#like if i’m desirable i feel more valuable and i end up going well wait. maybe i’m NOT ace

[moontropy]

tags rambling

[himezoro]

HI, i’m just soo in love with the way you portray zoro so i was thinking about a request (only if u want to, ofcc)

imagine reader having feelings for zoro and be reciprocated (but reader still doesn’t know bc zoro’s not the best at expressing feelings) they’re in wano and with the way hiyori treats zoro reader thinks zoro likes hiyori so reader puts some distance between them and zoro and gets closer to law (bc i think they’re kinda similar up to some point) AND ZORO NOTICES IT.

that’s it for my request, kinda specific lol, HAVE A NICE DAY and feel free to take as much time as you need if you decide to give it a go <3

i’m so sorry for the wait, but istg I really wanted to give it a go as you said!! <3 the reader is set to be the crew’s strategist/scholar, just like in this one shot (though this request is not meant to be the following of the later!). the events I’m describing are not 100% accurate with the exact way wano happened (in terms of strategy meetings etc etc) but I felt more comfortable this way!! i didn't know if you wanted a good or bad ending, so i went for the first option to compensate with the long wait :( i hope you enjoy it <3

wc: 1.7 ish

stolen times

Saying you only had yourself to blame and your sole eyes to cry, was an understatement.

As the crew’s strategist, you offered to split at Zou in order for everyone to attend the two issues at end: saving Sanji, and the people of Wano. Because of your valuable knowledge and abilities, you stayed alongside Law, Robin, Franky, and Zoro, while the rest of the crew left for Whole Cake island. Considering the matter at hand, everyone had to stick to their role, even if it meant pretending not to know one another.

Even if it meant pretending not to know Roronoa Zoro.

Saying you knew Roronoa Zoro was also an understatement. After all the time you spent alongside the swordsman, it felt like you understood him pretty well, without as much as a word. You understood his thrive to perfect his craft, his dedication, his patience regarding improvement, his need for meditation and peace, his oath. You knew his favorite mug to drink from, the way he likes his rice, his favorite sleeping position. You could hear the laughters he would let while talking to Luffy, see the protective hold he would have on Chopper while walking, see the flex of his strong built, the blink of his dark eye, the bite on his lower lip.

Everything from Roronoa Zoro was framed in the back of your eye. You loved, admired the swordsman. Your relationship with him was pleasant, even though it lacked the romance you so craved for. He would often stay by your side while you worked in your office claiming it was a quiet space and ask if you ate before working, sit next to you during meetings and meals, lay a hand on your waist when walking down the dock, and always, always, look your way before getting into a fight with an enemy. Other than that, nothing was truly shared between the two of you, and because of Zoro’s silence regarding his feelings, your mind never allowed itself to wander through the possibilities of his heart, while the later would try its best concealing your desires.

So pretending not to know about the way another woman was treating him and tending to his needs was torture. And none of this would have happened if you had ruled for Zoro to go to Whole Cake. Which is why you deeply cursed yourself, even though it was for a greater cause.

Time seemed long until you all reunited at Wano and start planning for the assault on Kaido. So when you did reunite with everyone, your jaw almost dropped to the floor when Brook mentioned walking in on Hiyori sleeping on top of Zoro. Pretending not to care was harder than pretending not to know, so you decided to ignore the green-haired male and stay focused on your task. Even if it meant not listening to the drums of your heart and its song.

Which led to raise confusion in Zoro’s mind. He was not explicit with words, but weren’t his gestures enough? Did you not understand him like he thought you did?

He would be lying if he said he did not mind your distant attitude. He would even go as far as saying that he felt bothered by it, especially after spending quite some time apart pretending not to know one another. He was surprised to not see your usual smile when you looked at him, and not have you saving him a spot next to your figure.

Instead, there was Trafalgar Law.

And it seemed you enjoyed his company. He could see the two of you talking intently and the way he would lower his head so he could hear you more amongst the ruckus. He could see the way his grey eyes would pierce at your features, like a hawk. Hell, he even saw how Law casually laid a hand on your arm when you got up the table to wash your hands.

Zoro clicked his tongue and threw daggers at Law with his one functioning eye, wishing his eye could kill.

When the reunion ended and everyone started leaving to their room, the swordsman could not help himself but bump into you on his way, which you could not possibly ignore. Your eyes met before you averted your gaze and started walking again, which he prevented by standing your way.

And yet, he did not let out a single word. Or at least, not a single one he wished to say.

“Enjoying the alliance I see.”

You scoffed, your pride taking advantage.

“So do you, Roronoa”, you looked down at Enma with an arched brow, “Nice sword you have here.”

“Thanks, Hiyori gave it to me.” he answered, not noticing the ice in your tone, or maybe ignoring it for how warm he felt hearing your voice, even if it lacked its usual honey.

Hearing the name you resented triggered your jealousy. You simply nodded and formed an “oh” with your lips, its shape taking his breath away. It took him a lot of strength not to plant a kiss on your pout, but before he could even argue, someone called you, interrupting his train of thought.

“(Y/N)-ya, I need your input on the number of fleets for the assault before we head out.” Law said from behind Zoro, which prevented the doctor from seeing the grim look on the swordsman’s face.

“Already on first name basis with the Doctor huh?” Zoro said, clicking his tongue in the process.

Just like you with Hiyori, you wished to say. You wanted to shake him off, ask him what the matter was if Law used your first name. You wanted him to tell you he liked you and not Hiyori, and him to throw his new sword away. You knew these were unfair feelings, and probably a little mean. If Zoro had found solace in the kindness of Hiyori and the beauty of Wano, then there was nothing for you to do, right?

With these invading thoughts in mind, you simply sighed and offered him a small, sad smile before joining Law in his quarters.

“I’ll see you in three days for the assault. Please train well, everyone is counting on you.”

Seeing you walk past him to join Law hurt him more than he wished to admit. He did not turn around to watch you walk away, swallowing whole. He waited a second before walking away as well, regrouping with Hiyori.

// the festivities after the assault //

When Kaido was defeated after much efforts, the Mugiwara and the alliance craved for a celebration. Everyone was reunited on the Sunny amongst sake, flowers, food, music and laughters.

You had your back resting on the railing, enjoying the breeze in your hair with a cup of your favorite drink in your hand, looking at the rejoice faces around you. Of course, your eyes followed the trail of Zoro, and the fact that the swordsman was still sitting with Hyori.

Sighing, you felt the presence of Law getting closer to yours. He stood beside you, his eyes looking in the same direction as yours.

“I have to admit (Y/N)-ya, you remarkably led the battlefield.”

”Because you doubted this alliance? Here I thought we were able of performing miracles.” you playfully added using his phrases, slightly shoving the Doctor in the process. Trafalgar Law felt himself smirking, not bothering to answer your gentle attack, surprisingly, simply enjoying your presence.

During the course of this alliance, you had gotten closer with the Doctor. His quietness and charisma was similar to Zoro’s, even though he was not as large as the green-haired. Law found himself enjoying talking to you, especially in this setting. He thought you were intelligent and committed to your work, dedicated to saving lives with the best plans, just like he dedicated his life as a doctor to save others. You could see how he grew accustomed to the crew’s nonchalant antics, and safe around you all. Even you were surprised that he did not betray Luffy’s trust, since you were part of the ones that doubted Luffy’s decision.

But getting closer to Law, even as amicably as your relationship with him was, did not go unnoticed, especially by the swordsman himself. Three days ago, he felt a gap between the two of you, which he was not used to. Him, who was so used to stay by your side when you stayed on the railing to lovingly keep an eye on everyone. Him, who was so used to enjoying your presence and your scent. Him, that was now staring at you and Law amidst the laughters of his friends, ignoring Hiyori beside him.

Right now, he had two options at hand. Either closing the distance, or risking losing you to another world.

“Go talk to her.” he heard Hiyori’s voice beside him speak, which cut his train of thought.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I feel like I got to know you enough to know that (Y/N)-san holds a dear place to your heart. Pardon me if I am wrong, though, but she may not be aware of your feelings.”

Zoro sighed and did not find the words to answer Hiyori. Instead, he kept his eye on you all along. You were so beautiful, glorious.

When Law left to get you another drink, Zoro took this opportunity to get up and walk to you, his presence getting more and more overpowering as he got closer to you. As he got beside you, you did not dare to move, feeling a pull.

There he stayed beside you, enjoying your presence as he should. The air blowing in your hair danced its way to his heart again, a dusty shade of pink coloring his features. On your hand, it felt hard to talk, a mix of sadness, desire, pride and guilt creeping in your heart.

The swordsman crossed his arm as he kept his built back onto the railing, finally uttering the words he wished to say, closing his one eye.

“You were missed, you better know that.”

And all he heard was your scoff and laugh at his subtle yet commanding hint.

“What’s making ya laugh, woman?” he turned to you, opening his eye, basking in your glory.

“You are, Zoro. You are clearly implying that you missed my presence, while you’re here with your girlfriend! It’s preposterous, even for you.” You said, trying to calm your laughter, clearly a defense mechanism.

“Huh?! Are you insane?! Who are you talking about?” he asked, dumbfounded with a bit of irritation.

“Hiyori, who else? I wish the two of you all the happiness in the world. But you should not imply things you either do not mean or should not mean in a relationship.”

“What relationship are you even talking about for God’s sake? Are you high? Drunk?”

“Stop lying to me! I understand you have boundaries and secrets and all, but I saw how the two of you are acting! And Brook even told me you slept together! So please, for the sake of my heart, Zoro : do not say words you should not say when you are involved with someone else.”

You let out a huge sigh at the end of your speech, trying your best to keep your composure. Zoro stared at you, quite confused at your words. But amidst them all, Zoro remembered how he understood you like no one could. And in spite of your ludicrous accusations, Zoro knew better. Regardless of him knowing better, his stubbornness got the best of him at that moment.

“You’re one to talk, with Tra-guy sticking to you. He’s been all over you, ready to steal you away from me and the crew.”

“What are you even talking about? I am not planning on leaving you and the crew, and Law is just a friend. Surely, he is not interested in stealing me away on his submarine. Don’t be preposterous.”

“Only an idiot wouldn’t want to steal you away if they could.”

Your eyes met his for a moment, and it felt obvious. Natural. Before Law could come back with the drink you wanted, you offered him a small smile, set on cutting the tension.

“So, are you dating Hiyori?”

“I thought it was clear that I’m not interested in dating her.” he replied, which made you look at him with an arched brow.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Isn’t it obvious?”

“Just as obvious as your probable feelings for me, if you want my opinion.”

Zoro sighed, blaming himself for not being able to normally express his feelings to you, worried, that someone like Law could.

“How can I make my feelings clearer then?” he genuinely asked, feeling Law coming your way.

“You could start by getting me a drink?” you suggested with a knowing smile as Law arrived in front of the two of you.

Needless to say, Zoro forcefully took the drink from the other captain’s hands to hand it to you, with a smirk on his lips.

“Ain’t nobody stealing my girl here, Tra-guy.” he muttered to his “rival”, leaving Law confused and you laughing.

From that moment on, the distance finally closed and Zoro felt exactly where he belonged: right by your side.

[shiningfremi]

hi! could i request? admiring freminet's freckles by tracing them like connect-the-dots, and then kissing his freckles until he's all cute and shy

- *️⃣

freminet’s freckles

uwaa this is so creative!! here you go, *️⃣ anon! ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱₊˚⊹

[ freminet x gn!reader,

a bit suggestive at the end (´∀｀；) ]

a fluffy short story~

𖦹 °.🐟⋆❀˖°🦈

donning your comfy pajamas, both you and freminet were on the couch together, wrapped up in soft fuzzy blankets watching your favorite tv show as the fireplace crackled and the sweet scent of a warm vanilla candle filled the room.

leaning your head on his shoulder, you turn your attention towards him, observing him carefully. his gaze was focused on the screen. until he notices you and cracks a tiny, awkward smile, his eyes squinting. his freckles were prominent from this perspective, as if cinnamon was sprinkled onto his cheeks.

“huh?” freminet wondered why you were staring for such a long time.

“you know, i never noticed how pretty your freckles are..” you marvel, a finger leaving from beneath the cashmere fabric and onto his nose, irises darting back and forth.

“it reminds me of a constellation.”

“d-does it really?” he stuttered upon feeling the tip of your finger begin to trace the light brown spots.

“mhm~ and i can connect them, just like this.” you make a shape of a star on his cheek, before leaning forward to give him a quick smooch.

“i never thought about it in that way.” he furrowed a brow. nobody had ever done such a thing to him..

shyly attempting to cover his face with one hand out of embarassment, he changes the subject. “you don’t want to miss your show, do you?”

“you make a good point darling.” reaching toward the coffee table for the remote, you press down on the pause button. it could wait for later, you tell yourself.

“now, where was i?” you gently pull his hand away from his face, interlocking it with yours. you then crawl atop his lap, and freminet sank into the cushions, laying backward.

his beautiful crystalline eyes gleamed as he looked up at you in awe.

“oh, over here..” you lightly trail your digit across, marking out a small path.

“it could be a little heart.” giggling, you give him another kiss, accidentally leaving evidence behind as it was a bit sloppy.

“y/nn..! you’re too sweet.” freminet muttered with a gasp, his cheeks growing red, which enunciated his adorable freckles even more.

“well then, i’m glad that it’s working.” you tease, before peppering his tender face with a whole bunch more. you just couldn’t help yourself.

it was beginning to get colder outside, the seasons were slowly but surely changing. even so, the sunshine still peeked through the clouds. what other way to spend a calm chilly day, than with your precious boyfriend?

besides, right now, you were much more interested in spending valuable time with him than watch the tv, as no form of entertainment could top his pure company~

he scrunched his nose as you giggle inbetween each kiss.

you were absolutely lost in his beauty.

“mwah, mwah!” you exaggerate every kiss as the poor boy feels like he’s about to evaporate under your touch.

at this point he is getting attacked by your affection. you simply could not get enough of his graceful essence.

but he adored you so much that you could do whatever you desired to do to him. freminet was so deeply infatuated with you.

“i’ve heard that freckles are proof of where your lover kissed you in your past life. i suppose this is a guarantee that you’ll have them again.” your voice was as smooth as could be.

“my love..” freminet was so undeniably flustered.

caressing his face with your free thumb, he gently let go of your opposite hand and found his arms wrapped around your lower body, hoisting you up, not wanting this moment to end. you gladly accepted this preposition.

“and, let’s not forget about your forehead.” you give him even more soft pecks inbetween his blond eyebrows, resting both of your hands right on his shoulders. when you come back up again, freminet was timidly tugging on your shirt.

his head was tilted to the side, and he was brightly beaming, face burning aflame, knowing that he couldn’t possibly hide his joy from you any longer. you then trail your way down past his chin, letting a hand settle against his chest in the process.

even more specks of melanin could be found on the base of his neck. your kisses became longer and increasingly sensual. freminet's palm unknowingly brushed against your upper thigh as he adjusted himself.

“can i have more..?” he quietly asked you in one breath, accompanied with an indicative expression.

“hmm?" you pick up on his words.

"n-nothing!"

𖦹 °.🐟⋆❀˖°🦈

[bts-0t-7]

Philosophy of Love

Pair: Namjoon x F Reader

Summary: You find a profound connection in the presence of Kim Namjoon. Through shared moments of intellectual curiosity and mutual appreciation for the power of words, you embark on a journey of exploration and self-discovery, united together by the wanderlust of the minds. 

Genre: Fluff, Namjoon bookstore ownerxreader, a bit of suggestive theme but nothing like the devil’s tango😇

Chapter Warnings: None

WC: 1043

It was a normal rainy afternoon, everybody on the streets finding solace in the sheltered stores. The rain pounded heavily against the shop roof, signages swinging dangerously in the wind. You kept your umbrella and walked into the store. Wood, scented candles, and dim lighting gave off a homey yet exciting feel. You looked out the window, knowing that the rain won’t be stopping anytime soon. 

As you walked deeper into the bookstore, you observe the many books lined up on the shelves, each one of them whispering stories and knowledge waiting to be discovered. The store was so full that there were books piled up on the floor. Normally, you would be ticked off by having such valuable items being so casually strewn. But surprisingly this time, you weren’t. 

The books were placed in an organized and artistic manner that you didn’t mind. They were in some cases, ensuring that nobody would kick them down. Couches with fluffy pillows and coffee tables with more books caught your attention. 

Is this a library? Didn’t seem like it. Perhaps it was a library-bookstore. The thought itself was quite laughable. 

Your fingers skimmed the spine of the books on the shelves, letting them guide you through. Lost in the world of literary treasures, you found yourself drawn to the philosophy section. As you pursued one of the titles, a voice, rich with warmth and intellect, reached your ears. 

“You have good taste in books.” The voice said. 

You turned around to see a tall man, adorning a pair of spectacles. 

“Hello,” The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Namjoon. Don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”

You took his hand in yours and shook it. The size difference was hilarious. The entire of his hand engulfed yours, leaving nearly none of yours in sight. You knew if he wanted to, he could crush you in a minute. 

A blush crept up your cheeks as you replied, “Ah, I’m Y/N. I’ve never come in here before. Just avoiding the storm today. I usually buy coffee from the opposite but you guys are not open then.”

Namjoon pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. “Oh, then you must be the pretty lady Mikaela keeps talking about. She won’t keep it down every time.” He laughed, sounding so baritone and soothing. “How’d you know this is my shop?”

Oh, you hadn’t. 

“Well, you just confirmed my suspicions, no?” You replied to him with a smirk, eyes gleaming with mischief.

Namjoon bellowed out. “Well, yeah.” He turned to the book you picked out. “Like philosophy?”

“I’ve always been fascinated by the power of words and the wisdom they hold.”

Namjoon’s eyes sparkled with understanding. “I feel the same way. Words have the ability to shape our thoughts and emotions, going beyond time and space. It is like a never-ending journey.”

