoint?

Ohhhh, good one! I’m mostly picking from the story mode flashpoints because I’ve very rarely put a paw in the group finder pool.

I’m so sorry to everyone whose Malgus PTSD I’m about to trigger, but picking from aesthetics/surrounds primarily, I really enjoyed the Ruins of Nul and I was excited to spend a little bit more time on Elom. I am enchanted by the trees. I really haven't gone back to it outside of story runs, but it's pretty, the bonus objectives are interesting to go through. Dance Dance Lazer Floor Revolution I could probably do without and be just as happy, but I suppose it all works out when you give me pretty scenery to stare at, lol.

[sluttsumu]

[ HOUSE PET ] - ATSUMU MIYA

warnings: 🔞, oral sex, use of the word ‘pet’, degradation, spit, hair pulling, dacryphilia, mentions of gambling

pairing: atsumu miya x f!reader

genre: kakegurui au, smut

wc: 1.2k

a/n: this was supposed to be different but anyways of atsumu using his house pet as a cum dump <3 if you haven’t watched kakegurui might be a lil confusing. THIS IS IN HONOUR OF MY BABYS BIRTHDAY YAL KNOW I HAD TO POST SOMETHING FOR HIM. i did not proof read this btw!

If you knew your gambling addiction would’ve landed you throat fucked by your upperclassman, you probably would’ve quit while you still could.

“What fuckin’ filth” He spat, gripping the collar of your shirt harshly, his nails ripping the expensive fabric. Tears fill up your eyes as well as hopelessness, the fear of being owned by Miya Atsumu was one that would cause anyone to sob.

You’ve made a lot of mistakes in your life but this took the cake, you chose to gamble with seat number four on Hyakkaou Private Academy’s student council, who’s family was insanely rich. He had all the money in the world to gamble with, but that didn’t matter his skills would still win him any bout of money he wished to posses.

“Surely you’ll be a house pet forever with a debt of 10 million yen” Gambling with a member of the student council might’ve been your worst mistake yet. Terrified, and absolutely humiliated but the growing heat between your thighs made this almost worth it.

“I-I’m sorry!” You cry out in pure fear of another one of his brutal punishments.

“You’re sorry?” His eyes widen, causing a prominent vain to stick out of his forehead. Atsumu was fed up with you and your lies, deep down he knew what you wanted, and so did you. “You’re not sorry.”

Your shudders and cries only continue with your back against the wall and pride on the floor. “W-What?” You babble, barely audible due to your hyperventilating. A slick smile grew on his face, leaving you paralyzed, nothing was ever good for you when that frivolous grin appears.

“You don’t think I know?” His face gradually reaching closer, the grip on your uniform tighter. Know what?Was your only thought, there’s nothing you were hiding at least nothing you weren’t delusional to. Delusional to the fact that all you wanted was your owner balls deep in your quivering cunny.

“You don’t think I can smell your arousal? All you want is for me to fuck you, huh mittens?” And there it was, your secret on display for him to toy with. Were you really that obvious, to the point where he’d figured it out himself? Atsumu was always a smart boy but concealing your lust for him was always a main priority of yours.

“Tell me, tell me how much you want me” Atsumu’s ego was thriving, his innocent little house pet in love with him, when he just saw you as something he could use when he wanted. Your babbling, your whimpering, your crying, he found it adorable. Hearing you embarrassingly admit your little crush on him would be the icing on the cake for his sadistic mind.

You stayed silent. He hates when you do that, stand there all innocent while he has to wait for an answer from you, and if he didn’t get one, he’d force one out of you one way or another. His grip released your shirt as he stood there with a disgusted look on his face. “Get on all fours, pet” Your eyes glassed over as you fell onto your hands and knees like a pet, his pet.

“Crawl over to that table.” He demanded pointing to where he asked you to go, you crawl across the room as he walks along side you, observing your behaviour.

He leaned against the table, crossing his arms while you stood on your knees in front of him, helplessly awaiting his next order. His hand trailed on the side of your face, thumb rubbing back and fourth on the plush of your cheek. “I will pay all your debt if you agree to be my personal cum slut” Lust consumed every thought in your head. You didn’t care about your debt, and Atsumu knew that. He could’ve simply asked and you would comply at the drop of a hat. You nod your head eagerly, agreeing to his crude proposition. His finger swipes your bottom lip, making them part momentarily.

“Put these to good use, yeah?”

The way his hands set on his belt told you everything you needed to know. His fingertips undid the buckle swiftly before sliding it and his dress pants off. Your eyes beamed at the way his cock spring out of his pants just tapping his stomach, meanwhile his eyes menacingly peered back.

“Go on, no need to be shy now”

You grab his length slowly stroking up and down, imitating his actions from before. Placing your mouth around the tip you begin sucking as saliva trails from your mouth down his shaft. “Just like that” He coos slightly adjusting. His hand cups the back of your head pushing you down a little further as you continue sucking and stroking. A groan escapes his lips, sending relief down your spine that you were making him feel good. His hand palms the back of your head keeping you locked on the base of his cock, causing you to choke. Fuck did he love that sound. Tears prickle in the outer corner of your eyes before staining your cheeks, he removes his hand causing your mouth to latch off leaving a string of spit behind. The gradual build of spit in your mouth left it full.

He wanted a show? He was gonna get one. One thing you did not lack was determination no matter what it was.

Emptying your mouth full of spit on him, before stroking again — but faster. Returning your mouth to his cock now bobbing it up and down, you ran your tongue over your teeth to prevent using them. Atsumu’s chest began to rise and fall a bit quicker, quiet moans, and profanities escaped his throat as you continuously sucked him off. “Fuck pretty baby, you might just make me cum“ He moved your hair out of your face so he could see it clearer, admiring the flushed expression you wore. Not only was he enjoying himself, but you were too and he could see that.

“Such a cock whore, you love this don’t you?” ‘Mhm’ You mumble around him, sending vibrations through his lower half. You let your mouth off once more coming off with a ‘pop’ noise, as you steadily stroke him, saliva covering your hands.

“Stick your tongue out” Doing as told you stuck your tongue out, leaving your mouth agape before it being filled with his cock once more. He fists your hair in both hands as he begins to facefuck you. With every rut of his hips, his cock brushed the back of your throat, pleading eyes stared back up him as he abruptly used you for an orgasm. Thats it at the end of the day you were nothing but a toy for him to play with. “Y-yes nghhh”His thrust became sloppy as he emptied thick ropes in your mouth.

“Don’t swallow just yet” Grabbing his phone out of his jacket pocket a light shone in your face from the flash “So pretty” his hand caressing your tearstained cheek once again. “Swallow it for me” With one swift gulp the saline liquid made way down your throat. He stared at you, eyes hazy and love drunk.

He picked the perfect cum slut.

tagging: @planetonet @hqintheclub​

sluttsumu 2021