#one swam right in front of me for a while

[nekrosmos]

Been at a really nice zoo all day and met some great creatures 🏃

[kalims]

⭒ㅤwhose (not) random kid

premise. crash landing from the future is apparently your kid, not that you know that anyway... in the form of a mixture between you, and your... supposed counterpart, clues are bound to pile up as to whose child this is.

parts. rosehearts, kingscholar, ashengrotto, al asim, schoenheit, shroud, draconia

cont. gender neutral reader, use of 'mada' which is just 'mama' and 'dada' cut in half for our resident shrimp (aka yuu) staggering 6.1k words woah

note. hello, hello! for a while I don't think I can work on azul's part </3 it's gonna be a very busy week for me for the following two weeks (i can say i am already in hell week) for finals so it might be a while before I can pick his part up hehe. in the meanwhile... here's leona ;) if I can commit to a date for azul, you can check out the posting schedule at my pinned since I will be updated it once i do!

as usual, just comment if you also want to be added in the taglist ^^ if those already on want to be removed you can also drop a comment to inform me!

leona

i should take a bite–was a brief thought that swam through your mind just as you turned a corner to another seemingly endless hallway. the floating lanterns, and candles alike light up in a short flash of dim green when you passed, extinguishing completely when you found another hallway.

in your hands was none other than a doom sandwich from the cafeteria, plucked then fought after its other nineteen siblings in the tray. if you had a word it would probably be chaos, you’d think there was a pyramid of golden bars in the cafeteria from the crowd of students outside before the bell.

there was indeed not.

“shehehe! take this, our protege!” were the humble words of a ghost occupant of the main campus, who had apparently come to view you as an underling of theirs. so if slipping the wrapped delicacy into your hands discreetly with a wink was their idea of a ‘good job’ then who were you, honestly to decline?

out of courtesy you wondered whether or not to inform your friends alongside the large crowd in the front of the room but decided against it because you were in the right mind to not dive first into that… mob and lose your beloved gift immediately.

in short, the students of this unfortunate institution were not above using dirty tactics for a single, stupid sandwich that happens to induce a recollection of memories when eaten (alright, you do see the appeal).

you hid it within the inner pockets of your blazer, lacking the nausea you had through the first few times of travelling through the mirrors as you stepped through and found yourself in the warm, humid air of savanaclaw. thankfully, as with all condiments from the cafeteria, the food would always remain warm.

alright. you did feel a bit dizzy but as were such with certain out of the world aliens like yourself. 

“we’re missing a disk, yuu-yuu!” 

you turned your head at the mention of your name, spotting a few savanaclaw students either lying still with varying pants or grabbing a drink at their own magishift field. a few disks were strewn around the dusty ground but you steeled your gaze at the source of your called name.

politely, you waved. this time, you’re not sure why cater’s nickname for you had extended from the upperclassmen of heartslabyul (well, the first years regard you normally anyway.) then to savanaclaw residents. for a dorm with such virile individuals, they’re still teenagers who like to pick on you, albeit less disdainful and more teasing after you’d helped the dorm out.

before, they were just demons to you!

you nudge your chin towards the many lying around. “there’s a lot of disks around, upperclassmen.” you pointed out, the cheetah eared second year doesn’t even spare them a glance like catching your attention were more of his concerns than a not-but lack of disks. “if you’re asking me to carry one to you, they’re really heavy. i’m sure your magic can carry it well anyway.”

buttering egos must be an acquired skill around here.

cheetah only flashes you a toothy grin, two fangs poking out from under his lips. “nah.” he replied with a shake of his head, patting down the towel slung around his shoulders to the perspiring skin of his neck. “want to be our disk? last time got everyone motivated to be the ones to throw you around.”

“no, thank you!” you bowed politely, turning around at record speed.

he snorted.

“bye, yuu-yuu.”

in hindsight no one would ever be sane enough to be a disk after watching a magical shift game considering it might as well just be a blur of color with all of the spells trailing after it. unfortunately, you were more so dragged into the role and reluctantly accepted your fate.

it was not a fun experience! you shivered, keeping your head straight to the entrance of the dorm as you resumed walking and ignored the disappointed hollers behind you. if you can’t see them, they don’t exist.

a breeze brushes through your legs.

the breeze trips you from your stride.

dazed with confusion, you remained stomach against the ground for a moment. what was that? you wondered after your brief startle, moving to push yourself up from the ground. a frown creases the space between your brows when you regained your stand and spotted the brown dust littering your otherwise, clean uniform.

you sighed when you found that it did not only cover your forearms, but also the front of your entire uniform. you might as well be rolling around on the ground to justify the mess on your clothes. 

this place really hates you.

“sorry…”

jumping ten feet from the air (you wish. you’re exaggerating for good measure.) you whipped your head around, searching from the pitched, misty voice that seemed to chime pretty close to your ear.

… must have been the wind.

the wind knocks you to the ground again when you moved forward despite your initial dumbfoundedness.

when you raise your face that once again planted to the ground, you are not greeted by the air you expected but rather than a pair of green eyes that was not familiar in the slightest when you pair their shade of hair alongside the irises.

“i’m sleepy. can we take a nap?” 

you gaped, horrified at the scare. “WHAT IN THE WO–”

‎⎯⎯ . . . ‎

grim on the other hand feels like he’s in heaven.

setting aside cans of tuna’s under your bed felt like a mastermind plan he’s been devising for weeks, there was no way you’d discover the pile below! he chuckled to himself. at last, with you away for the night (he assumes you are, since you’re goin’ over to meet that overgrown cat!). grim is at least thankful for this one time that leona kidnaps you away from him.

with his feast laid out in front of him grim spares a loud cackle that shook him with so much please that warm puffs of smoke slipped through his canine teeth, the blue fire larger with his laughs.

now i can eat! finally! after weeks! he cried in his head.

grim was just about to leap in to tear through the metal can to ravish his meal but instead startled upwards at the sound of a door slamming against the wall he worried the entire building just might come down on him for a second.

dust flew down from the ceiling and floated on the top of the cans. grim’s flames roared brighter in response to his otherwise perfect evening.

myaaahh! it’s just one foot on it. he thinks to himself, dimming at the thought of facing your fury. you sounded angry considering you literally slammed the door despite knowing it would challenge the stability of this… dumpster! his anger doubles down into satisfaction considering he took it upon himself to indulge in this feast up in the attic.

where you, after spotting the state of dust during the first few days, remarked to never step a foot in there again with a sneeze.

grim sneezed, then sniffed. it isn’t his sense of smell that matters now anyway, but his sense of taste!

though that fleeting sniff has him sniffing again, having caught a whiff of some scent that’s not familiar in the slightest. spicy, earthy with no traces of your own unique smell that divides you from the other students grim refers to as ‘nobodies’.

but slightly familiar.

he just about jumps to the ceiling with how shocked he was from the sight of the door leading down from the attic quite literally flew from its hinges to the air, falling heavily down the corner of the space with a wave of sound, and dust that momentarily blinds grim who coughed at the overwhelming amount of particles he had inhaled in the wake,

“ah!” grim yelled in surprise, ears folding back. he shuffled to the other side of the room, body reared back defensively.

he does not know what’s worse, these acts of anger involving the furniture having you as the source or… the savanaclaw dorm  head that had just climbed the steps to the attic with begrudging slowness.

leona wrinkles his nose at the smell, turning his head to the side with a displeased expression plastered on his face. at the very least, the monster is intelligent enough to read that he’s less than in a talking mood. “you,” he all but growled, ascending the steps fully.

“m..me!” grim huffed, trying to look intimidating by the puffing of his chest. “this is private property! my henchman owns this place!”

the lion waves him off. “don’t care. whatever they own is mine, whatever i own is theirs.”

another menacing step from the male has grim blanching and scurrying back. until he feels the dusty expanse of the wall brushing against the tip of his tail comfortably, he at the very least makes sure the flame doesn’t accidentally get the whole building catching on fire. if he didn’t you’d be far scarier than this leona right now.

well… except this leona is the one enticing fear in him right now, not the imagination of you.

what in the world did you do to this guy? he thought frantically. he would have thought leona was immensely content with the fact that you were visiting his dorm like he was every other time. did you fight? why was he even here? did you throw him under the bus?

right. grim might have eaten one of the chilled meat inside the savanaclaw fridge–only finding out it was leona’s right after he spat out the wet piece of paper with his name stuck onto it but…

“you know why i’m here?” leona scowled, not bothering to crouch down to the monster’s height. such an action was below him, that’s why he only peers down through his lashes at grim who confusedly shook his head.

he mocked, voice coming out stuck between a low rumble, and a growl. “your ‘henchman’ owes me now, makin’ me wait all that time and being a no show.”

as if to showcase his irritation, his tail flicked sharply. ears pulled back but twitching at every little sound like he expects to catch yuu in the action of hiding from him or something. grim begs to differ because he has no idea where you were.

it must have shown on his face but leona refused to be in the dark about your whereabouts. “so,” he squinted, flashing a canine tooth. threatening all the well, and of course less than happy. “if you tell me where that herbivore is, maybe i’ll spare you from the storm that’s coming to them.”

more like tell me now or you’re not gonna like what’s gonna happen next! grim cried in his mind.

leona tilted his head, eyes skimming from grim to the surrounding room. “or maybe i can just bring the storm here? this place’ll be nothing but a poor imitation of that scarabia with all the sand i’m gonna leave it in.”

“you can’t destroy ramshackle.” grim protested. “this is my–yuu's home!”

the male waved him off. “i’ll just rebuild it into somethin’ more suitable for them. easy.” briefly distracted after entertaining a thought, leona’s face smoothed down into blankness. “they can just stay with me.”

leona was in for the worst mood in the century when two whole hours after your designated meeting time at his dorm, like usual which you almost always upheld by being there in the first place, sometimes a little late but nonetheless present.

initially one hour was the most he was willing to wait. then leona thought to spare you another gracious hour before he eventually begrudgingly stood from his already comfortable position to the bed to look for you himself. there was no way he was going to pass up on quality sleep.

not that he would’ve tolerated waiting for five more minutes for others, much less an hour then two.

unfortunately. it was just you.

he flicks your forehead twice. “that’s for being two minutes late.”

you frowned at him. 

he shook the memory off before it can fully be the pin in the inflated balloon he currently calls his emotions. he’d flick you more than one twenty times that’s for sure, until the only thing you’d remember was him, even though leona knows his finger would lose the force by the third flick and you’re simply just feeling him poking you.

“anyway,”

“yuu ain’t here. they went to meet you, didn’t they?!”

“that’s right.” his eyes narrowed.

“then it’s not my fault they didn’t show for your attitude!”

leona grinned and stepped a foot forward with a bit more force than necessary, creating a stomp that promptly startles grim. “what did you just say?” he taunted, daring. say it again.

he sidestepped the ball of blue fire that came from grim’s teeth. “i’m telling yuu.” he said off-handedly.

grim panicked, straightening and sitting in a manner that was almost docile. “no!”

the man scoffed at the silence that settles into the air. your little partner was useless when the only thing tying him to this college was you and the audacity to not ensure your safety boggled him so much leona was almost tempted to transfer you over to savanaclaw despite your countless denial.

better to be safe than sorry. he thought. he would rather you be safe than him be sorry.

one glance at grim and of course the yapping he’d been doing the entire time, leona concludes that this little thing wasn’t any better in the where in the seven is yuu department. the only thing he’s irked about is that he went all the way here–that you somehow made him go all the way here.

he pinches the bridge of his nose, turning on his heel and sluggishly descending the steps from the attic. he must be going mad.

grim does not bother to muster up any form of courage to ask where leona was going, he already knew.

he could only think about what was gonna happen to the poor soul called you.

on his way navigating through your sad excuse of a (temporary) home, leona can feel the presence of your many spirit friends staring. to some extent he understands why, he did almost bring the entire dorm down since his arrival and he hasn’t even used a drop of his magic yet.

they can at least be grateful he shut the door on his way out.

leona momentarily thought about simply using a transportation spell to get him to the mirror chamber, from ramshackle to the main campus… it was quite a far destination to go through back to back. maybe he should think about hitting up a mage who excels in mirror transportation.

whoever made the mirror chamber. for your convenience.

wait a minute. why should he be worried about your convenience when you just about stood him up?

leona decides against the spell. it was complicated, and his thoughts was not in the right place to focus on converting his body and mind at the same time. he reckons he might as well be sending himself to somewhere farther with his state of disarray.

all the way to the mirror chamber, his face was etched into a permanent scowl. leona only ever kept your notifications unmuted, so a buzz from his phone has him reaching and opening it immediately.

one new message from chek–

he shuts the phone as his perpetual scowl deepened.

if seeing leona actually roaming the halls and not dozing off somewhere was a surprise, his face was practically a loud sign warning to stay away. that’s exactly what the passing students did, spared a glance, double checked, then steered clear from his way without another attempt at gossip.

they knew he could hear whatever they were saying. not that he cared enough right now.

the strange feeling of getting transported from the mirror chamber back to savanaclaw shortly takes all thoughts from his mind before it returns as he registers the familiar feel of his dorm, soothing but not quite home. home would more so be a person to him than a fleeting thing like a place.

like…

“dorm-leader!” 

“welcome back!”

“what were you up to, dorm leader?”

a chorus from entirely different people sound from the therianthropes likely practicing for a match that was ages away. such was the spirit of savanaclaw students that want to excel in one singular area like magishift when they put their mind to it. leona can atleast say he feels the same.

the long sigh he emitted was a quick sign he was annoyed, a sign that his dorm residents have learned to read over the years. they doubled down from their excitement at seeing him and settled a bit more pliantly.

most probable thing tied to his temper nowadays was probably you.

a lynxes’ ears twitch as he recalled seeing you earlier, talking to cheetah. so why was the dorm leader mad? “leona-senpai.” he started cautiously as the male walked past him, not sparing him a glance but definitely listening.

leona thought lynxes was just greeting him until the other continued. “you here to see yuu-yuu?” 

he stopped in his steps, the slow swing of his tail betraying the nonchalance plastered across his face. from the way he turned his head over a shoulder a little was his own universal gesture of urging someone to continue.

despite a moment of excitement at the prospect of his dorm leader paying attention to him, lynxes relishes it quickly. “yuu was just on their way to the dorm.” he continued as cheetah perked up at the mention of the name. both of them do not think too deeply on the obvious uncoiling of the tenseness from leona.

cheetah nodded along. having resigned to resting by one of the bleachers seeing as he’d been playing for over half an hour. “yeah. the little human dropped by earlier with their scrawny self smelling good.”

at leona’s critical eye, cheetah back tracked. “like food. i’m sure it was for you, leona-senpai.” he huffed, sharing an incredulous look with lynxes. geez…

the only really scary thing about yuu was the fact that you’d managed to wrap their dorm leader around your fingers like it was nothing. you seemed like you weren’t even trying anyways! you were just… there, and it’s like leona’s the one keeping you close even though he was notorious for, well. doing nothing.

“where’s the herbivore?” 

“they were on their way to the dorm.” lynxes replied.

cheetah sighed wistfully. “what a shame, really. was really looking forward to yuu-yuu playing magishift again.”

lynxes snorted. “doubt they can even hold up the weight of the disk alone.”

“i meant as our disk like before, doofus.” cheetah nudged him., lynxes scowled lighty at the name. both of them chorus a farewell to leona who had already started retreating after catching the answer to his question. if you were here, while he was over at your place… was that a waste of time then?

perhaps.

he can’t feel a bit annoyed. at the timing–then at the fact that he feels relieved.

leona only grunts in response, his own unique way of a thank you that eliminated the unnecessary need for words. good thing his dorm residents understands his non-verbal cues at least, more so you.

you had an uncanny ability to detect quite a lot about him since, well… the more time you spent together. you said he was grumpy when he doesn’t do anything–which is insane considering he doesn’t do anything at any given time (you just mean he’s grumpy all the time.) and when he asks, you only mimic the look of ‘his grump’.

a response to you. “i don’t look constipated.”

a response to him. “so you’re saying you look constipated?”

the man stepped into his dorm, a certain haste in his steps that does not drain his energy but makes him feel more alive with each assuming step closer to you as he directs himself into the wide area of savanaclaw to his own room.

he barely registers the murmurs of greeting that fly his way with each dorm mate that spots him roaming the halls. of all students in night raven college, it's his own that are most brave enough to still spare him a greeting even if he seemed not in the mood. of course it is, only his dorm doesn’t have cowards.

not that he’s not in the mood anyway. a few minutes ago, sure. but now? he’s begrudgingly unable to deny the anticipation that threatens to lift his lips.

unfortunately he passes by ruggie who immediately walks backwards with his pace to annoy him surely. “leona-san.” he greets with a grin, resting his hands behind his head and skillfully ignoring the incoming obstacles called people.

thanks to his reputation around, the greetings to leona are also mixed in with a ruggie-senpai, or a ruggie-san if it happened to be a first year.

leona gave ruggie the stink eye. “leave me alone.” he grunts out, impatient as he walked.

ruggie makes a show of letting his eyes drift down to his legs. wider steps. “you’re in a hurry.” he observes slyly. compared to other openly tactical students–ruggie was subtle to himself, never quite revealing any cards until the very last resort. one of the reasons leona kept him close. “didn’t know there was anything exciting in ‘vanaclaw.”

the hyena chuckled to himself, raising his brows at a passing sweaty student who was on the verge of a brawl with another.

“don’t care.” replied leona.

“been gone for a while.” ruggie threw back. “i don’t think i’ve ever seen you mope around in your room for so long, and tail it out.”

by the time leona finally spared him an irritated glance, he was speaking again. “so, did ya find em’?” ruggie didn’t need to be told what form of craft had leona rising from his comfortable coffin and going venturing out. its you, always has to be you somehow. be it in savanaclaw or elsewhere.

“no.” he rolls his eyes, finally opening the door to his room about to turn back and shut the door in ruggie’s face–but that was when he expected to see you pliantly sat on his bed and waiting because you owed him that much.

leona stops. staring at the empty space of his bed. he looked around the room, no sign of you but a whole lot signs of ruggie which wasn’t what he was looking for at all.

so he doesn’t care who’s been snooping despite the shameless animal behind him if it didn’t have anything to do with you.

“you came back, empty-handed?” ruggie quirked a brow, dropping his hands from his hair and tugging at the signature scarf of his dorm around his neck with a glance around. “gee. it's hot in here.”

leona pinched the bridge of your nose. whatever semblance of a good mood he had moments ago was thrown out the window when he found–that you were indeed not here in his room where he expected you to be. where else? you weren’t too buddy-buddy with any other dorm mates besides jack, and jack was in his room when he passed it.

you weren’t there either.

cheetah, and lynxes… he sighed in his mind.

“look for that herbivore in each corner of this dorm.” he sniffed, shaking his head.

leona pauses.

he sniffs again.

a scent of yours invades his nostrils, calming his rising temper to a halt suddenly. he stops, and looks scrutinizingly around the room with key focus. you were in here, somewhere. leona took a step closer to the bed, following the warmer tinges of your smell.

he took a right. it faded slightly so he went back.

by the time he was hunting for you, ruggie curiously took a deep inhale and wrinkled his nose. “ack… now this place smells like yuu-yuu. to think i thought them smelling like you was bad.” 

it was true, the scent was particularly stronger than it should be. had he not noticed? the closer he walked to the bed, the stronger the smell was. with each step it practically swirled around in his head to the point where he could just sleep deeply in comfort, tricked into thinking you were laying right next to him.

like you were next to him,

leona stops by the side of his bed, narrowing his eyes at the crinkle of his sheets.

he stared closely until it seemingly squirmed at his intense stare, shifted a bit to the side like there was someone on it and leona’s hand shot out above the area. surprised to feel a limb, ankle perhaps? fit loosely within the confines of his palm.

“gotcha.” he whispered in triumph, tugging at whatever he had grabbed. it felt like a body, a potion perhaps? it didn’t quite feel like you, leona would know how you feel because he felt you in his soul.

leona, and ruggie stared in startle when the air flickered like translucent mirrors that reflected the light, and warped into something entirely.

“a little kid!” ruggie shouted in alarm, scurrying to leona to take a closer look.

the kid in question was… weird. more specifically, they smelled strangely familiar which was strange in the first place. leona leaned in, to which the kid squirmed when he inhaled deeply from the steady pulse of their adrenaline from their neck.

“who are you?” he all but growled, ruggie grimaced at his tone of voice like he was judging the way leona dealt with kids. surprisingly, unlike the usual intimidated bundle they only look vastly annoyed, like leona was a bother.

safe to say the man picked up on that as well.

they turned their head stubbornly. “you’re ruining my nap time!” they exclaimed–it was official. he was a bother. green met green and leona faltered when a haze of confusing familiarity stared at him right in the eye.

he glances at the pair of ears, a ribbon wrapped just below the fluff of hair at the edge of their tail. they must have sensed it because they huffed at his face.

“jealous?” they said at his stupefied face. “mada gave it to me earlier when i found them.”

he doesn’t know who mada is but they have terrible taste.

“a lion therianthrope.” leona observed.

“obviously.” the kid replied.

the former’s face soured, the latter snickered.

“looks like a baby you, but more sassy.” ruggie quipped.

the room pauses. first of all, leona briefly remembers the scent he was following and quickly determined that while this kid was swarming with your smell, it still wasn’t the strongest in the room. second of all, why?

“oi,” he grunted, rearing back when they swiped at his face at the prolonged proximity. “keep your claws in. you better have a good reason why you’ve been keeping my herbivore from me.”

“mada is mine!” retorted the kid with a distasteful scrunch of their nose as they turned their head away from the man, closing their eyes as if it was giving them a disability to look at him any longer. who was that?

leona’s eye twitched and one glance at ruggie quieted the hyena from an ongoing cackle of glee immediately–though he didn’t seem too prone to stopping considering his alternative was looking away so leona doesn’t see his grin.

contrary to the proud stand of the child’s ears, leona’s own flattens in response and he has to remind himself that he’s above chucking random kids who happen to smell like you out the window. “i don’t know who your mada is but–”

“mada is mada.” they huffed.

