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romewritingshop · 7 months

Text

Just Like Magic pt. 2

Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen

Pairing: Viscount!Choso x Maid/Reader

Warning: N/A

MASTERLIST

A/N: Some of you may have read this before, I just had to make a few changes in narrative and now I feel it is ready. Part 2 is here and Part 3 is coming soon. Thanks and I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think! Follow, comment or reblog, IDC because I enjoy writing this fic. Please pay attention before reading.

(Y/N) was always an early riser as she dragged herself out of the luxurious bed sheets, straight away fixing them to make it seem like no one had slept there before sauntering over to the windows to pull open the curtains. The scenery outside was idyllic as she stared at the lush green trees shrouded under clouds. Her fingers mindlessly brushed the knots and tangles in her hair, smoothing it so it was straight and neat.

She fucked up but she may be able to recover from this. In the original story, the reader fell into a shock coma and dreamt the rest of her life with Choso. It was a shitty twist and (Y/N) wasn't weak willed. She was going to make the most of it. In the last three years, her heart somehow hardened and she built up her endurance to become stronger. She would overcome the shock.

She needed to talk to Choso, not too sure what exactly. But she needed to speak to Toge. At least tell him the circumstances have changed. Just so later on, down the line Toge wouldn't be so outraged by her sudden marriage. There was a soft knock on the door as (Y/N) shifted away from the window to answer who was at the door.

It was Nanami and a young woman with short orange hair, dressed in a black dress and white apron. Nanami seemed tired as usual as (Y/N) let the both of them enter the room. (Y/N) recognised the young woman but kept quiet to get a better explanation. Nanami gestured at the woman to begin introducing when his eyes accidentally caught (Y/N)'s nightwear. Red blush spread across his cheeks as he turned around, speaking with a choked voice.

"Lady Itadori, you seem to be missing your robe."

(Y/N) glanced down to notice that she was wearing a sheer silk nightgown that was showing a shadow of her body. The young woman rushed forward and helped (Y/N) slip into the robe that was hanging on a chair.

"Apologies, Nanami. You can look now."

He turned around, feeling a little relieved and embarrassed about the situation. However it wasn't the worst thing he had seen. He cleared his throat and spoke clearly.

"My apologies. This is Nobara. She will be your maid. I assume you are familiar with what her role is."

(Y/N) gave a nod and smiled at the young woman. Nobara was a fun character and she could completely trust her.

"It's nice to meet you Nobara."

"You too, My Lady."

"Please call me (Y/N)."

Nobara was horrified as she shook her head and waved her hands frantically. How could she dare address her Lady without her title? She wasn't worthy to be on a first name basis with her.

"I cannot."

Nanami rolled his eyes, and interjected between the two women.

"My Lady you will have to get used to this. You are the wife of Viscount Itadori Choso of Kaprines. A noble."

"Oh right. My apologies."

There was a brief pause in the air as (Y/N) let his words sink in. Nanami cleared his throat and switched to more important matters.

“Now, Nobara and I will show you around the estate and discuss your duties as the Lady of the Household. Do you have any questions?”

“Yes. Before we proceed with that, I want to talk to Viscount Itadori.”

Nanami had an apprehensive expression on his face, almost wishing that she didn’t ask for that request. Viscount Itadori seemed miserable this morning which was a counter to his usual calm manner. (Y/N) noticed this expression as she tried to rectify this.

“I’m sorry but -”

Before she could finish that sentence, there was a harsh rapid knock on the door, followed by a young maid with a grey dress. She gave a quick bow to (Y/N) and then turned around to quickly inform Nanami.

“Apologies. Nanami, Viscount Itadori is asking for you to help him prepare. He’s been summoned to hunt for monsters that are terrorising the villages in the north. He intends to leave now.”

Nanami gave a firm nod and dismissed the maid, turning to Lady Itadori and bowing with apology.

“Forgive me, my Lady but I must attend the Viscount. Nobara will guide you.”

At that Nanami strode out of the room and rushed away to Viscount Itadori’s room. (Y/N) was also about to follow when Nobara pulled at her arm to warn her.

“My Lady! You can’t go out looking like that! Put a dress on!”

(Y/N) was surprised by the casual tone in Nobara’s voice as she furrowed her eyebrows to look at her maid. Nobara rolled her eyes and let go of her hand before casually sauntering to the wardrobe to pick a dress out for (Y/N). A minute or so later, Nobara had pulled out a simple green dress with a bright yellow cord going across the hem, sleeves and folds of the dress.

“This dress is good. It’s quick to get into, can go on top of the night dress and it won’t drag on the ground if you want to go see Viscount Itadori.”

A gentle smile made its way to (Y/N)’s face, glad that Nobara understood what she needed. She gave a haphazard nod before taking off her nightgown’s robe, using Nobara’s help to get into the dress. Nobara pulled it up over the shoulders roughly before yanking the strings tight to tie up the back. Lady Itadori was ready except for her feet as Nobara went to the wardrobe one more time to grab a black pair of cloth pattens.

As soon as Nobara slipped the shoes on, (Y/N) shoved the door open and rushed out to try to catch her husband. Nobara rolled her eyes and grabbed a red woollen shawl from the wardrobe before chasing after (Y/N). She was a quick person as Nobara darted down the hallway just to catch a brief glimpse of (Y/N).

(Y/N) was passing through the hallways before entering a foyer. She rushed down and pushed the front door open to see several groups of men on horseback. All dressed in metal armour, save for their heads. There seemed to be at least forty men as (Y/N) shrank into herself. It was definitely an intimidating sight as she tried to peek around for a familiar face.

Fortunately for her, she was able to find Captain Tsukumo as she stepped down before calmly walking towards the tall woman. She was steely focused at inspecting the carriages that were prepared to carry their tents and food for a whole five months. It was never easy to pack at the last minute.

"Captain Tsukumo!"

Hearing her name, Tsukumo turned around to see the Lady of the house approaching her as she gave a quick bow.

"My Lady. What can I do for you?"

"Do you happen to know where Viscount Itadori is?"

"Last I saw him, was in his study for the briefing. I haven't seen him since."

(Y/N) huffed frantically as she thanked Tsukumo, then stomping away to look for the other Captain, Nanami, Yuuji or Viscount Itadori himself. Nobara had just reached Tsukumo and muttered angrily to herself as she followed the Lady.

All the knights were perplexed by the new Lady of the house, stomping around looking for her husband. She managed to spot Captain Fushiguro, who was tending to a horse.

"Captain Fushiguro!"

Fushiguro bowed lowly to (Y/N) as she stopped in front of him. She was breathing heavily and shivering as Fushiguro quirked a single eyebrow upwards.

"Lady Itadori, you shouldn't be running in this frosty weather."

He took the shawl off his horse and stepped closer to Lady Itadori, bringing the shawl around her shoulders and tugging it close so that she could grasp the closed ends. She didn't think much of it as she rasped out.

"Don't worry about me, Captain. Have you seen Viscount Itadori? I need to urgently talk to him."

"Lady Itadori!"

Fushiguro and (Y/N) pivoted to the direction of the loud call which came from Nobara. She held a red woolly shawl as she trudged over and wrapped herself in it, grumbling nonsense. A soft inaudible scoff left Fushiguro's lips as he smirked.

"Don't worry, I took care of your Lady."

Nobara squinted aggressively at the Captain's gesture. Fushiguro grinned smugly before he returned to (Y/N) to answer her question.

"I haven't seen Viscount Itadori since the briefing."

At that moment, a loud trumpet sounded as the entire courtyard turned to the knight that sat atop a chestnut coloured horse. It was Viscount Itadori, dressed in a black gilded armour with silver embellishments across the edge and chest. The horse trudged through the crowd and made its way over to Captain Fushiguro.

"Captain, are we ready to depart?"

"Yes my Lord. All accounted for … except for your brother"

Choso rolled his eyes before he took notice of (Y/N) and her maid wrapped up in shawls. He frowned at the fact that (Y/N) was out here and probably looking for him. He didn't want to talk to her. He wasn't ready as he returned his gaze back to Fushiguro.

"I can't afford to wait for him any longer. We will head out first and tell him, he can come with Megumi once he's healed up."

Fushiguro bowed as he walked towards the troops to inform them of their new orders. Nanami came up to Choso to hand over the helmet of his armour.

"Viscount Itadori?"

Her husband ignored her plea as he turned to Nanami with a firm tone in his voice.

"Please take her inside and explain to her everything I explained to you. I must head out now."

With no final glance back at (Y/N), Choso flicked his reins so his horse began to trot to the front of the men, to begin leading them to their military hunt. (Y/N) felt her heart break a little as she watched her husband leave without a glance and regard for her.

In the original, the shock of rejection had cemented so strongly that the original reader fell into a coma and only woke up when she heard the news about her husband's death. (Y/N) was not weak to be weighed down by rejection, she had been forced to go through a lot in the last three years and it had toughened her skin.

(Y/N) stood tall and firm, watching as Choso was riding away until he became a small blimp in the horizon. Nobara carefully brought her hands to the Lady's shoulders to coax her back to the palace. Fushiguro clambered onto his horse and trotted over to the Lady, Nanami and Nobara. He had a warm gentle expression as he spoke.

"My Lady, I'll try to send a raven to keep you informed about our hunt. We should be back soon, safe and sound."

"Thank you Captain."

"Call me Toji, my Lady."

"Toji."

(Y/N)'s heart warmed at his kind gesture. Toji gave a confident smile as his eyes glanced over at the Lady. His eyes went towards Nobara as he smirked playfully at her.

"Please keep Lady Itadori safe."

Nobara scoffed as she folded her arms, almost knowing his intentions from his words spoken to her Lady.

"Don't worry, Captain. I'll keep her safe. You should worry more about yourself."

"I will, Miss."

With that said, Fushiguro guided his horse to turn and gallop after the men. The courtyard was now empty now as (Y/N) exhaled a deep breath she didn’t know she was holding. She needed to make the most of her time at the palace, to convince Choso that she was worthy of keeping.

She followed Nobara and Nanami up the stairs only to come across a familiar lanky figure that leaned on the door frame. Yuuji had a proud grin as he gave a quick bow to (Y/N).

"My Lady."

"Yuuji! Weren't you supposed to go with them?"

"And suffer from Big Bro's foul mood for months on end? No thanks. I'm better off being here to help you, my Lady."

Nanami frowned with his folded arms and raised eyebrows.

"How exactly are you helping Lady Itadori?"

"I'm gonna help her win Choso's heart of course."

"With magic?"

"Of course not! That is deceitful and I would never do that."

Nanami shook his head with a grimace as he held an arm out to lead (Y/N) in.

"I apologise, my Lady but don't listen to his words. He will make you drink a potion without telling you the effects."

They began walking inside the hall as Yuuji skipped after them, feeling rather offended by Nanami's insinuations. Nobara and (Y/N) were listening with amusement.

"When are you going to let that go, Nanami?! It was one time."

"It shouldn't have even been one time. It was humiliating in front of Lord Gakuganji and Lady Utahime of Macia. I felt like a fool jester."

"It was very good dancing."

"She almost would have killed me because she assumed that I was trying to seduce her."

(Y/N) and Nobara pursed their lips to refrain from laughing aloud whilst Nanami pinched his eyes at the embarrassment of having to recollect that memory. Yuuji had a grin of confidence as he slapped Nanami’s back.

“Come on! I thought it would help you seem less sleepy in front of them.”

Yuuji quietened down at the dangerous glare that Nanami was giving him. He decides to slide back and walk quietly alongside Lady Itadori. There was a moment of peace before Yuuji opened his mouth.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"To the spare study to teach the Lady about the house."

"Without breakfast?"

Nanami halted to a stop as his face flushed with apprehension. He had completely forgotten about that as he slowly turned with a bow.

"My apologies, my Lady. I had forgotten to ask you about breakfast."

(Y/N) shook her face as waved her hand nonchalantly. She didn't always have breakfast so it didn't matter.

"It's okay, Nanami. I can survive without breakfast."

"But Viscount Itadori will be angry if I haven't appropriately catered to you. You must hold on in the study whilst I go get your breakfast."

"Nanami! Don't worry. Please don't bother to make a big breakfast. Nobara, can you please bring three slices of toast with honey on top and some tea please?"

“Yeah Nobara, get me a whole plate of eggs and bacon!"

Nobara gave a nod to her Lady, whilst sending a glare to Yuuji before she strayed away from them to the kitchen.

"She'll bring our breakfast whilst we study.”

Nanami acquiesced and they continued on. They came across a tall door which fit the palace's aesthetic. All of them came across a wall of bookshelves, a desk and a small table accompanied by wine coloured loungers. It was a simple elegantly decorated study as Nanami guided (Y/N) to sit down at her desk. He went towards the bookshelf and grabbed a few books off it before placing them on the table, in front of (Y/N). Yuuji plopped himself onto the loungers as he watched (Y/N) with a bored expression. Her face paled as Nanami began to explain.

"This will be your study, my Lady. Viscount Itadori has asked me to educate you in noble matters. These two books are the ledgers that Viscount Itadori has kept regarding the upkeep cost of the house, taxes, employee salaries and other expenses.

"Viscount Itadori is fairly new to the noble society, only recently was he given the title as a Viscount. Hence he only wrote two years of ledgers. The other Lords of Kaprines have their ledgers here as well and they date back eighty years."

(Y/N) could not keep up with Nanami's words as she glanced over at Yuuji. That man was snoozing peacefully through the droning and after what seemed to be a good forty minutes there was a knock on the door. Nobara pushed the door open, wheeling in two breakfast trays, one with buttered toast, honey and tea, the other with eggs, bacon and toast, accompanied by a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Yuuji sprung up happily and took a seat opposite to (Y/N), ready to feast on his breakfast.

"Finally! Thank you Nobara."

Nobara rolled her eyes and set the trays in front of (Y/N) and Yuuji. She elbowed Nanami with a teasing tone.

"Did you bore them by droning about finances?"

"No, Lady Itadori was thoroughly engaged through our conversation, right?"

(Y/N) quietly sipped her tea as a way to abstain from answering Nanami. The tea was silky and smooth going down her throat with hints of chamomile mixed in. The toast seemed to be from freshly baked bread and fresh honey. It was the best breakfast she's had in a long time.

