#i'm tired and v frustrated at this piece

[socialistexan]

I'll be honest, y'all, I'm getting more and more tired and every piece of transphobic legislation or new chapter in the "trans debate" just grinds me the fuck down.

I'm so tired of people debating my right to exist and feeling constantly attacked from all sides from assholes who don't know the first thing about what they're talking about.

I just want to live my fucking life in peace. That's it. That's all I want at this point and it's so frustrating that I can't just do that. That 40%+ of this fucking country decided that I'm not allowed to have that.

When I was a kid I gave up on the idea of having a normal life because I was a 12 year old bisexual with gender issues in a pre-Lawrence v Texas world where the concept of being trans was relegated to Jerry Springer sideshows, being comedy punchlines and porn.

But then I got a taste of the life I could have.

I was going to settle down with my partners here in Austin and having a life and a house and now we're making plans for when I inevitably have to run away to New Mexico when Texas makes me existence illegal, impossible, or both. Now I feel like it's just being ripped away from me again.

It feels inevitable that these same things we see happening in red states right now is going to happen on a national scale in as little as a couple years from now. And I don't know what to do.

I don't feel anger. I don't feel despair. I just feel... empty. And tired.

And I just want to live my dumb life.

[anyasathenaeum]

Cherish You (Vash x Reader smut)

A/N: Hey guys, I'm back from the dead after one hell of a time. Anyways, literally nobody asked for this, I just felt like writing this because Vash is the loml and he deserves to be loved and be given lots of orgasms. I'm still awful at writing smut so please don't perceive me okay thanks bye Warnings: MINORS DNI, AFAB!reader (female terms used), smut (lots of it), P in V sex, unprotected sex (WRAP IT BEFORE YOU TAP IT, FOLKS), overall loving & tender sex, restraints, riding, praise, a hint of angst (poor baby Vash struggles with his self-worth), reader doesn't cum (intentionally), crying Word Count: 4.8k

You had known Vash long and well enough to know when he was having a bad day, just like he was today.

While it may not have been obvious to others, with his troubles well-hidden behind his bright smile and goofy personality, you could see past it all to notice the pain in his eyes. His smile, while blinding to others, was hollow to you, and his goofiness seemed slightly more exhausted and strained than usual, as if he were overexerting himself to keep up the façade of everything being alright.

Sure enough, when the two of you had retreated to the safety of your room in some shabby little inn for the night, the carefully curated mask that Vash wore chipped off piece by piece, revealing the wounded, tortured soul of the man underneath it all. The man who believed he deserved nothing good in this world, that only sadness and evil and death would follow him until the end of time.

The man that you loved more than anything.

"Vash..." You called softly to him, kneeling down in front of him as he sat on the edge of the bed.

You gazed up worriedly into his face, a face so beautiful and yet so marred by pain that didn't belong there.

"Don't worry, Mayfly," Vash replied immediately, looking at you with a weak and tired smile, "I'll bounce back in the morning. I just... don't feel too good right now. I'm sure some rest will fix me right up."

"Don't give me that, Stampede," you retorted immediately, feeling frustration rise within you as you reached up and cupped your lover's face in your hands gently yet firmly. "I'm the one person in this world who can see through your lies. You know that."

Your words, while meant kindly, still made Vash flinch slightly, his eyebrows furrowing as he squeezed his eyes shut and let out a heavy sigh. He had no answer to your words, which was an answer in itself - he'd been caught in his blatant lie and he knew it. You knew him better than anybody else, so why did he even bother trying to brush you off, to convince you that he was fine when he was far from it?

You could tell that Vash was struggling with trying to voice what was bothering him, so you waited patiently, your thumbs gently stroking his cheeks as you granted him the time and space to find his voice. Instead, you focused on taking in every little detail of his face - his fluffy blonde hair, his beautiful and expressive blue eyes, his soft lips, the curve of his nose, the mole under his eye, every little piece of him.

"I... I can't protect you, (Y/N). Nothing I do ever seems to stop all the death and anguish that seems to haunt me. Nothing I do is good enough. I lose everything and everyone. I'm afraid... that one day, I'll lose you to it all, too. I can't risk losing you, (Y/N). Not you. Never you. You're... you're the one life I can't ever part with, and you're the one person I never deserved."

Vash's words echoed through the empty room, filled with such fear, pain, heartbreak and love that you felt your eyes begin to sting slightly. You looked up just to see the infamous outlaw gazing down at you, his blue eyes watery and filled with the same emotions you'd heard in his voice.

"Shut up."

You couldn't stop yourself, your tone quiet but your words filled with an underlying anger as they spilled forth, your whole body trembling.

"Shut up, Vash. Stop talking like that, you hear me? You deserve love and happiness and peace. Nothing less than any of that. I chose you. My heart chose you, and it continues to choose you each and every day that I live on this planet. It deemed you worthy. So, I don't believe what you're saying for a second. I love you, Vash. I always have. No matter what happens or what has happened, I love you. I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me, Stampede. Understood?"

Vash's gaze never left you, not even for a second as you spoke, his blue eyes widening at your words and a few tears slipping down his cheeks as he took in what you had said to him. His brain struggled to comprehend how you could possibly love him as much as you did while his heart practically sang in his chest, calling out to its other half that lived in your chest.

As Vash sat there on the side of the bed, seemingly frozen in place, you stood up before pulling Vash tightly into your arms, holding him as close as you possibly could against you, pressing kisses into his soft hair. After a moment or two, you felt Vash's arms wrapping around you in return, one warm and one cold as he pressed you against him, his face burying itself into your belly as he took comfort from you.

You could feel him trembling as he clutched onto you, his fingers digging slightly into your skin as he held you close, soft, shaky whispers of "I love you. I love you, Mayfly" escaping him against your skin as Vash struggled not to cry.

You ran your fingers through his blonde hair, the tips of your fingers just grazing over his scalp in a soothing, gentle motion, attempting to soothe the love of your life as best as you could. You could feel Vash calming slowly, his breathing evening out and his trembling subsiding as he breathed in your familiar scent and took in your comforting warmth and gentle touch.

"Hang on a second," you murmured to Vash gently once he had calmed, stepping away from him for a moment and causing him to whine loudly in protest at the lack of your embrace and warmth.

You quickly stripped off your clothes, piece by piece, as quickly as you could until you were completely bare before walking back over to Vash, whose eyes were wide in surprise at your sudden nudity, a slight blush spreading over his cheeks.

You giggled at the sight of the colour rising in Vash's cheeks, "Why are you blushing, my love? You've seen me naked many times."

"I've also seen the suns rising over the dunes many times in my life, Mayfly. Doesn't make it any less beautiful every time I see it. Just like you," Vash replied, his eyes taking in every bit of your body as you stood before him.

Now, you were the one blushing, looking off to the side for a moment before smiling lovingly at the man sat before you. You reached out and took Vash's flesh-and-blood hand into yours, intertwining your fingers with his gently before guiding his hand to your breast, letting it rest on your skin. You heard a shaky little breath escaping him as his hand cupped your breast oh-so-gently, and you couldn't help but smile bigger when you saw how Vash gazed at you, as if you had hung the stars in the sky yourself.

"Let me show you how much I love you, Vash," you whispered softly, your tone gentle yet firm. "Please. Let me cherish you."

Vash swallowed softly, nodding his head slowly in consent as he looked up into your eyes, heat and desire beginning to course through his body. Sex was nothing new between the two of you at this point, but something about how you were looking at Vash and how you spoke to him made him feel like something was going to be different this time.

And sure enough, as Vash reached to pull his shirt off, you quickly stopped him, your smaller hand wrapping around his bigger wrist as best as it could. You shook your head at him, smiling softly when you were met by a confused grin from him.

"I want to take care of you. Completely," you explained, a hint of heat rising to your face.

Vash blushed even darker than before at your words, but nodded assent as he let go of his turtleneck, allowing for you to take over just as you had wanted.

Slowly, silently, with nothing but loving touches and gentle caresses, you worked Vash's shirt off of him, then his boots, his holsters, his pants and his socks, leaving him in just his boxers. Your diligent and tender work of undressing him had already affected him, given the very obvious tent in Vash's underwear and the wet spot darkening and growing on the fabric.

"Sit against the headboard, please," you directed Vash gently, waiting for him to follow your request.

The Humanoid Typhoon seemed a little confused by this, but he nodded as he did as you asked, shifting so his back was resting against the headboard, with him sitting up in the bed. Vash seemed gently restless, unsure of your next move, but he trusted you with his heart and soul.

You were his best friend, his other half, his soulmate. You were the only person who had ever seen him this vulnerable, the only person who knew what Vash sounded like as he cried out and moaned in the throes of passion, the only person who knew what he tasted like. You were the only one who ever felt him inside them, the only one who had been filled by him over and over again as he moaned out confessions of love for you against your skin, the only person who would ever be with Vash that way. He belonged to you heart, body and soul, just as you did to him.

Without a word, you crawled into the bed towards Vash, making your way over to him until you were straddling his lap, your pussy grinding oh-so-gently against Vash through his boxers, pulling a hiss from his lips, his hands coming to grip onto your hips, clenching onto you tightly.

"M-Mayfly! S-Sensitive!" Vash whined out, trying to take deep breaths and calm himself, a wave of pleasure coursing through his veins as you continued to grind against him.

"I know," you cooed gently, continuing your gentle grinding as you watched Vash's expressions carefully, seeing the pleasure he was getting from your touch.

You reached over and took Vash's wrists in your own, removing his hands from your hips and bringing them up gently against the headboard, next to his head. His eyes widened as he watched you hold him, and another soft whine escaped his lips as he tried to grind against your bare pussy, clearly wanting to feel more of you.

"Not fair... wanna feel you, (Y/N)..." Vash pouted at you, gazing at you as you smiled a bit mischievously at him.

"I asked you to let me take care of you, Vash. This is part of that," You replied softly, stopping your movements altogether and making Vash groan in slight frustration at the lack of friction. "Stay here, just like this. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Mayfly," Vash replied, panting softly as he tried to move his hips against you, his entire body aching for just a hint of friction from you.

You giggled as you got off of Vash entirely, teasing him further as you stood up off the bed, making Vash groan even louder, his frustration building as he whined you name, "(Y/NNNNN)!"

You couldn't help but continue to laugh softly as you dug through Vash's bag, looking around for something in particular before letting out a triumphant "Aha!" as you found what you were looking for.

Glancing over at Vash, you grinned softly and said, "Close your eyes, please."

Vash rolled his eyes playfully but conceded, closing his eyes as you made your way back to the bed, getting back into Vash's lap and straddling him once more. Gently, you took the piece of rope you had pulled from Vash's bag and tied Vash's hands to the headboard, being careful to be gentle with him and making him comfortable. When you were done with your work, you smiled softly and sat back in Vash's lap.

"There. Open your eyes, love."

Vash opened his eyes, looking over at his hands to see the ropes now binding him to the bed, and his eyes widened in surprise to see what you'd done.

"M-Mayfly? What is this?"

"You always focus on everybody but yourself. Tonight, I want to focus on just you, Vash. I want to make you feel good, I want to make you feel loved. The way I'm doing that is by ensuring you can't focus on anything but what you're feeling. Okay?"

Your voice was gentle yet firm, your words loving as you explained to the love of your life what you were hoping to do, and you could see the blush on Vash's face darkening as you explained what you wanted to do, his heart fluttering in his chest at your genuine desire to make him feel loved.

With a nod from Vash, you proceeded to gently work his underwear off of him, finally allowing his cock to spring free, already rock hard and throbbing slightly in time to his heartbeat. Globs of precum leaked from the head, dribbling down his shaft just from the few touches you had shared with him, and you felt a spike of desire and confidence go through your body at the sight of just how badly Vash wanted you.

"God, Vash... you're so beautiful," you murmured softly, tracing your hands slowly down Vash's body, taking your time with each and every scar that littered his body.

You knew Vash was sensitive about his scars, about how mutilated and broken his body looked, but to you, he was nothing short of angelic, a being of beauty beyond compare. You loved every tiny piece of him, scars and all, and you wanted to ensure that Vash understood that, that that knowledge was engraved in his soul.

A soft little whine escaped Vash as you traced down his body, your fingertips grazing over his scars with a featherlight touch, and all he could think about was just how badly he wanted to hold you, kiss you, and touch you. Vash found himself tugging against the ropes holding his hands in place, but you giggled softly and leaned in towards him, your lips teasingly a mere few centimeters away from his.

"Ah, ah, ah... no touching, Vash. Tonight's about you," You scolded him playfully.

Vash simply whined, his blue eyes filled with a mixture of pleasure, pleading and frustration, wanting nothing more than to feel you against him, to be able to hold you and touch you to his heart's content. While you weren't fully going to give into his pleading puppy-eyes, you decided that you would allow yourself to rest against him, straddling him once again and now grinding your bare pussy against the sensitive skin of his cock, a soft gasp escaping Vash's lips as he finally felt you against him.

You began to move slowly, biting your lip and letting out soft, muffled moans of pleasure as your soaked folds glided over Vash's cock, his tip nudging your clit with each thrust of your hips. You could feel Vash tensing against you, soft whimpers and pants escaping his lips as he strained against the ropes restraining him once more as you rubbed your pussy against him. The fact that he couldn't hold you as you moved against him and teased him like this was driving him crazy. Vash knew that he could easily break free from the ropes restraining him from you, but instead, he allowed you to continue your thrusts, opting instead to get lost in the pleasure you were giving him.

"B-Beautiful," you moaned against Vash's throat, pressing soft, wet, open-mouthed kisses to his skin as you continued to press your pussy against his cock, rocking back and forth with a bit more pressure, "You're so beautiful, Vash. S-So beautiful, and so good... God..."

Your loving praise mixed with such sensual and intimate touches made Vash shudder in a way you had never felt him before, his head slumping against your shoulder as you felt his whole body tensing, a loud moan escaping him as you felt his cock throbbing against your pussy.

"M-Mayfly, ha-ah! I- I'm gonna-... I'm gonna cum!" Vash cried out, his body trembling slightly against you as he felt his orgasm approaching faster than it had ever done so before.

"Cum for me, my love," you encouraged Vash gently, continuing your gentle praise and bringing your fingers up to his hair, tugging it gently as you pulled him into a passionate kiss, finally giving him a taste of you. "That's it. Cum for me. I love you. Cum for me."

With a soft cry of your name against your lips as he returned your kiss with equal passion and need, you could feel Vash coming undone beneath you. His cum spurted all over your cunt, coating both your folds and his abdomen with his seed as his orgasm washed over him, wave after wave of pleasure washing over him. Vash closed his eyes as he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, panting heavily as he struggled to recover from his orgasm.