“...”

leona was quite forced to drop the little ‘rascal’ or so he thought when they feigned a bite at his arm. they plopped down back onto his bed, body too little so they bounced off a little. then… they scurried from the edge, away from him all the way to the edge and grasped at air.

literally holding onto air, fingers clenched around something.

his eyes sharpened. “what else are you hidin’?” he queried at the kid who boredly stuck out a tongue but hid back when his scowl deepened. to some extent he figured it was you, a quiet dispel incantation in his mind sent a wave of magic and the air flickered again to reveal the suspect of his most eventful day.

yuu. you. whatever

you looked like you just got caught hiding beneath a bench in broad daylight, your eyes drifted to the child and hilariously enough, seemed as though you also wanted to hide behind them. “novu…” you murmured lowly, as if all three therianthropes in the room could not hear you clearly. “you said i have to keep quiet and he won’t find out!”

novu blinked repeatedly. their demeanor falling slightly with the curl of their ears, they seemed strangely docile compared to the half bothered demeanor that was in the face of leona. “papa always finds us when we hide.” they whispered back, pursing their lips. “he’s a cheater interrupting our nap!’

you nodded vehemently. “true, he is.”

ruggie coughed. “wait, wait… about leona being this kid’s… papa or a cheater?”

“...”

“both!” replied novu cheerfully.

this time you seemed to be in jetlag to process the information, staring at novu’s face before it shifted to leona. “huh,” you murmured. they kind of looked alike, from the eyes, to their seeming shared feline traits. “HUH?!”

you sat up immediately, hands shooting to the small shoulders of novu who perked up–instead of being offended by your sudden startle they seemed incredibly pleased and nuzzled into the warmth that seeped from your palms through their top.

“what do you mean papa?” you swallowed. suddenly feeling incredibly nervous, especially with the heavy aura leona is emanating behind you, you really don’t want to turn around and see what kind of expression he’s wearing on his face. 

the urge to shake the kid who had technically kidnapped you from the forbidden thing called crashing leona time then happily insisting it was novu time now. just a few intentional widening of their eyes and you begrudgingly followed them along to leona’s room which was surprisingly devoid of the man himself.

just from the small bits of his, and ruggie’s conversation when they returned you easily concluded he came looking for you.

and… well, you don’t really want him to see you at the moment when you unintentionally-intentionally blew him off.

you meant. it’s fine, right…? you do spend a lot of your time with him, so just a few hours wouldn’t be too bad.

everything is not fine! you screeched in your head. any hopes for respite from these two were promptly thrown out the window when novu’s face soured when they glanced at leona.

“papa doesn’t share you with me, so i have to take you first.” novu said proudly. at this point the hands on their shoulders weren’t enough so they climbed on your legs and slumped against your front, distinctively making a sound of contentment as they relaxed.

befuddled, frazzled, more words relating to perplexed ran through your head as you confusedly wrapped your arms around the little figure and pet the top of their head. novu seemed especially pleased when your fingers neared the fur atop their ears and even rubbed their head against yours in what seemed to be affection.

still shocked to oblivion, as in my soul just left my body you turned your wide eyes to leona who, to your surprise, did not bear a face of grump but a more unsettling blankness that cleared any semblance to emotion really. he stared intently at your head, obviously ignoring the disappointed look ruggie is digging to the side of his.

the hyena–when he caught your gaze also spared you a shake of his head as if he was non-verbally insulting you with an insinuation of something you haven’t even done, or yet to anyway.

you had briefly caught snippets of their exchange during your small interaction with novu, leona growling out an out which left ruggie no chance to deny but concerned enough with the new addition being seen to close the door on his way out.

when leona finally spoke, he furrowed his brows at novu. a flicker of annoyance at the sight of the clear coddling of the little one against you and the fact that you welcomed it. “i don’t have any kids.” he huffed like it was obvious.

novu did not open an eye but spared him a reply. “i don’t know how you and mada made me but you’re my only papa, and they’re my only mada.” despite their previous acts against leona, they were oddly proud of proclaiming themselves as his child.

leona raised a brow. he reluctantly softens, or instinctively you’re not sure.“you’re not from around here, are you?” he quipped. the bed dips under the new weight as he settled down next to you, surprisingly restrained enough not to pluck the kid out of your grasp and take their place.

he leaned back against the pillows, resting the back of his hand on his forehead.

“i’m where i’m supposed to be.” sniffed novu, a lower tilt to their voice trailing off that spoke volumes about their state of consciousness. “with you, and mada.” 

novu nuzzled against you, shifting slightly like they wanted to wriggle out. you retracted your arms to your sides and they sighed deeply when they settled in the middle of the bed, eyes still closed and breathing evening out.

“don’t leave me for so long.” they yawned.

you blinked.

leona kept staring at the ceiling.

why was he so docile?! you were still trying to wrap your mind around it all!

“goodnight.” you muttered dumbly.

you turned your head to point a sharp gaze at leona–who sighs, feeling your stare and grumbled under his breath.

“night.” he rolled his eyes.

the room lapses in silence from a while, bathed in the dawning set of the sun. you considered stealing a blanket from leona’s drawer but decided against it, considering the dorm is still quite humid even at this time of day, if you were at diasomnia you’re sure you’d have frozen to death even with a pile of them on top of you.

you snuck a glance at the elusive novu, their energy burnt out as they fell to a sound sleep, occasionally their ears twitched when your body shifted the slightest bit, reaching out as if you keep you from going.

aw. you kept still.

“is this my future?” you sulked to yourself, sighing as the weight of your shock faded into the air and left you slumping against the bed.

“is it so bad?” leona commented after your remark faded a bit.

you crossed your arms, sneaking a glance at him. “they’re cute.” you referred to novu.

not an answer to his question. leona thought in irritation, you always did have a way with a head made up entirely out of air. then again, his might be as well if he’s taken such a deep liking to you that prevents him from letting go–that in the first place was demented of him, he was not clingy.

leona does not entertain the pictures that his mind conjures to rebuke his denial of fondness in physical form.

sleeping on you, teaching you chess, keeping you close? that was just him collecting pieces to discard.

sure.

“just sleep, you’ve been looking for me all day, right?” 

leona closes his eyes. “i have.”

he’d just have to give you a reason to look forward to seeing a novu again.

‎⎯⎯ . . . ‎

by the time you woke up there was something draped around the bed.

you instinctively patted the space next to you, not feeling the strange feel of novu but the hard plane of leona’s cheek. he does not swat at your hand but spares you an annoyed scowl. you note that he’s… well, a lot closer than he should be even with the missing space of novu between your bodies.

oops. the only thing to pull leona out of a grumpy mood in the morning was a meal. you clearly did not have the current power to do so as you had… fed the doom sandwich to a pouty novu.

thankfully ruggie popped in, barely blinking at your sprawled figures on the bed but more surprised at the missing recent addition. “where’s your lovechild?”

jack’s voice rose from the hallway. “their what?!”

“get out.” leona sneered. “you’re ruinin’ my morning.”

it wasn’t already ruined?! all three of you cried in your minds.

trivia

their unique magic is “from where do you see me?” which you might already guess is being able to conceal themselves in thin air, alongside a thing, or person they have to be directly touching as they’re still young, and inexperienced to properly control their unique magic without a medium.

novu is written to be an equally cheeky 7 year old that happens to take naps very seriously, and not so energetic when deprived of sleep (i’m trying to write all of the children to be generally gender neutral lol but i do have a ‘implied [gender]’ next to their names in the draft lol! as you might guess, alice is feminine… but what about novu?

a second italicized word means that it was novu! for example: ‘must have been the wind’ is really just the wind, whereas: ‘the wind knocks you to the ground’ is the cheeky novu!

cheetah, and lynxes are not their actual names. just called them what they were, which is an actual cheetah, and lynxes therianthrope who both respectively belong in the family of big cats.

unlike alice who was on a clock during their time in the past, novu wished to sleep well and was sent back in time to find you so they can enjoy a lengthy sleep as the future you had not returned home alongside future leona due to a political exchange.

so once they finally fell asleep, they will eventually return.

yuu hid the sandwich and tailed it out of the cafeteria immediately, not wanting to stick around to know that one of the non-humans with crazy senses smells it on them and decides to target them!

ruggie usually doesn’t comment on the weather of savanaclaw but he does say “its hot in here.” because it felt warmer compared to the outside, which didn’t make sense. it was very much due to yuu, and novu in the same room.

magical shift disks are known to be heavy in weight alone, that’s why it's mainly used to direct imbued in magic. yuu did, actually get roped into a game by being a disk which was… an experience.

jack was supposed to be hear but i missed the bullets where i outlined him LOL

writingerror on archive of our own inspired partial parts of this work (as well as me writing once again honestly) which includes the interactions with students to yuu, as well as the.. yuu being a disk part which is a chapter in one of their works!

the reason why leona’s ‘morning’ is not ruined despite him already being bothered first thing is due to you!

🔖: @lostsomewhereinthegarden @staplertwst @rinis-reality @rhyzoma @iamprodigious @irzali-imagines @glitterandgoldfinds @luna-looniesblog @wokasiv @readrecieptoff @miyaswmire @dakissomewhere @yourfavouritecitizen @rei-vii @colombia-chan @ceramic-raven @leitor-sonolento @night-shadowblood-writes2 @ms-shroud @bju3c0re @usernamesarehardtomake @wonderlandcrown @los3rtown

[maddamoiselle]

Burning Hearts

Pairing: SeaGod!Rafayel x NonMC!Reader

Summary: Lemurian lives for love, and as a lemurian yourself, you can't imagine a world without love. But maybe the Sea God can teach you more about it...

Words: 4199

Author's nonsense: Well, I hope you will enjoy this new chapter. Hopefully, I'll be able to write Sylus's soon.

Tags; Fluff TW: minor death, injuries

<- Chapter I Chapter III

“ She kissed him?!”

You turned your head toward Claire, who was brushing your hair. She seemed more upset than you about this.

After witnessing the kiss the human stole from Rafayel, you felt like your whole body cracked to reveal an empty shell. You didn’t wait for Rafayel. You didn’t know why, but you couldn’t or didn’t want to see his face right now. You swam to Lemuria, your brain forcing you to remember the scene.

You knew Rafayel didn’t want it. Even the human woman looked desperate when she pushed her lips against his. This kiss was meaningless , you shouldn’t be upset over this. A meaningless kiss. Maybe the human knew that kissing a Lemurian could make you able to breathe underwater? Right. That kiss was meaningless.

Was Rafayel thinking the same about the kiss you shared when you were younger…?

Lost in thought, you bumped into Claire who, as soon as she saw your face, demanded that you follow her. She was clearly trying to make you feel better while trying to know why you seemed so obsessed.

So you told her what you saw.

” I swear, those humans..!”She spared while putting a crafted coral in your hair. You chuckled at her reaction, feeling slightly better.

” Why are you so upset? It’s not like me and Rafayel are… mated.”

” Please, doll. Lemuria would disappear before your love for each other fade.” She rolled her eyes before swimming in front of you. She winked at you while intertwining her fingers with yours. “I mean, weren’t you born for him, Miss Voice, created for the Sea God.”

” Maybe I’m just a tool then.” You stuck your tongue to her, which made her pull on her hair while swearing about your obliviousness. You chuckled before shaking your head. “ I’m kidding… I'm kidding.”

” Kidding about what?”

You both turned your body toward your brother’s voice. He swam toward you, looking at you with intensity before sighing. You made a face as he looked at you with a bored expression.

” What did he do this time?”

Claire didn’t wait for you to explain before telling the story while adding some… details.

” And then your sister was thrown on the boat, but she managed to crawl back to the ocean and guess what she saw? Guess!”

” Water?”

” Yes, because the only thing she can do is cry because God is a cheater!”

You laughed as you lay on the sand while looking at Claire, explaining why you were upset. While listening to her tales, it made you feel ashamed about your reaction. you swam away while other humans were on the boat. Maybe they attacked Rafayel? You felt so bad. What if he was captured? What if he was hurt, what if—

” Rafayel brought a human into the infirmary.” Your brother said while staring at you.

…

“ A cheater, I tell you! We worship a cheater!” Claire screamed while shaking your brother, who didn’t seem to mind to become a tool for Claire’s frustration. His eyes were still on you. “ I hope he brought back a corpse and not a living human!”

”She, is asleep. Our parents are auscultating her.”

You sighed while pinching the bridge of your nose. You were getting mad for nothing, Rafayel wasn’t your mate. You weren’t a pair, and you didn’t have any right to be angry at him.

You stood up, swimming toward the infirmary. You were still curious about humans, and you didn’t know if she was going to stay alive for long. You could hear Claire behind you, encouraging you to fight this human who was threatening your relationship.

You chuckled as you arrived at the infirmary. You opened the door and went inside, surprised to see no one here if not the human lying in a bed. You approached the bed and looked at her. She seemed young… but mature enough to be a threat to you and Rafa—

You shook your head, trying to keep your thought rational and not let some primal part of your brain make a decision.

She was smaller than you… maybe smaller than every adult lemurian. She looked like she didn’t eat much, she was so thin.. Your eyes followed her curves until your gaze fell into her eyes.

She was awake.

You could hear Claire talking behind you, but your focus was on the human. She didn’t seem to understand your friend’s world…

Ah, she didn’t understand Lemurian…

You gave her your most non-threatened smile. She looked like she was more confused than scared… But she looked at you with wide opened eyes.

”Hello.. You look —“

”Ugly.”

”Claire!”

You turned to your friend with a frown. She only shrugged before looking at what was in the cupboard. You could hear her muster about how Rafayel could choose her over you.

You shook your head before looking back at the human, but it seemed like she fell back asleep.

You sighed; it seemed like you weren’t going to quirat your curiosity over humans today. You turned around before gasping as a tiny blue fish swam towards you. You cup your hands for it as the fish settle in your hands.

It was Rafayel’s fish.

You must have made a grimace because Claire tried to shoo the fish away.

”Back off, fish! Back off, I say!”

You chuckled at your friend’s behavior, but the fish always found his place back in your hands. You stroke it carefully before it swam away.

”Are you going to meet him?”

You looked at Claire, who was over observing you with a soft gaze. You smiled at her, not answering before leaving the room. You knew you would find Rafayel if you followed the fish…

So you went in the opposite direction.

You still felt too many things at once. You were confused, and you knew the fastest way to have answers was to go meet Rafayel. But you wanted to be calm and composed when you would meet him. You knew he would tease you if he saw how upset you were about a… mere kiss.

You were walking, lost in your thoughts before a hand tugged you inside a dark room. You gasped as you felt your chest being pressed against the door while a hand was on your eyes, making you blind to what was happening.

But you didn’t have the time to be afraid as your body realized who was holding you. You gasped his name as Rafayel kissed your shoulder, pressing his body against yours.

“How could you do this to me, dearest?” He said, his voice hoarse as he nipped on your naked skin, going from your shoulder to your neck. Your whole body was feeling feverish as his other hand moved toward your belly. “ Letting me think they put their hands on you.”

You gasped, your body arching against him instinctively yet not understanding what he was saying.

”W-who?”

“On the boat. They tried to attack you, didn’t they?” He growled against your ear. “ The humans.”

You turned your head blindly toward him, panting as you felt his lips kissing your cheek and then your neck. What was happening? That was the first time Rafayel was so—

Wait, was he angry because you were almost injured by humans? You wanted to scoff at that.

“W-what about you..? Being kissed by a human…” you rasped, trying to take his hand off your eyes, but he didn’t move. You could feel his breathing against your lips before he dived back in your neck, pressing urgent and open kisses on your skin.

“ I know. What do you think I’m doing?”He whispered against your skin. It seemed like he couldn’t detach his lips from you even for a few seconds. His words were cutting between kisses while you tried not to moan as those new feelings. “ I’m purifying myself.”

You bit your lips, baring your neck to him, which made him hum in approval. What was he talking about? What were you doing?

” Purifying..?”

“Yes. I don't want the feeling of her lips against mine any longer.” He panted against your skin, making you shiver. You felt his finger touching your lips between your teeth. “ May I?”

You felt his hand that was on your stomach moving until it wrapped itself around your throat, not squeezing. He turned your head toward him, his breathing hitting your lips. You wanted to see him, but his hand on your eyes wasn’t moving at all.

“ W-what do you want to do?”

”Purifying myself.. I need you. You are just helping me, right? Like you always did.” He whispered against your cheek, his voice deeper than usual. You nodded eagerly, feeling the same need to… to.. what exactly?

”Yes, I want to help you. W-we are friends after all…”

” Yes, just friends helping each other.” He whispered before his lips smashed against yours. Your body was still pressed against the door, his broad body pressing against you as he kept you neck in his hand, his mouth moving hungrily against yours.

You both moaned in bliss, feeling sated but also desperate for more. Your hand slid into his hair, pushing him closer to you.

You both were lost in each other, yet not really knowing what was happening.

You felt him cup your face with his hand that was on your neck a few seconds ago. You detached your lips from him to take a breath before you both reached for each other. You didn’t know what you needed more, his lips or air.

You whined, feeling helpless against the rush of sensation you felt. You felt like you were burning. Was it the kiss or Rafayel’s fire? You felt him step away, which made you panic a bit.

“ You ar-“

” More.” You panted, trying desperately to find his lips.“ I think you need more to be purified…”

”Yes. You are right.” He breathed before spinning you around before slamming your back against the door. His mouth found you again as your hands flew to his hair. Your respiration and the wet sounds of your lips finding each other were the only noise in the dark room.

You bit his lips as you remember the human girl kissing him. He hissed, his fingers dipping into your thighs but never stopping you from biting his lips. He pulled back for a second, asking in a hoarse voice.

” Why?”

You panted, opening your eyes as you realized he wasn’t blocking your view with his hand anymore. You looked at his eyes that seemed to shine in a bluish light. Since when Rayafel’s eyes could turn blue..?

” The kiss with the human.” You said, breathing hard. “ f-for our people, I must punish you for that.”

” Please do.”

You moaned as his mouth crashed against your once again. You tugged at his hair as you felt his tongue moving against yours. You could feel your eyes rolled back inside your skull. How could this be so good..?

You both stumbled before falling on the floor in a mess of limbs. You gasped but was more concerned about the fact that you couldn't feel Rafayel’s lips on yours. But it seemed like he was in the same mindset as you. He pinned you to the ground with a wild look, making sure you couldn’t leave before kissing you once more.

” Where did the human touch you?” He asked between kisses. You couldn’t even think correctly. Did a human touch you? Whatever, you just wanted to feel Rafayel against you. “ Answer me. He had a weapon, right?” He grunted as he pressed open kisses on your neck.

”They didn’t..” You breathed as he kissed your skin, sucking the skin or even biting it, making you moan breathlessly.

” They could have hurt you here,” He whispered, kissing your shoulder, “ or even here..” he kissed your collarbones, his heavy breathing making you shiver. “ How dare they threaten the Sea God’s treasure…”

You felt like you could cry, feeling too much at once while knowing too little. You closed your eyes when you felt Rafayel’s hand stroking your cheek tenderly. You looked at him as you felt the tension between you lessen. Your body was still buzzing with an energy you couldn’t comprehend, but you felt calmer than you ever did… And from Rafayel’s face, it seemed like he came back to himself.

” Rafayel..”

”I’m sorry, dear… How are you? Did I hurt you?” he asked while trying to calm his breathing. You smiled fondly at him, nuzzling against his palm.

” Do you feel purified?” You asked with a teasing smile, which seemed to make him relax as he chuckled while nuzzling his nose against yours.

”I feel so much better. Thank you, dear..”

He stood up and helped you raise to your feet. He created a flame that illuminated the room, making you gasp as you looked at Rafayel’s state. His lips were swollen, his hair was moving with the water around, but you could see it was a mess. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes intense but calmer in some way. Like his hunger had been sated, but he was still starving.

You wondered how you looked right now.

“ I guessed you saw the human.” Rafayel grinned, crossing his arms against his torso. You rolled your eyes at him, Was he really going to tease you now? “ What do you think of her?”

”What should I think? She is a human, greedy one.” You shrugged, not really aware that your opinion mattered for Rafayel. He leaned toward you, making you tilt your head with curiosity. “Why?”

”There was another prophecy in the Tome of the Sea God. A human must become my most loyal follower and give me their heart.”

You stared at Rafayel, your eyes wide opened. Was he going to use this woman for the prophecy..? You looked away, would she give her heart..?

You squealed as the door behind you opened wide. Claire looked at the two of you while Cain was behind her. Both of them seemed to be shocked. Cain stuttered, asking for Rafayel to come with him, which your friend did after winking at you.

You followed his body with your eyes until he turned the corner of the hallway. You felt Claire’s hand on your shoulder before she spun you around so you could face her.

“What?”

”Well… I wondered who is the most possessive between the two of you.” She snickered before tugging you in front of a mirror. You almost screamed as you looked at the red mark on your neck and collarbones. Even your lips were swollen from Rafayel’s kisses.

”Rafayel !” You shouted while Claire was laughing behind you. You were blushing so hard. You felt like fainting. You looked at yourself in the mirror and couldn’t help but feel like the mark seemed to make a familiar pattern…

Rafayel’s tattoo.

Some of his kisses marks were in the same place his marks were. Did he do it on purpose…or..? You were so lost…

A few days passed by, and just like usual , you were bantering with Rafayel while your friends were watching the show.

“I remember someone saying that not even fishes would kiss me, yet you seemed desperate to kiss me!”

”Because I knew you would throw a tantrum because I was kissed by a human before you, wasn’t it your inner child’s dream?”

You were ready to rip his throat but stopped as you saw the human walking in the hallways. She seemed so small, you almost felt bad for her. You pushed Rafayel away, as he was celebrating his victory over your banter.

You poked her cheek with a friendly smile, you hoped.

”Hello, Fish Bait.”

”Are you talking about me..?”

” Who else?” You grinned. You tilted your head as the human girl looked at you with awe. “ Yes?”

”I’m sorry. I didn’t really meet a lot of people like you..” She looked away. You winced at her words, Rafayel never talked about her, and you didn’t know why, but each time you approached the human girl—

“Why are you here?”