She was going to be the best Lady of the region, let alone the house and then maybe his wife. She's not only read fanfics, but historical manhwas as well so she knows how to play the game. Inumaki/Itadori (Y/N) was going to be the best main character there ever was.

Although a lot of what's happening now is completely new and she was out of her depth in knowledge. So she didn't have the best idea of what would happen next. She was going to need everyone's help to adapt and adjust.

"Lady Itadori?"

"Oh! Were you saying something? I'm so sorry, I was lost in thought."

Yuuji waved a hand to brush off her apology as straightened his posture.

"What I was trying to say to Nanami is that you aren't a member of the house of Kaprines until you have your own raven."

"Raven?"

Nanami gave a nod and began to explain.

"Yes. Ravens are the official animal of the House as well as our message carriers. The important members of the house have a raven, currently they are Viscount Itadori, Captains Tsukumo, Fushiguro, one of the knights, Megumi, and myself."

Yuuji clears his throat as Nanami rolls his eyes.

"And mage master Yuuji."

"Miwa takes care of the ravens, you'll like her. We should go pick out a raven for you and Miss Nobara as well!"

This was new. She did remember briefly seeing a raven on Choso's shawl but she couldn't focus on its significance at the time. (Y/N) turned towards Nanami as if to ask him if it was okay. He gave a gentle warm smile which assured her. She gave a nod and stood up to follow Yuuji through the hallway and through the saloon which led to the gardens of the palace. It was still a little frosty as the clouds swirled with a dull white colour.

A few yards away, there is a large glass greenhouse which has an open window to allow ravens to come and go. Yuuji led them up to the doors and pushed them wide to unveil lush trees. There was a small water fountain to the right and to the left was a desk of odd bits of junk.

It was amazing as (Y/N) held her breath at the setting as well as the occupants, the ravens. All were different ages and sizes, flying around and croaking. Yuuji strutted in, with his arms spread introducing the women to the birds.

"Welcome Lady Itadori and Nobara to the Unkindness Sanctuary."

(Y/N) frowned at the name as she walked into the glance at the ravens.

"Why unkindness?"

Nanami rolled his eyes and stepped forward to explain better.

"Because a group of ravens are known as 'unkindness'."

Yuuji laughed as he held his palm out for a raven to perch on it.

"I heard this from a fellow scientist and I just had to use it."

"You're the only one who uses that name. The actual name is The Kaprine Raven Sanctuary."

Everyone turned to the right to see a blue haired girl, dressed in black trousers and a black button shirt. She had one glove and a kind smile as she walked up to (Y/N), curtsying before introducing herself.

"My name is Miwa. I take care of the ravens here."

The raven that was hanging near Yuuji, flew away to stand on the palm of Miwa's hand. She was a new character being introduced but (Y/N) was going to love this girl.

"I'm sure you have many questions as to why the House has chosen a raven?"

(Y/N) gave a kind nod as she stood closer to Miwa to stroke the raven perched on her palm. It was certainly fascinating as ravens were commonly known to be harbingers of death and misery. She's aware of the superstitions around the birds.

"It is true that locals often symbolised these birds as figures of death and despair, choosing to avoid the sights of these birds, however they seem to underestimate how intelligent these birds are.

"They are capable of communication, being able to solve puzzles and come up with solutions. Not only that, but they have been known to mimic human voices.

"The first Lord of the house intended to use the raven as a way to establish themselves as a symbol of misery. However over the years, the different Lords began to notice the potential these birds have in carrying out tasks.

"Only twenty years ago, the Lord of Kaprines opened up this sanctuary as a way to nurture, train and breed ravens. My family have been taking care of the ravens since the sanctuary opened."

"And two years ago, I gave the name 'unkindness'. Hopefully it sticks!"

"Hopefully it doesn't."

Yuuji glared at Nobara, who simply rolled her eyes before looking around at the ravens.

"So how exactly do you choose your raven?"

Miwa shrugged before letting the raven on her palm fly away.

"Depends on which one looks good to you. Yuuji and Nanami, you help Nobara find her raven and I'll help Lady Itadori."

Everyone then split off into their assigned pairs as Miwa and (Y/N) strolled around the greenhouse. All their little beady eyes watched their movements as Miwa introduced a few birds to her.

"This is Max. He's a strong protective raven that can fight a squirrel."

"Can he actually?"

"Well I haven't seen it but apparently he fought one. This is Claude, a brooding raven who'll do what you want as long as you give him a snack. And this is Arsene. He is tempermental and deadly. I wouldn't recommend having him."

Arsene croaked loudly at Miwa's comment which made her jump behind (Y/N) and yelp. (Y/N) held back a laugh as she watched the bird carer begin an argument.

"What? It's true! You almost hit Regina in the beak yesterday. - what do you mean you were play-fighting?"

(Y/N) noticed a lone raven sitting on a branch, looking wistfully out at the gardens and hills behind the glass. She came closer to inspect the bird, moving carefully so as not to disturb it. The raven pivoted its head back as if knowing (Y/N) was there before flying down to stand in front of her.

Its eyes had a gentle fascination which drew her in, she crouched and brought a finger to scratch at his neck. It gave a soft croak and leaned in to accept her tender affection, this brought a smile to her face as she sat down, crossing her legs before bringing the bird onto her lap.

"That's Zachary. One of the soft hearted ravens that is loyal, caring and strong. One of the best choices actually."

(Y/N) lifted Zachary up to connect eye to eye with him as she instantly fell in love. She knew this raven would be there for her as she smiled at the bird. Miwa reached into her pocket and presented a ring and a bracelet to the two of them.

"If you are happy with Zachary, put this ring on your finger and put the bracelet around his neck so that this connects you together."

(Y/N) did as she instructed before turning to Zachary to introduce herself.

"Hi Zachary, I'm (Y/N)."

"Hello my Lady."

(Y/N) jumped at the sudden deep voice that came from Zachary. There is no way that ravens can actually mimic humans to the point that they can speak fluently. It was impossible as she gave Miwa a close to accusatory look.

"I thought you said they could mimic human voices."

Miwa nervously laughed before apologising.

"I did and they can. I'm sorry I should have been clearer. Yuuji charmed the ring and bracelet to establish and strengthen the communicative telepathic link."

(Y/N) gave a slow nod as she referenced the argument she had with the bird Arsene.

"Wait, so you actually understood what Arsene was saying?"

"Of course! The ravens are bred with magic to help them communicate like us. However the bracelet and ring enhance the communication link with the raven you have chosen as a companion. Essentially to a point where you could telepathically communicate across a large distance. Although that has never been tested."

That brought a smile to her face as Zachary took a perch on her shoulder. She learnt a lot as she gave a low curtsy to Miwa.

"I see. Well thank you Miwa for helping me find my raven and teaching me about them."

"You're welcome, my Lady. Should we go see Nobara?"

She gave a nod as the three of them began to head over to Nanami, Yuuji and Nobara. Nobara had an angry expression as she furrowed her eyebrows at Yuuji.

"You said they could mimic human voices. You failed to mention that they were capable of holding a conversation."

"Oh dear indeed! How could I have overstepped that important detail?"

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and linked her arm with Nobara's.

"Don't worry! You get used to it."

"Are you serious, my Lady? There is no way I can get used to this."

(Y/N) led Nobara away to look at other ravens, followed by Miwa who was continuously introducing the different ravens around them. Nanami watched them happily, whereas Yuuji stepped up to Nanami with an apprehensive expression.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Nanami?"

Nanami pursed his lips as if he was unsure about what Yuuji was referring to.

"What is?"

"Keeping Lady Itadori here when Choso asked you to send her away."

Nanami's jaw ticked, not surprised at the fact that Yuuji knew this order. Yuuji was lingering outside the doors after the briefing, he probably overheard the conversation. The mage could tell that this struck a nerve as he spoke tentatively.

"I'm not doubting you. I'm concerned about your wellbeing."

"I appreciate that, Yuuji. I'm sure about keeping the Lady here. Your brother hasn't thought clearly with his head."

Yuuji gave a nod as he gave a gentle pat to his shoulder.

"I understand. I will support you with this and inform the others to do the same."

A calm silence settled between them as they watched Lady Itadori and Nobara look around at the ravens.

#au #jujutsu kaisen #smut #jjk #choso #choso kamo #choso kamo smut #historical au #jjk choso #jjk kamo choso #choso kamo x you #choso x reader #choso jjk #choso x you #choso smut #choso kamo x reader

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autistichalsin · 4 months

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That journal passage on Aradin's company strikes me as holding a mirror against the Pc's company. Halsin was so isolated and desperate, in his cause against the curse, and in general, to have to rely on the help of likely dangerous strangers in order to move forward several times, repeating a situation that nearly ended him once already, had him be left to be tortured for days, the bear saving him only so much. How many times might he have tried the same before that entry, knowing full well the dangers, but trying anyway? How many times to also go alone, through the mountain pass, and nearly die?

I also wonder if perhaps the enclave rushed to place him as archdruid on the basis of being, at the time, the most experienced survivor of the first battle against the curse among the grove, what was left of it then. He was their the ad-hoc expert on the ground, his research into the curse further cementing his position over the years, even as the curse stopped spreading, his discontent at the position notwithstanding. Should the curse extend, they had a very experienced sentinel already in place to know best what to expect and survive long enough to give further warning. But that isolated him more, since his call to act was not shared by those that could best help him among his peers and betters.

And he likely also saw that for the best, having witnessed the prior druids die at the hand of the curse.

He truly thought the curse was his burden to bear alone, survivor's guilt spurring him, grieving over Thaniel and the land on his own, and did not insist further for anyone to help. Unless you had a path to those lands without his influence, he would not request anyone attempt to go on his behalf directly. Being so isolated likely also contributed to his disregard for his safety, since he was leveraging his well being against Thaniel's, what he believed to be the last creature to care whether about him he lived or died.

I am consumed by thoughts of this bear druid! What a tragic sort he is...

That is definitely an interesting point and it occurred to me as well; Halsin is in a similar situation that went wrong compared to the player. It's interesting to note there's a party banter that sort of alludes to this as well. Wyll asks how Halsin could have been captured by goblins, and he cites sheer numbers plus the poor choice of traveling companions. Which he says has been "gladly rectified since then."

I am not entirely sure if that was the Enclave's reasoning; he has a note where he mentions they declined to help with the Shadow-Cursed Lands despite his urging. If they were trying to help in any way, I think they would have done more than appoint him Archdruid. I do think the battle had something to do with it, granted- I just think it's because he demonstrated leadership skills in the aftermath by rounding up the survivors, tending to them, etc.

I fully agree about the isolation- it's one of the most tragic parts of his character. :( And him thinking the curse is his burden is also very telling. In an older version of the game, it was possible for the player to collapse the portal after he made it but before he went in; he would scream at the player (justifiably) and specifically say, "I told you this was my burden to carry! Why didn't you listen?" He saw it as not only something he had to face alone, but perhaps as something that no one would even WANT to face with him. The player just might have been the first to truly offer him help- and even then he had to tell them that as much as he'd rather have them by his side, he has to face the Shadowfell alone. (Though now that I think about it, it does seem like excellent fic material, the player accompanying him there. I imagine it wasn't a pleasant experience for him, and though focusing on Thaniel probably made it easier for him to bear, he'd probably have liked to have the player too!

I love the tragedy of his character too; he struggles with so many things but keeps them so quiet compared to other characters, which just makes it all the sadder, knowing he views his burdens as less important than theirs.

#halsin #halsin silverbough #bg3 #baldur's gate 3

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unknown-lifeform · 1 month

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Writing Patterns (tag game)

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern

Tagged by @astralmaenad, thank you for the tag!

Some days, it felt like the universe was about overdue to give you a break. Just for one day, Genzack wip

Cloud was sore, cold, and most importantly soaking wet. When life gives you wings, Sefikura, Rectify universe

Shi Wudu was seething. Jokes fate plays, Gen

The night dragged on, the moon still blocking out the sun. No stars and no god, Mizrak/Olrox

Nina should not get involved. Moving on like grown adults, Aziraphale/Crowley

"You know, it's like you're looking forward to it more than I am." Brand new and exciting, Angeal/Genesis

Hua Cheng had barely let go of Xie Lian since being reunited with him. Spare some roughness gege?, Hua Cheng/Xie Lian

It had been a good day, in that it had not been a horrible day. Old enough to learn, Gen

A dull pain had formed behind Gil-Galad’s eyes. It can't be that obvious, Gen

Angeal might have misplaced one of his uniform shirts. Thief, Angeal/Genesis/Sephiroth

Well I would say my main writing pattern is taking some guy and making them upset, annoyed, and/or in pain. Sounds about right!

Tagging @amethysttribble @effervescentdragon @jacko-shadow and anyone else who wants to do it!

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lossie92 · 1 year

Note

Anything else you can share about the sugar daddy au?

Hi there! Sorry it took me so damn long to answer, but for a while I didn't really have anything new to share from this fic 😶

However, I recently managed to write a little scene, so here you go. Hope you like it!

"Touka was right."

"Huh?" Tobirama blurted out before his mind caught up to his mouth. He didn't have time to correct himself as Madara spoke.

"Your cousin," he said, "she told me the truth."

Tobirama frowned. "Truth about what?"

"Hm, actually what she said wasn't exactly correct. An understatement, if you will," Madara responded with a smile. "She told me you're, and I quote, quite attractive, but in my opinion you're actually, well, breathtakingly beautiful. If you don't mind me saying so. I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable?"

For a moment Tobirama didn't know what to say. His whole face felt as if it was on fire. He was certain his cheeks were even redder now than before and he didn't know whether there was anything he could do to help with that highly unflattering image.

Not that Madara seemed to mind it.

Breathtakingly beautiful.

Nobody has ever called him that before.

Truth be told, Tobirama rarely ever thought about his looks. It used to bother him. The way he so obviously stood out not just amongst his own family, but his peers as well, was undeniable and he had spent a lot of time in his youth wishing he would fit in more.

Nowadays he rarely paid attention to his appearance, actively choosing to focus his attention on things he could actually influence or change about himself. The self-doubt lingered though and Tobirama couldn't say he had ever been able to move past those insecurities.

In many ways, he supposed part of him would forever be a teenager teased for his weird hair, constantly sunburnt, liberally freckled skin, and thick, ugly glasses.

