#minus the turn I had him get the chest item

[some-bunniii]

Lucifer meeting an artist reader

・❥ The King of Hell admires your paintings

| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |

x: reader is g/n :) no use of pronouns or y/n

warnings: some raunchy details of your painting & mild swearing

When you arrived in Hell, the first thing you did was scream.

Where were you? Why was it so hot? What happened to your bed?!

“You’re in Hell, kid.” A blue bat-faced man had broke the news, as you stood helpless and confused on the street.

Hell? Like, demons and dark satanic magic kind of Hell?

That couldn’t be right. Were you that bad of a person to deserve such a fate? Did the few times you passed the Salvation Army donation bucket without dropping a coin damn you to this place?

Your death was fuzzy, a trail of shattered memories that could only give you bits and pieces of your final days. Did you go quickly in your sleep? Maybe, you hit your head so hard it caused you some kind of post-death amnesia?

Whatever had happened, you were here now with no way out.

During your first few days scouring for answers, you began to notice that Hell had an eerie similarity to life above ground. There were clubs, casinos, concerts. Heck, even TV! Sure, the things broadcasted were dark and sometimes disgusting.. but at least you had something to watch.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all? At least, compared to being thrown into dark, fiery pits for all of eternity like some cruel game of sink or swim.

Minus the people, of course. Most of them were pretty bad. Your first day watching a man get shot in the chest and lines of cocaine across tables in a diner made you decide to stay away from the streets of the city.

Which meant you had to get busy making a life for yourself. It started with working odd jobs as a bartender or a bell-hopper. You’d scrap together enough money to head to the nearest art supply store, and fill your bag with paints and charcoal pencils.

“You an artist or something?” The clerk had asked you as she scanned your items, taking note of your vast amount of diverse tools you were slowly collecting every time you stopped by.

“I usually paint, but yes, I used to do all kinds of mediums professionally when I was.. alive,” You had whispered that last part out with a pang of sadness, the reality of your situation still a fresh wound in your mind.

You had found an ad for an art studio, ran by a demon named Alexandre. You had showed him a few of your pieces, some pretty landscapes, a rendition of the Starry Night Sky which you had replaced the backdrop to be Pentagram city instead of whatever little village it was originally, and a self portrait.

“You got talent, i’ll give you that,” He had hummed, as his eyes scanned your paintings with intrigue, “But the subject? Not really what we’re looking for.”

“What do you mean?” You had asked, confusion evident in your voice.

“We’re in Hell, demons ain’t into pretty ponies and happy, little trees. They want more— eh how do i put this — sinful behavior?”

“Like…?”

“Like tits or anything that can be turned into a kink. They like blood and guts, and dead people splayed around. Dead angels too. Stuff like that.”

Tits? Dead people? You didn’t have much practice with that! At least not enough to make a career out of it.

But you had agreed anyway, this was your only shot. You stayed up late into the night, sometimes even into the early mornings, perfecting your skill when it came to much more risqué visuals. You would buy stacks of pornograohic magazines, flipping through for poses to memorize.

Slowly, you began to master the craft, and your time at the studio increased as you finally settled into life in Hell.

All you had to do was churn out painting after pastel after acrylic in the little cramped room you now called home. Alexandre would then take your pieces and sell them to the highest bidder. You’d get a percentage of the commission, using the money for whatever necessary.

Seeing as you could be mugged at literally any point in time, or anywhere for that matter, you made sure to keep a large sum of cash locked away in a double-bolted safe.

“You know Ozzie’s, that club down in the Lust Ring?” Alexandre had approached you one day, excitement in his eyes.

You shook your head as you sat behind the easel, your brush an inch from the canvas.

“Run by Asmodeus, one of the literal seven deadly sins?”

You shook your head once more.

“Fuck, you still have a lot to learn. Well, he really likes your art. He wants to buy a bunch of paintings for his club, and he’ll drop a shit ton of cash too. Ya think you can handle it?”

Your eyes had widened when he told you the exact price this sin guy was willing to pay. You had jumped from your seat, shaking his hand in profuse thanks, before scurrying off to gather more supplies.

And for a time, that’s how it went. You’d sell your steamiest paintings to Asmodeus, and other private commissions you took one after the other.

Apparently, your painting hung up in Ozzie’s was getting a lot of attention. Especially from a certain spider demon named Angel Dust.

After hearing Charlie’s decision to look for another member of their staff— someone who’d be in charge of decorating the premise with promises of love and tranquility up in Heaven— Angel Dust had taken a few snaps of your work with his phone, before showing it to Vaggie and Charlie. He had complimented your work, claiming it was ‘the best’ oil paintings he’d ever seen.

Although, in his line of work, he probably hadn’t seen many to compare yours so.

“ls this what we want in our hotel?" Vaggie had asked, motioning to a woman on the canvas that was drenched in sweat and white fluid, her private parts exposed to the audience as she posed suggestively on a stripper pole.

To which Charlie has responded, "I think it's... unique! You can definitely see she knows how to, um, really bring the scene to life! l'm sure she'll be open to creating our vision!"

Your phone had rung one night, with a voice on the other end begging you to come to her hotel and at least hear her offer for a new job.

Which lead you to the Hazbin Hotel, a slightly run down building that obviously needed more work. Inside and out.

“Oh my gosh! Hi there! My name is Charlie, and this is my hotel! it’s such a pleasure to meet you!”

“Thanks.. but I don’t see many guests around.” You had told her, your eyes darting around the lobby as you absorbed your surroundings.

“Well, we’re still trying to get our name out there. We’re not just any hotel, we’re a hotel set on redeeming sinners!” She exclaimed with pride.

“Redeem?” You had asked her, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

She shook her head vigorously, “This hotel.. it’s going to be amazing! We’re going to turn Sinners into well.. non-sinners! They’ll be rehabilitated, and have morals! And honor! Heaven won’t be able to do anything but welcome them as angels!”

This idea had sounded a little far-fetched when you first heard it.

“You’ll be in charge of making art that reflects such views! Something that will make Sinners go, ‘Wow! Now that’s where I want to go!’”

“What’s in it for me?” You had asked.

“Well you’ll have your own room, and your own little studio too! I’m sure it’s much bigger than the one you already have. Plus we have a bar, and good company!”

You turned your head to the small crowd of demons a few feet away. A pornstar, a gambler, a snake guy with weird little walking eggs, and a really creepy man in a red coat that shot you a wide smile with eyes that seemed to stare right through your soul.

This was good company?

You contemplated her words, thinking deeply. Did you really need to leave the studio you were already a part of? You already had a room and place to paint, anyway.

Charlie must have noticed your hesitation to accept before quickly adding,

“Anddd you can sell your pieces here too! Plus, you can keep a hundred percent of the earnings.”

You perked up at that, the money made from your art would be... all yours? And, you’d get a breather from the drawing people having sex? That didn’t sound so bad after all!

“Deal!” You had reached out a hand, shaking hers with delight.

It had taken you a day or two to map out the interior of the hotel and figure out what could go where. You began to slowly brainstorm, what could make a sinner stare at a canvas and want to redeem themselves?

During your time on earth, you studied many artists through history. Most notably however, were those from the Renaissance. You remembered walking through the Sistine Chapel when you were younger,

staring at awe of the paintings of winged angels and heavenly skies.

You perked at that thought. That was it! The inspiration for your paintings, an ethereal perspective on what one would find in heaven. The feelings of bliss and care-free joy.

You spent your first few days in an undisturbed area of the hotel, it was a large room on the farthest side of the lobby. It must’ve been a guest room at one point, but other than a bed and few cushions that the ‘Radio Demon’ had placed for you, it was empty.

It was quiet enough that you could sit there, undisturbed, as you drew upon your memories and vast knowledge of histories in art as you slowly began to bring your ideas to life. Slowly, the room also took form into being yours, personal knick-knacks and stacks upon stacks of blank canvases waiting to bring your visions to life.

At the end of every day, you'd come out with your hands covered in charcoal and paint, your hard work on full display.

You had even grown closer to the other residents in the hotel, beginning to see them as more than their initial appearance. Even Alastor, who still kind of gave you the creeps, you had regarded as someone you could speak to without hesitation.

You’d sit on the couches with Angel Dust, drowning in popcorn as you watched whatever was on TV for the night. Sometimes, you’d sit with Husk at the bar as you listened to his stories from his days at the casino and as an Overlord.

It was there, when Charlie had summoned the courage to call her father, Lucifer, the King of Hell, to come visit the hotel and decide on getting her that meeting with the higher powers in Heaven.

Upon hearing about Lucifer's impending visit, you felta mixture of nerves and excitement. You've heardstories about him-his charisma, his power--but you never expected to meet him, let alone showcase your art to him. Would he even like them? He's no doubt seen much more beautiful sights.

As preparations for Lucifer's visit got more chaotic by the minute, you found yourself back in your Atelier, quickly cleaning up your room and berating yourself for any little mistakes you found in your paintings. Each stroke of the brush carried with it a sense of urgency, a desire to impress not just your friends at the hotel, but also the King of Hell himself.

The current piece you were working on was your most intense one yet. It depicted that of an almost nude man, flying high in the skies. His back was faced towards you, his face hidden from view. He was faced towards the sun, which bathed him in a warm glow. Arms outstretched, knees curled in, it seemed as if the angel was going to give the sun a large bear-hug.

It wasn’t until you heard loud commotion in the lobby did you realize Lucifer had arrived. Quickly dropping the brush you were holding, you sneaked down the stairs and quickly neared the archway of the lobby.

Peaking your head out, you canned the large room. Until your eyes locked in a pale figure. Lucifer.

He was beautiful, definitely held the looks of an angel that fell from heaven. His light blonde hair curled elegantly around his face. The candles from the chandelier above basked him in an ethereal glow, as though he could replace the sun itself. Just like the angel from your painting.

His eyes reminded you mostly of a snake. Calculating and cold, but holding so much wisdom and depth. There was a slight sadness there as well, as though itate at him slowly, consuming his soul. It was masked incredibly well though, and you only caught a glimpse before it disappeared.

His attitude toward his daughter made your heartmelt, it was obvious he cared about her in the way heacted and spoke to Charlie, even if his absence didn't speak so fondly of him.

As Lucifer and Alastor butted heads, you quickly scurried back to your room. You had hoped to finish your work-in-progress by the time he arrived, but the struggle to get those damn angel wings to be anatomically correct was a pain.

You hurriedly continued your work, trying to calm your nerves by busying yourself with the painting in front of you.

Charlie's voice broke you out of your concentration soon after, multiple footsteps closing in on where your room lay. You shot up from your seat, and stood up straight, ready to meet the man of the hour.

You couldn't help but feel a flutter of anticipation mixed with apprehension as they approached your make-shift gallery.

Charlie, Vaggie, and— wow, he looked so much better up close— Lucifer stepped through the doorway.

“Dad, this is the newest addition to our staff! They are in charge of helping to inspire our future guests through the power of art!" Charlie proclaimed with glee, pulling you by the arm towards her father.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, your majesty. I apologize for being so messy, I was just finishing up another painting." You had greeted him softly.

"Don't worry, you look great," He assured, a gleam in his eyes, "and the pleasure is all mine, anyone who is willing to help my little girl is someone worth meeting,"

You stood there for a moment. Unsure of where to go next, before you felt a slight nudge from Charlie that pulled you back to reality, "Why don't we take a look at your paintings? I promise you, Dad, they are amazing!" She squealed softly.

Beckoning Lucifer forward, you took him through each painting. You described your feelings for each piece, and what made you choose them for the hotel.

You rambled on and on, and Lucifer never said anything, he just listened as you spoke.

Which made you nervous, what was he thinking? Did he like them, or was he just waiting for you to stop talking so he could quickly escape to something of more interest to him? The thought made sweat dribble down your forehead.

To your surprise, Lucifer's reaction to your art was not what you expected. Instead of dismissing it as mere frivolity, he studied each piece with genuine interest, his expression thoughtful and contemplative.

He mostly stayed quiet, but once in awhile would throw in a joke here and there if he noticed anything of interest in the paintings.

His goofy nature that you caught onto watching him earlier was barely evident though, unlike when he was trying to impress his daughter.

After finishing the small tour, you turned to him in anticipation. Your hands nervously rubbing together, as you shot a glance to Charlie, and she gave you an uncertain look. You both held the same question in your gaze: What is he thinking?

"These paintings.." Lucifer began, his voice low and melodic, "Are different than most i've seen down here, not just some scandalous display, but with real meaning. They evoke emotions long buried, memories of a time before.. all this."

His words caught you off guard, and you found yourself nodding in agreement, unable to tear your gaze away from his intense eyes.

The one he was staring at in particular was a recreation of The Garden of Eden by Jan Breghal, a painting that depicted the place where humanity was birthed, and where it fell.

“Does it look like.. how you remembered?" You had asked slowly, if anyone could validate the truth in your work, it would be him.

"Actually, this is much prettier. The real deal doesn't do your painting justice," He replied, "It was so boring, just green on green."

Also," He added, "An unfortunate lack of ducks. Humanity should be grateful that I got them out of that forest, so they could see something actually worthwhile.. and with ducks."

You giggled softly at his words, have you ever met someone that seemed to love ducks as much as him?

As Lucifer continued to explore the room, you couldn’t help but notice the way he lingered on certain paintings, his fingers tracing the delicate lines with reverence. It was as if he saw something in your art that no one else did, something profound and personal.

Perhaps your choice of baby-faced angels, and ethereal landscapes brought back memories of his time in Heaven. Hopefully, that wasn't a bad thing.

When Lucifer finally turned to you, his gaze softened, a hint of something unreadable lurking beneath the surface. "You have a rare gift," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "To create beauty in a place like this... it's truly remarkable."

He looked at you for a moment, before a smile crept onto his lips. He was Lucifer, he knew exactly what you meant. It's what drove him to manipulate Eve to eat from the Tree of Life in the first place.

Was he finally getting a glimpse of the good free will brought to humanity? Was there actually meaning in his past actions that sent him to the depths of Hell?

His gaze narrowed in on the canvas behind you, and he slipped past you. "What is this?" He asked with intrigue, pointing towards your unfinished painting.

“My final piece. I've been working on it for days, but I just can't get the wings right.. believe it or not, i've never actually seen angel wings in person." You said that last bit as a joke.

His smile sent butterflies fluttering in your stomach. For the King of Hell, it was surprisingly warm, and kind.

Then an idea struck you, but you tried to desperately to push it down. Except it seemed like the only time you could ask someone with angel wings to let you use them as a reference. How many fallen angels were in Hell, anyway?

"I'm so sorry if this is out of line, but. could I, um, borrow you for a little bit? I've just been having trouble drawing the wings correctly and you, well, have them?”

His eyes widened, and his chest puffed slightly at your question. He shot you a toothy grin, “Paint me? Why didn't you mention that earlier?! I have the perfect figure for such a thing.”

Behind him, Charlie rolled her eyes, a hint of a smile on her lips. You smiled too, you should've known he'd have no problem with it, he was the embodiment of pride after all.

He plopped down on a stool before you, and removed his overcoat. Beneath what seemed to be a red and white gatsby vest that hugged his frame perfectly. Jeez, he was almost too good looking.

He stretched out his large wings, folding the otherfour behind him, only revealing the two much largerones. They were breathtaking, truly. They looked so fluffy too!

You guided him on the exact position you needed them to be in, before making your way to the canvas and getting to work.

Assuring the group you only needed to get a visual on the canvas, the actual work you would do on your own. Slowly, you traced the frame of his wings, etching out the soft lines of his feathers and the curvatures of its form.

You could only imagine how soft those feathers were and what it would be like to curl around them like a pillo-

You shook your head to rid those thoughts. Why were you thinking such things about Lucifer like that? It's not like he would even want to let you go anywhere near him or his wings.

Would he?

You continued your painting, trying not to meet his gaze as you would occasionally peak your head from behind the large canvas to get another good look at his wings.

There was a moment when you two did lock eyes, and he sent a half-lidded smirk in your direction. Thankfully the large object between you two helped hide your growing blush. He was obviously just trying to get you worked up, you assured yourself. Just like he did with Alastor. In a different way, of course.

"This reminds me of when Charlie was younger" Lucifer began, filling the silence, "We sat for a good few hours trying to get a family portrait painted and she would just not sit still!”

“Dad.. please, not right now." Charlie growled out in embarrassment, her cheeks flushed. Vaggie only smiled beside her, listening intently as Lucifer filled everyone in on her younger years.

“lt got to the point where I had to summon her favorite toy to get her to stop squirming, everything was smooth sailing after that.

"And what was her favorite toy?" You inquired softly behind the canvas

“A rubber duck! Like the ones you play with in the bath? She could not get enough of it whenever it squeaked. One time the squeaker broke, and I went to my workshop and crafted her a magical one that meowed instead! Haha!"

Okay, this family really has a thing for ducks!

“She hated it, but that only inspired me to keep making more. Sometimes, we'd sit together on the work bench, and I would just come up with ideas like confetti-spitting, or color changing ducks. She wasn't too good at speaking at that time, so every time she'd laugh that was my clue that she liked it!"

It was sweet, the way he rambled about his daughter. He never spoke of himself or his accomplishments, despite embodying the sin of pride. It was almost like his only pride was his best creation, Charlie.

He continued, the room full of jokes and laughter, even from Vaggie, regarding Charlie's life as a youngling. You listened intently to his stories, his voice dripping with amusement as he recounted story after story.

lt was so sappy and you loved it. Which made you grumble quietly to yourself, why did you have to have a thing for DILFS?! Concentrate on the painting!

After a moment, Lucifer's eyes turned back to the paintings around him, his gaze scanning each painting once more. "I've noticed that you seem to have a repetition in your work.. not that that's a bad thing!" He quickly corrected.

“But in all of your paintings featuring angels, there's always a swan swimming or resting nearby. Do they hold any significance, or are they just a passion for you?"

You looked up from the canvas, and also traced the angelic figures across the room. He was right, with the images of the divine beings also came the appearance of the large, white water fowl. Lying lazily beside the angels, or swimming across pools of water as the care-free beings danced and frolicked.

You contemplated for a moment, before speaking truthfully.

“I just think Swans are elegant and ethereal creatures. They embody the purest of souls, untouched by the taint of sin that consumes the world, just like how their feathers remain untouched from the waters they glide on"

Lucifer's eyes lit up slightly, drinking up your words.

“Plus," You continue, "they mate for life, and allow themselves to just.. decay once their significant other departs from the world. It's very romantic, and love is one of the purest emotions in the world."

Lucifer wasn't looking at you when your eyes met his again, his stare was far off. Past the room entirely, as your words echoed through him. There it was again, the glimpse of sadness that he tried to hide so painfully well.

“Does such love like that exist?," he murmured so softly you had to strain your ears.

There was a few moments of deathly silence before Charlie piped up, asking her father something about heaven. You tried to listen, but your mind was stuck on his words. Lucifer was in heaven once, and he still didn't fully believe in such things?

If there weren't others in the room, perhaps you would’ve asked him.

It took a few more minutes before you were able to wrap up fully, but you had no regrets of asking this man for help, the angel on the canvas actually looked like he had wings, not just stumps of white tuft.

You got up from your seat and walked towards him, noticing that Charlie and her girlfriend were not present anymore. It was just you and Lucifer in theroom now.

“Well, thank you, Your Majesty. You really helped me out here, and it'll go a long way to make the hotel look even better"

“Please, call me Lucifer. The formalities are only for subjects, not friends," he replied, "l did really enjoy getting to see your paintings, you are quite a phenomenal artist. I wasn't lying when I said your work was different from the rest. If only you were around for those family portraits."

You were so taken aback by his praise that you only shrugged it off, like it was no big deal. Even though, coming from the King of Hell, it was.

Glancing behind him, you saw Charlie and Vaggie whispering to each other in the hallway outside of the door. You assumed they probably wanted to finish up so they could get him to agree to the meeting with Heaven.

lgnoring his previous statement of formalities— he was the king, you thought, you weren't going to just pat him on the back and say 'see ya! —you lowered your head and bent down to curtsy, just like you were taught when you were younger, placing your hand slightly in front of you.

Usually, you'd use that hand to shake or grasp the other person's, but it felt wrong to treat this powerful angel like any other man.

Suddenly, you felt the soft touch of fingers gliding across your hand. In confusion, you looked up at those golden eyes and that charming smile. Trying to get a glimpse of what he was thinking.

His hand gripped yours gently, and with a bow of his own, lowered his lips, and pressed a soft kiss your knuckles.

Your breath caught in your throat, and you feared to blink, soaking in his beauty for as long as you could before he had the chance to pull away. You wanted to say something, but your tongue was refusing to work as your mouth opened and closed silently.