You both look at Rafayel, who was looking at you with a stern expression. You sighed, waved at the girl, and swam away with Rafayel. You went back to your friend, turning to stare at your God.

”How will she be your most loyal follower if you don’t do anything to show how much of a God you are?” You asked while Rafayel sat on a rock, tugging you between his legs. You heard Claire talking behind you.

”I think he already has a loyal follower.” She teased Rafayel, who pressed his chin against your belly, his eyes never leaving your face. Your hand went instinctively to his cheek, which made him nuzzled against you. “ Heh… Are you two courting..?”

“ Of course not!” You laughed nervously, as if you were enough for the Sea God, “ We’re friends, right Rafayel?”

You froze when you noticed Rafeyel’s gaze. His eyes seemed cold but almost amused. He took your hand and kissed your fingers while staring at you.

“Yes, just two friends, helping each other in time of need…”

You blushed. When did you start not to understand him anymore? His hands on you were so natural, and yet you couldn't help but tense, memories from the kisse you shared coming back to haunt you.

Was Rayafel haunted by this memory, too?

“ You really can’t leave without each other… You’re like the definition of Lemurian’s love.”

You were swimming through the city, wondering what meal you could cook for your brother. He seemed to have caught something and couldn’t move from the bed, which made you tease him for it.

You bumped into the human girl that you renamed Fish Bait and smiled at her. She always seemed to be in awe when her eyes landed on you. You had a short conversation, mostly asking about the human world, and today you wanted more information.

She shyly talked about her life, and you learned that she was supposed to be a sacrifice for the Sea God. You couldn’t help but laugh as you imagine Rafayel killing someone for himself…

Impossible.

Then, she said something that made you tick. There was a place, not too far from here, above the surface where she used to go to search for medicinal herbs. You hummed, your brother was sick, so why not try it?

You thanked her before swimming away.

It took you almost one hour to find that place. Your head bobbed out the water, looking around, making sure no one was here. After ten minutes of looking out, you crawled toward the shore.

You started to look for the flower Fish Bait had described but couldn’t find them. Maybe they were deeper in the woods… But you couldn’t walk there, and you wouldn’t definitely crawl there…

You started to crawl back toward the water before a stinging pain pierce through your tail. You gasped as you looked behind you and paled as three men were staring at you. One had a blade deep into your tail.

” Look at that… Hello, pretty…”

You snarled as a man grabbed you by your hair, making your arch your back painfully. His dirty hands touched your cheeks, forcing you to look at him. You glared at him, trying to be as imitating as you could.

”Yes, she is the one that was there last time.”

You were dragged toward a box full of water, an aquarium said a man. they put a lid on top of it, making it impossible to go. you were punching the glass, snarling, doing anything, but they didn’t seem impressed. They brought you on a boat before sailing toward the ocean.

You were so confused… What did they want to do…

But what bothered you the most was that one man whose gaze never strayed from you. He was the most silent, yet his gaze was screaming something you couldn’t understand.

After a while, they stopped their boat and opened your lid. A man dragged you out of the box as you tried to free yourself. He brought a knife near your throat, whispering in your ear.

”Call out to him.”

You froze, your head slightly turning toward him. Was he talking about…

”Yeah, your little friend…Call him.”

You smiled at him mockingly. If he was talking about Rafayel, you would rather die ten times than call him here. You would protect him. That is the oath you swore a long time ago.

The man didn’t seem pleased. The knife dug into your throat, blood leaking from the cut and falling into the sea.

“ You know, if you don’t want to be useful this way, we can still find another way.” He smirked at you, his pestid breath hitting your nose. You looked in front of you, ignoring him. “ Our boss would be very happy to have a Lemurian as pretty as you… But you are all pretty, we could still find a new one for him.”

You shouted in pain when he slammed your head against the deck. Your tail was being held down by the two other men as your captor touched your scales with mirth in his eyes.

”So pretty… But a corpse doesn't need to be pretty, right lady?”

Your eyes widened as your instinct kicked in. You started to struggle against them, but you screamed in pain when you felt the blade digging into your tail, trying to take a scale from you.

Were you going to die..?

”Sir, the water !”

You looked at the ocean, watching how the serene water started to turn into a storm. The waves were crashing against the boat, making the men hold on to whatever they could.

“ Give her back.”

You looked around, hearing Rafayel’s voice but not seeing him. At first, you thought you were becoming crazy, but the men started to look around, too. They seemed afraid, clinging to their weapons.

The only one who seemed calm was the one with his knife deep into your tail. He looked around, analysing whatever he could.

” Give her back , heh…What in exchange?” He chuckled, seeming way too confident. He tugged your hair, making you stifle a cry of pain. “ Is this your girl? Let me show you something, God of the Sea…” he whispered as his knife left your tail to come toward your throat.

You closed your eyes, not wanting Rafayel to see the fear in your eyes. Everything was going to turn good, soon, you’ll be back in the water, this nightmare will be over..

Your eyes bursted open when you heard a grumble and felt something wet on you; You turned to the side and let out a scream of horror as your captor had his throat sliced open, blood pouring out from his wound straight to you.

“ Look at me.”

You turned your fearful eyes toward the voice, seeing Rafayel in the middle of high waves, his eyes shining blue with power swirling around him. He raised his hand toward you, even though he was far from the boat.

” Come at me. Go back to my side.”

You never saw Rafayel like this, but you didn’t doubt you would be safe next to him. You made sure the two humans weren’t on you anymore before diving in the water and swimming straight to Rafayel.

Once you were close enough, he tugged you against his torso, his eyes analysing your face. His eyes blazed in fury as he saw the cut you had, but he didn’t move.

“ How did you know—“

”Your blood was in the water.” he said calmly, even though you could see the fury in his eyes. He turned his eyes toward the rocking boat, the two men trying to keep it from sinking. “Poor fools.”

You watched as fire appeared from Rafayel’s hand before he pointed the boat. The flames dive toward the men, both of them burning from your God’s anger.

Your eyes couldn’t leave the macabre scene as they jumped in the water. You heard Rafayel chuckled before he dived in the water with you, his tail moving against yours. He took your chin and made you watch as the two made were still burning, even in the water.

Rafayel was stroking your hips while staring at the punishment he had given. You watched until the two men stopped moving..

They were all dead.

You turned your face toward Rafayel, but before you could talk, he took your chin, forcing you to look at him.

” Rafayel… You killed them..”

”Yes.” He whispered, stroking your cheek. He leaned toward you, his forehead against yours. “ Remember, you're the Sea God’s Voice… Which means you can’t die. You can’t leave me..”

You clung to him while his arms kept you against him. Your tails were moving against each other while Rafayel started to sing. His voice was undescriptable, but you couldn't enjoy it long. Your body started to be heavy.

”Sleep, dearest. I’m bringing you back home.”

You let your conscience fade, even if a question remained.

Why did fish bait tell you about this place.. Did she know about all this?

—-

Chapter III

Tags List; @jellyfishstarx @lunia-likes-pomegranet @sleepless-cloudy, @catlurgic @yumesagashite @erendipi

[millers-angel]

professor!joel x shy!reader

summary: you messed up on joel’s coffee and end up dry humping him, then jerking him off while he’s giving the lecture. warnings: dry humping, innocence kink, joel is married, finger sucking, (in class) masturbation (m receiving).

you stepped into the classroom earlier than usual, clutching your notebook to your chest. the door creaked softly behind you as you entered, expecting the room to be empty. instead, he was there.

joel miller. professor miller. sitting at his desk with his usual chipped black mug, steam curling up from it like the morning fog. he looked up from the papers he was reading, eyebrows lifting slightly when he saw you.

“morning,” he said, voice still thick with quiet. “you’re a little early.”

you hesitated near the door, shifting your weight from one foot to the other. “i— i had a few questions about the reading,” you managed, barely meeting his eyes.

he nodded, setting the papers down and leaning back slightly in his chair. “come on, then. don’t be shy.”

you walked toward him slowly, heart fluttering against your ribs. your hands felt too big, too awkward. you smoothed the back of your skirt without thinking, only to realize too late that it might’ve ridden up a little when you sat down. you tugged it down quickly, cheeks flushing.

joel noticed, but didn’t say anything. he looked at you, then looked away, sipping from his mug.

“what were you wondering about?” he asked, watching you with a kind sort of patience.

you swallowed. “i… it’s about the metaphor in chapter three, when the narrator talks about… about the sea and the mirror and… i didn’t quite get—”

“easy,” he said, cutting in gently. “take a breath. i don’t bite.”

he smiled a little at that, the kind that made your stomach twist. your eyes dropped to the floor, to the scuffed toes of your shoes. his eyes followed.

your legs were crossed at the ankles, skirt riding just high enough to make your skin prickle. you stayed perfectly still. he cleared his throat and looked back at your face, expression unreadable.

“it’s a complicated passage,” he said after a moment, his voice lower now. “but it’s not supposed to make perfect sense. not right away.”

he started explaining, soft and slow. you tried to focus, you really did, but the way he spoke made it hard to think. the words swam in your ears, but your gaze kept drifting to his hands, to the way his thumb rested on the edge of his mug.

you nodded along, though most of it blurred together.

he leaned forward a little, elbows on the desk. “you still look confused,” he said, quieter now.

you bit your bottom lip, pulse jumping.

“i—i think i’m just tired,” you said quickly, eyes flicking up to his and then back down.

joel studied you for a second longer than necessary. “maybe so,” he murmured. “long nights, huh?”

the way he said it made your skin burn.

you nodded again, not trusting yourself to speak. "i guess i've been studying too much,"

he smiled, slower this time. “well,” he said, sitting back again, “you can always come early and ask me personally, we can solve your doubts together.”

“thank you,” you whispered, barely above a breath.

joel lifted his mug in a quiet gesture, like a toast, before taking another sip. the papers in front of him were still spread out, the edge of one starting to curl from steam.

“do you want me to... help organize these?” you asked, pointing at the stack.

“sure,” he said, nodding once.

you reached forward, fingertips brushing one of the pages—just as his elbow nudged the mug. the coffee tipped.

it spilled fast, dark and hot, splashing across the table, catching the edge of his shirt and bleeding straight into the papers.

“shit—” he muttered, pushing the mug away too late.

“oh my god, i— i’m so sorry,” you gasped, eyes wide as you reached instinctively for your sweater.

you shrugged it off in a panic, arms fumbling, tugging it over your head and balling it up. “i didn’t mean— oh my god, i’m so sorry, sorry—”

joel was laughing now, not bothered in the least. “it’s fine,” he said, eyes crinkling. “really. don’t worry.”

but you were already leaning over the table, pressing the sweater into the wet mess of papers, your brows furrowed, lips parted as you focused on blotting up the coffee. you didn’t even notice how close you’d gotten.

joel did.

from where he sat, your body was angled just slightly toward him, and the neckline of your shirt had slipped lower from the way you'd pulled off the sweater. nothing explicit—just soft skin, the faint shape of your bra beneath the fabric, the gentle curve of your chest visible as you leaned.

his gaze lingered before he forced himself to look back at your face, flushed and frantic.

you didn’t notice. you were too busy stammering apologies under your breath.

“i—i really didn’t mean to,” you said again, voice cracking. “i just wanted to help, i swear—”

“hey.” his voice was calm, firm. “it’s okay. accidents happen.”

you froze a little at that. his voice, so steady. so kind. it made the heat in your cheeks spread lower, warmer.

you looked at him finally, eyes wide and almost embarrassed. and he was still looking at you—soft, amused, but there was something else in it too. something you didn’t know how to name yet.

but he felt it. that flicker of something underneath the moment. your nervous hands, your pretty mouth, your body so close, your scent—warm, faintly sweet from whatever perfume you used.

he shouldn’t notice. shouldn’t care.

but he did.

“you okay?” he asked, a little quieter now.

you nodded fast. “y–yeah. just… sorry.”

he smiled. “you said that already.”

joel laughed, warm and quiet, then reached forward and gently took the sweater from your hands.

“you dirtied your sweater,” he said, lifting it to inspect the damp fabric. before you could say anything, he added, “i’ll wash it and bring it back clean tomorrow.”

your mouth opened, but nothing came out at first. the flush spread up your neck.

“no, really, it’s okay,” you finally managed. “i can wash it. it’s not a big deal.”

“i insist,” he said, folding it slowly. “you’ve got enough on your plate, studying late and all that.”

you laughed a little under your breath. “that’s true. i’ve been staying up a lot.” you hesitated. “because… this material is confusing me. i read it, and i reread it, and it still doesn’t really make sense.”

joel’s expression softened even more. “alright. take a seat. i’ll walk you through it, step by step.”

you looked around awkwardly. the chairs in the room were attached to the tables, fixed and too far apart for what he was suggesting.

“there’s no extra seat,” you murmured.

joel gave two soft pats to his lap. “this one’s free.”

you blinked. “i… i don’t think that’s appropriate…”

he smiled again, calm and unfazed. “there’s no one else here, is there? and i’m just going to explain something you’re struggling with. nothing wrong with that.”

you bit your lip, eyes dropping to the floor for a moment.

“you wouldn’t feel uncomfortable?” you asked, voice smaller.

“not at all,” he replied. then, after a pause, “would you?”

you hesitated again, teeth sinking into your lip a little harder.

“i think… i’d like that,” you said, soft as a secret.

he shifted in his chair, adjusting slightly to make room, his arm resting casually over the edge of the desk now. you approached slowly, heart hammering, and then gently sat down on his lap, careful not to put your full weight, legs tucked slightly to the side.

your breath caught in your throat.

it felt… comfortable. too comfortable. his thighs were solid beneath you, his body warm against your back. you could feel the heat of him even through your clothes, and it sent a shiver down your spine.

joel didn’t say anything about it. didn’t comment, didn’t joke. just picked up the paper again and held it in front of you both.

“here,” he said, placing the pen in your hand. “let me show you.”

then his hand wrapped around yours, guiding it gently along the page. his fingers were large, rough in a steady way, and they enveloped yours so easily. your hand felt so small, so breakable inside his.

and then you felt it—cool, hard against your skin.

his ring.

you’d noticed it before, of course. more than once. sometimes when he held a book, or adjusted his glasses, or passed back graded papers. but now, feeling it press lightly to the side of your finger as he guided the pen, it hit different.

it was a reminder. something wrong and real in the middle of all this softness.

the metal was cold, but it burned.

you didn’t pull your hand away. you couldn’t. you just breathed a little deeper, felt a strange flutter move through your chest and settle low in your stomach.

you kept your eyes on the paper, but your thoughts had already gone elsewhere. the weight of his hand. the quiet press of that ring. how something so small could feel like it held so much.

like it meant you shouldn’t be feeling what you were.

and maybe that’s exactly why you were.

you weren’t hearing the words anymore. not really. he was speaking low beside your ear, but your mind kept drifting—caught on how close he was, how his chest moved subtly with every breath, how his hand stayed over yours, warm and sure.

your eyes followed the pen, but your thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

you wondered if he felt it too—this low, slow pull between you. the tension in your muscles, the way your thighs shifted slightly on his lap, trying not to think too hard about how natural it felt to be sitting there.

but he kept talking like nothing had changed, voice steady, patient. and that, somehow, made it worse.

you shifted slightly on his lap, trying to adjust your weight, and as you did, your hips tilted, and your hand, searching for balance, slid to his waist.

your fingertips grazed his hipbone through the soft fabric of his shirt. it wasn’t on purpose. it was just instinct—trying not to fall, trying to stay steady—but the moment your body settled again, you felt it.

a slight pressure against your crotch.

your breath hitched.

it was subtle, not obvious, but enough for your body to register it before your mind did. enough for heat to rush to your cheeks, to the tips of your ears. you stared down at the paper in front of you, but the words blurred out of focus. your heartbeat got loud in your ears.

you weren’t sure if he noticed. or if he was pretending not to.

his voice stayed even as he kept explaining something, pointing to a line on the page. but his hand, still guiding yours, had stilled ever so slightly. heavier now. warmer.

you couldn’t move. not really. you were suddenly too aware of everything—how close your bodies were, how steady his breathing sounded against your back, and how still the room had become.

you swallowed hard and nodded at whatever he just said, even though you hadn’t heard a word.

and under your skin, everything pulsed with quiet, trembling tension.

you moved your hips just a little, teasing and testing waters. but god knows how good it felt, deliberating grinding your hips on his crotch. it was subtle, yes, but it was enough for him to bent.

you could feel him growing harder... he couldn't help it.

joel lets out a frustrated sigh, realizing that he can't really make a move without breaking the unspoken rules. he decides to just let you take the lead, his hands moving up to rest on your hips, guiding your movements subtly.

you didn't even realize he had started guiding your movements, and even so, neither of you said anything. not out loud, you just let your bodies speak for you.

you knew this was wrong, you knew he was your professor, you knew he was much older, you knew he was married, but you didn't stop.

your breathing got heavier and so did his. his bulge started poking more against you and you spreaded your legs instinctively. you leaned your head back and parted your lips, letting breathy moans out your mouth. he lost it. he gripped your hips closer to him.

you heard a noise outside and froze the second you heard it.

your hips stopped moving, your body going still on top of him, breath caught halfway in your chest.

joel let out a quiet, frustrated sound—low and needy—and his hands gripped your waist a little tighter. “don’t stop,” he whispered, voice rough against your skin.

you hesitated. “someone could come in…”

he leaned in, lips brushing the shell of your ear. “then maybe you should hurry.”

you turned your head slowly, cheeks burning, and looked at him over your shoulder, eyes wide and soft, with that slight, playful tilt of your head that always made something in him unravel.

“hurry with what?” you asked, voice barely above a whisper, lashes low, a hint of a smile tugging at your lips.

he looked at you, jaw clenched, eyes darker now. “sweet girl, just keep going, please.”

you laughed, just a little—nervous, breathy—and reached for his hand, lacing your fingers with his. then you brought them up gently between you, your thumb brushing over the metal on his ring finger.

“you’re married…” you said softly, eyes flicking down to the gold band.

he didn’t answer right away.

but he didn’t pull his hand back either.

joel didn’t flinch. didn’t deny it. he just watched you for a long second, quiet, unreadable—until the corner of his mouth lifted, slow and almost amused.

“you talk too much,” he murmured.

then, without warning, he raised his hand—his ring finger—and brought it gently to your lips.

you froze.

his eyes didn’t leave yours as he touched the tip of that finger to your mouth, the one you’d just been staring at, the metal cool against your bottom lip.

“open,” he said, soft but firm.

your lips parted before you could think. and he slid that same finger into your mouth—slow, deliberate. not deep, just enough for you to feel the weight of it, the warmth of his skin, the cold of the band against your tongue.

your breath trembled.

his voice dropped lower.

“still thinking about the ring?”

wrapping your lips around his finger, you shook your head, gently sucking it. cheeks burning.

"good girl," he rasped.

you pulled back just slightly, lips still tingling from the way he'd touched your mouth. the look in his eyes was dark, steady, like he was daring you to move—to do something, to choose.

and you did.

without saying a word, you shifted.

your hands pressed lightly against his chest for balance as you rose to your knees, turning slowly, carefully—your movements quiet, almost unsure—and then settled back down, this time straddling him.

his breath hitched the moment you did.

his hands instinctively found your thighs, large and warm, grounding you there. your skirt rode up just a little higher, your body now completely facing his, knees on either side of his hips, nothing between you but heat and tension.

you kept your eyes on his, even as your cheeks flushed, even as your fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt.

joel let out a breath, low and uneven, like he wasn’t expecting you to actually do it. but now that you had—he didn’t look away.

“i-i’m sorry, i—“ you hesitated when you felt like it was too much, maybe you did cross the line.

instead, one of his hands shifted to your butt, steady but possessive pushing you down to meet his bulge again, while the other hand came back to your lips, ring finger parting your lips.

“you always need something in this little mouth of yours, don’t you, sweet girl?” he almost growled.

you wrapped your lips around his finger again, pressing your tongue over his skin.

“you’re always nibbling on your pen,” he said gently bucking his hips. “you’re always biting your nails,”

he’s watched you more than you think. you’re always at the front, always on time, always asking the right questions, always waiting for the class to end to make the questions cause you’re too afraid to raise your hand in the middle of the lecture. and all he’s been seeing is a sweet girl, shy but… cute as hell.

“suck,” his voice low but sure.

and as comanded, you did. you sucked gently, almost unsure, but when you felt his dick pressing hard against your slit, you just closed your eyes and sucked as much as you wanted, how you wanted.

you swirled your tongue around his ring, letting the drool leaked between the space of his skin and the metal.

he groaned and you opened your eyes, looking at him through your lashes. he was almost in pain, scrunched face, heavily breathing, muffling moans.

joel tightens his grip on your butt, his fingers digging into your skin against the fabric of your skirt, as he thrusts up into you, his movements becoming more urgent and desperate.

you let out a tiny whimper when you felt something throbbing, when you felt your own pleasure going to an edge. you humped instinctively on him, swaying your hips back and forth against him. feeling the thick fabric of his pants rubbing against your clothed and wet pussy.

you sucked deeper on his finger, moving your head too, locking your eyes on his.

the innocence in your gaze. the quiet way you looked at him like you didn’t fully understand the power you held. it made something deep in him ache—slow and hot and restless. there was nothing more dangerous, more irresistible, than the contrast between the shy way you carried yourself and the things you let him do.

"you're a naughty little thing, aren't you?" he says, his voice rough. "you want me to use my finger like my cock, is that it?" you nodded slowly and he felt his own cock throbbing.

and so he did. he moved his finger in and out of your mouth slowly, mimicking the motion of thrusting his cock in and out of you.

it was slow at first, but then you both started to intensify the movements of your hips... and so did his finger, he was being a little rough, but you catched his pace. you liked it, even if he made you gag a little.

he shifted his position slightly, adjusting himself so that you're in a more comfortable position, before continuing to buck his hips up into you, his finger still moving in and out of your mouth.

you started to feel the orgasm in your belly, your legs trembling and little gasps escaping from your lips against his fingers. you feel like you won't hold it for long.