"I… I'm, um. Th-thank you?" He finally managed to stutter out. "And I'm not… It's not that I'm uncomfortable, not really."

"You don't seem very comfortable either," Madara pointed out, his smile slipping. "I do apologise. I didn't mean—"

"There's no need for that, Madara-san," Tobirama cut in. "I'm just not used to it, is all."

Madara seemed puzzled by that. "Not used to what? Compliments?" When Tobirama nodded in lieu of a response, Madara scoffed and said, "Should we decide to move forward with this agreement, I'll have to rectify that. But even if we don't… The opinion of small-minded people who wouldn't be able to recognise true beauty even if it hit them in the face shouldn't influence the way you see yourself."

Tobirama flushed and averted his eyes. "Aa. I'll try to keep that in mind."

#madatobi #mdtb #sugar daddy au #modern au #wip #snippet #naruto fanfiction #naruto founders #naruto #lossie writes

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broifoundher · 2 years

Text

Hey people! I found another old fic of mine. Again, from before I joined tumblr and yes, this one does have an ending. Ok, well… contains spoilers obviously.

Happy reading!! (or not, if you don’t enjoy…)

DEAD

Angst (title speaks for itself), happy ending

Psst… I tried keeping as much of the original as possible. But I did however make a few —lots of, actually— changes —but nothing to the story, just to the writing— so that it’s easier to understand, because, let’s be honest, I was even more disorganized then than I am today.

At least 2,5k words (I really don’t know, I added a lot of descriptive words…)

Chapter 1 : Dead

You met Alex first. Then she introduced you to her sister.

And from that moment on, the youngest was infatuated with you.

But then you got kidnapped by her aunt.

———

“The alien has fused with her metabolism. It’s like they’ve become one.” Explained Winn.

“Are you sure? Is there any way to reverse it?” Asked Kara, hopeful as always.

“No. Not with the technology we have.” Apologetically explained Winn.

“What about my pod? We can use Krypton’s technology?” Stated Kara.

“Except, that is included in what we have.” Rectified Winn.

(Alarms)

“What’s that?” Asked Kara and the screens immediately lit up, putting up the feed of your holding area.

“She woke up. Not her. But the alien. Again.” Said Winn.

(Another set of alarms)

“She just broke her restraints.” Said Winn. “Oh god, we haven’t found anything to weaken her yet… I mean it! … This is bad… This is terribly bad…” Stated Winn as you started punching the glass. Cracking it despite it being one of the most solid things in the intergalactic market.

“She just broke out of containment.” Stated Kara. “I’m going.”

“Wait! No.” Went Winn, but she was already gone.

Meanwhile, he watched as you ruthlessly killed DEO agents that were once your comrades.

And though a part of him felt sorry for you, another was reluctant to lock down the facility. To at least slow you down before you go wreck the city.

Because the unfortunate truth was they had no idea if they could actually hold you down anymore. And drag your ass back to containment. Maybe they’d even need to kill you? Would they even be able to do it?

…

“(Y/N)! Please, listen to me.” Said Kara as she arrived on scene right as you smashed an agent’s head into the wall, bursting his skull open.

Splattering his blood onto yourself and around. Your face’s muscles didn’t even flinch out of the neutral expression it was wearing. Not even blinking.

Meanwhile, Kara barely contained herself from puking right there and then at the stench and sight of death.

“Please…” She pleaded. “Please come back to me.” She tried controlling her trembling lips. “I know you’re in there, somewhere…” She whispered. “You’ve gotta be!”

You looked at her into her sky blue eyes as you let go of the corpse. Before nonchalantly making your way towards her.

“(Y/N). (Y/N)?” She asked, feeling more scared than hopeful at the look in your eyes. “Please. Can you hear me?” She asked, not realizing she had lifted her hands up and in between the both of you. “Are you there?”

You stopped dead in your track when you heard the uncertain waver in her voice and you focused on the way she suddenly breathed in messily.

“Please. This isn’t you.” She went on, a glint of hope that you had stopped because you had recognized her. “I know the real you. And you’re one of the most amazing people I know.”

She kept on walking forward, gaining bits of confidence in her every step. All the while, you simply observed, unmoving like statue and with a blank expression. Though your head tilted slightly to the side when she had reached proximity.

But then, doors wired open and agents came rushing.

Your head whipped around to them and they, much like the others, were disposed of quite easily and quickly.

You weren’t particularly fast considering her super speed. But to the human body’s reaction speed, it was fast. And the shock kept her frozen in place a second too long. As you cracked and squashed bodies here and there, ruthlessly.

“No! No. No. No.” Screamed Kara, devastated and broken.

And it brought your attention back to her.

You could easily assault her like the other agents. And it wasn’t her Kryptonian biology that was keeping you from doing so. Something else.

“Kara, you have to stop her. It’s not her. (Y/N)’s dead, she’s gone. This alien is only wearing her face. Don’t let him drag her reputation through the dirt and into the dumps.” Said a voice in her ears.

She sniffled as she steeled her resolve. Knowing she had to. Knowing that if she didn’t, you’d kill everyone.

But when she opened her eyes and stared at her best friend’s face, she found her resolve melting immediately as she crumbled into a sobbing mess.

“I can’t. I can’t. Alex…” She cried, shaking her head, on her knees and in the literal growing puddles of your victims’ blood.

She sniffled and hung her head down low. Feeling utterly defeated. She wanted to be strong. She had to be. For the sake of humanity.

“I can’t…”

You stared down at her figure.

“Shit, she’s gonna get herself killed.” Cursed Alex as she watched through the cameras.

“Wait, Alex. If you go, you’ll get killed too.” Stated Winn.

“I don’t care. But I won’t sit around watching my sister die when I could’ve at least been there with her.” She stated and ran with her load of weapons.

Kara hit the floor in frustration. She was supposed to be a hero. To be different like Winn had told her. To be above them all, to be better.

But she couldn’t… She was madly in love with you. And despite you not being you anymore. Looking at you was making her entire body fall numb.

You stopped in front of her and bent down. She didn’t even look up, feeling defeated. So you grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back to take a look at her face. Which was tear strained.

She was… well, she was a crying mess.

Everyone was supposed to look ugly when they cry.

But you barely got a glimpse of her sky-blue eyes through the slit that were her eyelids. And through her eyelashes.

Your gaze then trailed all the way down her face to her chin and then her neck. To which you stopped at the throat.

You then used your free hand to trail down the tip of your fingers onto the bulge of her throat.

She was expecting you to have snapped her neck already. And the way you were taking your sweet time made her slightly hope that part of you still remained.

But not Alex.

Who hit you using the alien gravitational gun the DEO had gotten after the Cadmus incident.

And your back hit the concrete ceiling as the gravitational force pined you there.

“Are you okay?” She yelled to her sister.

Unable to break free out of the non materialistic force, you glared at the agent.

“Yeah…” Sighed out Kara as she pushed herself up on frail limbs.

“Good. Then finish her.”

“What?” Asked Kara.

“This is the only thing that has proven to be able to hold her. And even then, we have no idea for how long. It’s the logical thing to do.”

“No. I can’t.”

“Kara. If you don’t do it now, the whole world will be damned!”

“But…” She sobbed.

“Kara. It’s not her.” Alex’s heart was breaking as well and even more seeing her little sister in such a wreck. “But you have to listen to me. Do you remember when you nearly pulverized the DEO because you were angry at your mom for lying to you about Astra?”

Kara listened through her sobs.

“It’s not really her!”

Kara yelled in frustration and sadness at her sister’s words as she burned you to death with her laser vision. Until all that remained of you were mere ashes.

So that the alien had no chance of surviving. Whatever it was.

Alex then let go of the gun’s trigger and Kara collapsed to her knees. Hurt, terribly terribly hurt.

Alex let go of the alien gun and padded in the pool of blood to held her sister into her arms.

As she tried to desperately hold her own tears.

While Winn cried in front of the screens.

This had been a terrible experience to the entire group of super friends. A hard, unfortunate and difficult experience. That some had more difficulty to pass over than others.

And Kara was never the same.

She spent days in a bundle of pain as she cried day in and day out. Her family and friends worried about her. But she wouldn’t let any of them in.

Among all of them, only Lena didn’t have the whole story. So it was understandable why she’d be saying the wrong thing unknowingly.

But for her sister to do so. When she knew exactly what happened. She found it unforgivable.

“You have no idea how it feels!” She yelled at her sister. “Alex.” Almost growling her name. “Imagine —losing —Jeremiah, Eliza… Losing me. Can you imagine it?” She hiccuped through her breath. “And then imagine having to kill Maggie.” Added Kara through gritted teeth and trembling lips. “Can’t you see?”

“I…”

They held a memorial and to the public, you were remembered as just one more of the agents that had gotten killed during the ‘attack’.

However, Kara never came. Not even as Supergirl. And to keep appearances for when she’d come back, J’onn was attending to casual Supergirl duties in her stead.

She drowned in her sorrows in her apartment, feeling completely broken.

Going over and over the things you had done together until the point she had to kill you. The possibilities that she could have made that day.

If she had used her super speed and held the trigger for her sister. Maybe Winn could’ve worked some sort of gravitational waves to keep you restrained. Until they’d be able to cure you?

And if that didn’t work, then maybe with Lena’s help?

If only she had thought of it back then. If only someone had.

“It’s my fault…” She sobbed on her own.

———

Chapter 2 : MusicalChapter 2 : Musical

…

In the end, her family was there for her. Friends too. And slowly but surely, she got stronger and better.

———

Barry and Kara were walking around but she stopped following her friend when she noticed you.

“Oh Rao…” Breathed out Kara as she was definitely looking at you. Or at least, someone that looked like you.

“Kara. You okay?” Asked Barry as he came back for his friend.

“I…” She blinked away a few tears. “I don’t know…”

Barry frowned and glanced over to where she was looking.

“One of yours I guess?” He figured as he spotted and didn’t recognize you. “Good or bad guy?”

“Good.” She ended up answering sadly.

“Come on. We gotta go. It’s not really them.”

“Yeah… Yeah, I know…” She said as she kept her eyes on you.

“Kara? Are you crying?”

She sighed and finally ripped her eyes away from you and looked at her friend.

“Sorry, let’s go.” She said but you nudged her elbow.

“Excuse me my lady, but have we met before?”

She froze and didn’t dare look behind.

Meanwhile, Barry attentively glanced back and forth.

“No…” Answered Kara. Without even turning around. “No. Let’s go Barry.”

“Okay…” Breathed out Barry as Kara pulled him by the arm. Leaving you with a brow tilted. As you watched the woman’s back disappear.

…

“Want to tell me what happened there?”

“Nothing.” Answered Kara.

“Yeah, okay…” Said Barry as he let it go.

…

You then blinked awake again and you were suddenly in… the musical.

You looked around in confusion as you wondered where and how you got there.

“Woah. You’re late to the party.” Said the man that had broken into your apartment. “How is it that your mind was taking such a long time to process this world?”

“Am I dreaming?”

“Hm… Ask the others, I don’t feel like repeating myself today. Bye bye now.” He waved and disappeared.

“What the…” You turned on your feet and frowned. “Where’d he go?”

…

“Alright, I’m sorry, but I can’t ignore it any more.” Said Barry. “Hi! Hello.” He said as he waved and came forward to you. “My name’s Barry. What’s yours?”

“Are you stuck here too?” You asked him, feeling his way of talking closer to yours than the others’.

“Wait. What do you mean stuck here?”

“Were you dropped by this well dressed guy with dark hair into this place?”

“Wait, you mean, you’re real?”

“Are these people not real? Because they feel real?”

“No. Omg. Kara, did you hear that? We’re now three to be trapped in this musical.” Said Barry as he turned to face her.

You looked over and met two beautiful blue orbs staring back at you.

“Hi.” You smiled and waved. “Name’s (Y/N). So you’re Kara?”

Her lips started trembling and you retracted your hand.

“Sorry, did I? Did I do something wrong?” You asked Barry.

“I don’t know.” Shrugged the guy.

“Sorry. Yeah. I’m Kara.” She answered and shook your hand.

“Oh okay… Kara.” You shook her hand and your smile fell. “Kara Danvers.”

Her eyes snapped up to you.

“You have a sister, Alex.” You mumbled like it was coming back to you. “… Supergirl.” You added. “Wait… I had a dream about you before…”

“…” Watched Barry.

And you frowned as you tried remembering. “I can’t… Remember… Oh wait… No, I can…” You blinked and stared sadly into her eyes. “You killed me.”

“Oh.” Gulped Barry.

“I did. I’m sorry. I did.” Cried Kara and you wrapped your arms around her.

“Shh, hey. It’s ok.” You said. “But if I’m dead, what am I doing here?”

“Let me answer that question.” Said the Music Master as he appeared sitting on a table. “You are neither from another universe than Supergirl’s nor are you the creation of her own head.”

“?” You frowned. “Just answer the question dude.”

“You’re not actually dead.” Finally dropped the guy. “Don’t get me wrong, your body is. Burned to ashes. But! Not your soul. You see? Where I come from, eh, you wouldn’t even understand… But! The important thing is, I can help you go back to your previous life where you’d get to live with this fine lady who is simultaneously your killer.”

“Wait. If my body doesn’t exist anymore. Does that mean you’ll make me reincarnate into a dog?”

“What? Well, do you want?” Asked the guy.

“What are the options?”

“It honestly just doesn’t work that way.”

“Am I at least going to remember this?”

“Yes.”

“Will I get my old life back?”

“Hmm… Fine okay.”

“What do you get in exchange?”

“You have nothing to worry about that.”

———

Chapter 3 : Coming HomeChapter 3 : Homecoming

The Music Master handed over a necklace to Kara.

In which contained your soul.

So she left Earth-1 and came back bearing the biggest grin she had in a while.

…

“Did she get brain damage?” Asked Winn.

“She’s smiling.”

“Exactly, she hasn’t smiled this earnestly since…” But then Winn stopped himself. “Sorry.”

“What? No. It’s actually fine.” Said Kara. “Here.” She pointed to her new accessory.

“Necklace? Cool.” Replied Winn, confused.

“It’s (Y/N).” Said Kara as she joined her friends and sister.

“Okay, let’s go scan for brain damage effective immediately.” Stated Winn.

Kara let her shoulders down and opened the little bead, letting your soul out.

“Omg, is that a ghost?” Gasped Alex.