You continued running your fingers through Vash's hair as he snuggled into you, cooing to him gently as you held him close to you, "Breathe slowly, my love. Deep breaths... that's it. You did amazing. I love you so much."

Vash shivered slightly in your hold, pulling back a bit to look into your eyes, his eyes wide and his cheeks flushed from your praise and the overwhelming pleasure he was feeling. As you shifted in Vash's lap, you quickly realized that despite cumming mere moments ago, his cock was still rock hard and throbbing once again, clearly still aching for you.

"(Y-Y/N)..." Vash panted softly, looking up at you with need and slight desperation, his tone and his gaze indicating how much he still wanted and needed you.

You didn't respond, instead leaning down and pressing another softer and gentler kiss against Vash's lips, your hands gliding down his body slowly. As you reached the base of Vash's cock, you sat up a little and guided Vash to the tight ring of muscle at the entrance of your core, sinking down slowly and pushing the tip of Vash's cock into you.

The moment he entered you, a loud whine escaped Vash's lips as a gasp escaped from you, the feeling of him stretching you out and filling you making you see stars as you settled into his lap, allowing him to fully bottom out within you.

"I love you," Vash began to babble softly the moment he felt your pussy clenching down around him, his face burrowing into your neck once again as he pressed desperate kisses against your skin, frantically beginning to thrust up into you in order to feel more of you around him, "I love you so much, (Y/N), you feel so good, please... please... I need you. I want you, (Y/N), please... God, I love you."

"I love you, too, Vash. I love you so much," you moaned softly in return, pressing your palms against Vash's chest to steady yourself as you began to bounce in his lap, driving his cock deeper and deeper into you.

Endless praise spilled forth from your lips as you drove Vash deeper and deeper into you, your pussy tightening around him as he brushed that perfect spot deep inside you with each thrust. Any and all thoughts left your mind except for wanting to make Vash cum over and over again while telling him how good he was, how perfect and how beautiful, how much you loved him and how good he made you feel.

"You're everything t-to me," you gasped out, grinding down on Vash and driving his cock even deeper into you, your cunt milking him and pulling endless whines and moans from his lips as you did so, "You're my world, Vash. My universe. I-I love you, I'll always love you."

The sounds escaping Vash changed suddenly, his whines and moans suddenly becoming soft whimpers and little hiccups, and you could feel his body trembling against you in a way unlike before. As you pulled away to look at him, you realized that Vash was crying in your embrace, crystalline tears coursing down his cheeks as he looked up at you, his bottom lip quivering as he tried not to sob openly.

"Vash..." you whispered softly, slowing your movements and bringing your hands up to cup his face gently, brushing away his tears, your heart aching at the sight of his tears. "Shh... it's alright."

Vash wasn't entirely sure why he was crying - you were in the middle of making him feel amazing, and yet, as he heard your words, words of love and tenderness and devotion, he suddenly felt overwhelmed by it all. How did somebody whose hands were as stained with blood as his end up with somebody as incredible, kind and pure as you? How did your heart belong to somebody like him? Thoughts swirled endlessly through his mind, his emotions overwhelming him as you sat in his lap, holding him close and caressing his face gently.

"Look at me, love."

Your voice was gentle yet insistent, tilting his face up so Vash could look you in the eyes. You pressed gentle kisses all over his face, untying Vash's hands from the headboard and allowing him to finally wrap his arms around you tightly, clutching onto you tightly as he buried his face into your bare chest, soft sobs escaping him as he held you close.

"I l-love you s-so much," Vash whimpered softly against your skin, holding you as close to him as he possibly could as his emotions overwhelmed him. "I'm sorry, (Y/N)... I-I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, my love," you replied immediately, kissing his face gently, "You're allowed to feel overwhelmed. It's okay. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Another soft sob escaped Vash's lips, but instead of burying his face into you, he tilted his face up and pressed his lips to yours in a passionate, emotional and surprisingly tender kiss, his hands tangling in your hair as he pulled you against him. This kiss was Vash's way of showing you just how much he needed you, how much you meant to him, how much he loved you and never wanted to be parted from you for as long as he lived. Vash's heart ached for you, wanting nothing but to spend the rest of his life by your side, loving you, making love to you, protecting you and being happy with you, if only the universe would allow it.

A sudden upward thrust from Vash in the middle of your tender moment made you gasp against his lips, the feeling of the tip of his cock brushing against that perfect, gummy spot inside of you making your whole body shudder in his grasp. His movements were slow and deliberate, ensuring both of you could feel him thrusting every inch into you as he kissed you and held you close. Both of you moaned and whined against each other's lips, and you began to grind your hips against Vash's in time with his thrusts, somehow driving him even deeper than before.

"L-Love you," Vash borderline sobbed against your throat, "I lo-love you, Mayfly. Love you so m-much, (Y/N)."

You felt your orgasm beginning to build as Vash continued his thrusts, and you matched his tender and loving movements, trying to focus on him rather than on the pleasure you were feeling. You decided then and there that you would forfeit your pleasure in favour of ensuring Vash was looked after rather than him looking after you. You reached down and pressed down on Vash's hips, silently asking him to stop his thrusts as you continued your own movements, wanting to make him feel good.

"I love you," you gasped out softly in reply, grinding and bouncing slowly and more intentionally in Vash's lap, plunging his cock deeper and deeper into you and pulling the most beautiful sounds from him. "I love you more than anything. I'll always love you, Vash. Always. You're mine and I'm yours."

A strangled sound, half a sob and half a whine, escaped Vash's throat suddenly as he clutched onto you, pulling you down hard into his lap and holding you flush against him with incredible strength as he buried himself inside you completely, "(Y-Y/N)!"

With the cry of your name, you felt Vash spill himself inside you, his cock throbbing as his seed coated your walls in white and spilled out of you as he filled you more than he ever had before, the sticky substance pooling on Vash's thighs. His whole body was shaking against you as he came down from his orgasm, his heart pounding as he tried to calm himself down and recover from it all.

"It's okay, love," you whispered gently, embracing Vash and holding him against you tightly, letting his head rest against your chest as your orgasm slipped away from you, your pleasure disappearing. "I love you, it's okay, Vash. Breathe. I've got you."

Vash's breathing slowed gradually, his eyes sliding shut as he rested against you for a moment until his body suddenly stiffened and he sat up, his eyes wide and filled with concern as he looked at you in alarm.

"(Y/N), wait... wh-what about you?! You didn't-!"

"And I'm not going to," you cut Vash off gently yet firmly, "I'm not interested in my own orgasm right now, Vash. I just want to focus on you, love. Not me. I told you that from the beginning, didn't I?"

"But this isn't fair! You've made me cum twice, a-and... I've done nothing for you in return!" Vash exclaimed, his expression borderline upset as he took your face in his hands, looking at you worriedly.

You couldn't help but laugh at how endearing Vash was, and you kissed the palms of his hands before placing your hands overtop of his on your cheeks, intertwining your fingers with his.

"It's not a big deal, Vash," you laughed softly, gazing at him with tenderness and love.

"It is to me!" Vash exclaimed immediately, frowning and pouting as he tugged you closer to him.

"How about this, then? Let me take care of you for a little while longer, and then, afterwards, if you still want to, you can do what you'd like to make me feel good. Deal?" You offered, cocking your head to the side as you gazed at the love of your life.

"Deal."

Vash didn't hesitate to take you up on your offer before leaning in and kissing you again, this kiss gentle, loving and sweet rather than lustful and passionate. His embrace was strong, yet gentle, and as Vash held you close, he felt an overwhelming sense of true peace for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. In loving him and cherishing him as you had, not just tonight but every day before this, you had shown Vash what he meant to you. You had shown him just how much you loved him and believed in him, and it made his heart swell and break simultaneously.

"I don't know how somebody like me could ever deserve somebody as precious as you."

Vash's words made your heart ache in your chest, and you shook your head resolutely as you pressed your forehead to his, closing your eyes and taking a deep, slow breath before answering, "You deserve so much more than just me, Vash. You deserve the world."

"You are my world, (Y/N). You always have been and always will be, for as long as I live."

You couldn't help but kiss Vash once again, wanting nothing but to spend the rest of your life burrowed in his embrace, but you pulled away so you could clean both yourself and him off and continue taking care of him.

"Come on, my love. I'll run you a bath and you can soak your muscles. You've worked hard, you need to rest," you offered gently, standing from the bed and heading to the bathroom to do as you suggested.

Vash sighed happily as he slumped back against the headboard and watched you walk to the bathroom, a blush on his cheeks and a goofy little smile on his face. His heart was still awash with a flurry of emotions and residual pleasure, but the most prominent thing he felt in that moment was overwhelming love for you as he let out a quiet whisper that nobody but he could hear.

"Gods, how I love you, Mayfly. I will spend a thousand lifetimes trying to deserve you."

[oneofstarkskids]

"plus...he's adorable"

steven grant x reader, first meeting

warnings: slight age gap?

*not my gif*

finding your passion hadn't been a straight and narrow path. you had no idea how some people just woke up knowing exactly what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives.

in high school you played sports, but they were never something you wanted to do as a career. you recently learned that you love to paint, but it just felt like a hobby. you didn't feel experienced enough to make something of it.

you'd gone to four years of university, majoring in business because it's what your parents wanted. but you were tired. you were so tired and you weren't passionate about anything.

finally, you were sure you were ready to give up. you were in the school library, turning in some text books you'd used, when you just glanced over briefly. your eyes caught the title of a large book.

"If You Are to Love, Love the Moon"

curiosity took over and you picked it up to read the synopsis. by the time you were done, you'd picked out three more books on the subject and plopped them down in front of the librarian.

it took you less than twenty-four hours to finish all of them and you had this burning desire to know more.

which led you here, studying egyptology abroad in london, standing in the national gallery, staring at a poorly constructed pyramid of giza.

"oh bullocks!" you heard a man shout just as something crashed to the ground. you searched for where the noise came from.

your eyes landed on dark brown curls peeking out just above the counter at the gift shop.

nosily, you made your way over. as you placed your hands on the counter you cleared your throat. a man with steven printed on his name tag stood up quickly and gave you a nervous chuckle, "morning."

you suppressed your laughter, "hey there. you alright?"

"me? yeah, fine!" he said unconvincingly. "did you want to make a purchase? i personally recommend the horus figurines. you know, it's believed that he was a benevolent protector in ancient egyptian culture. plus..." he held one up, "he's adorable."

this time you couldn't help but laugh, and thought the same thing of steven himself.

"i'll take one," you said and watched as he rang it up.

he glanced up at you as he put it in a small gift bag, but quickly looked back down when he noticed you'd caught him.

you reached to grab the bag, but paused as your hand brushed his. steven was stunned by the feeling of your hand against his and didn't want you to go.

"do you live nearby?" he asked slowly. you stopped yourself from grinning at the idea of him asking you out.

"uh- because we can ship items in the future," he said instead.

you frowned, "okay. well, have a good day." you took the bag and walked off. the whole thing just made you want to go home.

just as you were stepping out into the street, you were knocked to the ground.

"oh! sorry! i'm terribly sorry, i didn't mean to do that," you heard stevens voice. you got up and dusted yourself off.

"what is wrong with you?" you asked in frustration.

he rambled, "well, many things but that's a topic for another time." you had this look of concern that made steven feel guilty. "okay i'm just going to come right out and say it."

you listened intently. "i would, would you like to- do you want to grab a bite sometime?" he finally got the words out and you giggled.

"i would love to."

steven beamed and nodded, "good. very good." he started to walk away but quickly turned back around, "actually, do you have a piece of paper?"

you searched your purse for a moment before pulling out a small sticky note and a pen. steven took it gratefully and wrote his name and number down.

he handed it to you and you noticed that it read, stev̲en with a v. the v being underlined for emphasis.

you grinned, "see you soon, steven with a v."

[bupia]

8, 31, and 40 with Mountain and an afab reader? Please? I'm very happy to have found you, by the way. I'm going to do my best not to send a lot of these.

SHOWER SEX

"I've been wondering how it feels like..." "I'm worried I won't be good enough." "I have no idea how to go about this."

There's a smut under the cut, +18 only, please.

(AFAB!Reader: dirty talk; swearing; unprotected sex; p in v; breeding)

Available on AO3

Day 15 | Day 17

After each ominous black mass, the only thing that beckoned to your weary soul was a soothing hot shower and the embrace of rest. It wasn't that the ceremonies were particularly intricate; typically, the first week was more talk than action. No, the real issue lay in their timing. They commenced far too late in the night, a cruel coincidence following a taxing day of ministerial duties. You had grown tired of Papa Emeritus III's lengthy sermons; in fact, you suspected that he, too, harbored a desire to be anywhere but there. His distant gaze often hinted at better things he could be doing.

But in that moment, nothing else held any significance; it was time for a hot and soothing shower. You had already made your way to the bathroom. While at the ministry, all the siblings typically used the communal showers, fortune favored you that night as you found the room to be empty.

You began to undress, taking off your habit one piece at a time, and neatly placing them on one of the sinks. The sensation of finally shedding those layers of clothing after a long and grueling day was pure relief.

You glanced at yourself in the mirror, finally removing the last piece of clothing. With a towel in hand, you were just about to head into the shower when an unexpected noise at the door startled you. Frustration welled up within as you couldn't fathom how your precious moment of solitude and relaxation was about to be shattered by the intrusion of some fellow sibling.

Quickly, you unfolded the towel and readied yourself to cover your body, but before you could do so, you found yourself locking eyes with the unexpected intruder. It was Mountain, one of the Ghouls from the ministry. In that awkward moment, as his gaze met your naked form, everything he held in his hands fell to the floor with an audible thud.

For what felt like an eternity, the two of you remained locked in a silent, intense gaze, as though time had come to a standstill. It could have been mere seconds, or perhaps a minute, before the tension finally reached its peak, and you let out a piercing scream that would have alerted anyone nearby.

Mountain swiftly closed the distance between you, his hand clamping down firmly on your mouth to stifle the scream. His eyes were wide with alarm, mirroring your own. In this peculiar moment, neither of you could tear your gaze away from the other's eyes.

As your frantic heartbeat began to slow, Mountain cautiously withdrew his hand from your mouth, the silence between you still heavy with the weight of what had just transpired.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," he stammered, his voice filled with genuine remorse. "I thought no one would be here at this hour. I was planning to use the Ghoul's communal bathroom, but it's a complete mess in there right now."

Reassuringly, you responded, "That's okay, don't worry. It's completely fine. I'm the one who should apologize for screaming; I didn't mean to."

A faint smile crossed Mountain's face, and he chuckled, "I don't blame you. I'm guessing you weren't expecting company either, were you?"