"that it," he groans. "you're being so good for me,"

he watches you intently, taking in every gasp and moan that escapes your lips, knowing that he's the one making you feel this way.

he thrusts hard, sending you to a bliss. joel feels you tighten around him, he sees feels how you fall apart, how your legs are trembling, how suddenly your lips loosened around his finger and how you're just gasping.

he can't hold back any longer. he lets out a low groan as he comes too, his hips bucking up one last time as he comes inside his own boxers.

you leaned your head over his chest, catching your breath, body still spasming. you've done this before, yes. you didn't feel guilty. not really. but your cheeks burned with something else—shame, maybe. or the aftermath of what you'd just done. not because it was wrong. but because it was him.

your professor.

older.

married.

you couldn’t meet his eyes.

joel cupped your face gently, his thumb brushing along your cheek, coaxing your gaze back to his.

“hey,” he said, voice low, almost tender. “you did real good, sweetheart.”

your eyes finally met his, wide and unsure.

he smiled a little, thumb still stroking your skin. “so good for me.”

your breath hitched, and you felt your stomach tighten all over again.

you looked up at him, eyes still a little glassy, voice soft. “can i give you a kiss?”

joel huffed a short laugh through his nose, clearly caught off guard.

your heart jumped. “wait— is that bad? should i not—?”

“no,” he murmured, shaking his head, the smile still tugging at his mouth. “it’s not bad at all.”

he leaned in first.

the kiss was gentle, warm. his lips moved slow over yours, like he was trying to memorize the shape of your mouth, the feel of your breath. you sighed against him, a little sound that made his hand tighten just slightly on your waist.

and then it changed.

not rushed, not rough—just deeper. more purposeful. like now that he had a taste, he needed more. his tongue slid softly against yours, drawing another soft sound from you, one you didn’t mean to make. but he caught it, swallowed it down like it belonged to him.

you melted against him, completely. hands toying his hair, legs tightening on his hips.

his hand shifted to your thighs, slowly teasing inside, you flinched once you felt where he was going. he broke the kiss to cup your cheek with his free hand. "it's okay if i touch you there?"

you nodded, slowly. then, his hand moved up under your skirt, his fingers tracing along the edge of your panties, feeling how wet you ended up.

"you're so wet," he whispered. "this for me?"

"yes, professor," you replied, heavily breathing.

he continues to tease you through the fabric, his fingers lightly rubbing against your clit through the panties, sending sparks of pleasure through your body.

"i wanna see you," he said. "get on the desk for me."

and so you did, you slowly got up from his lap, looking all messy, from your clothes to your hair. you sat on his desk, not breaking eye contact with him, otherwise you'll get too embarrassed.

you slowly spreaded your legs for him, letting him see your panties, letting him see how slick the side of your thighs were. you were looking at him, but all he was looking at, was your slit, like it was the first time he's seen a girl like this.

"oh, sweetheart," he cooed, leaning forward, caressing your hips.

his lips were leaving a trail on your inner thighs, you could feel his breath over your pussy, you could feel his lips almost over your panty.

but then—footsteps. voices, too close.

you froze.

joel straightened up just slightly, his eyes flicking toward the door.

“shit,” he muttered under his breath.

you didn’t even think. you scrambled, breath catching in your throat, and ducked down beneath his desk just as the handle turned. the wood felt cold against your back, the space narrow and dark and far too intimate.

you hugged your knees to your chest, heart racing, barely breathing.

joel adjusted himself quickly, clearing his throat and grabbing a few papers. from above, his voice came steady, casual—like nothing had just happened.

but your pulse didn’t calm.

and from where you sat, hidden between his legs under the desk, neither did his.

joel started the lecture as if nothing was out of place, his voice steady as he moved from topic to topic with practiced ease. but under the desk, you were still curled up, barely breathing, your cheek resting lightly against his knee.

your hand drifted toward his shoe. you nudged it gently, then the other, just barely rocking them.

he glanced down for half a second, lips twitching at the corners—he couldn’t smile. not now. not when he had students looking at him.

don’t react. just keep talking.

but then, your nose brushed against his leg, and without thinking, you bit his knee—softly, more teasing than anything.

joel coughed.

a few heads turned. he cleared his throat again and carried on, eyes back on his notes, jaw tight.

but he could feel you down there.

and he couldn’t stop thinking about what you’d just done.

and either did you. your hand came up to his thigh, teasing and playful. he didn't say anything at first, just stiffened... but then he made room for you as he spoke to the class. he spreaded his legs a little for you explore more.

your hand reached his belt, which you undid with patience and carefulness, trying to not make any sound, joel helped by rising his voice a little, just enough for you.

you bit your lip, looking at him while your hand went inside his pants. he stirred, but didn't stop you. he wanted you to. you pressed your lips once you felt the mess he made from earlier. sticky and warm flesh.

you held his dick, widening your eyes once you saw it.

you fisted him, slowly guiding your hand up and down... maybe too slow. you were torturing him, but you couldn't do it faster without being obvious for the rest of the class.

he was all stiffened. he carefully lowered his left hand to cup yours around his cock, guiding you. his grip firm and tight. he looked down just to take a glance of you, how adorable and small you looked under his desk, jerking him off.

the feeling of your skin against the cold metal of his ring reminded you why all of this was wrong.

but also, neither of you wanted to stop.

‧₊˚🖇️🧸 ₊˚🎧⊹♡

[prythiansprincess]

── .✦ DAY FIVE | [02/18] : TOM. ♡ ₊˚⊹

prythian's princess presents... day five of the valentine special ⋆.˚ .ᐟ this one is dedicated to my love, my darling, my angel @writingsbychlo who wholeheartedly understands my need to be stalked and chased through the woods by tommy.

[stalking] — unwanted and/or repeated surveillance or contact by an individual toward another person.

[voyeurism] — the practice of obtaining sexual gratification from observing others while they are naked or engaged in sexual activity.

home ✦ special ✦ more

tom riddle knew that what he was doing was wrong.

the problem was that he simply did not care.

he wasn't weighed down by silly notions of morals and virtues. while most people subscribed to the archaic notion of good and evil, tom was more realistic. in truth, the choices and actions one made were very rarely so black and white. often, they fell somewhere between right and wrong; a morally grey area in which tom chose to operate.

all his life, he toed the proverbial line, testing the boundaries of ethics. most of the time, the acts he committed were neither completely right or completely wrong, which allowed for plausible deniability. this time though, even tom couldn't deny his own immorality. stalking you was undeniably and irrevocably wrong, but he simply did not care.

the black lake lapped against the shore as he took cover behind a tree. from his hiding place, tom had a clear view of you walking down to the edge of the pier, looking behind you every now and then to ensure that you were alone. you weren’t. though you were completely unaware of his presence, tom accompanied you for every one of your nightly swims.

as always, you toed your shoes off and stripped off your shirt and skirt. most nights, you wore a skimpy bikini, but sometimes you skipped it altogether and swam in your bra and panties instead. tonight, tom peered out from the cover of darkness as you unhooked your bra and slipped your panties off. the moonlight glistened against your skin, tracing your curves and edges in a way that tom would kill to be able to do. he drank in your ethereal expression, head tilted up to the skies as the night cascaded down your long, elegant neck, between the valley of your breasts where your nipples stiffened against the cold air, trailing down to your supple ass and succulent thighs.

the goddess of beauty herself had nothing on you, tom thought. the very image of your naked body would be burned into his memory like a brand. this would be what he thought about when he got himself off later, imagining that it was your delicate hand wrapped around his cock. tom felt the front of his pants tighten at the thought, groaning at the stiffness of his erection.

the noise drew your attention and you looked over your shoulder, scanning the beach warily. for a second, tom could have sworn that your gaze snagged on his hiding spot, almost as if you sensed his presence. watching, waiting, wanting.

tom had always been careful, but something about the way you bit your lip in anticipation made him consider throwing caution to the wind. he lurked in waiting, the tension weighing heavy as you turned around to fully face the shore.

“I know you’re there, tom.” the soft breeze carried the cadence of your lovely voice, its call like a siren song in his hears.

all these months, tom thought that he had been careful. he purposely watched from a distance, following you only when there was no one else present, sneaking into your dorm and installing cameras while you were in class. outside of these clandestine meetings, tom never even acknowledged you. he was so certain that you were none the wiser to his obsession, but clearly he had been wrong in his assumptions.

“don’t be shy,” you rasped as your lips curved up into a devious smile. “i’m not mad. in fact, i've grown rather fond of our little rendezvous. though it does seem unfair that you get to see all of me while I never see you.”

tom stepped out of the darkness, his brow furrowed in confusion. “you knew?” he questioned, racking his brain for any indication of your knowledge. “how long have you been aware?”

“a while,” you said nonchalantly. “I felt…your presence. watching me. following me. stalking me.”

“why haven’t you said anything?”

“because,” you drawled, pretty doe eyes tracking his movements as he came closer and closer. “it’s thrilling. knowing that you’re out there, tracking my every move like you’re a predator and i’m your prey. it makes me feel special. it makes me feel wanted.”

“but most importantly,” tom paused in his tracks as you pressed your naked body against him, delicate hands traveling under his robe to slide down his chest. “it makes me fucking horny.”

his breath hitched at the fucked up confession, pupils blown out as you palmed his erection. “i’m willing to bet that the feeling is mutual.”

tom groaned, melting under your touch. he felt like he was in a dream that he never wanted to wake from. “you have no fucking idea, doll.”

you grinned as you slid off his robe, letting it pool by his feet while your deft fingers made quick work of the buttons on his shirt. “why don’t you show me, tommy?” he watched with a dazed expression as you waded into the water, the waves lapping around your legs while you smirked. “well? aren’t you coming in?”

tom shed his clothes in mere seconds and followed after you. he remained silent as you threaded water, leading him to a small alcove hidden from the rest of the beach. a small smile tugged at your lips from how eager he was, standing before you with lust filled eyes. you ran your hands down his body, nails raking against his solid chest, his bulging biceps, and his perfectly toned abs.

“we’re all alone now,” you whispered seductively. “the poor little dove finds herself in the jaws of a snake. tell me, tommy, do you plan on swallowing me whole?”

tom growled as he grabbed your chin, his fingers digging into your skin as his mouth crashed against yours. the heat of his kiss was punishing, taking you under as you lost yourself in the feel of him. you moaned when his tongue pushed past the seam of your lips, devouring and consuming you from the inside out.

your stiffened peaks pressed against his tanned chest, sending shivers down your spine as he backed you into the rocky wall of the alcove. tom’s lips never left yours as he lifted you up, wrapping your legs around his waist as his hard cock pressed against your stomach. precum smeared against his abs as he throbbed in your hands, so thick and veiny as you pumped him between kisses.

tom pulled away, his cheeks flushed and his waves matted across his forehead as one errant curl defied the rest of his hair and swooped down over his eyes. he looked so delicious that you just couldn’t help yourself. without warning, you positioned him over your entrance and sank down onto his cock with a moan.

“fuck,” tom growled. “oh fuck, doll, you’re so fucking tight.”

“please, tommy,” you pleaded, nails raking across his back as you grinded against him. “I need you to fuck me.”

the air left your lungs when tom growled against your neck. the two of you watched his cock slide inside of you, pulling it out to the tip just to slam it all back inside again. the way he fucked was so feral, so animalistic, that you were sure you were ruined for any other man. tom didn’t hold back, he didn’t hesitate as he fucked you until your back arched and your thighs trembled.

“yes, god, split me apart with your cock,” you screamed as you dug your nails into his back. “you feel so fucking good.”

“yeah? you like when your stalker fucks you, doll?” tom said with a dark chuckle. “you’re so fucking wet for me, so turned on for all the fucked up things i’ve done. the fucked up things I will do. you’re just a whore for this cock, aren’t you?”

“fuck yes,” you screamed in pleasure. “i’m a whore for you, tommy.”

tom grunted as he came into his hands, his sticky cum covering his fingers as his body slumped against the tree. in the middle of the black lake, you continued swimming laps under the inky black sky, unaware of the filthy fantasy that tom had just gotten himself off to. he cleaned himself off, pulling up his trousers and tucking his shirt back into place while you were none the wiser.

for now, this secret of his would remain safe, but tom knew it wouldn’t last much longer. one day, the desire would grow too strong for him to fight. one day, he would succumb to all his dark urges and impulses.

one day, tom would come for you.

[r3ynah]

Yoo, same

Kon stood nervously beside the shut front door of his family home (which was currently empty due to every single family member of his were busy), he fiddled with his fingers, his senses seemingly becoming more and more sensitive as time went on, glancing up at the grandfather clock Mr. Bruce Wayne gifted to them every so often.

This was the day, the day Kon will tell his first ever long time 'normal' best friend his secret, finally after so many years he could really free himself from the guilt of lying and hiding his identity to Dani, he imagines the hilarious shocked face Dani will make when Kon tells her his Super boy, and how excited she will be not even sparing him a minute to answer her dozens of questions, Kon chuckled to himself as the idea swam in his mind.

But his chuckles, were stopped as a thought floated up in his head 'What if it'll be the other way? what if she'll never talk to me ever again?' Kon silently thought as he tapped his foot overwhelmed by the thought of his best friend not seeing him as a regular human being anymore and just a clone freak, he didn't want that the black hair blue-eyed girl despite her features was not part of the Wayne family, which shocked Kon upon their first meeting due to the fact Dani also lived in Gotham.

But Kon found out soon enough that Dani lived with her older siblings, a cool older sister named Jazz, Jazz had red hair, but her smile was the same as Dani's, and an odd older brother who Kon thought at first was her Twin brother, it didn't help that their names was also very similar Dani having an i, while her older brother Danny had a Y, they were cool people, Kon would like to hang out with them more often, but that'll will only happen if Dani still sees Kon as Kon after this discussion.

But is it all worth it? to just reveal it his life, his identity? after all Dani was the only time Kon ever felt normal, he wanted to be happy, he wanted to be understood, he wanted to be normal, he wanted to be selfish, he wanted Dani.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door which startles him greatly, he knows who's at the opposite of door, after all only one person can ever go sneak up on him a surprise him to death, 'Dani' was the only thing he can think about as he turned the doorknob to open the front door.

And "Dani" was the only thing he breathed out as he faced the girl that stood Infront of him, Dani always liked to put on comfy and edgy clothes that makes people mistake her for a boy if it weren't for her long hair, which Kon realized Dani never cared if she was called the opposite gender she finds it as a compliment, her regular long side bangs that usually resides on the right side of her face was put up with a hair clip, her face was in full view, and even the gods can't fathom on how pretty she was.

She smiled at him with her oddly crooked sharp teeth, and Kon knew he was in danger right there and then, but for the reasons you don't think it is.

"Heya Konnie, what made you call me in like the middle of the semester?" Dani asked as she tilted her head, "Just want to talk with you." Kon stated as he moved to the side to give her room to head in, after letting Dani walked in Kon closed the door behind her.

"Come follow me, let's go to the balcony" Kon said as he grabbed Dani's wrist to drag her where she complied easily and just let Kon do his thing, Kon breathed out the trust Dani had in him, made him want to just breakdown right there in the middle of the living room floor, because he knows that after this there will be a chance Dani won't want to be there to spend the life they had imagined in the past together in the near future.

But he kept himself strong after all there was still the other positive half.

They had reached the balcony in less than 3 minutes, Kon sat silently on one of the sofas placed, Dani following and sitting on the left side, Dani put her head on top of Kon's shoulder, and Kon let's her, Dani took Kon's hands and played with them putting his ring on different fingers, Kon let's her, she tangles her hands with Kon's, and Kon let's her.

"Dani..." Kon let out, Dani hummed in response

"I need to confess to you about something." Kon mumbled, this time Dani looked up at him.

"What is it?" Dani asked, Kon looked down at her, meeting her eyes was hard, did it ever get this suffocating when talking to her in the past?

definitely not. there was no time, place, or event Kon ever felt uncomfortable with her next to him. Kon slowly got onto his knees Infront of Dani making her confused.

"Konnie? why are you kneeling" Dani giggled as she found the scene Infront of her utterly funny but stopped when she saw how serious Kon looked and how his hands that were still holding onto Dani's was trembling. "Kon, are you okay?"

"Danielle, I have been hiding something from you for a very long time, and I can't handle keeping it for much longer" Kon's voice trembled, there was no turning back the consequences can come later, he needs to let this guilty burden out of his chest. he looks up at Dani with her eyebrows furrowed and blue eyes that glinted in worry.

she looks ethereal and only heaven knows on how Kon yearns for his best friend.

"I'm Super boy" Kon uttered out his voice cracking but only slightly.

He yearns to tell her the truth.

"I have been Super boy even before we met"

He yearns for her approval

"Not only that, but I'm also a clone of the one and only Superman"

He yearns for her acceptance

"I'm sorry for lying and hiding my identity from you."

He yearns for her forgiveness

"Dani, I love you so much it hurts." he went quiet his body full of anxiety his knees became weak as he observed any signs of emotion in the black-haired girl's face.

He yearns for her.

And he has a feeling she know it too.

Is this it? everything they worked hard for this friendship disappearing just like that, on this day, here in the balcony? please no, his heart couldn't possibly take that, she wants her beside him, he'll take any route of destiny as long as she stays, even if she turns to despise his very being, he'll take it with no hesitation.

As long as she's with me, everything's worth it.

He didn't even realize he was crying until he felt a pair of hands caressing his face wiping his tears in the process, Dani made him look at her, she smiled at him softly then she opened her mouth and uttered "It's okay I forgive you, thank you for telling me." Dani held him close and let Kon's head rest on her chest. "I promise you, I'm not going anywhere, after all any place I'll go will be painstakingly boring without you beside me."

Finally letting go of the mixed emotions that had built inside of him, Kon cried, he cried until his throat became sore and his eyes became red from the tears, and Dani stayed until the very end just like she promised.

PLUS SCENE

Kon laid on the sofa tired and lazily staring at the ceiling, a random cartoon show played from the TV, one of his hands was holding onto to Dani's Hand, as the girl looked focused on the show, Kon let his eyes close for a second succumbing to the peace, until Dani opened her mouth.

"You said earlier that you were a clone, right?" Dani asked her eyes remained on the TV

Kon hummed "yeah why?"

"Yoo, same" Dani laughed, her reply made the exhaustion from Kon's body leave immediately, he sat straight up and his mouth open as he looked at Dani in surprise.

"Excuse me, WHAT??" Kon stated in disbelief, Dani bent over clutching her stomach as she laughed at his reaction.

[alphajocklover]

I was wondering if you could make me a super hot movie star. Like the kind of guy who plays the main male role in a rom com. I’m good either way of it makes me straight as a side effect.

You had never really liked rom coms growing up. You didn’t hate all rom coms, as some were generally good and creative, but a lot of them were just so… formulaic and repetitive. It felt like it was always the same damned story, the same formula over and over again: A stereotypical meet cute between two people who are just attractive enough to be in the movies leads to scripted, unrealistic but fairly cute bickering, which turns into them semi-dating, which is complicated by some dumb misunderstanding that breaks them up, before the two leads dramatically get back together and realize love is the answer to literally every problem in their lives. You knew hating Rom Coms because they were formulaic wasn’t very original either, but you couldn’t help it. They were just so… cheesy! But as you grew up, your opinion of them started to change. You still thought they were repetitive, but you couldn’t help but admire the male leads. They were always so strong, handsome, naturally charming and romantic, everything you, as an awkward young gay man who couldn’t get a date, weren’t. Even the actors had an effortless charm, and you began to fantasize about what it would be to be like them. To be that charming, handsome guy, the kind of guy who could sweep a girl off their feet without even trying, who the camera and audience just loved. Your fantasy evolved from you just being like a rom com male lead, into you actually being one of those actors. Which was why you were so thrilled when you got those free lessons in the new local acting classes. You knew it was probably a little too late to break into the movie scene, but these lessons gave you a chance to live out your leading man fantasies, even just for a moment. 

“Ok, first I need you to take off your shirt.”  “I’m sorry, what?” You asked, confused. You had been more than a little disappointed to find out that, besides the woman actually teaching the class, you were the only person to actually show up. It was a little concerning, but you figured that the class was free, and that less people meant more one-on-one attention from the teacher, a blonde girl named Kennedy who seemed very nice. Until she asked you to take off your shirt, that is.

“Look, I need to know what I’m working with. I know it sounds shallow, but a lot of acting has to do with image, and like it or not, certain physiques get certain roles.” She said, sending you a disarming smile. You weren’t exactly comfortable taking off your shirt in front of someone, as you were a little embarrassed by your average physique, but… it was just the two of you. And it wasn’t like she was a hot guy or anything. While still uncertain, you decided to just get it over with and quickly stripped off your shirt. For a moment you couldn’t meet Kennedy’s eyes, too embarrassed, but a quick look up turned all your embarrassment into utter confusion. It took you a moment to realize that the voluptuous blonde was looking at you with… lust? You felt your cheeks burn as she stepped closer, and a strange feeling built up in your stomach. Seeing the shocked look on your face, Kennedy giggled, a light, almost ditzy giggle that made your head spin. What the hell was happening?

As Kennedy stepped closer and closer to you, your head swam and your skin burned. You felt an unexpected sense of confidence and arousal come over you as she brought her hand up to your beefy chest. Something about that felt… wrong, but… who gave a fuck when this whole thing felt so right? You smirked slightly as you squeezed her ass with your big, manly hand, and pulled her into a deep, dominating kiss. You knew going to a movie intimacy class would be fun, but you had a feeling you and Kennedy were going to have a lot more fun than just pretending to fuck. It wasn’t like you really needed the help anyways. You had kissed and fucked a lot of girls, both on and off the screen. Not a lot of guys can do both professional acting and actual porn, but hey, you were just that good.

[hischiershoe]

Red Bikini’s and Beer Pong | Nico Hischier

word count: 1.5k

warnings: drinking implied, suggestive themes implied, not edited at all

note: this is just a fun little blurb about summer nico <3

When Nico had invited you to spend some of the summer with him in Switzerland, you knew it was going to be full of adventure and fun. You had never been to a European country before, so Nico was nothing short of eager to show you everything he could and introduce you to the different traditions and customs of his country. He waited a few days to introduce you to his friends because he didn’t want to overwhelm you in such a short amount of time, but when he did, he wasn’t all that surprised when you fit right in. 