“Hi Alex.” You said. “So this is what he meant? I feel bamboozled.” You said as you looked yourself over. “Can I even touch stuff?”

You tried touching the table but went through it.

“Oh. Bummer.” You pouted.

“Come here.” Said Kara with a huge grin and open arms.

You floated all the way to her and she wrapped her arms around your body.

“I can feel it!” You gasped and she squeezed you.

“I love you so much.” She said as she kissed you on the cheek. And you fully materialized.

“Uh. First aliens, now magic. What next?” Said J’onn.

“I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation to this…” Murmured Winn.

“(Y/N)? Like (Y/N)?” Asked Alex as she travelled towards the both of you. “In like (Y/N) without the psycho alien?”

#supergirl imagine #fanfic #fanfiction #kara danvers x reader #supergirl

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copperbadge · 2 years

Photo

Hey guys, a quick update on the Fountain Fundraiser! The fundraiser itself was successful and the park is going forward with renovations, though they haven’t given a timeline yet as far as I know. Amusingly, the slew of donations from people giving via my fundraiser confused the hell out of them until we explained things, so that was entertaining :D

In any case I have completed all the fics I promised, at least as far as I’m aware. If you made a gift and never saw a fic in return, check the Fountain Fundraiser tag; if it’s not there DO PLEASE get in touch to let me know, so that I can rectify the situation! This fundraiser was a little less organized than usual so the odds I missed someone are not as low as usual.

Sadly, I found out we are only allowed to put names on the bricks that are also supporting the park renovation, but eventually I will be able to go to the park and see a brick reading “Sam, Deebs, & Dot” and I promise a photo when I do.

Thank you to everyone who gave and everyone who spread the word. I’ll be uploading the fics to AO3 eventually, so look for them there!

#fountain fundraiser #chicago #printer's row #south loop

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neonscandal · 3 months

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Can I ask, why do you love MLM romance better than Het romance? What makes them better? I did not mean anything negative, and I know everyone have their own like and dislike but I want to know your thoughts....

Also what do you think that made Asian MLM (Danmei, BL manga/manhwa/manhua/tv series) romances different than western MLM romances?

Out the gate with the fujoshi allegations!

Hahaha I joke. I feel like, from my blog, it's very reasonable to make that assumption. I think I watch and recommend mostly het-romance but, there are a number of reasons why MLM ships cause some serious brainrot and frequently appear on my page (this is a SatoSugu, BakuDeku and AshEiji specific call out).

I won't say that the ships are better but as to why they're more pervasive?

From a shonen standpoint, the protagonist and deuteragonist tend to be the the most developed and nuanced characters with more chemistry due to the complexity of their relationship typically driving the plot forward.

Additionally, the development of the relationship will generally have more texture than the flat afterthought of the MC with the FMC they are canonically paired with.

Typically, because these characters are both men, while you'll see some toxic stereotypes (specific to actual BL and yaoi which are usually ick inducing), both characters will generally have the same amount of agency which isn't always given to prop female characters. Remember, kids, the fridge trope is harmful for everyone.

Because these ships aren't always intended, there's that delulu element of "will they, won't they?" like Ross and Rachel from Friends. The DRAMA. Also, they are generally more tragic and, what lingers more: happiness or pain? It's pain. Pain by a long shot. And the fodder to rectify that pain is endless (thank you, fix-it fic authors). There are of course, also ways to twist the knife, too (thank you, sadists).

Subsequently, the resonance of these ships stems from the much stronger emotions you have when things are gut-wrenching. But, also, I am actively reading the ongoing series' of JJK and MHA so of course that part of my brain gets poked more frequently than series' that have long since been completed.

Let's not forget that there's a disproportionate number of shonen and seinen series' that ultimately get full anime adaptations. Off the top of my head, the Ouran High School Host Club fandom is still waiting for a second season. ⌚️👀 HoriMiya and Sasaki to Miyano were heavily abbreviated before getting second seasons, a refreshing shock to the system.

Specifically, of the three main ships that litter my blog (see above), I happen to viscerally relate to one or both of the characters in question. Again, we can chalk that up to the depth of character and my own flaws.

Stylistically, there's a big difference between Western and East Asian media across other genres too. For instance, after only being exposed to the dramatic musical scores in Western horror, there is something truly unsettling with the absence of build up or sound in East Asian horror right before something big catches you unawares.

When it comes to romance (if we're focusing on MLM, it still applies), I think the big difference is the intimacy. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some series that have a similar level of physical engagement as a Western romance. But, with a lot of stories, you'll go a whole series holding your breath for a hand hold or a hug and it's delectable. The absence of the physical creates so much more depth in those telltale looks characters exchange or the moments of silence when they're alone in each others' presence (awkwardly as hell, might I add).

By comparison, in Western media, you're going through the whole gamut without as much nuance for the layers of non-physical intimacy. Or it's something that gets developed post hookup which is realistic to an extent. But, considering real life hook up culture these days, I think it makes the before stand out as a lot more endearing so maybe that informs the preference.

All that to say, this isn't an endorsement of modesty politics, at all. Life is a healthy mix of both and I'm all about comprehensive experiences. People will gravitate toward whatever speaks to them at whatever point they are in their life. Do you have a preference and, if so, what do you think informs it? Respectfully, I appreciate your curiosity in reaching out.

#neon asks #anon asks #anime #manga #fujoshi

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hongism · 2 years

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BLOOD MASQUERADE ∘ 3 HONO E NO GA

pairing; fem!reader x tba rating; M/18+ wc; 9.3k warnings; this series contains violence, blood, explicit smut. future warnings will be added as the story progresses. masterlist. | taglist form. a/n: synopsis, genre, and other content related to the fic can be found on the masterlist.

.♛.

You climb the stairs leading to the balcony with one hand firmly planted on the railing and the other holding the hem of your dress up to keep it from dragging. There aren’t many people up on the second floor — most are still enjoying the festivities downstairs — and when you reach the top of the stairs, the difference in volume hits you instantly. It’s far quieter up here than it was surrounded by the majority of the crowd. With a quick scan of the railing, your gaze settles on your target, and a little huff of laughter escapes you.

He hasn’t moved from the spot you saw him in earlier, and the shorter, orange-haired man is still by his side, hands tucked deep into the pockets of his velvet pants. You don’t move towards the pair yet, however. For the time being, you circle around the opposite end of the balcony, slipping behind the few guests who are lined along the railing while keeping your gaze firmly set on the two men across the way. You find a decent enough stopping place almost directly across from them; it’s a vantage point that will serve you well regardless, and it makes it easy to survey what’s happening on the ground floor as well. As you settle with your elbows against the rail, you lean over the lip enough to peek down at the dance floor. Your Fox with his shiny black hair and mask to match is still perched at the center of the room, although looking down on him from this angle with his brother watching from above, he seems less like a disobedient and independent child and more like an animal trapped in a cage. He’s putting on a show here and now, but you wonder how far that freedom goes, and whether he has any freedom at all outside these walls. After all, he hasn’t budged even an inch since he set foot into that inner circle. With the way the Wolf surveys him, it seems to you that there’s little to no freedom at all.

The subtle dynamic shows itself to you then, and you see a touch of the Wolf’s cruelty that Seonghwa assured you wasn’t there.

“So you keep your fox on a leash,” you murmur, eyes lifting to settle back on the other host of the night. He surely doesn’t hear you, but something in your movements must draw his eye because he lifts his chin to stare across the opening between you.

A smile tugs at the corner of your lips.

You don’t let the eye contact linger any longer than that; you only meant to entice enough to draw his attention and it seems you’ve done exactly that, so your job, for the time being, is done.

It takes only a few minutes for someone to approach you, although it’s not a man you’re after. A complete stranger, one that is unfamiliar, and you immediately know that he isn’t one of your princes based on the wrinkles creasing his features behind his mask.

“My dear lady, you are… exquisite, I must say.” His voice, as well, hints to his age.

“I’m afraid flattery will get you nowhere with me,” you murmur back before staring forward once more.

“Ah, don’t be like that! A few good words from me, and you can have anything you want in life. Money, power, more parties like this one — perhaps even better than this one.”

You almost scoff. There’s fairly little this man could get for you that you don’t already have.

“I noticed you don’t have a drink. Should we rectify that? I brought some special imported wine in from Mizubitashi! Ah, but we’ll have to go back to my room to get it. You don’t mind, do you?”

You can’t very well cause a scene here and now but if you could, the temptation to toss him over the railing is stronger than anything else. You reel on him with a fire in your eyes though, and he laughs — either out of fear or mockery, you cannot tell.

“Inviting a lady back to your room unsolicited reflects badly on the customs of our homeland.”

Despite your mouth being open to retort, the words do not come from you. The man before you snaps his attention just past your shoulder.

“I hardly expect to take criticism from a child.”

“Yet you will take it from your Daimyo.”

You inhale sharply and shift to look back as well, finding a suit of blue velvet in your peripherals, and it only takes a moment to process who it is standing behind you currently. There’s a flicker of disappointment in your gut as you were hoping to find the Hawk before he found you himself, although now that doesn’t seem all too important. Perhaps you still have a chance yet and he isn’t aware of your identity.

“A-Ah, my lord, I had — I had no idea it was you, you see! The mask kept me from seeing you properly, I’m sure you understand, and—”

“I’m sure I understand what you were intending to do with this lady as well.”

The man lets out a frantic laugh, and it echoes for far too long to be a natural, unforced sound.

“Just drinks! Our wine is delightful, as I’m sure you know!”

It’s hard to remain unbothered by the scene unfolding in front of your eyes solely because of the way the orange-haired man reaches out to grab the older gentleman by the collar and yanks him down to be eye level. You think back to Seonghwa specifically noting that this man was not quick to temper: it seems quite the opposite from where you’re standing.

“I might not be an official host tonight, but I was sent over here by one because one of my own people was harassing another guest.”

You lean back to look past the Hawk’s shoulder and stare back across the balcony. Jeong Yunho still stands there, eyes trained on your form as you move, and you let out a huff of air.

“If you wish to keep all your appendages and extremities intact, then I suggest you be on your best behavior from here on out.”

The older man stumbles a bit as he’s shoved back, but he’s quicker to steady himself and grovel at the feet of his Daimyo like a child scorned. The power would intimidate you, if it weren’t something you witnessed firsthand for so many years. You do have to bite back a laugh, however, and turn your face into your shoulder when you remember you don’t have your fan with you to shield your expression.

To grovel at the feet of a Daimyo like this… what would you do at the throne of the Emperor?

You don’t see the Hawk turn this man away, but when you do look back up after recovering from your amusement, he’s long gone and only the orange-haired man remains beside you.

“My savior,” you coo, throwing a bit of exaggeration into your tone for added effect. A hand lands on the Hawk’s arm as well, quickly followed by the other as it comes to rest on his forearm at the same time, and you loop an arm through his elbow with little effort as he just lets it happen. “I’m glad I didn’t have to resort to becoming violent myself. That hardly befits a lady at these sort of events.”

“The look you gave him alone was enough to prove that you could handle the issue yourself,” the man murmurs. His body is stiff against yours especially as you press a cheek into his shoulder, but he does nothing to pull away from you still. “You should thank the host for asking me to intervene instead.”

“Hm, yes, but you’re the one who took care of the matter. I can thank you as well regardless.”

“It’s merely my job.”

“One you have to uphold often, I presume?”

The man lifts his free hand to his head and combs through the wavy locks atop his head.

“More often than I should.” He looks off to the side and back across the balcony. “I ought to return to my companion now that that issue is taken care of.”

“Take me over to him, hm?” It’s posed as a question, and the man on your arm is quick to fulfill your request without another word spoken. “Are the two of you close? You and host, I mean.”

“Yes, quite. We’ve known each other for many years.”

“And he’s a man of good intention?” you prod further, peeking over at the Hawk to gauge his reaction.

“Too good for his station in life. Our line of work asks us to play dirty sometimes.”

“Oh yes, I’m well aware. But that’s what makes it fun, isn’t it? Playing games and finding new methods to get ahead… you can’t cheat at chess, but you can tip the scales in your favor.” You watch his features twist, and he seems to realize something then and there as you speak. You match his curious stare with a thin smile.

Then, he’s moving you further from Yunho and the railing, hand tightening around your elbow more and more with each step, and you can’t keep a soft giggle from tumbling out of your lips. He persists in his path until the two of you reach one of the branching hallways off to the side of the second floor. He wastes no time in pressing your body into the wall, not bothering to try to find an empty room and instead settling for something quite scandalously public. Your chest flutters with anticipation. There’s no point in trying to conceal your amusement, but it doesn’t stop you from trying to lift the back off your hand to your mouth. Your partner snatches you by the wrist and slams your arm into the wall beside your head. It’s not enough force to hurt, merely to excite, and you feel your smile falter a hair.

“Kim Hongjoong,” you say although it comes out as a breathless whisper. “Checkmate, Hawk.”

“Who gave you my identity?”

“No one. Inference only.”

“Who told you my name?” he hisses again, pushing a bit more force into his tone.

“The Owl. I gathered everything else from your brief conversation with the man who accosted me. Daimyo, Mizubitashi… it added up. Not the great predator chasing a weak little mouse as you thought? It seems we switched positions for the night, hm?”

“I believe I humbly requested that you wear my gift as I don’t like playing cat and mouse games.”

“It was hardly humble,” you murmur with a bit of an incline to your chin. Hot breath ghosts over your lips as he huffs out his annoyance in your face. “But that’s alright. I don’t mind a bit of arrogance as long as you have the spine to back it up.”

Hongjoong’s eyes blaze as he stares back at you.

“I have more than enough to back it up — you have no need to worry about such childish matters.”

“And yet you stand before me whining about my choice not to wear your gift. Childish? Hardly. I made a choice based on the information and options presented to me.”

“And who did you choose then?” He persists, and that piques your interest a bit. To the point where you think it’s possible for you to tease him a bit further here and now.

You push up onto your toes and force your face further into his space now, lips parted as you tongue at the back of your teeth before saying —

“The Fox.”

His pretty dark eyes burn with a beautiful flame in that moment.

“Do you think this is a jo—”

As he leans in, you reach a hand up between your bodies and grip his chin firmly between your thumb and fingers.