"Not at all!" you exclaimed.

"If you'd prefer, I can wait outside or wander around the ministry for a while and return later." Mountain offered.

"No, please, you're already here. It's perfectly fine with me!" you quickly responded.

"Okay," he said, turning his back to you and walking back to where his belongings had been scattered on the floor.

He bent down, starting to pick them up one by one, a slight hint of frustration in his movements. You couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. To be honest, you did have a bit of a something on him, or maybe it was more than that. Perhaps it was his height, the tenderness in his voice, his smile, his eyes, his hands, or simply him. As you continued to watch him, a smile crept onto your lips, making you momentarily forget about the awkward situation.

But from the corner of your eye, you caught a glimpse of your own naked reflection in the mirror. Cursing under your breath, you swiftly grabbed your towel, wrapping it around yourself.

"So, are you really okay with me staying?" Mountain asked once more, concern etched on his face.

"Absolutely," you assured him with a warm smile.

"Thank you."

He moved to the sink, placing his things on its surface. Slowly, he removed his mask and ran his fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath. You observed him with keen interest; it was a rare privilege to see the Ghouls without their masks, and being in their presence during such moments was almost like a special treat. Mountain placed his mask on the sink and cast a warm, gentle smile your way through the mirror. Your cheeks flushed deeply, and you managed to return his smile with one of your own.

As he began to unbutton his clothes, your mind raced with a whirlwind of thoughts. You swiftly made your way to one of the shower stalls, stepping inside and taking a deep, calming breath. You couldn't help but be tempted to sneak a peek at his actions, but you knew you shouldn't – it wouldn't be right.

With determination, you hung your towel on the stall door, placed your soap and shampoo on the little shelf and turned on the shower, adjusting it to your desired temperature. As the water flowed and embraced you, you let out a relieved sigh. Your hands reached into the cascading stream, and slowly, your entire body was immersed in its soothing embrace, washing away the lingering tension.

You closed your eyes, allowing the warm water to envelop you in a soothing, comforting embrace. It was precisely what you needed after the unusual encounter. But then, the sound of another shower turning on broke your reverie, causing you to open your eyes and stare at the stall's door. You had nearly forgotten that you weren't alone.

With a slow, cautious turn of your head, you glimpsed Mountain standing under the shower's cascading water, his eyes closed and a serene smile gracing his face. Somehow, he looked endearingly cute in that moment. A giggle escaped your lips, drawing his attention as he opened his eyes. Quickly, you averted your gaze and turned your back toward his direction, making your way to your soap, attempting to regain your composure.

"Thank you again for letting me stay," Mountain expressed his gratitude.

You continued to rub the soap between your hands, your focus shifting to the suds forming in your palms. "You don't have to thank me that much, Mounty," you responded, still not meeting his gaze.

"Mounty?" he questioned.

As he repeated the nickname, your soap slipped from your grasp, landing with a soft thud on the shower floor. Quickly, you bent down to retrieve it, placing it back in its designated spot.

"Y-Yeah," you stammered, feeling slightly flustered. "I'm sorry, I tend to give people nicknames sometimes."

He chuckled softly, making your heart skip a beat. "I liked it."

A surprised smile broke through your shyness as you turned to look at him. "You did?" you asked, your curiosity evident.

Mountain nodded and smiled back at you. With renewed confidence, you picked up your soap once more, this time focusing on washing yourself.

"So how's your shower going?" Mountain inquired, his eyes fixed on you.

You continued to lather the soap on your skin as you replied, "It's fine. And yours?"

Mountain nodded, a serene smile on his face. "It's good. I needed it."

The idea crossed your mind – what if you took a chance and said something more? What if you tried to flirt a little? But should you? He was there, you were here, and you could make a playful attempt to flirt with him. After all, you were alone, and no one would overhear your subtle advances toward the intriguing Ghoul that had captured your interest.

"It would be better if you were here," you blurted out, surprised by your own words.

Mountain's expression shifted to one of curiosity. "What?" he inquired.

"What?" you repeated, feigning innocence.

"You said something. What was it?" he insisted.

"I said nothing," you attempted to brush it off.

"No, you definitely said something."

"Did I?" you stalled.

Mountain chuckled, turning off his shower. "You did. What did you say?"

With a deep breath, you confessed, "I said that... It would be better if you were here."

He smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I see... So you want me to come over?"

"Only if you want to," you responded, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

"I want to."

He exited his shower stall, and you watched him with anticipation as he made his way to your stall. He stopped in front of it, and you unlocked the door for him. He opened the door, revealing his tall, wet, and naked body. Your cheeks turned a deep shade of red as your eyes took in the sight before you. Mountain took a step closer and closed the door behind him.

"Hi," he greeted with a playful grin.

"Hi," you replied, feeling a rush of excitement and anticipation.

"Feeling better now?" he asked.

"Extremely," you admitted, a bashful smile gracing your face.

Mountain's giggles reverberated in the shower stall as he leaned against the wall. "Thank you for the invitation."

"You're welcome," you replied, your voice tinged with shyness.

He nonchalantly gestured toward his own shower. "I must admit, the view from here looks better than from there."

"Could you see me from your shower?" you asked, curiosity piqued.

He shrugged. "Not entirely, but from here, I have a more privileged view."

A hint of a smile played on your lips. "And are you enjoying the view?"

"Very much," he replied, biting his lower lip, sending a delicious shiver down your spine.

You placed the soap back in its spot and took a step closer to him. Extending your hand, you reached for him, your fingertips tracing a delicate path from his belly to his chest. His skin was warm and smooth beneath your touch. His breath caught at your touch. You smiled as you felt him contracting his body muscles beneath your fingers.

"Are you not going to take a shower, Mountain?" you inquired, your voice barely above a whisper.

He leaned in closer, his eyes locked onto yours, and he replied, "I will, but that's not what I'm thinking about right now."

You swallowed nervously. "Oh? So, what are you thinking about right now?"

With a seductive grin, he confessed, "Kissing you."

"You want to kiss me?" you inquired, your heart racing with anticipation.

Mountain's gaze bore into yours, his eyes filled with desire. "Yes, but only if you want me to."

With a whispered affirmation, you confessed, "I do."

Mountain lowered his body, his hands gently cradling your cheeks, and he closed the distance between you two. Mountain's kiss was intense and passionate, igniting a fire within both of you. As his arms enveloped you, drawing you closer, your own arms found their place around his neck, pulling him nearer. Your bodies pressed together, melding in a heated embrace, and you kissed each other with fervor. Your tongues danced, exploring the depths of each other's mouths, and joy and desire coursed through you.

His hands moved up and down your body, skillfully touching you in all the right places, sending shivers down your spine. The kiss grew increasingly fervent, stoking the flames of desire within you. Your hands roamed over his shoulders, back, and hips, as the sensations intensified.

The water from the shower continued to cascade over your entwined bodies, soaking you both. As you pulled away, your breath came in rapid gasps. With a swift and decisive move, Mountain turned you around, guiding you out of the shower and pressing your back against the stall wall. His eyes were filled with desire as he gazed down at you, and a devilish grin curved his lips. You bit the corner of your lower lip, your heart swelling with happiness as your body tingled from the intensity of the kiss.

"Is it okay if I want more?" Mountain whispered, his voice filled with desire.

"To kiss me?" you asked, your voice trembling with anticipation.

He shook his head, leaning closer to you, pressing his body against yours. Your eyes widened as you felt his hardness pressing against your thigh.

"It's totally fine," you whispered, brushing your lips against his.

"Are you sure?"

You nodded, your desire and longing clear in your eyes. "I'm sure."

You wrapped your fingers around his hardness and gave it a gentle squeeze. He moaned softly and tilted his head back, closing his eyes. You continued to stroke him, feeling his arousal grow beneath your touch. You could feel his heartbeat thumping in his member, and you smiled as you thought of how good it would feel inside you. You stroked him faster, and Mountain gasped out loud. He opened his eyes and looked into yours.

"Do you want me to fuck you?" he asked, his voice raspy.

You nodded and bit your lip. "Yes, please."

Mountain leaned in to kiss you once more, a sense of urgency driving his movements. His lips met yours with a burning need, and he pressed his tongue against your parted lips, exploring the depths of your mouth. His hands moved up and down your body, each touch electrifying and sending shivers of pleasure coursing through you.

His hands reached for your face, tilting your head and deepening the kiss. The air was thick with a mix of ragged breaths and soft moans that escaped both of you. Your leg roamed along one of his, eventually coming to rest on his hips. The physical contact was electrifying, sending sparks of pleasure shooting throughout your body. Your hips started to grind against his erection, and you felt his hands sliding across your ass, pulling you closer to him.

You broke the kiss and stared deep into his eyes. "Please," you breathed, your voice barely audible.

"Turn around," he said, his voice gruff with desire.

You did as instructed, turning around, facing away from him. He grabbed your hips, and you placed your hands on the wall. He slowly began to push his length into you. You let out a soft whimper as his member entered you, stretching you open. He paused for a moment, allowing you to adjust to his size. Then he slowly pushed himself further into you, inch by inch. You gasped and moaned, feeling every inch of him filling you.

"Oh..." you groaned, grinding your hips against his. "So big..."

Mountain groaned loudly and began thrusting into you. He moved slowly at first, but soon picked speed. Pumping into you harder and deeper. You arched your back, meeting his thrusts.

"How can you be this wet?" he inquired, with a mischievous smile. "Did you want my cock that bad?"

"Yes..." you purred.

He moved his hips, sliding his length in and out of you. You moaned loudly, your pleasure mounting as he thrust into you faster and harder. Mountain reached up and grabbed your shoulders, pulling you close to him. You threw your head back and closed your eyes, as you felt his member sliding in and out of you.

"Mmm... Mounty..." you growled, biting your lower lip. "Yes, fuck me, yes-! Oh! It's so good, fuck..."

"Is it good?" he whispered, lowering his face to your neck, pressing hungry kissed on your skin. "You like my cock inside you? Does it feels good?"

"Feels amazing! Ah... M-Ohn... Don't stop, please!" you cried out, your body writhing in pleasure as Mountain pouded into you.

The water splashed over his body, drenching you both. You cried out again, louder this time, as Mountain slammed into you, his length hitting your right spot over and over. He grunted, wrapping his arms around you, pressing your back onto his body. His teeth biting gently your neck, as he picked up speed on his pace, slamming into you, hitting your cervix over and over.

"So tight... Ah! So tight and hot for me, what a good pussy to fuck," he whispered, breathing heavily close to your ear.

"Mountain, Oh my Satan! You fuck so good, yes, yes, yes!" you whimpered. "Oh! You fuck me so good."

Mountain withdrew and turned you to face him. He bent down, kissing you deeply, his tongue dancing inside your mouth, causing you to moan with pleasure. He then slid his length back into you, and you wrapped your arms around his neck, kissing him hungrily. The connection between your bodies was electrifying.

Breaking the kiss, your bodies pressed together, and Mountain gazed at you with a smile. His hands reached for your legs, lifting them onto his hips and holding them firmly. You wrapped your legs around him, locking your ankles behind his back. Your arms held him tight, your fingers intertwined in his hair. Mountain began to thrust into you, and you moaned, your head falling back.

"Yes-yes-yes-yes! Oh, my sweet Mounty, you fuck me so fucking good!" you screamed out.

The tip of his member brushed against your cervix, and you gasped. Your walls tightening around his member. Mountain smiled at you and thrust into you once more, your body squeezing his tight. He quickened his movements, and you squeezed your legs around his waist, trying to pull him deeper into you. Your breathing became ragged, your body trembling with pleasure.

"Your pussy takes my cock so well," he said looking straight at your eyes. "So fucking good, it feels so good... You have no idea how good your tight pussy feels around my fucking cock... Fu-! Ah!"

"Mounty... I- I don't think I can... Ah!" you moaned softly, rolling your eyes in pleasure. "I don't think I can hold anymore..."

"It's okay, I'm going to cum soon too, cum with me," he said, panting heavily.

He growled softly, and you felt him press his thumb against your clit, rubbing it in small circles. Your eyes widened and your breath caught in your throat. You felt yourself building up towards an orgasm, and you knew that you wouldn't be able to hold off much longer. His fingers moved faster, rubbing your clit in time with his thrusts.

"Mountain!" you screamed, your orgasm bursting through your body like a dam breaking. Your entire body tensed, as his thumb kept rubbing your clit fast.

"Yes! That's it! Cum for me, yes, just like that!" Mountain groaned and held onto you tighter. "You came so good, I'm going to fill you, I'm going to cum inside of your tight pussy," as he said it, his member pulsed inside you, spurting his hot seed into you.

You squeezed your eyes shut, your body convulsing, clenching your walls around his member. You cried out as you milked his member, wanting every last drop. Your wall pulsing around him shaft, feeling him filling you deep inside.

You laid your head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. You felt him wrap his arms around you and kiss your forehead. You sighed contentedly, slowly releasing your legs from his grip. Slowly, he untangled himself from you, causing you to shiver as you felt his cum dripping out of you.

Mountain's hand cupped your cheek, his thumb gently stroking it. He leaned in, placing a delicate peck on your lips. A smile graced your face as you reached out, caressing his wrist with your hand.

"Should we stop wasting water now?" Mountain asked in a playful tone.

You chuckled and nodded. "Yes," you agreed with a teasing glint in your eyes. "Next time, we should turn off the water."

Mountain leaned in, whispering, "Or maybe we can find another place," and then claimed your lips in another passionate kiss.

[marigolddove]

Love Begins With Murder, Believe it or Not.

Part One

This is a request from @yandere-dark-cupid, I'm sure you intended for this to be a one-shot...buuuuut I got super carried away because I L O V E mafia/mob AUs. They're my favorite all around and I just couldn't help myself, especially when you said you wanted a sweet civilian that's my jam. So, yeah this is part One for now, I'm thinking this is gonna end up being 3 parts minimum with how it's going and I will tag you in all 3, thanks for the request it was so much fun to plan and write and I hope you're happy with it!

Warnings: Blood and violence at the start, bit of torture and mentions of murder. Only at the very start though.

💀♥️💀

     If Wally Darling could only choose two qualities he hates most in this world he would choose dishonesty and disloyalty. Both of which this sorry bastard strapped to a chair in his office have. Wally didn't need to watch to know Barnaby was doing his job and doing it well, making this insignificant waste of air scream and wheeze through his gag. 

     He had more important things to focus on anyhow, like his craft for one. Having grown bored of reading recent reports and approving deals with neighboring rival groups, he turned to what he really loved most: art. 