One of Nico’s friends had invited a decent sized group of people over to their house for a small relaxing get together that everyone was more than happy to attend. After a busy week of training for Nico and a few of the others, a break was exactly what they needed. You had spent the better part of that morning slightly stressing about what, and how much, you needed to bring because, despite Nico’s reassurance you didn’t have to bring anything, you weren’t showing up empty handed. After a quick phone call to his brother, Nico said they could use some disposable plates and cups, and that the two of you could stop by the store to grab some on your way.

“Are you sure we don’t need to bring anything else,” You asked as you fell into the passenger seat of Nico’s car, the bag of stuff placed in your lap.

“I’m sure, I promise,” He reassures, an adoring smile on his face before he leans over the center console and places a gentle kiss to your temple, “They already love you, probably more than they do me.”

“That isn’t true,” You shake your head, relaxing into the seat as his hand finds purchase on your thigh, “It’s definitely.”

Nico’s thumb rubbed the exposed skin of your leg as he drives towards his friend's house, the quiet hum of the radio playing underneath the sounds of your voices as you talked about the upcoming dinner with his parents. It wasn’t long until he was pulling into the long driveway that was already lined with several cars and you were stepping out of the car. You could hear the distant voices and laughter of those who were there as you walked in stride with Nico, slight anxious excitement bubbling in your chest.

The two of you walked into the backyard through the side gate, and not a second later a multitude of voices were calling your name with glee. Erika greeted you with a tight hug before taking the shopping bag from your hands, a few of the others following suit and greeting you while some remained in place. You mingled with a few of the people you had already met, Nico introducing you to those you hadn’t, before the two of you stripped out of your clothes and stepped in the pool.

You could feel Nico’s blatant stare on you as you walked in front of him, your face heating up from his attention despite you knowing it would happen. After all, you had selected the particular bathing suit for a reason.  You could hear the water moving behind you before the feeling of his arms wrapping around your body forced a quiet squeal from your lips. His chest was pressed firmly against your back, his fingers pressing into the flesh on your hip as he ducks his head to your ear.

“You wore that on purpose didn’t you,” He mumbles, slightly twisting your body with his.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” You put on a facade of innocence, peering up at him as a small smirk toys at his lips.

Nico shakes his head, his chuckle vibrating against you before he swiftly moves in front of you, squatting down so you can throw your arms over his shoulder. He guides you to the other end of the pool, properly joining the others as they talked. After a while, you swam away from Nico when the girls asked if you wanted to join them on the tanning deck to do some “girl talk” and get away from the boys.

It was shallow enough that you were able to lay on your stomach and face the girls who chose to stay in the deeper part. You could see Nico as he laughed with his friends, his gaze often flicking in your direction as you fell into conversation with the others. He silently curses Mila who stands in front of you, her shoulder blocking anything below your neck, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise. He’d never been all that good at self control when you wore that particular bikini.

“So,” Erika playfully drags out, ��What were you and Nico whispering about earlier?”

Your eyes briefly widen before you clear your throat and cast your eyes to the water in front of you, “Nothing important.”

“Sure looked important,” Mila teases, wiggling her eyebrows as everyone joins her in laughter, yourself included.

“He was just commenting on my bathing suit,” You defend, trying to fight off the relentless blush from forming on your cheeks.

“Oh I bet he was,” Erika snickered as you carefully splash her with water.

“Are you guys being nice to my girl,” Nico’s voice breaks through, forcing everyone's eyes to him as he swims up to you. Mila steps away from you, letting Nico take her place, but not before she passes you a knowing look.

“Of course! We were just saying how good she looks in her bikini. Don’t you think so?”

The sound of Luca yelling for Nico cuts through whatever response he came up with, instructing the two of you to join him and Nina in a game of beer pong. Nico glances at you, silently asking you if you were okay with playing, before he’s helping you out of the pool and walking towards his siblings. Luca reminds Nico that the two of them need to defend their title as champions, so you two were going to have to play on separate teams.

“Hope you guys aren’t attached to that title,” You nonchalantly let out, taking the hair tie from your wrist and pulling your hair away from your face, “I was beer pong queen all throughout college.”

“Oh,” Luca raises his eyebrows, glancing at his brother who shrugs in response,  “We’ll see about that.”

In Luca’s defense, the two brothers were pretty good, but you and Nina matched their skill with ease. Your “intense” game managed to attract the attention from everyone who was there, a circle forming around the plastic table as the ball was thrown back and forth. They didn’t seem to be going for either team, all of them cheering or groaning in sync, but a few of them were making quiet bets as to who the winner would be.

“You know the redemption rule right,” Luca asks now that both sides only had one cup left.

“We won’t need it,” You cockily let out as you line up your shot, letting the ball fly before it sinks into the liquid filled cup, “But you will.”

A collective wave of ‘oh’s envelopes the four of you as Nina high fives you, Luca and Nico quietly whispering to each other as they presumably form some sort of plan. Nico catches your eye over his brother's shoulder, his left eye dropping in a wink as you cheekily squint your eyes at him. When they finally separate, Luca’s face is hard and focused as he grasps the small ball in his hand.

“He isn’t used to being the one redeeming himself,” Nina whispers to you, smug smile on her face, “It’s great.”

Luca makes the ball into the cup with little effort, quickly turning to Nico who shakes his head in amusement at his brother's competitive nature. As Nico begins to ready his own attempt, you bend over to grab the other ball that had fallen at your feet before it blows away. Nico can’t stop himself from looking at you as you do, his gaze instantly drawing to your chest as he releases the ball, which completely misses the cup. Everyone watching erupts into humorous cheers as Luca’s mouth drops open in shock and Nico shakes himself out of his daze.

“Dude,” He groans, “You couldn’t wait five seconds to stare at her boobs?”

“Don’t talk about my girlfriend's boobs,” Nico feigns disgust, “Maybe next time I can.”

He doesn’t wait for his brother’s response, rushing towards you as Mila and Erika congratulate you and Nina on beating the eldest sibling. When the three of them catch his approaching figure, they mumble a few suggestive comments before slipping away from your bashful laughter. 

“Beer pong queen, huh,” Nico raises his eyebrows, his arms flexing against your back.

“Yeah,” You hum, chewing at your bottom lip as your eyes dart to his, “I was, but I also knew you’d get distracted if I picked up the ball.”

“Damn red bikini,” He chuckles, “I always knew you liked to play dirty, but I didn’t know you were a cheater.”

“I knew it! We need a do-over!”

[gguk-n]

When Stars Align (Logan Sargeant x Reader)

Summary- In a world where soulmates exist. Some people are meant to meet each other no matter what happens. Logan's sad and confused about losing his Formula One seat until a woman enters his life.

Logan had had a looming fear ever since he started the 2024 season, he wasn't sure how long he was going to be able to hold onto his seat. He'd been doing his best. He'd been trying, so hard, yet it didn't seem enough.

In all of this, there was a girl, Y/N Y/L/N who had been trying very hard to get into contact with him. She managed an indycar team and with his brother who was in indycar, she was hell bent on having him for themselves. But Logan wasn't giving her the time of day.

But as the rumours got worse, Logan found himself wondering, maybe he should give Y/N a chance. At one of the Formula One races, Y/N was there. She tried to talk to Logan but he brushed her off. She wasn't going to give up this quickly she thought. If she gave up this quickly, how would she have come this far, this young.

Y/N had been keeping tabs at Williams, she had a friend, you could say; letting her know what's going on at Williams. She knew she would take such good care of Logan, she meant her team.

When Carlos Sainz Jr was announced as the driver for 2025, Y/N doubled down her efforts and she knew she would be able to crack him soon. She was almost stalking him at this point. "I thought you'd have some of your staff follow me" Logan turned to her as she sat drinking tea. "You gotta do things yourself if you want anything done right" she smiled at him. Logan sighed and left.

When Logan was dropped mid-season, she was the first person there. "I don't wanna talk about your stupid team" Logan sighed, exasperated. "Not here for that" she replied. "I'm sorry Logan" she said offering him water. Logan took a sip from the bottle. "Why are you here?" Logan asked. "To comfort you" she spoke softly and Logan broke down in sobs. He hadn't been this vulnerable with anyone. He wasn't sure why he was crying in front of a stranger who had been stalking him for months. Y/n sat there patting his back.

After that day, they started spending time together. Y/N didn't bring up Indy racing until she knew Logan was ready. They spent time doing things friends do, or maybe lovers do; the line between them had blurred a lot over time.

They were hanging out by a lake, Y/N was sat kicking ripples in the water while Logan swam towards her. "Y/N" he called out, getting her attention. She hummed back in response, bringing her attention to him. "When will you ask me to join you?" he asked, pulling himself out of the water. "When you want to" she replied. "What if I never do?" Logan asked. "Than, I'm happy with what we have" she paused, "Maybe even more" she mumbled the last part. Y/N had started falling for Logan, she didn't know what soulmates were or if he was her soulmate or not; but she was willing to do what it takes to make him fall for her. Right now, she felt like she was failing, honestly. "What if I wanted you?" he teased. Y/N's eyes widened. "You don't mean that" she muttered. "Y/N, I don't know when that happened but" he said, raising his hand to cup her cheek. "I like you." he whispered, as if the whole world could hear them. Y/N nuzzled her head into his palm, "What if I said I liked you back?" Y/N asked. Logan wasted not a second and pressed his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. They pulled away to rest their foreheads together, "If soulmates exist, I know you're the one" Y/N said. "From all the stalking?" Logan joked. She hit his chest while pouting. "Ouch" Logan feigned hurt. "Serves you right" she humphed. "I think you are the one too" Logan stated making her smile.

[thef1diary]

A Danny ric x reader fic where they get promise tattoos instead of promise rings? Maybe they tattoo the other’s initials on their ring finger.

Promise Tattoos | D. Ricciardo

Summary: instead of promise rings, you and Daniel decide to give each other promise tattoos.

Warnings: 18+, allusions to mature content but no actual smut, fluff.

pairing: daniel x fem!reader (established relationship)

wc: 2.2k

"I can't wait to marry you" Daniel spoke, taking you by surprise.

Holding a glass of wine in hand, you and Daniel were basking in the moonlight while enjoying the soft waves in the hot tub. The waves were essentially created because Daniel couldn't sit still.

His hands itched to hold you close to him.

Downing the rest of his wine, he placed the empty glass on the side. He swam towards you, immediately grasping onto your hips as he placed a kiss on your lips.

Earning a sweet moan from you, he tasted the small droplets of wine left on your lips, mixing with your distinct taste that never failed to intoxicate him.

"Is that so?" You asked once you parted away, but not fully moving away from each other. You liked the warmth his body brought to yours.

He nodded, lifting your left hand closer to his lips before placing a kiss on each finger. He pecked your ring finger twice, making you blush.

"I can't wait to get married to you too, Mr. Ricciardo, but you know how it's a horrible time right now." You rested your arms on his shoulder, clasping your hands together behind his neck after you placed your empty wine glass next to his.

He groaned, placing his forehead on your shoulder, "I know, but I wish things were different."

You and Daniel had spoken about your future together and there was no doubt that you wanted to marry each other. However, both your work schedules, especially yours as you were recently promoted, were quite demanding making it difficult to enjoy a new beginning together.

You two could barely spend time with each other now, and if a wedding was added to the mix, it would make matters a lot worse than better.

There were a few moments like this one, where you two would create your own little bubble, disconnected from the rest of the world for a few hours—maybe a day—before continuing on with your busy lives.

"It makes no difference if we get married now or later; what counts is that we verbally promised to do so one day," you spoke up after a few moments of silence.

He lifted his head to make eye contact with you, an idea sparking in his mind but before he could say it out loud, he got lost in the depths of your eyes.

Your eyes held so much emotion, and in this exact moment, they held a lot a of love for the man in front of you.

You had a smile on your face; a drunk-in-love smile that you only had when you were with him. He noticed how the corner of your eyes wrinkled whenever you smiled, and he lightly kissed it, deepening the wrinkles as your smile grew.

"What's going through that mind of yours?" You asked after he looked at you for a few moments without speaking a word.

He did that often, almost getting lost in admiring your beauty that he forgets all his thoughts except one. "You're perfect. So beautifully perfect, and I wonder what I did right in life that I get to spend the rest of my living days with you."

"Daniel," you softly muttered. Despite spending years with him, you never truly got used to his praises, and quite frankly you didn't want to. He knew just the right words to make you speechless.

"Words can't express how much I love you," you responded. "Then you can show me later tonight," he cheekily responded, making you tilt your head back with a laugh.

That's how these moments between you two ended, either with a flirty or dirty remark. You weren't opposed to either.

"You know I will," you replied after composing yourself. One of your hands travelled to the base of his neck, fingers playing with the wet, matted curls flat against his head.

The other rounded to his front, playing with the chain clasped around his neck, the same one you bought him as a birthday gift.

"You remember how I told you that the first time I’ll buy you a ring, it'll be an engagement ring?" He began once he remembered his train of thought before losing himself in your eyes.

You nodded, "that's why we decided on no promise rings."

"Since I can't properly propose to you-" he continued but you opened your mouth to interrupt him. However you couldn't speak as he held a hand up, telling you to let him finish.

"I know you said that you don't need an extravagant proposal and all but I want to give you one." He explained, making you shake your head with a smile on your face.

Although you knew that he would go all out with the proposal, he never actually told you what he would do.

But you didn't ask either, knowing that even if he proposed to you with a simple paper ring while laying in bed, you'd happily agree.

"Go on," you urged. He reached behind his neck and grasped your left hand that was playing with his hair.

"What if we get promise tattoos? Right here" his fingers grazed your ring finger.

You thought about it for a moment, both you and Daniel had quite a few tattoos scattered across your bodies, so you weren't opposed to the idea of another. However, this one would be the most meaningful one you've ever gotten.

The other tattoos you had still held some significance but were also random at the same time. You had an ace of spades on your upper arm, and you almost laughed at the memory that tied to it: a girls trip to Vegas.

Looking down at his hand grasping yours, you questioned him, "what would we get?"

Daniel tried holding back a smile but failed to do to as a cheesy smile made its way to his face. "Don't judge," he spoke and you raised an eyebrow because whenever he says that, you definitely judge him.

"Let's get each other's initials." He suggested and you paused for a moment as you remembered a specific memory you shared with Daniel before you started dating him.

You chuckled, your reaction taking him by surprise but what happened next was something he didn't expect at all.

You smacked the back of his head, causing a confused expression overtaking his smile from earlier. "What was that for?"

"You told me to smack your head if you ever thought about getting someone else's initials or name tattooed on your body." You reminded him, and he racked his brain for the memory from almost six years ago.

Then came the boisterous laugh, nodding along as he remembered. "You still remember that?"

"Of course I do, you practically engraved that into my mind," you shrugged.

Daniel brought his fingers up to your jaw, slightly tracing the edges before grasping your chin. "You are everything to me, not just someone, so technically that doesn't apply to you."

"You never fail to amaze me, Danny," you state as you look at him with a certain fondness.

"So I'll take that as a yes?" He asked, his smile growing bigger when you nodded.

"Let's get them tomorrow," you suggested but he shook his head, "today, right now."

"Have you seen the time? What place is going to be open?" You stared at him incredulously as another idea came to his mind.

"I'm going to make some calls," he told you as he finally parted away from you, stepping out of the tub. You frowned once the chills set over your body since Daniel took his body heat with him.

You remained submerged in the water for a few moments, but with the lack of heat, goosebumps erupted across your arms. Standing up, you grabbed a towel from the stack next to the tub and stepped out.

As you headed inside your shared bedroom, you heard Daniel speaking to someone on the phone just like he told you earlier.

Deciding to take a quick shower, you moved towards the bathroom, past Daniel. He grabbed your hand before you could walk away, however he was still on the phone.

He paused, not paying attention to the person speaking on the other end as he eyed you from head to toe. You were wearing one of his favourite two-piece, and he always stopped to admire you in it every time you wore it.

You gestured to the bathroom, silently telling him that you're going to shower but didn't pass an invite to him, knowing that you'll be wasting both water and time.

As you stripped bare after setting the shower to your desired temperature, you heard Daniel call out to you, "I'm gonna be back in a bit, don't use all the hot water."

Then once you heard the door click shut, you stood under the strong stream of steamy water.

You didn't hear when the front door opened again, nor did you hear Daniel's words spoken with excitement. So, to say the least, you were quite surprised once you saw him holding a towel out for you once you stepped out of the shower.

His gaze followed the water droplets sliding down your body, eyes darkening due to the beautiful sight he was blessed with.

You didn't give him much time to dwell, walking towards him and letting him wrap the towel around your body.

His arms wrapped around your smaller frame, engulfing you in a hug. "Where did you go?" You asked after he kissed your forehead.

"Called a friend and got some supplies to make our promise," he vaguely told you, but you knew him well enough to understand his words.

"We're gonna tattoo each other?" You asked and he eagerly nodded.

He let you dry off and wear something comfortable which included one of his shirts and a pair of cotton shorts.

Meanwhile, Daniel set up the tattoo gun and ink among other supplied needed. You sat down next to him, “alright how are we doing this?”

Daniel briefly explained what his friend told him as it was their first time holding the gun rather than being on the other side of the process.

“Rock, paper, scissors to see who tattoos first?” Daniel held out his hand and you nodded.

You won, your hand forming scissors while Daniel chose paper. “Ready to get the best tattoo of your life?”

“Careful, I might ditch my artist and have you do all my tattoos if you’re good,” Daniel teased, making you smile as you held the tattoo gun in your hand.

“Freestyle?”

“Freestyle,” Daniel confirmed.

His gaze remained on your face as you carefully pierced his skin. He noticed how your eyebrows scrunched up along with the tip of your tongue sticking out in concentration.

It took you a good five minutes to write the letters on his ring finger, looking up and smiling at him only to realize he was already looking at you.

“Might just have to ditch my artist if this is the view I get,” he commented, deepening the blush on your cheeks.

You gestured him to look at the design, and his smile widened once he saw it. Instead of your two initials, you added another letter; R.

“For Ricciardo,” you told him, watching as his eyes lit up in amazement.

“Shit, darling, that’s the best tattoo I’ve ever gotten.”

While he admired the tattoo, you threw away all the disposables as well as disinfecting the work area, preparing for your turn.

Daniel snapped the edge of the latex glove loudly, smirking when you raised an eyebrow due to his antics.

Leaning closer towards him, you whispered in his ear, “if I had you as my tattoo artist, I’d never leave until every inch of my body was covered in your artwork.”

“Every inch?”

“Every fucking inch,” you clarified, watching how he bit his bottom lip as he imagined you at his mercy, to do anything he wanted.

“Your body is already a work of art,” he commented before piercing your ring finger as he began the tattooing process.

He was used to his initials as one of his nicknames, but seeing the two letters; DR, on your skin gave him a newfound joy.

Even after everything was over, all the supplies put away, he couldn’t help but stare at your finger. The place where he imagined a beautiful diamond ring, now holds his initials, a promise of the next chapter of your lives.

Laying on the bed, you turned to face him as your leg rested on his thigh while your fingers drew mindless designs on his bare chest.

A mischievous thought crawled into your mind and you couldn’t help but say it out loud to him.

“I can’t wait to get myself off using my fingers with your initials inked into my skin,” you spoke casually and felt him groan before you heard it.

“Fuckin’ hell, you better record that,” he instructed, knowing the only time you use your own fingers or other toys is when he’s not there with you.

“You know I will,” you told him, shifting closer to him as you yearned for a kiss.

He tilted his head closer, catching your lips in a filthy, sensual kiss. “I can’t wait to call you my husband,” you spoke against his lips as he grasped the back of your thighs to move you even closer, straddling him.

[lavandulawrites]

Autonomy Of a Free Soul ch: 1

Chapter 1: Wonderland

Repost

Chapter 2

This is an yandere genshin men x reader that will have multiple chapters. This will be cross posted on ao3. It will partially follow the plot of genshin impact.

Synopsis: You find yourself in the meadow by the giant oak tree at Windrise. You have faint memories of falling into a well which is deeply hidden inside a cave by your home. You get captivated by the tune of the green clad man as he strung lyre high up in the tree.

Alone in a foreign world with hazy memorises, you are sure to encounter various obstacles you would never dreamt of facing. With some admirers with emotions and devotion deeper than what would seem possible, can your journey turn out peaceful?

Masterlist

Warnings: female reader

Word count: 4227

Light peered through your eyelashes as your eyelids fluttered. A pleasant warmth enveloped you. The fresh breeze caressed your cheeks. The surface underneath you was soft and you would have thought that it was a bed had you not smelled the fresh air of the outdoors.

You slowly opened your eyes and blinked at the sun. You slowly sat up and let your eyes roam your surroundings. You were laying on a green meadow filled with various delicate wild flowers. A few birds flew across the clear sky. A few dandelion seeds blowed with the wind towards you. To your right were a huge tree, who’s branches reached for the blue endless sky.

After a while you rose to your feet and began following the little stream up to the tree. A couple of fishes swam happily along the stream and a few frogs hopped in front of your path.

Despite your confused state, you were filled with tranquility. Had you not known better, you would have thought you had reached heaven.

As you stopped by the large tree you heard the soft melody of a lyre. You walked around the thick trunk in search of its source.

On one of its thick branches sat a light green clad man. His long and slender fingers gently strummed the strings of his lyre, creating a beautiful melody. Though the melody had no words, you could feel the heavy emotion it carried.

You had no idea how long you stood underneath the tree listening to his song. The man opened his eyes and revealed his stunning cyan irises. He was around your age, early twenties, but his big eyes revealed wisdom beyond your imagination.

His gaze met yours and you were stunned by his beauty. He hopped down from the branch with playful elegance.

He bowed before you, his lyre behind his back. “Hello my beautiful maiden. What an honour it is to have such a stunning lady to be my audience. I am truly a lucky bard” he smiled and winked at you playfully.

You were taken aback by his flirtatious words. “Hello” you smiled back. “Your music is really beautiful. Does the song you just played have a name?”