At that moment, you knew you found a new friend. The connection between the both of you was built by the shared appreciation for the beauty and depth of language. A bond that went beyond mere attraction, rooted in the desire to understand and be understood. 

As days turned to weeks, you found yourself going over every few days, engrossed in conversations with Namjoon that spanned various topics. From philosophy, arts, and science to engineering and business, to everything and anything. Each discussion felt like you had plummeted into a whole new world, wandering through the vast landscapes of knowledge and imagination. 

When Namjoon talks, you listen, absorbing all the information he provides you with. And when you talk, Namjoon listens, eyes shining with curiosity and intellect. He encouraged your thoughts, offering insights that expanded your understanding. In his presence, you feel a sense of intellectual stimulation and a deeper desire to delve deeper into the mysteries of the world. 

Soon, the both of you started spending late nights under the glow of the moonlight, books safely tucked away. Lost to conversations that danced between the tangible and abstract, the boundaries of time seemed to blur as the both of you explored the realms of existence - pondering on the complexities of life and the universe. 

It was in these little moments that you discovered a profound connection - missing puzzle pieces finally coming together. It was a journey of self-discovery guided by Namjoon’s wisdom and introspection. 

One evening, as the both of you sat under the stars that painted the night sky, Namjoon turned to you, voice filled with sincerity. “Your thirst for knowledge and understanding inspires me to always be the best version of myself. You never fail to amaze and you have never given up even when times got tough.”

You blushed as your heart filled with affection as you replied, “And you, Namjoon, have a way to light up even in the darkest times. Your wisdom has opened my eyes to so many new perspectives and allowed me to be more like myself.”

Namjoon’s hand reached out, shakily cupping your cheek. “Wandering the word and seeking knowledge and truth would mean nothing without you. If you would let me, let’s find solace and inspiration in each other.”

With a light smile on your face, you leaned into his touch, feeling a profound sense of belonging. In Namjoon’s embrace, you discover a love that fits right into the puzzles of you and him. It was more than conventional romance - it was a piece that sparks intellectual growth and mutual respect. 

As the night deepened, you found yourself entwined in each other’s arms, the world around faded into insignificance. In the quiet embrace, you felt a unity of minds and souls - the pens of thoughts and emotions finally writing down the story of a lifetime. 

With every beat of your heart, you know that your connection with Namjoon will be a never-ending exploration - a journey of shared wisdom, endless conversations, and the unwavering pursuit of knowledge. 

In his presence, you have finally found a partner who understood the wanderlust of your mind - a companion who embraced the beauty of words and their profound meanings. 

As you lay intertwined with Namjoon, you revelled in the joy of finding a love that spreads beyond the boundaries of time and space - a love that would forever wander the realms of intellectual curiosity and heartfelt understanding.         

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

A new adventure

In which things are going exactly as they should

You are John Gaius, and you are the only person on the planet Earth. You are a very nice person and you love things. You are sitting at your desk in your office on the twenty-fifth floor of a very big building in a very big city, and there is a glassy look in your eyes. It has been a while since you woke up from the surgery that turned you into what you are today. (The surgery wasn't actually very long, not for someone your size.) You could call Dr. Gordon and ask, but she would probably be out at lunch. So you wait.

It's quiet here. Too quiet. There should be people walking around, there should be noise, there shouldn't be... nothing at all. And yet, there is noise.

"Come on!" you say to the empty floor. "This can't go on. If I don't get my work done now, I will explode. It's as simple as that."

You try not to feel nervous.

You remember this feeling. You don't remember the surgery that transformed you (into what you are now), but you remember this feeling well. It is called -- you can't help thinking the word comes from something in another, more glorious life -- waiting.

This is a big building. The twenty-fifth floor is very, very high. This is the top of the highest point in the building.

You can't fall down.

"Here we go," you say to yourself, then out loud, and it occurs to you that maybe this is a mistake and you should have picked a lower floor.

You feel an intense desire to throw yourself out of the window.

No. Don't do that. You're too valuable.

You must not do that. It is a long way to the ground, and it is very, very empty. You can't afford to lose you.

"I'm going to explode if I don't get my work done."

You say it again, just to hear it out loud, and then your hand starts moving, and it has a mind of its own, and before you know what is happening, you are on your hands and knees, crawling down the corridor, and the feeling of being far, far below the floor is not at all like falling. You feel weightless. (You could just fall through the floor and not feel it, you know, you could just... fall and not feel anything at all.)

You must not do that. A strange man is coming towards you with a mop and a pail.

He puts his hand out, and you grab it. "You must not fall," he says calmly. (He speaks in a monotone. He has been working here a long time, probably longer than you've been alive.)

He leads you to a maintenance closet at the far end of the hall, closes the door, then says "You must not fall" again, and he pulls a small black box down the hall towards you, turns it on, and stands back. A screen on the box flickers to life.

On it is a list of numbers in rows and columns. It is a list of numbers in a book. It is a book you had on your bookshelf and that was on your bookshelf because it was yours and you bought it. You have bought a lot of things.

There are ten columns of numbers in the book, and they are all below 1. The book is open at page one. There is a line at the top. It says "1.1.1.1...." You do not understand the book. It is a mystery, and it was a mystery when you owned it, and it will be a mystery even now that it is yours. (There are seven other numbered books on the shelf, plus the little black box the stranger gave you.)

You see a number on the screen. It has five digits. It is an entry in the book. Your eyes start flicking back and forth between the screen and the number. It is just a number. There is no significance to it that you cannot figure out for yourself.

You get up, and walk slowly to the door. Your eyes are on the screen, but your mind is elsewhere. "You must not fall," he says from behind you. "You must not fall."

You push the door open.

It is sunny outside. The sky is blue, and the air is still. The sun is hot.

There is a tall building behind you. On top of the building is a white structure, a great white sphere, and inside the sphere is a room with windows. You can see outside through the windows, and you can see the sun. You are not sure if it is real. You can see it is real.

A door is behind you. You did not think this was going to happen. You are not sure if it is good or bad. You are going to step inside, anyway. If it's a trap, you are going to set it off yourself.

The door is made of glass. You can look inside it. There are people there, and there is a desk, and there are computers, and some people are sitting on the floor, and there are papers everywhere, and there is a man sitting at a desk, and there are papers on the man's desk, and there is a computer on the man's desk, and there is a machine on the computer, and there are papers in the machine, and you cannot see what the machine is doing.

You step inside. The door shuts behind you.

"You must not fall," says a voice.

"I must," you say, because the voice is just the voice you've always been used to hearing, and it is the voice you can trust.

"You must not fall," says the voice.

Must not.

You are in a small space. The room is bright. There are high windows and they are letting in a lot of sunlight. The floor is a grid of square tiles. It is mostly black. There are two doors, and one of them leads to a corridor. There are desks and there are chairs and there are computer screens.

You are in a little room.

You are in a small room.

You are in a small room.

It is just a small room.

It has walls and a door and a window.

It is not a very big room.

This is the floor of the twentieth floor of a very big building in a very big city.

You are in a small room.

There is no point in not falling.

You do not move. You do not close the door, because maybe it is a trap. You just stay there in the center of the small room. (The walls do not move.)

The feeling of falling is gone. You can feel time -- the time is passing and it is also real, so it is not a trap -- pass by you, and you are still here.

Time passes by you and you are still here.

Time passes by you and you are still here.

Time -- or is it just real? -- passes by you, and you are still --

(There is a very clear distinction here that you had never noticed before, but which has always been clear, so clear that you would not have noticed it at all if it weren't clear:)

-- and you are not falling yet.

There is a very clear distinction here that you had never noticed before, which has always been clear, so clear that you would not have noticed it at all if it weren't clear to you now:)

-- and you are still here.

There is a very clear distinction here that you had never noticed before that has always been clear, so clear you would not have noticed it at all if it weren't clear to you now:)

-- and you're not falling yet.

There is a very clear distinction here that you had never noticed before that has always been clear since you were this size, so clear you would not have noticed it at all if it weren't clear to you now:)

-- and you're still here.

There is a very clear distinction here that you had never noticed before that has always been clear, even if you couldn't be bothered to notice it this week, so clear --

The wall is now behind you. You're still here. You can't turn around and see that wall. There isn't anything to see that wall from.

-- even if you'd been this size forever.

There is a very clear distinction here that you had never noticed before that has always been clear. You're still here. You're not falling. You're not falling. There is nothing to fall to. You're here.

-- and you're not falling yet.

There is a very clear distinction you had never noticed before that has always been clear, so clear you never noticed it unless it wasn't clear, this distinction that

[hollyjaques]

A HANDS-ON INTERVIEW – AN EROTIC STORY

TERENCE ALEXANDER·NOVEMBER 3, 2023

11 MINS READ

An interview to die for… if you’re a hands-on type?

Starting just with her Mum and her best friend Simone some 4 years ago, it was now time to increase her sales staff, which, in reality, was just her. Constantly needing to try fresh ideas, she was hoping that her first [proper] employee would broaden her fledgling company’s appeal.

It was abundantly clear that a change of direction was needed as “toys for boys and girls” was a market just waiting to enable couples to browse, try and discuss their bed-time needs in a private, open, friendly but expert way – a sort of Alpha King and Horny Queen – enabling choices that catered for every fetish, desire or lust you might like to experience or try.

Rosemary Pearson started off and had worked her butt off creating Silicon Creations – a new venture that was partly a creative advertising agency that sort of created fresh ideas for local online businesses around the London area.

Several interviews were lined up, many had interesting ideas but hadn’t put any of them into reality which was so important to her that she’d often go through CV’s way into the evenings. She’d sat and interviewed many promising candidates, hearing numerous snippets of valuable information – but no spark, no originality, no new thinking.

Most of the candidates had qualifications in media, web design, street cred, etc., which were fine, relevant but still very same-ish. Tired, frustrated Rosemary was getting to the point where she began to think her quest for that certain “spark, initiative” wasn’t going to be lit – that is, until Colin sat down.

He was late which wasn’t a great start but, nonetheless, a very lively guy brimming with confidence, well dressed but modern – about 27-ish, she thought? Colin told her that he’d tried a few jobs but hadn’t spotted a gap, an opportunity that he’d wanted to fill. She listened intently to his story and was well impressed by his easy-going, friendly manner. In days gone by, Colin would have been labelled a “real charmer”. What attracted Rosemary was his complete lack of fear, his natural charm and very sensitive nature that was clearly built on the ability to talk to all age-groups.

It was now long after 8pm – she was that tired and hungry, so she asked, “Could you come back in a couple of days please? I’m done, knackered.” Colin agreed to meet at 6pm this coming Thursday, how could Colin refuse? He was already mentally and visually removing her panties before going down on her.

Trying to find words to ensure he’d read the room correctly, Rosemary chirped up with the cheekily stated quip, “Don’t be late then?” – Colin took that as a “Yes” – the date was fixed and eagerly awaited.

“Oh, do you have family? brothers/sisters, etc.?” His answers came out naturally – many would have clammed up, evaded, ducked and dived at her verbal intimacy – but not him.

“Any out of hours commitments, holidays booked, that sort of thing?” She was definitely crossing boundaries at such an early stage of the interview and Colin was unflustered, water off a duck’s back! She ended by asking, “Have you got any questions you’d like to ask… me? Feel free to ask me anything you like.”

“Yes, I have actually,”

“How many sexual partners have you slept with”?  

“Are you doing anything after this interview”?

Rosemary was totally shocked, taken a-back at how naturally he’d asked her intimate questions.

“Err, not many she answered – especially recently what with working long hours plus Covid restrictions.”

“How many is ‘not many’ in your book?”

“No more than 3, she answered, well as an adult that is.” Rosemary countered;

“How many have you had?” “More than 3, probably about 6, but one of them was a few years older – she taught me so many things, little things that I’ll never forget.”

“How interesting, what type of things do you mean?”

“Oh, really helpful things, for example:”

“How to treat a woman, technique for going down on them, patience, satisfying them first – that kind of thing.” She sat back, perfectly relaxed taking it all in with a thinly disguised smile on her face. Blimey, she thought, he’s almost interviewing me?

“What else did she teach you then?” Colin thought for a moment, “Do you really want to know? It’s very personal.” 

“Yes please, just give it to me as it is.”– “Okay, you did ask.”

“Over the years she’d collected many sex toys, one for each experience you could say.”

“And?”

“She was French and had a very different approach to infidelity than the Brits and Americans.”

“She treated extra marital sex as someone ‘wanting to try all the cakes in the cake shop.'”

Trying to rationalize the logic of such an analogy, her mind was working overtime. Colin added, “However nice an iced bun is, after a while you’d like to try the chocolate éclair flavour and so on.”

Mesmerised, Rosemary sat thoughtfully, “Did her husband mind?” “It wasn’t an issue as she’d laid down a sort of “Agreed Procedure” which basically amounted to, “I’ll spend each weekend and night with you, but what I do in the day is my time.”

“And her husband went through with this knowingly, without any crap?”

“Yes. There could, and were, many benefits.”

“Is that why in your CV you openly stated your view on sexual equality?”

Trying not to appear shocked, “moving on” she added, “you are well versed in both ladies and men’s toys then? That’s given me a very interesting idea, Colin.”

Her mind was already thinking about the many possibilities meeting Colin could have to be a major asset. Colin could offer some sort of “personal service” based on the supply, demonstration and purchasing tailor-made sex toys for adults. She openly asked him, “Does that type of work interest you as much as it does me then, Colin?”

“Well, yes,” Colin continued, “I’m a bit out-of-date in this fast-moving industry as some of the more up-to-date ones have far more features which will need to be researched and then used, etc., but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

You’d need someone to practice on then?” she said smiling.

“Yes, I think we both know who would fit the bill on that one don’t we?”

“I think we do Colin, we could make a start later in the week, Thursday okay with you?”

After arriving home, an excited Rosemary – no, not just excited but a highly intrigued one – was finding herself carrying out not only a social media search on Colin, but also searching on a couple of local dating sites – anything, anywhere. She was trying to find out anything personal about this guy. She was frustrated as little information was gleaned from either, which only made her more intrigued.

Basically her research came down to this: Colin supported equality issues.

Nothing about family, sporting interests, politics, holiday likes/dislikes, etc.

So much then for her methodically composed, hand-written, carefully-headed landscape table she’s created – one she’d quickly sketched/made in her head – so few notes or personal information came under headings: Family, Attitude, Personality, Size, Hobbies, Sensual clothing, Positives, Negatives, Likeability, etc.

Rosemary felt as though the next two dragged on. Could they both team up and have the sort of boss/employee relationship that would enable them to combine work and pleasure? Thursday arrived and, in true character, she was prepared with lots of questions based on that train of thought and was feeling far more positive.

Colin arrived on time and was the same confident guy who was the least bit concerned whether he’d be offered the job or not. His demeanour wasn’t cocky, but positive. Colin looked at her and smiled warmly into her eyes right from their first glance.

He again smelt beautifully and seemed to have an extra aura of confidence that she was increasingly affected by. As Colin spoke, her mind wondered more about whether she could remain dignified and in control of what Colin was saying in his answers now that her very moist clit was beginning to overwhelm her thoughts – which was, she thought, an added bonus and attractive part of his demeanour.

The now informal interview was conducted professionally until she started delving into his character and background – what/who were his influences? She could then, she rationalised, get to know the “real” Colin.

They chatted quite some time with Rosemary desperately trying and failing to hide her obvious attraction for Colin. “Shall we find somewhere a bit more conducive to get to know one another?” she suggested. “That would be ideal, what and where do you have in mind then?” Trying desperately to retrain her professionalism, she stated that she sometimes used a local hotel when putting on promotions. “I’ve taken the liberty of pre-booking it if that’s okay with you?”

“I need to pop back home first as I think I may have left the hot water running.”

“No problem,” added Colin. They arrived back at the house, driving past the hotel and parked the car on her driveway.

[saffyspirals]

Hiii. Hope you're doing great! Ok so this might sound wierd but what if toman had a friend who sleeps around to get information for them but they don't know about how she does it until emma spills the tea.

𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘.

(tenjiku version)

genre: hurt/comfort, fluffy ending

word count: 1.8k

warnings: implied underaged sex, toman has platonic relationship with y/n except baji who’s crushing on her

author’s note: i actually got so into writing this request, it’s legit the longest thing i’ve ever written. thank you for sending it in!

“you can take a shower here, you know?” he suggests, sliding out from the covers and walking over to your figure by the door. his arms wrap around you, his head nestles into your shoulder. “or…we could have a little more fun, then take a shower together?”

“i’ll happily climb back into bed if you’ve got any more intel.” you remind, patting him to let you go. he heaves a dramatic sigh, muttering something along the lines of you being no fun. you give his room a final once over, making sure none of your belongings have been left behind, before you leave.

you’d been conducting “business” like this for a while now; sleeping with members of gangs enemy to toman, in exchange for valuable information. while you weren’t an official member, you were close with mikey and draken, and a good number of the captains and vice captains of each division. you couldn’t fight, but wanted to help the boys however you could. and this was the only solution you could come up with.

save for emma, who’d caught you walking home with a rival gang member and demanded an explanation, nobody knew how you got your information. mikey had questioned it once, but with a quick wave of your hand and a smile, you’d managed to dodge the question.

the cold night air still pricks your skin, despite the fact that you were wearing an oversized black jacket — gifted to you by your most recent customer. you think it would help if you stopped at a convenience store on the way home. with some food to distract you, the cold might not be so bad.

it’s relatively close by; a content sigh leaves your lips as you’re enveloped by the warmth of the building. you take yourself to the snacks aisle, humming softly as you wonder what to get. once you make your decision, you stand on the tips of your toes to get the chocolate bar on the top shelf. that’s when you feel two hands start tickling your hips. you jolt away from the touch, giving up on reaching the chocolate to face the mystery individual.