“It doesn’t pay to be jealous over a woman who isn’t even yours to begin with,” you murmur. Your lips are close enough to skate over his without any real contact. Even with him still holding you to the wall with his own hand, it’s clear that you have power on your side. “Nor does it pay to treat me like I’m a slab of meat for you all to fight over. I can’t fathom why the two of you would willingly choose to be in a room together even if at my expense, since you can’t seem to control your temper at the mere mention of his name. Give me one good reason why I ought to visit the two of you tonight. It seems like nothing more than a dick measuring feud that has nothing to do with me.”

“His interest with you is purely physical, whereas I already told you I intended to speak with you about your homeland. The reason I was paired with that prostitute of a prince was to keep him from trying to initiate anything with you as he refused to be with his brother tonight.”

“What if I wanted to lay with that prostitute, hm? Would you stop me then?”

“I lay no claim to you. As you already said, you are free to do whatever you wish. Although I may be blunt, I am honest and genuine in what I’m telling you. My people need your king’s protection, and I would do anything to give that to him.”

“I see you aren’t too proud to refuse help then,” you say through a sigh, releasing your hold on his chin and settling back against the wall. “Then if I choose to go with you tonight, you hope to discuss negotiations?”

“I hope to discuss your homeland and customs so that I know how to find favor with your Shogun.” It’s a surprisingly genuine and honest answer that has you smiling a little in sympathy.

“I will keep that in mind then. You are the only one so far to actually tell me of your intentions should I choose you tonight. I’m grateful for that honestly.”

You think to say something else but it comes up short as you’re interrupted by a separate voice.

“Hongjoong. Is something the matter?”

Both of you shift to the source of the newcomer. It’s your host, Yunho, who stands at the mouth of the hallway with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. His sheer height and broad shoulders are enough to block a good chunk of the hallway, and you can hardly see past his body to see whether other guests are watching on. The fingers around your wrist fall away in the blink of an eye.

“No. We were merely talking.”

“Seems like it was quite the intense discussion,” Yunho comments, but it’s a rather teasing tone.

“No matter.” Hongjoong steps back with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’ll leave the two of you to talk. As for you, milady, I hope we can speak further later on in the night.”

He tries to move away but you lean forward before he’s out of reach, catching him by the wrist with a huff. You stop yourself before saying anything though. What you want to say will expose you too much, will only raise further suspicion about your identity, and you aren’t prepared for the curtain to fall quite yet. So you drop his hand with a murmured apology and a lowered chin.

What I want to say is... I will make sure your people receive our help regardless of what happens tonight.

“Hongjoong,” Yunho continues as the shorter man tries to dodge out of the hallway. “You’re my eyes and ears, remember? Try not to cause any issues this time around.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll keep an eye on him. Don’t worry.”

The blond before you huffs out a laugh and drops his chin to his chest as Hongjoong sidesteps him fully and slips back out onto the balcony.

“I apologize profusely for his shortness. And I don’t mean his height.”

You hate that a laugh bubbles up in your chest at such a joke, but the twinkle in the man’s eye seems to imply he knows you’re amused regardless.

“Are you finding everything to your liking? I’m afraid I know fairly little about your homeland, otherwise I would have catered more to your taste.”

You don’t question how he figured you out so quickly, but you try to keep your surprise to yourself. With a small nod, you push off the wall and cross your arms underneath your chest.

“It’s nice. Busier than anticipated.”

“Is it stifling?”

You bite the inside of your cheek.

“I admit that I’m more used to how open everything is back home. Our parties typically take place outdoors.”

It’s not perfectly quiet in this corner of the mansion, even if more secluded.

Yunho pulls a hand out of one of his pockets and extends it in your direction with his palm facing the floor.

“We can step outside for some fresh air, if you’d like.”

“I would appreciate that,” you say through a soft-sided smile, slipping your gloved hand into his bare one.

“I hope you don’t mind stepping through one of these rooms to get there. Each one has its own balcony for the guests to use as they see fit. Should you stay the night, you’ll have access to your own as well.”

“I think my guests and I will be staying the night yes. Would it be too much trouble to ask you to show me to a room I can stay in tonight now?”

Yunho grins at you, a little half-smile that makes the skin around his eyes crinkle. The deep corners of his lips dip in a bit more to match the smile, then his features relax once more. It leaves you a little bewildered. For someone who is called a Wolf and supposedly feared and renowned, his features are soft around the edges and hardly angular. From the few glimpses you got at his brother, Wooyoung seems far more intimidating than this man here. He’s undeniably handsome though, and you can’t kid yourself into thinking you wouldn’t fall for Yunho’s charms yourself.

“Of course. Will you be needing separate rooms or...?”

A kind way of asking whether you are preoccupied with someone — either romantically or sexually.

“Two separate rooms. My bodyguard will keep watch in my room during the night.”

“Ah, brilliant. Right this way then. I’ll show you to a more private area where you can rest tonight undisturbed.” Yunho shifts your hand smoothly, moving it up his arm with his free hand until you take the hint and loop your arm through his elbow as he leads you further down the hallway. He doesn’t speak during, which surprises you some as he strikes you as the talkative type, but it does give you ample opportunity to keep analyzing his features from the side like this.

A single earring dangles beside his head, one that you notice doesn’t have a match on the other side. While it is a rather simple and unassuming adornment, the twinkle of the lights against its jewels implies diamonds and sapphires — gems that are hardly cheap and imply exactly how wealthy this man is.

It is, however, hard to say whether he is the more handsome of the two brothers. You see charm in both of them and find the allure in each as well. You aren’t too ashamed to admit that you would lay with either of them, if given the chance. But while his younger brother holds a sort of youthful and playful wile, the kind that makes you want to misbehave and do things you aren’t supposed to do, Yunho has a more mature and refiled look about him. Regal features with a softly sloping nose, a strong chin, and pretty lips that jut out enough for you to be curious about their feel and taste. He fully looks the part of a prince, and perhaps that it what fuels you to crave him a bit more carnally without playing games.

Sadly, you can’t jump straight to that sort of thing right away and you have yet to figure out what his intentions are — whether they’re good or not, and what his ties with your cousin are exactly without being too overt and suspicious. Letting him lead you to an unknown corner of this palace of a home is a test in and of itself, you suppose.

Your staring doesn’t go unnoticed, it seems, because after a bit, he tilts his head in your direction and peeks at you out the corner of his eye.

“Do you wish to ask something of me or would you rather have me allow you to admire in silence?”

“I was curious,” you start, “to see if you lived up to the rumors and expectations.”

“And? Do I?”

“I suppose the people weren’t wrong, no.” You fix your chin forward and look down the hallway now, an attempt to preoccupy yourself before you accidentally start ogling Yunho once more. He brings you to a staircase at the end of the hall, one that bends and curves upwards, and you lift the corner of your sweeping dress before stepping up alongside the man.

“I’m not asking for the opinion of other people, my dear. Merely yours.”

“Are you asking if I find you to my liking, just like everything else this evening?”

Yunho pulls the two of you to a halt on the midsection of the stairs. His shoes scuff over the wood floor as he moves to stand in front of you. It’s far quieter here: the music is distant, the loud voices are faded and forgotten, and even the air feels still to match the silence.

“I don’t think I’ve had enough of a taste to answer that question yet,” you continue, voice quiet to keep from disturbing the thin lines of tension between you. Under the bright yellow lights, you can see Yunho’s pupils blow out a bit. You pull your arm back with a grin and tuck your hands behind your back. “Do you agree?”

He takes a step towards you unprompted, and you match it with a step backwards until your back hits the stair railing. Hands fly up to grasp the wood behind your back. Yunho’s toes brush yours before his hands come to rest on either side of your own on the railing. He is leaning into your space now, in a way that floods your cheeks with heat and makes you blink up into his dark eyes. If you reach your little finger out now, you could brush his thumb, and that’s exactly what you end up doing as he leans down further. His eyes aren’t on yours — rather your mouth, your cheeks, your chin, the tip of your tongue that darts out to poke at the corner of your lips.

The heady weight of anticipation sits heavy on your shoulders.

Then, Yunho steps back.

“My apologies, I — I let myself get carried away.”

“Not much different from your brother, hm?”

Yunho leans further away as though scandalized by the concept. A moment later, he’s shoving his hands deep into his pockets and turning back to the other half of the staircase. You can spot the red tinge on the tips of his ears from where you’re standing.

“It seems I am in need of that fresh air as well,” he says through a shaky laugh, and this time you allow yourself to laugh with him. “Shall we continue on, milady?” You step up behind him, feet overlapping his only briefly as you follow him up, but you only get the courage to speak your mind when you both reach the top of the stairs.

“I would like to ask about your brother. Only briefly, I promise.”

“Of course, milady, I’m more than happy to answer any questions you might have,” Yunho replies through a hum, and it’s enough for you to trust that he’s being honest.

“I gather the impression that he does not enjoy his princely duties? Yet he seems to enjoy the social aspects of being a prince just fine.”

“He enjoys people and being around them, as well as the attention they give him because he’s a prince. I don’t think he cares that they only kiss up to him for status and benefits of their own.”

“What makes you say that?”

Yunho pauses his walking to look back at you over his shoulder.

“As the firstborn, I was the one who got all the attention growing up. Wooyoung got attention when he misbehaved, as he learned quickly, and because he wanted attention, he would constantly act out of line. When it came to instances where our parents were not involved, he learned quickly that he could get attention by using his status to his advantage. He opened the doors to letting people use him, thus he doesn’t care much when they do so.”

The silence that follows is heavy with implication that doesn’t need to be stated.

“I think these rooms will do. They’re just down the hall from where I’ll be staying tonight, so should you need anything during the night, I’ll be nearby. Shall we step inside?”

You offer a quick nod in response and bring your hands forward to rest in front of your body. The velvet has overstayed its welcome, if you’re being honest, but you’re reluctant to pull them off in case the weather out on the balcony is chilly. For now, you keep them on as you step into the elaborately decorated guest room. It’s far more than you are used to — a raised bed for starters, along with at least three full sized wardrobes and a dresser to match, not to mention there is a bedside table on either side of the enormous bed. The walls are coated in some dramatic red pattern that is hard on the eyes, but it’s at least dim in the room so you don’t have to be bombarded for long. Armchairs, a table, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and more standing floor lamps in the corners, yet the most absurd thing in your eyes is the loveseat at the foot of the bed. You’ve lived in different sorts of palaces your whole life, but this sort of extravagance is far beyond anything you are used to. You imagine you would suffocate under all of it if you had to stay longer than a week here.

“I imagine it’s quite different from what you’re used to?” Yunho inquires, and you wonder if you let your discomfort show too much on your features.

“It is... different, but not in a bad way.”

He bites back a laugh, lifting a hand to cover his mouth as he motions towards the door on the other side of the room. You move when he does and keep your eyes firmly set on his back as you have no further interest in looking around the room any longer.

“I believe we are extravagant in different ways back home. I’ve never been out of my region myself, so being able to have this new perspective is appreciated.”

“Is that so? I’ve only been to Senotakaitou once or twice, so I haven’t had the chance to fully see and engross myself in your culture.” A gust of cold wind hits you as Yunho opens the balcony door, and you pull your arms tighter together as you step out onto the marble-tiled floor. His voice falls in volume with his next statement, in a way that implies sympathy. “I imagine I’ll be asked to go back soon too.”

You know he’s referring to your father and his current state of health. You answer his words with a sad smile.

“Yes, I imagine you all will. All the crown princes will be asked to come if something worse happens.” You exhale a sigh, and the air puffs out in a white cloud in front of your face. Dropping your hands to the railing, you stare out over the scenery without saying a word for some time. Yunho doesn’t interrupt your quiet musing, but he does come to stand beside you with his own hands pushed into his pockets.

Night has fallen by now, so it’s become a bit difficult to truly see the scenery that Taimatsu has to offer. Still, you can see enough of the forest ahead and surrounding the manor like a protective seal of sorts. As you told Seonghwa, you see hardly any dense foliage like this back home — the farthest extent of it is within the safe and pampered walls of the palace where the gardens are, along with the sparse orchards contained in the furthest wall. Those are all maintained and watched over however; the forest before you now is unkempt and unknown probably to most.

“I take it you hunt?”

“Yes, milady, quite often.”

“In these forests?”

“Sometimes. There are other hunting regions within the area as well, but this is obviously the most accessible one for us. My brother comes along as well.”

“The tone of your letter didn’t imply you got along that well,” you murmur. You dare to glance over at the man out the corner of your eye, only to find him staring out over the trees.

“A bit of friendly competition from time to time doesn’t hurt, and I think it helps our relationship from festering into something worse.”

Maybe it’s the fresh air or simply a bit of braveness creeping into your system, but you find that feeling of adrenaline trickling back now. The excited kind, the one that wants to go back on the prowl, and you twist in your spot to let the rail press into your lower back now. The position is evocative of the one he put you in back on the stairs. You wonder if he notices it as well when his gaze slips over to you.

“Is that what tonight is as well? Friendly competition?” The grin on your lips is a little more than facetious. Yunho is silent for so long that you think you have overstepped your boundaries for a moment, but then he steps forward into your space. His hands leave his pockets to grip the railing, and now it truly it the position he had you in on the stairs. This time, though, there is far more privacy and less reservation about what you’re certain will happen. Just to be sure, you slip a foot between his legs, close enough to wrap around the back of his heel if he gets any smart ideas and tries to push you over the edge of the balcony.

“I should hope you value yourself well enough to know that you aren’t a plaything for any of us.”

“You can hardly speak for everyone, can you?”

“I don’t view you as a prize to be won, darling. Do the others’ opinions matter right now when it’s just the two of us?”

“I think I should be asking you that considering how I’ve given you many chances to be a little bold, yet you still won’t do it.” As you speak, your head falls to the side to accentuate the crooked grin painting your lips, and Yunho’s chest stutters as his breath becomes uneven. “You worry about me likening you to your brother, but frankly it’s only natural. I want you and... I get the sense that you want me as well.” You press a hand flat against his stomach, pushing against the soft satin there and dragging up until you can grab him by the collar. His instincts are enough to keep his forehead from colliding roughly with yours, but you still feel the heat of his breath pouring over your face as the distance between your bodies is minimized further. “Checkmate, Wolf, now let’s begin the real game.”