“Not yet” he shook his head. He tapped his chin in a thoughtful manner before he lit up “What if I name it after you? What’s your name sweetheart?” his tone gleeful.

“[Name]. What’s yours?”

“Oh my, what a lovely name! I am Venti the bard” he took of his hat and bowed deeply, with his feet crossed. He spun his hat in the air before he put it back on. “I haven’t seen you around before and believe me when I say that I know everyone in Mondstadt. So [Name], where exactly are you from?”

At his question your eyes widened. You had almost forgotten how you woke up suddenly in the flowerbed. Before you had woken up in this unfamiliar landscape, you had been on a walk in the woods by your home. You had explored a cave and had tripped on a root and fallen down into an ancient well. When you opened your eyes you found yourself here in the meadow.

“You are right I’m not from around here” you sighed. You hesitated. Was it wise to tell him about the well? You couldn’t be too sure if he was to be trusted or not. After a moment of thinking, you chose to tell him all the details. Maybe he could help you? “I fell into a well inside a cave back home, but strangely I can’t remember everything else. My memories from my home is there, but they’re glossy” you prayed that he wouldn’t think that you were crazy.

“I see…That’s really unfortunate. I don’t think I can help you with returning home” Venti smiled sadly.

“It’s okay. I guess there is no helping it…”

His hand slipped into his shorts and pulled out a cloth that was round in shape. He opened the flowery cloth and revealed the reddest apple you had ever seen. “Do you like apples? I myself absolutely love them. I can’t ever seem to get enough” he laughed.

“I love apples” you nodded and returned his smile.

Venti skilfully broke the apple in half with his fingers. He gave you one of the half’s. The aroma of the apple reached your nose and you hummed in delight.

“Smells good? It will taste even better” he took a bite himself and closed his eyes in delight.

You followed his example. The taste did not disappoint. The apple was juicy and sweet. It was perfect.

“Do you know where you’ll stay tonight?” he asked as he wiped his fingers in the cloth. His apple completely vanished.

“No…” you smiled sheepishly.

“I see… The city is quite far away. A couple of hours walk in fact.”

His eyes got a certain glint in them. “But I have another way of transportation” he winked.

You tilted your head at his implication. “Another way of transportation? What might that be?”

Venti turned his back slightly towards you and pointed at a round crystal decoration. “I’ll use this! The power of anemo sure is amazing!”

“Anemo?” you blinked at him.

Venti quickly spun around. His expression one of shock. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what visions and elemental powers are?”

“Umm… I don’t… Sorry” you winced in embarrassment. You really didn’t understand a thing.

“I guess you really aren’t from around here. Worry not! Visions are amulets that let people control the elements. Anemo is the wind element. Mondstadt, where we are now, is the nation of anemo”

“Ohh… I see” you nodded, but you found it difficult to believe in amulets and elemental powers. Was he playing tricks on you?

“I can sense your hesitation. Let me demonstrate”. The bard held his hand of for you to take. “May I?”

You nodded as you took his hand. His skin was soft and warm.

Wind engulfed you both as Venti wrapped his arms around you. “Hold on tight!”

The wind lifted you both up high in the air. You two soared fast in the air and you clutched your hands at tightly as you could onto his arms. “Don’t be scared! Trust me! We will not fall down!”

The landscape became almost blurry underneath your feet as you moved as fast as the wind. You had never felt as free as you did soaring high in the air with a man you just had met. It felt like a scene from one of the fairytales your mother used to read you.

A city could be seen in to horizon. When you two got closer, you could faintly make out three large windmills and a large cathedral.

“That’s Mondstadt city. The city of freedom. Home to many bards such as myself” Venti’s breath ghosted your air softly.

“It’s beautiful” you said in awe.

Venti laughed at your comment. “It really is isn’t it?” he sounded almost like a proud father.

The two of you landed in front of a big stone bridge which led up to the city.

The cobblestone clicked underneath your shoes as you made your way over. A small boy was standing by the edge of the bridge feeding a couple of pigeons. The birds fled at the sight of the two of you, earning you both an earful from the little boy.

When you reached the gates, you were greeted by two knights. Venti only smiled and greeted them, which they returned.

The city was lively and music filled the streets. Multiple street vendors were littered across the streets.

Venti led you up to a more quiet part of town. “This hotel is both cheap and nice” he told you as he opened the hotel door which was painted a lively red colour.

The walls were of dark brown panesl and the red rug with a forest motif that led to the staircase was well-loved. The lobby was decorated with different nicknacks. On the walls hung paintings of the city.

The owner of the hotel was an elderly man with blond hair with greying streaks. When he smiled his eyes crinkled with crows feet. He looked like someone’s grandfather. He smiled at Venti from behind the reception desk that was cluttered with various papers and an comical large flower vase filled with tulips in the colour of the rainbow. “Hello Venti. What can I do for you today?”

“Hello Meier. Do you have any rooms available for this young lady?” he smiled at the man. Venti had told you on the way to the hotel that Meier owed him a favour. “She doesn’t have anywhere to stay tonight and I thought since you owe me, that maybe you had a spare room for her?”

Meier’s smile turned sheepish. “I’m sorry Venti, but I really don’t have any spare room. The whole hotel is booked. You see a couple of diplomats from the other nations have come here and they have taken all the rooms in the finer hotels”. He turned his eyes round you “I am really sorry miss. Perhaps you could try some of the ins close to the city?”

You bid your farewells to Meier before you exited the hotel.

You sighed as you sat down at a bench near a fountain. You were far from home, in a whole different world given the unfamiliar city and the weird creatures or rather monsters you had seen, and you had absolutely nowhere to stay the night. Money was also something you completely lacked.

Venti was staring of into the distance, deeply lost in thought. After a while he turned towards you. “As Meier said, the other hotels are absolutely packed so it’s not worth to even check. ” he sighed. “I’m sorry. Here I was trying to be a good Mondstadt guide too” he shook his head, causing his braids to gently flap against his cheeks in a rather cute manner.

“No, no. Don’t apologise. This isn’t your fault. Not in the slightest” you tried to reassure him. “But what about the ins? Maybe they have some rooms available?”

“They might have some rooms available, but the roads outside of the city is filled with monsters lately. It’s simply to dangerous for someone without a vision. And I take it that you don’t have any training in combat?” his voice was serious and his eyes intense.

“I see. I don’t have any combat skills” you sighed.

After a moment of silence Venti spoke up again. “What if you stay at my place? There’s space and I will sleep on the couch” he looked at you with something you recognised as hope. His large eyes glittered and the way the soft light from the sunset hit them made them absolutely breathtaking.

You were so in awe of his beauty that you almost forgot to answer him. “I would love to. Thank you very much Venti. I really hope it isn’t too much of a bother for you” you smiled at him with gratefulness.

“Not at all! Let’s get going before it gets too late.”

Venti’s home was in a apartment building in the livelier part of the city. His apartment was on the top floor (the fifth floor). The walls were covered in a pale green wallpaper with dandelion seeds motifs. It consisted of a bathroom, a bedroom with a queen bed, a open kitchen and living room, a closet and a balcony. The balcony overlooked a little stage with rows of chairs in front of it. Venti told you that it was a place where amateurs could preform, be it music or plays.

Venti led you to the kitchen which he began rummaging through the cabinets. “It’s late so I’ll cook us some dinner. It won’t take long.”

“Do you need any help?” you asked as your eyes trailed hai movements. Despite his human appearance, he moved like he belonged in the sky. His every movement was fluid and his movements looked like dancing steps.

“No. Sit back and relax. You’re my guest after all” he smirked.

You hummed at the delicious taste of the pasta bolognese. “Wow Venti! You’re a really great cook!”

“Thank you, though I’m only an amateur” he smiled as he took a bite himself.

The dining table was of light wood. It was cowered with a white table cloth with embroidered light blue flowers. A candlestick was lit in the middle of the table, creating a cozy feeling. At the end of the table were various note sheets which Venti had tried to hastily clean up when you first entered the apartment.

“How does one obtain a vision?” you asked as you took a sip of the dandelion wine he had poured in your glass.

“It’s a favour from the gods. Those that reside in Celestia. It’s a sing of great ambition. The anemo vision is given to those who value freedom in a great deal” he nodded towards his vision that were laying on top of the countertop.

“Ahhh I see. How many types of visions are there?”

“Seven. All the seven nations are the homes of different elements. Mondstadt as you know is the nation of anemo, Liyue is the nation of geo, Inazuma is electro, Sumeru is dendro, Natlan is pyro and Snezhnaya is cryo” he spinners his fork in some spaghetti before he lifted the fork to his mouth. “Each nation have their own archon, god if you will. The one in Mondstadt is called Barbatos.”

“I see” you nodded. “Quite fascinating.”

“Yeah, I guess you can indeed say that”. He noticed your empty plate. “I’ll go and clean the dishes, then I will make your bed” he rose form his seat and collect the empty dishes.

“I should help you” you stood up and carried the empty wine glasses to the sink.

“No it’s okay. You’re my guest” he said reassuringly.

Venti’s bookshelf’s were filled with various works of poetry, fiction, song lyrics and historical books. You ran your fingertips over their backs. Your fingers were coated in a light veil of dust. You took out a book on Mondstadt’s history out of the shelf. You sat down in the light teal sofa. A few strands of treads were sticking out of the seems, making it clear as day that this sofa was well loved.

Your eyes went to the kitchen were Venti was humming on a tune while he scrubbed a pot clean. His voice was angelic and you hoped you would be so lucky that you would be able to hear him sing sometime. Venti was so kind and welcoming. He had told you the history of Mondstadt as you had walked among the streets of the city. He had told you so much that you felt like you knew Mondstadt like one would with a childhood friend. Yet, you knew absolutely nothing about Venti. You knew of his profession and his love for dandelions and wine, but that was it.

Venti’s voice broke you out of your thoughts. “I’m finished” he stood in front of you on the soft rug. “It’s getting late, so maybe we should get some sleep. I have made your bed. Don’t worry, I changed the sheets too” he smiled. The sun from the sunset casted a warm light on Venti’s features. His eyes glittered more than ever before and he looked like someone straight out from a fairytale. He didn’t look human.

“Yes we should. Thank you Venti. Thank you for your hospitality. I’m extremely grateful” you smiled sweetly up at him.

He chuckled. You swore that you could see a faint blush lightly dusting his cheeks.

Venti’s bed was comfortable and the duvet soft. You quickly drifted off into a deep slumber.

Your dreams were of wells and deep caves. You tried to wake up, but to no avail.

After a long night filled with night terrors, you finally woke up to bird chirping. Sunlight were shining through the white curtains, warming your skin.

You lazily sat up and stretched your limbs. You still felt helpless regarding your situation, but it was little you could do. At least at the moment.

You turned on the shower and let the warm water hit your skin. Venti’s soap had a slight smell of apples and you welcomed the faint fragrance.

After your shower you got dressed and went to the kitchen.

Venti was sitting by the kitchen table while reading a newspaper. His black brows furrowed in concentration. On the table were a basket of bread and strawberry jam and apple jam. He had poured two glasses of apple juice which looked refreshing. His eyes flickered up to meet yours. He smiled gently. “Good morning sleepyhead. Slept well?”

You took the seat opposite of him. “Good morning. Not really. I had a nightmare” you sighed. “But thanks again for staying here. I don’t know what I would have done if I couldn’t” you laughed slightly.

“Nightmares are an awful thing. Unfortunately I can’t seem to get rid of them myself” he smiled sadly before his expression changed into a jovial one. “You’re very much welcome.”

You two talked about everything and nothing while you ate. Venti was easy to talk to and you felt you could tell him everything. It was almost like you were compelled. It was a peculiar feeling.

“We need to get you some new clothes.”

“Yeah, but I don’t have any money…” you sighed. Your situation really was unfortunate.

“I will pay. Consider it a gift from me” he smiled.

“But you have already done so much for me. I feel guilty.”

“Please don’t. Believe me when I say that it’s my pleasure.”

“Okay. Thank you” you smiled at the bard.

He returned you smile. “I know of another outlander that is here in Mondstadt. I can introduce you to her. Maybe she will be able to help you with your predicament? And if not, you will have made a new friend. Friends is something you never can get too many off.”

Angle’s Share was rather empty given how early it was. Some patrons were playing a game of cards as they sipped on their beer steins.

The bartender by the counter greeted you as you entered. His hair was red as fresh blood, giving a stark contrast to his pale skin. He was handsome and you could easily understand why he was the bachelor of Mondstadt (that was Venti had told you on your way there).

He grunted at the sight of Venti. “Here to pay your tab?” his voice deep and velvety.

Venti laughed awkwardly. “No, I’m actually showing my friend here, around Mondstadt. Diluc this is [Name], [Name] this is Diluc” he gestured to each of you.

“Nice to meet you [Name]” the red head smiled.

“Nice to meet you as well Diluc” you smiled back.

“Oh by the way. Have you seen Lumine today?” the bard asked Diluc who was polishing a wineglass.

“She’s upstairs” his answer curt as he continued to work.

Venti nodded before he led you upstairs.

The second floor was empty save from a blond girl and a fairy-like creature that was floating beside her. The girl turned around and smiled when she saw Venti. The fairy followed her example. “Tone deaf bard!” she said she waved her little hand. Her voice was high pitched and nearly gave you a headache.

“Hello ladies” Venti playfully greeted. “This is [Name]. [Name] this is Lumine and Paimon. Lumine was the one who saved Mondstadt from the incident I told you about.”

“Nice to meet you. Though I couldn’t have done it on my own. I got help from my friends” Lumine smiled. Her topaz coloured eyes shone in the sunlight that peered through the open window. “Why don’t you two take a seat?”

“Nice to meet you Lumine. I must say your strength, from what I have heard, is truly admirable” you smiled as you took a seat on the wooden bench. Venting followed suit and took a swipe at besides you. His knee brushed against yours as he made himself comfortable. You could smell his scent which smelled of fresh apples and wildflowers. It was a pleasant scent that suited him perfectly.

“You flatter me” Lumine smiled. “Should I order anything for you? Some dandelion wine? Or maybe some freshly pressed juice?”

“Dandelion for me if you would be so kind” Venti said. You could see his excitement from the mere mentioning of dandelion wine. His love for the wine was kinda cute.

“I would love some orange juice” you said.

Lumine nodded before she rose and ventured downstairs. The stairs creaked under her steps.

Paimon turned her gaze to you. “So, how did the two do you meet?” she tilted her head in a a childlike manner. Sparkles sparkled around her.

“We met at Windrise” Venti answered.

Paimon nodded. Her brows were furrowed in thought. She was about to say something more when Lumine came back with two glasses. One with orange juice and the other with dandelion wine.

You and Venti thanked her before you both took a sip. The orange juice was fresh and a little sweet, but not too sweet. You hummed in delight.

“So where did you two meet?” she asked as she took a sip of her half full glass of grape juice.

“Windrise” Paimon answered. Lumine shot her a look. “They told Paimon while you were ordering. Don’t give Paimon that look!” the little fairy stumped her feet in the air.

“Windrise… that’s quite far from the city. What were you doing out there?” the blond woman asked you.

At her question you froze. Venti noticed your hesitation. “She’s an outlander just like you Lumine.”

Lumine’s eyes widened. “Oh really? I have never met another outlander. How did you end up here in Teyvat?” her eyes curious.

“I am not too sure actually… I just woke up in a field of flowers by the oak tree” you fidgeted with your fingers.

“Ah… I see. I myself lost my brother. We were travelling from world to world before we ended up here. I am on a mission to find him again” her voice filled with determination. Lumine was a truly remarkable woman and you found yourself in awe at her. You wished you had her bravery. “Paimon here is my companion and guide” Paimon smiled wide at her words.

“Maybe you want to join our journey?” Paimon asked.

“Maybe… I am not too sure yet. I’m still trying to process everything” you smiled sheepishly.

Lumine nodded. “Understandable. We are gonna stay here in Mondstadt for a while before we go to Liyue.”

Your conversation with Lumine and Paimon was pleasant. Paimon had a lot to say and her eagerness was quite adorable. After a while you and Venti bid them goodbye as you headed two a boutique in search of some new clothes for you.

The boutique’s interior was pink and rather feminine. The walls were cowered in murals of pink flowerbeds. The owner was a sweet young woman who was quick to help you find something that suited you.

You ended up with a couple of different outfits and some underwear. You thanked Venti for his generosity. The bard only smiled gently. His eyes brimming with an emotion you couldn’t quite place.

As the blue sky turned a pinkish colour you ventured up to the cathedral. The building was massive and you felt at its mercy as it towered over the city. In front of the cathedral stood a statue of Barbatos. The statue was tall and made of marble. It was clad in robes and it had large wings on its back. His hands stretched out in a form of prayer. He had two twin braided on the said of his head. You admired the statue for a while. It looked familiar. There was no doubt about it. It looked an awfully a lot like Venti. You turned to look at the bard which was staring out at the city. He was lost in thought and did not notice your staring.

“This statue is really beautiful” you said as you gazed up at its face.

Venti turned to face you. “Yeah… The sculptures did an excellent job.”

“The same goes for the cathedral. Its architecture is absolutely breathtaking. Do you often attended services in the cathedral?” you ask the dark haired man.

“I agree. The craftsman is extremely impressive”. He shook his head “I usually don’t, but I sometimes swing by. The organists are really talented.”

“I want to attend a service some time. Just to see how it is” you gazed up at the looming building.

“We can go together sometime” he looked at you softly.

The soft bed was welcoming after all you walking. You pulled the duvet over your shoulder as you burrowed your face into the pillow. Venti had insisted on you staying as long as you needed. He would take you to the Adventures Guild tomorrow in search of some jobs you could do in order to earn some Mora.

Sleep wrapped you in its warm embrace and you feel into a deep slumber. This time your dream was filled with cyan coloured eyes and white feathers.

[vieoeil-riae]

pick me up, lily flower

steb/gn!reader

warnings: sfw, low blood pressure!reader and accompanying symptoms, fluff, cuddling, 1.4k words

synopsis: your low blood pressure takes you down most literally, but your lovely boyfriend is medically trained and in love with you

read on ao3 | ao3 profile | ao3 collection | masterlist

a/n: anon it ate your ask I'm so sorry 😭😭, more stuff in the end a/n!!

Your sight swam, the nausea and lightheadedness taking you down to the couch cushions. If you just stayed still you could ride it out — guiltily, the thought of trying to get on with your day made your stomach and head churn like a whirlpool, ears ringing.

You sank down, shutting your eyes, trying to keep your eyes away from the blurring colours of your living room. Every time you looked it was like there was a force trying to spin your eyeballs around in your head, if you couldn’t see anything then it might take the edge off the sick feeling at least.

Time passed, though by how much you weren’t sure. You just remembered trying to centre yourself on your breathing, and then a familiar crop of hair and a pair of glacial blue eyes leaning over you.

Steb had slammed the front door, the familiar rattle of the frame meant to announce his return that you always listened out for lost in the way you were focused on trying to keep your lunch down and ignore the spots dancing behind your eyes. The lack of your normal chirrup made his brows pinch.

Calmly, forgoing shedding his jacket and boots, he peeked his head around the doorway to the living room. Your hair spilled onto the armrest of the couch, your hands rested over your stomach. Worried as he was, his shoulders dropped and he let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.

You weren’t hurt, just going through it. Medically trained and knowing you intimately, lovingly, he could put two and two together; your blood pressure had sunk to your feet. Steb’s heart twinged, while it wasn’t unusual for you, he had a strong dislike for seeing you unwell. 

Quietly, trying to disturb you as little as possible, he padded over to where you lay. His hand brushed over your forehead, just to check for anything else that might have left you couch-bound — professional protocol, a partner’s instinct. Nothing else was amiss though, your eyes seemed just fine, though a little shaky, when they fluttered open at his touch.

There was always a feeling of something being set right inside when you looked at him, no matter how you were looking at him. A small smile pulled at his silent lips, he pressed a kiss to his fingertips before pressing those fingertips back to your forehead — always mindful of your space.

You didn’t seem all there, and you sort of weren’t. Feelings that came from a basal place wanting things your conscious self would never ask for; to be left alone, to not be talked to, to find your feet again and a rising sense of anxiety that accompanied those thoughts. You felt bad about wanting to push Steb away, but the lip-warmed fingertips that lacked his usual gloves put your mind at rest.

His touch was never as overwhelming as you thought it would be, his mutism allowing you the peace of not talking until the thought of it no longer made you want to throw up, he read you so easily in ways that almost made you want to cry. Caring, so caring, he was patient with you in ways you found hard to offer to yourself.

A glass, a thick-rimmed one, made a dull thunk as it was set down on the coffee table in front of the couch. You hadn’t noticed Steb leave until he’d come back, blurrily you noticed the colours of his uniform’s outer layer slung over the arm of the loveseat tucked away in the corner — messier than he’d usually leave it.

Hands, not particularly warm and not particularly cold either, encircled your calves, hoisting your legs up for a moment before setting them down over a warm lap. Groggily, leaning your head into the back cushion of the couch, you opened your eyes to watch Steb; eyes glued to the rise and fall of his chest and the gentle flutter of his frills.

His hands gently squeezed up and down your legs, a soothing, grounding sort of repetitive motion that meant you could focus on something outside of your body for the first time in too long. You sighed heavily, the spinning of your eyes slowing to a point where you felt mildly horrified about how bad it was before.

Blindly, you reached out with one hand for the glass on the table, not quite sure when your eyes had closed again. The rubbing motion against your calves stopped, replaced by the firm pressure of Steb’s chest as he reached out to pass the glass to you. Your heart tugged at the little ways in which he tried to make things just a little easier, always so considerate.

When you think about it, you can clearly recall an image. It was the amalgamation of every time you’ve seen his beautiful eyes, the shine of them as well as the slow blink of his third eyelid, and the most memorable part of his gaze was just how… seeing it was. It was like he knew you better than yourself sometimes, like he could see you so honestly, so bare. 

It made your heart beat a little faster knowing that he saw all of you and still looked at you with such care.

Leaning over you, your legs comfortably pushed towards your torso and your feet slung far over his hips in a way that kept them above your heart, he helped the glass to your lips — gently hovering under the bottom of it. You were more than capable, he knew, he was just there to support.