“did i scare you? didn’t mean to, y/n.” the individual turns out to be takashi mitsuya. he reaches up himself to get your desired snack, handing it to you once he’s got it. you thank him, quietly, to which he smiles.

“what’re you doing out so late? did your mother kick you out again?” he asks, picking out a bunch of snacks as he waits for your reply.

“no,” you say, coupling your answer up with the shake of your head. “i’m just out and about tonight.” he acknowledges your answer with a soft hum of understanding.

“well, wanna come back to mine? the house is empty tonight — parents are working and my sisters are at a sleepover. some of the guys are there too, as well as emma.”

you gladly accept his offer, knowing there would be nothing better to do at home. mitsuya pays for the stupid amount of snacks he purchased, as well as your own. the ones he got were all requested by the boys. parked outside is mitsuya’s ride. he instructs you to hold on tight before speeding off towards his place.

the guys; mikey, draken, hakkai, baji and chifuyu, as well as emma are in the middle of playing cards when you arrive. quick greetings are thrown about before you join in the circle, between baji and emma. mitsuya berates them for continuing the game without him, but ultimately gets over it quickly when they start again, to accommodate both you and him.

now feeling warm, you choose to remove your jacket, placing it down on your lap when you do. emma’s attention is drawn away from the game to you; she raises an eyebrow in question.

“that’s a guy’s jacket, right?” everyone stops playing at the mention of a guy. you narrow your eyes at emma, who does nothing, unfazed.

“yeah, a friend of mine gave it to me.”

“what friend?” baji drops his cards down on the table, now curious about you, and the jacket. hakkai, who’s beside him, doesn’t hesitate to take a peek at his cards.

“does it matter?” you sigh, silently cursing emma for bringing up the topic in the first place.

having found out about what you do recently, emma had yet to wrap her head around it. she’d advised you to stop; the guys, and the rest of toman wouldn’t like what you were doing. you’d (obviously) brushed off her words and continued, which apparently wasn’t going to fly with her.

“it only makes us more curious if you don’t say who.” draken points out. frustration slowly starts to build up.

“none of you even know him. he’s no one.” emma touches your thigh, resulting in you looking at her again. you know what she wants you to do, now that she’s created the opportunity, but you don’t want to. you knew emma was right; nobody would like what you were doing, but it was the only way you could help out.

“they’ll find out eventually.”

“they won’t if you zip it.” you hiss back.

“find out what? y/n, what’s going on?” you glance at mitsuya, who’s sat across the circle. his concern is slowly becoming more and more obvious on his face.

emma and yourself remain silent. she gestures for you to spit it out, but you remain tight lipped. a staring contest ensues between you, neither one of you willing to back down from what you want. she eventually looks away, making her the loser.

“she’s been sleeping with members of other gangs. that’s how she knows secret stuff about our rivals.”

but, emma does what she wants anyway.

a heavy silence befalls the room. you refuse to meet the eyes of any of your friends, favouring casting your gaze downwards to your lap. not looking at all of them doesn’t make it any difference; you can feel the heat that comes with their darkened stares.

chifuyu speaks up first, “is that supposed to be a joke?”

his question sets off mikey, who talks next. “does it sound like one? y/n, what the hell is that about?!” his voice remains even, but he sounds beyond pissed. you take your bottom lip between your teeth, gnawing at it gently.

“why would you do that?” chifuyu continues.

“what’s the problem?” you snap, looking around the room to glare back at all the angry expressions. “i’m helping you guys! if anything, you should be thanking me!”

“what are you, an idiot? you—”

“mikey.” draken places a firm hand on his captain’s shoulder, effectively stopping him from going off. “that’s enough.”

“but she’s-”

“i know.” he too, sounds mad. your frustration starts boiling over, resulting in tears welling up. mitsuya’s jaw slackens immediately, his pissed expression returns to his previous concern.

“y/n…”

“no, shut up.” you hastily scramble to your feet, jacket in hand. you go out of the living room, into the hall, where you’d left your bag. when you get to the front door, you hear a faint, “i’ve got her.” before somebody follows after you.

baji catches your hand, just before you can get too far. without a word, he takes you back to the house, and sits you down on the steps outside. still trying to hold it together, you chew on your lip harder. his hand comes to the back of your head, and you’re made to lay on his chest. it’s a green light for you to just let it out already. you cling to him tightly as you sob, hard enough that you’re shaking. baji stares off ahead, knowing you’d be embarrassed if he watched your breakdown.

it’s over soon, your violent sobs become quiet sniffs and hiccups. when you’re calm enough to talk, you let him go, wiping your face with the sleeves of your top.

“so, you couldn’t trust your best friend enough to tell him?” there’s no evidence in his tone that suggests he’s accusing you. actually, he looks so calm that nobody would believe that minutes ago, he too had been looking at you with such a dark expression.

“you’d kill me, baji.” you say. baji huffs, clearly not satisfied with your answer. although, you’re sure any answer you gave would be dissatisfactory.

“yeah? then how are you still breathing?” you roll your eyes at that.

“you all just don’t get it. i can’t fight alongside you, i’m useless at that. so this is the least i can do! i’m trying to help you.”

baji remains quiet for a bit, as if trying to come up with the right thing to say.

“you’re such an idiot.” and if that had been his plan, he’d failed miserably. you nudge him, hard. “you are.” he insists. “y/n, you’re the biggest idiot i’ve ever known.”

tired of being insulted, you open your mouth, ready to fire something back at him. baji doesn’t give you the chance to; shifting closer, he leans his forehead against yours, taking away any thoughts or desires to say anything nasty. your eyes flicker up to meet his.

“you’re the one who doesn’t get it. we all got mad because we care. it’s shit, knowing that you were using your body like that just for us. we didn’t even realise.”

“baji, i—”

“i’m talking, you’re listening.” he interrupts. “helpful or not — which you are, even if you don’t have any information to give us, we’d rather you be safe than anything else. you’re fucking family, y/n. and we all love you, just like a real family would.”

you appreciate the effort he’s making at being serious, but it’s hard not to smile when you catch his eyes lingering on your lips. you lick them, slowly, and his eyes flicker back to yours.

“are you sure that’s all you see me as?” you tease, smile growing wider when the tips of his ears turn red.

“why’re you asking me?” he grumbles, leaning away from you. “i’ll answer that another time, alright?” you nod, basking in the warmth that spreads across your body when he presses a quick kiss to your head. “let’s go back in.”

once in the living room, you can’t even begin to think up anything to say to any of them before you’re tackled into a hug by mikey. you stiffen, but eventually relax into his touch.

“i’m sorry,” you say, offering him a smile. “i didn’t think about how you’d feel about me doing all that.”

mikey pets the top of your head, returning your smile.

“the same goes for me. i didn’t mean to get angry.”

you take turns hugging the rest of your friends, excluding hakkai, who completely avoids your gaze. (mitsuya translates that he’s happy you’re okay).

as per your request, another round of cards is started up. you know there’s no way any of the boys were even close to being done talking about what you’ve been doing behind their backs. but still, as difficult as the conversation will be, you figure it won’t be a total mess; you do have pretty sweet friends.

“you fucking bastard, stop looking at my goddamn cards!”

the sweetest friends.

[here’s my masterlist] !

[movedtodykedvonte]

If you’re not busy how bout a headcanon for how the four lords would react to their s/o, a doctor/field medic, somehow healing them of their cadou parasites and returning them to their normal selves

If you can't afford medical treatment just get your doctor S/O to do a quick surgery. It's legal and fun!!

Here's a cut cause this bad boy is long

Alcina Dimitrescu

You two had discussed it and agreed that it needed to be done. The girls would be in constant danger from BSAA/Blue Umbrella if Alcina was still such a strong bio-weapon.

She had worries; would she be weaker? Would she need to worry about her blood disease again? How would she protect her daughters? You assured her that you two would figure it out, that you would never do this if you thought it would do more harm than good.

The girls protested, saying they could handle whatever was thrown at them but Alcina hushed them, explaining that it was for her sake as well. It was only so long until BSAA stopped letting her get away with literal murder, no matter how necessary.

You had explained the most likely and best outcome, that she'd be cured and all the effects reversed, that she'd need regular infusions of blood and may feel weaker. You tried to treat her like a regular patient, the coldness of being a medic, but the worry loomed over you.

It was a quick procedure, the cadou just as it had smoothly integrated with Alcina, had been slipped out, the changes almost just as quick.

Her skin became humanly pale, no longer a porcelain white, wrinkles showing the age she was when infected, her height dwindling. You didn't account for her to wake up as quick as she did and had to dive to catch her as she wobbled of the operating table, not yet used to her smaller size.

"A mirror" "Are you sure, Alcina? Maybe you should-" "I want a mirror now" She was demanding, but you understood how justified that was. You only had a small one for operating on you but it would have to do.

She pulled at her face, a look of disdain as she inspecting the face of a mortal woman instead of an immortal lord. Seeing this you came up behind her, wrapping your arms around her waist like you were never able to fully do before, and planted a kiss on her cheek, now noticing how warm it was compared to her previous form

"I look horrid" "You look beautiful" The comment drew a smile from her, but you could still sense the doubt in her.

She stayed in her room for a while, you being the only one allowed entrance to tend her: Infusions, getting her used to human food rather than humans for food. Alcina insisted she fully recovers before her girls saw her as to not incite panic.

It was tough on her to be distant with her girls, but tougher on them to not see her after such a harrowing surgery.

When the girls first saw her it was as if they were interacting with a valuable and fragile vase, none of them wanted to get close in fear of hurting her, but they desperately wanted to inspect their mother.

"I'm not made of paper, an embrace won't kill me." It was lovely seeing them perk up at their mother's usual sass and even more relieving when they practically dove into her arms, bombarding her with questions on how she felt.

There were many things to still discuss, but for now, everyone was happy.

Donna Beneviento

Donna surprisingly brought it up to you first. You were having tea having a calm conversation with Angie for once. The mood felt off for that alone but for the whole day it felt off, now you knew why.

She wanted a normal life with you, one free of the mold and her dependence on her dolls. It was all a crutch and she wanted to start to walk without it.

You asked if she was sure, the dolls, especially Angie, meant so much to her, you didn't want to do it unless she was positively certain

"We've made our mind up, Y/N. We want this." Angie's serious response and Donna's nod were a startling confirmation. You set a date and prepared the tools for the procedure

Before all of that, you set up a party for Donna and Angie, placing all the dolls for one last goodbye. "Surprise!" You pop out with all the dolls, you suspect she knew as the dolls came to life to yell as well but she was crying tears of joy either way.

She said goodbye to all the dolls individually, thanking them for being there for her as she shut down her cadou in each of them. Donna told you that Angie didn't want to go until she had to. You understood completely.

On the day of the procedure, you knelt down to Angie and hugged her. She was always a little bit of a pain to you and she found you a bit dull but in the end, you cared and you were going to miss her rambunctiousness. You spared yourself the tears of a verbal goodbye as you placed her on the operating table next to Donna, she feigned unconscious to mimic her sedated friend.

It was slow and grueling to remove the cadou carefully from her face and skull, you wanted to leave as little scarring as possible. Donna had just stopped wearing the veil and you had no desire to be the reason it came back on

The procedure was no less easy as every amount removed, you noticed Angie appearing even more lifeless.

When it was done, she woke up, her working eye blinking under the bright lights of your operating chambers. She did not address you but immediately turned to Angie. You had not an idea of how she knew she was lying next to her

"Angie?" There was no response and you could see the tears forming as she slowly reached for her best friend, caressing the inanimate face. You took her other hand and squeezed it, before lifting it to your lips and planting a kiss.

Recovering was less physical than mental. Occasionally she'd ask her dolls a question, you'd catch her staring sorrowfully at them as they stared back unblinking. It was even worse when you heard her call for Angie, knowing it was impossible for her to respond.

Sometimes you'd find her staring out the window, holding Angie as she took in the horizon.

"It's difficult... She was always there for me." She stared at Angie, brushing the veil from her face as the setting sun leaked in. You sat next to her, leaning in close so you could support Angie's slumped head... Donna smiled at the action. "But, I suppose there's a lot else for me too." Donna rested her head on your shoulder, now looking at the broad horizon before you both.

Salvatore Moreau

It hurt you like nothing else to see Salvatore live in constant pain and suffering. You had done wonders for the hurt of loneliness but physically he was still in agony.

He has insisted not to burden yourself with him and that he was used to it, but the more he assured you the less you actually felt comforted. It came to a head one day that all he was doing was vomiting. You were sure you saw red at some point

"Stop saying you're fine!" "I'm used to it, Y/N" "Well I'm not!" You were a medic, it had become an instinct to stop people from being in pain, and Moreau made it flare up.

He refused to be operated on, making up excuses or insisting it was not a big deal to him after all these years. Clearly, you could tell it was something else, something he wasn't telling you but he refused to let it slip. It became a strain on your relationship. It felt bad but you had to threaten to leave if he was not going to be honest. He owed you that.

You felt even worse when you found out. "I'm scared it would get worse!" You realized that the last time Moreau was likely on an operating table, it turned him into what he was now. It was beyond inconsiderate to try and force him through it again.

For a while, you dropped it, letting the waters calm... until another vomiting fit happened and you thought you might lose him.

Luckily you didn't and unluckily for Moreau he had to see you're tear-ridden face the whole time, unable to assure you he would be fine due to the wretching. A day later he agreed to let you try.

You were relieved but now it went on to how you were exactly going to do this. You were unsure if removing the cadou would be enough to rid him of the tumors or if you would be on that too, you had no intention to make things worse like he feared.

A while passed as you collected the tools and set up an area in the reservoir to operate, everytime you made progress Moreau strayed farther from the area.

You finally finished and Moreau was off lurking in the waters, much like a child hiding from getting a shot. "Are you ready?" "Yes." "Are you lying?" "Yes." You were happy he found humor in the situation but you needed confidence.

You practically held his hand the whole way to the table, both to keep him from escaping to the water and a half for comforting, his grip did not slip until you had fully sedated him.

The procedure was more difficult than ever expected, the tumors were gelatinous and blocked the way to his cadou. You had to be careful not to burst one as well as not to accidentally paralyze him due to the proximity to his spine. It was slow and meticulous but eventually, you got it all.

Nothing happened. He laid unconscious on the table, cadou thoroughly gone, you made sure... but nothing happened. Did you fail? Was there another one? You pondered the possibilities but quickly stood up as the tumors began to swell, becoming enflamed before one burst, an acidic substance barely missing you and melting part of the floor. As more popped you took cover as not to get burned.

The grotesque sounds of bursting meat slowly faded, becoming less frequent until they stopped, but you waited, ensuring you did not accidentally get splashed by a straggler.

"Y/N?" The sound of your name from a familiar deep but the somehow less nauseous voice made you peer from around your cover, a man all too foreign and all too familiar sat dazed-looking on the table.

"Salvatore?" {Insert your own description of Moreau, I don't want to intrude on anyone's interpretation.} "Y/N!" He immediately tried to get off the table to come to you before you quickly stopped him, remnants of acid a very real danger. You covered a path and made your way to him, stopping at the edge of the table. "Did it work?"

Something about the question seemed laughable as you assumed the feeling would be completely different, but you still pulled a mirror close and let him marvel at a face he had long forgotten.

"Did I make it worse?" It was a snarky remark at his previous fears, probably a little insensitive but at the moment he smiled, suddenly pulling you into your first full kiss in your relationship. "Not at all."

Karl Heisenberg

You were helping him in the factory one day, decommissioning the more specialized soldats at the request of BSAA. You being less tech-oriented focused on the less mechanical soldiers while Karl took on the scrap heavy ones.

Having used some Cadou in them, you had to carefully remove that too, to ensure they would not resurrect after the metal was removed. It took no time for Karl to piece together who else that skill could be used on.

"Make space for me on your schedules, Y/N" He lit a cigar after the sentence, not explaining further. "Excuse me?" "You heard me, sweetheart." He ripped a core from another soldat before putting it on the belt to bring it towards you. You stared in disbelief.

"You want me to remove your cadou?" "Yep." "But I thought BSAA was." "I don't want those dick heads snooping in my body like I'm some labrat. You do it." The conversation was quick and honestly, it should have been expected.

Karl had joked with you before that you could take away his cadou. Just snip and a rip and it'd be done. You explained it wasn't that simple and he would chuckle out an agreement, but you could tell that the jokes had an air of seriousness around them. It had been his goal for a while to reverse what had been done to him

Picking a date was the biggest issue. Karl wanted to do it as soon as possible, get it out and be rid of it. You had to explain you needed time to prepare as the place was delicate and a risk. You knew it was out of excitement and anticipation.

When you finally made time, Karl was on the table before you had even put on gloves or disinfected it. "An eager beaver I see?" You tried to bring the humor Karl often did to scenarios like this, but you could see a sense of series on his face, even the glint of his glasses seemed steeled. "I want every trace of that bitch gone."

You nodded, pulling out the syringe to sedate him as you laid him down on the table. Removing his glasses you looked directly in his eyes, there was a trust in his that made you that much more determined. "You ready?" You asked as a medic protocol. "Just stick me doc." You rolled your eyes as he smirked before relishing in the slight scared look he gave the needle when you lifted it before him

The silence of it all unnerved you. Karl was always making wisecracks or jokes to alleviate the dreary mood of the factory. Having him laying silently before you, face still somehow serious while completely relaxed, made it all the more discomforting.

You worked diligently, careful to find all traces of the cadou and to remove them into a jar you had set aside. It was long but you did it with dutiful ease, Karl had waited so long for this and you must do it right

When it was all finished you took the jar, disgusted at the somehow living organism inside. How could she put this in someone she considered her child. Bitch, was too kind a word Karl used for her. You took the jar to a furnace, throwing it in and watching the thing wriggle frantically before burning to a crisp.

Coming back to the table you found Karl stirring awake, groggily holding himself up on his forearms. "So, how'd it go?" "You tell me?"