When he finally released your hand, he adjusted his hat and turned towards the door. Leaving you standing there, your face burning hot

He cleared his throat, and turned his head slightly, his eye catching yours. A playful smile dancing on his lips.

“l look forward to our next portrait together, hopefully where I am the motivation behind your strokes. Not just these dull wings."

And with his words hanging in the air, you were left alone, with the growing itch to press your face into a pillow and squeal.

——————

awww man, my first fic! I was trying to make this more dating-centric, but i couldn’t stop writing for their first meeting and it got too long haha! If y’all like this one enough, i’ll make a dating version!

let me know what you think 🙏 i reallyyyy appreciate all comments and criticisms!!

wonderful art i commissioned by DawnDrawnS on twitter! <3

[mostly-marvel-musings]

Typical Stark - Chapter 8

Typical Stark Masterlist

A/N: Remember this series? I’d planned on finishing it earlier but my writer’s block got from bad to worse. These two are FINALLY sleeping together y’all.. enjoy!

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader

Warnings: 18+ finally some smut, fluff.

Word count: 1.8k

.

The moving in part seemed to have gone rather smoothly, given that you weren’t too fussy about most things & there was minimum heavy furniture that needed shifting, minus your favourite chair and a few other things.

You sat cross legged on the bedroom floor that Saturday morning, surrounded by your own clothes while Tony made you his famous smoothie.

“Here you go, roomie.” He chirped, traipsing in carrying two glasses before handing you one and taking a seat on the floor next to you.

“Whoa is that a G-string?” Tony reached between the piles of clothes and pulled out your pretty pink panties and smirked as you snatched it away, rolling your eyes.

Every now and then he’d poke you to ask about some item of clothing, mostly lingerie and how he’d like you to wear it on a daily basis.

You went to put a pile of your clothes inside your side of the wardrobe when Tony found your bag of private things which included more of your toys.

“Oh! What do we have here?”

Turning around to find the bag open in Tony’s hand, you ran towards him, eyes wide in horror attempting to grab it from him but he held it out of your reach.

“Tony give it back right now! I swear to God I’ll—”

“Hey I’m not judging! Well, I am, naughty girl.” He laughed heartily at your jumping to get a hold of your not-so-private stuff.

“Alright I’ll give it back on one condition.”

Huffing you crossed your arms and glared at the man.

“What?”

“You let me use it on you...now.”

His eyes darkened; humour replaced with something else now that the idea had been planted in his head. You thought about it for a bit, sure you’d had a lot of fun with Tony before this but you still hadn’t officially slept together yet, surprising as that was.

“Fine! Have at it Stark.”

Raising your hands in surrender, you walked backwards, till the back of your legs found the bed, Tony following you closing the distance before looming over your figure.

He threw the bag and it landed on the bed before pulling you flush against his chest and dipping his head to capture your lips.

The kiss switched from soft to needy in a matter of seconds.

Tony’s fingers tugged on your hair before laying you on the bed and settling between your legs. Eyes taking in your face after you broke apart momentarily, grabbing a vibrator out of the bag before pausing.

“Do you have a favourite toy, Miss Y/L/N?” Tony’s voice was soft yet teasing, that signature smirk matched yours.

“Yep. You.”

Plopping his head on your chest, he chuckled, giving you time to card your fingers through his hair. Something about that carefree laugh made your heart flutter.

“Oh, you’re more than welcome to use me like one.” Tony’s voice came out muffled as he spoke, humming in delight as your ministrations continued. The offer made a thousand scenarios run through your mind.

“I’ll take you up on that, Stark.”

“I go first.” He whispered before letting his hands reach the waistband of your pants, sliding them down slowly before you lifted your hips to aid him.

Tony’s lips found yours again as he resumed the kiss, slow and gentle this time, as if he had all the time in the world. Teasing and tasting you languidly, his lips moulded against yours perfectly, he groaned softly as your fingers found purchase in hair once more.

There was a faintest of smiles on those soft lips that you felt as your tongue peeked out to trace them, prodding them open. When he did, your tongue was pushed down by his own dominatingly while he grabbed your wrists and held them above your head, the grip gentle but tight enough. Your tongues battled against one another, challenging the other to behave but neither of you backed down, the urgency to feel every inch of him overpowered everything else.

Tony’s kisses moved southward as his lips brushed over the side of your face, down your neck where he bared his teeth, grazing them against your skin lightly before sucking on it. A needy whine escaped you as his groin brushed over yours purposely, repeating the action just barely enough for your core to meet his clothed erection.

“What a fucking tease you are…” you breathed; your voice laced with desperation which you poorly covered with annoyance.

“Honey, I’ve barely begun.”

If you could, you’d punch that smug grin off his face but you were at his mercy, mentally cursing yourself for falling prey to those doe eyes. While you were excited to finally be doing this with the man you had fallen hopelessly in love with, there was a part of you that was nervous merely owing to the reputation the guy had.

Though so far, he had been nothing like that alleged playboy image that was projected, so your obsessive thoughts had been silenced by the same doe eyes that more often than not drove you absolutely crazy for all kinds of reasons.

A dull buzzing of the vibrator brought your attention back to where you were, a giggle left your lips when Tony pressed it against your side, rolling it down your thigh before gently nudging your legs open.

“Keep them open for me.” he whispered before slanting his mouth over yours, bruising your lips while your toy inched closer and closer to your core.

Strategically, he placed it over your clit hood, grinning against your mouth while you gasped. The vibrations were mild but persistent at first; as if Tony knew precisely how much to tease it around your outer lips, inching his way over to the bundle of nerves that lay waiting.

The dull buzzing sound of your toy combined with your soft moans filled the room, your hips rising up in accord as the sensations made arousal pool between your legs.

Your eyes fell shut as Tony’s lips trailed down your body, kissing the inside of your thighs while your core was being prepped. He moved the toy away momentarily, caressing your thighs softly.

“Can I have a taste, Y/N?” he asked, ever so polite, though his brown orbs had darkened significantly, mouth inching towards the place you needed him the most. All you could manage was a nod as you watched him hold you legs apart, greedily eyeing what was already his. Reaching down, your fingers found purchase in his soft hair, guiding him where you wanted him.

Your head fell back against the pillows as he made contact with your core, deliberately teasing at first, almost shy before your hips moved to gain more contact, giving him permission for more.

You wanted more, and it had already been enough, the dilemma sent your head spinning as Tony’s mouth closed over you, nose teasing and coaxing your clit while his tongue ran along your slit, relishing the very taste of you as your toy now lay on the side, forgotten. If it wasn’t for Tony’s iron grip, your legs would’ve fallen shut as the sensations took over, desire igniting deep within your belly as he took care of you, coaxing you open for him, relishing in the way your body reacted to him.

“Tony…” you begged, fingers gripping his hair like vice as your orgasm built inside, threatening to spill over. Getting the hint, Tony moved his kisses back up your body, leaving you whining at the loss of contact, much to his glee.

You didn’t waste any time in undressing the man, wanting nothing more than him inside you and that smirk wiped off of his devilishly handsome face.

Lining up against your entrance, Tony gently nudged your nose with his; breaths mingling into each other.

“Look at me, Y/N.” he whispered, his big brown eyes swimming with love and lust in equal measure as your eyes fluttered open.

You felt his cock slowly push in, your slick entrance welcoming the delicious stretch and sting as he filled you, stopping once he was buried to the hilt.

That was it.

The very moment you realised how real it was, and just how badly you’d fallen. You were meant to be. Nothing felt more right than this. You and Tony.

“I love you, Anthony Edward Stark.” You whispered, bringing your hand up to caress his stubbled cheek, watching him lean into your touch with a loving smile on his face.

He dipped his head down to capture your lips in a searing kiss as his hips began moving at a steady pace, making sure you felt each and every thrust as he drove in and out.

Fingers tugging on his hair as he placed open-mouthed kisses against your neck, your walls clenched around his length, causing him to grunt.

“Are you on birth control?” His hot breath against your ear, his thrusts becoming more urgent while his hand snaked between your bodies to rub your bundle of nerves, sending you spiralling towards your orgasm.

All you could do was nod at his question, gripping onto his back for dear life as you came around his cock, hiding your face in his shoulder.

Tony followed soon after his hips stuttered, spilling into you with a breathy moan, holding you close while you returned from your highs.

“So that’s what it takes..” he murmured, still a little out of breath, a lazy smile obvious on his face as he placed small kisses against your collarbone.

“What?”

“Great sex and orgasms to get you to say you love me?” He chuckled, carefully pulling out of you and helping you clean up.

“How do you know I’m not faking it?” You smirked, knowing fully well he knew you were lying.

“Contrary to popular belief, I know you better than you think I do, my sweet.” Tony gave you a self-assured grin, pulling a blanket over your bodies before pulling you close.

You stayed in his embrace, a perpetual smile that somehow refused to leave your face, and a feeling of contentment and happiness that had settled so comfortably.

“We still have a lot to unpack you know..” you murmured, closing your eyes and snuggling close to the man.

“I know. A nap won’t hurt though. I’ll wake you up and put you to work, don’t you worry.”

Tony laughed heartily as you hit him against his chest, mumbling ‘typical Stark’ before grinning yourself, letting sleep take over.

…

Ugh. I love these two.

[sionisjaune]

🎁 & honestly literally anything heist au but especially george??

you're soooo sweet, and i hope you have the nicest holiday break 💕

🎁mutuals get ficlets for the holidays!🎁

A Rothko. George has always wanted a Rothko. In his most secret fantasies the Rothko is properly his, mounted on the wall of his imaginary climate-controlled personal vault, but he feels almost satisfied just running his hands over the canvas, feeling the slight texture of smoothed-over oil through his gloves. 

“Orange and Yellow,” he breathes, careful not to mar the painting with the humidity of his breath. “Who did you snatch this from?” he asks Alex. Alex has his arms crossed smugly, one hip propped against the table George is examining the Rothko on. 

“It was a more challenging take than just a snatch, Georgie,” says Alex, puffing his chest out. “Picture me in one of those harnesses, lowering myself through a laser grid. With those ridiculous green dark vision goggles. It was proper heist shit.” 

George can’t help but choke on a little laugh imagining it. He pictures Alex’s skinny limbs spread like a spider, descending from the ceiling, pictures him back-flipping and somersaulting through red cartoon lasers, ducking behind plinths and slicing canvases from frames. 

“Just kidding,” says Alex. “It was way more embarrassing than that. The guard dogs almost took my leg off when I was slipping out. Luckily I had leftover treats.” 

George smiles, running his palm over the edge of the canvas, checking the condition, drawing up a mental tally of what the painting will fetch at the right kind of auction. Toto might even want this one for his collection—then George could visit it every day and think about Alex’s clever hands pilfering it from unappreciative owners. He pictures Alex hand-feeding giant, snarling Dobermans leftover treats in order to get away, the Rothko tucked under his arm. The image is less James Bond and more quintessentially Alex. 

“Blimey,” says George. “I shouldn’t be expecting the police to descend on my apartment and lock you away, should I?” 

“I got away clean,” says Alex. “Barely,” he adds, ruffling his own hair. “So how much will this pain in the ass fetch me?” 

George pinches his lips, finishing the math in his head. “Ten million. Minus a bit for the trouble of selling on the black market. But you’ll turn a profit.” 

Alex’s eyes go wide like they usually do when George mentions a sum so large. It’s barely anything to George, who appraises hundreds of millions of pounds of paper and canvas and paint each day, but watching Alex react always makes him remember the value of the materials beneath his hands. It’s unthinkable, sometimes, that the items George touches are anything other than colour and texture and coded meaning. It’s impossible to believe that they’ll be traded for something as banal as money. 

“Not bad,” says Alex, shaking his head. His hands twitch at his sides, almost as though he wants to touch the painting too. He looks like he’s wondering the exact opposite of George, perplexed by the amount of cash a collector will fork over for two blotchy rectangles. 

“You know,” says Alex, while George is snapping his gloves off and tossing them away. “I’m actually going to miss this one once it’s sold.” George arches an eyebrow at him, curious. “It kind of reminds me of you,” Alex explains. “You know. Square.” Alex laughs at his own joke, and George laughs too, even though the joke is a little bit mean. Alex’s laughter is just so infectious, red-faced and wheezing. 

“Thanks for that,” says George, cheeks aching. 

“Thank you, mate,” says Alex, nudging George in the side. Soon he’ll be running out of George’s apartment, the Rothko covered and tucked cautiously under his arm. George will miss them both. “Nobody else I would trust with this. Best in the business.” 

[milotraflgkl]

Honesty

USOPP x GN!READER

note: THIS IS A REUPLOAD!!! content: fluff, sfw, reader and usopp are both oblivious losers, requited feelings, confessions. WC: 1934

Everyone on the crew knew. Everyone.

It was going old how often Nami would have to grab Usopp's attention from looking your way or when Sanji would have to hold his hand out while you mindlessly walked somewhere, too infatuated with the Usopp as he went about his “real” adventures. The small side glances you'd often share as you sat beside each other at the dinner table, it was obvious the feelings you two had for each other.

Well, expect the two of you.

It was aggravating for the rest of the crew to have to witness, desperately wishing that one day one of you would slip up and finally say something to the other but the day just seemed like it was never gonna show up. No matter how many attempts Sanji made to hint towards Usopp about your feelings, causing you to turn into a bright red tomato.

Today was like any normal day, minus the quick stop because your captain was becoming restless and Nami just couldn’t stand it anymore. You hummed as you put things into your bag, keeping it light so you’d have space to store more things within. Just in case you found anything interesting, for yourself or Usopp. You reached over to grab something and stopped as you stared at the small necklace that Usopp had gotten you a while back, he handed it to you in a rush with a quick jumble of words before he ran off somewhere. You giggled as you grabbed the necklace, bringing it up to your neck and hooking together letting it hang down your chest.

You hummed pleased with the assortment of items you had, so you stood yourself up and placed the bag over your shoulder. You pivoted on your shoes and made your way out of the room that you shared with Nami, you had noticed that everyone had already rushed off wasting no time to get off the boat and walk through the grass and find new interesting bugs; well mostly Luffy. You frowned slightly, not wanting to have to venture to the island by yourself. You let out a small huff as you began to walk towards the ladder to get off the ship, “Hey!” You heard a voice call out from behind you making you immediately snap to see holding your hands up ready to punch whoever. You froze as you saw Usopp stare at you shocked before chuckling, “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” He says while you let out a sigh of relief and drop your hands to the side, “You scared the shit out of me Usopp!” You scold the boy.

Usopp just let out a laugh, a laugh that made your stomach do flips. “I just wanted to wait for you…” He says, his voice trailing off for a moment. “Cause like you know… for protection…” He says trying to sound all cool but it is obvious he was getting a bit nervous. You let out a laugh that caused Usopp to turn his attention straight back to you, “Thank you, Oh brave captain Usopp~” You teased him. Usopp stood there in shock for a moment before he chuckled and nodded, "That's me!" He hummed out in excitement, as he made his way past you and to the ladder off the ship. "Ladies first~" He motioned with his arms for you to go ahead of him, and you gladly went ahead and flung your leg over the ladder. Make sure to take your foot landed on the bar before you swing your other leg over.

He watched you intently to make sure that not even for a second would you slip and fall, he couldn’t risk seeing you hurt. As he watched you he started to think about the fact that he probably should’ve gone first so he would have been able to catch you. While lost in his thought he hadn’t realized that you had safely made it to the bottom and were waiting patiently for him to come down. “Usopp?” Your voice broke him out of his thoughts, “Huh?- Oh!” He blinked staring at you for a moment wondering how long he had simply just stood there whilst you waited so patiently, then his mind went off again. You were so kind and so trusting, it truly amazed him how you were still his friend even after everything.

As he reached the bottom of the ladder he jumped off, landing on the solid ground with a small thud.

He shifted around to look at you with a smile on his face, “Ready?” He asked you as he held out his arm to interlock it with yours, you obliged sliding your arm to hook with his. “Always.” You hum to him, before beginning to lead the way for the both of you. You talked on and on about something that Usopp was not taking in, he was watching the way you used your free hand to talk almost as if you were painting a picture. You asked a question but Usopp didn’t hear it, oblivious to the fact you were asking him and he just admired you. “Usopp?” Your voice broke his thoughts again, usually when any of the straw hats would do that it would upset him. But when you did it, it was like an angel from heaven was bringing him back down to earth before he died simply because of how amazing you were.

“Yeah [name]?” He asked back, as he looked at you hoping that you’d take the lead in making sure they went in the right direction and not run into anyone. “Were you even paying attention?” You asked him, as you turned your attention ahead of the two of you. Making sure the two of you didn’t bump into any island people, weaving in and out of the crowd. “Uhm… Yeah totally!” He responded in a cheerful tone and a cheesy smile on his face, you glanced at his expression immediately knowing that the boy had caught nothing of what you had just explained to him. You let out a soft giggle before the smile quickly faded and your eyebrows furrowed with irritation, “Do people not know how to walk properly?!” You said out in anger, eventually shoving your way through people and into an alleyway that had fewer people.

You let out a sigh of relief, finally free from the busy street and annoyingly slow people. Usopp stood there in shock having not been fully prepared to be shoved through those people and suddenly ending up somewhere a lot more calm, he looked at you before letting out a chuckle. “You hate crowds huh?” He asked, teasing you. You rolled your eyes a small smirk on your lips as you looked around the alleyway, “Some people just don’t deserve legs.” You joked, the joke causing the boy to let out a loud laugh. You turned your head to look at him, you looked at him in slight shock at how he found your joke so funny. The way his head slightly tilted back and his eyes closed as he laughed, it was a beautiful sound and it made your face grow warm from the blush suddenly appearing.

You cleared out your throat before a thought popped up into your head. “Hey, I have an idea.” You say to him in almost a whisper not allowing him time to respond or even think of what you said dragging him along through the alleyway. “[Name]!” He called out, his feet almost struggling to keep up with how fast yours were going. He let out huffs as he started to run out of breath from having to keep up with you, “[Name]..!!” He whined out wanting you to slow down, but even after a small tug, you kept your speed rushing through the alleyway.

As the two of you made your way, you eventually stopped as you came up to a small area. Vines grew down the wall and it was slightly dark small amounts of the sun peeking through the cracks between the buildings, and you decided this place was the perfect area.

Usopp looked around the area, his brows raised as he let out a quiet “oooo…” His eyes darted around the area and you smiled softly as you watched them, before eventually, his eyes met with yours. You feel your posture suddenly straighten out as his attention is on you, you turn to look at the area trying to cover the blush on your cheeks. “It’s pretty isn’t it?” You asked him with a small hum coming from your lips. What you didn’t notice was the way that when Usopp responded his eyes never left your face, “Yeah, it’s beautiful.” He nodded before eventually turning to look around the small area the two of you were now standing in, he slowly walked further in and looked up. The buildings left a small space so that when you looked up it was a perfect view of the sky, you watched him for a moment before you went and stood next to him.

The two of you enjoyed the silence, the sound of distant chatter and seagulls flying overhead.

As you watched the clouds move past quickly you eventually felt your neck begin to hurt, you brought your head down and rolled the knot that started to grow out. You then turned to look at Usopp whose eyes were already on you, your eyebrows raised in shock and your face suddenly became extremely warm. “[Name].” He spoke out to you causing you to lock eyes with him, “Yeah..?” You spoke out with a small sigh, you hadn’t realized but you had been holding your breath. Usopp stared at you for a moment longer before bringing a hand up to your cheek, “I… I think I like you.” He says, letting a sigh of his own from holding his breath.

You stare at him for a moment, it is like a wave of realization has just crashed over you. The more you thought about it the more obvious it became, how he would try to flirt with you and be around you more than the rest of the crew. Usopp hesitated for a moment before slowly bringing his hand down from your face, “My bad, I shouldn’t have…” “No! No…” You cut him off quickly bringing your hand to grab him, “I like you too Usopp.” You told him, and you watched as his face went from sadness to excited shock. “Really??!” He squeezed your hand.

You nod back to him, “Really.” You say. The two of you stare at each other for a minute or so, before you take notice of the way his eyes glance down to your lips and then quickly back up to your eyes. You smile softly, “You can kiss me Usopp.” you whisper as if there would be anyone in a dark alleyway other than you two. Usopp wasted no time before he softly pressed his lips against yours, his free hand going up to cup your cheek. It felt like a dream and you didn’t wanna wake up and you never did, when you opened your eyes and pulled from the kiss he was still there looking back at you.

You couldn’t wait to hear him tell the crew about how he took you to a spot and kissed you. And you knew you wouldn’t correct him.

[talistableau]

A/N

Part three! I’m so sorry for how long it’s taken but I procrastinated about it for ages and I was doing college work but it’s here! Part one has been like hidden but i’m gonna try and fix it dw, part two is still up though.