The steady stream of water seemed like it washed away some of the nausea, the world focusing just a little more with each sip until the sightful eyes you loved came into proper focus. Cutting in colour, flitting in search, you watched Steb look for the flicker of clearheadedness sparkle in your eyes.

Quietly, you breathed, subconsciously matching his pattern. You swallowed, and blinked hard, clearing most of the spinning feeling from your eyes. The sinking pit in your stomach had abated and a sense of clarity found you quickly after.

A smile played on your lips, nothing big, just enough for Steb to catch — fatigue still clinging to your eyes. Thank you, you wanted to say, even though your lips refused to move.

He noticed, however, the slight twitch of his ear and the gradual change in his face as he brightened up; an easy smile gracing his usually passive face, a teasing twinge of his brow that reassured you that you’d feel better soon and that sitting with you was no trouble. There was never any trouble to him when it came to you, an unspoken fact you both knew well. Your eyes softened.

You leaned up onto your elbows to get a little closer to Steb’s face, watching the way he looked just a little worried with a warm twinge of joy in your chest. You got close enough to brush noses, feeling his breath bloom over your skin, still a little dizzy. 

Tilting your head, you gave him a sweet, chaste, thankful in the gentle way you move your lips against his. You felt him kiss back with a delicate force before you pulled away, a small adoring expression thick in his eyes. You almost giggled at the demure way his ears drooped, some things never change.

Shuffling with a bit of help, you situated yourself cuddled into his side. A wave of headrush washed over you, dropping your head into the crook of Steb’s neck, you closed your eyes until it passed. His arms snaked around your sides, gently moving your bent knees to rest against the couch cushions next to him, holding you close as you breathed deeply.

His lips found your temple and lovingly rested there until you stretched out, no longer woozy. 

You peppered Steb’s cheek with kisses through a much fuller smile and then drained the last of the water in the cup, mumbling small thank-yous into his skin until he silently laughed at the ticklish sensation — his shoulders shook with them, eyes glittering fondly.

Eventually you relented, leaving Steb’s partially out of breath and sinking into the couch with lightly shivering frills and a contented smile, getting up with a dramatic sigh as you said you were going to start on dinner.

You smiled in amusement at the sound of his padding feet quickly catching up to you, your silent, most favourite helper.

A/N: if this draft gets eaten i will crash out!!! ps i had like a religious experience listening to the mamma mia soundtrack halfway through writing this

ALSO!! anon, if you're reading this, your english was lovely, you sent a wonderful request and yes please take 🐇💗💧 as an anon signature it's very cute!

banner cr: @/cafekitsune

[littlelovelunette]

maybe vi x reader in a pool where vi thinks its cute to swim around but reader is really scared of pools because she thinks the gutters will suck her in and vi realizes and comforts reader ？I like how you write fluff it’s so nice

Follow My Lead

Vi had been swimming around the pool like an excited kid, flipping onto her back, splashing you every now and then with a cheeky grin.

"C'mon, babe, it's just water," she teased, pushing herself up onto the edge before diving back in effortlessly.

You sat stiffly at the edge, feet barely touching the water, heart pounding at the thought of stepping in.

Your gaze kept flickering toward the pool gutters, the dark openings where the water disappeared.

You knew it was irrational, but the fear still clung to you, tightening around your chest.

Vi swam closer, her expression softening when she noticed the tension in your shoulders.

"Hey, you good?" she asked, treading water right in front of you.

You hesitated, swallowing hard before muttering, "I just… I don’t like pools. The drains, the gutters—they freak me out." You refused to look at them, but you could feel them lurking beneath the surface, waiting.

Vi blinked, then her lips curled into a knowing smile—not mocking, just understanding.

"Oh, babe," she murmured, pushing herself up to sit next to you, dripping water as she nudged your shoulder. "You really think they'd suck you in? You’d have to be, like, the size of a damn fish for that to happen."

You shot her a half-hearted glare, but she only chuckled, wrapping a very wet arm around you.

"Hey, I get it. Fears don’t always make sense," she said, rubbing slow circles on your back. "But I promise, I got you. No drains, no getting sucked into the abyss, just me keeping you safe."

You exhaled slowly, leaning into her warmth as her fingers traced soothing patterns on your arm. "You sure?"

Vi grinned, standing up and holding out a hand. "One hundred percent. I'll even stay between you and the scary-ass drains. No way I'm letting them steal my girl."

You let out a breathy laugh despite yourself, hesitating only a second before gripping her hand. Maybe—just maybe—you could trust Vi to keep you safe.

Vi pulled you gently to your feet, stepping backward into the water while keeping a firm grip on your hands. "We'll go slow, yeah?" she murmured, her voice softer now, more reassuring.

She guided you in inch by inch, the water creeping up your legs as she made sure to stay right in front of you.

You tried not to look at the pool gutters, focusing instead on the way Vi’s thumbs rubbed little circles against your wrists.

"You're doing great," she praised, grinning up at you as the water reached your waist. "Told ya, no abyss, no doom, just me and you."

Your breath hitched when a small ripple moved past, but Vi was already watching you closely. "Still with me?"

You nodded slowly, and Vi's face broke into the warmest smile, pride flickering in her eyes. "That's my girl."

She let go of one of your hands and shifted behind you, wrapping her arms around your waist.

"Okay, I’ve got you," she whispered against your ear. "Just lean back—trust me."

You hesitated, but Vi was solid, her arms steady and secure. With a shaky breath, you let yourself lean into her hold.

"Atta girl," she murmured, holding you afloat. "Told you I'd keep you safe."

You closed your eyes for a moment, feeling her heartbeat against your back, her warmth surrounding you.

The water didn’t seem as terrifying anymore—not when Vi was here, her voice soft, her touch grounding.

"See?" she teased, swaying you gently. "Told you pools aren't so bad."

You hummed, a small smile tugging at your lips. "Only because you’re here."

Vi chuckled, pressing a kiss against your temple. "Damn right."

[kanmom51]

Jikook and their ramen talk

Are you sure? Episode 4

We finally got to it. The poolside ramen talk.

Talk about Jikook and their underlying innuendos.

Where do we start?

With the Ramen?

With the shower talk?

With PPEURIRI?

Let's start with this first, I guess.

Something that by now we should be all very well aware of.

And it's not like it's not a running joke with Jikook already, right?

You know, just listening to the conversation, reading the translation, it can most definitley go under the radar as an innocent convo about deciding if to eat some ramen or not after their lovely playful pool time fun time.

But nope.

It most certainly ain't just that.

All you need is to:

a. Look at their faces and body language. This was not just about food. Well, not FOOD food.

b. The little additives that somehow go untranslated. The fact that each one of them finds the way to weave it into their conversation at the most interesting times of said convo. I will get to it, believe me I will.

So, basically they got out of the pool and JM was hungry.

I'm going to go with hungry and HUNGRY. And I'm not going to be swayed!!!

Sorry, not sorry. No conversation about being hungry and wanting to eat carbs is that funny.

But, a conversation about ramen laced with plenty of sexual inuendo most definitely is!!!

And that is what was going on there.

Talking about ramen and being hungry and being able to eat it all, all while at the same time there is a whole underlined conversation going on, with lots of eye contact and giggles and hints as loud as can be.

Like this here:

🐥what? you don't have to eat. i can eat it all

🐰ppeuriri~

Both giggling away.

I think a little reminder is necessary here as to what ppeuriri is all about, right?

Not really, but I'll give it anyway.

Ppeuriri = JM's 3D...

Body to body to body to body to body You and me, baby, you know that we got it So don't go gettin' me started 'Cause you know I get hot-hearted Baby, oh, baby, oh, baby, you makin' me crazy Rain, rain, rain, you can't fake it You give me brand-new emotion You got me drinkin' that potion I just wanna see you like that See you like that, uh-uh So if you're ready (so if you're ready) And if you'll let me (and if you'll let me) I wanna see it in motion, in 3D (hey, show me, girl, now, uh-uh) You won't regret me (you won't regret me) Champagne confetti (champagne confetti, hey) I wanna see it in motion, in 3D (come on, come on, come on)

Like I said, no way those two had entirely pure intentions while having that whole ramen conversation.

That was JK bringing up ppeuriri, both going all giggly. But that wasn't the end of that, now was it?

If, for some reason you would think that it was just nothing, an instinctual slip of the tongue, out of no where, with no meaning behind it...

There goes JM and does it again.

🐰We might feel differently after a shower.

🐰This might be because we just swam.

🐥ppeuriri~

This time no giggles, just a smile and then a sultry expression walking towards JK.

Cut.

Talk about showering with them off camera.

And lots of shady stuff going on to make us think that maybe, just maybe, those two kind of showered together.

Idk, am I being clear enough?

So, let's talk about that shower for a second.

We see JK going into the bathroom, JM nowhere to be seen.

Obviously he's not showering upstairs with Tae asleep there and both of their suitcases spread out open in front of the downstairs bathroom.

Next we see JM outside of the bathroom brushing his hair dressed after the shower and JK is in the bathroom partially dressed after that shower.

JM walking in behind JK, and yes, it looks like he's lifting his arms to fix his hair, but that cut there again.... I am choosing to believe that he also went in for a hug there. Hill meet Kanmom.

Oh, and hunger issue solved at this point.

Ppeuriri.

All jokes aside (or perhaps not so much a joke...), I just want to remind you one more time that 3D was released on 29 September 2023, all while this is being filmed 26 September 2023!!

[fashionteahouse]

out of your league - paul x reader

AN: Seriously, I can’t thank you guys enough for showing so much love and support to fifteen parts of this story ! kisses to all you xoxo <<prev >>next

Picking up the wooden present that was now dry, eyes swam around the picture. Usually, you were a tough critic on what you create.

“This is actually good.” you thought to yourself with confidence.

Looking around the home that you and Paul shared, you found an empty moving box in the storage space and slid the canvas in it to prevent it from getting messed up.

Peeking through a window, you noticed the pattering had stopped and saw that the dampness from the rain was still prevalent. Drops of rain had stopped falling from the sky.

Checking the time, it was early afternoon. Making a small note for Paul, you grab your jacket. You decided to take a bus to Port Angeles. You didn’t want to be the one to drive.

You gladly take in the worldly scenery. Taking everything in, you wanted to be as inspired as possible. Your upcoming trip excited you and made you thankful for sticking to your dream.

Thankfully, the traffic on the sidewalks weren’t crowded.

However, a record store caught your attention. Wanting to check it out, you made your way in. The hard plastic covers of nostalgic artists that you used to listen to, were staring right back you. You had thoughts about enjoying physical media and even had your eye on a cd player that was on sale.

Impulse buying both the cd player and cd, you leave the store ready to use it. You walk with a stroll in your steps as you tear open the box that the purchase was in, throwing the box away in the shopping bag. Peeling the stickers off, you were able to pop open the case and you carefully placed the cd in. As you untangled the headphones that was suitable for it your fingers fumbled the cd player and your face grimaced as you tried your best to save the drop.

Being unsuccessful on your side, pale hands startled you as it caught it expeditiously. Holding it with ease.

Looking at their shoes and seeing the music player in their hands, you slowly look up and see those familiar eyes that you so badly tried to forget, staring back at you. He stood there frozen in front of you as you take it back.

“Thanks.” you say quietly and he pierced his gaze onto you.

“What’s in it?” he asked with inquisitiveness.

You don’t say anything, holding up the newly purchased cd.

A corner of his lip lifts a bit, “I don’t think I’m familiar with that one.”

The artist was someone you held dearly to your heart. People that you knew or were close to you, never really heard of them and you grew to love that. Their sounds were unique but also calming in a way on your pallet.

You stand up, “Thanks again.”

Turning to walk away, you jerk a bit from the cool hand being placed on the arm of your jacket, “Wait.” you hear him say.

Hearing what he has to say, his mouth opens then closes it with his eyebrows furrowed.

“Are you messing with me or something?” you ask, narrowing your eyes.

He looks surprised a bit at such accusation and shakes his head, “No.” He squares his shoulders and then goes on, “My sister has sent you an email. You haven’t responded to it. It’s for Bella’s birthday party that she wants to throw.”

“Yeah, I don’t know about that. Plus, Bella told me wants us to do something small.”

He nods a little.

“How did…Alice.. Get my email address?” you ask out as you did your best to remember the name of the sender.

A small smile goes back to his lips, “That was easy. She found your article of when you won that art contest a while back. It had your email there.” You didn’t expect to see the small look of being impressed in his eyes.

You look to the ground as the cd player you had was tight in your hands.

“Will you come?” Edward asks you and his hard eyes struck at you.

“Uh, no offense but…No way.” you say, your eyes growing out at such suggestion. You were a bit surprised at the shock that he displayed, he actually thought you were going to say yes.

“And why?” he asks.

You take a shaky breath in as you watch your surroundings, “I’m sure you’re smart. How many…Vampires will be in attendance?” you ask in a hushed tone.

His eyes shifted nervously a bit but he quickly recoups himself and you felt lucky that you didn’t miss catching it.

”You’re not afraid of wolves, but you’re afraid of vampires who don’t feed from humans.” he says in a joking tone, him having a kick out of your response.

This makes you scoff but then huff out a small laugh, “That’s a good one. A vampire that doesn’t feed from humans.”

“It’s true.” he says as his smile starts to fade, wanting you to believe him.

Placing a hand on your chin, “Hm. I guess you suck air instead.”

“I’m serious.” he says with hardness, wanting you to stop joking on such manner but the amused smile from your joke never leave your face. Your finger does fall from your chin.

He looks around a bit before leaning a bit, “Would you like to know?”

“I’ll just have Paul tell me.” you say.

“I’m afraid Paul doesn’t know everything.” he says, almost cringing at speaking Paul’s name.

You shrug.

“Where were you headed?” he asks.

“Why? Where’s Bella?” you ask.

“She’s with her friend Jake at the reservation.” he answers.

“So, you got bored and decided to come to Port Angeles?” you say without interest.

“I came to see you.” he says but has a look of concentration before resuming, “Look, I can answer your questions. I’m sure Paul already told you about the treaty me and my family have with the quileutes.”

“The treaty doesn’t mean anything. You and your family still caused him to leave his normal life and shift.” you tell him.

He showcased a crooked, amused smile, “Are you sure it was my family or is it the new threats coming in throughout Washington? The constant “animal attacks?”, he pauses to shake his head, “Me and my family have been coming in and out for over 70 years and have you noticed there’s no elder werewolves that you know of? If you did, you’d met them, especially by now.” he says in a tone only you could hear as the sidewalks started to have more and more people walking.

He held the door open for you as you walked through the library that wasn’t crowded. Sitting in a plush study chair in a corner, you notice he feels more comfortable. His back is to the wall as you sit diagonal but close.

“I didn’t forget what you said about me.” you tell him in a hushed tone. His eyes look to you as he encourages you to go on. They still took time to get used to.

You look down as you bounce your leg a bit to bring the words out, “You said, hypothetically, and I quote, ‘you have something about yourself that’s unusual.’ What did you mean by that?” You then rise your eyes to look at him look down at the table. He’s relaxed against the chair with a nonchalant expression.

“If I tell you, will you promise to think about coming?” he asks.

“Why would I promise you anything?”

“You’ve figured a lot out. What’s being said needs to stay in this library and at this table. I know you told Bella to promise not to tell me that you know what I am.”

“How?” you challenge, she told you that he left. He just gives you a look.

You huff a bit in frustration, as you look around the library. Only trickles of people were walking around, but nowhere near close to where you both were.

Under the table you cross your two fingers, “I’ll try to think about it.”

He seems satisfied enough as he then thinks for a moment.

“Which would you like to know first? How I knew or what I find unusual?”

“You pick.” you say jerking your head a bit.

He leans forward a bit before speaking out and that same look of focus was back on his stone face, “I just see colors. Like…a whirlwind of colors. It’s strange.”

You look around in confusion. Sure there were posters that had splashes of colors but his chuckle brings your eyes back to yours. He waits a bit before turning serious.

“I mean in your mind.” he clarifies.

“In my mind?” you ask to see if he’s serious.

“Yes.” he answers flatly.

Silence falls as you look at dust that’s floating in the distant light of the window.

“You don’t see words? What I’m thinking?”

He shakes his head as he looks down at the table to concentrate, “No. If the emotion from you is strong enough…They form into..” he shakes his head, he doesn’t know how to describe it. It was unusual for him.

“I don’t know..It’s like the colors try to come together to create something.” he finishes, hoping it’s the best way to describe it. It was challenging to bring what he sees in your head, into words.

“So, what about me and Bella’s talk?”

“I had left out but I was still in earshot. That’s all.” he says.

You roll your eyes, “Of course.”

You then look to him as he still stares at you with one look, “Your eyes aren’t red like the one that I saw.”

This peaks his interest. “You saw one?”

“Yeah. Not to get too into details-” you start but he cuts you off.

“No, please. Do tell.” he says politely but the look on his face showed great zeal for the topic. The energy surrounding this statement brought you in to speak on what you saw.

You then explain the situation of the first time going to the cliffs by yourself, to prove that it wasn’t you willingly walking to danger. How on the way there, the inhuman figure got ready to attack you. Paul and the others came to your defense, killing and dismembering it and setting it to fire. Not an ounce of boredom was on Edward’s face. Your mind brought him into the world of the story, he saw the colors of red vicious eyes, the bluish fire, and he even saw a hint of the picture you drew of the experience when you had trouble sleeping. It all flowed together on accord. He wished you hadn’t changed the image of the picture in your mind so fast, he wanted to look at it longer. It was a clear picture and he could almost feel being there.

“The cliffs are in La Push land, right?” he asks inquisitively.

You nod.

“You and Bella being friends make more sense. Both being danger magnets.” he says with humor.

You shake your head being serious, “I feel like I’m in danger now. I know about the incident which landed her in the hospital. I know that the story was bogus. What really happened?”

“Pushy are we? You better think long and hard about coming to this party.” Edward says with his cheek resting on his hand.

“Why do you want me to come so bad?” you ask.

He takes an intake of breath through his nose, as he stared ahead with his arm resting on the table. “That I can’t tell you.”

You nudge his arm feeling annoyed, “Why not? You’re going to lure me in so your family can feast on me?”

He looks down at the spot that you touched him and back at you with a look of innocent amusement that you haven’t seen from him before.

“Me and my family don’t feast from humans. That’s why our eyes aren’t red.” he says trying to smoothly change the subject.

You cross your arms as you leaned back a bit in your chair, giving him a stone cold look.

“We’re vegetarians.”

This brings out a laugh from you, “You cannot be serious.”

He shrugs, not taking offense to your laughter, even sporting a small grin of his own, “It’s what we call it. Instead of human blood, it’s animal blood.”

You nod with understanding but you didn’t think it was possible. It must’ve explained the amber color. As you take in the color of his eyes, he looks to you with intensity but you shift your eyes somewhere else not wanting to hold that gaze.

“And with Bella, a nomad attacked her and..We had to save her. We used the story that we used to not bring light to the real truth.” he explains.

You look at him with skepticism, “A bite mark?”

“He bit her.” He says, knowing that you were blaming him.

“Make it all make sense.”

“I sucked the venom out. If I didn’t get there in time..” he says as he remembers but you say, “No doctors have noticed?”

“Carlisle is one. He knew the doctor in Phoenix. Pulling some strings, Carlisle was able to treat what he wanted.” he says casually but you don’t even know who that person is.

He doesn’t give you the opportunity to ask.

“So.” he says as he shifts a bit in his seat.

“So.” you answer back.

“Going to New York?” he asks with a polite smile. Of course, she told him.

“It’s for business and no you can’t come.” you say not being friendly in your response.

This brings out a small laugh from him and he then shakes his head a bit, “I don’t get why you stay here. Especially in La Push.” he says with his brows knitted. He just didn’t understand it. He found himself wishing he could be able to understand it.

“My soulmate.” you tell him defensively.

His look is bored when you tell him this, “You sure will miss out on a lot.”

“How old are you?” you ask to change the subject.

He catches this but chooses not to circle back and has a grin, “109.”

“You should be in a nursing home instead of a high school. And how are you 109 and you haven’t heard of-“ you say and hold up the hard copy cd.

He shrugs.

“Get it together old man.” you say in a disappointed tone.

Smiling a bit, he slides the cd player to himself as he just holds one headphone a bit close to his ear, he pressed play. He did it in a smooth manner to where the music flowed out before you knew it.

He actually listened to the entire song that was on the first track as you read the back on the cd. You popped it open as you pulled out the lyric sheet.

“Not bad.” he says, pleased that the somewhat new gen music wasn’t horrible, sliding your items back to you.

”Exactly.” you quietly say as you folded the lyric sheet back up and put it back in its place.

“Are you into classical music?” He asks.

“I had a lengthy period timeline of listening to it while I would study.” you say as you thought back to the era. You even thought about buying a keyboard to play. But, you knew where your heart resided.

“Do you have a favorite song?” he asks, surprised but at the same time not surprised, he figured you’re deep into the arts.

You tilt your head to the sky with your arms crossed as you thought about it. Edward caught glimpses of the colors of the covers that you mentally searched through, that you remember putting in your playlist.

“It’s like…Something that starts with a D, et Chloe: part lll. I remember the part because of the tallies.” You say, still in thought.

He had a look of thought as well, “Ravel?”

“I think. Don’t quote me on it.” you say as you then watch him interrupt what he was going to say to your response and says, “I gotta go.”

Before any form of a processed state of mind could be made, he wasn’t there. All that was left was remembrance of him being there. You look beside you to see both Kim and Emily. Kim held the door for Emily as you knew for a fact that Kim suggested this place. It was you two that found this hidden gem together years back.

Emily was the one who spotted you. She wasn’t vocal about it but she rushed to where you were. You both hugged as she then says, “Went shopping without me?” She circles around you as you both gush about what you had purchased.

Kim doesn’t say anything as she sits down in a seat where a certain somebody sat in.

“Getting a book?” you ask her.

“Yes. Now, come with me.” she says and pulls your arm.

You both idly walk in the aisle where the genre she’s looking for is located.

You let your eyes run across the spines of the books as Emily picks one up and reads the back of one.