Karl looked around the room, his hammer resting in the corner. Focusing on it he waited for the item to float toward him, yet it remained still. After a minute of nothing he stopped, a slow chuckle emerging from him, melding into a proud laugh.

"Well, I'll be damned, Y/N. You've outdone yourself." He began patting himself in search of a cigar. You pulled one from the side table and offered it, snatching it away before he could get a grasp on it. "No smoking until you're fully healed."

He shook his head, chuckling a little more before sitting up and pulling you close. Tilting your head up he locked your lips together. Pulling apart he smiled, "Whatever you say, doc."

I completely forgot that Moreau was a doctor and honestly I should've added something about medical knowledge but its super late and I have a job interview to get up for.

[lokiskitten]

Tom Hiddleston | Mister Hiddleston

Teacher!Tom Hiddleston x fem!reader

plot : your professor, mister Hiddleston, asks you to stay after class in order to talk to you about one of your recent works. However, it easily takes an unexpected turn.

Warnings : teacher x student relationship, kissing.

The bell finally rang, allowing the entire class to take off for the cafeteria as the sounds of hungry stomachs echoed silently throughout the place. It was noon, and you had just spent a painful hour sitting in English literature class- having to listen to your handsome teacher brag about Romeo and Juliette, which in your opinion was quite a boring play. However, Mr. Hiddleston seemed to be absolutely hypnotized by the love he carried for Shakespeare’s work, which held you back from speaking your thoughts.

Right as you were about to get up from your chair, the older man called after you from where he sat at his desk, requesting for you to stay a little bit longer without even giving you a valuable explanation as to why. Of course, you felt absolutely scattered about not being able to join your friends in order to fill up your empty belly which was seriously beginning to behave out of your control. However, as a student, you simply couldn’t go against any of the adults’ demands.

Though, Mr. Hiddleston was never the typical type of teacher. He was interesting, chatty when it came to sharing with his students, and above all good looking- which was rare for a professor. Yet, all of those fantasies regarding him had to stay secret due to the obvious age gap between the two of you, as well as the profession he practiced. As a teacher, he wasn’t allowed to have a personal link with any of his students, which you were both aware of. However, this unexpected extra class was soon going to take a tragic turn.

It didn’t take long for the classroom to fully empty itself, you and your teacher being the only remaining beings in the room which offered the two of you some privacy to speak about whatever subject your professor wished to refer to. Taking his glasses off his nose as you stepped closer to his desk, Tom then laid them down in front of his muscular forearms before rubbing his palms against one another. He seemed to be peculiarly frustrated, as if something was bothering his experienced soul. Yet you remained quiet, showing respect for this man as his lips parted calmly.

“I wanted to talk to you about your last essay. It’s brillant, really, but.. quite dark, I’m afraid.” The older man revealed, taking ahold of the piece of paper on which was written your perfectly creepy work. You often tended to get your inspiration out of the worst- which was something Tom simply couldn’t be aware of and which easily led him to worry. The teacher looked up at you as he handed you the paper, ocean blue eyes seeking for an explanation which didn’t want to show up. In the end, you felt forced to speak up in order to defend your case.

“It’s just a stupid piece of paper. It’s not like I’m telling you about my life or anything.” You responded on an upset tone, feeling defensive face to your professor’s intrusive questions. However, this wasn’t enough to reassure Tom’s worries. Standing up from his chair, he then allowed his bum to collide with the end of the desk as his arms crossed against his strong chest. He was now towering over you, still waiting for his mind to elaborate a proper diagnostic of its own regarding your mental state. “Y/n...” the older man started, earning a clueless stare coming from your shorter silhouette.

Now, this innocent gaze had cut your professor right through his sentence. He seemed absolutely destabilized face to this sight, lips parting without any words ever escaping his mouth. His eyes easily diverted to your lips, admiring the way they were composed and how they perfectly fitted your other facial features. Even if he would never willingly admit it, Tom had developed a crush on you throughout the classes you spent with him, listening to him, even if it all remained pretty much hidden away in his subconscious.

The grown man worried for your mental health, for your well being. He assumed that it was his role as a tutor to make sure that all of his students were doing well, which he had progressively began to doubt you were. Seeing how you weren’t moving, the professor decided to take the risk to move the back of his hand up to your cheek, ocean blue eyes still staring into yours as he caressed your skin. It was a risky move to make, which easily justified his light shakiness. Tom knew that he would only get one chance, and that if you ever turned out not to share the same feelings as he did, he could say goodbye to his job as a teacher.

Meanwhile, you couldn’t help but unexpectedly loose your capacity to move as you felt your teacher’s veiny hand brush against your cheekbone. However, you didn’t freeze out of fear, but out of pure enhancement and excitement. You were glad that he had proceeded to make the first move, as yourself wouldn’t ever had the required guts to attempt anything with a man who was twice your age, and most importantly your own teacher.

His hand now cupped your entire cheek, causing you to drop the irrelevant paper to the ground as Tom’s face began to dangerously near yours. He leant in, head slightly tilting to the side before his lips finally decided to collide against yours. It felt like an explosion of fireworks in your lower stomach, feeling as his second hand decided to take ahold of your face as he stood up from the desk. This kiss was soft yet genuine, as if Tom had decided to make sure the territory wasn’t hostile before he could fully explore it.

When he pulled away, his thumbs simply began to brush against your cheekbones as your eyes locked, the two of you sharing unspoken words through your respective orbs only. The two of you wanted one another, desperately, and you were now irrevocably in love with him. This kiss had been the tilt which made you fall on the other edge, the tilt which allowed you to be set free from all the held backs you had forced down onto yourself regarding your professor. On another hand, your lack of hostility had managed to ease Tom’s anxious heart.

Leaning in again, he this once pressed a more intense kiss to your lips, body moving closer to yours until the two gently collided against one another. It felt heavenly, his touch and scent easily intoxicating and taking over your organism. Meanwhile, lust was progressively taking over your professor’s mind and body, his breaths becoming rougher as he pressed sloppy kisses against your mouth. Your lips parted, allowing his tongue to slide inside of your wet cave as the two of you continued to share a passionate kiss. His hands were soon to move down from your cheeks to your waist, feeling your curves with those large hands of his.

Unexpectedly, Tom ended up pulling away in order to focus onto the flesh of your neck, sending chills down your spine as his warm breath heated up your once chilly skin. He was getting more and more eager as seconds passed, anxiety still managing to hold your own desires back as your teacher seemed to be in charge of the situation for now. Progressively sneaking down, he began to lay kisses against your clothed chest and stomach, visibly looking forward to lift your shirt once he would’ve arrived all the way down to your crotch, aka his final destination.

You allowed shaky breaths to escape your lips, head tilting back before your face decided to divert down towards the sight of your literature teacher’s gorgeous curly hair. Hesitantly, your hand moved from his shoulder to his mane, caressing the smooth strands and curls which Tom interpreted as the green flag to lift your upper piece of clothing. However, upon feeling him now press kisses against your lower abdomen, you couldn’t help but grow fearful regarding your environment and surroundings.

“Wait-..” you suddenly stopped him in his track, his face looking up at you as his ocean blue eyes were filled with confusion yet understanding. He was ready to listen to whatever complain or worry you felt like laying on the table. Gasping softly, you bit onto the skin of your inner cheek before finally finding the strength to speak up. “Not here.” You begged, not being comfortable with having your first sexual intercourse in a classroom in which anyone could unexpectedly walk in. It wasn’t Tom’s fault, but simply the surroundings’.

Standing back up on his feet, your professor nodded in agreement before attempting to press another kiss to your lips. However, this once you decided to back away, denying his lustful proposal which left the teacher in shock. But above all, he seemed confused. “You’re driving me crazy.” He affirmed lowly, referring to how infatuated he was with your being; and the fact that you now stepped away from him felt just like a dagger digging into his heart. You found yourself biting down onto the skin of your inner cheek again, suddenly feeling nervous face to the man and his many propositions.

“Please. I need to see you again. Tonight.” After speaking those desperate words, the literature teacher reached down for your worksheet before taking ahold of a pencil, writing his address down on the back of the paper before handing it to you. His lips were parted, silent pants coming out of his mouth as anxiety and nervousness sent his emotions over the roof. In fact, he was simply scared that you would deny his proposition. Yet you took ahold of the worksheet and looked down at the words he had written onto the back of the copy, admiring how nice his handwriting was.

“Promise me you’ll come.” He begged, visibly looking forward to receive an oral confirmation in order to ease his worries. No words exited your body but a simple nod accompanied by a fainted smile, leading your teacher to return the same discreet gesture your face currently adorned. And just like that, you walked out of his classroom with your heart beating faster than it ever had before at the thought of seeing him again later tonight.

I hope you guys enjoyed this😏 might do a part two soon enough. I’m open to suggestions and crunchy details y’all would be looking forward to read about💥💳 Requested tags : @fa-me @delightfulheartdream

[chimchimsauce]

Fairest

Is beauty a blessing or a curse? All of her life, princess YN was told that her beauty was the greatest gift her late mother ever gave her. But when her looks attract a man cruel and bloodthirsty, YN begins to think that her greatest asset is the beginning of her demise.

“Checkmate.”

YN cannot help the grin that spreads across her face as she utters the word, watching as her older brother groans with disdain.

“You always win!” he complains, acting very much like a child.

“That’s because you always get too caught up in the current move, dear brother. The future decisions are the most important ones.”

YN’s older brother, first in line to the throne of their small country Ameris, huffs and crosses his arms over his chest.

“Chess is like war. You get too focused on winning battles that cause you to lose the war. I certainly hope that won’t be the case for our kingdom . . .”

YN is only jesting. Her elder brother is an excellent leader and will make a wonderful king. He’s just really impatient with games. 

“I’m sure I can beat you next round!” her brother says playfully.

They both know it’s unlikely, but YN clears the board and begins to set up another game. As she’s placing the last pawn, a knock comes at the door. One of her handmaidens opens it, revealing one of their father’s special guards. 

YN’s breath catches ever so slightly before she schools her expression back into one of unbothered royalty. It’s always so hard to ignore her secret lover when other people are around, but she knows she must. A relationship between her and her father’s most trusted guard would cause a scandal that would undoubtedly get Wonho’s position revoked. He’s worked his entire life to get good enough for a spot on the King’s royal guard and there’s no way YN would do anything to sabotage that.

“His majesty has requested your presence,” Wonho says, not even looking YN in the eyes.

He’s much better at keeping his emotions in check.

YN’s brother stands, tapping his finger on the chessboard.

“Lucky thing I’m being summoned, or else I would have absolutely destroyed you in this game.”

YN laughs, maybe a little more politely than she would if Wonho wasn’t standing at the door.

“I’m sure of it,” she says, “Feel free to come back anytime to play again.”

YN’s brother nods and leaves her quarters, following after Wonho. Being the heir to the throne means that YN rarely gets to see her brother. He’ll be gone for weeks, sometimes months at a time as he tours the neighboring countries to learn everything he possibly can, as well as maintain a positive relationship with their allies. Ameris may be a small country, but it is located in the perfect spot for transcontinental trade and filled to the brim with valuable resources. One could dig in a mine for just a few moments and emerge with a diamond the size of a robin’s egg.

Thankfully, Ameris has not had any problems with its neighboring countries in hundreds of years. The last war was ended by YN’s great great great grandfather and peace has blanketed the region since then.

Well, for the most part. In the last several years, the Eastern kingdom of Moonbyss has been steadily expanding and taking over small, unclaimed villages. They have not breached any borders or broken any treaties, however, so there is no cause to worry quite yet.

YN sighs as her thoughts shift back to Wonho. Their secret love affair has been going on since they were teenagers. At first, Wonho was just an attractive boy who was willing to indulge her wanton fantasies, but soon enough an affection bloomed between them. It’s so hard to pretend not to be in love with him, especially when he grows more handsome by the day.

“Thinking about him, my lady?” YN’s lady in waiting, Irene, asks her.

Irene is YN’s closest confidant and friend. She knows almost everything about the princess. Ever since she arrived in the castle from abroad two years ago, they have been inseparable. 

“Of course,” YN says, standing and walking over to the window that overlooks her private gardens. 

She opens the glass door and steps outside, her skin warmed by the sunshine. It’s an absolutely beautiful day, cloudless and blue. Birds chirp sweetly and the scent of flowers wafts on the breeze. The princess stops at the fountain in the middle of the garden, sitting on the bench and looking into the bubbling water. YN often made wishes in this fountain when she was younger, tossing in coins that reflected the sunlight back at her. More recently, though, she’s only wished for one thing - to be with Wonho. Her father, although he loves her, would never allow a union between them. Her older brother, however, has promised to allow YN to marry whoever she desires once he takes the throne on his thirtieth birthday.

He does not know that someone already has her affections, but no matter. YN is not worried about being married off. While her brother is the only prince in the kingdom, the king was blessed with twelve daughters and YN is the youngest. Every available man of power in the kingdom and the surrounding countries have already been wedded. 

YN has Irene bring her a book to read and she settles in, getting comfortable in her garden. The hours pass by quickly as she is sucked into the tale, but soon enough a shadow blocks her reading light. 

The princess looks up and is shocked to see Wonho standing in front of her. Alarm flares up inside of her. The two of them have agreed to never be seen together in daylight.

“Won-”

“Your Majesty,” Wonho says stiffly, “The King requests an audience. I have been asked to escort you to the throne room.”

YN hesitates a moment. She can tell that something is wrong by the strain in his voice. Something must really be bothering him for the guard to allow it to leak into his words. She wants to ask him what’s wrong, but she never knows who is watching so she simply stands, handing her book off to Irene who stands beside her.

“Very well,” YN says, trailing after him and back into the castle.

He walks three paces in front of her, leaving her to stare at his back. So much about him has changed in the last few years. He’s gained an immense amount of muscle, something that YN has really grown to appreciate during their midnight endeavors. It’s a shame that everything is covered up by his uniform, but she must admit he looks dashing in it.

As they walk, YN notices that Wonho isn’t the only one acting strangely. The various maids and butlers who usually flit around and chatter pleasantly amongst themselves are dead silent, walking with perfectly straight backs and zipped mouths. The princess notices a few pitying looks tossed her way and something cold settles in her stomach.

What’s going on?

Wonho knocks on the throne room’s closed doors. They are ever so carefully opened a few moments later and Wonho leads YN into the grand room.

Her father sits on the throne, a smaller one empty next to him. It always makes YN sad to see her father by himself. The Queen passed away only a year ago and was her father’s closest friend. The late Queen was kind to everyone, even YN’s mother - a poor girl her father discovered in one of his hunting trips. Apparently, YN’s father was so taken with her mother that he simply had to add her to his harem and rarely visited any of his other concubines afterward. But it didn’t last long - YN’s mother died shortly after her birth. Everyone says that she left YN her ethereal beauty, a fact that led YN to being hidden away in the castle for the majority of her life.

“You’re the most valuable diamond in all of Ameris,” her father told her once, “It’s important that few people know of your existence.”

It had saddened YN when she was younger that she could not attend the lavish parties and balls like her elder sisters and brother, but she came not to mind once Wonho came into her life. It mattered not if other people thought she was beautiful - as long as Wonho desired her, that was more than enough.

Standing to her father’s side is YN’s brother. The jolly air that had surrounded him mere hours ago is gone completely now. He looks furious, an expression YN has rarely seen on his face. He’s looking at a man who stands before the throne, a crown placed perfectly on his head.

Visiting nobility? 

The man turns as the click of YN’s heels sounds out against the marble flooring. YN’s step falters as a large, nearly terrifying grin spreads across his face. He is incredibly handsome, but the smile on his face does nothing but creepy the princess out.

“There she is,” he says, quickly extending his hand towards her.

YN, uncertain, looks at her father who gives her a stiff nod. Hesitantly, YN places her hand in the stranger’s grasp, making sure to school her expression as he places a cold kiss that lingers too long against her gloved hand. The princess has never been more glad to be wearing gloves.

“And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?” YN asks, careful to watch her throne. 

“King Seokjin Moonbyss, your highness. I must say, the rumors of your beauty do you no justice. You’re much more radiant in person.”

YN’s blood freezes in her veins. This cannot mean anything good.

“Thank you,” YN says, a slight tremble in her voice.

The man has still not released her hand.

“YN,” her father says, giving her an excuse to look away from this man - no, this monster - beside her, “King Seokjin has asked for your hand.”

YN barely squashes the shout of protest that so desperately wants to escape her throat. There’s no way this can be happening! No way! Her eldest brother is just three years shy of taking the throne, three years more of having to tiptoe around with Wonho. No way she can get married, especially to someone from so far away.

“Excuse me,” Wonho says, speaking up from his place behind YN, “I thought King Seokjin was already married.”

Relief flows through YN. If Seokjin is already married, then surely this is an error.

“She failed to provide me with a male heir, so I had her disposed of,” King Seokjin says simply, glaring at Wonho, “Do not question me again.”

There is not a trace of remorse in his voice at all, nothing but anger.

YN begins to tremble.

“Father -” she begins.

“King Seokjin has made us an offer I cannot refuse,” he says, cutting her off, “And besides, YN, you’ll be able to be Queen. You never would have had that opportunity here.”

YN’s father would normally never make this sort of decision, especially not for the daughter he tried so hard to keep hidden.

“Of course, sweet YN,” King Seokjin says, “You are free to reject my offer if you so desire. I would, however, be forced to declare war on Ameris. After all, this country is the most resource rich of all the lands. It’s a shame. It would have been so much nicer to make a positive connection with this beautiful country. I wonder how much of its splendor will be left once my troops march through it.”

The threat is crystal clear. YN has to marry this King or her country will suffer for it. YN glances at her father and brother, seeing the fear that’s in their eyes. Ameris is much too small to fight Moonbyss and win, especially since the eastern country has been gaining a lot of territory very rapidly. YN swallows. In a matter of hours, her perfect daydream has been shattered.

“I would be honored to marry you, King Seokjin,” YN says, trying her hardest not to cry.