     Sure now it was only a hobby compared to his full time job of running his family, but in his younger years it was his passion; his reason to get out of bed each morning and breathe. He's become weary and disappointed by his lack of motivation and inspiration as of late. There was a time when no one could pull him away from an easel or a sketch book for hours; but now, even with the tension and emotions bouncing around the room from this well deserved "lesson" he couldn't fully immerse himself in his work.

     At a particularly loud and strangled cry from the now ex-member of his family, Wally growled and scribbled through his current piece so violently the paper ripped; then tossed the sketchbook and pencil haphazardly onto his desk. He finally turned his attention to Barnaby and his victim.

     Barnaby, having heard his friend's frustration through the gasping breaths of some no-name newbie who crossed Eddie and Frank, immediately fixed his attention onto Wally.

     "Everything alright boss?" 

     "Just peachy." Wally sneered sarcastically, clasping his hands tightly together on his desk, "I believe I'm now tired of our session, you can take him and finish this up elsewhere, please? Oh, and on your way out get Julie for me." 

     Barnaby immediately unstrapped the man from the chair and threw his weak, limp body over his shoulder, "Sure thing boss, I won't take up more of your time; but I'll be around if ya' need me." He moved to grab the bloodied and soiled chair, but stopped when Wally waved dismissively.

     "No need for that, leave the chair and the mess, I'll have someone else clean that. Thank you Barnaby, be safe." Barnaby nodded and with that left the now slightly dank office. 

     Now alone for a moment, Wally leaned back into his leather seat and sighed, typically he wouldn't have these sessions in his office but this had been a…special occasion. A heat of the moment call if you will. 

 ��   You see, that man had been new to the family, very new. He had yet to learn just how important family really is to Mr. Darling, but when he put the lives of Eddie and Frank into danger well…now he knew. All could have been forgiven had he shown a bit of sympathy and care for his new found family, but all he seemed to care about was his wallet. Selling personal information about individual members of the family to rival groups or reporters, one of those stories being about Eddie and Frank.

     Wally has never frowned upon interpersonal relationships, in fact he had encouraged it. Afterall, love is a beautiful and wonderful thing and he was so pleased it had been found in his friends. It was just such a shame that others didn't seem to share his sentiments on the matter.

     Running a hand through his hair, he attempted to correct any loose curled strands that fell into his face and onto his ears during his episode moments before, using any residual hair product still in his hair to hold them back in place. He began to straighten his posture and his desk at the sound of heel'd footsteps against the hardwood floors of the hall outside his door.

     Soon in walked Julie, dressed in a very fine magenta three-piece suit, a black criss-cross bow tie, classic black heels and her hair curled and pinned back to perfection; jewelry accenting her manicured hands. Wally felt a swell of pride and admiration towards Julie's sense of confidence and style.

     "Well, don't you look fierce today my friend." He started warmly at her entrance, she beamed at his compliment; only briefly glancing at the bloody mess at the center of his office before seemingly losing interest and turning her attention back to him. 

     "I woke up feeling fierce, so I just had to go all out today," she states as she moves to stand in front of his desk, hands on her hips, "so," she glances at the distressed art book still on his desk, "Barnaby said you needed to see me?"

     "Yes, I just sent him to take care of that…problem we were having, and it occured to me that the problem had a romantic partner. A young woman by the name of…" he examined a note he wrote for himself, "Ah, Allison Forester."

     A look of understanding flashed across Julie's face, "You need me to take care of her?" She was surprised when he shook his head.

     "No, no that won't be necessary. Our message will be clear soon enough, and there was never any evidence she was involved in his little scheme." His face turned a bit sour at the end before reverting back to neutral, "No, I want to send her flowers as an apology for his mess and for my rash actions." He sounded anything but apologetic, in fact he smiled just a tiny bit when calling his actions 'rash'. 

     "Oh, okay, sure thing sir. Any types of flowers in particular?" She knew Wally was very detail oriented and wanted to be sure he was giving her full creative liberties. 

     He waved dismissively, "No, just something pretty, that's all for now. You're dismissed, be safe." Turning his attention back to the art book, Julie knew he was now ignoring her; but she didn't take it to heart, he never meant anything by it, that's just how he was. Quick and to the point, and once the point was over he was done with it entirely.

—————————

     Julie closed the office door behind her as she strutted her way back out into the main area of the building, the building they're in used to be strictly an office building, but since it fell into Wally's hands it was almost like an art studio where business happened to be held. He had completely renovated the building, still keeping some of the office spaces (not all of them were used as such however) but also turning part of the building into his own private home and space. They had more official places of business elsewhere, this one was just for comfort, for him to be himself. 

     Only the closest of family members were allowed to work here, the most trusted and beloved; because Wally does love them, even with his business facade and too-cool-for-you appearance she never doubted his love for her and the others. How could she when they're family?

     Julie decided she wouldn't leave until she could say goodbye to Frank and Eddie, they were her two closest friends in and out of the organization, and she knew that the recent news of betrayal had hit Frank hardest. Behind their serious and uncaring demnor hid a very emotional individual only she and Eddie really got to see. 

     It didn't take very long to find them and when she did she nearly hesitated, they were having a moment together and seemed to be having a very serious conversation. Together they sat on a velvet bench in front of a few art pieces Wally had completed, their fingers were interlocked as they faced once another. It seemed so pure and intimate, she nearly turned to leave until Eddie spotted her out of the corner of his eyes and offered her a soft smile and silently waved her over.

     When she reached the two she immediately pulled them both into a tight hug, "I'm so sorry, everything's gonna be okay, Wally will take care of this. I know he will." The two hugged her back just as tight.

     "Thank you, Julie. We're grateful for the support." Said Eddie, his southern charm as endearing as ever. She felt Frank nod against her shoulder and sniff a little.

     She pulled back and with as big of a smile as she could manage, Frank made it a little hard though, her poor friend's face was tear stained and eyes a bit redder than normal. They'd definitely been crying, and looking at Eddie she found unshed tears locked in his eyes and his face more flushed than usual. Good riddance to that idiot, whatever his name had been.

     She'd never been the violent or hateful sort, usually charasmatic and subtle, but if Wally or Barnaby had refused to do something about that guy…well, she had no doubts she would have taken him herself.

     "So where does Wally have you going?" Eddie asks, changing subject, a knowing look in his eyes. He was a sharp character, so she didn't have to ask how he knew Wally had given her a task.

     "I'm glad you asked, he's asked me to pick up flowers for a lady, I wanted your advice on a good shop for it. He wants them pretty." Eddie raised a brow at her and she chuckled, "Not that kinda lady, I'm afraid. It's for the…uh, girlfriend of the scum bag." 

     "I'm surprised he's sending her anything but a death threat." Frank says. 

     "Yeah, well boss says she didn't have nothin' to do with what went down. She's just a civilian caught up in it." 

     Frank nods while Eddie gets this excited look in his eyes, "Oh! I know just the place, hold on," he shifts and reaches into his back pocket to pull out a nice leather wallet, he takes out a small business card and hands it to Julie, "This place is really good at making bouquets, one of the employees there is a real charmer. Name's Y/N, (e/c) eyes and (h/c) hair. They're an artist when it comes to flowers, I swear." He said with a bright smile on his face, before turning a bit sheepish as the tips of his ears turned red, "I, uh, used to go there a lot back when I would get flowers for Frank." He admits.

     Frank practically has hearts in their eyes as they gaze lovingly at Eddie and his bashful face, Julie giggles at how cute they are together. They truly deserved the happiness they found in one another.

     "Well then, this is where I'll go then! How can I say no when you give such a sparkling review?" She teases, looking over the card and memorizing the address before tucking it into her pocket, "If I tell them your name will I get a discount?" She joked, but suddenly Eddie got a look of realization on his face.

     "Ya know what? You actually might! Y/N owes me a bit of a favor, so you just tell her Eddie Dear sent ya and I'm sure she'll do something for ya." Both Julie and Frank gave him a questioning look so he continued, "There was a big ol' spider in there the last time I went, poor thing was absolutely terrified, sitting on the counter and staring at it. So, I killed it for them and they gave me an IOU, they wanted to give me my flowers for the day free of charge, but I refused." He explained with a shrug and a sweet smile.

     "Flowers probably won't be too expensive and it's on Wally's dollar so I'm not really worried about it, but I'll still tell them you said 'hi'." 

     "Please do!" 

     Julie turned to leave, but not before giving one more tight hug to Frank, rubbing their back soothingly. They return the hug just as tightly.

     "Be safe, and come back soon…I think I wanna talk to you alone later. I have a lot on my mind." Frank whispers into her ear, although Eddie might've heard it. He didn't speak on it. 

     She pats their back, "Sure thing, bestie." 

     With that she ends the hug and waved as she leaves the room, leaving the two as they embrace one another and continue speaking 'I love you's in hushed tones.

—————————

     The flower shop is only 15 minutes from Wally's "home", and even though she recognizes the strip its located in, she's certain she's never noticed the shop before. It's surrounded by restaurants and a bakery, but now that she's noticed it she can appreciate just how cute it looks. It's small and the sign is elegant while the actual building itself is colorful compared to the rest surrounding it. It's actually so colorful she wonders how she's never noticed it before.

     She enters the establishment with a ring from the bell hanging just above the door signaling her entrance, the inside is a bit more simple compared to the outside, mostly natural woods and white paint while the flowers brought the room to life with their vibrancy and colors. To her right she sees a (e/c) and (h/c) employee, just as Eddie had described.

     You jump up from a stool you had been sitting on behind the counter with the register. Greeting her with a bright, relaxed smile.

     "Oh! Hello, welcome, my name is Y/N. Is there any type of flower you're looking for in particular today?" 

     "Hello, my name is Julie. Julie Joyful, how do you do?" She asks cooly, approaching the counter and outstretching her hand, your smile somehow becomes even more dazzling at her introduction and greeting. 

     "I'm doing well actually, thank you for asking." 

     Julie reaches into her pocket and pulls out the business card holding it up, "I got your card from Eddie, he says hello and that you're quite the florist." You move out from behind the counter with a gasp, still smiling.

     "Oh! Eddie sent you? Does he need more flowers for that friend of his? I thought for sure he would've won them over by now!" You laugh.

     "Nope, he only recommended you, I'm here for another friend of mine actually." Julie corrects, a smirk growing on her lips, "Oh, and that friend has certainly been won over. They're so cute it's sickening." 

     "Oh I knew it! I had a good feeling about him, I don't always have a good feeling about every customer who comes in, but he was definitely one of the sweetest. Definitely a lot of love in his heart, for sure." You say as you approach a table next to the counter, readying some wrapping and bows/ties, "So, this friend of yours," you start with a lilt, "Are they a friend, or a friend." Julie laughs at your teasing insinuation.

     "A friend, and the flowers are actually for a funeral…kinda." You immediately drop a pair of scissors you pulled out of a drawer onto the table, turning with a look of horror on your face. 

     "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have been so casual and I shouldn't ha–" Julie laughs, interrupting your hurried apology.

     "No worries, it wasn't anyone close to me or to him. It's more of a courtesy thing, I guess."

     A bit of color returns to your face as you visibly relax, realizing you hadn't offended Julie. Even so, next time no funny business!

     "Well is there any particular message you'd like to send using the flowers? Or do you just want a bundle of the same type of flower? White lilies are very popular for funerals, although they're also great for weddings and symbolize purity, and then there's marigold's. They're a bit deceiving, because while they look bright and sunny they really represent mourning and grief." 

     Julie took a moment to examine the flowers filling the room, "You can also just choose whatever is prettiest to you, all flowers have special meanings and can be a sentence all on their own, but not everyone cares too much for that as long as they're pretty." You continue, not focused on Julie so much as you browsed the flowers, mentally comparing combinations in your head. 

     "I'll let you decide, Eddie said you're like an artist when it comes to flowers, so I'll trust you know what you're doing." You hum in response to let Julie know you heard her.

     "You said the flowers aren't for anyone close, but are they a friend or family?" 

     "Family…kind of, I guess. They're for the girlfriend of a distant recently deceased family member."

     "Ah, so like you said, a courtesy bouquet."

     You take a moment to decide, then you immediately set to work, three types of flower should be enough, a short sweet message, "Coral rose, marigold and blue salvia." You say as you expertly cut the appropriate amount of each flower. 

     "What would that mean?" Julie asks, watching as you move the flowers to the table and clip leaves from the stems.

     "Coral roses can mean friendship and modesty, but in this case it means sympathy. Marigolds, as I said, mean mourning and grief; while blue salvia means 'thinking of you'." You explain softly as you arrange and wrap the flowers gently in a neutral paper; then finally tying it together with a matching cord. 

     "So essentially I'm trying to tell her: 'You're on my mind and I sympathize with your grief.' short and sweet." 

     Julie smiles as you turn around and hand her the finished bouquet, it's more colorful than she would've thought a mourning bouquet is supposed to look, but it is pretty just like Wally requested and it has the meaning, "Perfect!".

     You smile, pleased that she likes it, before moving behind the counter to ring her up; but then you remember that Eddie recommended her…you do owe him a favor. Maybe this was his favor?

     "So how much do I owe ya?" 

     "Nothing, it's on the house, this time."

     She looks up from the flowers to make eye contact, "You sure? They can't be that expensive, I don't mind paying, it's outta my buddy's wallet anyway." 

     "It isn't that expensive, which is why I don't mind letting this one go. It's for a good cause and I owe Eddie, I don't know if I'm calling this his one favor, but it's nice to do something nice for someone else." Julie smiles at your kindness.

     "How about I just pay half then? Just consider it a special discount." That sounded like good middle ground. 

     You agreed to her compromise, charging her only fifteen dollars, "Thank you for your business, have a wonderful day and I hope your friend approves of the flowers!" 

     Julie thanked you for your help and waved goodbye before leaving the store and returning to her vehicle, delicately carrying the bouquet.

I am already working on Part Two now!

[dingochef]

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x You (OFC)

Warnings: Swearing, Smut (MDNI 18+ Only), Angst with a Happy Ending, Stalking, P in V, oral (female and male receiving), Semi-public sex, light spanking,

Word Count: 1.8k

Summary: Life throws another curve ball at you and even after last night, Jake is there to help you, leaving you more confused than ever about him.

Masterlist

Chapter 11

Chapter 12: Cliche

Morning dawns and you see the sun entering your room with gritty eyes. Rolling over, you sigh in frustration, as much as your mind is weary with the betrayal of last night your body still has the edgy after effects of righteous anger on it. Deciding that a bike ride will help, you pick the most brutal and punishing route you can think of, straight up Mount Soledad.