Content Warnings: I don’t think there’s any but mild language in this part as I wanted a lighter part three after part two but feel free to let me know otherwise!

Tags:

@tayhar811

@chiraqsblog

If you’d like to be tagged in the next part, just reply down below!

Without further ado, enjoy! 3.2k words!

. 𝕆𝕫𝕫𝕪’𝕤 𝔹𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕙𝕕𝕒𝕪.

☼☽☼☁︎︎☼☽☼☁︎︎☼☽☼☁︎︎☼☽☼☁︎︎☼☽☼☁︎︎☼☽☼☁︎︎☼☽☼☁︎︎☼☽☼☁︎︎☼☽☁︎︎☼☽☁︎︎

Standing in the toddler’s toys selection aisle in Toys R Us, a deep frown was embedded in Eddie’s features. What the hell does he buy as a birthday present for a four year old that he’s never even met before? His eyes scanned the shelves, hoping that something suitable would magically appear out of thin air that he could buy for Ozzy. You had reassured him countless times that he didn’t need to get him anything when he came over to the trailer, but he of course disregarded that completely.

He wanted to get something for him. He just didn’t know what yet.

Littering the shelves were an assortment of kids items, Glo-Worms, Etch-A-Sketches, Care Bears, and Boglins which he thought would be far too scary for a child. They even creeped him out and he definitely didn’t want to give your son nightmares. After a minute of pondering on it, he shoved one of everything in the cart—minus the Boglin.

He picked up a set of new-in Micro Machine’s as he continued down the aisle, adding it to the pile in the cart, along with two Gummi Bears as you had mentioned briefly that Ozzy simply had to watch the show whilst having breakfast before Kindergarten or all hell would break loose.

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Technodrome was promptly flung into the cart as quickly as Eddie had spotted it but that was more so for him than it was for Ozzy.

Content with what he’d picked, he moved to leave and head to the check-out, the wheels on the cart squeaking obnoxiously as he did, only to spot you coming down the very same aisle, evidently shopping for a gift for Ozzy as well.

“Shit, shit,” Eddie muttered, trying to move away as fast as possible, only to lose control of the cart and crash it into the shelf, an array of toys falling and making a shed load of noise. “Oh, Jesus H Christ!!”

“Eddie?” You rounded the corner of the aisle, only to spot him hovering by the trolley, keeping it out of your sight and standing nonchalantly. This was instantly suspicious to you. Eddie was an open book—sometimes too open.

“Y/N? Hey! Fancy seeing you here!” He laughed, stretching his arms on the cart behind him to further hide the contents within it.

Raising a brow, you fold your arms over your chest and he finally notices the shirt that you’re wearing. It’s a newer version of the same Black Sabbath t-shirt that you had been wearing when he first ever saw you. Shit.

“Uh-huh, what’s in the cart, Eddie?”

Panic flashed across his features as he scrambled to think of an excuse, “Uh, just just some..stuff for Hellfire.” He seemed pleased with his own lie, his posture and expression relaxing.

You took a step forward, Eddie moving in tandem with you as you stood on your tiptoes, craning your neck to peer at what was inside, him shuffling accordingly. He knew that if you saw what was in the cart, you would instantly refuse it and say that you couldn’t possibly accept it.

“Lemme see the damm cart!” You laughed, eventually spotting something that confirmed your suspicions. “Since when does Hellfire need Gruffi and Zummi Gummi teddy bears?”

Frozen on the spot, you could see the cogs in his brain turning as he raced to throw you off of the scent that you were rapidly picking up on. “Uh,” He stuttered. His mind went totally blank at being caught out.

No clever remarks, no jokes, nothing came to mind. For once, Eddie Munson was speechless.

“I knew it! You’re getting something for Ozzy aren’t you?” You playfully pointed a finger accusingly at him. “Move.”

“No no no! It’s for my…cousin. Gene. I’m picking up presents for him, got sent here by Wayne, y’know?” He knew that it was evidently a lie. He had no cousins, nobody except for Wayne especially not anywhere near Hawkins for a start. “Yeah he’s gonna be fou-three! on Monday.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, shaking your head in disbelief at the blatant—terrible lie that he had told you. “Oh yeah, I remember my four-threenth birthday. It was great.” You rolled your eyes as Eddie shifted his weight anxiously.

With an exaggerated groan he moved away from the cart with his hands up in surrender, your jaw hanging open at the amount of gifts tucked inside. “Eddie. This is far too much.”

“No, no it’s not.” He shook his head, hands now holding the bar of the cart, the clang of his rings resounding as he tapped his fingers on it. “This is great, he’ll love it all! Didn’t you say that Dummy and Fuzzy were the ones he’s missing? It’ll be great, trust me, it’s not too much.”

Biting your lip to stop your eyes glossing in appreciation at the kind gesture, you smiled, lightly punching his arm before you hooked one of your own through it. “Okay fine, but that’s it. Nothing else for him, okay? Promise?”

“Pinky swear, doll-face.”

You blushed when he called you that. It had been his latest pet name for you. They usually alternated whenever he saw you, but ‘doll-face’ seemed to be the lucky one, sticking around for the long run. You didn’t understand the name to be perfectly honest, you didn’t think you were particularly doll-like. Dolls that came to mind were white, skinny and blonde with porcelain skin—you were none of those things.

Your skin was dark with an iridescent shine—thanks to the cocoa butter and Vitamin C you applied every morning. You certainly were not skinny, you were mid-sized at least, curvaceous from pregnancy but also genetics. Your hair also was very much not blonde, dark tight coiled curls littered your head, sporadic strands falling in front of your eyes from time to time.

Now freely grinning, you rolled your eyes and grabbed a hold of his cart, spinning it out of your way as you started to reshelve the toys that Eddie had caused to plummet to the ground. You turned over the box of the Boglin in your hand, jumping back and pulling a face at it.

“This is for kids?” You scoffed, placing it back on the shelf with a noise of disapproval. “If anyone showed up with one of these for my child, I would burn it.”

“Yeah, I'm with you on that one.” Eddie agreed, leaning on the cart and moving out of the way as you grabbed ahold of it and pushed it down the aisle.

You took a hastily scribbled shopping list out of your jacket pocket, it was written with one of Ozzy’s crayons and on the back of a brown paper bag that had been used for your groceries, it was the first thing that you could see as you left the house. Eddie quickly spotted the note in your hand and took it from you, eyes scanning over it and determinedly seizing the trolley back from you.

“Okay, doll-face, let’s get this party started.”

The next day you were sitting in your Biology class, glancing at the clock and eagerly awaiting the bell to ring, signifying that you could run the hell out of here. Eddie was going to pick you up and drive you back home and help you set up the decorations for Ozzy’s birthday party. Some little friends of his from Kindergarten were coming as well as their parents so you wanted everything to be perfect especially since the mothers of these kids were considerably older than you and you didn’t want to give them any excuse to look down at you.

Tapping your foot in time with the minute hand of the clock, you could practically count down all the seconds leading up to the bell going off and everyone exploding into action, frantically shoving all of their things into their bag and sprinting out of the classroom.

You had already packed your stuff away ten minutes early so whilst everyone was preoccupied with that task, you made your escape and legged it out of the classroom, zooming down corridors and dodging the incoming flux of students.

You finally reached the awaited double doors and sat outside the entrance to Hawkins High, taking out a cigarette and lighting it with the lighter Eddie had gifted you. It was black and detailed, with a delicately painted devil face, a sword on one side and a mace on the opposite side. A hand-painted rendition of the Hellfire Club logo, a D&D club that he had been talking you into joining.

When you argued that you didn’t know the first thing about Dungeons & Dragons, he had assured you that he would teach you everything. He showed up to your trailer on more than one occasion with books and books about the game, determined to get you to join the club.

Taking your first drag from it, a small voice shouted from behind you. “Hey, you can’t be doing that here, lady, I've got asthma! Sensitive lungs!”

Turning around, you took the cigarette out of your mouth with a laugh and stood up. You came face to face with not just the man you were waiting for to give you a lift home, but his friends Gareth and Jeff—who you already knew from late nights at The Hideout with Corroded Coffin— and his new younger Hellfire Club members.

“Excuse me?”

“Dustin, leave it.” The boy you knew as Mike, Nancy’s little brother nudged his friend—Dustin, you had just learned.

“No, no no,” You shook your head, holding out a hand to silence Mike. “It’s fine, Wheeler, let him talk.”

Glancing at Gareth and Jeff, you saw how uncomfortable they looked, shifting their weight on their feet and looking at Eddie every so often who stood with his arms folded, clearly wanting to see how this would go. Once Mike had picked up on this, he did too, keeping an eye on Eddie.

“Nothing else to say?” You asked Dustin, “Those sensitive lungs just..poof! Magically fixed?” You snapped your finger to emphasise, unable to contain the smugness and goading tone in your voice.

“Oh, I’ve got lots to say!” He began, “First of all, you know that piercing you got up in your nose you think is so cool? Yeah well guess what, they were used to mark se—“ He cut himself off when Eddie stepped forward and slung his arm around your shoulder, taking the cigarette out of your hand and having a drag himself.

“Used to mark what, huh?” You grinned, taking back the cigarette and inhaling one last time before you put it out, placing it back into your cigarette carrier for later. “Your kid’s boring me, Ed, we gotta get the house sorted and then to the daycare before they charge me another hour,” You patted his chest.

It was Mike’s turn to speak, “Daycare? Why do you need to go to the daycare?”

You rolled your eyes, “To pick up my son, why else would I need to go to the daycare?” You don’t miss the surprise on almost everybody's faces, Gareth, Jeff and of course Eddie being the only ones who weren’t blindsided. “You’re really nosy, Mike, you know, Nance did mention something about you being freakishly similar but I just assumed she meant looks.”

Smiling as his face dropped slightly, you waved. “Bye kids, see you later guys.”

Eddie ushered you to his van, bowing deeply and extending his arm when he opened the passenger door, saying the very same thing he said when you met at Steve’s party, “M’lady”

With a raised brow, you smirked, “Why thank you, Sir Eddie, the Banished.”

The grin now on his face was unmatched, the redness on his cheeks extremely prominent on his pale skin. He ducked his head with a small laugh and shake of his head and closed the van door, jogging to the drivers side.

That exact moment was when you realised that you were definitely falling in love with Eddie Munson. Fast and hard, at that. Eddie leaped into the van and buckled his seatbelt, pressing play on the same Metallica tape that had been playing in the van that morning as you’d drove to school.

Ozzy’s party had been a huge success. His friends had eagerly joined in on the games with no fuss, the cake that you had spent majority of the night beforehand making was quickly devoured and the mothers had been lovely to you, praising you for the decorations and effort that had gone into the party, even inviting you out for coffees and suggesting play dates. Most of all, however, Ozzy adored it.

Your son had almost fallen over as you led him into the trailer, your hands covering his eyes as he giggled excitedly and his little face lighting up when he saw all of the balloons and banners that covered your living room. Eddie had taken over the job of blowing up the balloons as you spelt out Ozzy’s name and glued them to the personalised banner.

Ripping open his gifts had certainly not been a challenge for your toddler either, the paper being torn into and quickly flung to another part of the room being followed by gasps and noises of awe from his friends who eagerly went to inspect the presents.

Ozzy sat on the sofa contently watching a tape of the Gummi Bears that your mom had sent for his birthday as you and Eddie tidied the living room. You had told Eddie that he had already done enough and didn’t need to help but he had playfully thrown a ball of wrapping paper at your head in response and continued picking pieces of it up.

Grabbing a sweeping brush, you swept the remnants of cake crumbs and tipped the pan into the bin. Ozzy suddenly sprung up from the sofa and ran to the corner of the living room, excitedly pointing.

“Mom! Mommy look!”

You frowned, unable to see what your son saw and so you left the kitchen, standing where he had been to see what it was that gained his attention, Eddie joining you with a heap of paper in his hands.

“Mommy, what’s that?”

It was a present tucked into the corner, it had been hidden behind all of the other presents and hadn’t been noticed. Ozzy quickly ran to it and sat himself down, grabbing it and itching to open it but Eddie quickly spoke up.

“Okay okay, I know that I said I wouldn’t get anything else,” He began, your gaze fell on him as you hummed, telling him to continue. “But I’d already gotten those, so just look.”

Ozzy stared wide-eyed and blinked at the pair of you, silently asking for permission to open it. “Go ahead, baby.” You smiled, also curious to see what else Eddie had bought.

At your words, the toddler eagerly opened the gift, pulling it out with a surprised look when there was not one but two t-shirts inside.

“What’s this?” Ozzy tilted his head and was now addressing Eddie, he tended to be quite reserved and quiet around new people but it seemed that this wouldn’t be the case with Eddie.

Looking at the shirt, your eyes lit up and your lips curled into a wide smile. It was two matching Black Sabbath T-shirts, identical to the one that you had been wearing earlier that day except one was considerably smaller. One was for Ozzy and the other for you so you could match.

As Eddie tried to explain what the shirt was to Ozzy, you quickly slipped into your bedroom and changed into the shirt that you had been wearing earlier that day.

Coming back out, Eddie and Ozzy were sitting and playing with the Etch-A-Sketch that he had bought him. The young boy grinning when he saw you were wearing the same shirt that he had just received and running towards you as fast as his legs could carry him, you quickly picked him up and hugged him to you, resting him on your hip.

“You have one!” He said excitedly, your eyes shifted to Eddie who still sat on the couch but now he was smiling back at you. “But what about that one?” He pointed to the shirt now open and resting on the arm of the couch. “You have one.” He repeated more sadly.

You understood what your son was saying and quickly formed an idea.

Leaning to Ozzy’s little ear, you whispered, “Do you know who doesn’t have one?” He shook his head, his thumb resting on his bottom lip as he did so. You subtly jerked your head towards Eddie who remained oblivious, your little boy, however, clicked onto what you were saying and nodded happily.

Placing Ozzy down onto his feet, you watched as he scarpered towards the t-shirt on the couch and grabbed it, thrusting it into Eddie’s face, who was very confused. “What’s up? Does it not fit?”

He looked at you and you winked, gesturing with your eyes for him to give his attention to Ozzy again.

“Mommy got one, I got one and now you got one.” Ozzy explained as he tried to shove the shirt into Eddie’s hands again.

You didn’t miss the way Eddie’s eyes very nearly glossed up as they went back to Ozzy or when they landed on the shirt and he realised what this meant, you saw it all.

“Wow, thanks, little man.” He laughed, wrinkling his nose with a small sniff and laugh. “I’ll wear it tomorrow, ‘kay?”

Ozzy didn’t think this was enough. “No! You need to put it on now, we all have to wear it!” He ran back to you with his own shirt in hand, “Mommy, I want mine on now too.”

You laughed, “Okay okay, i’ll put it on for you, Oz. You can go through to my room, Eds, then we’ll all match, yeah?” You looked down at your son who nodded in agreement with this plan and couldn’t help but beam at Eddie who disappeared off down the small corridor to get changed. You took the birthday boy t-shirt that you had put Ozzy in, off and put on his new one.

“You know, you were named after someone on this t-shirt,” You told Ozzy whose eyes grew wide yet again. “Ozzy Osbourne. He’s in Black Sabbath which is what your new shirt says. You were even born to one of their songs.”

“Woah.” His voice dragged out as he stared up at you in childlike wonder. The wonder fading to glee as Eddie came back into the living room, wearing the shirt and matching with both of you.

“We all match now!” He giggled, clapping his hands together excitedly and running full-speed to the couch.

“I think that’s our cue.” Eddie laughed when Ozzy grabbed the remote and switched the television on again, the Gummi Bears theme tune playing as you both made your way to the couch and sat with your son who had left space for you two.

Sitting with Eddie on one side of you and Ozzy on the other, you placed your arm around the toddler as Eddie placed his own around your shoulders. You looked at him and smiled warmly, mouthing an appreciative ‘thank you’ as he grinned in response with a dismissive shrug of his shoulder.

Leaning his head on your chest, Ozzy whispered softly to you with closed eyes and a tight hug.

“This is my best birthday ever.”



[terephintik]

Unbound(Illumixreader) chapter 5

You were sitting on the bed, leg crossed as Mito sat across you on the chair, hands crossed.

"How do you know Ging?"

"I've read about him in papers, haven't actually met him though."

Your slight outburst after hearing Freecss's name had resulted in this little interview session with Mito.

"How did you end up on this island?"

"I was sailing alone up north, but suddenly a storm hit and me being a rookie, couldn't handle it, so here I am."

You cooked up an excuse as fast as you can. You were grateful that normal population were devoid of the knowledge about nen, so she won't be able to pick up little disturbance in you aura.

If it was any other day you would have been able to control those tiny flecks, since you were out for a whole month, so it was a little hard to control your aura.

The questioning session was over after an hour as Mito was not able to sense anything suspicious.

"If you're hungry you can come downstairs, I am making lamp stew," she said getting up from her former sitting position. She was about to exit the room but halted suddenly, turning around. Your guard rose instinctively.

"Your belongings are in the bathroom, over there." She signed towards the direction and left.

You sighed to yourself as you stood up from the bed, legs wobbling a bit due to your former bedridden state.

The first action you commenced was to dash towards the bathroom. You rummaged through your newfound belonging as you checked the little items it held.

drive✓

files✓

10-metal tubes✓

Illumi's cell phone✗

An unfamiliar emotion started to erupt in your chest, as you further searched through your dirty piles of clothes but to no avail.

You looked around the bathroom for any clue regarding its whereabouts; you started to look around the room but halted as an idea hit you.

You started to disperse your aura, covering the entire house, to feel every corner of the house, every movement, and every shape.

But much to you despair, you sensed nothing except for the normal ambiance.

Mind blowing up with hundreds possibility as what could have happened to that piece of metal as you gathered up all the items, tucking them around your clothes.

You crouched over the ledge of the window, activating gyo. You scanned the scenery below for any traces of your aura, though the possibility was in minus, or perhaps any traces of the bear who earlier.

Picking up quite a few, you jumped down the window, activating zetsu and began following the trail down the forest.

Standing in front of a familiar scene, you got some hope. Repeating the same process, the one back at the resident you did a full-three sixty of the forest but to no avail.

The stars were shining brightly over the outstretched sea, making the water sparkle in its wake.

"Must've fallen into the sea," you said as you looked at the glittering water with disappointing eyes. It almost looked like the ocean was teasing you; bullying you as it took away the only thing you could call yours.

You sighed, defeated. You were about to turn on your heel but your attention was caught by the bubbles surfacing at irregular intervals.

Someone was drowning.

You dived without a moment's hesitation. Once activating en to get a better grasp of the situation, you sensed uneven waves and more bubbles emerging.

It was coming from the northeast direction. You wiped you head in that direction to be meeting with a familiar tuft of hair. It was Gon, Ging's son.

Pivoting your body in water, you swim to his aid. He was weighed down by a big boulder, against the steep wall of the cliff. He was struggling under the rock-big enough to wreck a large yacht.

He was the same boy who saved you from that bear, the revelation was shocking at first but when you got to sense his strong yet immature aura you came in term with his immense potential. He is Ging's kid after all.

Signaling him about your presence which seemed to calm him a little, you examined the placement of the boulder. You put your hands by your side, flat on the wall behind, your back in the same position-flat on the wall and your feet on the rock.

In one swift motion you emitted the aura from your feets, sending the rock swimming away.

Gon was about to lose consciousness due to lack of sir but you grabbed him by his arm, taking him to the surface.

As soon as his nostrils were met again with those familiar odorless smells, he coughed and gasped for air.

"What were you even doing?" you asked him as calmed down a little.

"I-I was f-fishing but the fist w-was too big for me to handle, so I fell t-trying to catch it, "he answered while steadying his breathing.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes I'm fine now."

"Oh! And thank you!" he said enthusiastically.

"Umm...What is your name know?" he asked, his octave rising with every word. He had too much energy for someone who was dying a moment ago.

"Faye" you answered with the pet name given to you.

You could've used your newly discovered real name but decided against it because you wouldn't want Ging knowing it, what if Gon tells his father about you when he visits him.

You don't want that, you don't want him finding you this early at least.

The only reason you told Illumi was because of the fact that he saved you and you had a feeling that he won't tell anyone, though it was a risky wager, but you were willing to take it.

Something about him felt familiar to you, something from the past you don't remember, especially those pupil-less eyes. The first time you had made contact with his eyes, they seemed recognizable only for a split second, and they were hypnotic, almost felt like a magnet, pulling you towards him.

You wanted to stare into his eyes yet not. So you opted to avoid them altogether, you knew something would happen if it linger there for a few more seconds.