“I don’t want you to think ill of me — o-or think this is all I desire from you because, by the divines, I desire you desperately.” The weight of his stare seems to shoot straight through you, as though your mask isn’t there at all and he can see every inch of you without barrier.

“Stop thinking so hard, Yunho. I want you to take me as you see fit. If we did things my way, I think you would be the one to think ill of me considering the things I like in bed. Whatever it is you want… you can have it for tonight.”

At long last, a large hand grips your waist with enough strength to make you feel a little breathless. You feel your body move before it truly processes, but the cold air from outside dissipates in a few moments as Yunho pulls you back indoors. The door barely shuts before you find yourself pressed against the engraved wood, and this time, Yunho’s chest is fully flush with your own.

“We don’t have enough time to do all the things I wish to do,” he hisses through gritted teeth. The flush on his cheeks is beautiful under the chandelier, and you can’t keep from reaching up to thumb over the reddened skin just below his mask.

“Let’s make do with the time we do have then.”

You’re the one to pull Yunho’s face to yours and slot your lips over his soft ones. It’s a largely innocent kiss — one that tests the waters and finds the end of a fishing line waiting in the abyss. Yunho slides his arm fully around your waist. His tongue brushes over your lower lip just as he pulls you off the door. You sigh into his mouth, allowing him full access to explore your wet cavern without care now, and you aren’t deluded enough to think he hasn’t done this before. He knows his way around your mouth too well, around your lips and with his hands, how he roams your body in search of the laces that hold your dress to your skin. You can’t find it in you to care about any of that either; not as your own hands are shrugging his fancy blazer off and digging to pull his shirt out of where it’s tucked into his pants. You both move with a fervor that implies there is an unspoken countdown between you, and there very well might be considering how you’re supposed to make a decision later on tonight about which men to spend more time with. For now, you let your senses be devoured by the heady sensation of want for the man in your arms.

The backs of your knees hit that damned loveseat, and it’s that exact moment that you get your first gasp of air as Yunho pulls off you. Vision swimming, you pant for deep breaths of fresh air while Yunho grabs hold of your hips with his impossibly large hands. The ease with which he flips you around and onto your knees makes the coil in your gut furl tighter. Then, he’s back to working at the laces of your dress, a frustrated patience because he knows he can’t ruin the garment or manhandle you out of it — not when you still have guests to entertain later on — and you simply let him work with your own hands curled around the back of the loveseat.

“F-Forget the dress, just hike it up over my waist,” you finally say once a grunt of frustration passes through his lips.

“Fuck, okay, okay, hold on.”

The air in the room isn’t particularly chilly but it sure feels that way when it swarms your bare thighs. Yunho pools the black fabric just above your hips, fingers moving lower to nudge your knees further apart on the soft cushion of the loveseat. The way he suddenly freezes after doing so doesn’t surprise you in the slightest because you had nearly forgotten about the knife you were keeping strapped to your leg.

“You’re a smart woman,” he quips through a laugh.

“Hopefully I won’t have to use it on you.”

“I’ll make sure to pleasure you well regardless.” A warm hand smoothes over the skin just beside the strap of the thigh garter. He doesn’t even bother to pull your underwear off either, simply leaves it where it is and only peels it to the side when he drops to his knees behind you.

“What ar—” You cut short with a strangled noise of pleasure. Whatever just passed through your folds was surely not a finger, and you have to blink back over your shoulder just to be sure about what he’s doing. Watching him drag his tongue over your skin just past the curve of your ass doesn’t stifle your shock, but it certainly adds another wave of arousal to your gut. “Oh, you’re a fiend.”

“Had to have a taste, doll,” he murmurs through a grin. “You’ll need the prep anyway.”

You’re half-tempted to ask to return the favor, maybe to switch positions so he can have his way while you have yours, but he gets to his feet in the next moment instead.

“I’m gonna take my mask off… don’t wanna chafe your pretty skin with it.”

Teeth sink into your lower lip. You can’t take yours off yet, simply out of your customs and especially since this man is a prince — he’s not allowed to see your face bare without your fan in the very least and you left it back on the carriage outside.

“Are you opposed to the idea of me blindfolding you? Afraid you can’t see my face in its entirety quite yet, lovely, unless you can promise not to look?”

And that’s a far suitable solution in your eyes.

“Blindfold.” Your eyes find Yunho’s for a split second, piercing through the slits in each other’s masks to meet in a moment of crackling sexual tension. His tongue darts out to lick over his lips. Then he turns with a muttered string of profanities and rushes to file through the dresser against the wall. You could almost laugh at how ridiculous your position is, along with how quickly the night has progressed or more specifically your time with Yunho in particular, but that all seems pointless when he spins back around with what looks to be a silk scarf in his hands. Swallowing the lump in your throat is harder than you imagined. “You can just tie it around my mask,” you say, but your tone doesn’t climb any louder than a whisper.

“What would you like me to do?” Yunho asks as he slips the silk around your head. The question stops you in your tracks for a moment, because you aren’t sure what exactly he’s referring to until he leans over your back and presses his lips to your ear. “How shall I pleasure you, darling? With my hands? My tongue? Perhaps both?” His crotch is digging into the flesh of your ass at the same time, pushing the thick bulge of what must be his dick into your body, and you have no doubts about the size of what he’s keeping tucked into his pants for now. You reach around your back to grab at him. He hisses through his teeth when your palm drags over the stiff tent in his pants.

“That, perhaps?” You quip in return. He robs you of your vision almost entirely in the next second, and the silk comes to settle around your intricate mask. It’s thick enough to block a majority of what you can see, but there’s still a bit of haziness through the material, enough to keep you from becoming fully disoriented. Yunho’s hands slide down your back to settle on the bare skin of your thighs. Your own hand is knocked away by his, and you fold it back over the lip of the sofa without complaint.

“I would like this to be fully pleasurable for you, my dear, and if I take you unprepared, I guarantee it will be anything but that.”

“Ah, such a gentleman, so thoughtful and kind,” you singsong. You drop your torso enough to let your cheek rest atop the back of your hand. “Prepare me however you like, just try not to wear me out too much as I’m expected to entertain you all later.”

“You don’t have to do a thing, doll. We’re meant to be the ones doing the entertaining. You can sit and look pretty if that’s all you wish to do.”

Funny how that’s all you are expected to do back home as well, and what you’re destined to do in the future on top of it. For a moment, you entertain the thought — these men invited you here to host you, and while you have a job to do, it requires fairly little effort on your part to gather intel. Sitting back and allowing them to pleasure you is demure, yes, but why not take the opportunity while it presents itself?

Right now, Yunho is offering to do the same with a different sort of pleasure too, and this one you fully intend to take him up on, especially as he drops back to his knees and secures his hands around the fronts of your thighs. You get to take one deep inhale before he’s pulling your body back to meet his lips, and his tongue dips down to slide through the wetness along your folds. A breathy moan tumbles out of you, a sound that breaks the heady silence in the room, and you shift you face to press your forehead to your arm instead. Eyes squeezed shut, you sink your teeth into your tongue to keep further noises from pushing their way out. Yunho makes it awfully difficult — his tongue caresses the inside of your folds just enough to brush over your most sensitive bundle of nerves. Your thighs tremble with the effort of keeping them spread and open for the man, but the urge to clench them together around Yunho’s head is very much present. And with there being nothing for your eyes to focus on, you’re stuck with the heightened feeling of your other sensations, more specifically touch. So when a finger sinks into your hole and brushes along your walls, you whimper through your teeth.

“You can be as loud as you like,” Yunho murmurs, pulling back just enough to press his lips to the closest patch of skin he can reach. “It’s just the two of us here, and everyone else is downstairs enjoying the party.” He pauses, and second finger slides into your tight heat alongside the first. “You can enjoy yourself to the fullest as well.”

“A-Ah, Yunho…” His fingers curl inside you with the next drag of his tongue before he’s forcing the wet muscle into your core as well. The noise that leaves your lips is obscene, only muffled by the fabric of your glove. You close your teeth around the velvet. It’s uncomfortable on your tongue but it gets the job done — at least enough to keep you from filling the room with your noises. He thankfully doesn’t keep running his mouth or distracting you from the pleasure. You could admittedly stay here like this at least until you orgasm, but Yunho seems to have other plans for you as his fingers slip out to wrap back around your thighs. You don’t consider yourself to be all too petite or delicate, nothing like what most people would view princesses and royalty to be, so feeling how much of your thigh can fit in his hands makes you feel feel, for lack of a better word, tiny. You felt it a bit earlier, when he was pushing you down over the loveseat with ease, and now that rush of heady lust floods your system once more. If you had more time and could be more carefree, you might ask him to rough you up just a little, tug your hair or leave deep impressions of his long fingers in your skin.

“Think you can take me now, darling?” He exhales over your folds in a way that feels purposefully teasing, but you won’t complain considering how he replaces it with something much larger a moment later. His chest presses down on your back, and the weight pushes you further into a strained curve of your spine. Words die on your lips, a request for him to pull and tug on your neatly crimped and styled hair, but you don’t let it come to life. He’s continuing to tease you with the head of his cock, and while you can’t visibly see it, the feeling alone — along with what you saw when you still had the blindfold off — it’s more than enough to give you a few guesses about his size. Hands come down on either side of your own, and you can only envision how it would look from a third perspective. Yunho towering over you and caging you in with his arms, all while still standing behind where you’re perched on the loveseat. It’s lewd and filthy and entirely arousing because with nothing for you to directly look at, you’re left with these few bits of imagination.

“Give me all you got, big boy,” you answer through as much of a giggle as you can muster right now.

The slow drive of his cock sinking into your wet heat is enough to make you feel a little light-headed. He’s patient in a way that drives you insane, and you enjoy it about as much as you would enjoy watching paint dry.

“Please, hurry,” you plead, patting around behind you in search of his hips. Instead, you’re met with a hand that grabs hold of your wrist and pushes it down into the cushion of fabric made up of the skirt of your dress.

“Should I?” It comes out like a purr, something more feline than canine, and you almost forget what sort of predator he’s meant to be. “Should I give you all that and more? Wanna feel my cock stretching you open and filling you up?”

“Suddenly s-such a tease, are you?”

Yunho laughs, a sound that is loud and clear in your ears, then he moves his hand to grip the leftover fabric of his makeshift blindfold. It’s not quite the same as what you had been hoping for initially, but the second he yanks your head back, your neck burns the same as it would if it had been your hair.

“Am I? I can do so much worse, doll.” Your heart pumps wildly in your chest, a steady thumping rhythm that rattles against your ribcage and makes you breathe heavier. “If it’s too much… just tell me to stop.”

“I’m sure I won’t be doing that,” you whisper, lips barely moving. “I like it rougher than you might think.”

“Is that so?” The hand on your blindfold tugs harshly, and the full length of his dick sinks into you completely. Your moans are simultaneous with Yunho’s, a pretty chorus of pleasure, and though you want to drop your chin to your chest, you find yourself wholly incapable of doing that much because of how he’s gripping you. “Who could imagine that I would get so lucky in having you join us here? If you aren’t careful, I might believe we’re made for each other, doll.”

“So fuck me already then.” Your words are breathed out through a whimper, a quiet noise that isn’t quite enough to escape Yunho’s notice, but it also prompts the man to start moving his hips against yours. And if you thought him actually fucking you would be enough to shut him up, you would have been sorely mistaken. If anything, he only runs his mouth worse than before, not that his lips aren’t preoccupied in other places on your body.

With each tug of your blindfold and thrust of his thick member into your cunt, he rewards you with a throaty groan and filthy words.

“You feel that, yeah? How well my cock fits inside you? Your walls are squeezing me so nicely, darling, so sweet and tight around me.” The hand he left braced against the loveseat moves, and you only notice because it shifts to wrap around the base of your tensed throat. “Could fuck you in every possible position and still not have enough. Think you can keep up with that?”

“Ngh, Y-Yun—”

In your defense, you try to get some sentence out, although you aren’t even sure what you were attempting to say. It’s replaced by a blinding and searing pleasure inside you, as Yunho angle his thrusts in a new way that also happens to drag over your sweet spot with newfound vigor. You devolve into a litany of moans and whimpers, little punched-out sounds that match the pace of skin slapping against skin.

“Could fill you up and fuck you full of my cum so you have no choice but to be mine. Get you nice and pregnant, yeah?”

“Y-You won’t,” you hiss out through moans, and Yunho exhales a chuckle.

“I won’t,” he confirms with a surprising amount of genuineness to his tone. “Not unless you ask me to. Won’t do anything unless you ask it of me.”

That turns you on more than you would like to admit, but it’s blocked and scattered by the pleasure you’re feeling in the same moment. So when his cock plunges back into your cunt, you blame your orgasm on how good he feels inside you rather than his words themselves. His voice persists, but you tune it out to sink further into your euphoria. His thrusts come to a halt, but he doesn’t leave your walls quite yet, not until your body stops clenching around him and trying to pull him deeper into you.

It’s nothing romantic — the way he slips free of your cunt and starts jerking his hand haphazardly over his slick member is nothing idyllic, nor is the way he uses his other hand to drag your underwear further to the side to have more access to your bare skin. He reaches his peak like that and sends spurts of cum over your ass, leaving it to drip down lewdly as he too recovers from his orgasm.

You don’t mind, not really, because it wasn’t about it being romantic or picturesque for you. You both got your pleasure, and you also got an answer that confirms he isn’t about to try to kill you as you had initially imagined.

He murmurs something about fetching a towel from the bathroom. You stay put until he comes back, sighing into the cushion of the loveseat as he wipes you free of his semen with a sort of gentle reverence.

“I wasn’t expecting you to make me cum,” you say to break the silence. Yunho laughs while shifting your underwear back into its original place, and he tugs the skirt of your dress back down to cover your legs once more. Seconds later, your vision returns as well, and the silk around your eyes falls away. You shake your head to dispel a bit of the disorientation you feel. Seeing Yunho’s mask on the edge of the bed confirms that he hasn’t put his back on yet. You give him enough decency and respect to not look up at his exposed face without his permission. He snatches it up soon after.

“I’m afraid your past lovers must have been awfully selfish and poor in bed if they did not give you that much.”

“Hm, maybe they were, maybe they weren’t.” You let him take your hand and guide you into a far more comfortable sitting position on the sofa. It doesn’t last long, as you decide to throw your legs up on the cushion and recline that way, watching Yunho’s back when he carries the towel back to the bathroom. He comes back with his mask firmly set over his face again. “They’re hardly on my mind though.”