At the top of you take a few minutes to rest on a bench and look over La Jolla and the Pacific Ocean and contemplate everything that's going through your mind right now. You sigh, your life was perfectly fine a week and a half ago and then this fucking guy came in like a laser guided missile and broken open the Ice Queen's heart. Every part of you screamed not to get in too deep, but you know that even after all the heartbreak everything you've experienced and then locked your heart away about yourself, there was a tiny spark of you that thought, maybe, just maybe that you'd find someone to go through this life with. There was definitely that possibility with Jake and that's what's hurting most right now, that tiny flicker of hope extinguished, you can take men doing stupid things. It's that possibility, that chance, being crushed that hurts the most.

Taking stock of your emotions you feel so frustrated and angry with Jake, with yourself, and with fucking Rooster. You look around and see that you're alone and you scream at the top of your lungs,

"God fucking damn it! Fuck you Jake Seresin!"

You wanted to feel cleansed and have some cathartic experience but all you feel is more pain and your throat is raw. You ride home knowing at least you'll be physically exhausted when you crawl into bed and hide from the world.

Pulling up to your house you walk your bike to the shed where you store it in the backyard. There is a bouquet of red roses in a vase on the front porch that you assume are from Jake. Rolling your eyes at the cliche you snap a picture with your phone and leave them where they are.

After a shower and some lunch you sit on your couch steadying your nerves to open up the text conversation with Jake's name on it.

Jake: Please don't run. I'm here waiting for you when and if you want to talk. I'll respect your choice and space. Know that I care for you deeply.

You snort at his text and send a picture of the roses.

You: You can come get your cliche as shit roses. It's gonna take a lot more to get back in my good graces you lying piece of shit. I don't give third chances, you asshole. Give them to the next trophy in your sick game.

You had hoped that an outburst would make you feel better, but it just makes you more tired. The phone pings back almost instantly.

Jake: Elsa, when I said I was giving you space I meant it. I didn't send those to you.

Confusion bolts through your brain, and you run out to the porch and pull the card out from under the vase and read:

My Dearest Elsa,

I want you to know that my love for you is eternal and as beautiful as these roses. Your beauty outshines even the brightest stars.

Yours forever,

Bill

You drop the card like it's 3,000 degrees and a sick feeling immediately comes to your stomach and bile rises in your throat. Bill has been here, he's figured out where you live and it feels so violating and invasive. You frantically scan around your neighborhood to see if you can spot Bill anywhere.

You grab the card and step back inside, locking your door immediately and double checking the back door and all your windows.

Your phone dings again.

Jake: Elsa, are you okay? Just let me know that you're safe and I'll let you be.

You: They're from Creepy Bill from the cycling group.

Jake: Can I call you?

You: Yes.

Your phone rings immediately and Jake is talking rapidly as soon as you answer,

"Elsa I understand that I'm the last person you want to talk to or ever see again and I respect that. I just need to know you're safe. I'm going to ask you a few questions, okay?"

"Yeah, that's okay," you reply, your voice has more tremble to it than you expected.

"Do you feel safe right now?"

"Yes, I've locked the doors and double checked the windows.".

"Do you have a security system at your house?"

"No, I've never needed one."

"This is a situation where you need one. I'm going to text you the name and number of a friend that installs them. He will be over today if you want to install a system."

"Okay," you are starting to come undone with a spike of terror and just hearing Jake's voice. The tears start to well up.

"You can go to the police station today and file a restraining order against Bill. You don't have to wait till tomorrow. Is there anyone who can go with you? "

"Yes, I think Beth can come with me."

"I'm going to let you go now so I can call my buddy about the security system. Just know that if you need anything from me I'll be there as fast as I can."

The way he says anything is plaintive and sad and it breaks your heart.

"Okay, Jake, goodbye."

Contact info for a home security firm comes through via text. You call Beth and tell her about the situation and she agrees to come over immediately.

You wait a few minutes and call the home security firm, a deep voice answers,

"Hello, this is Mark of Advanced Home Security. How can I help you?"

"Hi, my name is Elsa Matthews and I got your info from Jake Seresin and he said you could install a system at my house today."

"Yup, Hangman just gave me a call and explained the situation. I can be there in about 30 minutes if that works for you, ma'am."

"That'll work," you give him your address and phone number and wait for the calvary to show up.

Millie from the cycling group is your next call to let her know things have escalated and you need Bill's info for a restraining order. She says she's got it on a liability waiver and will send you a picture with it within five minutes.

Beth arrives first and gives you a soul crushing hug. The undeniable love radiating from her breaks the dam that's been holding everything in. You let her know everything and you eventually end up on the couch with your head in her lap as she gently strokes your hair. There's a knock at the door and you sit bolt upright as your heart begins to race. Beth and you tentatively approach the door and ask,

"Who is it?"

A booming voice calls back,

"Mark Anderson of Advanced Security Systems, I'm a friend of Hangman's."

You let out the breath you didn't know you've been holding. You open the door and see a giant hulk of a man filling your doorway, he reaches out a hand, which dwarfs yours, to shake yours,

"Elsa, I hear you need a security system and you need it quick."

"Yes. Come in and you can look around and see what you recommend."

The next half hour is spent discussing the type of system he'll install and some outside features he's going to install like motion detection lights, cameras, etc.

"That sounds good, can I get an estimate of what all of that will cost?" you ask.

Mark scoffs and waves your question away.

"No cost, it's repaying a debt to Hangman."

Your cynical tongue is quicker than you like and you ask,

"Did you lose a bet?"

Mark laughs as he starts to unpack his tools and says,

"Not a bet, but I do owe a lot to Hangman. He saved my life in Afghanistan. Same night I got this piece of hardware."

He pulls up his right pant leg and taps a prosthetic leg with his screwdriver.

"Hangman and I were on patrol when we got winged by some enemy fire from the ground. I was his WSO. We had to ditch in the middle of the desert near the Iranian border. The good news was that we were only 20 miles from a NATO outpost, the bad news was that the missile hit launched a whole bunch of shrapnel into my leg and left me unable to walk. I was expecting Hangman to follow protocol and head out for help alone after he stabilized me and stashed me somewhere safe. But if you know Hangman, rules aren't his thing. That motherfucker carried me piggy back style 20 miles through the desert in the night to get to that outpost."

You add this to all you know about Jake and you just feel even more confused. You can't reconcile how all the different pieces of Jake fit together.

Mark paused for a moment, "Well, thanks for listening to an old man's war stories. I should be done in about 3 hours with the installation."

Beth and you go to the closest police station and file the paperwork. The officer said that Bill would be served with the order within 24 hours and that they would add your block to their routine patrols.

By the time Beth and you get back to your house Mark is almost done. He walks you through the system and gives you his cell number if you need anything.

After you convince Beth that you'll be fine and you'll sleep with the panic button and call if you need anything it's nearly 11 pm.

You check your phone and see one last message from Jake.

Jake: Bill won't be bothering you anymore. Take care, El.

@starswholistenanddreamsanswered

You crawl into bed and toss and turn for a while. All the pieces of Jake, of Hangman, float in your mind. You turn them over and over to see how they all fit together, how they fit with you. How the sweet, funny, respectful man fits with the asshole who bet on his ability to fuck you. They're such opposite ends of the spectrum that it taxes your brain to figure out who Jake is and more importantly, how you feel about him. After all he has done today, you know that he cares for you and somewhere in the darkness that little ember of hope, of possibility flickers back to life that maybe this isn't the end of you and Jake.

Chapter 13

@mayhemmanaged

@callmemana

@dempy

@hangmanscoming

@lanie-k

@callsign-viper

@senjoritanana

@djs8891

@atarmychick007

@memoriesat30

[syn4k]

Doc chronic ilness/pain that man works too hard or he has to take his mech arm off for pain/fatigue reasons and is trying to do shit anyway even though he needs rest. Also have this song it's related in my brain https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=0hEQi-cmnQY&si=SBkzpTLoj12w4Yw5

He's also a system 2 me <3 hivemimd supremacy

(that is a girl-tier take on the hivemind whats it like having a huge brain)

Doc sighed frustratedly as he tried and failed once again to weld a piece of metal with one hand.

The Hivemind had been cajoling him to take a break and rest, dammit, especially since the whole reason he was working with one hand at all was because his arm had started to dig into his shoulder and sting and it was going to draw blood soon if he hadn't tossed it aside with a low growl and his vision was blurry and his back ached and his muscles were leaden and-

You need to take a break, They hissed. The Hivemind's constant bee buzz in the back of Doc's mind tickled sometimes, but he'd gotten used to it over the years.

"It's fine, guys," he muttered with a small chuckle that he didn't quite feel. He always responded out loud when he was alone. It was easier than having distinguish between his thoughts and Theirs, anyways, and They could hear. "I'm just tired, that's all."

You're about to burn your finger, a quiet solitary voice chimed in, and Doc snapped to and adjusted his grip on the welder before dropping it and veritably growling with frustration. He felt the muscles in his legs start to work, and he desperately fought to stay in the chair. "Guys. Guys! It's fine! Let me- give it back!"

No, They hummed smugly.

"We only grind here, remember?" said Doc through gritted teeth, finding himself standing up suddenly as the buzzing in his mind grew louder. "Twenty-four seven."

Can't grind forever without taking a break, said the Hivemind, sing-song. You may be the G.O.A.T, but you're still mortal, and that means you have to sleep sometimes.

"No," said Doc, losing his grip on the chair and, briefly, his vision, as he saw from a distance (it felt like) himself going to the closet, his hand opening the door and grabbing a blanket, then shutting the door and walking over to his bed. "Dude, give my body back. I was in the middle of a project, guys."

You can finish it tomorrow, said one voice.

Or next week, suggested another. Anyways, no, you're getting a nap.

"One day I will kick you guys out of here and you will have nowhere to go," mumbled Doc, who was now tucked into bed. "No one to come home to."

And you won't have your 73,492 braincells, They responded cheekily. No, make that 73,493. Another one just joined the Hive. Good night, Doc.

The last thing Doc remembered before he passed out completely was a vague sense of grudging affection towards the Hive that populated his mind, and a chorus of quiet laughter that was laughing at him but for him at the same time.

[iraprince]

sorry but through earlier anon i discovered queer trans mentally ill power fantasy and i just want to say thank you. it made me cry. i read the nice messages for a very long time and i just cried bc somehow w my insane mentally ill issues it feels different to read those messages in a game you're playing and thinking "those feelings are the ones your friends have also expressed about you", compared to. your friends actually saying these things to you, even though it had also happened to me. the latter feels weird and hard to understand. it's really hard to grapple with. kind of like seeing the sun? and i wasnt sure getting into the game that it'd actually help me feel better abt being trans bc for some reason a lot of trans media out there doesn't resonate w my own experiences but the way you wrote it made me feel actually validated and understood for the first time in a v v long time. so thank you for turning these feelings you had a long time ago into an experience other ppl could have too.

thank you, and you're welcome. i'm really happy you had that kind of experience with it.

it's weird (in a neutral way) to re-read/re-play that piece of art bc i feel like a completely different person now. i KNOW i wrote it, i remember writing it, but it feels 100% like it was made by someone else. in a lot of ways it was -- like as one example, i don't id as queer anymore, vs the word obviously used to be really important to me. stuff like that, little facets of myself that have flaked and fallen off or transformed or been replaced with other things. (edits and repairs and adjustments to the mech? new paint jobs, mismatched parts, doing the best we can.) the core of it all is still there though -- tired, trans, stubborn and frustrated and thrashing around.

i do feel very proud of that past version of me for managing to make something so kind, because i was in a place at that time where i don't think kindness and optimism came as easily to me as it does now. when i replayed it recently bc i got reminded of it via asks etc i remember feeling kind of gently surprised, bc i don't remember myself being the kind of person who would make something like that. my memory is probably too harsh, as it usually is.

anyway, thank you again, and thank you for hanging in there.

[ohyespotatous]

Nisa!! how are you? this is just me popping in to give you a boop 💙 I saw your recent post, so glad you've been feeling better, I hope you're completely recovered soon!!

I also wanted to ask, what are some of your fav pieces of literature? I'd love to hear about a book or even just a few lines that have changed your life <3

hope you've been doing well!! lots of love ^=^

Oh my god, Meg!!! Hi~ *boop back 😻

I'm recovered now! Well, I might never fully recover; it's like my regular guest now haha. But I'm in a good state right now! And I'll try my best to keep fit for a long time :) Thanks for checking up on me! How about you? I hope you're happy and healthy always! Good luck with your internship and masters and everything!! 💪❤

Also, thank you for asking about my fav pieces of literature! This is my favorite topic to talk about. So... Uhm.. where do I start? :v

First, it's not easy to discuss literature without separating the works and the authors. Like other types of art, despite their marvelous works, sometimes the artists are not the best people. There's this prose that's close to my heart, but it was written by a problematic author, so it doesn't feel right to discuss it :(

But, if we talk about literature that changed my life, I think I should pay tribute to one of the first books I read. They inspired me to study hard and pursue my dream. It's called The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata. I read it when I was 13 or 14. 

It's about the journey of ten motley students from a tiny elementary school in a rural area trying to pursue their dreams; and their two teachers. One of the teachers calls them the Rainbow Troops because they love to stare at the sky after rain and admire the magnificence of the rainbow.  

These students come from poverty-stricken families, and their school constantly faces threats of closure due to government officials, greedy corporations, natural disasters, and the lack of students' self-confidence. For most of us, school might be a struggle. However, for them, access to education is a luxury. One of the smartest students has to ride his bicycle 40 kilometers over a red gravel road to school daily. His sandals—made of car tires—burnt from pedaling for so long. 

I kept the money carefully in my pocket and never let go of it. Suddenly everyone looked like a thief. Money, indeed, has a cruel influence. – Chapter 40, My Promise to Bu Mus 

I was disappointed that so many intelligent children were forced to leave school for economic reasons. I cursed all of the stupid people who arrogantly acted smart. I hated those children of the rich who threw away their educations. – Chapter 46, His Third Promise

-

Gosh, the discrimination towards the lower class frustrated me! But their innocent childhood and the dynamic of rural life warm my heart. Their friendship and persistence in pursuing their dreams were also inspiring. 

But what I know for sure from my own experience at the poor school is that a hard-working life is like picking up fruit from a basket with a blindfold on. Whatever fruit we end up getting, at least we have fruit. Meanwhile, life without hard work is like looking for a black cat in a dark room with closed eyes, and the cat is not even there. – Chapter 48, Don't Give Up

I decided on my dream college right after I finished the book. Was I accepted to that school? Yes, in four years. Did I succeed in graduating from that school? That's a different story lol.

But anyway, it might not be the fanciest literature I've ever read, but it surely has a place in my heart. 