"Thank you, Faye-san!" Gon chimed in shifting your attention towards the boy you forgot was even there.

"Its fine, I was only returning the favor," mumbling the latter part to yourself.

"You should probably go home, it's dark, and "you continued looking at the stars.

"Won't you be coming with me? Mito-san is making lamb stew," he said cheerily, getting up.

"No I wo-Where'd you find that?" you said pointing at the object that had fallen from his pocket.

It was Illumi's cell phone.

"This?" he said whilst picking it up.

"When I fell into the water, I saw it stuck behind the rock. So, I went to grab it, I did manage to go it out but as you know I got stuck instead... Is it yours?" he explained quickly, bringing forward the device for you to see.

"Yes, I was looking for it all over, "you answered taking it in your hands.

"Alright then, I'll be going before Mito-san gets angry!" he informed you but you were too busy examining the device, to respond.

"Thank you, Gon" you said only to be replied by silence.

You lifted your head and saw him running towards his house. You smiled to yourself, he reminds you of the kids back at Aeiba Island.

Looking down, you fumbled with the device, trying to figure out it's working, how to contact Illumi, however it was busted.

[dromjournal]

Aug 27 2022

I am one of three police (?) or detectives or something. I'm not quite sure because we seem to operate outside the law but still we also are trying to act it out? Actually we might be thiefs that just have these vigilante ideals on who to steal from Idk -

We are in a multistorey building, where guards are patroling every corridor which makes it hard for us who can't afford to be discovered. They had not been part of the plan and just arrived. Safe on a balcony (for the moment) one of us notice this guy we know is a professional thief climbing up the building floor by floor. One of us starts following him which makes the rest also follow him, despite protesting the entire way because they wanted to get out and make a new plan and this guy was going - likely - to some place to steal from someone. Suddenly a thing one of us grabs slides out to reveal a beautiful necklace and earrings, clearly expensive. As she gushes over it, a figure appears just above us correcting her on some date or something that she used to identify the jewels. It's a white middle aged man, round around the middle, hair slicked and starting to thin out. He looks like your stereotype of a classical rich guy minus to monocle. We quickly climbs the last bit up the balcony and apologizes, as he points out we had been climbing for the last bit his (freaking HUGE, ridiculous) vintage super expensive drawers/chest. The girl with us freaks out, now from a distance easily identifying it as some super fancy designer shit that makes her almost crazy just to see in real life, and almost crazier to think she could have ruined it by accident. We tell the rich guy about the thief we saw and how he was well known as a very good but cruel thief, and he goes along with something like ''well that's not good" and starts showing us to this other room further inside where he keeps this super expensive exclusive item. Like, a whole room just to show it off, with nothing else inside, like a museum. I wait outside but he leads the girl inside, who again starts foaming at the mouth basically from fangirl-disorder. Well, as he shows us just so we can confirm for ourselves that yes this is safe and the thief didn't get to it. So they come back out and the iron doors close behind us when something starts buzzing. The second too late we notice as something is shot out from where the door is, the girl getting out of the way just in time that it only rips through her pantleg, grazing her, as she ducks behind the servant of the rich guy. The guy though is less lucky and turns and gets hit in the face. It looks like little darts. The girl inspects her leg (it seems fine but she's not sure) and then the guy turns to us and half hours s face is blue/black as this poison spreads through his veins. Simultaneously the darts have seemed to do a u-loop, exploding backwards in double the amount of smaller darts and flying at us again. It happens one time more with even smaller darts after. It's a miracle I wasn't hit, but my teammates start to collapse as suddenly the thief steps out from somewhere, walking up to the rich guy. They had been working together all along. They gloat over us as we can't do shit to stop them and their evil plan whatever it is. The shooter also shows up, a woman who gives off very cold vibes. I notice the servant who was also shot with the poison is fine, and say to my teammates there must be an antidote. The guy hear us and says that yes, there is in fact an antidote, and they kept four vials of it. He brings out a box and opens it to show us, but there's only one vial left. "Too bad we all took one to be safe!" or something like that. They are very mean. Well, at least there is one left, and only two of us are shot, so there's still hope. Maybe I say that out loud, because the woman with the gun walks up to the case, grabs the vial and injects it into herself. Then she walks up to me and shoots me in the leg with this - well it’s not a regular gun, or regular bullets I guess, the darts look more like a nail I guess - not once, but in neat straight lines on both my legs, and then also my upper arms and finally my shoulderblades, which scares me because of how close it is to my heart and how the poison will move so much quicker and shut down my organs. Every shot hurts like hell and they keep going and it’s super fucking painful. The woman just smirks. She couldn't stand I even had the thought of hope.

We are transported somewhere, all windows drawn top secret location, and I assume they are just killing us and getting rid of the evidence. By now in the van my identical twin sister is also there, which will make more sense later (I go back and forth in POV between the two). But as we're shown out of the transport we're in what looks like a perfectly functional living facility (if cut off from the world). The poison seems like it's been cleansed from our systems and we can stand up again. It doesn't make sense. The rich guy is there asking us how we like it, as if he was just being nice. We don't buy it obviously, wondering what the fuck this is. This guy has been nothing but cruel. Still, he claims this is where we'll live. We almost believe him - almost - when finally a person shows up - it's the girl who shot us as well as some guy that looks a mess - and he "greets us" with our new roommates as he calls it. These guys had gotten the great honor of moving into this house by being the very best of his students. Well, these guys obviously does not like us or that we are there doing nothing to deserve it, and that is obviously the point (they want us to get killed). Then comes the third roomie, who had already lived there for a while, and she is called "The Void". She is a bit of a mess, like she hadn't expected people, except it's more like she doesn't care. Her hair is rat colored and greasy and she is just overweight enough not to seem bothered by it moving around. Unrelated to her appearance she gives off very menacing, evil vibes.

It doesn't take many minutes from that before I find out what she does. Her power is that she can send anything she touches into this "void" outside of our existence. She is the bad guys ultimate power tool, getting rid of everything and everyone they don't want. She quickly sends my twin and teammate away, which makes me more careful and won't let her touch me. They all seem to just think it's all a laugh though to see me struggle. Then finally I am told about her power sending people to the void, as I had just seen people disappear and not knowing quite what happened to them. I yell at her to bring my sister (and team) back, and for some reason - likely to mess with me - she does bring my sister back.

My sister falls to the floor, hands still bound behind her back, breathing heavily as there is no air in the void and she had been so close to suffocating. I throw myself at her, having gotten out of my bonds by now, hugging her. That's all we really need to come up with a plan. As The Void attacks us for a final goodbye, I grab onto her instead and with my sister in my arms having just been in the void, I teleport us all there. It had been a guess on our part but it seems true as The Void realizes what happened/where she is from everything around her and freaks out, trying to get herself back, but she can only get things back to her, and she's in the void, so she can't bring herself out of it. Nor can she fight us as she never had to learn how to while relying on her power. I teleport me and my sister back to just outside the house/place whatever, leaving her there to suffocate among everyone she had given the same treatment.

So that's how you find out twin #1 has the power of teleportation. Of course there's limits to it, like she must have been there very recently or in view of the place to teleport there. However because of the mindmelding power of twins (actually it’s because the sisters powers, will make sense later when we know what it is) its fine if the sister is the one that imagine it too.

We start running and find out this weird house thing they were gonna stash us away in was a like spacecraft(?) on top of a small mountain, and the entire way down from there on is built like a maze meets an office building almost. For easier escape we merge together into one person, which we can assume is the other twin's power. Both our minds are active and synchronized at once, so that’s definitely how we could use a mix to teleport earlier.

It doesn't take long before we can tell we are being chased after by the people we had left behind, as they are loudly shouting orders for others to find us. We (the twins) attempt to go over the walls to find the quickest way to the exit, but very quickly we feel the ground shake as a really gigantic girl shows up from the shouting. She's thin and stern looking with modest clothes and thin hair hanging down straight. You get the feeling she is such a rat, she would sell you out for some minor crime and she'd feel morally justified for it. Like she looks down on everyone not just literally. Her face is towering above the walls, which means she can easily spot anyone climbing the walls (which is probably the point). We jump back down, but now that we've seen where she came from we know there must be a way down over there. Over the speaker the rich man starts talking to us, graphically explaining when they are betrayed they'll go after not just you, but anyone related to you, anyone even closely related, like class mates or your third cousin you never met, and they'll torture them to death. They had once blown up an entire village - not a single person left alive. And no one can do anything to stop them, because that’s how powerful they are, and we should just give up and turn ourselves in. Well, we won’t. We teleport over on the wall closest to where the giant appeared and has to quickly teleport down, because she immediately spots us and tries to grab us. She misses and can’t reach down between the walls but she still alert everyone to where we are. What we find on the level below is not quite what we expected.

It looks like we’re walking outside. Looking up at what does look like a sky, what you see in-between the clouds looks like you're underwater. There is a sun and it's reflecting on the surface but there's also animals swimming around in the water - they must be truly giant. You only see them from the underside but it looks like horses. People are walking around with shopping bags like we’re in a mall, that’s kinda the feeling you get. The closest building looks like maybe a racetrack? A lot of the people are going there and at first we consider it too, but there doesn’t seem to be any way “through” it so we’d be stuck. The people around are more or less all women, and they all look rich. Like, rich-rich, both the men and women. The women are all blonde and straight haired with preppy clothes. They are not clones in any way but they all are extremely pretty, like being in a room of models. A lot of them (at least the slightly younger ones) is wearing the same pink fine quality varsity jacket. It feels like I must stand out, however to my luck these girl seems mostly concerned with themselves. It’s strange, but they definitely feel alive and like they are real people (this matters soon) who are going about their day. We find they come and go through an elevator so that’s where we go, but we don’t dare use one since there’s cameras inside them. However there’s a spiral staircase that no one is really using, so we go down that. What we quickly find is something we didn’t expect again - it looks like we’re inside a factory corridor instead of a continuation of the mall. There’s no elevator here, nor any of the rich people. We open up the biggest metal door, just desperate to keep moving.

Inside is a huge room. There’s a long line of people - girls really - snaking around the entire room that all look really poor or sickly to the point of apathetic. There’s also people standing next to the moving lines, observing and looking the girls over like they are looking at wares on a conveyor belt to judge which ones are defective. It’s insane. Because they are focused on their work though we can get pretty close to the end of the line, where it goes through a door into the next room. The kids that I end up by are all strangely disfigured and odd looking, like nonhuman, and I make a face and brings my jacket over my head, kneeling to look more crooked and like I am part of them. One of the people that are  overlooking at the last station almost stops me thinking something is not quite right, but another guy kinda distracts him and they let us pass through to the next room. The room is empty, just the conveyor belt with a line of disfigured young bodies on it Suddenly the girls start morphing, and from the swollen faces and crooked bodies they start turning into these gorgeous young women. It’s never explicitly stated, but it’s very much implied that the disfigurements are from the experiments they had endured and not natural, and this was all part of the process as we are moving through this invisible laser-thing that makes them start to morph but doesn’t do shit for me who haven’t gone through all the stuff they had. I guess it’s sort of like with x-rays, and that’s why this room doesn’t have any overseers. I try to act the morph out as much as I can though by just standing up straight and look normal. At the end of the room before letting you out again on the other side there is a blondificatior (lmao idk it just dyes and straightens your hair like anything else but it does it permanently like it’s natural) and I go through with it too, since it’s minimally invasive. 

The very last thing they do is give us a jacket - the pink varsity jacket of extremely fine quality - and I can see the door that leads outside. It’s just the last stretch to get done with. But there is a woman overseeing us here before letting anyone out too and I realize I am fucked because my face is not very pretty, and these girls - hollow bodies of women - are all gorgeous. I act as well as I can, freezing a smile on my face, but just as I expects she notices me and stops me. She tells me I should go down the next corridor instead of out the door, but she assumes I will follow her direction because the people she usually interacts with are, well, not people anymore. She turns to report me to a higher up, and I hurry to walk outside instead and no one stops me. There’s no extra security. She just expects that I will follow her order because the non-people always does.

We get outside. We just ends up in a normal town with no other blondes around, strangely, and there’s a normal woman just standing in a parking lot just about to unlock her car. I think we just end up going out a random door somewhere in the world. We try to exchange our pink jacket for her long grey cardigan and she quickly agrees since the pink jacket is well known as a huge status symbol. Kinda another reason we don’t want to be wearing it, trying to hide. So we’ve changed our looks somewhat in an attempt to make ourselves unrecognizable.  When we separate again we are both blonde so we’re more or less still identical.

We get to the blasted town, thinking that hey, lighting doesn’t strike the same spot twice right? There’s no one there anymore that can give us up. Except to our surprise, when we get there, we are greeted by a whole gang of kids. Naively they have no trouble telling us they had survived the blasts destroying the town by being locked in hidden underground bunkers, that could only be locked and unlocked from the inside. Now we fear the evil guys might come back here and we can’t take all the kids with us we tell them to show us. It doesn’t take long until the bad guys show up, and we are also hurrying the kids to go back inside and hide again and not come out for anything. We’re also hiding in our own bunkers - that’s the thing, you can only be one person in each and it’s barely big enough to stand up. Minus is the bunkers are also see through, even if they are strangely strong.

From outside there’s a whole damn army arriving from what it sounds like, trying to break inside. The bunkers actually hold from their attempts though. They are yelling and trying to break in, and we’re just sitting ducks, until they suddenly stops. The rich man steps out, asking us to come out of our own free will, and he will grant us mercy. He’s impressed by what we’ve done so far and he wants us to join him and his team. Also, if we don’t, they’ll start torturing the kids that have come out when the soldiers arrived (even though we told them not to). In fact, they start doing so immediately, kicking and punching a little boy so every bone and blood vessel in his body is breaking. We don’t know what to do. I mean sooner or later we’re gonna have to get out of here, and there’s no where for us to go. We decide together, finally, to give up.

We agree to his terms. We step outside and we are handcuffed and separated. We walk past the body of the boy who is barely recognizable anymore, but also see that other kids are safe inside their bunkers which is a relief.

We are taken to a temporary set up room with a “doctor”, the barely recognizable messy guy from before, who brings out two huge syringes with something inside. They put the needle into your finger, and it’s more or less the entire length of your finger. Looks straight up horror movie, I’m not entirely sure if it’s actually necessary or if they are just being sadistic (it would be in line with what I know of their character so). It hurts like shit too with that awkward placement. The twin with the teleportation powers go first, and I think it’s some kind of tracker inside the first needle although they don’t tell. The second one looks more like some liquid and the doctor actually explains they spray it into your blood and it will begin the morphing you into their “type” albeit more slowly/safely than the doll factory did.

The second twin goes for her turn and she is twitchy as heck from the needle. The tracker goes okay, but the liquid splurts everywhere because she keeps pulling away. Finally, because he’s out of the liquid, the doctor takes his own arm and plunges the needle into it to take part of his own blood and then puts that in the second twin instead. It should contain the same thing, so he figures that is the closest he can get. Well, fucking jackpot.

This is when we are actually shown Twin #2′s power. Yes she and her twin are connected somehow mentally and they can even merge, so she already knew what was in the needles and it was all a trick. But her real power isn’t just connected to her twin - she has the power of stealing others powers by somehow merging their DNA inside her. It's tough to do because she needs to get their dna somehow by like, licking them or something, so it's not really useful a lot of the time. But this guy literally gives it to her of his own accord. They don’t know what her actual power is.

The arena is pretty small, but the stands are many and filled.

A lot of the participants have no idea what they are getting themselves into. They're mostly kids that see a fun game. It's horrifying.

So these two girls, one got strong psychic powers and the other can explode people. Yes, literally just goes bang in a mess of guts and blood. She likes to explode people’s heads though.

We are supposedly playing a game of catch, although you can absolutely catch a corpse and it would count. She is way overpowered and this is the worst opponent and game we could have gotten really.

Well, time to bring out our new power (the doctors). Timer goes off and we immediately throw ourselves down on the floor, creating an illusion of still standing up, making her target a fake head of ours. We’re lucky it works, although it likely wouldn’t for much longer if we didn’t come up with something else. So, we mentally connect to her biggest fears and starts creating nightmares that come alive (they’re just illusions, but they feel very real and they are based on your personal fears which makes them harder to ignore). Because we can teleport we can surround her with these illusions. She freaks out, losing us among the smoke as she believes she is attacked by these huge crab-like monsters, attacking the illusions instead.

So, soon the time is up and as the smoke clears out it’s clear she lost - she never caught us, we win. However looking over at the referee board, she has almost as many points as we do - like 334 to 337. I’m not sure how the game is judged because a game of catch would be straight forward you’d think, but it does seem we are the winners either way. Except rich guy apparently can’t have that, so he steps down from somewhere to interrupt the ruling. He suddenly decides that we were late to the game, and therefor he must deduce 10 of out points. Also, he makes up several bullshit reasons to give goth-girl more points, so now she’s the clear winner. People start booing, finding this unjust, and even the girl looks unsure if she likes it despite seeming relieved.

[noblestofnobles]

Shout out to Hubert who right before the Battle of the Eagle and Lion told Ferdinand that he was going to be absolutely useless and a waste of space on the battlefield.

...

Ferdinand was the MVP.

[oh-for-fic-sake]

They Hung Up

Masterlist

Summary: August can always fix your problems, especially when someone is ripping off his princess.

Warnings: fluff, ddlg, daddy kink

A/n: inspired by my chat with ebay this morning. Apparantly ebay will charge buyers import and customs VAT on items that aren't even being imported into the country... or going through customs. And they don't charge this at checkout they only charge it when they take the actually money. When i told the lady thats stealing your taking more then the agreed amount from my bank she hung up on me telling me to 'speak to the tax office'

Taglist: in reblogs.

"No but you cant charge import tax on something that isn't being imported.... No they cant that's illegal look I just want my money beck for the tax-what do you mean no?!... Hello? Hello?" You could have cried you were so angry and upset. You closed locked your phone screen and sniffed shaking your head in frustration.

"Princess what's wrong?" You snapped your head to your daddy, august was scowling. You could see the aggravated look as he took in your tears. Your daddy never liked you wasting them on other people. Your sweet pure tears were only meant to be shed for him! Every droplet was his to pull from you, be it tears of rapturous pleasure or shed from being spanked for being naughty.

"August? I? they hung up on me!" You hissed quickly running over to him tucking yourself into his thick frame pressing your head into his chest trying to soak in the smell of his aftershave. The spicy scent was heady and a little overbearing, you could tell why. Under the spice was the metallic twang of blood and deep sooty smell of fired bullets. You both loved and hated it, as safe as it made you feel remembering just who and what he was if frightened you, one day he could be hurt.

"Who? Sweetpea?" He purred softly needing to calm you down before he could make heads roll. His arms encircled you squeezing you tightly and he rested his chin on your head the  began swaying with you slowly.

"The support desk! They charged import tax! And nothing was imported! Daddy I was careful and-and I checked and double checked there was no warning not on check out or nothin' then they took another ten dollars on top and now my bank is angry and charging me for going over!" You said quickly panicked that he would be mad at you for spending too much again.

"Okay pumpkin slow down... Tell daddy what's going on slowly... Don't miss anything out okay angel" he said pulling you back a little to let you catch your breath. But you quivered and opened your mouth wiping at your eyes before trying to argue.

"Yeah but!?"

"Shh shh no buts take a deep breath... Now out, good girl now start from the beginning" he coaxed slowly cooing at you as you took a few breaths and calmed, settling down n his arms feeling safe and secure, even if you were still angry.

"I got that lamp with the shelves... It was fifty four dollars and ninety nine cents" you started explaining from the beginning and waited for August to nod.

"Yes I know, I remember you showing me to see if it would fit in the corner" he spoke remembering the little pull cord box lamp and three shelves, you wanted it for the internet router and house phone to sit on so you had more room for snacks on the side table.

"Well I got it and paid but then when paypal billed me they charged sixty four dollars and ninety-nine cents... I messaged them and they said it was import tax!" You cried out getting yourself all angry again, cheeks puffing out sweetly as you huffed and growled even throwing you hands up in frustration. August made to speak but you continued your tale of the mean support desk and their money thieving ways.

"I looked it up and cos its coming for inside the state I don't have to pay! So I called and they said I had to because the shop was registered outside of the USA! But its wrong! They're wrong and when I asked for my money she hung up on me! She said I have to talk to the tax office people!" August frowned that wasn't right and he knew it. It was clear you were being taken for a fool. These bastards were at it all over the place he'd seen some of it on the news, instead of tax evasion as we know it there was a new crime. Stealing tax from buyers and classing it as profit. Because its tax most people don't question it.

"And then my bank sent me this! Saying I was over my limit and in the minus! So now they are taking twenty dollars when my next allowance goes in!"  You cried quickly pulling up an email on your phone from your bank showing a notice of charges you now had on your account.