She can release her tears once she’s in the safety of her own chambers. She cannot show any weakness in front of this man.

“Beautiful and smart,” King Seokjin says, “It will be my honor to have you as my bride. After all, the most handsome man in all the world deserves the most beautiful bride of them all.”

YN never really thought much of her beauty. She’s always heard it was a blessing, the only one her mother ever left her, but right now it feels like a curse. 

“I pray that you’ll join me for dinner this evening, my betrothed,” King Seokjin says.

“I would love to,” YN says even though the thought of having to spend even a single moment more in this man’s presence makes her want to hurl.

“You best retire to your quarters, my love. Your father and I have much to discuss before this evening. I’ll send someone for you when I’m ready.”

The dismissal is clear. YN turns swiftly and leaves the room, Wonho following closely behind her. She walks much too fast to be considered ladylike, but she does not give a damn, wanting to be as far away from the throne room as possible. 

“YN, wait!” Wonho calls out to her.

He grasps her wrist, uncaring of who will see, and pulls her to his chest. As soon as the warmth of him touches her, YN loses all composure, breaking down and sobbing into his pristine uniform.

“Wonho,” she cries out, grasping him as close as she can, her fingers creasing the silk he wears, “I don’t want to be Queen! I want to marry you!”

YN feels something wet fall against her head. Based on the way his shoulders shake, Wonho is also crying. She hasn’t seen him shed a tear since one of his best friends was murdered on a mission.

“What are we going to do?” YN asks into his chest, her voice muffled, “I don’t think I can bear being apart from you, especially with someone as cruel as the King!”

“We’ll figure something out, YN, I promise,” Wonho says, pulling away just enough to give YN a salty kiss.

“At least once more,” YN says once their lips part, “I must have you at least once more.”

“Your wish is my command, princess,” Wonho says, pulling her along to her chambers.

The two fall into the sheets, both knowing that this is the last time despite desperately wanting to spend eternity together.

On the other side of the castle, Irene makes her way through the hallways, stopping at a grand door and knocking three times. No one answers, so she swings it open, prepared to wait for as long as it takes. 

Maybe half an hour later, King Seokjin opens the door, looking quite pleased with himself. He doesn’t greet Irene, instead instantly walking over to her and pinning her against the wall, his lips meeting hers passionately. Irene barely has any time to catch her breath, but she doesn’t mind at all, too enamored with this man she knows is only using her.

When he was only a prince, Seokjin was infamous for being a womanizer. All too often, he lured servants and noble girls alike into his chambers, whispering promises and pressing kisses against their skin only to leave them abandoned like trash when he grew bored of them. Irene was one of those servant girls, but Seokjin has kept her around for longer than most. A part of Irene is convinced it’s because she’s special to him, but she knows it’s really not true.

Seokjin has been obsessed with YN, the secret twelfth princess of Ameris for five years now. Ever since he spotted her while visiting Ameris with his late father, he wanted her - needed her. After all, she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen, trying as he might to find another. His late wife was incredibly beautiful as well, but she didn’t compare to YN. No one else was worthy of her but him. It was YN that drove him to murder his own father and take the throne before he was supposed to. After all, Seokjin has never been a patient man.

Seokjin pulls away from Irene, looking unbothered as ever.

“No good,” he says, “Simply imagining that you’re YN does nothing. I’m tired of waiting.”

His words sting Irene’s heart. She tries not to be bitter, but jealousy is a powerful emotion, one that overshadows the genuine affection she feels for princess YN.

“Well,” the King asks her, “Who is it? The one YN claims to be in love with.”

The King rolls his eyes, gripping his fists tightly. How dare YN love another when he’s already claimed her.

“It’s Wonho,” Irene says, pushing down her feelings, “the guard that accompanied her today.”

“A guard huh? How dare he think he deserves someone as beautiful as YN!” he says, furious.

Seokjin is terrifying when he’s angry. Irene tenses, preparing for the worst. Instead of gripping her hair and tossing her to the floor like he usually does, Seokjin grabs a decorative vase and tosses it against the ground, watching as it shatters into a million pieces.

“You didn’t strike me,” Irene says, shocked.

“I have been practicing,” the King says, “After all, it would be a shame to make a single mark on YN’s perfect body.”

Much too soon, Irene is knocking on YN’s private chamber door.

“Your majesty,” she calls out softly, “Your betrothed has requested your presence.”

YN rolls over to Wonho, tears in her eyes. He blinks them away, wanting to remember this moment clearly.

“One moment,” YN calls out, listening as Irene walks away.

“Run away with me,” YN pleads, her voice desperate.

“You know we can’t,” Wonho says, his eyes sad.

“Yes we can!” YN insists, “You know this country better than anyone. We can get up right now and flee and -”

“YN,” Wonho says, “What about the country? You know we’ll be forced to go to war if you disappear.”

YN sniffles.

“I don’t think I can live without you,” YN confessed, “And if I can, I don’t want to find out.”

Wonho is silent for a moment before he sits up, an idea in his mind.

“What? What is it?” YN asks him.

“What if you didn’t?”

“What?”

“What if you didn’t have to live without me? I’ve heard rumors amongst the staff of a poison you can take that will put you in a deep slumber for a fortnight. If some was mixed into your dinner tonight, it can seem that you’ve been poisoned and passed away. Then when you awake, you and I can disappear together.”

YN brightens. Even though being unconscious for a fortnight doesn’t sound pleasant, anything will be better than having to marry KIng Seokjin. Besides, she trusts Wonho with her life.

“Okay,” YN says, agreeing right away.

“Are you sure, YN?” Wonho asks her, “You will end up getting rather sick for a few days before the slumber.”

YN nods eagerly.

“Yes, anything,” she says.

“Very well.”

Wonho hops out of bed, pulling on his clothes as quickly as he possibly can.

“I’ll get everything ready. YN, go to dinner with the king, alright? I won’t be able to see you after this so as not to arouse suspicion. I love you, princess.”

He leans down to kiss her.

“I love you more,” YN says, watching as Wonho slips out of a glass door and into the gardens.

Unbeknownst to the lovers, King Seokjin is outside the door, his ear pressed against it to hear everything. He had come to escort his beloved like a sweet fiance would, only to hear his to be wife scheming to get away from him.

He’s never been so angry, but he suppressed it, not wanting to let YN know that he’s been here. He grabs Irene by the arm roughly and leads her out into the hallway, bending over to whisper in her ear.

“Make sure to add enough of the poison to YN’s food to keep her under for longer than a fortnight. Put as much of it in as you can without bringing her to the brink of death.”

“Are you sure your -”

Irene’s question is cut off when he backhands her, one of his elegant rings drawing blood.

“Do NOT question me!” he says, “Do as I order!”

Irene rushes off to do as the King says, tears brimming in her eyes. She’s never regretted being Seokjin’s spy until now, too blinded by love. She should have warned YN, should have helped her disappear with Wonho - someone Irene knows truly loves the princess. King Seokjin is just obsessed with her beauty and determined to own her like she’s some sort of object to be bought and sold.

Peeking around the corner, Irene sees Wonho pouring a liquid into the soup bowl meant for the princess. When he leaves and when the coast is clear, Irene snatches the vial from the counter and empties the rest of it into other dishes reserved for the princess before refilling the vial with water and placing it back where Wonho left it.

“YN, I’m so sorry,” she whispers to herself before fleeing into the night, never to be heard from again.

At dinner, YN pretends not to notice the odd taste in her food. It’s obviously been tampered with, but YN doesn’t let it show at all, eating properly and conversing with King Seokjin as much as she can bear. YN misses the look of glee in his eye as he drinks from his goblet, still believing that everything is going to plan.

YN starts feeling ill once the final course comes around. She quickly asks to be excused and King Seokjin offers to walk her back to her room. YN accepts, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to make it on her own with the  way the room begins to spin.

For the next three days and nights, YN is in and out of consciousness, the world swirling around her in a nauseating mix of bright colors and fuzzy shapes. When she closes her eyes at midnight of the third day, her thoughts are on Wonho and the fact that the next time she opens them, she’ll be free to be with him.

But YN does not wake up. Not for a fortnight, not ever. Seokjin, furious, intends to find Irene and hang her for murdering his beloved before realizing that she’s nowhere to be found. It’s easy enough to frame Wonho for her murder and a matter of hours after YN dies, Wonho follows her from the gallows.

At his request, YN is preserved and dressed in a wonderful white wedding gown, still looking very much alive. He marries her anyway and has her crowned, determined to have her even in death. She’s too beautiful to be buried underground, so he commissions a glass coffin to display her in, putting her corpse in his bedroom where no one else can see her. King Seokjin finds that he does not mind YN being dead. She’s much less bothersome in passing, much easier to fall to his will.

King Seokjin stands before her, placing his hand flat against the cool glass of her coffin. Even in death, YN is the fairest of them all.

[hotdamnhunnam]

Ray ✈️ 💰 📚

Thanks for your request for my Emoji Fic Fest! 💗

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Flying Fuck

Pairing: Raymond Smith x F!Reader Warnings: smut, swearing, rough punishing quickie in an airplane bathroom Word Count: ~1.3k Emoji Prompt: ✈️💰📚 (key words are in bold)

For what feels like the thousandth time during this car ride, seated in the passenger side, your painfully OCD boyfriend adjusts his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he anxiously fidgets. “We could just slow down a little bit.”

Rather than letting up the gas you fucking hit it. “Oh and miss our flight? End up stranded at Heathrow all damn night? Don’t be an idiot.”

“We’ll book another if we miss it. Love, you’re way over the speed limit.”

You really couldn’t give less of a shit. “And what of it? You think I can’t afford a speeding ticket?”

Ray winces as you whiz right past the traffic light ahead, moments before it flashes red. He’s let you drive his precious car for once and this is how he gets fucking rewarded. “Just because you can afford it, doesn’t mean you should speed toward it. Had I known you’d be so reckless I’d have insisted on driving us instead.”

“Well I’d be driving at a reasonable rate, if we weren’t running so damn late. If you’d not spent ten hours packing all our luggage full of useless books that you’ve already read.”

Glancing up from the volume he’s currently reading, Raymond frowns in disapproval of your insult and your speeding. “Look, I’ve told you that these valuable books contain—”

“You’re just a nerd Raymond, I know that and you don’t have to explain. A softcore gangster with a strange college professor complex going on or something.” Hit the brakes as you approach a railroad crossing. Tap your fingers on the steering wheel while scowling in impatience at the slowly passing train.

Ray seems more than a little miffed at the ‘softcore’ shit so he suddenly goes harder on your ass. “Now once this train has passed, you need to calm your fucking tits and for the love of God just stop driving so fast. I’m serious Y/N. I won’t say it again.”

“Don’t be a drag.” You roll your eyes at him as the train crawls at a toad’s pace across the tracks and fucking lags. “If I cause damage to your precious car I’m sure you can afford all the repairs required, or even a replacement if your little heart desires, Mr. Moneybags.”

“You think I’d give a damn about the car if you go off and get yourself killed crashing straight into a truck? You think I’d give a flying fuck?”

“I’m in the driver’s seat so calm your fucking tits Ray,” you imperiously say.

To let off all the steam from this quarrel—and more importantly to punish you for being such a bad girl—Raymond plans to give you one hell of a hardcore flying fuck later today.

***************

Of course you make your flight on time all thanks to your fast driving skills. Of course Ray doesn’t give you credit where it’s due and you don’t think he ever will. Just stony silence as he struts aboard and settles his fine ass into his first class seat with absolutely zero gratitude. So fucking rude.

Once the plane reaches cruising altitude… the fasten seatbelt sign flicks off and that’s his cue to punish you for your insufferable attitude.

With one quick gesture of his finger and that nasty little glimmer in his eyes of blue, you know exactly what your man wants you to do. There’s an unspoken code between you two. Especially when it comes to the critical business of getting screwed.

Needless to say you’d fucking love for Ray to pound you in the bathroom but you shrug it off like you’re not in the mood. Stay seated on your stubborn ass. “I’ll pass. I think I’d rather sit and wait till we get served some shitty plane food.”

But then… his dominant hand reaches in your lap all of a sudden. And unbuckles your belt for you since you won’t do it yourself. You could’ve tried a little harder to prevent that but you didn’t ‘cause deep down you’re just a desperate little bitch for him and really can’t be helped.

Ten seconds later you’re there waiting in the bathroom stall—another thirty seconds later Ray raps thrice against the door which you then open so that he can slam you up against the wall—so hard and fast your breath escapes you in a slutty little yelp.

He locks the door behind him quickly. Repositions you with your face pressed into the mirror up above the sink. The fucking hasn’t started yet already you feel so utterly filthy. Feel the thick throb of his cock grazing the bare cheeks of your ass under your short skirt before you can even blink.

Ray is the master of efficiency. The king of hardcore quickies. Though he loves to take his time with you when circumstance allows… he also knows exactly how to meet a limit: how to use his words and deeds to get you instantly aroused. Hit climax in less than a minute.

You forgot this was a punishment however—that means you don’t get the privilege to reach that peak of pleasure.

Ray makes sure that you remember.

“Next time you decide to be a little brat like that and fucking disobey…” he grunts—palm striking down upon your ass with a sharp smack—his other hand pulling your hair back—as he snarls into your ear all dark and dominant, slamming his cock into the tight slick of your cunt, “…you can be sure there will be fucking hell to pay.”

You’re such a whore for every savage thing he does and every word he has to say.

“Just like today,” he goes on, knowing you can take it, stripping your dignity naked, though the mirror shows you’ve still got all your clothes on. “Since you misbehaved that way… this naughty little cunt of yours won’t get to cum undone, till I’ve given permission.”

God, it’s torture, when your man sets such conditions. Does it often, knowing that’s what you get off on. Taking orders. Yielding to him in submission. It’s your God-given position.

“Are you going to be a good little bitch and fucking listen?”

He reaches his right hand around and hooks two of his fingers firmly in your jaw—so you can suck them as you nod and moan a breathless yes, your whole body a desperate trembling mess—the image in the mirror is the filthiest picture you ever saw.

There’s just something about such rough punishing sex here in the bathroom of a plane… this flying fuck is straight up driving you insane.

Typically Ray builds to your orgasm in seamless sync with his. But that’s not what this fucking is. Today he drops his load inside you hot and quick, and then pulls out his massive dick, pushing you down onto your knees to clean him off with one long lick.

Just one—though you want so much more—he’s done—he doesn’t let you touch yourself and cum where you kneel on the bathroom floor. That isn’t what today is for.

Maybe he’ll fuck you in the airport when you reach your destination but not one moment before. Of that you’re sure.

Till then you’ll have to ride the flight out with a flood of his thick creamy cum dumped in this dripping cunt of yours. Of fucking course. He knows you have needs and desires that are setting you on fire and he’s going to deliberately ignore.

When you were pushing all his buttons earlier, you should’ve known this punishment would be in store…

Maybe you did. Because you’re that much of a glutton for this shit. With Raymond Smith you’ll always be eager to get pounded and punished like a naughty little whore.

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Emoji Fic Masterlist

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[atlabeth]

everything happens for a reason part 11 - zuko x fem!reader

Memories, where'd you go?

part 10 | masterlist | part 12

a/n: alternative name for this fic: y/n gets a crush on every pretty girl she meets. yue, katara, and now suki. she can't help it (and she questions why they're all connected to sokka in some way lmaoo)

anyways, this is kind of filler but it establishes some more with relationships and finallyyy gets us into ba sing se at the end. i know it's a lil annoying because there's a lot of episode-to-text writing, but i promise it'll get more freeform as it goes on

also i know that i just posted something yesterday but i have literally zero patience. like i cant hold chapters i have to post them as soon as i write them loll

wc: 5.3k

warning(s): some feels over zuko as per usual, but overall a pretty tame chapter

chapter title comes from memories by panic! at the disco!

Zuko could barely sleep anymore.

He didn’t know when his life became so complicated, but he wasn’t a fan of it.

Back when it was just him, his crew, and the open sea — it was simple. He had a job, a straightforward mission. Find the Avatar, capture him, return home to the Fire Nation and regain his honor.

Now, the waters were more muddied than ever. Now on the run from the Fire Nation just like the boy he was chasing, all he really felt nowadays was anger.

Angry at the world for setting him on this path, angry at the Avatar for refusing to see what was necessary, his sister and her friends for turning against him, angry at the waterbender for making things so damn hard.

He didn’t want to hurt her. A part of him wished that she had never come back into his life, if it meant he wouldn’t have to constantly be fighting against her. He hated himself for the thought, but maybe it would have been easier for her to remain a memory of a lover than his active enemy.

Late at night, when he was reaching fruitlessly for sleep that would never come, he saw her face. The carefree energy from their childhood morphed into the shock and disappointment from both the North and their fight with Azula, and…

It made him wonder what in Agni had happened to them.

He—

He didn’t know. The way he felt about her, it was different than anything he had experienced before. Zuko didn’t know what it was, but he understood that it was special. And now… it felt like he had just thrown it all away.

Zuko couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened with her in that town — what he had done to her.

He had burned her to try and get to the Avatar, and he hadn’t even allowed a glance back at the damage he had done. He had heard her cry out in pain, pain he had caused, and he didn’t even look back.

What had happened to them? What had happened to him?

He kept telling himself that the mission was the only thing that mattered. And it was, wasn’t it? Capture the Avatar, regain his honor, get his old life back and finally be enough for his father. He didn’t have time for friends, or for these feelings he had, or— or for anything but capturing the Avatar. Because the Avatar was the key to everything, to his honor, and that was all that mattered.

But now…

Now, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He didn’t know what was right, or what was wrong, or what path was the one he had to take.