Sorry for the long answer >,< But thanks so much for the ask, Meg!!! It really made my day~ hehe 🐈💌🌿

[aerodaltonimperial]

Apparently I am doing this now because UGH LIFE IS SO OVERWHELMING AND UPSETTING listen i can't explain this except We Best Love season 2 knew that everything is hotter in business wear and I agree

A beginning scene from a Chrono Cross enemies to lovers corporate AU!!! (Apparently I will be writing this here so lol if you for some bizarre reason want to be on a tag list whenever I become upset and write more let me know)

Acacia LTD's office building was specifically designed to be confusing, which is why Norris is so frustrated when he loses twenty minutes trying to find the right elevator to take him to the right lobby in order to get out to his car again. He's tired, and the reception on his first day was, predictably, not met with friendly smiles, and he's already missed the hotel bar's happy hour. If he punches the ground floor button on the elevator harder than necessary, well, at least there's no one around to see it.

At least until the doors open up on floor 21, and Glenn steps in. Norris swallows a long-suffering sigh, for Glenn, as a son of the late co-owner Garai, was part of the marathon four-hour meeting at the beginning of the day when tensions were already high and there wasn't nearly enough coffee to keep people from snapping at him--not that caffeine would have stopped any of them, given the circumstances.

Glenn is quiet until the elevator starts moving down again. "Luccia says you used to be on the R&D team with Porre."

"What did you do, a full background check?" Norris asks, and then huffs. "Trying to find something to use against me?"

"Know thy enemy, right?" Glenn counters. His eyes flash. "Why did you move up into management?"

Norris levels him with a hard stare. "Leadership qualities."

"So you're a kiss ass."

"Said by the nepotism hire."

Glenn’s expression darkens, his mouth curling. "I'm good at my job."

"So am I," Norris returns.

The elevator dings, doors opening on the ground floor, just as Glenn offers a threatening little, "We'll see about that."

Norris steps forward to slam his hand on the button to close the doors again, because it's been the longest day in existence and he's already out of sorts, and the last thing he needs is some privileged upstart giving him sass. "You can't stop this merger by making me look bad."

"Can't we?" Glenn says, eyebrows rising. "What happens when you go back in two weeks without anything to show for it but a headache and a mile-long room service tab?"

"You're lucky this is even being proposed as a merger instead of a buy-out!" Norris exclaims. "Acacia is in the red--"

"And we'll figure out how to fix it on our own. "

Norris stares at him. "It's not my fault that your CEO made a bad investment and tanked the company stock, you know; should these talks prove positive, Porre is planning on keeping everyone here in their positions."

"Are you threatening my job?" Glenn demands.

"I'm not, but my boss might."

Glenn laughs, mirthless. He tries to roll up his sleeves as though they aren't already folded just below his elbows, the crisp lines of the buttons disappearing into the deep V of his pinstripe vest. "You're a real piece of shit, you know that?"

"I'm trying to help," Norris says.

"No, you're angling for a promotion, and you're using our company's downfall to do it."

"At least you finally admit it's a downfall."

Glenn glares at him, thunderous. "You're a dick."

"Doesn't seem to matter much," Norris replies, even though it stings.

Glenn surges forward, and Norrs steps aside out of instinct; the elevator doors open up with another mechanical hiss. "Don't expect to find any friends here."

"I wasn't, but thanks for the heads up."

The other man pushes past him with a breeze of aftershave, the barest hint of the cologne remaining after the day. "Go to hell."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," Norris calls to Glenn's retreating back, and then, fuming, he follows the other into the lobby with full intentions of having the hotel front desk send up an entire bottle of Scotch once he returns. At this point, it's worth putting it on his own credit card.

Not for the first time, he wishes Porre would have sent someone else to see the initial merger discussions through, because he's encountered nothing but hostility amongst Acacia's employees.

[territorial-utopia]

"Well aren't you as tasty as a Snack"

Since I'm at Chania in Crete rn, this is all I could think of (and create) for the prompt~ just the two of them swimming around in warm waters on a holiday and T getting very flirty on a flustered Lovia (who's providing T with a platfrom they can rest on, since they'd be quite a way from the beach)

[moonydustx]

Lazy Saturday Night

masterlist | requests here

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x f!Reader

Summary: After you've had a stressful day, missed an important event and been a little jealous, Pedro decides he can help you deal with stress.

Warnings: Language, explicit sex content, smut (oral, f! receiving) daddy kink, P in a V with no protection (wrap it before you tap it), a little breeding kink, a little bit fluff. Sorry if i forget some warning.

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: It's the first 18+ thing I've posted here so I'm feeling nervous hahah Thinking of turning this into a series with every day of the week. What do you think?

This is a +18 work. Read for your own risk.

•••

You couldn't be more frustrated.

The computer screen was already shuffling the words in front of you and with each new line you read, it made you even more stressed. You had plans for that Saturday and they sure as hell didn't include staying at home.

The open tab in your browser didn't help to contain your sadness either. As a huge Star Wars fan, of course you wanted to be there for Star Wars Celebration, as the girlfriend of one of the top stars, you felt guilty for not being there. However, you were being forced to follow along online.

You had the invitation, you even had the dress, but because of the irresponsibility of others, more specifically a colleague in college, you needed to do your part and his part in a project.

You could have left and gone anyway, but you decided to follow Pedro's advice. “You took so long to go after this dream of yours, it won't be an event that will make me love you less”. And of course, any promotional or collectible item he won would be yours.

At least one thing made you happy: Pedro's joy. With every question he was asked during the panel, every time he was cheered, you could feel his happiness through the screen. His eyes getting smaller because of the big smile he had. He was perfect.

A lot of people still wondered how it worked, you were two totally different universes. You met almost by chance. A friend asked for your help in a photo shoot she was going to do with him and from there, you never stopped talking. It started with a few likes on Instagram, then conversations and by the time you realized it, you were already tied to it.

You decided to put work aside for a while, paying attention to one of the interviews that Pedro was giving. The ensemble in a light blue tone seemed to have been molded to his body, while the slightly curled hair and glasses he wore caused a certain heat in your body.

This heat was soon replaced by a not-so-good feeling. The interview that Pedro gave went well, too well, until the interviewer called him daddy. Okay, it was a joke that the two of you had already had a good laugh, but the way she looked at him or maybe all your frustration with not being there made you feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was a passing feeling, so he decided to ignore it for now.

The day went by much slower than you expected. Despite having finished your work, you had to deal with some unfriendly messages from your classmate. God, how tired you were.

Deciding to call it a day, you closed your notebook and took a shower. Warm, relaxing and lingering. When you got out of the shower, you grabbed your first pajama piece and were ready to lie down and hold your attention on some silly video when you heard the door open. Upon arriving in the room, you found him patiently closing the door.

Your peace. Your love. Your Pedro.

"I know we agreed to see each other tomorrow, but I couldn't..." Pedro didn't have time to finish explaining himself before you crossed the room and jumped into his arms.

With the impact, Pedro automatically grabbed your legs and wrapped them around his waist, burying his face in your neck and smelling your woody scent.

“I missed you so much,” he muttered. It's been a little over a week since you've seen each other, for the two of you it felt like decades.

You pulled his face away just enough to kiss him. You even tried to hide it, but when you felt the relief of all the stress of the day, some tears flowed from your eyes, not going unnoticed.

“Hey, what happened?” Pedro quickly stopped kissing you. You just hid again in the crook of his neck, feeling his beard against your neck. “Mi vida, what happened?” he insisted and when he felt denial against his skin, he walked with you on his lap to your room, sitting on the bed.

“I'm sorry” you said as soon as you felt calmer to look him in the eye.

His hands were firmly holding your waist and his brown eyes seemed to capture every detail of you with full attention.

“There's no reason for you to apologize to me,” he said, taking his hand from her waist just to smooth out a few ruffled strands of her hair. “Honey, do you want to talk about it?”

“It was a difficult week, everything went wrong”

“Did you do that pending work?” he asked.

"It did, but I ended up arguing with Tommy" you tried to explain, wiping the few tears that were left from your face. "According to him, I'm a controlling bitch."

“He's a sucker” Pedro limited himself to saying. Tommy was a rather invasive friend and Pedro made a point of making it clear that he didn't like him that much. “I'm sorry you had to have heard that. You know what he said is a lie, right?”

“To be honest, no,” you laughed, almost wistfully. "That job interview I did yesterday didn't work out either."

"I already told you not to worry about it, love."

“I don't want to be a parasite in your life” Pedro immediately denied your statement.

It was a feeling you occasionally had, since you had given up your teaching career and devoted yourself only to studying, Pedro had been helping you more and more, which worried you about how you might be seen.

Before you went on to list all your ruins for the week, you felt your body tingle as one of his hands went down to your bare thigh and his lips went to your neck.

“You're stressed too much, mi diosa” he stole a quick kiss from your lips. “How about we go out to dinner tonight, then have a drink?”

"I don't know. I'm kind of tired and ugly” you replied, trying to keep your voice steady as you felt his beard brush your neck again. "We should enjoy this little Saturday at home, in the biggest laziness."

“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen”

"You're saying that to please me" you replied and soon you felt Pedro take your lips to himself. It was a calm kiss at first.

His hands dug into your waist, while his tongue invaded your mouth and made you lose yourself in him. Your fingers tangled in the brown strands of his hair and as a reflex, his fingers threaded through the back of your neck, holding your hair in a tight grip.

“I know you're stressed” Pedro pulled back just enough to breathe, millimeters from your mouth “Let me help you. I can make you feel good.”

“Please love” you murmured. Pedro kissed you again, this time with more intensity.

One of his hands tightened around your waist, while the other went under your blouse and made his cold fingers contrast with your warm skin.

You could feel the heat building between your legs and need relief. His hand only dropped from your waist so he could impatiently tug at the button-down shirt he was wearing, which he didn't bother to let you unbutton. As soon as he threw the piece to some corner of your room, he went back to stealing your lips for himself. It didn't take long for your shirt to take the same path as his shirt.

Just feeling your breasts against his chest was enough to make you gasp. You could feel him hard against your intimacy, which made you start to slowly roll around in his lap.

Knowing your body as if it were part of it, your boyfriend took his hand to your right breast, trapping the small nipple between his fingers. His wet lips descended towards your bust.

Maybe it was the stress, maybe your mind was lost among so many thoughts, that you only realized after you moaned "Daddy please"

When you found yourself, you came out of the trance you were in to look Pedro straight in the eye. There you saw something different, a luster-filled glow.

"Wow, I'm sorry love, I just..." you almost choked on your own words when, without any hesitation, he lowered his hand to your intimacy and pressed your clitoris over the thin shorts that he wore "Pedro, please" .

“Not like that love”

With some difficulty, he pulled the fabric of your panty shorts aside, touching right where you needed it. His fingers moved slowly through your intimacy and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips

"I'm going to fuck your stress out of you, I just need one thing"

“Just say so” you said through a moan, rubbing your body against his hand on your sex.

“I just want to hear you ask me to do it, just like you just did. Can you do that for me, my little one?”

You could have misunderstood what he asked, but feeling him slowly thrusting two fingers into you made it much more difficult to conclude any reasoning.

“Fuck me Daddy, please. I miss you in me so much” You just heard a grunt leave Pedro's lips before he could turn you on the bed and come on top of you.

You tried to get some friction against his hips embedded in your body, but it wasn't enough to calm the heat that was building deep inside you.

Pedro parted his lips from yours just to gain some distance and unceremoniously take off your shorts and panties and shoot.

As if he wanted to provoke you, he remained kneeling in front of you, his hands slowly sliding along the inner part of your thigh, always when they approached where you wanted them, the hands did the opposite way.

"Pedro, I need you" you grumbled and soon you felt a hard slap on the side of your thigh, almost at the level of your ass.

“You can't call me that today.” His tone came out huskier than usual, which only served to make you even more aroused.

“Daddy, I need you, you promised to help me relieve my stress” you used your most sly tone and had to hold back a victorious smile as you saw Pedro take one of his hands off you so he could squeeze his dick, as a way of relief.

“I'm going to taste you, my love, and only after I let you come, then I'm going to fuck you,” he muttered, lowering himself to his intimacy.

First he lightly licked the entire length of your pussy, enough for you to squirm on the bed.

“Keep it wide open for me, can you do that for me baby?”

He sank into your pussy, trapping your clit and distributing licks along the entire length. You wish you could think straight, you wanted to form something cohesive in your mind, but feeling him circle your point with his tongue was almost too much for you.

Realizing you were almost there, Pedro stopped licking and went back to kissing your inner thighs.

“Patience, my angel” he asked as he heard you grumble.

It didn't take long for his tongue to be covering your clit again as he slipped a finger inside you, thrusting slowly. The fact that he was moaning against your pussy didn't help in trying to stay sane. It was when he added another digit on you that you felt your body combust.

“Fuck Daddy, don't stop! Please don't stop” you begged, watching his tongue be replaced by his other hand.

“Come for me, my love. Come and I'll give you what you want” he warned and watched his body combust.

Eyes closed, mouth half-open, hands glued to the sheets. That would always be Pedro's favorite view, to see you lost after he uses you.

When you reopened your eyes, you could see him lick the fingers that were inside you and mutter something along the lines of "Fuckin' delicious". That alone could get you there again.

"Papi, come here" you pulled him gently so that he lay under your body. Your hands went down to his cock, sliding slowly.

"With you calling me that, I don't know if I can last long," he grumbled, kissing and biting her lip.

“Enough to make me come again?” you asked. In response, he shoved it all in at once, eliciting a loud groan from both of you.

“Enough to make you come” he thrust hard, barely giving you time to get used to it. “Enough to fill that little pussy with my cum. Fuck, love” He kept the pace strong.

One of his hands wrapped around your neck, while the other he used to lean on the back of your head. The bed slammed against the wall and you'd probably have complaints from neighbors soon. But it didn't matter, as long as Pedro kept doing it, nothing mattered.

You could already feel your eyes burning and your body contracting with the arrival of a new orgasm, just as Pedro's thrusts no longer seemed to have a pattern.

“Do you want to come on me?” you said through a groan "Maybe you'll end up being a real daddy"

“I'll fill you with my cum, come with me love? Please, my princess.” His thumb descended to her clit, rubbing it intensely.

The moans came out almost in unison as you felt his liquid heat you even more inside. Pedro stood there for a few minutes, his head under your breasts, catching his breath. It didn't take long for him to lift his face and kiss your lips, much sweeter than you had.

"I love you so much. You're still going to kill me for being so hot” he whispered, as if that was the most important secret between the two of you. He laughed and wiped a small tear that came out of your eye after all the hard-on. "If you're going to have tears on your face, I'd rather they be like this"

“I love you more, Pedrito” you gave him a quick kiss on the tip of his nose “Can I call you Pedro again?”