“Then I’m quite glad to hear it.”

He leans over where you’re perched on the couch. Long fingers find your chin and tilt your head up to look into his eyes. A sheen of sweat lingers on his forehead, and his hair is just a bit out of place, but no one will notice unless they were keeping track of such minute details.

“Truly… what a maddening effect you have on me.”

“Don’t pretend like I’m one of a kind, prince. I know men and women would surely be chasing your heels for just one chance at a night in your bed.”

One corner of his lips quirks up at that.

“And what do you think of me now that you’ve had a taste?” His lack of denial only proves your point further. You entertain his question nonetheless.

“I find your presence quite enjoyable, and I better understand why so many speak fondly of you.”

“Is that so?” His breath cascades over your lips in a phantom kiss that has you wanting to push up into his mouth.

A knock at the door is what pulls you out of your reverie, and Yunho’s weight against you fades away as he pulls back to stand up straight. You sit up on the bed, throwing your legs over the edge and resituating your dress enough to seem presentable.

“Yes, come in,” Yunho calls after clearing his throat.

It’s a head of fiery orange hair that appears in the doorway next, to your surprise and a fair amount of panic as well.

“Hate to interrupt the private party going on here but…” Hongjoong’s eyes slip past Yunho’s cool and collected form to land on where you sit with narrowed eyes. “It’s time for our esteemed guest to make a decision.”

“Ah, is it time already?” Yunho clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He shifts to look back at where you’re sitting, smile warm. “Then I bid you farewell for now, milady. I hope you won’t keep me waiting but in the event that you do… I hope to see you later on tonight as well.”

He slips past Hongjoong to step outside without so much as looking back at you after that, although you can’t particularly hold it against him in any way. Hongjoong lingers in the doorway, eyes seeking yours.

“Wooyoung is eager to meet you,” he says. You know it isn’t the whole truth — that Hongjoong is just as eager to talk with you, maybe even bordering on desperate if you could see yourself describing the man in such a way. It remains to be seen just how far such desperation goes, however, along with what sorts of intentions the other men have this evening.

Perhaps it is becoming more and more apparent to these men that the power truly lies in your hands tonight.

.♛.

decision two. (closed)

.♛.

post-a/n: many of you will realize ‘caly didn’t you already write this didn’t you already post this’ and yes! I did! You are correct! I decided i wanted the second chapter to not be so ridiculously long and back when i posted it i had put some self-imposed pressure on myself to include all that in one chapter but i don’t want it to be a 20k chapter bc this isn’t moc LFDJKSLK i want the chapters to be in more digestible chunks and somewhat close in word count thus i decided to chop her in two and post separately! The voting for the decision will remain tho and we’ve already got the results for that so i’m gonna stick to them mostly bc i’ve written what is now chapter four according to those votes slkjfLS

chi no kamenbutoukai: blood masquerade belongs to calypso, hongism 2018-2022 - please do not copy, take, or otherwise steal this work. translating, reposting, or otherwise utilizing this work is not permitted.

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vacantgodling · 5 months

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3 & 13 for aloe, and 7 for hanzo!

jack!!! thank you!!

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

for aloe, honestly, its how little time i have to explore some of the other facets of who he is as a character. something i really wish i had time to explore for instance would be the fact that he is unintentionally flirty and does give people the wrong idea because he has a romantic viewpoint and way of going about life, or how because he's so sheltered his worldview of MANY things is super super warped. i worry sometimes that his character will feel a bit flat or one note just because we don't spend that much time with him so i want to KIND OF rectify that to give him more depth somehow within paramour before yknow. [redacted] but. in that way that's my least favorite thing about him lmao.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

aloe's top 5 emojis would be: 💚💒✨🙇🏿🫂

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

for hanzo, hmm. giving him a sweet tooth, making him serious but not a stick in the mud (he is quite severe a person but he DOES have a sense of humor and cassidy is one of the people that gets his humor To Me), making him a perfectionist but also giving him a lot of self doubt (because even though outwardly he is a proud man i also feel like he has a lot of bottled up insecurity that can get the best of his thoughts sometimes and whenever i see fics explore that i get happy), also when they make him sexually forward and experienced. experienced hanzo is So Fucking Hot actually thank god for every fic writer that writes him like that.

#s: paramour #ff: cage

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makorragal-312 · 5 months

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Okay, I just logged on and definitely didn't expect the amount of reblogs to my poll. And after reading them, I think I needed to clear some things up...

NO, I DON'T WATCH 9-1-1 SOLELY FOR BUDDIE. (I mainly tune in for Buck, the Buckley-Diaz fan, firefam shenanigans, and May. But that's besides the point.)

However, the endings that the season finale gave to Buck and Eddie still bothers the hell out of me Seriously, what was the issue with the two just chillin with Chris on the couch.

And I know, ABC might switch things around and rectify the endings and either make Buddie canon or leave them as a queerplatonic duo with their son, but if we're stuck with the same showrunner and they do the same nonsense with throwing Buck and Eddie into random relationships instead of letting them be happy single or together, then I cannot-

I also don't want to deal with Buck dating a girl who gets turned on by his near death experiences and was willing to leave him over his exes and I think Eddie and Marisol are better as friends, but I digress.

And aside from the Buddie of it all, I can't stand the way they keep having Buck go through the same thing of being in a half-hearted relationship instead of choosing himself and deserving better for himself, but that's for another time.

But that being said, I might tune in to see what's going on through Tumblr spoilers. But if I AM going to watch, it'll have to be through YouTube days so I can watch the scenes I want to see and skip the scenes I don't. (Mainly because my TV sucks and I don't have the option of pausing, rewinding, or fast forwarding)

But either way, I need to read like 50 fix-it fics a day and have a therapy session before I'm even remotely ready for the new season should I tune in live.

TL;DR Still recovering, may still watch. But probably through YouTube clips.

Hope this clears things up😗

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sunnyrosewritesstuff · 1 year

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I have some other requests and projects that I ABSOLUTELY WILL GET TO! However, I did give myself the challenge of spinning the wheel once a week, and even though this should have been posted on Friday...😬 I’m hoping there’s no such thing as too late. 😅 So without further ado, I spun for myself:

Detective AU + Sharing a Bed

So this is a continuation from this ficlet for Fictober. Mafia!Thorin + Cop!Bilbo that is in fact on my WIP list. 👀 Only...I had a brain child last night about this AU and am about to change A BUNCH about it. SO NOBODY FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS FIC AS IS!! (Or if you do, please be open to change.😆)

Warning for sexual implications and language.

It took Thorin a little longer than he planned to get back up to his suite that evening. However, the mere image of his soaked little detective waiting for him was already starting to get him excited. He opened the door, immediately noticing the piles of empty plates scattered on his kitchenette’s countertops. He chuckled to himself while at the same time wondering just how long it’s been since Bilbo had last eaten.

Walking down the hall, he peeked into his bathroom to see that Bilbo had indeed taken a shower as there was a used towel dangling from the doorknob and soaked clothing hanging over the bathtub edge. Maybe he should send his personal maid up to throw Bilbo’s things in the dryer. Not wanting to breach their arrangement by doing something so…considerate, Thorin shook his head and continued on to where he was certain now a very naked detective waited for him in his bed.

He opened the door, only to be slightly disappointed by the sight. At least, he thought he was disappointed, but a small smile crept across his face. Bilbo was in one of his plush robes that he hardly ever used, curled up in a ball, fast asleep in the large king sized bed. In fact, he was on Thorin’s side of the bed. He was going to have to rectify that before…Thorin froze. Before he got in?! Before willingly subjecting himself to letting a cop stay the night in his bed with no sex? That wasn’t the deal. That wasn’t how this was supposed to be.

That’s when Bilbo made a noise, somewhere between a snort and a snuffle, before his body stretched like a cat’s, settling once more in sleep. It was the most ridiculous thing Thorin had ever witnessed, and it was his heart squeezing at the act that had him crossing the room and opening the door to his balcony. He leaned over the railing, cigarette already in hand as he tried to figure out just where exactly did it all go wrong?

He was down to the butt and was still no closer to an answer. He did know that he was closer to accepting an inevitable fact. He had come to care for the detective. The extent of that care would take him the rest of the carton though, and so he cut that train of thought off rather quickly. Balin was right…unfortunate, but usually the case. He had to break things off with Bilbo. Their lines of work were not sustainable for any committed crossover.

When he made it back inside, he found Bilbo awake and watching him. His expression a bit miffed but still rather exhausted. Thorin smirked as he took his time slipping off his shoes and jacket before bracketing himself over the top of him.

“Well?” He teased.

Bilbo’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “You stink.”

“Jealous?”

“A bit, but not enough to not make you go brush your teeth first.”

Thorin rolled his eyes before sliding off him. “You and your rules.”

“My rules are perfectly respectable, thank you very much.” Was the snide huff in return.

Thorin was already backtracking to the bathroom, shedding his shirt and socks as he went. When he felt like the mint would at least overpower the smell of smoke, he returned…only for Bilbo to have fallen back asleep. Thorin deflated. Yeah, this was not happening tonight. He should probably wake Bilbo up and send him packing.

His fingers ghosted through those ridiculous curls, tracing their way down to his jaw. Thorin leaned forward to plant a kiss there, when pain exploded below. He sank to his knees, clutching at his balls.

“FUCK!”

“Thorin? Shit. I did warn you.” Bilbo grunted as he eased him up on the bed.

“Yep. You did.” Thorin snarled sarcastically.

Bilbo scooted over, giving Thorin some space, his face stuck somewhere between apologetic and amused. The bastard. Thorin closed his eyes tightly as he leaned his head further back to bury itself in the pillow as he slowly counted backwards from one hundred.

“You want me to go get you some ice?”

“Just give me a minute.” Thorin groaned.

“I suppose there goes the evening.” Bilbo sighed.

Thorin peeked over at him at this. He may be in unspeakable pain, but Thorin was certainly not one to waste an opportunity. Very carefully, he rolled the both of them to the middle of the bed.

“Thorin…” Bilbo warned.

“Kiss it and make it better?” Thorin asked cheekily.

Bilbo smirked. “You never miss the moment, do you?”

Thorin bent down, languidly kissing his way up Bilbo’s neck before finally landing on his soft, wet lips.

“How about a counter offer? Why don’t you stay the night here? You clearly need a good night’s rest. Your clothes will hopefully be dry by then. And we can have a very enjoyable breakfast together.”

Each statement was punctuated by another kiss, each deeper than the last. However, Bilbo now was pushing him away which meant Thorin was not going to like what he had to say. He closed his eyes, letting his forehead drop to lay on Bilbo’s chest.

“Thorin? You ridiculous man! Look at me.”

He slowly lifted his gaze, and he didn’t know how he felt about what he saw. The fear, the disapproval, but even worse, the longing.

“We knew what this was when we started it. No strings attached. Wasn’t that the deal?”

Thorin sighed. “I know.”

“And renegotiating the terms like this…we can’t. We talked about that too.”

“I know!” He snapped.

“So what’s changed?” Bilbo asked softly.

Thorin met his gaze. Frustration with frustration. Desperation with desperation. But most of all, hope with hope.

“Bilbo.” He breathed like a caress and the man below responded with a shiver. “I think that…”

Thorin didn’t get much further than that. Glass exploded. A zip through the air. And a hole appeared in Thorin’s pillow, where moments before his head would have been. Sniper. Thorin didn’t even have to think about it. He rolled both him and Bilbo off the bed just as the next shot was made.

Spin the wheel for drabbles.

#sunny's drabbles #the hobbit #bagginshield #mafia au #continuation of another drabble #okay but i think i can make this so much better

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afreakingdork · 1 year

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Hello dorki (is it okay If i call your that?) Thank you so much for your update on what ist going to Happen next ! I haven't finished reading crush to much yet, i just dont want a good thing to end haha! It was the first long fic i started reading in the rottmnt -fandom and it will always hold a special place in my heart <3 you deserve all the positivity and prase your get because of it!

I am sooooo looking forward to your new Project! Villain!donnie yum yum 🥵 I admire your workethic. remember since writing is your hobby its okay to indulge in what you want to write about from time to time without feeling to guilty ! Its supposed to bring you Joy ! 👉🏻

Its super aspirational that you want to include all genders in your writing and amazing on how you reflect about it. I do that a lot too. But fandom and fanfiction is supposed to be fun :3 don't be to hard in yourself for falling into "Default-Mode" with the gender. Its what you know from your own experience after all and its so natural to write from your own perspectiv, even unconciously! I Bet No one will fault you for that ✨

Have a good day and get yourself a little treat !

I am certainly fine with Dork! I also totally feel you when reading the final chapter of a fic/comic. I will put it off just because I'm sad for it to end!

I truly appreciate you reaching out about my gender neutral writing concerns, but part of me feels like I don't deserve to be comforted for it. This isn't at all to make you feel bad, of course you are wonderfully kinda and that virtual hug gif is so cute, but I feel like this is something I could rectify and I'm just not. I always write for me first and foremost, but I still feel like as a cis person that I should try harder to to make content that's more accessible because of my privilege, if that makes sense. Again, I hope this isn't offensive at all. I truly thank you. I don't know...

Either way, you have a wonderful day yourself!

#ask

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drabbles-mc · 2 years

Text

Tagging Out

Horacio Carrillo & OC Diego Ramírez

Inspired by Day 12 of the August Prompts: island

Part 2, Part 3

Warnings: angsty tension and goodness

Word Count: 3.3k

A/N: Firstly, this is a metaphorical application of today’s prompt lol. Secondly, this is a very OC-centered fic and I totally get if that’s not your bag but I feel like I’ve just got so much I want to do with Diego as a character and I’m finally getting around to doing it. This is one of a million little AUs for him. (Like an AU of Pressing Matters for anyone interested lol). Thirdly, this is a one-shot for now but I feel like it’s gonna become a series lmao. Also this is dedicated to @ashlingnarcos because no one gets Diego quite like she does. Big loves to you 💖

Narcos Taglist: @thesandbeneathmytoes @garbinge @bruxasolta @winchestershiresauce @sizzlingcloudmentality @alm0501 @panagiasikelia @616wilsons @hauntedforsst @mirabee @buckybarneshairpullingkink @boomclapxox @nessamc @southotheborder @supersanelyromantic @padbrookcottage @mysun-n-stars @raincoffeeandfandoms @bport76 @marrianena @passionatewrites @narcolini (If you want to be added to any of my taglists, please let me know!)