"Its not fair I didn't do nothing wrong daddy but now I'm loosing the tax and twenty dollars of my allowance!" You yelled and began sniffling again your lip wobbling. His heart melted as he watched you try so hard not to break down and cry again. You were being his big brave girl.

"Okay pumpkin i will sort this out give me the phone" he said plucking the phone from you then turned around heading to his office.

"But you cant! Its a withheld number-" you said sniffling following him one hand fisting the back of his jacket as he strode through the pent house to the secure room.

"Oh come on sweetheart don't tell me I'm going too soft and you've forgotten just who your daddy is~" he cooed opening the door and ushering you to the small teepee in the corner that had a large iPad and a few fuzzy scatter cushions .

"Go sit and watch YouTube or something okay? Let daddy fix this mess" he said pulling your headphones from the drawer and handed them to you ushering you to the small cozy spot he had made you.

You watched as he plugged your phone into his computer and made a few quick clicks before picking up his own phone and dialled a number with a smug look the  clicked his fingers at you pointing to the headphones wanting you to pop them on and stop worrying. You pouted but slipped on the large pink headset  and pretended to loom at your screen and select a video in reality you were listening to your daddy.

"Yes you wouldn't recognize it. How? Well this is a government number, you just told a young lady to inform us about taxes?" You flicked your eyes up at him grinning hearing the professional growl to his voice the 'daddy means business' tone that made you quiver with want and fear. It never meant good things, most of the time he used this tone when you were a bad girl. You only hoped the mean woman on the phone felt bad now too.

"Why yes, yes she did a miss y/n yes that's her. I would like for you to put me through to head office" you bit your lip hearing him begin his assault. No one not even the lady on the phone and her jargon would out smart your daddy!

"Pardon me I'm sorry I'm Mr Walker...I work for the tax office in her state and have decided to open an investigation about tax fraud over the issue, we have had many complaints... oh yes she informed us of everything, she was distressed over the tax miscalculation? Which has caused her to go over drawn on her account and incurred charges" he spoke firmly and turned looking to you as you giggled watching him in his huge leather spiny chair. You gasped when he frowned and pointed a finger to your iPad clearly telling you to stop being nosey and watch your videos.

"Yes I am aware of that but the shop is registered overseas, it doesn't export from overseas... so there is no international import tax due." He continued spinning around in the chair making a few notes on the large paper pad in front of him.

"Yes that's why I'm calling I've been on your website and your policies are in fact breaking the law and infringing on the rights of consumers. Do you understand? What you have done is illegal and fraudulent and I can see it isn't the first time so I would like to speak to your head of office now- thank you" you quickly looked down as August spun once more and grunted at you pointing to the door with a scowl catching you eavesdropping again.

"Poppet either watch your videos or go and have some lunch" he said covering the mouthpiece on the phone making you pout and flick your legs at him and cross your arms stubbornly. You wanted to watch!

"Decide or I will decide for you" he said raising his brows at you but you just huffed pleading with your eyes at him to let you stay and listen.

"Right lunch it is come on up! Off you pop go make a sandwich and have some juice" he said holding out his hand for the headphones.

"But I want to see you tell them off daddy!" You huffed non to impressed at being set out of the room so quickly.

"No, now do as I've asked daddy will be out in a few minuets this wont take long" you held his gaze for a few moments before you lost your nerve then stood with a pout handing him your headphones and left the room closing the door when you were told to.

It was twenty minuets alter August came put of the office and padded to the kitchen seeing you at the breakfast bar swinging on a chair whislt munching a chocolate spread sandwich a few candy wrappers on the side and packets of chips and un touched apple. He sighed giving you the stink eye but didn't say anything. You found a loop hole he said lunch and sandwich... he hadn't specified what type of lunch and sandwich.

"All sorted poppet! Your being refunded and getting compensation which will be debited into your account in forty eight hours" he said rounding the breakfast bar snatching the apple opening the cutlery drawer fishing out a knife.

"That's quick daddy... I thought they can only do it in five days?" You asked watching as he sliced the apples and began cutting the core out for you.

"Oh princess its amazing what people can do when they think the big bad tax man is on to them~" he chuckled at your face as he placed the apple on your plate. You didn't want to eat it but you would . Quickly. Because if you left it too long itd go brown and you would whine about it, get a warning and end up having to eat it anyway.

"Will you get in trouble? you pretended to be the tax man daddy" You said cautiously lifting a small apple wedge to your mouth and nibbled it.

"Me? Of course not daddy has many different identities love, and I can use them when I want love... besides we just uncovered a company that not only evades tax but it stealing it!" He grinned. If there was one thing he liked it was justice. Everyone should pay their dues. Especially someone who rigs a system to benefit themselves.

"And.. My bank charges?" You asked still unsure if he will be mad a you for over spending...Again

"All gone, daddy will cover them princess; now just how much chocolate spread is in that sandwich?" He said leaning over your plate trying to pry apart the two slices of bread.

"Err a little" you shrugged still eating your apple whist trying to smoosh your sandwich and hide the super thick chocolatey layer.

"Mm hmm there's more chocolate then bread poppet~" he hummed unimpressed but let it slide, again you'd found your loophole, the last thing he'd do is punish you for being a smart ass. It could save your life one day.

"Sorry daddy" you said whilst pulling the plates closer to yourself protectively worried he would steal our chocolate.

"Oh don't be poppet once its gone its gone its you that will miss it not me" he chuckled and spun around crossing the kitchen to make his own lunch. You grinned happily, what had been a bad day was getting better and better! You were getting your money back, compensation,  your daddy was paying your and charges and you got to keep your chocolate spread! What more could you ask for? Well there was one more thing you could ask for.

"Daddy can I have a puppy?"

[shemarmooresfedora]

Rebuilding Family

Summary: Y/N and Spencer were college sweethearts at Cal-Tech but once Spencer got accepted to the FBI Academy, he ended things deciding it was not fair to make Y/N wait for him. When they meet again years later, he discovers something unexpected.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Warning: mentions of a bear attack (NOTHING HAPPENS, just spencer stating statistics, i just wanted to label anything that i think could potentially trigger someone. if you ever think i’m missing a tw, please let me know!)

Masterlist

Chapter 25

Spencer carried a sleepy Jo up to her bed the night after the wedding.

“Daddy?” she asked softly as Spencer tucked her in.

“Yes, Princess?” he replied.

“Does this mean you’re the king now?” Jo questioned.

Spencer furrowed his brow.

“Of Caltechia. You said Mommy was the Queen and I’m the Princess,” Jo stated.

Spencer grinned, “Was I that obvious? Yes, I guess I am but the Queen is still in charge.”

“Okay, night, Daddy,” she turned on to her side, snuggling into her stuffed dinosaur.

“Rest up, Princess. We have a very exciting week starting tomorrow,” Spencer kissed her forehead before exiting the room.

-

You loaded the cooler into the back of your car.

“Okay, cooler, check! Tent, check! Sleeping bags, check! Pillow, check! First aid kit, check!” you continued to cross off the items on your list.

“Marshmallows, check!” Jo ran out of the house with a huge bag of marshmallows as Spencer locked the door behind her.

“Oh my god, thank you, baby. I almost forgot them on the counter. Those would be some pretty pathetic s’mores without marshmallows,” you smiled.

“Thank god, your parents still had all of this old camping stuff,” Spencer loaded his bag into the back.

“Oh, we used to go all the time when we were kids. I always wanted to bring Jo but never got around to it until now,” you smiled.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Spencer grinned, getting into the driver’s side as you buckled Jo in the back.

You were camping in Acadia National Park in Maine just like you did as a kid. It was about a twelve hour drive but you and Spencer would take shifts and Jo had plenty of books and coloring to keep her entertained for the ride.

-

“Oh my gosh,” you gasped, “It’s just like I remember it.”

You had managed to make the trip in one day since you left very early in the morning. You were arriving just a little before dusk.

The ranger informed you of your campsite number and the rules before setting you on your way.

“Tent first before it gets dark, please!” you called out to Jo and Spencer who were already eating marshmallows from the bag.

Spencer had swapped out his normal dress shirts and khakis for a fleece flannel and jeans and you had to admit, he looked so cute.

Luckily, the tent went up easily and you started to collect wood for a fire.

“Jo!” Spencer called out, “I need to show you something first before you go out into the woods with Mommy.”

Spencer pulled out a plant guide from his backpack and pointed to a picture.

“See this one? This is poison ivy. Please stay away from it. It contains an oil called urushiol that will give you an itchy rash. Me and Mommy packed the ointment for it but try your best to steer clear, Princess,” he explained to her.

“Aye aye, captain,” Jo ran off in your direction to help collect sticks as Spencer prepped the fire pit.

You, Spencer, and Jo were cuddled up all together, wrapped in a blanket, in front of the fire.

You all were toasting another round of marshmallows for your second s’mores of the evening.

You turned to look at Spencer when you noticed the sticky marshmallow residue around his lips.

“You’ve got a little something there,” you giggled, “Don’t worry, love. I’ve got it,” you put your lips up to his mouth and licked the sweetness away before giving him a quick peck.

“All better,” you smiled.

Spencer was shaking his head at you, grinning.

-

You woke up to various grunts and snorts coming from outside your tent in the middle of the night.

“Spence!” you whisper-shouted, aggressively nudging him awake.

“Stay calm but I think there’s a bear outside our tent,” you whispered into his ear.

His eyes shot open, “But we locked all the food in the car though just like the ranger said.”

“He is probably just smelling leftover crumbs. We should be fine. This has happened to my family before,” you explained.

“Y/N! There are an average of 40 bear attacks around the world every year,” Spencer whispered back, pulling Jo out of her sleeping bag and close to his chest.

“But it’s the least dangerous type of bear, Spence. Black bears only resort to violence if you threaten them and I don’t know about you but I’m not about to go out there and pick a fight,” you said.

“Okay, you can go back to bed. I’ll keep watch until the coast is clear,” he whispered.

“No, I’ll stay up too,” you leaned your head against his shoulder, “I just hope Jo doesn’t get up.”

-

The bear wandered off about 10 minutes later that night and you and Spencer both went back to sleep. You didn’t mention it to Jo in the morning because you didn’t know if she would be fascinated or terrified.

You had those little mini boxes of cereal for breakfast before Jo was bouncing up and down, ready to go on a hike.

After you all laced up your hiking boots and packed plenty of trail mix with extra M&M’s for the walk, you began your little scenic journey.

“Take it away, Spence,” you smiled.

“Acadia includes about 49,000 acres of land. It was originally established in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson. There are 26 mountains and we are hiking up one of them today. There are over 300 species of birds and 50 mammal species in Acadia,” Spencer stated as you and him swung Jo’s arms in between you both.

You walked about a mile on the trail before you put your arm out, stopping Jo and Spencer in their tracks.

“Bunnies,” you whispered and pointed to a few bunnies nibbling on some grass under a pine tree.

“Those are snowshoe hares,” Spencer crouched down to Jo’s level.

“Aren’t they supposed to be white?” you asked.

“They have shed their white winter coat and are now in their brown summer coat to better blend in with the environment,” Spencer explained.

“They look so cute with their little noses,” Jo mimicked the bunnies by scrunching her nose up and down repeatedly.

-

Swoosh. Ding.

Penelope had just finished presenting a case to the team when an inbox notification popped up.

“What is Reid emailing you?” Derek asked curiously.

“He emailed all of us,” Penelope smiled, pressing the remote back on to share her screen.

Hi all,

Minus a brief bear scare (that I definitely was not afraid about), we are having lots of fun and s’mores! I didn’t think I’d ever enjoy camping but I was proven wrong.

Sending our love,

The Reids

Attachment: 1 Image

The photo was of Jo on Spencer’s shoulders and you hugging him from the side as you all stood in front of a waterfall.

“My heart can’t take this cuteness!” Penelope clutched her chest dramatically.

A/N: i am actually planning a camping trip with a few of my friends this summer so this chapter is very near and dear to my heart

[tavvattales]

Hello! ❤️ Ok, since the limit is 3 characters per ask could I ask for the Handsome-Tall-Men-Gang aka Kaeya, Childe, Zhongli (minus Diluc 😢 sorry little wine maker) coming home to their s/o from a normal day at work? The reader gently leads them to a chair, sits down on their lap and gently holds their face in their (reader's) hands and then soflty showering their face with kisses and pecks (Kaeya's eyepatch!!!!! 🥺) while telling them in the softest and most loving voice that they love them????

Meanwhile the Handsome-Tall-Men-Gang is freaking out internally wondering if they missed a special date but reader just wanted to show them their affection???

I'm so sorry if this is too specific but I'm dying for reverse comfort 😢 why is there so little reverse comfort????? I just wanna shower my men with love and affection😭

Anyway sorry for this obnoxiously long ask😅

Hope you have a great day! ❤️

Oh gosh, bless this request. Please no need to apologize. If anything, I should be the one to apologize for taking so long to write this absolute GEM. I really wanted to take my time with this one.

So I only wrote for Childe and Kaeya for this one only because I do want to write a Diluc one and I wanna do it as two and two, if that makes sense. So part 2 will include Diluc and Zhongli, I hope this is okay!

This definitely holds a special place in my heart because I do this with my own s/o. And I love how confused he gets ughh. Always asking me, "What's wrong?" and I'm like just lemme shower you with 💕💕💕. I will definitely make a Diluc and Zhongli one for you at some point so we can have all the Handsome-Tall-Men-Gang here. There needs to be more reverse comfort 100%

----------------------------‐--------------------

GENSHIN IMPACT Character x gn reader fluff stories~♡♡

Scenario: Reverse Comfort part 1

Characters: Childe/Tartaglia, Kaeya

Pairings: Childe/Tartaglia x gn reader, Kaeya x gn reader

Warning: None

SFW----> Pure 100% fluff down below. Only click if you're prepared for a sweet tooth. ;)

Childe:

● He thinks about you, constantly. His mind always lingers to you while out on missions, praying to the Tsaritsa to bring him home safely to you. Sometimes he's gone for weeks, missing every single second of you. When he finally comes home, he always showers you with affection, thankful you're back in his arms again. 

Counting the days the love of your life would arrive home, you prepare yourself and the home you share by keeping busy. Cleaning every nook and cranny, and once more for good measure. It kept you distracted from the painstaking wait, so you didn't mind. You sigh to yourself as you dust off a shelf that was already dusted three times today. You were anxiously waiting for Childe to come back from one of his lengthy missions. He sent word that he would be coming back soon, but you still worried nonetheless.

You desperately wanted him in your arms, safe and sound. Folding a pile of clothes and placing them in the drawers in front of you, you heard the front door open. This made you bolt up and your heart race, "He's home!" You say excitedly to yourself as you run towards the front door, flinging your arms around a very surprised Childe.

A small chuckle tickled your ear, "Did you miss me, darling?" He said softly, his voice like velvet against your ear.

You pull away and nodded, taking his hand in yours, "I missed you so much, that I-" You place a gentle kiss on his lips, "Just couldn't wait to do that." You flash him a brilliant smile, causing him to smile back at you as you tug him along. 

Childe tilts his head to the side, studying you as you lead him to the kitchen, sitting him softly on one of the chairs. You're still holding onto one of his hands as you sit in his lap. Gently you lift his chin with your other hand, his deep blue eyes gazing at you lovingly, "Is something the matter?" he asks quizzically, the messy locks of his soft orange hair falling over his eyes.

You gently brush his bangs away before placing a sweet kiss upon his forehead, "Mmm. . .nope. I'm just glad you're back home," you place another kiss to both sides of his cheek, your warm lips causing his heart to flutter and his face grow warm. You continue placing gentle kisses to his nose and hands. You feel him suck in his breath each time, relishing each kiss, melting with each gentle placement. 

You place one final kiss to his lips, he takes you in wholly, wrapping his arms around your waist bringing the two of you closer. The two of you break away, both panting you say, "I love you."

"I love you too, Y/N," he whispers breathless before you crash your lips down on his once more.

Childe is usually the one pulling you in for kisses and leaving you breathless. He never imagined you would turn the tide on him, but he isn't complaining.

Childe/Tartaglia x gn reader END

-----------------------------------------------------

Kaeya:

● Kaeya is always playful with you. He's always planning the best dates when the two of you have time between work. He always surprises you with flowers, or a picnic. He's a true romantic. He also always knows what to do when you've had a bad day. He's one for spontaneous outings, though he'll never be opposed to a night indoors, sharing a bottle of cider as the two of you talk about your day.

You had just gotten home from a mission. Exhaustion was setting in, but you knew Kaeya would be home late. On days like this Kaeya would always remark how he didn't have time to eat dinner and would even be too tired to eat when he got home. You pushed past your exhausted state, determined to stop by the Knights Hall to drop him off dinner, ensuring he takes a break to himself.

Wrapping up the meal you had prepared for him, you smile to yourself, "This came out pretty well!" you had gotten together his favorites, made with the freshest ingredients, a delicious fruity skewer being one of the items you carefully made. 

You made your way through the streets of Mondstadt, waving at passerbys and greeting them with a small bow. You were well known in the city and people looked up to you as much as they did with the Honorary Knight. As an adventurer, you always took pride in helping the citizens of Mondstadt no matter what the problem was. 

As you neared the Knights hall you heard your name being called, "Y/N! It's good to see you! I'm assuming you're here to pay Kaeya a visit?" You turn around to be met with a beautiful, tall, ash blonde woman. She carried herself with confidence and grace.

"Hi Master Jean! Yeah, I'm here to drop off some dinner for him," You smile brightly.

"He's going to love it. I'll take you to him," She responded escorting you to his office. 

As you approached his office door, your heart started to pound. He still made your heart race even thinking about him. Jean placed a gentle hand on your shoulder and gave you a knowing look before nodding and turning away to get back to her duties. Reaching upwards you gentle knocked on the door in front of you, the only barrier in your way.

A quiet, tired voice responded, "Come in if you must. . ." you heard rustling of papers before walking in. You frowned, hoping that seeing you would brighten his day. Softly opening the door you stepped in, his dinner clutched to your chest. His tired eye lit up at the sight of you and he smiled in surprise.

"Seeing you was just what I needed, Y/N," His voice rang in your ears like silk, soft and gentle. 

You fidget slightly in embarrassment, you cheeks turning pink before responding, "I-I missed you, so I brought you some dinner," you place the neatly wrapped box on his desk. Deciding he needed a break, you took a seat on his lap, "Plus you need to take a break sometimes"

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow at you playfully, fully accepting the fact you're sitting in his lap.

"Yes!" You exclaim, placing both of your hands softly on each side of his cheeks. You press your forehead against his, "You need to take care of you sometimes too. . ." You whisper, placing a soft kiss to the tip of his nose.

Kaeya was taken aback, though his eye softened, "I was afraid I missed an important date, but knowing now I didn't and you came to visit me because you were worried. . .makes me happy," you quiet him down another kiss.

You start showering him with small little pecks, along his jaw line, his forehead, cheeks. He embraces each and every gentle kiss, never wanting this moment to end. Leaning down again you place a warm kiss to his eyepatch and murmur, "I love you Kaeya. ." 

Not expecting that he pulls away for a brief moment, stunned. Your kiss was so gentle. . .no one but you could show him that amount of love and care that you do, "I love you too, Y/N. . .so much." He snakes his hands into your hair, pulling you against his lips.

It was his turn now to show you how much he loves you.

Kaeya x gn reader END

I hope you enjoy <3 

[keanureevesisbae]

But professor… - c.7

Summary: Penny discovers something

Professor!Walter Marshall x Penny Townsend (Asian ofc)

Wordcount: 3.3k

Warnings: Mentions of sex

Masterlist // But professor… masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter

It’s February now and I officially quit school. Never in a million years did I think that I would be good enough for it anyway and when I went back after Christmas break, I realized I wasn’t in the right place at all. Ever since I dropped out, I have been looking into cosmetology school and how to tell my parents about this sudden change.

Walter is getting ready to teach for today and is going to drop me off at the mall, because I need to buy a few things. Since I have yet to move out of the dorm, I need at least some boxes and just some other items.

‘Princess, you look absolutely gorgeous,’ Walter says, patting my butt through my jeans.

I squeal, before turning around, slapping him across his chest. ‘Don’t do that,’ I laugh.

‘Why not?’ He wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me up. ‘You’ve got a cute butt.’

After I triple checked if I have everything, the two of us leave his loft and walk downstairs towards the garage, his hand securely wrapped around mine. Like usual, he opens the door for me and kisses me the second he got in his truck as well. It’s becoming a thing now and it’s weird if he doesn’t do it.

Walter holds my hand as he drives towards the mall. ‘Princess, how about you and I get you moved in the middle of the night? So I can help you carry some boxes.’