"Now you can, although I prefer you to call me love, but..." he came out of you and stood up, heading towards the bathroom. It didn't take long and he came back, picking up the clothes "You're going to put on that dress, we'll go out wherever you want and then when we get back, maybe I'll forbid you to call me Pedro again"

"Or maybe I'll make you call me mommy" you suggested and laughed when you saw him immediately stop what he was doing, with the same look that started it all.

"Fuck"

[barbiewritesstuff]

Can I pls pls pls have a Bob smut? Maybe where he flips the switch and is on top 😈😫❤️

The Game

-- This prompt… Thank you. 

Tw. For p in v sex, rough sex, daddy kink, overstimulation --

Him and Hangman weren't so different, Bob had come to realise. They were both good at their job, sharp minded and liked to look a certain way. Bob even guessed he got it on just as often and liked the same things in bed. The only difference was that Hangman liked it obvious and Bob revelled in the hiding.

He liked to pretend to be a kind and gentle boy. Clean cut, tidy and calm, never shouted, never got angry and never complained. 

But it didn't mean he never got frustrated. 

And the act tended to fall very quickly when he got frustrated.

Hangman was getting on his nerves. 

He had been relentlessly flirting with you for the entire evening and Bob was tired of it. He was tired of the snark or the flirty touches and he was especially tired of Hangman winking at him every time you flirted back. 

Still, he didn't rise to the fight and remained calm. Reacting would only make him happy, he so desperately wanted to make things a competition. He'd chosen Bob as his rival for this conquest. Unaware that Bob had chosen to play, he eased up a little as the afternoon went into evening. 

It was a shame, really, that you'd gotten caught in the crossfire because Bob liked you as more than just a piece of ass. Although, he would have been lying if he said he hadn't wanted to sleep with you from the start. But he wanted to see Hangman's face when he found out that Bob had gotten to you first, claimed you first. 

The team had been at the Hard Deck since opening time and it was nearing last call. Bob and Hangman stalling, waiting for something to happen. A yawn escaped your lips.

"Hey, want me to drive you back?" Bob asked before Hangman could offer and you accepted. He took a second to fish out his car keys and left with a wink, crowned as the only man to have ever beaten Lieutenant Jake Hangman Seresin at his own game. 

"Do you want to come in for a minute?" You asked, when he stopped his car and pretended to get ready to leave. 

"Sure" he said, sweetly and innocently. 

You knew what Bob was playing at with Hangman. Hangman had roped every other guy into playing the same game since he'd arrived at the academy, but you were surprised at his pick of Bob. His choice of opponent had made you curious about what Jake had seen so as you made him his coffee and handed him the cup, making sure you brushed his hand with yours. 

He looked at you with an intensity in his eyes you had never seen before. He smiled

"You're more perceptive than I thought. You knew we were playing." He put the cup on the table next to him and pulled you closer. "Thought you'd try me out, did you? Well, Y/n I don't like it when people go easy on me. I'm going to have to teach you a lesson to make sure that never happens again." He whispered in your ear.

In one swift movement he bent you over on the table, a strong hand keeping you still while the other worked to remove your biker shorts. The fabric was thin and it cracked under the stregth of his pulling. Eventually, it gave in and broke off your body with a loud rip, sending a wave of arousal straight between your legs. 

Once he saw what you had been wearing underneath -- a black thong -- he groaned appreciatively and spanked your ass with enough force that you were certain it would leave a bruise. 

You whimpered. Tears had formed in your eyes after the impact of his hand. You tried to lift yourself up with your hands but he spanked you again, even harder than before. The sharp pain shot another wave of arousal to your groin.

"Do not make me restrain you" He growled, sounding completely feral. Bob fumbled with his belt and seconds later, you heard it hit the floor with a clang. He didn't give you any time to react as he plunged his already hard cock deep inside you with a relieved sigh. 

He was bigger and longer than what you had thought, and he filled and stretched you till it almost felt too much. Bob started moving. At first it was only gently, but he soon sped up. He pulled almost completely out and then thrust back in making you scream in pleasure with every movement. You were getting close and when you almost reached your peak, he stopped. 

Bob laughed when you wriggled underneath him, trying desperately to keep him moving inside you. 

"Such a pretty little slut, aren't you" 

"Please" you cried, "Please, I want your cock"

"Who are you talking to?" His voice was deep and raspy.

"Please Bob, I want your cock"

"No, what's my name, babygirl"

"Please Daddy, please fuck me" 

He slammed back inside you, yanked you up by your hair to lift you and squeezed you throat to keep you flush to him.

He was done with his teasing and lifted on of your legs with his spare arm to reach deeper inside you. His member rubbed your sensitive spot with every stroke, you were hurtling towards orgasm at dizzing speeds. It hit you suddenly and you screamed. His breath shook as your walls clenched around him. His pace grew more erratic as he fucked you through your orgasm. With one last thurst, he finished deep inside you. 

You whimpered as he let go of your throat and your leg, having to steady yourself on the nearest surface.

Clearly though, despite having emptied himself inside you, Bob wasn't finished. You felt his fingers on your pussy, gently stroking you. As soon as he pressed them on your clit, your legs buckled, eliciting another gruff laugh from Bob. He didn't leave them there long though as he watched his cum drip out of your pussy. He tutted, and pushed it back in with two of his fingers. He lazily fingered you til he felt you had recovered enough. Then, he carefully curled his fingers in a come hither motion to hit the spot. It didn't take long for you to come a second time, you tightened around his fingers with a loud moan he reciprocated and he removed his fingers from you. Bob licked his fingers clean of his cum and your juiced and spanked you hard. You yelped. 

[radiation-sickness-got-me-like]

Can I just say that the Temperance ending had me actually crying last night at 3 am. I finished and I just. Sat there. It was heartbreaking to me. A video game has never made me cry. I've been mad, frustrated, and I've yelled and have left the room, but I've never cried. There was just something about losing a character I've become so attached to and hearing them say "I'm just so tired..." to Johnny, and seeing Johnny finally understand and accept what was happening. And the ending, with the kid? Seeing Johnny buy a memorial for V, leaving the necklace, with the memorial saying "Dreamer"? Decimated me.

You know what actually finally got me? It was reading the texts from Mama Welles. I saw those, and I had to set my controller down and simply cry. Literally fucking shattered me. Million pieces. Will never recover.

Say what you want about cyberpunk 2077 and all its faults, of which there are many, the game made you Feel for the characters, feel the story, and it leaves you with a heavy emotional toll no matter the ending.

[etlunainmorte]

“As she comes to the city, hollow hands empty,

Eyes open to what lies in wait for her,”

She does not weep nor wail,

In her eyes, home has always been burning.”

***

🌙 To You Who Rejected Me 🌙

***

II

***

"Now, where could that thing be?" Griffon mused to himself as he flew high above the shores of Delphi, looking for that vital something that his master lost when he dived into the ocean to escape those fire - wielding Elves attacking him. The demonic bird has been searching for almost an hour but, with no such luck. "Honestly, it could turn up just about anywhere!" He complained in utter frustration. "This is hopeless!" 

The bird was about to give up on his search when he noticed something gleaming at the corner of his eye. He looked down and squinted those golden eyes of his until he finally saw the thing. Indeed, it was right there, washed up on the shore and almost covered with sand and sea weeds.

There it was, V's antique metal cane!

"There ya are!" Griffon flew down to fetch the thing, at the same time shooing the sea gulls that were trying to claim it as their own like it was some kind of a rare sea artifact, almost fighting over it. "HEY, I SAID, SHOO!" The familiar screeched once more as he let out a weak electrical current to scare the noisy birds away, and it worked to perfection.

"Hoho! Thought I'd never see ya again!" Griffon opened his talons wide, ready to pick up V's cane,...

"What in the - ?!" The bird muttered the moment his talons came into contact with the metal cane. It felt somehow hot, and not just warm. He was not sure whether his eyes were playing tricks on him but, the thing did seem to glow. And finally, the metal cane seemed to tremble a bit against his talons, like it was alive. Sentient.

Still hovering above the sand with V's metal cane in his talons, the demonic bird squinted his eyes in suspicion. Master and familiar alike knew that the cane was nothing but an old piece of metal, and not a source of any kind of power, demonic or not. An aid for V's,... disability. Nothing more.

However, despite that, Griffon could feel something coming from the cane. Like it was emanating some form of unknown power. He just knew it deep within his core.

But, being unimaginably tired after what happened last night, Griffon ignored the cane, ruffled his feathers, and flew back to where Dante and his master were.

"I'm heckin’ tired." Griffon uttered as his wings took him to his destination - the ruins of Apollo's temple. "I'll let Shakespeare deal with ya."

"Your foot seem fine to me, V." Dante said for the third time since morning. 

"I could've sworn I felt this,... excruciating pain when I was attacked,... "

"Well, your foot seem,... fine to me!" And that was the fourth time since morning. "Look, V: you're a son of Sparda. Maybe the Demon blood's finally kickin' in and healed your wounds?"

And to this, V only shook his head. It's impossible for him, after all.

No matter how much or how intense Dante stared at his brother's allegedly injured left foot, he just couldn't find anything wrong with it, save for the missing pair of the poet's old gladiator sandals, and the frayed, almost tattered end of his pants, like something burned it. If anything, to Dante's eyes, V only seemed to have lost the other pair of his unspeakably tacky footwear. And a good riddance to it, if he may add! To the legendary Devil Hunter, it seemed so difficult to move and fight Demons with such footwear. And he would never deny that fact, despite knowing that he could hurt his brother's feelings for having such a questionable taste in fashion.

On the other hand, to V, it was an entirely different story. For, only last night, he swore his foot got burned badly due to the attack. So badly and so painful, he was actually scared to look at it.

And now, as he looked, no, stared, at his foot with disbelief, he couldn't help but feel utterly mystified. First, there was this strange presence that saved him from the enemies, and now this.

It's as if nothing happened to his foot, at all!

And honestly? V could not believe his sheer, dumb luck.

Or, was it even luck?

After all, since those Elves, and her, entered their lives, V and his brother experienced nothing but the unusual. The unknown. And he felt that he must learn to accept such things. Get used to them, so to speak.

V pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and knitting his eyebrows as a helpless sigh escaped his parched lips. Well, there's no use raking up the past. They must focus on the present. They must focus on the now. And for now, they must focus on getting to the Elven world in one piece. The portal led them to Delphi of all places, and V knew it meant something. They were getting really close to their destination. And he knew they would face an even greater danger when they get there. Well, it's not like the Elves would give them a warm welcome or anything. They're still wanted persons, after all.

Opening his eyes once more, he noticed Griffon flying towards them, finally carrying his lost metal cane. He gave a weak smile as the loyal familiar gave the cane back to him and landed on his waiting arm.

Then, V noticed something strange. So did Dante.

"No wisecracks or something?" Dante asked the demonic bird as he crossed his arms and tapped his boot on the ground.

"You do seem a bit quiet." V added, raising his eyebrow as he looked at his familiar.

"Ahh, V," Griffon stuttered, unsure how to begin. " ... didn't ya notice anythin',... weird?"

"Pardon?" The poet asked as Griffon's eyes wandered to the metal cane in his right hand.

"That thing!" The demonic bird squawked.

"Ugh, now what - ?" Dante began when a woman approached them, getting their attention and making them drop their conversation, much to Griffon's frustration.

"Can we help you, lady?" With a flashy grin, the younger brother graciously asked the woman, who was smiling nervously as her eyes went back and forth from him, to V, to the strange avian on the poet's arm.

"I, ahh,... " The lady stuttered, not sure how to address the situation.

"Yes?" And Dante didn't seem to help with the situation, at all. The woman became somewhat more nervous than before she approached them.

Inhaling through her nose and clearing her throat, she began. “Yes, well," She said, pointing at Griffon with a trembling finger.  “The other guests are getting anxious of your,… ahh,… pet bird."

"Is that so?" Dante answered with a boisterous voice. "Don't you worry a thing about our pet bird! You see, he's a rare - "

“I see. Don’t worry.”

All of a sudden, V heard a clear and distinct voice, overlapping with the woman and his brother's voices.

“These are my loyal,… companions. They would bring no harm to any of the innocent people here. That,…”

V's hands went up to his temples as he tried to distinguish and trace where the voice was actually coming from, when the voice itself took over his hearing, drowning out the other voices, and all the other noises going on around him.

“I can assure you.”

The lady let out a helpless laugh, then nodded. “Okay. Whatever you say.” She hastily moved away from Dante to give herself a safe distance from him and Griffon and clumsily pointed at the breathtaking horizon. “Well, now, enjoy your stay here at Delphi!”

The woman, being proud of herself for handling the difficult situation, walked away with a huge smile on her face. And Dante, being a huge flirt, started following the woman.

However, when his brother stepped away, V noticed something taking his place where he stood.

V's eyes narrowed for a second for what he saw. He closed his eyes, rubbed the tiredness and fatigue off them, and opened them once more. However, despite that, the strange figure was still there.

V saw,... himself.

And he, the other him, was drinking in the beautiful sight of Delphi's ruins around him.

“So, V,…” He heard Griffon ask all of a sudden. “Are we going to look for that thing there?”

"I'm sorry - ?" V turned to his left to look at Griffon but, the demonic bird was nowhere to be found.

“Not this time.” V turned towards his other self at the sound of his voice and noticed Griffon, himself, flying towards him. “For now, I need to take a rest and reflect upon our journey, so far.”

V almost fell off the old bench he was sitting on.

That voice,...

... it really was him.

But,... how?!

“The Yamato really does wonders, huh?” the Griffon who was with the other V said, then chuckled, ruffling his own feathers in delight with tiny shakes. “Who knew it would go directly to you and not to that kid Nero?”

"The Yamato?" His other self whispered as V followed him and his familiar on their way towards the ruins of Apollo's temple. What has the Yamato got to do with all this?

“For one thing, I’ am the rightful owner of the Yamato, not the boy Nero.” The other V answered as he skipped some rocks along the pathway that led to the ruins of the temple. “I think it was fitting that it answered to me. But, as grateful as I’ am that it was returned to me,” he said, stopping at what looked like the remains of an altar. “I must not abuse my fragile body by using it over and over to transport us. You see,” He began tracing the remains with the tip of his cane. “It consumes way too much of my,… demonic power. I must be wary of that fact.”

Of course, V thought as he observed what the other V was doing. I don't have,... that much demonic power.

“Aha, so that’s why we had to hitch that stinkin’ bus ride with that awful bitch! Didn’t know how to keep her mouth shut!” And the other Griffon sounded less rude, either.