Zuko just wished things could be like they used to be.

~~~~~~~~~~

She didn’t really know when everything had become a mess again.

It all started out fine, like it usually did. Toph had become fully integrated into the group, any past squabbles put to rest in the name of a stronger friendship emerging between all five of them. Katara continued to work on Aang’s waterbending (oftentimes Y/N joining them in their sessions) while Toph slowly but steadily beat earthbending into him — literally.

They had all been working hard for so long that, by decree of Aang, it was ‘vacation time’. They would all get to pick out places they wanted to spend as a break, and after it was over they would get back to work.

Aang had chosen some sort of field with musical groundhogs, and Y/N had opted to revisit an Earth Kingdom village that she had passed through on her journey to the North. Sokka had complained the whole time about how they were ‘wasting valuable planning time’, but had finally conceded after the promise of ‘all the planning his heart could desire’ from Katara after their mini-vacations were over.

Y/N was actually feeling somewhat relaxed for once, but she had forgotten the golden rule — never let your guard down. Everytime she let her guard down, something bad happened without fail. So it shouldn’t have been any surprise with what happened in the desert.

Because after one trip to the Misty Palms Oasis and a journey into the desert with a professor to a long lost library, Appa had been taken by desert raiders.

It was… less than favourable. During their escape from the library, Professor Zei had insisted on staying behind, and now the five of them were stuck in the middle of the desert with no way out and zero guidance. Add some brewing tensions between Aang and Toph because of her being there when Appa was taken, and they had a recipe for a huge disaster.

And a disaster they had. Multiple disasters, actually.

There was only so much she and Katara could do to hold the group together, but by some miracle, they made it out of the desert with only one Avatar State mishap.

(And an incident with cactus juice, but… she didn’t really want to talk about that.)

....at least they had the information about the Eclipse. That was about the only thing keeping her together at the moment.

They had to get the information to the Earth King so they could formulate an attack with his warriors, but without Appa, they had to resort to more traditional methods of travel. Add in one passport problem, and that was how Y/N found herself braving the Serpent’s Pass alongside a refugee family with a baby on the way.

It was… intimidating, to say the least. Despite being surrounded by her element, Y/N didn’t feel any safer from the challenge that faced them. She took a deep breath, trying to tamp down on her fear the way her mother had taught her, as she followed the group, but her thoughts were soon interrupted.

“Hey.” She turned to see who the voice belonged to and was greeted by the girl that had teased Sokka early — Suki, if she remembered correctly. “I haven’t seen you around; are you with the Avatar or that family?”

“I’m with Aang,” Y/N explained. “I’m from the North, and they offered me a spot with them after they helped us defend our tribe against the Fire Nation. I’ve been with them ever since.” Suki nodded as they settled into a comfortable stride.

“That’s cool. Are you a waterbender?”

She gestured to her waterskin and smiled. “Yeah. I’ve been training with Aang and Katara ever since I left.” Y/N then turned her gaze back to Suki, raising an inquisitive brow. “Your makeup — what’s it for? I heard you talking about the Kyoshi Warriors back there; is that some kind of thing with Avatar Kyoshi?”

Suki grinned, her every expression heightened by the sharp reds and blacks above her eyes. “We’re a group of all-female warriors that use the teachings of Avatar Kyoshi and her partner Rangi to defend our home and the place she founded, Kyoshi Island. I’m the leader of our village section.”

“Wow,” she murmured, her eyes falling to the ground for a moment before finding their way back up to the warrior. “That’s really cool. You’re really cool.”

She laughed and shrugged. “Thanks. I’ve been training as a warrior for almost my whole life, so it just comes naturally. I like being able to protect people, and there’s no better way to pay back my home for all it’s done for me like protecting the whole village.”

“Wow,” she repeated with a small laugh of her own. “That’s really brave. I gotta say, I’m kinda jealous — I would love to see what would happen if Master Pakku met you all. Katara literally had to beat the sexism out of him in order to train to be a master.”

Suki chuckled. “Sounds like what I had to do with Sokka. Guess it’s a thing with Water Tribe guys, huh?”

At the mention of Sokka, she internally laughed. There had to be some kind of connection between the two of them, the way their interests kept aligning. “Sokka… he’s had it hard. I can’t blame him that much for any kind of attitude he had before he met you. Pakku, on the other hand? He had to have had something better to do than fight teenage girls.”

“You would think so, right?” Suki agreed. “And Sokka… I know. He’s got a heart of gold underneath all that, he just needed a little push to get it out.” As Y/N glanced over at the girl, noticing a slight pink tint under the white makeup, she gasped.

“La’s fins, are you two a thing?” she exclaimed with a grin.

Suki flushed even harder as she suddenly became very interested in the ocean around her, but she couldn’t help the smile on her lips. “No! I mean— yes— but… but—” she stopped to gather her thoughts before making eye contact again with a sheepish smile. “We’re not… really a thing, but… I do like him a lot. I didn’t really think I was going to see him again after they left the island, so this is really nice.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Y/N asked. “I can already tell that he cares about you — have you seen how careful he’s being with you?”

“Well—” Whatever kind of excuse Suki would’ve made up was interrupted by a rock falling out just under Than, one of the refugees they were with, saved in the nick of time with Toph’s earthbending.

“I’m okay!” he reassured, but no sooner had the words left his mouth before the Fire Nation ship in the distance started firing.

“They’ve spotted us!” Sokka yelled. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Aang flicked his glider open and deflected the blast, and Katara grabbed Y/N’s hand as they all began to run. Another blast rocked the mountain, causing several boulders to fall just above Suki. Y/N didn’t even have time to shout out a warning before Sokka tackled her out of the way, but it was ultimately more of Toph’s quick earthbending that saved him.

“Suki, are you okay?” Sokka brushed dust and pebbles off of her uniform as he examined her, and once he was satisfied he grabbed her hand and helped her up. “You have to be more careful! Come on!”

As the two of them caught up to Y/N and Katara, she gave Suki a knowing look. The warrior only blushed once again and glanced away.

After hours of navigating the pass, they were only about halfway through. Sokka made the executive decision to set up camp for the night to give everyone time to rest, and then they would get up at the crack of dawn to finish their trip. It only took a few minutes for Y/N to get a fire going, and soon everyone had settled in with their sleeping bags. Sokka got up from his spot as Suki wandered closer to the edge, and Katara nudged Y/N with her shoulder.

“Hey. How are your hands doing?”

“They’re fine,” she answered with a small smile, flipping her hands over as proof. Where there were once red burn scars on her palms only tiny white marks remained — one benefit to healing via waterbending was that most injuries were able to fade away completely after enough sessions. Her burns weren’t very serious and she was able to heal them almost immediately, so both her and Katara were sure that the marks would be completely gone soon.

The mental scars wouldn’t fade as easily.

“That’s good. And you’re taking care of them, right? Like, you’re not beating up people while we’re not looking?”

Y/N grinned. “No. I think I’ll leave that to Toph.”

Katara chuckled and nodded, turning her hands over in a final examination before nodding. “Good,” she repeated. The silence between them, although comfortable, stretched out for a little too long before she spoke again, this time much quieter. “He did this to you.”

“Katara…”

“I know,” she said. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this from me, or really at all, but… I’m worried about you. Zuko isn’t good for you. Every time we’ve run into him, he’s hurt you. And you deserve so much more than that.”

“You don’t understand,” she countered. “You don’t know Zuko like I do. You weren’t there when I was. I know you think I’m insane for still believing in him, but I— I can’t let go of him, Katara. I know the Zuko I love is still in there somewhere, and I have to try and find it. For me and for him.”

Katara’s eyes were full of nothing but sympathy as she sighed — it was obvious she didn’t believe her words, but in true fashion she was still trying her best to be supportive.

“Okay. I don’t understand it, but… I don’t think I can change your mind.” Y/N chuckled sadly and nodded, Katara’s piercing gaze meeting her own once more. “It’s just… Why are you playing with fire when you know you’re going to get burned?”

And for once, Y/N didn’t have an answer for her friend.

~~~~~~~~~

The night went by quickly, which Y/N was thankful for. It meant that the nightmares didn’t last as long.

After a quick headcount to make sure no one had fallen off the pass overnight and an even quicker gathering of their things, they set off to finish their journey.

It went just as well as she had expected — a giant serpent, the namesake of the pass, had attacked them while crossing through an underwater section. Thankfully, she was able to aid Katara and Aang in defeating it with waterbending with no casualties

But in the wake of one disaster there was always another, and before Y/N knew it a baby had been born. She was mostly there for moral support — Katara had it all handled, and Y/N didn’t expect anything less.

But finally, they had made it across the pass, and they were so close to Ba Sing Se that she could almost smell the city air. Sadly, though, that meant it was time for them to part ways — Aang to find Appa, and Suki back to her warriors. After some sad but hopeful goodbyes with Aang, it was time to bid farewell to Suki.

��Are you sure you can’t travel a little longer with us?” Y/N questioned, apparently not above pleading to try and get the girl to stay. “You’re— you’re amazing, and we’d really love to have you with us.”

“I can’t even imagine what travelling with the Avatar would be like,” she smiled, causing Y/N to get her hopes up for just a moment before they fell back down. “But I can’t stay. I have to get back to the Kyoshi Warriors.”

Y/N sighed, her gaze falling slightly downcast. “I get that. I just really wish you could stay. Or that I could meet your warriors. You seriously don’t know how cool you are, Suki.”

“Well, if you’re ever in town on Kyoshi Island, find us. I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out and do you one better than just meeting them all,” she said with a grin. “I think it’d be pretty cool to have the first waterbending Kyoshi Warrior.”

Y/N was unable to prevent the heat rushing to her cheeks as she smiled shyly, once again averting eye contact. “That would be amazing. I’ll have to find my way back there after the war.”

Suki bumped shoulders with her, causing a startled laugh to spill from her lips. “We’d love to have you.”

“Wait, why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye to her?” Sokka questioned as he walked up to the two of them. Y/N winked at Suki and gestured at him with her head, walking off before Suki could protest to find Katara.

The conversation the two girls were sharing was an extremely thinly veiled excuse to eavesdrop on the lovebirds, and when they kissed Y/N actually had to hold back a scream.

Sokka deserved this. She knew how much he beat himself up over every little thing that went wrong, and it was about time he got to relax even for a moment. She only hoped that Suki would be in their corner of the world sooner rather than later.

What could she say? She was already fantasizing about life as a Kyoshi Warrior.

~~~~~~~~~

Although they had parted ways, they soon found themselves reunited with Aang to stop yet another Fire Nation threat.

“For the love of Kuruk,” Y/N murmured as she stared into the distance, her eyes wide at the sight of a large mechanical drill. “That was Ty Lee who just took down all those soldiers. And if she’s here, Mai and Azula are with her too. Guys, It’s one thing to stop this drill, it’s another thing to take those three down with it.”

“The question is, how do we do it?” Aang questioned.

“Why can nothing ever be easy?” Sokka lamented. His gaze remained trained on the drill for a moment before he realized theirs were on him. “Why are you all looking at me?”

“You’re the idea guy,” Aang said.

“Wait, so I’m the only one who can ever come up with a plan?” he protested. “That’s a lot of pressure!”

“And also the complaining guy,” Katara muttered, drawing a chuckle out from Y/N.

“Now that part I don’t mind,” Sokka admitted.

“Well, Sokka— you were a huge help in the North, and you figured out a way to defeat the Fire Nation during that eclipse at the library! Plus, there’s all that stuff that Katara told me you did before I joined.” She patted him on the back. “If anyone can figure out how to take that thing down, it’s you.”

He shrugged nonchalantly, his ego only slightly bolstered. “...okay. I think I can do it.”

“That’s the spirit!” she said with a smile.

Unfortunately, that smile faded as a young guard came running up to the wall. “Excuse me, Avatar and friends — I’ve heard that you’ve dealt with that… that pink girl down there before.” They nodded and he continued. “It would do us a great deal of help if you could come down and look at our injured soldiers, then.”

Y/N and Katara nodded in unison and started to follow the guard, the remaining three trailing after them. They ended up inside the wall, in what looked like an infirmary of sorts with all the cots and soldiers lying around, and the two waterbenders exchanged looks.

“You know what to do?” Katara asked.

Y/N hummed in acknowledgment, and they both knelt down next to separate cots. “This definitely looks like Ty Lee’s work,” she murmured as she bent water up from the pot and molded it over the man’s arm.

“What’s wrong with him?” the general questioned. “He doesn’t look injured.”

“His chi is blocked,” Katara explained. “Who did this to you?”

“Two girls ambushed us,” the soldier said, moving his arm as he regained feeling. “One of them hit me with a bunch of quick jabs and suddenly I couldn't earthbend anymore and I could barely move. Then she cartwheeled away.”

Katara sighed as she bent the water back into the pot. “You were right, Y/N. That was Ty Lee — she doesn’t look dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak point. It’s like she takes you down from the inside.”

As if struck by lightning, Sokka lit up. “Oh, oh, oh! What you just said — that’s how we’re going to take down the drill; the same way Ty Lee took down all those earthbenders!”

“By hitting its pressure points!” Toph exclaimed with a grin.

The breakthrough brought a steely determination to Aang’s features as he looked out into the distance. “We’ll take it down from the inside.”

~~~~~~~~~

Like everything they did, it seemed so simple on paper. But now that she was actually inside the drill, it felt a lot more nerve wracking. Toph opted to stay outside where she could see and try to slow down the drill with the earth at her disposal, which left the four of them to somehow take it down from the inside.

Sokka led them through a hallway with a myriad of valves and pipes as he thought out loud. “I need a plan of this machine — some schematics that show what the inside looks like. Then we can find its weak points.”

“Where are we gonna get something like that?” Aang asked.

Sokka thought for a moment before he took his machete out and hacked a valve off a pipe. Y/N instinctively took a step back and shielded her face from the hot steam. “What are you doing?” she cried. “Someone’s gonna hear us!”

“That’s the point!” he exclaimed. “A machine this big needs engineers to run it, and when something breaks—”

“Someone will come down to fix it!” Katara finished with a smile at Aang, a sentiment the boy returned happily.

It was surprisingly easy to take down the engineer once he arrived — with a little bit of frozen mist on Katara’s end, they had the plans they needed. Sokka’s expertise combined with the blueprints got them to the beginning of the outer shell.

“Wow,” Sokka muttered. “It looks a lot thicker than it does in the plans. We’re gonna have to work pretty hard to cut through that.”

Katara crossed her arms. “What’s this ‘we’ stuff? The three of us are gonna have to do all the work.”

“Look, I’m the plan guy!” Sokka explained with a gesture to himself. “You three are the ‘cut up stuff with waterbending’ guys. Together, we’re Team Avatar!”

Katara and Aang looked wholly unamused while Y/N chuckled. “Team Avatar. I like it.”

“Thank you,” he smiled. “At least someone appreciates my genius.”

“Tui’s gills, why do you have to keep boosting his ego?” Katara complained. “Let’s just get this done before it gets worse.”

The three of them got in position — Katara and Aang on opposite sides so they could pass the stream of water between them, and Y/N making the point of the triangle to work on the other side on her own. They were hoping it would be more efficient being able to cut through both sides at the same time, but it was proving to be much more difficult than they had imagined — halfway through the three of them were already exhausted.

By some feat of strength they were able to completely cut through the brace, but their hard work didn’t pay off in quite the way they had imagined — when the beam only shifted a few inches she groaned.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” she breathed as she wiped sweat off of her forehead.

“At this rate,” Katara paused to inhale deeply, “we won’t do enough damage before the drill reaches the wall.”

“I don’t know how many more of those I have in me,” Aang said sadly.

A large creak suddenly rang throughout the large chamber, and they all looked up for the source.

“Did you hear that?” Sokka asked, already backing up to make an exit. “We took it down! We gotta get out of here, fast!”

Just as they reached the door on the other side, a crackle followed by the sound of a man’s voice dashed their hopes. “Congratulations, crew. The drill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se. Start the countdown to victory!”

A collective silence hung in the air between them, the threat now even more imminent as their situation sunk in. Mai and Ty Lee had proven effective in taking down any Earth Kingdom threat posed at them, and despite Toph’s skill they knew she couldn’t take down something like this on their own.

They either had to figure out a way to destroy this drill, or the Fire Nation was going to make it into the city.

Sokka ran back over to the brace and pushed against it, putting all his strength into the feat but to no avail. “Come…. on! Move!”

Katara started pacing around in a small circle, crossing her arms again as she tried to think of something. “This is bad. This is really bad.”

“Sokka, that’s not going to work!” Y/N didn’t mean to snap, but the grinding of metal on metal combined with her nervousness got to her. She sighed and ran her hand over her face. “I— I’m sorry. But it’s still not going to work.”

He groaned as he leaned against the brace. “We’re putting everything we have into busting these things, but it’s taking too long!”

Suddenly, Aang jumped up from the ground with stars in his eyes. “Maybe we don’t need to cut all the way through! Toph — she’s been teaching me that you shouldn’t put a hundred percent of your energy in any one strike. Sokka, get in a fighting stance.”

Sokka complied and as Aang talked through his points, he demonstrated it on Sokka. “You've got to be quick and accurate. Hit a series of points and break your opponent's stance. And when he's reeling back, you deliver the final blow. His own weight becomes his downfall, literally.”

As Sokka fell over from the attack, Katara lit up. “So we just need to weaken the braces instead of cutting all the way through—”

“—then I can go to the top of this thing and deliver the final blow!” Aang finished.

Y/N helped Sokka up from the ground, his spirits not dampened at all. “Then boom! This whole thing goes down!”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Y/N asked, flexing her fingers to refresh them for all the bending she was going to have to do. “Aang, Katara and I can handle the braces. Focus on getting up to the top before anyone sees you.”

He nodded and they all met each other with determined eyes. “Everyone inside that wall, the whole world — they’re all counting on us.”

“Here, take this. You need this more than I do. ” Katara took her waterskin off and handed it to Aang. “Good luck. And be careful.”

Y/N noticed a slight blush on her cheeks and she had to hold back her smile. That was definitely something she was going to tease her friend about later — when they weren’t trying to stop the Fire Nation from breaking into Ba Sing Se.