‘I can ask someone to help me,’ I say. ‘Maybe just call someone from one of those services. Please, I don’t want to risk running into someone I might possibly know.’ When I notice he isn’t liking it, I say: ‘Please, Walter, don’t sweat it. I can move out myself.’

‘I know, I know,’ he grumbles. ‘It’s just that I want to help you out.’ He presses a kiss on my hand and leans back in his seat. ‘You look beautiful.’

‘Do you need to tell me that every opportunity you get?’

‘Yes,’ he simply says. ‘Come on, princess, scoot a little closer.’

It’s been a few weeks since he got the truck fixed, so I could sit closer to him. I unbuckle myself, before sliding over to his side. He wraps his arm around my shoulders and I close my eyes after I strapped myself into the seatbelt. ‘You’re so needy,’ I chuckle.

‘I’m not needy, I just love you. Need you as close as possible, darling.’

His arm feels heavy on my shoulders and when we’re close to the mall, I say: ‘Do you need anything?’

‘Maybe some snacks, but I’ll leave that up to you.’ He gives me a long kiss, before I get out of the truck.

‘I love you,’ I say.

‘I love you too, princess. Text me when you’re back at the loft, okay?’

‘Will do.’

✎ ✎ ✎

Shopping was nice, until I had to throw up. That never happened to me before. I think in my entire life I have vomited only once, until today. I stare at the stomach contents that are floating in the toilet. I can’t think of eating anything that has made this nauseous I need to puke.

Why would anyone vomit? The only reasons I can imagine is food poisoning, a stomach bug or being pregna—

Oh.

Could it be?

I flush the toilet and with the moving boxes that I have yet to fold into boxes, I walk through the shopping mall to the drugstore. I ask the woman behind the registry if I can have a pregnancy test and she simply nods. I don’t know what I was expecting (maybe the woman first completing a three hour interview before handing me a test, I don’t know), but after I paid for it and hid it in my purse, I walk out of the mall.

What if I’m pregnant? I mean, yes, I did skip a period, but that is not new to me. I mean, I’ve been pretty regular all my life, minus a few times. Normally me skipping a period didn’t make me suspect anything, since I wasn’t having sex, nor was I the next virgin Mary, but now…

Walter and I have been having sex quite a lot. I mean, it’s always with a condom of course, but even those are not one hundred percent effective.

I might be naive from time to time, but I’m not that stupid to unrealistic about the effectiveness of condoms.

The bus ride back to the loft couldn’t be any longer and when I finally arrive at Walter’s place (soon to be ours), I quickly text him I’m home, before hiding into the bathroom. Buying one was weird, peeing on a stick is weirder.

As I wait for the two minutes to pass by, I think about what to do. Would I have a baby at this age? I mean, I’ve always wanted kids and maybe now is a good time? Okay, no, it’s not absolutely ideal (the timing couldn’t have been more off), but… I’m not in school right now and—

Oh no, that’s just me being selfish and only thinking about my situation. I haven’t even thought about Walter yet. We never spoke about having kids, because I don’t think you are supposed to do that this early on in your relationship.

Right?

Oh my goodness, this is too much for me to think about. Let’s just wait until I see what the test says. I mean, there is a possibility I’m not pregnant and just a little bit late with my period and caught a stomach bug. Why think about all sorts of scenarios when there is a chance that it’s not applicable to me.

I grab the test and discover it has two strips. After a quick examination of the box I discover that…

I’m pregnant.

✎ ✎ ✎

Six hours. Six hours have passed by since I took the first test. In that time, I went back to the drugstore, to buy another one and peed on that one as well. They say there is no such thing as a false positive, but I’d rather be too sure.

And that one was also positive.

So naturally I spend my time wisely until Walter came home. I’ve been pacing through the loft, looked online how to tell your partner that you are pregnant and I ate some watermelon.

Walter walks in with a deep frown between his brows, but that disappears when he sees me. ‘Princess,’ he says, ‘you have no idea how much I missed you.’ He sits next to me on the couch and gives me a kiss. The frown appears again when he takes in my expressions. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I’ve got something to tell you.’

He nods. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yes, it’s just that… I don’t know. It’s kinda huge.’

He places his arm on the backrest, while his other hand takes mine. ‘Tell me, princess.’

Don’t beat around the bush, just tell him. ‘I’m pregnant, Walter.’

If it were possible, I’d suspect someone pressed on pause, because Walter completely froze. He tries to find some words for it, however nothing seems to leave his lips. I mean, what am I expecting from him? I’m trying to figure out whether or not I should be happy or scared.

‘Oh,’ he finally says. ‘And you’re planning to keep the baby or not?’

I nod. ‘I do and I understand that it’s too soon for us and that you won’t want to stay. I really understand that, Walter. I’m so sorry.’

Walter scoffs and actually looks super offended. ‘I do not understand why you think I wouldn’t stay, because I’m going to be right by your side, every step of the way.’ He squeezes in my hand and says: ‘You will never get rid of me that easily, princess.’

I let out a nervous chuckle, realizing how stupid it was of me to actually think he wouldn’t stay. I mean, we’re talking about Walter here. ‘I’m sorry,’ I say, ‘for just assuming. It’s just that my brain is working overtime. I might be a little scared.’

He nods. ‘I understand. It’s quite a lot, but let’s think about one thing first, okay?’ His lips curl up into a smile and says: ‘We’re going to be parents.’

When someone else says it, it’s even more meaningful. My eyes fill with tears as realization hit that I am indeed gonna be a mom and that Walter is staying, thus becoming a dad.

Walter pulls me closer and gives me a kiss on my forehead. ‘Princess, it’s okay.’

‘I know, but it’s so scary. So much is gonna change.’

He nods. ‘Nothing we can’t handle though.’ He pulls me on his lap and gives me another peck, this time on my lips. ‘Now we really need to get you out of that dorm. This weekend I’ll make sure someone is gonna help you with moving and you’re gonna stay right here with me.’

I smile. ‘I can’t wait.’

‘And,’ he says, ‘do you really want to go to cosmetology school now? We can always arrange something when the baby is here.’

‘I kinda want to focus on the pregnancy first, since I have no idea what to expect.’

‘Alright,’ he says, ‘then we’ll wait with that.’ He places his hand on my flat stomach and says: ‘Oh shit, Penny, I’m gonna be a dad.’

I can’t help but squeal when I think about it a while longer. ‘And I’m gonna be a mom.’

✎ ✎ ✎

It’s only obvious that we have to tell my parents. After I had my first scan, I realize that I really shouldn’t push the matter and just tell them, especially because the baby is healthy and I’m out of my first trimester at fifteen weeks of pregnancy. Besides, I also officially live with Walter and those nerves are slowly becoming less and less prevalent.

My bump is minuscule, but that doesn’t stop Walter from continuously placing his hands on it when he can. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, his hands are always on my stomach, but that’s okay. It’s sweet to see the demeanor of the detective change from someone who always has a figurative thunderstorm hanging above his head, to someone with childlike happiness.

We’re driving to Maryland now and we’ve been on the road for a mere forty-five minutes, when I say: ‘I have to pee.’

Walter starts to laugh loudly. ‘Again? Princess, you went three times back at home.’

Home. That shouldn’t make me giggly, but sure does. ‘I know, but I have to go again.’

‘Lucky you there’s a gas station right here.’ He gets off the road and parks his car. ‘Want something to eat, princess?’

‘Some orange juice, chips and chocolate.’

He simply nods and tells me to stay put. As usual, he opens the door for me. He was already very chivalrous when we just started dating, but pregnancy has multiplied it by a hundred. He securely places his hand on the small of my back and like the true detective he is, he checks everything and everyone in the gas station, before he says: ‘I’ll be right here, princess.’

I squeeze his hand, a silent thank you, before walking off to the restrooms to pee. After I washed and dried my hands, I exit the restrooms, to see Walter is already waiting for me, with all the snacks I wanted and even some more.

It’s nice to know that he still loves me a lot, even after we spend so many weeks together.

Once we’re back in the car, I let out a deep sigh.

‘Princess, you okay?’

‘Yeah, I’m good. Just tired.’

‘Why don’t you sleep?’ he suggests. ‘I’ll let you know once we’re close.’

I groan. ‘No, because that is so boring and I’ve been boring for so many weeks now.’

He scoffs. ‘You’re not boring, you’re pregnant. You’re allowed to be tired, princess and please just catch up on some sleep now.’

I hold his hand in mine, as I close my eyes and drift off to a light sleep. Walter doesn’t need to wake me up, because after an hour or so my eyes flutter open and I smile. ‘We’re almost there?’

‘Maybe an hour?’

I grab some of the snacks and feed Walter, as he continues to watch the road. I once saw how he drove, because we were video calling then. It was fast, hasty and in my opinion not very safe. When he drives with me, he doesn’t ignore the speed limits and is very very safe.

Imagine if there’s a child in the back, I bet he’ll drive just as safe, if not safer.

He places his hand on my stomach and says: ‘I’m not gonna lie, but I’m kinda nervous to meet your parents.’

‘You are?’ I ask. I thought nervous wasn’t in his dictionary. ‘Why?’

‘I don’t know, it’s just nerve wracking. Not only have I never met them, but I also got you pregnant. That usually doesn’t do well.’

‘Oh, I wouldn’t worry,’ I say. ‘My parents are very open minded. Besides, my mom and I used to watch Sixteen and Pregnant and she always said that despite not having to worry about that since I lived like a nun back then, she’d love a grandchild. So, I think we’re good. Also, my dad is probably a little scared of you. He is not that tall.’

Walter chuckles. ‘Well, maybe this’ll go well.’

‘It’ll go splendid, Walter,’ I say, ‘really. If my parents see how well you take care of me, then there is nothing to worry about.’ I place my hand on his and whisper: ‘They’ll love you.’

He smiles. ‘Good. Alright, let me get this straight one last time: we met at a coffee place, right?’

‘Correct,’ I chuckle.

The last part of the drive goes by fast and before we get out of the truck, I put on a sweater to hide the little bump. Walter unbuckles himself and his hand slips underneath the thick fabric, placing it on my tiny bump. He leans forward to press a kiss on it and says: ‘I can do this forever. I might have to quit my job, so I can do this whenever I want.’

I roll my eyes. He has been taking this dad thing so serious and while sometimes it’s very cheesy, I love him for it. Really, I couldn’t have asked for a better man to start having a family with. Is it pretty short notice, being only together a little over four months? Yes, of course, but that’s okay. I feel like the two of us can actually handle it. ‘We should go.’

We get out of the car and when we walk up to the door (Walter holding our luggage, since my mom insisted we stayed in the house I grew up in) my parents open the it and mom runs up to me.

‘Oh, honey, there you are!’ She gives me a hug and I hold back a little, so she won’t feel my bump against her body. I give my dad a hug as well and they look both hopeful and a little nervous when they see Walter.

‘Mom, dad, this is my boyfriend Walter. Walter, these are my parents, Lance and CC.’

Walter is polite, a role that fits him so well, yet I barely see it. He is always so sweet and kind to me, so grumpy and annoyed when it comes to my classmates and so neutral when it’s others. Now it changes a bit. He smiles, he shakes my parents’ hands and from the look of their faces, he isn’t over squeezing it (I actually had to tell him that). ‘Nice to meet you,’ Walter says. ‘You have a lovely looking home.’

‘Oh, aren’t you a dear.’ Mom ushers us to come inside and Walter places his hand on my back, as we follow them inside. I give him a little nod, a sign that it is all going well.

And, it actually goes really well. My parents are in love with Walter and he is slowly warming up to them, eventually even cracking some jokes. We talked about how the two of us “met”, what Walter does for a living (currently he is working at the police department in New York and not as professor at NYU) and a little bit about my parents’ work. Of course, the subject school came up once or twice, but I kinda chickened out telling them I actually quit.

I clear my throat and say: ‘I actually have some news.’

Walter finds my hand underneath the table and gives me a reassuring squeeze.

‘What is it, honey?’ mom asks.

I look at Walter, whose eyes say it all: I’m ready when you are. ‘Well,’ I whisper, ‘I… I’m pregnant.’

Oh no, they’re silent. Oh my gosh, how are they going to react? I bet they’re mad. Oh, shit, my dad is clenching his jaw. They are totally mad.

‘Are you serious?’ my mom asks, blinking a few times.

I nod. ‘Fifteen weeks.’

‘Oh my goodness,’ mom says. ‘Honey, that is amazing. I am so happy for you.’ She stands up from the table and walks over to me. I give her a hug and she whispers: ‘You’ll be a fantastic mom.’ She pulls back and squeals something about becoming a grandmother. She places her hand on my stomach. ‘Oh my, a little bump. Honey, this’ll go fantastic. I am sure you and Walter will become magnificent parents. That reminds me, Walter, give me a hug. You’re officially part of the family, now. Congratulations, sweetheart.’

Walter stands up and gives my mom a tight hug. Dad walks up to me and holds my face in his hands. ‘You’re gonna be an amazing mother,’ he says.

‘You think so?’

‘I don’t think so, I know so.’ He gives me a kiss on my forehead and says: ‘Is this also a right moment to tell me you quit school?’

My eyes enlarge. ‘How did you know?’

‘You can maybe fool your mom, but you can never fool me, sweetheart. You know, you focus on your pregnancy now. You can always go back to school.’

I let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully he is pretty cool about me just quitting. We’ll talk about eventually going to cosmetology school a little bit later on. ‘I love you, dad.’

‘I love you too.’

✎ ✎ ✎

That night, Walter and I are in my old room, squeezed in my two person bed (that is a little slimmer than the one back in the loft) and we reminisce about the evening. It went more than splendid, even when my mom forced me to take off my sweater so she could see the bump. She called at least ten friends to tell them she is gonna be a grandmother and that the child will be gorgeous and lovely, though they have yet to be born.

Walter turns to his side so he can look at me and says: ‘Okay, I have a proposition,’ he says, ‘and I want your honest opinion.’

‘Okay.’

‘How about, you and I move to Maryland?’

Is he serious? ‘Really?’

‘Really. I could see how happy your parents were with the pregnancy and maybe… Maybe they’d like it if you would be closer to them. Besides, I can arrange something and work in Maryland. It’s not like I’m bounded to New York. For that matter, I actually really want to leave that place, because if I see that slimy ass Fitzgerald one more time…’

While I start to laugh because of his personal vendetta against Fitzgerald, my hormones are also all over the place, because I bawl my eyes out only a second later.

‘Princess, don’t cry. This is good news.’ He presses kisses on my temple and cheek, kissing my tears away. ‘But I’ll take that as a yes?’

I nod. ‘I would love that, Walter. Thank you.’

[teamfreewill56-blog]

Best Things About Kyojuro and Mitsuri’s relationship

As Mitsuri’s master Kyojuro is a freaking drill sergeant and doesn’t go easy on her. He does it enthusiastically and its just hysterical to see this: 

And yet Kyojuro was still encouraging her even while being stern, being somewhat playful but never talking down to her, just trying to push her.

Their relationship was never romantic and they were only mentor/student to equals/friends. I particularly love this because it’s so rare to have characters who work closely together not become an item and instead it explores the other just as important and loving relationships.

In spite of that they show genuine love towards each other: Kyojuro paid attention to Mitsuri’s feelings and needs outside of training and always addressed them.   

Kyojuro immediately comes to Mitsuri’s aid when she is being ridiculed and can tell how Mitsuri is feeling through her body language (Although I’m not sure calling appearances a trivial problem is really much comfort?)--either way, he tries to address it and make her feel better, and also drew attention away from her to keep her from feeling more uncomfortable

Kyojuro also addressed and corrected the ridicule she received from her suitor although he did it without realizing he was doing so. 

He praises her hair that gets ridiculed in particular but also mentions her skills, and even though her suitor meant romantically it doesn’t matter. Kyojuro is a man in Mitsuri’s life that freely welcomes and accepts her and also praises her for things others belittled her about.

Mitsuri in turn pays close attention to Kyojuro and shows affection by emulating him, engraving the things that he says to her in her mind and heart and following them. Even if it’s things that he’s only said just moments before. She also congratulates and hugs him after he defeats Hairo and is only overjoyed that he’s alive and gets to become a Hashira.

OMG their matching haoris. Even when Kyojuro becomes the Flame Hashira Mitsuri still wears it and she wears it AFTER she becomes the Love Hashira

I think if Kyojuro’s family didn’t have an official family haori he probably would still be wearing it. 

And then we have this lovely moment of Kyojuro being a guy/dad/mentor mixed into one. 

And he’s just like “OMG WHAT ARE YOU WEARING!?” And freaking out, (I’m guessing from this panel Mitsuri never wore her attire like this before and I’m sure Kyojuro was partly worried she was gonna get in trouble for wearing it like that) and we have cute little Senjuro over here like “But it IS the demon hunter uniform...” because it looks just like Kyojuro’s minus the way its open at the chest, and even though Kyojuro was freaking out about it, the moment Mitsuri explained that the Kakushi said it was official Kyojuro immediately stopped being bothered by it. Immediately. No comments, ridicule, embarrassed looks anymore, or opening of a conversation. Mitsuri was told she could wear it that way (And I’m sure if she really was uncomfortable with it she could have had it tailored to look standard) and Kyojuro hearing that let the matter drop immediately.

Knowing how close Kyojuro and Mitsuri are I’m honestly surprised that she didn’t immediately break down when her crow told her what had happened to him, I thought she would be way more devastated, but hopefully we’ll get to see her true feelings at a later time. Because of everything Kyojuro did for her and helped her to learn about herself, not to mention teaching her to fight, being the one who set her on her path to becoming the Love Hashira, only showing her putting her hand over her mouth doesn’t seem like a proper reaction for Mitsuri. Out of all of the Hashira, even out of the characters besides Senjuro and Shinjurou I feel like she would have been the one to really struggle with the news and be just as devastated as his family.

[marshmallow-phd]

Late Night Surprise

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Johnny x Reader

A/N: This is a rewrite of a different oneshot, but I like to think that it’s an improvement! 

**

Stopping by the grocery store late at night with the moon high in the sky and the street lambs shining bright probably wasn’t the smartest idea. But with how this week had treated you, you didn’t want to leave your home for any reason whatsoever tomorrow. So you made the spur of the moment decision to pick up the items you knew you would need or be craving. With the late hour, the grocery store was virtually empty minus the poor soul that was forced to work until closing time. Not wanting to dawdle and add to their workload, you found all your needed items and hurried out.

Balancing the flimsy plastic bags in one hand, you struggled to get your key lined up with the lock. Your fingers were screaming for relief from the pain, turning red and white as the thin handles stretched to the point of threatening to break. You nearly whined out loud at how long it was taking. You just wanted to get inside. As winter was nearing and the sun was now gone from the sky, it was too cold outside for all this dilly-dallying.

Finally, the key slid into the door knob and unlocked with a twist and a click. With a groan, you shuffled into the apartment, letting the door shut behind you a little louder than you should have. Then you were left in complete darkness. 

“Boo!”

A high pitched scream was ripped from you, straining your vocal cords and clawing at your throat. Everything dropped from your hands; groceries, purse, keys. Nothing was spared. Your heart was beating a million miles a minute, threatening to go running for your chest and out the door. For a split second, you thought you were going to die. That a murder had broken in and was playing with you before taking his pray. But then you heard that familiar stupid laugh. 

“Johnny, I swear, if anything is broken or spilled, I’m going to kill you!” You growled as you swung for his shoulder in the dark.

The idiot that you somehow adored just kept laughing as he flipped the light on. He was dressed casually in sweats and a t-shirt. Must not have come straight from a schedule then. 

Johnny pulled you in and kissed your cheek. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

You punched his chest, but there was no force behind it. Now that your initial scared state had faded, you were struggling to hide your blissful joy at the unexpected guest. Johnny had been busy from dawn to midnight for the last several weeks on different schedules, photoshoots, and performances. As proud of him as you were, it was aggravating how he had so much going on that meeting up and spending time together was difficult. By the time he could make it over to your place, you were already fast asleep. Technology helped to keep in touch with video chats and quick phone calls during short breaks, but it wasn’t the same.

Kissing the top of your head, Johnny let you go and picked up the fallen and momentarily forgotten groceries off the floor. The two of you put the items away in their appropriate places as Johnny told you about a funny incident at the variety show recording. And then he dropped the real surprise.

“Are you serious?” you gasped, nearly leaping for joy. “Nothing planned tomorrow? Not even a photoshoot or a talk show? This isn’t a joke?”

“Nope,” he smiled. Curled locks fell gently over his forehead making your fingers twitch to push them back. But you wanted to let him go on. “Tomorrow, I’m all yours.”