There were a million reasons why people in his line of work constantly felt like they were being watched. It was a self-preservation thing first and foremost—operating under that assumption was the way that a lot of them stopped themselves from fucking up, making moves that could not only impact themselves but all the others that they worked with as well. It wasn’t always paranoia, though. Sometimes the tactic wasn’t a tactic, it was the reality of the situation. The men that they were all after had eyes and ears everywhere. More likely than not, wherever they went on the streets of Medellín, someone was listening in or watching.

The feeling of being watched on-base was new, though. And Diego could’ve, quite frankly, gone his whole career without knowing the feeling.

It was such a swift downfall for someone who hadn’t done anything wrong. Not too long ago, he was a bit of a golden boy. Ask any of the officers, and more often than not, they’d have good things to say about him. Not just his work, mind you, but about him. He was a likeable kid. Or, at least, he was, before he ended up with his boss’s ex. Now, he had become a bit of a pariah despite the fact that the quality of his work hadn’t ever wavered.

He’d stuck it out for a while, hoping that the drama and the apparent scandal of it all would blow over. He didn’t know how it got so out of hand, because there wasn’t even a scandal to begin with. But somewhere along the lines of the very unreliable game of telephone that the CNP officers and their wives all played, the details got muddied. And, of course, he was the only one who ever tried to rectify the situation. He was a good man, but he was severely out-numbered. His pride was telling him to push on, to ignore it all because he wasn’t the one in the wrong. But that tiny little voice of self-preservation in the back of his head told him that maybe putting some distance between himself and all of the officers that he had come to know and trust over the years might be the smartest play long-term. It would read horribly, he knew that. He knew the second he submitted his papers it was going to be read as an admission of guilt, an act of cowardice. But at least he wouldn’t have to be around every day and be subjected to it. A new location with fewer prying eyes sounded like heaven at this point.

What that meant, though, was having to knock on the colonel’s office door and have the conversation about him transferring. He knew that Carrillo would be glad to see him go, for a multitude of reasons at this point, but Diego wasn’t necessarily looking forward to the talk that would get him to the end-goal that he had in mind. He wished that he could just stamp Carrillo’s signature on the paperwork and be done with it, but it wasn’t that simple. And, even if it was, Carrillo wouldn’t have let it be. He was going to want his pound of flesh.

Diego stood outside the colonel’s office door, manila folder full of the necessary paperwork clutched tightly in his hand. He thought about it for a moment, second-guessed the move. The Search Bloc was his whole world these last couple of years. Right out academy and into the thick of it all with hardly a beat in between. Putting it on hold indefinitely, perhaps giving it up altogether, felt like he was breaking off a relationship. Which he promptly reminded himself was not the best simile for the situation given the circumstances.

Shaking his head, he forced himself to knock. Life was difficult enough as an officer. If he could ease the extra tensions by not being the epicenter of the talks around Carlos Holguín, he should take the opportunity.

“Come in,” his tone was neutral, which led Diego to believe that he hadn’t seen him walking up to the door.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and stepped just beyond its threshold. He nodded, “Colonel Carrillo.”

His eyes snapped up from the papers he had previously been looking at, his tightly clenched jaw the only signal to the feelings he harbored towards the officer in front of him, “Ramírez.”

“I need a minute,” he knew that asking would give Carrillo the opportunity to dismiss him, an opportunity the man would gladly take, so he didn’t ask.

Setting his pen down with a surprising amount of care, he nodded and gestured to the chair across from his desk, “A minute, then.”

Diego shut the door behind him, not wanting everyone else to hear what the two of them were discussing. He knew that they had watched him walk over to the door, stared as they all waited to see if Carrillo was going to grant him entrance. Not that the man really had much of a choice, but it was like primetime television happening live on the base. Sure, Escobar and his sicarios were running rampant through the streets, but that wasn’t quite like the immediate drama of two men that they knew personally, that they liked and respected (or at least used to) being locked in this strange stalemate. Diego often wondered if they all knew that the attention they paid to it only served to make matters a whole lot worse. He wondered if they cared.

He sat down across from the colonel, resting the folder atop his legs as he tried to make sure his eye contact with the man didn’t waver. He never used to be afraid of Carrillo. Respected him, absolutely. He knew the man was capable of some intensely alarming things, the epitome of the ends justifying the means, and part of him admired that even if he didn’t necessarily agree with it all of the time. But now, as he sat there knowing that the future of his career rested in the hands of this man who would most definitely be holding a grudge until the way one of them dropped dead, and probably even after that, he was trying not to let his nerves get the best of him.

Carrillo leaned back in his seat, motioning for Diego to say whatever it was that he came there to say, “Yes?”

Diego fought the urge to toy with the edges of the folder in his lap, “I think I should transfer out of Search Bloc,” he was impressed with himself at how certain he sounded.

Carrillo faltered for half of a second, eyebrows lifting lightly before he recovered and took back on his typical, neutrally annoyed expression, “I think you’re right.”

Diego visibly cringed, like he had actually just taken a punch to the stomach from the man sitting across from him. He knew that Carrillo most likely wasn’t going to put up any big fight about it, but the immediate agreement was as close to enthusiasm as the colonel ever showed. All the hours, all the blood and sweat and lost hours of sleep that Diego had put in to try and keep Colombia safe, to keep Carrillo safe. And this was going to be his sendoff. It made his stomach sink.

Trying to recover, he set the folder on Carrillo’s desk, sliding it across to him, “I signed everything. Just needs your signatures.”

He flipped the folder open, leaning forward again to get a better look at the papers in front of him. He leafed through them, a trace of confusion creasing his brows. Looking across the desk to Diego, he said, “You didn’t put in a preference for where you’re being transferred to.”

“I don’t have one,” Diego said honestly, “I just know that…this…isn’t conducive to anything anymore.”

Carrillo nodded, eyes already back on the papers in front of him, “Right. I’ll fill these out, make some calls,” he glanced over to Diego for all of a moment, “I suggest you gather your things, Officer.”

He sucked in a slow, unsteady breath, not really sure what he was supposed to say. His gut reaction was to say something along the lines of thank you, but that didn’t feel right. If the circumstances were different, maybe, but they weren’t. He rose from his chair, “When should I hear—”

“By end of day,” Carrillo didn’t even allow him to finish the question as he picked up his pen and began to fill out the blanks on the papers in front of him.

Diego nodded, not that Carrillo was looking. He felt like he should be saying something, but what was there for him to say? Be almost wanted to apologize, but for what? There was nothing for him to be sorry about, despite how everyone had been trying to make it seem. Even if he was sorry, it wasn’t like Carrillo would want to hear about it. So instead of trying to string together words that Carrillo wouldn’t care to hear, he did what the man had been waiting for him to do for months now, and he walked out of the office, shutting the door behind him when he left.

He tried and failed to ignore the stares. For the newer officers, it was more just out of curiosity—they had no skin in the game, didn’t know the history of it all, just heard the rumors. Diego found that to be more infuriating than anything, that the newbies felt however they felt about him because of things that they weren’t around for, because of people that they didn’t even know. The more senior officers at least had a personal stake with Carrillo, with all of it. So it was frustrating, and hurtful to a point, but Diego could at least try to justify and compartmentalize it. It didn’t help with the intense feeling of isolation, though. He wondered if anything would.

He was heading towards the door of the base, intent on heading to the barracks to follow Carrillo’s suggestion of packing all of his things. He didn’t have much to pack, it wouldn’t take long, but he needed to be out of the four walls he was currently trapped inside.

He was just about to reach the main hall, the door that would free him was in sight. But he was stopped in his tracks by a body blocking his way. Diego had made such a point over the passing weeks to not really look at people, so it took him a moment to stop and realize who it was that was standing in front of him.

The knot in his gut tightened, but he still nodded respectfully, “Trujillo.”

He didn’t return the gesture, “Ramírez.”

The two of them hadn’t been all that close to begin with. They got along well enough, both of them pretty adept at soccer when they played with the other officers in the rare downtime that they had. Diego recognized that Trujillo was a good officer, and vice versa, even if they hadn’t ever really become friends. Now, though, the cold shoulder that he got from Trujillo was enough to inspire frostbite. There was no one else on the base who had the colonel’s back quite like him, and Diego had the unfortunate luck of realizing that that support extended beyond just their professional lives. He’d made enemies out of two men with one decision.

Diego didn’t want to just rudely slide by. Well, he did want to, but he wouldn’t. Raising his eyebrows, he asked, “Something I can do for you, Officer Trujillo?”

The man shook his head, “No.”

There was a beat of the two of them both standing, staring at each other, waiting for the other to say or do something to escalate the situation. Diego wasn’t going to bite, though, especially not on his way out. He was leaving on a sour enough note as it was, he wasn’t going to make matters worse by getting into it with Carrillo’s right hand. So, he stood, and he waited.

After what felt like the longest ten seconds of Diego’s life, Trujillo finally stepped to the side and allowed Diego to pass him. He felt like he was in high school all over again, like he should be preparing for Trujillo to trip him as he walked past. He didn’t, of course, but if it wouldn’t have been so wildly unprofessional to do so, he was sure that the officer might have.

It was tempting to break into a run down the hall to leave, but he refrained. It was the fastest he’d ever walked, though. Pushing the door open with more force than he ever had before, he sucked in a deep breath as he stepped outside. He was hit with a wave of heat, the air heavy, but it still felt more breathable than what he had just been suffocating in.

Taking off down the steps, he made his way towards the barracks to get his things. Perhaps packing was a bit of a generous term for what he was doing. It was more just gathering up the few items in his locker, the couple of stray things in the bunk that was his designated space on nights that he wasn’t able to make it home. It wasn’t much. As he began to arrange everything in his couple of bags, he thought about a joking comment his grandfather always used to throw around when things were a bit anticlimactic, “Well, if that’s not a sad end to a mediocre career.” Diego never really understood the full weight of it, but now a sad chuckle escaped him as he stuffed a stray t-shirt into his bag. He didn’t consider himself or his work to be mediocre by any means, but he was very aware of the fact that he could’ve done more, should’ve been able to do more. But life got in the way.

When he was done, he scanned the tiny room for anything that he might’ve missed. There wasn’t much there to start with for him to forget. He sat down on the small bed situated in the corner of the room, the flimsy mattress just as unforgiving as it had ever been. He wanted to just leave and head home, but he knew that he needed to hang around at least until he got his new location. No one was going to be giving him anything to do in the meantime, though, which was going to make for a very boring and tense few hours of waiting.

He was finally bringing all of his things out to his car. He tossed the duffle bag into the back seat first, followed up by him slipping his backpack from his shoulders and putting that on the seat as well. Shutting the door, he locked the car and made his way back towards the main building of the base.

He was about to cross the floor and head back to Carrillo’s office. He had the feeling that regardless of whatever else was on the man’s plate for the day, transferring him out of Search Bloc was quickly bumped to the top of his priority list. It’d been a couple hours, and Diego was fairly certain that that was more than enough time for Carrillo to decide his fate and file the necessary paperwork for it. He was honest when he said that he didn’t have a preference, not that he thought that Carrillo would grant him his preference even if he did have one. But now he was definitely wondering where Carrillo was planning on sending him.

He didn’t even make it halfway to the office door before the colonel appeared in front of him. The man’s face didn’t give much away, as per usual. He handed the folder back to Diego, but he could tell from the difference in weight of it that he had already sent off whatever paperwork was necessary.

“You’re all set,” Carrillo said as Diego took the folder from him.

He fought the urge to ask, fought the urge to flip open the folder and see what Carrillo had decided was a good fate for him, or a fitting fate might be a better descriptor. Instead, he nodded, “Thank you,” he knew that it was probably too late to be worried about burning the bridge, but he still said, “And thank you for my time here, Colonel. I learned a lot.”

Carrillo folded his arms over his chest, looking Diego up and down as he tried to figure out what he wanted his response to that statement to be, “Let’s hope so.”

That’s the last thing that either of them said to each other. Carrillo turned and headed back towards his office, and Diego couldn’t be certain but he thought he saw something cross the man’s face, some type of emotion, but he couldn’t be sure. It also didn’t feel likely. Taking a deep breath, he flipped open the folder to see where Carrillo was designating him.

The address looked familiar. He kept looking through to find the team that he would be working with. He was expecting to see the names of officers that he was relatively familiar with. After all, being based out of Carlos Holguín for the last few years had given him a leg-up in terms of knowing all the new recruits. Even if he didn’t get to know them all, he saw most of them in passing and had brief conversations with them. Some of them he hadn’t seen since their training ended and they got their more permanent locations, others filtered back in and out every now and then.

But he didn’t see any of those names. The names he saw he recognized, because how could he not. But they weren’t officers. They weren’t people that he saw himself having to report to or work closely with in much of any capacity. There was always a few layers of separation between him and them. Carrillo being one of those layers. He didn’t know what it said that Carrillo took the opportunity of Diego leaving Search Bloc to group him directly with Javier Peña and Steve Murphy, but Diego was definitely on edge about the information.

He hadn’t had a lot of direct interaction with the two DEA agents. Most of that was handled by Carrillo and Trujillo. There was a history of some sort already built there, and Diego was very aware of how that was going to impact the way he was received by his new team. Any relief he’d felt about transferring out immediately dissipated as he closed the folder and started to head back for the door. If he’d felt alone before, on the base that he knew like the back of his hand, he knew that from here on out that feeling was only going to intensify. It was difficult feeling isolated in a sea of officers on base, but to be the only one on the team that he was getting pushed into, that was an entirely different breed of being alone, and with two men who most likely wouldn’t like or trust him very much at that.

He sat down in the driver’s seat of his car, tossing the folder over into the passenger seat. With a sigh, he braced his folded arms against the steering wheel and rested his forehead against them. He shut his eyes for a few moments, trying to get all of his thoughts and feelings in check before attempting to drive off. A large part of him just wanted to go home, but he knew that if he did, he’d never get back out. So instead, he put the key in the ignition. He put the car in drive, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel for a moment like he was really weighing out the options before finally letting off the brake and heading off for whatever was next.

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