“I will,” he assured. Aang slung the strap of the waterskin around his shoulder and took off, and Y/N and Katara got to work breaking through the rest of the braces.

With the knowledge that they only had to cut through half of each column and the revitalization that came from having a plan, their work went by much quicker. Just when they finished the final brace, it all went wrong.

“Good work, Team Avatar!” Sokka cheered. “Now we— Y/N, duck!”

She didn’t question Sokka as she immediately dropped to the ground, something she was immensely thankful for as a blast of blue fire seared past her. Her eyes snapped up to the source of the attack and narrowed in recognition.

“Of course they’re here,” she growled as she pulled herself back up. “We gotta go, now!”

Katara and Sokka nodded and they all started running. Bringing up the rear, Y/N was able to hear Azula’s words right before they split off into an intersection:

“Follow them! I’m going to find the Avatar.”

Sure enough, when she allowed a glance back, Mai and Ty Lee were closing in on them. She flicked open the cap of her waterskin and bent some out, managing to freeze it at just the right moment to block the incoming daggers from Mai. Still running, she melted it quickly and let it fall to the ground before freezing it again, creating some ice on the ground that would hopefully give them a few more seconds of leeway.

“That should give us some time!” she yelled as they turned a corner, finally turning her attention back to the path in front of them. “Any idea how we’re gonna get out of this thing?”

“Maybe!” Sokka yelled back, slowing to a stop as they came to a dead end, a large hatch the only thing at their disposal. He started tugging on the wheel in an attempt to open it, and when Y/N joined in they were able to wrench it open.

“Slurry pipeline?” Katara frowned as she read the sign on the wall and looked at Sokka. “What does that mean?”

“It’s rock and water mixed together,” he explained as they looked into the rushing liquid underneath the hatch. “It means it’s our way out!”

Katara nodded and climbed in, Sokka following close after. The sound of metal footsteps got closer and closer, and Y/N ducked inside just as Mai’s knives clanked against the hatch. Never before had she been so happy to be floating in a stream of slurry.

The rest of their mission went by surprisingly easy — at least, on their end. All it took was some waterbending — earthbending, when Toph joined them — and encouragement from Sokka (though unappreciated by Katara). Whatever magic Aang was working at the top of the drill had done its job, because soon enough the drill had collapsed in on itself.

And now, they had reunited on the top of the wall overlooking the sunset. After the chaos that had been their day, it was nice to just relax for even a moment. And there was no better way to do so than with her friends.

“I just want to say, good effort out there, Team Avatar!” Sokka exclaimed as he threw an arm around Y/N’s shoulder.

“Enough with the ‘Team Avatar’ stuff,” Katara said dryly. “No matter how many times you say it, it’s not going to catch on.”

“I like it, Sokka,” Y/N smiled. “I’ve liked it this whole time.”

“You always appreciate my genius, Y/N,” he mused. “That’s why I appreciate you.” She laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder as he continued to list off names.

“How about… the Boomeraang squad! Eh? See, it’s good because it’s boomerang, and it has Aang in it—”

“Yeah Sokka,” Toph interrupted. “We got it.”

Aang grinned and scratched his head. “I kinda like that one.”

“The Aang Gang. Ooh, the Fearsome Fivesome!”

“You’re crazy,” Toph muttered as she walked away.

“Wait, Sokka—” Y/N pulled away from him and held up her pointer finger. “Aang Gang — what if we combine it, so it’s just the Gaang? But still with Aang’s name?”

And at that moment, Sokka looked more proud than ever. “Oh, you— you are a genius.”

“Oh, spirits,” Katara groaned. “Why do you insist on encouraging him?”

“You’re just jealous of our name-making abilities,” Sokka said haughtily.

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “You two are completely ridiculous, you know that? Let’s just get into the city before the trains stop running.”

Y/N and Sokka winked at each other as they all started walking, unable to keep the smile off of her face. She always thought it was amazing — they went through insane things every day, but at the end of it all she was always able to smile because of them. And as her gaze drifted towards the city in the distance, she hoped it would hold true.

She had no idea what Ba Sing Se had in store for her.

-

shit is gonna happen next chapter so i hope you all are READY bc im not

perm tags: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77

atla tags: @marianne1806 @brown-eyed-thang @akiris

ehfar tags: @chandies-sideblog @zacatecanaaaa @anzanity @randomthingssss @escapingthoughtsandsecrets @shanksfav @shephard17895 @ilovespideyyy @carisi-sonny @selfship-mishaps @i-belong-in-fandoms @ilistentotayswifttocope @i-make-questionable-choices @3leni

[sundayswiththeilluminati]

Continued from this post, Part 3 of my discussion of Essek Thelyss in the context of real-world espionage. This time: what happens to espionage assets in the long run? Do they break contact, and why? What might have been in store for Essek?

At the treaty meeting Essek tells Ludinus to his face that he wants no further contact with the Assembly, not even to learn what the Assembly discovers via their own beacon. He’s far from the first asset to try to sever their relationship, and it ends in one of three ways: they don’t manage to break contact, they break contact but voluntarily return, or (rarest of all) they end the relationship permanently. 

Most attempts don’t go beyond option 1, because intelligence agencies are not in the business of respecting their assets’ choices. Handlers are skilled in keeping the upper hand in their asset relationships and will take any further opportunity to gain leverage by compromising the asset. For instance they’ll often pay for information even if the asset hasn’t requested it, because money changing hands makes it far harder for an asset to frame their activities positively to their own side if they attempt to confess (”You expect us to believe they were blackmailing you when you got $10,000 to hand over the secret manual?” etc.) And when push comes to shove most people aren’t willing to accept the severe punishments for espionage. An asset’s threat to confess is more likely a negotiating ploy than a serious option.

Some assets, especially nervous or ego-driven ones, get the carrot: the KGB did a strong line in awarding secret medals to convince them they were doing important, well-regarded work and that the KGB would protect them - not an empty reassurance, as highly-placed moles like Aldrich Ames warranted elaborate ops involving double and triple agents to avert suspicions. And some assets get the stick: the handler tightens the screws using whatever leverage they’ve gained, implies that they’re already “too far in to go back,” or gives some time for those who were blackmailed into spying to think about the consequences of exposure.[1]

Those who get as far as option two, breaking it off and later returning, are usually driven away by fear but back by finances. Fantasy spies have all sorts of motives but in real life the majority are in it for the money. Assets, as you might imagine, make bad choices. About half start selling secrets just to stave off massive debt from overspending and poor financial decisions (the rest feel underpaid.) So even if these assets stop temporarily, the circumstances that drove them to espionage in the first place are still very much present. In these cases all a handler has to do is shrug and say, “You know where to find us.” Infamous FBI mole Robert Hanssen broke off contact with his Russian handlers when the Soviet Union collapsed, fearing he might get outed in the chaos, but linked back up with them just 10 months later when, surprise surprise, he needed some cash.

And then there are the rare handful who stop completely. There’s a bit of survivor(?) bias here because anyone who passes along secrets, breaks off the relationship before being caught, and manages to get away with it is by definition someone we don’t know about. Those who do manage to break contact long-term are usually able to do so because they left the situation that gave them access to interesting secrets and therefore the controlling agency determined they were no longer a useful resource and not worth pursuing. But even if an asset stops working for an agency, they’re far from forgotten - and far from off the hook. Names and evidence of their espionage would be kept on file for potential use as blackmail, leverage in state-to-state negotiations, or expendable material to prove bona fides in ops involving fake defectors or triple agents. A surprising number of spies are caught/outed years after their espionage ended.

Very few assets permanently sever their espionage relationships the hard way: making a genuine confession and accepting punishment. But it’s not unheard-of, especially if the espionage was brief and the asset believes the damage can be repaired. In 1989 Army signals analyst Michael Peri disappeared from his post in West Germany along with a portable computer containing numerous classified documents. Eleven days later he returned to his previous post with the computer and voluntarily confessed to the theft and sort-of defection to East Germany. When interrogated, Peri - who had been a model soldier until that point - said he felt overworked and underappreciated by his superiors, though he couldn’t entirely explain his decisions either to leave or to return (a sexy female Russian agent might also have been involved). He received a 30-year sentence.

Marine Clayton Lonetree, a guard stationed at the US Embassy in Moscow in 1985, was blackmailed over an affair to hand over details on the embassy compound for a year, but his conscience finally got the better of him and he confessed in late 1986. Being a Marine he faced the very real prospect of death by firing squad, but the court martial ended up giving him a 30-year sentence. It was later reduced to 15 after the Marine Corps Commandant wrote a letter to the Navy Secretary on his behalf attributing the young Marine’s actions not to treason or greed but to loneliness, naivety, and poor judgement.[2]

Going back to Essek’s case, he’s already in the minority of espionage assets because he doesn’t want money in return for the secrets he passes along; though the knowledge the Assembly promises him in return fulfills a similar desire, Essek doesn’t need that knowledge to pay off the equivalent of debt or to maintain his lifestyle. He has no pressures at home that force him to continue spying. With the beacons returned, the fall guys in place, and their tracks seemingly covered, he tells Ludinus that all he wants is to be rid of the entire affair. That rules out option one (he sincerely means to cut the Assembly off) and option two (he won’t be driven back by need.) 

Essek is also in an unusual position in that the worst of the damage he caused is repairable - just return the beacons.[3] A secret, once compromised, can’t be un-compromised. If an asset hands over a cipher machine they can’t fix the situation by stealing the cipher machine back; the foreign agency they sold it to has already studied the machine and learned its secrets, meaning it’s now effectively useless. But returning the beacons restores what the Kryn lost. While keeping dunamancy secret gives the Kryn a tactical edge, and I’m sure the Dynasty would prefer to keep the magical soulstones of their elite hidden from their long-time rival, the beacons don’t need to be secret to work. Essek therefore has a much better chance than most to simply repair the damage, cut off his handlers, and try to forget the whole affair ever happened. He might even think that, now that the Assembly has their own beacon, they’ll have no further use for him and will just leave him alone.

But from the Cerberus Assembly's perspective, this fruit still has plenty of juice in it and they risk nothing by continuing to squeeze. Now that they have their own beacon Essek’s knowledge becomes even more valuable. He has access to hundreds of years of dunamantic spellcrafting - and more importantly the rite of consecution, since the Assembly were probably after beacons in the first place to make themselves immortal. If Essek is caught, it’s treason for him, but the Assembly doesn’t suffer; they were doing it for the good of the Empire, learning about dunamancy to help the war effort. So if he refuses to keep spying voluntarily for the Assembly, they’ll just have to find another way to motivate him. 

As part of evaluating Essek before recruitment, Assembly operatives would have noted that he’s, well, highly motivated to save his own skin. Ludinus’ goal therefore becomes to make Essek see further espionage as the only way to stay alive. So instead of confronting Essek then and there, Ludinus shrugs and goes, “Okay. Sure.” Then he activates the Volstruckers, maybe leaks a little info to the Dynasty about a traitor in their midst, and sets up Essek to stew in fear, feeling isolated and attacked from both sides - targeted by the Assembly for his defiance, under suspicion from the Dynasty, unable to ask for help because of his crimes. Ludinus sits back and waits for Essek to re-establish contact on his own. Of course Ludinus didn’t know that the M9 had confronted Essek and gotten him to confess, making a return to spying impossible even if he tried.

While Essek’s motives revolve around ego, frustration, and rebellion, his situation is more like those of people who end up defecting because they’re unable to pursue their careers or live as they want to back home. He has virtually no social/family ties to leave behind, no loyalty to Dynasty authority, and no religious fervor to defend the Luxon, while the Assembly promises him the company of like minds and free rein in his experiments. Assuming no intervention by the M9 I think Essek would have ended up defecting to the Cerberus Assembly. If he did it early enough in the story he might have even joined the Volstruckers to complete the narrative foil transformation.

If the crew had confronted him at the treaty but not offered mercy I think he would have defected purely out of fear, thinking the Assembly were the only people who could protect him from both the Dynasty and the M9. He was already on edge watching the guy he'd set up to take the fall getting walked away in chains and with the Assembly's Wind of Aeons ship right there it would be the ideal time to make the move. Assuming the treaty confrontation went as it did (the crew makes him confess but lets him live) but the M9 hadn’t shown up in Eiselcross, Essek would likely have fled the outpost and gone into hiding in a bid to outrun his crimes (and probably gotten caught two weeks later given how awful he was at being “Dezrain Thane.”)

Essek is far from the first recruited asset to regret what they did even as they kept doing it. Those who can sell out their nation and not feel even a pang of guilt are thankfully thin on the ground. Most start off doing what seems to be a favor for a friend - or accepting a favor from a friend who wants to help with their “financial difficulties” - and end up so deep they can’t see any way forward other than to keep handing over secrets. He’s one more in a long line of those who compromised information out of frustration, especially through the appeal to shared professional interests (that’s how industrial assets tend to be recruited.)

But he’s also in a much better place to make up for it than most assets. Since he primarily compromised property, not secrets, returning said property can (somewhat, mostly) repair the damage done, which goes a long way towards buying leniency from the powers that be. And now I’m realizing that this post actually needs one final part, which is: how do you try someone for espionage, and should you charge them with it in the first place?

[1]  While spy dramas love sexy blackmail, and handlers will happily collect it to leverage against a balky asset, it works far less often in reality as a main reason for espionage. Social penalties for extramarital affairs pale before actual legal penalties like the death sentence for treason. On the other hand, those with foreign relatives are sometimes coerced by threats against those relatives.

[2]  Lonetree’s case for leniency got a boost in 1994 when Aldrich Ames was finally caught and some serious breaches of embassy security that had been attributed to Lonetree were found to be Ames’ work instead. In 1996 Lonetree was released after having served 9 years total.

[3] Although I did just think of a really messed-up Cerberus Assembly plan: consecute a handful of completely loyal Volstruckers, kill them, and send the beacons back so said agents will be reborn in the Dynasty and work to undermine it from within. How fucked up would that be?? Campaign 3 plot hook anyone?

(This accidentally turned into a series on Essek & IRL espionage: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4)

[courtlyharlequin]

Um, m-may I have this dance with you, Vil? ✨

Butterflies

A/N: Hi anon! Thank you for your request~ I went on a field day with this because it was so open-ended. I based it off of the way you wrote your question and the sparkle . It reminded me of a romcom anime~ I hope you like it ( *´▽｀* ) ♡

Your phone skidded across the table. Its vibrations transferred to your entire desk, earning a frantic yelp from you as you scrambled to turn it off. It was time. You had no time to lose. You couldn’t put this off any longer. The spring formal was the day after tomorrow. It had to be today. You had to ask Vil today. If he accepts the invitation, then you would have one day to process the fact that he even said yes to you out of all people. If he rejects it, then you have one day to sulk before putting on a brave face and attending the dance as if nothing ever happened. You paid for the ticket already. You weren’t letting your madol go to waste. Initially, you bought two tickets. One for you and one for Vil. It was part of your plan to ask him out. Unfortunately for you, it came to light that the blond had his own ticket as he was part of the planning committee. You ended up giving your other ticket to Ruggie who wasn’t planning on going in the first place due to the admission prices.

This was one of many instances where you ended up putting off the grand question out of nerves. It came back to bite you in the butt as the dance’s date was nearing. And here you were: two days before the dance and you still hadn’t asked Vil out yet.

Today had to be the day. You weren’t going to run away. You had no choice. You had been crushing on him for forever and this was truly your last chance of shooting your shot with him. The school year is near its end. Vil would be a fourth year the following year which meant he wouldn’t be on campus, let alone attend school dances as he would be out and about interning and completing his thesis.

You checked the clock before grabbing your shoes off the rack, gingerly slipping them on. You wiggled your toes as you laced them up, lightly tapping your soles against the wooden floor for good measure. It was three thirty on a Wednesday afternoon. Dorm leader meetings ended at two. Vil shouldn’t be too busy now. An hour and a half had passed since the meeting. He surely would have time to kick back and relax. You bit your lip and pushed the door open, welcoming a warm breeze. The door clicked behind you. You inhaled.

“Better late than never,” you reassured yourself as you made your way to the Pomefiore dormitory.

Each step you took sent your thoughts into overdrive. What would he say to you? You were acquainted with one another as you shared a few classes, but you weren’t close to the extent that you were certain that he would say yes. Would he even say yes? If he rejects you, you’d have to see yourself out of his own dorm. Coming to his dorm room to ask him out seemed oddly intimate. It was a bad idea now that you thought about it. Depending on where you found him, there was a chance that the other Pomefiore students would witness you humiliate yourself in front of the Vil Schoenheit.

Your hand ghosted the door knob of the dormitory’s main entrance. It fell to your side. Perhaps this was merely a fickle desire.

Color drained from your face and a cold chill washed over your body as the door swung open. You swallowed a scream, shoving it down your throat.

“Bonjour!” the perpetrator beamed.

“B-Bonjour,” you managed, stepping back.

Rook’s smile widened as he stepped forward, revealing the vice prefect all decked out in Pomefiore’s bright indigo robes. The gold embroidery shimmered beneath the chandelier’s lighting. elegant

“My, to what pleasure do we owe you, (y/n)?”

“We?”

“Oui.”

You blinked.

“I’m looking for Vil,” you said.

“(y/n)? What are you doing here?” a familiar asked.

You peered over Rook’s shoulder. Your breath hitched as your eyes met with Vil’s own amethyst orbs. His heels clicked and clacked with the white marble tiles of the foyer. He was like a runway model. He sparkled, shimmered, and shined under the building’s ambient lighting.

He crossed his arms once he neared the doorway. His vice ducked under his elongated sleeves. A scowl was etched onto Vil’s face.

“Where are you going?”

“I forgot something. I won’t be long, Roi du Poison,” he said, waving his hands around theatrically.

Vil sighed, turning to you, “Pardon him. How can I help you?”