“Freaking finally,” you mumbled. Johnny chuckled. Typically, you never complained because you didn’t want to be that person. You didn’t want to be whiny or naggy because you knew what you were getting into with him. But it did get frustrating at times. You liked spending time with your boyfriend. Like most couples.

A yawn nearly split your face apart and Johnny laughed once again. Perhaps he was a little slap happy as well.

“Why don’t we get ready for bed and we can talk more tomorrow,” he suggested.

No arguments would be coming from you. Before he showed up, it had been your plan to go to sleep. Your eyes were barely staying open. As the two of you left the kitchen and shuffled into your bedroom, Johnny let you go first, tossing over your PJs that had been left on the bed before you shut the bathroom door. The chilled air nipped at your skin and the tile was ice cold as you changed clothes and rushed to brush your teeth to get back to the warmth that was offered by your bed.

Johnny was already in his sleep pants when you reemerged. Bypassing him, you jumped on top of your comforter and stretched out your limbs.

It was a comfortable silence as you laid there on the bed, scrolling through your phone absentmindedly, not taking in any of the information flashing across the screen. Johnny brushed his teeth in the bathroom with the door open. Lifting your eyes away from the phone, you watched Johnny’s figure leaning against the counter. You were still in a bit of shock. It was a rare evening when he was actually able to spend the night, let alone surprise you like this. It was feeling a bit like a dream, getting to have a lazy Sunday with no rushing, no stolen moments, and no worrying about sudden interruptions. You could be… normal. Well, not normal, but… ordinary? An ordinary couple that had movie marathons, made breakfast together and didn’t change into real clothes until two in the afternoon.

Tossing your phone onto the nightstand, you wiggled under the blankets as Johnny turned off the bathroom light, followed by the bedroom light before joining you under the comforter. You shuffled over into his waiting arms that wrapped around you tight like a safety harness.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered near your ear.

“I’ve missed you, too,” you murmured, your eyes already closing. Johnny ran his fingers through your hair, his fingers occasionally massaging your scalp. The action was soothing, coaxing you into a deep sleep.

Most nights were rough, being in bed by yourself. You could sleep just fine; there was never an issue with that. You had slept by yourself for years before. But having Johnny right next to you, feeling his warmth and listening to his breathing, helped you fall into a peaceful rest that was incomparable. And what made it even better was the fact that when you woke up in the morning, Johnny would still be there, occupying the other side of the bed, mouth hanging open and tiny bits of crust along his lashes. As much as you usually hated surprises, this was one late night surprise you could actually enjoy.

[whimsicallyreading]

Dark Roast, No Sugar

“Last night I woke the hell up. I realized I need you here, as desperate as that sounds, yeah.” - Jon Bellion

Masterlist

Chapter Nine-

Aelin showed up to the police department in a pair of leggings and an oversized shirt. She didn't even bother putting on the new-ish sneakers she owned, opting for the ones with holes because they didn't squeeze her feet. It wasn't the first impression she wanted to give, but you deserve a little forgiveness when making a whole-ass human.

Leaning over the dash of the car, she presses a friendly kiss to the side of Chaol's face. "Thanks for the ride, boys."

His cheeks redden, and Dorian leans as much of his body as he can into the front of the car, "No sugar for me?"

Aelin laughs and kisses his cheek good-naturedly. "Feel less left out now?"

"Much better," the corners of his happy smile dim, his blue eyes dart to the doors of the precinct. "Are you sure you don't want me to call you a lawyer, Aelin?"

Chaol nods his agreement beside him, his hands clenching the steering wheel despite the car being in park. "Do you want me to go inside with you?"

Aelin feels a bubble of warmth blossoming in her chest. Their worried faces and eagerness to help her- it was almost enough to warm an assassin's heart. "Don't worry. They just need me to clarify a few things in my statement. Nothing serious. Paperwork issues."

Dorian and Chaol had shown up right as she was walking out of the front door of The Stag. When they realized she was leaving and offered her a ride... Aelin couldn't say no. Not with how her feet were aching.

It took some more reassuring, but they finally agreed to let her leave their caring grasps.

Fenrys met her at the door with a smile, "Hey, Baby Mama. Looking beautiful."

Aelin is surprised to find she's genuinely happy to see him. She can't help the toothy grin he brings out in her. "I'm well. How are you this morning, Fen?"

Fenrys lights up at the nickname. "I bought us some donuts. We have a hard day of work ahead of us, and I figured we would deserve a treat in advance."

Donuts sounded phenomenal and vastly improved her outlook of the day.

He steers her through the PD, and several heads turn to stare as she passes. Aelin didn't particularly care. Whatever they thought they knew about her, they probably didn't.

When they finally reach Rowan's office, they find him slumped over a laptop at a desk piled high with neatly stacked papers. The room is minimalistic. Only necessary office items were visible—no personal effects, knickknacks, or pictures of any kind adorning the space.

Rowan himself is also in his usual state of neatness, minus the dirt she could see staining the underside of his nails. He must have been gardening this morning.

Aelin doesn't bother with greetings. She grabs a chair opposite him and sits down. The last few days, she'd been feeling more drained and quick to tire. At first, she attributed it to the baby getting larger and demanding more of her body's resources, but now Aelin started to think that she caught a bug galavanting through the night.

Fenrys set a blueberry donut and a cup of hot tea in front of her. Bless him. Aelin mumbles her thanks before stuffing her mouth.

Rowan shuts his laptop with a snap and replaces it with a yellow notepad. "Alright, Aelin. I need a name. Who do you think is doing this?"

"When is Aedion getting released?" She says around a mouthful of glazed blueberry.

Fenrys slumps into an office chair at a tinier desk in the corner of the room. "This afternoon."

"If all goes well at this meeting," Rowan tacks on the thinly veiled warning. "I need a name."

Aelin leans back in her seat and takes a deep breath. There was a strange heaviness in giving his name. As if speaking it would materialize him into existence in front of her. Her goal when she moved to Ornyth was to forget about him and push her old master as far from her mind as she physically could, but she supposed it was naive to think he wouldn't come looking for her.

This wasn't just for her, Aelin reminds herself. Aedion would benefit from this conversation.

"His name is Arobynn Hammel. He's thirty-five, red hair, grey eyes, and an utter asshole." Aelin lays the name of her childhood tormentor out on the table. A bad taste sours her mouth.

Rowan tosses the notepad to Fenrys, who relays what she said to the paper. He looks at her over his desk with an unreadable expression. "What is your relation to Mr. Hammel?"

"Why?" Aelin chuckles as if the stress is trying to escape her with each half-hearted chuckle. "Do you want to know if he's my baby daddy?"

"Yes," Rowan and Fenrys say simultaneously.

Aelin's smile falls, and she scowls at both of them. They didn't know better, but she still felt insulted.

"He isn't, but I suppose he probably would have liked to be. Make sure to underline that," she points at Fenry's pad of paper. "Arobynn raised me. I don't think he was legally a foster parent, but he is who I was given to in the shuffle after the occupation."

Rowan dips his chin. Green eyes focus on her intensely, as if he's trying to absorb and commit her every word to memory. "How old were you when they put you in his care?"

"Eight," Aelin breathes out, a sharp tingling of grief comes with that admission. "I lived with him from the time I was eight until I turned nineteen."

"Why do you suspect him of producing and distributing Synth?" Rowan asks the nail-in-the-coffin question, and Aelin has to bite back old instincts to lie and conceal this information. It makes her feel vulnerable to expose Arobynn.

Vulnerability isn't an emotion she handles well. After all, when you bare your neck to someone, it becomes within their power to cut their throat.

"I've seen where he makes it, and I oversaw some of his high-risk contracts and dealings with the distribution," Fenrys chokes beside her, but he smothers it with a cough. Even Rowan looks a little taken back, eyes narrowing.

"At what age did you start assisting with his-" he struggles to find the words. "-His business practices."

Aelin blinks, "Eight."

This time, neither of them covers their reactions. They both freeze in their seats, an air of disbelief hanging over them. Aelin feels a chill and tugs at the hem of her shirt, wishing the sleeves were longer.

"What?" Rowan is the first to break the tension.

"I was displaced in the occupation," Aelin begins the watered-down version of her sob story. "I was carted into Adarlan and placed in the care of Arobynn Hammel. Within a couple of months, he was already using me as a mule to get orders across Rifthold. He trained me in various skills to carry out larger jobs, along with a few other children."

"There were others?" Rowan looks saddened by that tidbit.

Mentally Aelin wants to laugh.

Of course, he would be upset at the prospect of other good children suffering from such a fate.`Ones who had the potential he thought she lacked.

If only he knew what bastards they all grew up to be, and she by far was not the worst of them.

Fenrys' eyes were gleaming with more pity than Aelin was comfortable with because, unlike Rowan, she knew it was directed towards her. Gratefully he didn't dig too deeply. Instead, Fenrys picked up the next question. "Can you name the others?"

Aelin bites her lip, leg fidgeting under the table. "Tern Fletcher, Archer Flynn, Adam Mulligan, Lysandra Ennar-" she swallows past the lump in her throat. "Samuel Cortland and myself."

"Lysandra was involved?" Rowan leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. He hasn't looked away, barely blinked, since the questioning began. Aelin feels naked as his eyes seemed to be raking in her every movement.

"Not-" she tries to think of how to phrase it in a way that respects her friend's privacy. "She wasn't involved in the same capacity I was."

"Are the others you know still working with Hammel?" Rowan asks, and Aelin gladly lets them move the conversation away from Lys. She wasn't comfortable digging into her friend's wounds when she wasn't around.

"I suspect Mulligan, Flynn, and Fletcher. They were extremely loyal, and as of the last time I saw them, very active in the business." Aelin fondly remembers the beat down she laid on Archer before their parting words. He sold them out, and she hopes for his sake that they never run into each other again.

Fenrys looks up, "What about Samuel?"

"What?" Aelin flinches, the question taking her back.

"Samuel Cortland," Rowan reiterates. "You named him as one of the employees in Hammel's custody but implied he's no longer active in the business. Where is he then?" He leans forward, and Aelin wishes she could shrink back. "Would he be willing to speak with us?"

"Children." Her voice comes out as gruffer than she intends. "We were kids. Not employees. It wasn't a mutual agreement. None of us could consent to what became of us."

Aelin is surprised by the emotion that makes itself known. She swallows back the tears that want to fall and stuffs her trembling hands under her thighs. The implication any of them had a choice in serving Arobynn was disturbing and utterly wrong.

The taste of skin between her teeth, blood crusting under her nails, and being surrounded in pitch-black darkness consume her. Aelin suddenly feels more ill than she had this morning.

"Of course, Aelin." Fenrys placates. "That's understood. We just need to know where Samuel is. He could be very useful to the investigation."

"Dead," Aelin throws the word out like a dying fish on the table. "He died."

It hurt to say that. Tears burned in the corners of her eyes. Sam dying was worse than talking about Arobynn. A million times worse.

Aelin tries to swallow the lead rock in her throat. Arobynn didn't deserve to be known. His legacy was of blood, abuse, and control. It belonged in the sewer alongside his corpse.

Sam, on the other hand, deserved to be known. He abandoned by the system, forgotten by his family, and still chose kindness above all else. Sam's story deserved to be told, and it killed Aelin that it hurt her so much to share it.

"How did he die?" Fenrys prods delicately.

"What?" Aelin asks dumbly, heart accelerating in her chest.

"How did Samuel die? Any details you can give are beneficial. and you agreed to cooperate." Rowan reminds her sternly.

Mala save her, she couldn't go into detail about how she found him. She couldn't. Aelin feels blood rushing up to her head, and the room seems to sway.

"Sam. He liked to be called Sam-" Is all Aelin manages to choke out. "Excuse me."

Pushing herself from the desk, she shakily bolts for the office door. Their complaints are silenced as the glass shuts behind her. Outside, Aelin can feel the trembling beginning in her hands and spreading up her arms.

Sweat beads on her forehead in the oppressive heat of the building, but when she rubs her face, it feels damp and cold to the touch.

Aelin frantically strides down the hall, eyes darting around madly for a bathroom door. Nausea was creeping up her throat, and she really didn't want to throw up in someone's trashcan. She knew she was moving quickly, that someone might see her and become alarmed, but anxiety made everything feel like it was moving in slow motion.

A dainty hand grips her elbow and tugs in gently. "Follow me, dear. I can help you."

Aelin's head is swimming, and she allows the calming voice to steer her back in the other direction. When the person pushes open the bathroom door and Aelin sees the navy blue stalls, she rips her arm away and falls to her knees before the porcelain bowl.

Long, slender fingers pull her hair back from her face and rub her shoulders as Aelin loses her breakfast. "You are okay," the voice consoles—a hand massages up her spine and soothes the aches there.

Aelin's whole body is shuddering now. Her stomach rolls over itself, and the muscles of her diaphragm are quaking with exertion. She doubts she could get to her feet if she tried. A strand of drool hangs from her lips, and Aelin would be humiliated if her head wasn't still reeling.

Gouged eyes. Bent fingers. Blood on her lips.

A wad of paper towels appears and dabs at her cheeks, which Aelin hadn't even realized were wet with tears. She failed to notice that her body was shuddering under the intensity of the sobs coming from her. The woman continues to pat her cheeks and nose. Then to her mortification, it swipes at the spit hanging from her mouth.

Mala end me now, she mentally pleads.

Aelin looks up to find a woman with raven hair and onyx eyes looking at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, dear. I don't mean to overstep. I've been where you are before. Please don't be embarrassed."

Opening her mouth, Aelin makes to apologize, but another crackling sob breaks from her chest instead.

She's just tired. Tired of being sad. Tired of feeling sick. Tired of being unable to even say his name without breaking down.

Arms wrap around Aelin's shoulders and tug her into an embrace. She allows her face to burrow into the woman's blazer as the grief racks through her body.

"Oh, sweety. It's going to be alright. I promise whatever is going on right now will work out." Fingers rake through Aelin's hair soothingly. It turns her to jello in the woman's arms. Her presence was just so motherly in a way that Aelin sorely misses.

She holds Aelin tight until she's calm enough to hold a plastic cup of water without dropping it. The woman helps her stand and wipes the mascara smudges off her cheeks with a damp towel. "There you go," she tosses the towel in the trash when she deems Aelin presentable. "Brand new, again."

"Thank you," Aelin breathes out at last. "I don't even know what to say."

"Say nothing," the woman waves her hand. "I've been pregnant before. Hormones. Nausea. It isn't an easy ride, dear. Besides, no one comes to a police station for a good reason." The woman pulls a stick of gum from a purse sitting on the sink and offers it to her. Aelin accepts it gratefully.

"Has anyone told you that stress isn't good for you?" Her kind eyes bore into Aelin worriedly. "You look very pale."

"I've been told. Many times." Aelin rubs her forehead, an ache already forming there. "I just don't have much of a choice."

"What's your name? I'm Maeve." She smiles and extends a hand for Aelin to shake.

Aelin takes the hand, happy that they aren't trembling so badly. "Aelin."

"Do you have any name ideas for the baby?" Maeve's eyes glance down towards the slight swell of her belly a little wistfully.

Names? Aelin periodically forgot that the human growing inside of her would pop into the world and require such a thing. It was a far-off event where she had plenty of time to accommodate for things in her head. In reality, she was halfway through her fourth month.

Time was ticking.

"No. I don't have any ideas yet." Aelin admits.

Maeve pats Aelin's shoulder kindly. "That's just fine. Ignore my curiosity. You have plenty of time if-" she emphasizes, "you take better care of yourself."

There is a knock on the door. "Aelin, are you alright?"

Rowan.

"Yes. I'll be back in a minute," Aelin says through the door.

She waits until his footsteps echo back down the hallway before she makes towards the exit. Eager to leave the bathroom and the memories of her awkward breakdown with it. "Thanks again. Really. I appreciate it."

Aelin truly meant it despite the utter humiliation she felt.

"Let me walk you back to Rowan's office?" Maeve asked. "It's easy to get turned around in this building."

They walked in a comfortable silence back to the office. Maeve's demeanor is so tranquil it surprises Aelin when the demure woman pushes the door open without knocking. "I have a delivery for you boys."

"Chief?" Rowan stands up, confused.

What? Aelin blinks and turns back to the woman, noting the black and whites and the metal badge on the breast of her blazer. The same blazer Aelin had just cried on.

Blood rushed to her face, and her brain curdles in her skull. Of course, it was the law of Orynth whose arms she just broke down in. Adarlan's Assassin reduced to a ball of hormones clinging to the chief detective of Terrasen like a baby clinging to its mother.

"Has she caused trouble?" Rowan's eyes glint with steel.

If you've done anything to degrade me to my boss, the deal is off.

"Not at all. We ran into each other in the bathroom and had a lovely chat," Maeve brushes an invisible piece of dust from Aelin's shoulder. "I will let the three of you get back to business. You are in excellent company."

Aelin's lip quirks. Just the opposite. She loves me. Congratulations, you are already reaping the benefits of my presence.

"Oh, and Fenrys?" Aelin looks at Fenrys, who is actively ignoring them. "The reports you promised are late. Have them to my desk by the end of the day, please."

"Will do, Chief." Fenrys' reply is dry and lacks his usual pep.

Aelin notes the worried glance Rowan throws him, but he swiftly covers it with an expressionless mask. "I will make sure he gets it done."

What was that? Aelin tries to pry an answer from Rowan, but he avoids her look.

When Maeve leaves, the tension eases from the men's shoulders.

"You are trouble," Rowan tosses at her without venom.

Aelin picks up the cup of tea she left at his desk, glad it's still warm. "Yes, but only the best kind."

"We haven't laid out a single plan for weaseling out Arobynn," Fenrys makes an irritated face at them. "If either of you could focus for ten minutes, we can do the rest of the questioning later, but we need to start throwing out ideas."

"Did Rowan piss in your tea in the last ten minutes I was gone?" Aelin shoots back, not appreciating his sudden attitude.

"Thirty," Rowan says. "You were gone for thirty minutes. That's why I came looking for you. Also, ruining beverages is your thing, not mine."

Damn, had she been gone that long? A glance at the clock confirms he was correct.

When she turns back to Rowan, there is almost something like worry in his eyes? That couldn't be right, Aelin rubs that aching side of her head again. She needed to stop reading so deeply into things.

"We can continue with questioning later," Rowan announces. "Fenrys is correct in saying we need to start making plans. You've given us enough to work with for now."

They sat back in their chairs, pulled out more notepads, red pens, and sticky notes. Together, Aelin helped them form a list of potential places Arobynn would be laying low. Hotels, rental homes, and vacant manors. He had a taste for luxury Aelin knew he wouldn't sacrifice for anonymity.

Test results were still running on the Synth. Technicians had let them know it showed highly abnormal properties compared to average street drugs, and they promised to send them an extensive report when they were through.

Rowan had hushed any potential news stories about The Stag shooting. He didn't want anyone who may know Celaena to catch wind and start snooping around. Aelin was his best lead, which afforded her a certain level of discretion he acknowledged.

They didn't know about the Bane patrolling her block at night, keeping their eyes on the streets for unusual activity.

The clock ticked, and the light beaming through the winders grew warmer as the afternoon trickled away. It was nearly five o'clock when Rowan declared then done for the day, and Aelin was utterly exhausted.

"Come on," Fenrys offered her a hand to help her stand. "I can drive you by the prison. Aedion should be getting checked out as we speak."

"Thank you," Aelin accepts the help. Her feet ached, and she felt entirely drained. It was good Fenrys was offering a ride, or she'd have to call Dorian to come and get her.

Together, the three of them made their way to the parking lot. Conversation between them was sparse but not unpleasant. They'd fallen into a rhythm at some point while working together. It helped break up some of the awkwardness between her and Rowan.

Aelin hustled a little bit when she spotted Fenry's luxury car. She wanted to claim the front seat before Rowan did. Her gut couldn't handle the stress of riding the back.

Her fingers barely grazed the polished handle when Fenrys started yelling.

Arms wrapped around her waist, and Aelin's face throbbed as it found itself slammed into the asphalt. A loud explosion rattled her ears, and chunks of debris went flying through the air. A thick foggy smoke started filling the air, and she immediately started choking on it.

A dense weight lifts off her back, and hands grab her shoulders, rolling her body to face the clouded sky instead of the ground. Rowan is in her personal space immediately. He's speaking to her, but no sound is penetrating the ringing in her ears.

His hands are running along her arms, the side of her face, checking for injury. Aelin tries to ask him if he's alright, but he doesn't seem able to hear her either.

Suddenly, Fenrys is there, and he's grabbing them both by the arms. They are moving away at a sprint. Fenrys is yelling, but the smoke is stinging her eyes, and even seeing is becoming hard.