“Now, be nice to our little human.” V reprimanded the demonic bird. “We will ’hitch’ on the same vehicle on the way back.”

“Ugh! Not again,…”

V watched in amusement how this other Griffon threw tantrums. However, his other self drew V's attention back. He was looking at the altar with an unreadable expression, tracing the edges of the marble altar with his cane.

Then, all of a sudden, he started reciting the few lines of a poem that was very dear to him. It was,...

“As she comes to the city, hollow hands empty,

Eyes open to what lies in wait for her,”

His mother's favorite poem,...

V closed his eyes and recited the old poem along with his other self.

“She does not weep nor wail,

In her eyes, home has always been burning.”

His eyes closed, his senses surrendered to the vision before him, he allowed nostalgia to take over his entire being. Of his mother reading this same poem to him, of her tales about a Princess named Cassandra who was gifted by the God Apollo with the curse of predicting the future,...

... of this hidden gateway of Delphi where she went to after being rejected and stoned by her own people,...

V opened his eyes, feeling something pulling him back from his reverie to the present, like a powerful force.

It was then when he was greeted by the sight of a morphing demonic entity right before his other self, who he assumed was one of his familiars.

He watched in awe as the familiar morphed into multiple pulsing dark vines that filled the entire altar. Him and his other self took a step back as roses of all shapes and sizes sprouted from the dark vines, and when his other self pulled something from the largest rose, his eyes grew wide with shock.

It was the Yamato, only it was glowing in a very unusual way.

V wanted to listen more, to know more, to watch what happens next but, the vision itself began getting blurry as their voices became more and more warped, like a disrupted signal of an old television. The vision, and the voices, warped and warped, until only a distorted and blurry version was left. And before the vision entirely vanished, V saw his other self raising the sword,...

... and slicing the air before him, creating a portal that led him somewhere,...

"V!" He heard Dante's voice from afar, like he was being called by him from the other end of a long tunnel. "V!" He felt a strong hand go down on his shoulder, making him turn around. "What are you doing? I was looking all over for you!"

The poet could barely believe what just happened. He was back, and he felt like he just woke up from a very long dream.

"I, ahh,... " V stuttered, turning back to the altar and seeing nothing there.

"Hey, V," Griffon, who just landed on his waiting arm, asked. " ... are you okay?"

"The gateway,... " The poet uttered, the vision he saw still crystal clear on his mind.

"What gateway?" Dante questioned.

"There's a gateway here." V reiterated as he walked closer towards the altar where his other self vanished. "It was opened using the Yamato."

"How did you know that?" With a raised eyebrow, Dante asked in confusion. "And besides, even if that's true, we can't really use the Yamato. I mean, it's with its owner on the other side of the globe right now."

"We can't rely on Vergil this time, I know." V answered as thoughts and ideas ran through his head like an unstoppable drill. "But, what if the gate,... was left open? What if it was never closed?"

Dante's mouth fell open at the possibility. Only a slight drawback made him close it again and shake his head in disapproval. "But, I see no gate here! All I see in this place are rocks and statues and ruins and tourists everywhere."

V turned to Griffon, who drew back at the intensity in his master's facial features. "Do it."

"Do what?" The familiar questioned.

"Distract the people while I look for the portal."

"How could I do that?! How am I - ?!"

"Alright! I'll do it!" Dante offered, turning away from them and walking away from the altar as he began singing something. And it's working. The tourists, especially the ladies, started listening to him and flocking before him. "I'm lying alone with my head on the phone, thinking of you 'till it hurts,... "

V grabbed this opportunity to look for the portal. He can't be wrong, the vision can't be wrong! They must get to the Elven world and he would do whatever it takes to get there.

He will do whatever it takes to get to her and fix this huge mess that was messing with their lives,...

It was then when he noticed something small and gleaming right before him. He reached out a single finger to touch it, and lo and behold, the small gleam made a tiny ripple that reflected so many bright colors. Like a prism. Another touch of his finger produced a huge ripple, revealing its true nature in all its entirety. Indeed, it was a gate. In the form of a curtain that was seemingly made of glass that reflected light like numerous precious gems.

"Whoa! That looks so unreal!" Griffon, who watched the entire thing with curious eyes, said in awe. "How did you know all this, V?!"

"I'll explain later." The poet answered. "For now, we should press on."

"I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you - " Dante sang with much gusto, wowing his audience, when he suddenly heard a familiar whistle. He stopped singing and turned around to see V beckoning for him to come join him and Griffon. The Devil Hunter turned back to his audience, made an incredibly believable shocked expression, and pointed at the sky. "Thunderstorm! Incoming thunderstorm! Run and hide for your lives!"

The people instantly believed him, scrambling and running all over the place to shield themselves from Dante's imaginary thunderstorm. The younger brother took this opportunity to join V.

"How in the world - ?!" Dante began questioning at the sight of the translucent gateway but, he was cut short as Griffon went behind him and started pushing him towards the gate.

"I'll explain later! We must hurry!" V ordered, then went through the curtain, looking as if he just vanished into thin air.

"Let's get goin', lover boy!" Griffon squawked, grabbing onto Dante's shoulders with his talons.

"I swear I need to go to therapy after all this." The Devil Hunter said as he, too, went through the curtain and vanished.

***

🌙 Finally! And this one took longer than expected. Enjoy!😁😁😁❤❤❤ 🌙

🌙 Thank you so much to these lovelies, @dreaming-gamer , @la-vita and @thottyonmainsquid .❤❤❤ 🌙

***

A few moments later, Dante arrived at the other side. But, his path was blocked by V, himself, who was standing still, his back turned away from him.

"You alright there, V?" Dante asked as he scratched his temple in confusion. "Aren't we - ?"

"Yes, we are." V cut him off, raising his metal cane and using it to point at something before the two of them. "We have finally arrived."

The younger brother followed V's line of sight, and what he saw before him simply took his breath away.

"Holy mama - !" Dante breathed in awe at the marvelous sight.

***

🌙

***

[thedyingmoon]

🖤 I See My Future Before Me 🖤

~ A V X Reader set in an Alternate Universe wherein fancy Nero gets schooled by V. 🖤

~ That's my Bloody Palace screenshot ( What level am I now? Nah, I'm not telling ). 🖤

~ I hope you enjoy this part, @heaven-on-a-landslide and @acieoj ! 🖤

***

VI

***

"She's just tired as hell. You'll see her in the morning."

At least, that's what Nico said.

But then, V should've known better.

The next morning, the girl left a note on the glass top table, saying something about going to a friend's and staying there until Saturday. Somehow, the chit got past him without making any noise to wake any of them ( that's him, Nero, Griffon, and Shadow ) up, who all snoozed on the living room in sleeping cots provided by Nico, who spent the rest of the night on the guest room. V, being the most alert among all of them inside the unit, didn't hear her footsteps, even the creak of the door. What's more, Nico found out that the formal wear she provided for her was also gone.

Which meant that, to V's frustration, they will not be able to see her until the event, itself, which would take place the next day.

And so, the day finally arrived.

Nero was struggling with the lacy jabot on his neck, grimacing at it, and how he looked as a whole, in the mirror every once in a while.

And to add further insult to the injury, Griffon, who was flapping his wings non stop above his head, was laughing at him really hard.

The young and dashing Devil Hunter, who recently became famous for defeating the infamous Demon King Urizen, who almost plunged Red Grave with Qliphoth roots, let out a loud curse and threw the jabot on the floor.

Nico, who just finished putting on her dress and makeup on the guest room, heard this and came out, curious as to the source of that very colorful language.

And when she finally saw what Nero looked like, she could not help but double over in stomach pain as she failed to suppress her laughter.

"FUCK!" Nero cursed, angry at the tattooed woman who was still laughing her ass off at his appearance. "You think this is funny?!"

"What the hell are you wearin'?!" Nico bursted out through her uncontrolled fits of laughter.

"I bet it's her grandma's dress!" Insulted Griffon, which only made Nico laugh even more, and Nero angrier.

"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU FUCKING BIRD!"

"W-w-wait, don't tell me your granny wore that to snag herself a boyfriend in the eighteenth century?!" Nico added.

"I swear if you don't stop - " Nero warned, then clicked his tongue, unable to stop the woman and the bird from laughing. It's true. With the heavy, lace coat of powder blue and purple ensemble, the equally lacy white undershirt, the pair of black breeches, the white knee - high socks, and the high - heeled pair of dancing shoes, Nero absolutely looked like a bratty, noble kid who came directly from the French Revolution era, or earlier.

"What? You'll hit me?" Nico taunted, pointing at Nero with a finger, flaunting her carefully manicured nail.

Griffon picked the jabot from the floor, graciously, if not mockingly, giving it back to Nero. "Here, you forgot this, Your High Nobleness."

Nero snatched the jabot from Griffon's talon, almost damaging it, and said, "Just to inform you, Credo owned this, not me!"

"Kyrie's older brother, huh?" Nico asked.

"Yes, him!" Nero answered, almost wrongfully getting mad at someone who was innocently and peacefully resting six feet under the grounds of Fortuna. "And, I'm not wearing this FUCKING thing!" he announced through gritted teeth, starting to remove the offensive - smelling coat. Apparently, Kyrie found it proper to drench the thing with an awful amount of floral fabric conditioner, making Nero reek of fresh flowers.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait!" Nico held her hands up, stopping Nero's movements. "I'm telling Kyrie if you do that! You'll make her cry, man!"

"No! Don't you dare tell her."

"Stop being a bitch! It isn't that,..." Nico said, failing in her attempt to lie at him with her mirthful eyes. "... bad."

"Ha! You think I look bad? Just wait for V!" Nero mocked, hands on his hips like the "nobleman" that he was. "He crammed yesterday looking for one, since he didn't find any last Thursday."

"Ya think?" Griffon maliciously asked, his eyes devilishly looking down at Nero's pitiful and funny form. He flew towards the bathroom and shouted, "Hey, Shakespeare, you done now, or what? The pimple kid is mocking you! Come out already!"

"You'll see." Nero mouthed at Nico with a sinister smile, so sure that V would look even worse than him.

Oh, how very wrong he was.

When V finally came out, Nico's mouth dropped open in shameless admiration, and Griffon beamed with pride for his boy. Shadow, who was patiently waiting for V to come out, stretched her forelegs, yawned, baring her fangs at Nero, and went to her master with a proud swish of her tail. She was getting tired looking at the boy for an hour, and the sight of V changed into his formal wear was a real fresh change.

Nero, in an infernal kind of frustration, took off his coat and flung it to the other end of the room, knocking off one of the painted vases, making it plummet to the ground and break into tiny little pieces.

"Hey, psycho!" Nico shrieked at him. "Watch the furniture!"

"FUCK!"

***

The massive ballroom that held about a hundred people was, indeed, the topic of every male and female guests. The three crystal chandeliers that shone illuminated the pleasant below. The black - clad musicians mainly played jazz, and would sometimes add in classical numbers for the dances like the foxtrot and the waltz. The food was great, courtesy of the best chefs in the city, and the rich vintage, matched by the sparkling ones for the ladies, that was being offered by the maroon - liveried servants, never warmed, always cool and ready for some hot - headed guests.

The head of the house, who sat at the tallest box with some servants at his tow, watched in admiration for his feat of bringing together the country's most powerful Demon Hunters. He chuckled at the sight of the two most powerful ladies in the room, lively chatting with some noobs. He grunted at the sight of that lone man who was pestering the servants with more wine. But, most of all, he was getting anxious, for his most awaited guest have yet to arrive -

"Sire," a servant whispered to his ear. "Nero of the Devil May Cry Agency has finally arrived with his, ah, entourage."

The lord of the house rubbed his hands. "Perfect. Kindly inform the musicians to sound in their classics. I want to make this dramatic."

"Naturally." the servant nodded and left at once.

But, Nero and company was not aware of this, and the importance the lord actually held for him. So, when he descended the stairs, fancy coat, lacy jabot, sleek hair, and all, he could not help but miss a few steps at the sudden change of music, almost stumbling down if it weren't for Nico who helped him by holding unto his arm as tight as she could to prevent him from falling to the carpeted ground.

"Get a grip, man!" Nico, who began sweating, whispered savagely at him. "Hold it together."

"How coud I - !" Nero whispered back. "They didn't have to change the goddamn music!"

Nero was right. Now that the rest of the Demon Hunters in the room noticed his fanciness, and the matching harpsichordy - classical music, they couldn't help but giggle at his grand entrance.

"Stomach in, chest out." V, who was descending beside him, whispered to him in that velvety - low voice of his, subtly slamming the tip of his cane on Nero's back. "Chin,... up and proud."

Nero, who was honestly mad at V for wearing a less fancy formal attire and seriously thinking that he was just being mocked by the man, retorted angrily. "Stop embarrassing the hell outta me!" he gritted.

V gave him a sideways glance, jade eyes dangerously narrow and wicked grin deathly threatening. "I'm teaching you how not to embarrass yourself even further with that,... attitude of yours." he warned. "Now, if you do not want to stumble all the way down and sully the name of your great father, and his even greater father before him, I suggest you follow,..." then, as if by one last ounce of threat, V pushed the tip of his cane harder unto Nero's back, hurting him and making him stand up straight in the process as a gentleman should. "... my unsolicited and valuable pieces of instruction."

"Damn you, V - " angrily whispered Nero, gaining him a painful pinch from Nico, who was still holding unto his right arm. "Ouch!"

"Do as the man says or I'll hurt you!"

And so, with so much struggle, Nero finally made it down the stairs, surviving Nico's vicegrip and V's cold stare. And once he was down, the younger, less experienced Demon Hunters, who came there before them, started bugging him with questions regarding the Demon King he recently defeated.

V, having isolated himself from the crowd that started to form near Nero and Nico, breathed a sigh of relief. He leaned on the wall, watching them from a safe distance, when the classical music came to a halt.

If it weren't for the boy's lovely attitude, V would've enjoyed the evening. It was a fine event, after all, not considering the danger they would possibly get into later.

Some refined Demon Hunters, who actually bothered to listen to the otherwise boring music, clapped their hands, giving the artists enough motivation to start a new one. The leader signalled for a change of genre and a turn of a page, and when the musicians started playing once more, the room was filled with the most beautiful bossa nova that V has ever heard. These men really do have talent, he admitted.

And as if by some magical and wild form of chance, a very familiar scent made its way towards his nostrils.

Flowers. Freshly blooming in the morning.

He looked up at the staircase,...

... and became wide - eyed at the spectacle that was unfolding right before him.

For there, clad in something that only rivalled the stars above, was the most beautiful female he has ever seen in his entire, miserable, demonic and non - demonic existence.

***

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