“I was wondering– well, actually I– Um, if it isn’t too much to ask... can we go inside? It’s a bit hot out.”

The blond directed his gaze into the sky, examining the sun and the cloudless sky.

“My apologies, come inside.”

The door shut behind you. You cursed yourself for stalling. Just ask him.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“No!”

“No?”

You coughed, “No. I’m good, thank you.”

“Are you sure? It is a bit hot out.”

He used your own words against you. Your mouth was left agap as he flashed a small smile at you before heading into the Pomefiore common room. You hurried after him.

“Wait, Vil!” you exclaimed, pulling on his sleeve.

He withdrew. Your hand fell to your side.

“Don’t pull. What is it?”

You bit your lip. It was now or never. If you played it off cool then who knows when you’ll get a chance like this again. This was the closest you’ll ever get to asking him. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath.

“Um, would you like to go to the– uh– dance with me?”

You cringed as your voice echoed throughout the dormitory. You were so nervous that you ended up being more... vocal than you had intended to be. This was far from the scenarios you daydreamed about. It wasn’t as romantic as you thought it would be. In truth, it was embarrassing.

“Ara? Is that what you’re so worked up about?” he chuckled.

Heat rushed to your cheeks.

“I understand if you don’t feel the same or if you already have a date. Knowing you, you probably have a–” you gasped as Vil placed his index on your forehead.

He stared down at you. His stilettos made him so tall, so unnerving.

“Eye contact is the key to confidence. Stand with your shoulders back, feet firmly planted on the ground. Don’t use filler words like ‘um’, ‘uh’, ‘ah’, or anything of the like,” he said as he pushed your upper back forward.

You nodded, holding your screams on the tip of your tongue, trying not to break eye contact with him and burst into tears. Was it that terrible that he had to correct your posture and give you tips on confidence? Vil put his hands on his hips, admiring your figure.

“Try that again,” he said.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Ask me out again.”

Was he serious?

“Ah…”

“No filler words,” he chided.

Your nose crinkled. He crossed his arms. He was serious after all. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath once more, trying your best to pay no mind to your sweet palms or shallow breathing. Your nerves were on fire.

“Vil, will you go to the dance with me?”

He put his hand on his chin and hummed, feigning perplexity and concentration. He smiled.

“Yes.”

You sighed in relief. Your shoulders loosened. He said yes. Vil said yes. You were going to the formal together. You were ecstatic, but that feeling was quickly replaced with a burning curiosity.

“Why didn’t you just say yes before?”

“I want to be asked out by someone who is confident, someone who knows what they want. I don’t want someone unsure or insincere. I have no time for puppy love. My time is valuable,” he scoffed.

“Then you should have rejected me.”

“Do you not want to be my date?”

“Yes. Well, I mean– no, of course I do. It’s just that I don’t know what to say and–”

He put a finger to your lips: “Then, it's a date. I do not doubt your feelings for me. You were simply nervous. You were always quite skittish around me. I had always assumed I intimidated you though lately, I’ve come to realize it was more so admiration than intimidation or infatuation.”

Vil tucked your chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting your head up, and gave you another one of his heart-throbbing smirks. You couldn’t break eye contact with him. Your heart fluttered and your stomach swelled.

“Was it obvious?”

“Maybe a little,” he laughed.

[paimon-rambles]

Hi! I'd like to request Childe and his s/o getting into a fight/discussion because she is jealous of him and Lumine, it would be great if it ended with fluff 🥺 thank you!

Her

Characters; Childe

Summary- Childe promised to love you always, but sometime changed when Lumine step foot into Liyue

I'm not great at writing arguments so I hope this suffices^~^

-

Childe was a man of his word, every promise he made he sought to keep it. He never went back on promises or break them, always fulfilling each wish. You could see it whenever he talks about his family, he made numerous promises to his younger brother Teucer and he kept each one.

But Childe also made various promises to you. Vows of love that he will hold you dearly and shower you in affection. Promises to protect you from the Fatui and that no blade would meet your skin and much more. And he never broke any of them. He gives you kisses and cuddles with you regularly and no blade has ever pierced your skin.

Your relationship is built on trust and Childe never showed signs of that trust wavering, the only thing he 'hid' from you was anything regarding the infamous Fatui and their plans, but that was more to protect you than to leave you in the dark. Everything is perfect.

But it wasn't

Formerly you've noticed a shift in his behavior, his attention was prone to something else, and you were puzzled to know who. It didn't take long to find out what was occupying your boyfriend's attention. It was the outlander. The honorary Knight of Mondstadt who quelled Stormterror's attacks on the city. The girl who was in search of her kin. Lumine was it? Her name became quite prominent.

You started to notice how close Childe and Lumine have gotten in the past few days. He even gave her a nickname, well Childe gifted you many nicknames but it'd be a lie if you said you didn't feel the slightest envious of "ojou-chan". In honestly you did feel jealously towards Lumine but you knew she wasn't at fault, she wasn't purposely drawing Childe's attention.

You couldn't quite blame your boyfriend for paying attention towards Lumine either, she was a beauty. Her golden hair always bounced delicately against her shoulder with a step or how the breeze carried her twin tails. Her eyes were golden similar to her hair but carried a darker hue, there was always a glint in her eye as she looked around Liyue Harbor curious to comprehend the city. And the fact that he was an outlander, a traveler who roamed world to world only added to the intrigue.

You did grimace at the thought of your relationship crumbling as you love Childe with all your heart but you also wanted the ginger to be happy. If Lumine is that source of happiness you'll gladly step aside.

But you did not comment on this. After all your relationship is built around trust if Childe wasn't happy with the current predicament he would have voiced his concerns. So you're jealously was hidden within the cage of your emotions, slowly growing each day.

But then you snapped

It happened when Childe's kid brother Teucer made a surpise vist to Liyue. The rascal snuck his way onto a boat and voyayed off away from home. Thankfully he was able to find his way to his brother with the help of Lumine and Paimon. Everything was going fine but it seemed that Teucer had taken a liking towards the blonde enjoying the company of the "nice lady." You didn't mind this too much but what really made your heart shake was seeing the way Childe acted towards her. It left you with an uneasy feeling.

You tried to shake the feeling away and lock it up with the jealously that wishes to paint you green in envy. But each "ojou-chan" that ran off his tongue and each subtle flirt he made towards her only fed your emotions. All masked away behind a smile both fake and real.

" If I could join you on your travels I would, but with the Fatui..." Your heart shook as those words ringed off Childe's tongue. Each word brought a sharp ache to your heart. If his vision would truly make him happy- to travel the world away from the Fatui- what is your place in that dream? Were you still lovers? Or friends.

You kept yourself composed in the situation keeping an eye on Teucer while your lover spoke of his desires to travel the world with Lumine. And you kept quiet. At some point, you both said your goodbyes to Teucer and Lumine.

-

" Do you...like Lumine?" You mumbled to him, your fingers dancing against the fabrics of your shirt anxiously. You glanced away from the pair of surprised pupils that burned into your features. The blue orbs that you love so much staring into your skull, but a slight playful grin toyed on his lips.

" What are you talking about y/n?" He asked teasingly. But you did not heed to his teasing or playful demeanor. " I mean you the way you act around her. You act like you like her- always hanging around her like a lost puppy- Do you like her!?" You shouted the last question out, and it was finally cleared to Childe that you weren't joking or playing around.

The ginger brows furrowed in surprise, his blue ocean-like eyes burned into you as if you had just insulted him. His lips parted to speak, " y/n, did you get that from?" He asked, his voice was still calm but held heavy restraint to it. His calming tone of voice made you ashamed for snapping at him so harshly but you pushed that thought away. " Then why do you always seem happy when your with her? More than me! Why do you tease her the way you tease me? Why Childe? WHY!?"

You could already see his body tremble with anger as he processed each word that left your sharp mouth. In the corner of your eye, you saw a mere glimpse of his palms turning to those like snow, white, and clumped together tightly. " Lumine is nothing but a friend- I'm only nice to her because of what friends do. Being kind to each other. And I only tease her because it's part of my nature. Y/n you know me, why would I leave you?" Childe responded, highlighting each word and the adding of emphasis made you shiver. The way his teeth slightly gritted together as the ginger grew more peeved at the situation he was posed in.

" BECAUSE YOU SAID IT YOURSELF!" You cried out, your vision was obscured as crystal like bodies of water dripped down against your cheek. You felt a hitch in your throat as it grew harder to breathe and with each second that passed more tears descended from your e/c glossy eyes.

Childe's face morphed into regret as he watched his lover, his best friend, the light to his darkness sob uncontrollably, defenseless and vulnerable. His lips parted to speak but his partner beat him to it.

" w-why did you tell her that you want to travel the world with her?" You finished, the event replayed in your racing mind as you waited for the ginger's answer fearing the worst.

Instead, however, you felt something collide with your body and when your brain finally registered what the source was you couldn't help but sob more as your boyfriend embraced you tightly. His hand, now free from the walls of his fabric gloves gently combs through your hair. " Please don't cry y/n- please let me explain." He whispered, guiding you to the couch to sit down.

You both sat on the couch, you rested your head against his chest each beat of his heart slowly calming your nerves but not enough. You were confused but relieved. " W-what do you mean" you sniffle sheepishly.

" Y/n... I can't talk about the Fatui in fear it'll get you hurt but me being friendly towards Lumine was just part of my work. She has some information that the Fatui labels valuable and since I'm here in Liyue they tasked me to keep an eye on her." He explained, his hands continuing to run through your hair. You processed this information as more questions were raised in your head. " W-what info?"

Childe bit his cheek in thought trying to collect what to say, " Y/n I hate keeping you in the dark but for your safety, I can't discuss that. But I want to assure you that when I said I would travel the world with her was merely a lie, just to gain some trust. But I much rather trade anything if it meant being here with you instead." You thawed in his arms as your tears came to a stop. He pressed a kiss to your forehead, gentle yet filled with passion, before resting his head against yours. The moment lasted like this until both of you were lulled into a deep slumber.

A simple misunderstanding was the cause of this all. Everything was perfect. Childe was sure to keep all his promises. His promises of keeping you safe and feel loved. And Childe has never broken one.

[giorno-plays-piano]

I would like a request for Steve Demon, something very dark and hot, thank you! 😈❤️

Hi darling! Thank you for your patience 🙏💖 This story was inspired by Slavic witch legends and VN Demonheart!

Oh, my love, don't forsake me

Pairing: demon!Steve Rogers x witch!Reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, dark magic, dubcon, witch!Nakia, mentions of violence.

Words: 1670.

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You remembered your first encounter with him well. It had been your first Walpurgis Night when Nakia presented you to a coven: you had been taken through an initiation ritual to become a true witch, and all of you danced and drank and laughed, jumping through grand fire and burning your clothes till you all had been naked, only jewelry - necklaces, earrings and bracelets - left on your bodies.

It was then when demons had arrived, many of them flying directly to their witches and starting dancing with them, picking them up and letting them ride them high up in the sky as if they were horned horses, and you froze on your spot, watching their red bodies glowing.

"You will choose your demon lover today." Nakia whispered to you, smiling to her own mighty demon, his shoulders wide and muscular, his gaunt wings so large he could cover ten people with each. "There are several of those who are free."

"Today?" You asked her nervously, watching those demons without a witch on their backs. "But I thought I would be given time to let them know better."

You knew no one but Nakia, and the thought of choosing your demon right this very moment seemed a bit frightening to you. The witch was choosing her demon lover for eternity - unless both her and him would decide to separate, but it was highly unlikely as the bond they built had always been hard to break. How could you do it without knowing a demon first? Today you could make the worst mistake in your entire life - and afterlife, considering that your soul would travel back to Hell with your demon by your side.

"Don't fret over little things." The witch flashed you a wide smile, her flawless skin glowing softly in the dim light coming from the fire meters away from you. "You will be fine. Look at them! Who is the one you want the most?"

She motioned to the demons flying up in the air, their wings flapping, and you realized you could actually see what was beneath the loincloth of some of them, your face growing unbearably hot. How indecent! Why didn't they wear something more concealing?

"Because they are showing new witches what they got to offer." Your mentor laughed at your bemused expression, and you chuckled, thinking how you were standing naked in front of them with just a think golden necklace on, the only valuable jewelry you had. "Don't be shy, dear. Look, look at them! Ask me if you see someone attractive, and I will tell you everything I know."

Oh dear, it was probably the most embarrassing thing you had ever done, but you couldn't miss your only opportunity to know more about your future lover. Besides, you didn’t become a witch to spend your days caring about morals and decency, did you? You were going to sin till the very end of your life, and today could be a nice starting point. In the end, a physical body and all its parts were nothing to be ashamed of.

Watching several men, their skin scarlet, floating above the grand fire and laughing along the other couples, you tried focusing on those who you thought looked the strongest and sheepishly whispering to Nakia. You felt a little distressed her own lover had to wait for you, but the demon only grinned at you, baring his pearly white teeth, and bowed his head a little, visibly agreeing to wait longer. Maybe they weren’t all as scary as you imagined? You certainly hoped so, pointing to several demons and asking your mentor about them.

“This one? This is Tony, he’s a clever but vicious sort.”

“Aren’t they all?”

Turning her face to you, Nakia gently caressed your head as if you were her child. “No, darling. Not to us. But you are right, I doubt Tony would be the right choice for you. Maybe young Peter? It is his first Walpurgis Night, but he’s of age. Or Brock, that demon over there? Oh no, look at this ruthless barbarian...”

However, before you had time to look at the man she had pointing at, another demon suddenly crossed your way, and you stilled when he looked directly at you, his large crimson wings blocking the view for both Nakia and you. He stood out from the crowd with his glowing golden hair and immense wings that were bigger than even Nakia’s lover, and you frown when the demon landed on his goat hooves, aggressively ripping his loincloth away and baring his flesh in front of you. Your face grew hot at his shameless display, and searched for your mentor’s hand, clutching it in yours like a child, truly. What was that? Did you make the demon upset? Had you broken some rule you didn’t know about?

Nervously glancing at Nakia’s lover you saw him distressed, too, but he didn’t move further to protect you, standing on his place. Was it because there was no true danger or because he simply couldn’t protect his witch against the monster in front of you?

“Who is he?” Your whisper was barely audible as you trembled, clinging to Nakia, and she wrapped her warm arm around your shoulders, leaning closer to your ear.

“Steven of Triskelion. Do not be scared, my darling, he isn’t here to hurt you. I wonder why he’s courting you so... passionately, though.”

“Courting me?”

“Oh yes, my dear. Look at him, putting himself on display like that for a young witch. His desire for you must be strong.”

Softly waving at her lover and seeing him relaxing, Nakia gently pushed you in front, encouraging you to come closer to the demon whose gaze was so intense you were worried he would make a hole in you. Oh, you needed to talk to him. Probably. You weren’t sure, but by the look on the witch’s face you guessed the demon in front of you wasn’t necessarily a bad choice. Judging by his enormous form and his thick, veiny cock in between his muscled legs, maybe he really weren’t.

Suddenly feeling very self-conscious in front of him, you tried smiling and prevent yourself from covering your body with your hands - he had just shown himself completely naked to you, and it would be disrespectful of you to do otherwise. You certainly didn’t want to upset a demon like him.

“Hello, Sir. It is a pleasure to meet you.” You said politely, hoping he wouldn’t mind the way you talked to him. Should you bow to him? Offer him your hand? Kiss his cheek? No, no, you wouldn’t dare.

For a second you thought he was going to hit you, but you knew a demon would never do that to a witch, especially with a whole coven present. They’d ban him from ever pairing with any of them, stripping him of a possibly ally and lover. Only the most insane demons would try doing something as reckless and disrespectful, but they weren’t allowed to Walpurgis Night celebrations. Thank... Devil?

The demon suddenly chuckled, baring his sharp fangs, “You don’t have to be so polite with me, little witch. I am sorry for intimidating you for it was not my intention. Come closer.”

Liar! He loved the effect he had on you, you didn’t have to get inside his horned head to see it. Was he of patronizing kind? Maybe. It wasn’t the worst one among demons straight from Hell, and you smiled at him, putting your arm in his as he drew you closer to him, his other arm softly cupping your chin. His crimson body was radiating heat, and you enjoyed it when demon made you lean onto his wide chest. Despite being somewhat shy about the whole encounter, you were starting to warming up, demon’s touch having a strange effect on you.

“Allow me to give you this.” The man murmured into your ear, and you felt the heaviness of a string of pearls on your neck, touching it with your fingers and watching the demon with wide eyes.

Of course, you have heard of witches receiving gifts from their demonic lovers, but Steve was still a stranger to you. Was it right to accept something so expensive from him? While you tried looking for Nakia to ask her advice, the demon wrapped his large gaunt wings around you two, preventing you from searching for your friend, and forcefully turned your face to him, claiming your lips as if he wanted to devour you. You had no time to react before his huge tongue got inside your mouth, his clawed hand running up your rib cage and cupping your breasts as you whimpered against him, his body blazing hot. He didn’t give you a second to get accustomed to the kiss before spreading his wings and flapping them as he unceremoniously grabbed you by the hips and flew up, taking you with him. You let out a little mewl, clinging to Steve for life. What was he doing?!

“Don’t be scared, kitten. I’m not asking you to ride on my back just yet.” The demon’s voice was soft, but you could see his grin getting wider, and a part of you was nervous at his somewhat aggressive courting. “But wouldn’t you like it? I can be a powerful ally for a witch and a gentle lover for an innocent kitten like you.”

“Be careful, dear. Steve became bitter after his witch has left him to return to God,” Nakia’s voice said in your head, and you frowned, knowing the demon most certainly heard her, too.

She left him for God? What, how was this even possible?

Demon’s grin turned wicked as he kissed your forehead, getting higher and higher as other demons and witches danced below you. “It’s true, darling. That’s why after you choose me to be your lover I will carve your heart out of your chest and keep it with me.”

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