There is another explosion, and Aelin can feel the tremors beneath the soles of her shoes as the three of them hit the ground once more.

People are pouring out of the precinct. Aelin spies Cheif Maeve at the front of them, ordering people out of the building. Red and blue lights reflect off the smoke, and she knows that ambulances must be on their way.

Rowan is lying beside her. She hadn't noticed the rips in the back of his suit jacket at first, but there were long gouges in the material, and smoke wafted off a couple of scorch marks. The fact he'd thrown himself over her body and shielded her from the explosion was only starting to register when something warm squeezed her hand.

Are you okay? Green eyes were scouring her body for wounds.

I'm fine, Aelin assures him. She's more concerned about the spots on the back of his suit growing wet as he bled.

"Someone blew up my car," Fenrys is gaping at the spot where his vintage ride used to be. All that remained was a roughed-up frame that was lit ablaze like a campfire.

"Gods," Aelin breathed out, the ringing in her ears dying down. "I almost died."

Rowan hadn't let go of her hand and made no move to do so as his eyes fixed on the burning car. "That was meant for us."

He didn't have to elaborate for Aelin to understand. Whoever had placed the bomb hadn't been targeting her, but Rowan and Fenrys. They arrived and left work together. The bomb wasn't there when they got to the precinct this morning, so someone must have placed it while they were inside.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Fenrys runs a dirty hand through his hair.

Sirens wailed as paramedics filed into the parking lot. Other detectives and officers were starting to approach them. Firefighters approached the car with extinguishers and began to tame the burning fire.

Aelin didn't have an answer. Just the sinking feeling that the game they'd entered into had more players than she'd thought.

Here is part one of the mass updates! Thank you SO much for reading. I’ve gotten so much feedback and love on this fic it’s been so wonderful 💚

I do have an ✨IMPORTANT QUESTION✨

Would you all prefer I have tag lists specific to certain fics or an overall tag list for ships? So one tag list for all of my rowaelin fics, one for all my quinlar fics, or would you like me to keep it as I have been? Please let me know! ✨

Tag list- Let me know if you would like to be added or removed. :D ( names in bold won’t tag)

@thisismylibrary​

@highladywhitethrone​

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@live-the-fangirl-life

@ghostlyrose2

[zintranslations]

Kaleidoscope of Death, Ch. 108

Kaleidoscope of Death by Xi Zixu Link to Chinese / Novel Updates

Chapter 108: False Answers

Generously sharing hints inside the door wasn't much of a good thing at all, at least for the owners of the hints.

Because once you’d shared your hint, you’d exposed your own strength. The more difficult the door, the more true this was.

The more toward the end you were, the more difficult it was to get hints at all. So going public with a hint might make you a target, someone everybody was on their guard against. You might even be subject to sabotage.

Plus, without peculiar circumstances, nobody would want to share their hard-won hints anyways.

But the door before them obviously had to be an exception, because if they didn't tell the others the rules of the game, then those who died and became Hakobito would increase the difficulty of their escape.

"Are we going to tell them?" Lin Qiushi asked. "What happens if we just announce it like this?"

"We have to tell them no matter what." Though he'd heard the scream, Ruan Nanzhu wasn't distressed at all. "But there's no rush. They're all shrewd old things, even if I tell them everything they might not believe me."

As the three spoke, they returned to the foyer they were in before, and saw that someone had opened a chest in the corner. Inside the chest was something like a stethoscope. Someone had taken it out, and was examining it closely. That was an item available for use inside the Hako Onna game, Lin Qiushi recalled. He didn't think someone would be lucky enough to open up an item immediately.

"Who screamed just now?" Liang Miye eyed the stethoscope, then looked elsewhere.

"It was me…" a girl said meekly. "I was just getting ready to go check out the kitchen with them, but then I saw something in the crack of the door. I think it was a- a little girl wearing a dress. I couldn't stop myself, and screamed."

This girl was obviously a newbie, nervous-looking and by all appearances inexperienced.

After hearing her explanation, a few of the veterans had on peculiar expressions. They wanted nothing more than to stay as far away as possible from those things—only newbies got so foolishly close and offered up their heads like that.

Lin Qiushi took the opportunity to look around, quickly counting up the proportion of newbies to veterans.

Of the twenty-three, at least four in that group of seven were newbies; dazed bewilderment was still visible on their faces.

Minus these seven, there were likely also some newbies in the remaining sixteen. Which was to say, more than one group had brought newbies into this door. So the newbie count was between eleven and twelve, about half-and-half with the vets.

Actually, upon closer thought, it was easy to understand how people could risk other people's lives like this.

There was a limited number of death conditions. To test and identify one meant being able to avoid it. Testing these conditions with other people's lives was the easiest method.

"Can you not just open random chests?" Among the old hands, there were already some who couldn't watch these newbies mess around anymore. "Look—these chests are everywhere, so they must have some sort of special function. If you keep randomly opening them, shit's definitely going to go wrong!"

"What can go wrong!" The one who'd obtained the stethoscope was a young man, bravely swaggering about with a poor attitude. "I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

"You might be fine now, but who knows about later." The one with all the suspicions seemed to be called Sun Yuanzhou. The twist of his head was cold as he spoke to the leader of this newbie pack: "You brought them in. Get a grip on them, will you?"

The one who'd brought the bunch of newbies in this time was a middle-aged man named Wei Xiude. His face was unremarkable, and by appearance alone, seemed friendly and congenial. But evidently, to have brought in so many newbies, he wasn't at all a good person.

"Alright, alright." Wei Xiude at least knew to speak well. "I'll take care of them. Xiao Ji, don't open anymore chests. It won't be good if something happens. It's dangerous inside the door after all."

"Like anything will happen," the young man called Xiao Ji spoke impatiently. "You're too wimpy. No risk no rewards…"

As he spoke, he lifted his hand to open another chest.

"Wait—" Lin Qiushi spoke up to stop him.

But Xiao Ji naturally wouldn't listen to Lin Qiushi. In a single breath, he opened up two more chests. Fortunately, his luck was good: one chest had a slip of paper in it, and the other was empty.

"What's this?" Xiao Ji picked up the paper, and read it out loud. "False Answers…" There seemed to be only those two words on the paper, and no other information. He muttered, "the hell is this?"

He tossed the paper aside onto a table.

"Don't open any more." Seeing that Xiao Ji wasn't planning to quit opening chests, Ruan Nanzhu finally spoke up. "If I'm not wrong, this should be a tabletop game I've played before, called Hako Onna. If you keep opening up chests like this, something nasty really will pop out."

At this, Xiao Ji's hands finally stopped. He said, "What? Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Ruan Nanzhu shrugged. "You moved too quickly. As if I had time to."

Because of Ruan Nanzhu's words, all eyes in the house were now on him. Some looked energized, some doubting, some suspicious.

"You mean we're playing a game right now? Have you played it before?" Sun Yuanzhou got the point quickly.

"A few times." Ruan Nanzhu sat down on the sofa and leaned back. "I couldn't be sure when I first came in, so I went upstairs to find some key items. I'm sure now that it's that game."

Everybody gathered around, waiting for his next words.

Ruan Nanzhu very simply explained the rules. In the heavy chests was a ghoul, and opening them up at random could very well release it. Humans caught by the ghoul became Hakobito—box people—who continue on to sabotage the survivors.

Regarding the rules, Ruan Nanzhu hid nothing. He gave detailed descriptions from beginning to end, and answered many people's questions. But it was as he predicted—though he kept up an earnest attitude, the veterans didn't simply believe everything he told them.

"According to what you said, we can just not open chests??" someone spoke up in the group, questioning Ruan Nanzhu. "That's what you mean? That if we don't open any chests, nothing will happen? You said the safe has a four-digit passcode. Though there are ten thousand combinations, as long as we spend some time testing it we'll get it right eventually!"

Ruan Nanzhu turned a palm to the sky. "I'm only telling you the rules from the game I've played, not what the rules are here. There must have been changes, but I don't know what those changes are either."

"Let's count up how many chests are in this house total," a young woman said. Though she didn't look very old, she was seasoned. "I'm Yin Xinyi, pleasure working with you." She extended a hand to Ruan Nanzhu.

Ruan Nanzhu shook it. "I'm Zhu Meng."

"On the first day, the Hako Onna will cry once," Ruan Nanzhu said. "Where her cry comes from is where she's located. After that, she'll only cry when she wants to obtain a power…"

"Power?" Yin Xinyi asked.

"Yes. He's opened one up already." Ruan Nanzhu pointed at Xiao Ji. "False Answers."

Muttering broke out among the crowd, many asking what exactly this meant.

"In the tabletop, it's one of Hako Onna's powers," Ruan Nanzhu said. "It means the player who plays Hako Onna can lie."

Yin Xinyi, "lie? She can answer our questions?"

Ruan Nanzhu, "in reality, yes. As for here, I don't know what sort of derivative effect the power will have."

"We'll rest for today." Sun Yuanzhou's personality leaned toward dominant, taking up leadership among the group. "It's already after ten, and things are more likely to happen at night. Let's discuss this in more detail tomorrow."

"Okay," most agreed with Sun Yuanzhou's suggestion.

Then everybody began splitting into rooms.

There were three floors in the mansion. Floor one held the functional rooms, like the kitchen. Floors two and three were mostly bedrooms, with studies and bathrooms among them. There was also a large balcony, though it was sealed up by cement.

There were no rules about how many people could stay together, but most went for two to three per room—Lin Qiushi's group as well.

As the night got deeper, the mansion went hazy in the darkness.

Steel boards hammered over the windows blocked out most of the sun. Then, thick drapes like curtains at a show's finale sectioned away the remaining light. The lights in the hallway were a dim red, making the whole area seem like a darkroom or something. It was quite discomfiting.

The room Lin Qiushi and company were staying in was also filled with chests.

They had done a rough count. In the entire mansion, there were at least two hundred wooden chests, each about half a meter tall, neatly placed in every single corner of the house; they had a collective presence that was difficult to ignore.

It was in a chest like this that a girl, with her body all twisted up, could be hidden. At the thought, nobody wanted to take a second glance.

After washing up, the three got in bed. Ruan Nanzhu took the bed by the wall and could see the mass of chests with a mere turn of his head.

Before they slept, the three discussed some things.

"What happens if I don't open any chests?" Liang Miye said. "If nobody opens them, then nobody dies?"

"As if," Ruan Nanzhu said. "There'll definitely be a catch for us in here." They just didn't know what that catch was at the moment.

The doors would never allow them to unconditionally waste time inside, unless…there was only one person left inside this door.

"What kind of catch?" Liang Miye said. "But forcing our moves is good actually, or we're all left hoping others will gamble on their own lives."

Every time you opened a chest was a wager; who knew what would come out?

Ruan Nanzhu made a sound of agreement.

Lin Qiushi's attention was also on the chests, though he was thinking about that stethoscope the guy took during the day. The stethoscope was a game item, but could only be used once a day. It could determine whether or not the Hako Onna was in a chest, because if she was, the stethoscope would pick up soft sounds.

It was a very important item, but it was now in somebody else's hands.

Ah, this really was a game of luck, Lin Qiushi thought. As someone who'd never even won a simple five-yuan lottery, his luck truly wasn't all that impressive.

Plus, with their lives as the gambling chips, they could hardly afford it.

Late in the evening, Lin Qiushi still couldn't sleep well. Around three in the morning, a horrible scream came from downstairs, waking everybody from their dreams.

Lin Qiushi came awake in an instant, opening his eyes and meeting Ruan Nanzhu's gaze.

"Something happened?" Lin Qiushi asked.

"Mh," Ruan Nanzhu said. "Let's go see. Downstairs."

Liang Miye had woken up as well, and said, "that was the second floor, right? Don't tell me somebody got bored enough of living and decided to open a chest?" Ruan Nanzhu had explained it thoroughly enough during the day. If, after all that, someone still wanted to risk their life to open a chest, then Liang Miye really had nothing more to say.

But the annoying thing about newbies was their unpredictability. Under the oppressive weight of terror, no one knew what stupid move they would make next.

The crying and wailing didn't stop. When they got to the second floor, they could still hear the sounds coming through the door.

"Aaaah, it hurts, help me, help me!! Aaah—" The screams were chilling. Several people were currently stood outside that doorway. A sweeping look told Lin Qiushi that these were all veterans, including Sun Yuanzhou. He pushed at the door, then said, "it's locked. I'll go grab something."

"No need, I got it." Ruan Nanzhu slowly approached the door, bent down, and got to unlocking it.

Everybody's eyes were fixed on him. Moments later, the lock clicked open, and the room inside was revealed to them.

The room was already empty. The cries were coming from inside a wooden chest. Not only were there cries emanating from the chest, but also a dull banging, as if the person inside wanted to beat their way out.

"Save me, please save me, I don't want to die…" The closer they got, the more nerve-wracking the sound became.

"Who was staying in this room?" Ruan Nanzhu asked. As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward the chest beside this one. "They opened a chest."

"Fucker." Sun Yuanzhou seemed pissed off, angrily spinning around and going to the room next door. He banged on it until he'd woken up the people inside. "Wei Xiude, get your ass out here now! Were the people in this room with you?!"

Moments later, the room door opened and Wei Xiude walked out. He said, "what are you talking about, 'with me'?"

"In that room!" Sun Yuanzhou jabbed a finger at the room where the incident occurred.

Looking at that room, Wei Xiude's brow lightly puckered. "Yes, there are two of them in there." He seemed to comprehend something. "Something happened to them?"

Sun Yuanzhou spat a curse.

Wei Xiude saw everybody's eyes on him, none very friendly, and he laughed somewhat awkwardly.

"My apologies, I'll give them all a stern reminder for sure. But they haven't been in many doors and some of them don't know the rules…"

Sun Yuanzhou, icily, "mind your own people, or don't blame me for coming after you."

Then he walked off, seeming thoroughly disgusted with Wei Xiude.

Which was fair. A normal tenth door was difficult enough, but the newbies Wei Xiude brought in managed to ruck up the gameplay level to difficult-as-hell.

Nobody was in a good mood at this moment. The looks they shot Wei Xiude were also filled with distaste. Behavior like Wei Xiude's had always been contemptible. Inside the door however, every one could really only sweep the snow from their own front porches; they had no wherewithal to mind anybody else. But if Wei Xiude'd actions proved detrimental to everybody's interests, then that was another matter altogether.

The chest was still wailing at a head-splitting volume.

Lin Qiushi found some items that were left behind around the chest. Judging by the quantity, it hadn't just been one person dragged into the chest by the Hako Onna.

People dying meant an increase in the number of Hakobito; the risk of opening a chest had once again increased.

Lin Qiushi let out a breath, thinking things really were getting tricky.

It was the dead of night at this point. Most likely, nobody got any sleep since that chest wailed on for the entire evening. It was only by morning of the next day that the noise gradually weakened, then finally disappeared.

Lin Qiushi still couldn't understand—Ruan Nanzhu had clearly told them not to open chests for no reason. Why would people still break the taboo? Did they really just believe they would be lucky enough?

After a sleepless night, nobody looked very well. The experienced veterans were mostly fine—it was those who'd been hoodwinked in who looked on the verge of collapse. One girl just curled up in a corner sobbing.

Breakfast appeared by itself in the dining room. It wasn't too bad. Though Lin Qiushi didn't have much of an appetite, he still forced himself to eat some.

It was Ruan Nanzhu whose attention kept wandering. He seemed to be thinking something over. Halfway through eating, he said he wanted to go to the bathroom, and Lin Qiushi said, "I'll go with you."

"Sure," Ruan Nanzhu chuckled. "I'm actually a bit nervous."

Bathrooms in the mansion were all stalls with no distinction for gender. Lin Qiushi stood outside to wait, but after a while, he heard a strange noise coming from inside the bathroom.

Lin Qiushi leaned in closer, and upon realizing what the noise was, his expression changed. The noise…was coming from Ruan Nanzhu.

Ruan Nanzhu seemed to be quietly keening, and in that keen were weak cries for help.

Lin Qiushi rushed inside the bathroom, calling out, "Zhu Meng, Zhu Meng, are you alright?!"

He wanted to open the stall door, but found that it was locked. He fished out his tools in a hurry, and popped the lock on the stall in a couple of swift motions.

Once the door was open, he could see inside. There was nobody there. Beside the toilet, there was a black wooden chest. There was no lock on it—it could be opened with a simple lift.

But Ruan Nanzhu's voice was coming from inside the chest.

Lin Qiushi's face darkened. Many thoughts turned over in his mind as he hurried over to the chest.

"Zhu Meng! Zhu Meng! Is that you in there?"

He knew that Ruan Nanzhu wasn't someone who would just open a chest, but the world of the doors was full of peculiar circumstances. He feared that Ruan Nanzhu had encountered some sudden situation and was dragged into the chest by the Hako Onna.

"Zhu Meng!" Lin Qiushi began hitting the chest calling, "are you inside? Say something—"

"Help me…Please help me…" Ruan Nanzhu's voice was getting weaker and weaker, as if it was going to fade away at any moment. "Please help me…"

It had only been a few minutes, but there was already a sheen of cold sweat on Lin Qiushi's forehead. He stared at the lid of that chest and swallowed, hard, before asking in a raspy voice, "what's my name? Tell me, what's my name outside the door—"

"Linlin, save me…" was how Ruan Nanzhu responded to Lin Qiushi's question.

Upon hearing Ruan Nanzhu's answer, Lin Qiushi released a violent breath. He pressed his hear to that chest and listened as that thing inside keep calling his name in Ruan Nanzhu's voice.

"Linlin, Linlin, save me…Linlin, it hurts…Linlin…"

After staring at that chest for a while, Lin Qiushi turned and left the stall. Then he began going stall to stall, knocking down the row.

Very soon, one of the stall doors opened at his knock. Inside was Ruan Nanzhu with his skirt lifted up, and his expression as he looked at Lin Qiushi was strange.

"Linlin, what are you doing?"

Lin Qiushi looked at his face, and without saying anything, walked in and wrapped him up tightly in a hug.

After a moment's shock, Ruan Nanzhu returned the hug.

"What happened?"

Lin Qiushi, "I've learned what the change is."

Ruan Nanzhu, "hm?"

Lin Qiushi said, "the Hako Onna's power…False Answers." He glanced at a certain stall. "The Hako Onna can imitate people's voices and call for help from inside the chest."

Affection disturbed the mind; the moment something happened to someone you cared for, you were no longer in the state of mind to contemplate the logic of the situation. And once you'd actually opened the chest, there was no longer time for regret.

"What did you hear?" Ruan Nanzhu instantly got an answer from Lin Qiushi's words and expression. "You heard me calling for help inside the chest?"

"Yes," Lin Qiushi said. "Fortunately, you don't like to call me Linlin on the outside."

Ruan Nanzhu said, "I didn't hear anything. It seems the two people from last night were tricked like this."

"Mh," Lin Qiushi said. "They must have a good relationship outside the doors."

Ruan Nanzhu said, "you said just now that the Hako Onna cried inside this room, right?"

Lin Qiushi nodded.

"Then we can confirm her location." Ruan Nanzhu was thinking out loud. "There must be conditions restricting her movement, or we wouldn't be able to open the chests at all.”

If there were no restrictions, then that meant the moment you chose a chest to open, the Hako Onna could move to the chest before you.

"Yes," Lin Qiushi said. "So we can confirm the Hako Onna's in this room…But two people died last night."

That meant there were two additional Hakobito inside the house, and they were in unknown chests.

Ruan Nanzhu said, "let's get them to confirm it with the stethoscope."

Lin Qiushi, "the stethoscope's with the newbie that Wei Xiude brought in."

Ruan Nanzhu nodded. "Mh, I know. Let's go talk to them first, so this item doesn't go to waste."

The stethoscope must have changed as well. As for how, they didn't yet know.

Author's Note:

The strongest players pretty much won't ever bump up against each other, because they typically have their own hints for their own doors. The rest of the spots are divvied up among people without hints, so those people are weaker in comparison. Emmmm personally I think getting your hint out first thing would be catching the Idiot Ball? Everybody's basically your competition, and there's only one super important hint to the next door. Ruan Nanzhu would never go in a door and immediately announce he has a hint and attract everybody's attention like that.

Translator’s Note:

Many thanks to this YouTuber for giving me this split-second screengrab of the English name for “False Answers” ‘cause I couldn’t find it in the rulebook PDF...

Names in this chapter

Sūn Yuánzhōu / Sun(1) Yuan(2) Zhou(1) / 孫元洲

Wèi Xīudé / Wei(4) Xiu(1) De(2) / 魏修德

this bastard's name translates literally to "one who practices ethics" lmao

Xiǎo Jì / Xiao(3) Ji(4) / 小薊

[Ch. 107] | [Ch. 109]