“Did you get one?” she asks.

“Nope. I just got here.” you tell her.

She then lights up with her eyes, “Guess what?”

You return with a smile, “What.”

“With you leaving, I figured I should visit home.” she says excitedly as your eyes land on the book that she had interest in. It was a recipe book.

“Really? I mean…You could’ve came out of town with me.” you offer, thinking of the fun you both could have exploring the city together if you had free time.

“Oh, I’m sure you’re going to be there more than one time.” she says with certainty.

“You give me too much credit.” you say quietly as you at other books that were around.

“You’ve been invited out of town and someone paid your way. I have a feeling this won’t be the last time you experience this.” Emily says with a knowing look.

“Plus, since I’ve moved in with Sam, I haven’t seen my mom in person. I took this as a sign to spend some type of time with her.” she adds on as she tucks the book under her arms and sees if something else catches her attention.

Kim ends up joining you two as you stand next to Emily as she checks out a book. You felt a nudge before looking to see Kim giving you all of your stuff from the table.

“Thanks.” you say.

Walking out, you feel the air as the dampness has somewhat dried up. Emily suggests you all grab a treat at a nearby bakery.

Sitting with the paid for treat, Kim says she has to use the bathroom. It was just you and Emily at the table.

“How have things been?” you ask her.

“Things with me have been great!” she says and then chews while she looks at you, “What about you? Besides your achievements.” she says.

“So far, so good.” you say.

“I know you don’t see eye to eye with Kim, but man do I feel bad for her right now.” she says quietly.

“I’m sure things will be okay.” you say, “She finally got the man of her dreams and Paul isn’t as bad as she made him out to be.”

“I don’t know.” Emily drags out. You give her a quizzical look.

“Jared and Kim have been fighting. A lot. Jared’s not that kind of person so it’s worrisome.”

“Do you know why?” you say, feeling yourself fall into the pits of gossip.

“I really don’t. That’s why I just hope things do turn out better, you know?” Emily says. You nod.

Kim later sits down, with peaks at her, you notice her face was a bit red.

“Everything alright?” Emily asks. Kim just nods. She’s been quiet.

You all close car doors as you all get out of Emily’s car.

Unlocking the door, Emily puts her keys up as you all take off the jackets that you had on.

Barely getting your shoes off, Paul comes to you and bends down to give you a kiss but makes a disagreeing noise as he retracts from you, “Ugh.”

“I took a shower.” you tell him, but deep down you knew why.

“And you need another one.” he says and the look on his face showed that he was serious. He kept an eye on you, as he tried to figure you out. You move further into the house.

“Want to see what I bought?” you ask. He doesn’t say anything but looks at what you’re holding.

“Where’s Jared.” Kim asks Paul.

“I don’t know. Go find him.” Paul speaks to her irritated but returns his attention to you.

Seeing Sam come out from the hallway and into the front of the home, you notice Emily gone and walk closer to him.

“Where did Emily go?” you ask.

“She’s in the shower. She smelled…Strange.” he says but takes a sniff as he moves a bit closer to where you were and wrinkles his nose, “No offense, but you smell worse.”

You look down and you hear the door close and find Jared looking tired as he comes in, “What’s that smell?”

“Y/N, come outside with me.” Paul says as he opens the door. Just from the force of the door opening, you knew it wasn’t for a good reason. Sighing, you ask in a small voice, “Why?”

He doesn’t even bother to answer your question as he looks at you with expectancy.

You slowly walk and grab your jacket.

Moving away from the front door, you both walk to the side front of Emily’s home.

“Did you lie to me?” Paul asks with narrowed eyes.

“About what?” you ask with a shrug.

“Anything. About where you were going or what?” he asks and as you open your mouth he says, “Don’t lie.”

“I told you I was going to Port Angeles and that’s where I was.” you tell him.

“There’s no way you were there with Emily and Kim the entire time. You’re fucking soaked in a leech’s scent.” he says and he’s trying his best to keep his soft trembles in control but he’s pacing a bit in order to do so.

“After I went to the record store, I did go to the library. Emily and Kim came and it was a total surprise. I didn’t even know they were going to be there.” you explain.

He gives you a long look, making you uncomfortable under such gaze. He knew you for some time to pick up on your behavior and body language. Something deep told him you were hiding something from him.

“Whose painting is in the cardboard box at home.” he asks with assertiveness.

“I-it’s.. Does it even matter?” Your heart was beating so hard it was pounding in your ears.

“Yes it does fucking matter.” he hissed and he then shakes his head, “What the hell is wrong with you? You’re lying to me now-”

“I didn’t lie!” you cry out.

“You’re telling me half truths! You think I don’t fucking know you?” He says. You do nothing but stare at the tree in front of you as you take in a shaky breath.

Jared comes out of the house next, walking right near where Paul was, close to the woods.

Not caring a person was outside with the both of you, he pressed on, “So whose is it?”

Jared awkwardly walked a bit, Sam was the one who sent Jared outside to tell Paul to come in.

When you don’t answer, Jared then moved beside Paul as he quickly says, “Sam wanted me to get you.”

Turning his face the side to face him, “Tell him to fucking wait.” Paul tells him coldly. He then turns back and look at you as your hands are stuffed in your pockets. You weren’t going to tell him in front of Jared.

Paul displays a sardonic expression as he then says, “It’s like that?”

He stomps past you but you call for him still, “Paul, just wait.” you say but he completely ignores you as he slapped the door closed behind himself.

You look down as you walk slowly to the porch steps and sit down.

“Why didn’t you just tell him?” Jared asks quietly in disbelief to you, he was one of the people who had faith in the relationship that you shared.

You shake your head as you stare ahead, “I don’t know.” you whisper to him. You genuinely didn’t.

Jared sits next to you on the steps but doesn’t say anything.

You both sat in silence until you hear the door close again but this time it was Kim.

You watch as she leaves from away from the house.

“You’re leaving?” he asks her.

She nods half heartedly, barely meeting his gaze. She then turns back around and walk in the direction of her home. Jared sucks in his teeth and you watch him as he looks to the sky, as of the sky would give him answers.

“I’m not the only one with problems after all.” you say quietly to him, trying to poke a joke at him.

Although he’s a bit glad that you’re trying to lighten up, he just couldn’t bring himself to do the same.

“It’s been like this for I don’t know how long.” Jared says.

“I don’t get it. She’s finally with you, what’s the problem?”

“She just keeps bringing up how…She feels trapped here. She did have plans to go to college but it’s not like I asked for this. She knew what it was when she accepted everything.”

“She blames you for not being able to leave?” you ask surprised.

“Pretty much. She even says shit that tear me down and…” he says and shakes his head, “I guess seeing people start their fall classes must’ve made her feel some type of way. I don’t know.”

You look down as you felt bad for such things being done to him. You then knit your eyebrows together, “She can just do online.”

“I told her that. At least when you two were friends you would've talked some sense into her. I don’t know what’s going on with that chick.” he says and a moment later, he opens the door back up. You decide to get up and follow him in the house as he held the door open.

You catch a bit of what Sam is saying cautiously to Paul, “-You sure?”

You see a seething Paul sitting at the table with his arms crossed, carrying a heavy look at you as you entered in.

He rises, but you touch his arm with both hands as he doesn’t slow down from walking out.

He was moving faster than you as you clambered down the steps trying to keep up with him.

“Paul, I will tell you. I don’t know why I didn’t.” you say.

He stops but turns around.

“I know who it’s for. I want you to say it.” he says.

You felt nervous again but you still open your mouth to say, “Bella.”

He sighs and turns back around before you call him again. He stops but doesn’t turn around.

“I couldn’t just not give her anything.” you say.

“Just like how you couldn’t just leave her ass alone.” he says but turns around before taking small steps to you, “You don’t even smell like a regular leech running around here. You smell like a fucking Cullen.”

You blink and he shakes his head in such disappointment and walks towards the woods.

Leaving you there with that to sit on your brain, he doesn’t even bother to strip, phasing and ripping out of his clothes. Before you could blink, the silver wolf disappears into the trees.

Not even going back inside, you walk home. You hand touch your forehead as you walk and look down.

You felt so angry with yourself. Then again, you didn’t go to Port Angeles to see Edward. He told you that he came to see you out. You then thought about how that wouldn’t have been a possibility had you not agreed to Bella’s invitation to go over her house. But then, she would’ve figured out where you lived and you felt that was even worse.

You scrubbed your entire body head to toe in the shower before even thinking about doing anything else.

With a fan by the window, you blew out your troubles with the help of cannabis. You even sat after, just staring out the window into the night sky.

Laying in bed alone, you stay up as the birds chirped, waking up to start their day. You move to the other side and pull the covers over your head.

You woke up late, but woke up with a slight jump. The covers come from off of your head as you search the room. You remember what happened and you check to see if Paul came home. He didn’t.

A knock surprised you as the tv glowed to you and rise up to open it. Jared had the things that you bought from yesterday that you had left over Emily’s in his hands.

Taking it from him, you thank him.

“Did you see him?” you ask Jared as he turns to walk away.

“Nope. I’m heading to Sam’s though.”

“Wait, I’m coming with you.”

Throwing something quick on, you both walk to Sam and Emily’s.

Emily was out running errands but that didn’t stop Jared from helping himself make a meaty sandwich.

Sam was lounging on the sofa, you sit down in the loveseat. He turns the volume of the television down as you enter. He looks to you and you look to him.

“Where’s Paul.”

“He won’t phase back.” he says as if he’s been waiting to tell you this.

You softly sigh as you drop your head a bit.

“Y/N, I have to side with him on this one. I don’t know what you were thinking. Hanging with the Cullens? We told you about them.” Sam says.

“That’s the thing..I didn’t go out of my way to hang with them.” you say and shake your head.

“What happened?” he asks trying to get a clear understanding.

“I told the truth. I did go to Port Angeles, but Edward was there. He caught my cd player from dropping and we talked. We were close and his scent must’ve rubbed off on me.” you tell him.

“Why did he talk to you?” he then asked.

“His sister wanted to throw Bella a birthday party and she extended an invitation to me. I didn’t agree to go. Edward came to pass the message along. He then told me…Things.”

“What things?” Sam asks with all focus. Jared by then joins the room with the sandwich almost gone from his hands.

“He told me not to say anything.” you whisper as you put your hands on your face.

“Did he threaten you?” Sam says getting a bit worked up.

“No, no. It wasn’t in a threatening manner.” you say as you wring your fingers, “He told me about his family’s diet, what really happened to Bella in Phoenix…” you say as you tried to think back.

Both Sam and Jared share a look.

Jared suggested to Sam that you should see Old Quil.

“Why?” you question.

“You know a lot. He keeps track of everything. That’s how we know what we know now.” Sam says.

They both walk you to the home that belonged to him. The cane he had in his hand was gripped as he held the door open and looked at all three of you.

“Who’s this.” he asks as he looks at you.

“Y/N. Paul’s imprint.”

“Ohhh okay. How are you doing dear?” he asks in an ancient voice and his stoic expression turns friendly.

“Good..I guess.” you say quietly and Old Quil takes his eyes away from you and nod to both Sam and Jared.

“Tell him everything. Don’t be afraid.” Jared coaches and encourages you.

You watch as they both leave, Old Quil tells you that you can have a seat. He offers something to drink but you decline. The wisdom he carried oozes from his aura as he sits in the recliner across the sofa that you sat in.

He keeps a pipe in his mouth as he softly rocked as you tell him blow by blow, starting from the moment you met Bella Swan. You add that Edward didn’t want you to say anything and to keep it in the library.

“Well I’ll be damned. Vampires with abilities and all.” he says.

Paul did come home, dirty and naked. He found you not home and decided to pay a visit to Sam’s after he took a shower. Old Quil yells a come in as you both sat at a kitchen table with a pen and pad. He wanted to get word for word, not missing any details.

Paul slowly walks in as he takes in the sight.

You still light up when you see that it’s Paul. You get up and cautiously walk towards him but all is forgotten when he pulls you close and tightly hold you to him with his arms.

Sitting in Paul’s lap, you watch as Old Quil flipped through the inked soaked pages, satisfied with how much he was able to document.

“I think you should go.” The older man decided to you as he pulls off his reading glasses and fold them.

“Don’t piss me off.” Paul says, after he got a recap of everything.

“Watch your mouth.” he says sternly then says, “I’m serious. He willingly told her all of this just by one conversation. Imagine how much she could come back with from an entire family.”

“She dies, then what? She gets hurt then what?” Paul says, not even believing this person that he was taught to respect since a child, would suggest such a thing.

“They drink animal’s blood. He can’t even read her mind so he won’t know she told us. It’s helpful to know rather than be surprised. Don’t you have questions? There’s holes that need to be filled and they’ve been around longer than we have. Could the gene be intertwined with puberty to have boys change so young?” Old Quil inquires as he strokes his chin a bit.

Moving you off of his lap, he gets up and paced the small home as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

“Did you agree?” Paul says to you.

“I’m just finding out this suggestion now.”

“Do you agree?” he then asks, titling his head down at you, holding his gaze in yours.

You shrug and say, “I don’t know.” He scoffs and look away.

“We can play this smart you know. Find out what other abilities they have.” Old Quil cuts in with his thin tenor voice.

“Who gives a fuck? As long as they stay off of our land, they can fuck off for all we care!” Paul hisses.

“Your mouth is so disgusting.” the older man says as he shakes his head. He takes a blow from his pipe, “Just think about it, Y/N.”

That’s what Edward said.

“No!” Paul roars, putting his foot down. He then moves over to you, taking both cheeks in his hands as he jerks you a bit to get you to look at him. You do.

“You’re not going. You hear me?” he makes it clear to you. You say nothing as you look at his almost desperate face. He then calls your name with force when you don’t say anything. Trying not to let your face crumble, you swallowed the lump in your throat. You wanted to do what you could do to help but his expression spoke volumes.

[gremlinmodetweeker]

Marmalade and Meandering Musings

So, a long long time ago I saw something @quarterlifekitty posted about König and I got so excited by the idea. I just had to write something. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to write anything until just now (life is dumb and stupid and mean and ugly and I hate it). So, after months of waiting, I present a story about Giant Squid!König and Dumbo Octopus!Reader. Namely, how they met. I hope you all enjoy.

TWs: Reader is a lil bit manipulative, but in all honesty she has very good reason to be

Wordcount: 4.2K

Art from This Post

Story Below the Cut

Honey Sunlight Vanished in Darkened Mist

He found you when he was hunting one day. Immediately, he knew that you needed him. He didn't know how or why he knew such a thing, but he knew he couldn't leave you alone. And so, he swam closer.

He shadowed you as you floated above the ocean floor. You obviously were hunting for crabs. Unfortunately for you, he knew any crab you came across here would be far too large for you. In truth, most prey in these parts would be too large for a little thing like you. You, from the tops of your dumbo ears to the tips of your orange arms, couldn’t have been longer than one of his eight arms. You were absolutely miniscule compared to him. He could’ve eaten you, but he was just so curious about what sort of cephalopod mer would try to pass into his territory.

Most of your kind were well aware of König’s claims on this stretch of sea bed. It wasn’t the greatest territory, but he didn’t need the best. He just needed enough to provide for himself, and that was all. It wasn’t like any other of his kind would be his mate. He was well known to be despised among his kin.

Cephalopod merfolk were notably reclusive by nature, but he had been cursed with social anxiety that made him worse off than the others around him. While normally he would’ve been an attractive mate for his size and hunting prowess, he had been so awkward and anxious during mating gatherings that not a single mermaid would even entertain a dance. He wasn’t even asking for a courting dance. Just a dance itself was too much to ask for. Ultimately, the last migration he’d been to had been utterly humiliating.

But because no mermaid would take his hand, most merfolk left him alone to guard his territory. As such, seeing such a tiny mermaid in his land made him confused. A part of him was hungry, a bigger part was curious.

He watched as you found a little shell on the ground. You picked it up and examined it curiously before slipping it into a bag at your hip. You must’ve been to the surface recently if you had one of those. You were just more and more curious with each passing moment.

However, he couldn’t watch from afar forever. He needed to intervene before you actually found a crab and got hurt.

With a burst of speed, he was in front of you and splaying his massive body to block your path..

“Who are you?" he asked carefully, his voice strangely high with a strange accent.

You looked up at the giant squid mer and blinked, “Who am I? Who are you?" 

He puffed up proudly, displaying his broad chest, “I’m König. This is my territory you're on here." 

Immediately your eyes went wide and you began to tremble, “Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I can go right now! I promise I haven't eaten much around here-" 

“Don't worry about that," he soothed you and curled his two scarred tentacles around you, “I’m not here to chase you off. I’m… I’m worried about you actually.”

“Worried about me?” you relaxed slightly, “why?”

He hesitated.

While he did, you got a chance to really look at who you were dealing with. This was obviously a giant squid mer, there was no way he could be anything else. He had two big red ears and arms at least ten feet long, the two tentacles a good five feet longer than that. Covered in white scars from head to toe, this mer had obviously fought hard to keep this territory and won. He had to be a good hunter too if he was able to sustain this size.

König cut through your thoughts in an instant.

“You're just… You're so tiny!” he threw his hands up at you in disbelief, “how have you managed to survive into adulthood? And what are you doing around here? There’s no chance of you being able to find suitable prey. You’re just too small to hunt around here!" 

You felt yourself puff up, “I'm doing just fine! I'm… I'm looking for a territory of my own. I got kicked out of my old nest by some stupid dumb shark and I’ve been trying to find a place to build one since." 

Ah. That explains why you're here.

“But since you've claimed this place, I can move on! You don’t have to worry about me, I promise!” you insisted but he wasn't having it.

“You are too small and cute to defend your own territory,” he observed.

“What!” you curled your tentacles to make yourself bigger, “I'm big enough! And I'm not cute!”

He sighed. You were going to be a feisty little thing, weren't you? A right thorn in his side. It was a good thing he liked a challenge.

“Look,” he sighed, “what even are you? The only creatures that live in this part of the ocean are kraken-sized merfolk or large prey. You’re lucky I found you and not another merfolk. Most of our kind that reach my size are cruel creatures by nature. Mercy does not come naturally to us,” he curled himself around you as he spoke, “but you’re far too cute to eat. For now.”

“Can’t we share this place? It’s not like I’ll get in your way. I don’t want to have to find a new place,” your ear flaps pressed to the sides of your head in distress.

König hummed and curled a giant red tentacle around your face, “Well, maybe you can stay here. Conditionally.”

Your eyes practically sparkled in the deep, “Are you sure? Can I actually stay here!?”

“Of course,” König pet your hair, “you are far too small to be safe anywhere else. I’d be killing you if I chased you off.”

You sighed in relief, “Thank you so so much! Is there anything I can do to thank you? Maybe catch you some fish?”

König pet your dumb little head, “My dear,” he told you gently, “are you even capable of catching prey around here? The crabs have pincers as long as your forearms.”

You thought for a moment.

“I can get some of the snailfish,” you offered.

“You're…” König sighed again. He didn't want to do this, not really, but he didn't think he had a choice. Leaving you alone was a death sentence.

“Look,” he tried to explain, “you are… You are very little, do you understand?”

“I'm not that small,” you pouted.

“You are small enough,” König grumbled, “small enough to be a good snack to larger predators here. I’m betting you barely escaped that shark, hm?”

You crossed your arms and huffed.

“I want to make you an offer. Are you listening?”

You nodded quickly.

“You can stay with me in my nest,” König said, “all I ask is that you don’t bother me. If you stay out of my way, I’ll take care of you here.”

You couldn't believe what you were hearing. That sounded too good to be true. A giant squid offering you their home?

You thought for a moment. If you played your cards right, you might be able to do something here. 

It was only a matter of time before a mer like this got a mate, and who knew what would happen to you after that. At best you’d be driven off, at worst you’d be fed to their children. However, if you really tried, you might be able to secure this territory completely. You’d never have to worry about him finding a mate if you were his mate. If you made him a mate, then you could get free food and treasures until the end of your days. He could be a good mate.

He was big, he was strong, and he at least seemed to think you were cute. He also thought you were small, which was rather insulting (you were actually rather large for a dumbo octopus mermaid), but you could deal with that. Finding a way to mate with him would be a struggle, but you’d come to that point at a later date.

Yes, you could do this. You could make this man your mate.

If you had to be good, you could be perfect.

“Do I have to hunt for my own food?” you checked.

Kônig shook his head, “No. I'll provide for you.”

You hummed. It was tempting, but you didn’t want to just be a pretty little mate. You wanted to have a bit of fun too. You supposed there was no harm in asking.

“What will I do all day?”

König thought carefully. He glanced around, then up to the surface. He patted your head with his tentacle and rubbed his chin with his hand. He snapped.

“You can come out of the nest with me when I hunt,’ he said, “but I don't want you straying too far. Stay close enough to hide in my arms if something tries to hurt you. I'll show you all the parts of my territory, and all I ask is that when we get back to my nest, you help keep it clean.”

“That's…” you took a moment to compose yourself, “that's it? Seriously?”

“That is all I ask of you,” König confirmed.

Your eyes sparkled, “So, I’ll basically be your mate, right?”

König looked down at you and let an arm drift along your neck and back, “Little one, I do not need a mate.”

"Then why are you helping me?” you couldn’t hide your disappointment if you tried.

"Simple,” König replied (very easily hiding his sudden interest in your behaviour), " because you are small and cute. I worry that if I leave you, you'll be gobbled up by something bigger than you. If I send you to another merfolk’s territory, they might try to take advantage of you. At least like this I can make sure you're alright." 

“So you're doing this why?" you tilted your head to the side.

König patted you in the head with his hand, “As I said, you are very small and very cute. I want to protect you." 

You put a finger to your chin in thought, “And… and that's it? That's all there is to it?”

König nodded silently.

You looked König up and down. He really was the biggest mer you'd ever seen. You’d been to a few migrations since maturity, but nobody had ever even come close to this. He was so long that he could easily wrap his arms around you about half a dozen times if he wanted to. He had a hood hiding his face, not uncommon among mers, but instead of a normal half-mask it looked like a full black shroud. He had a broad chest, bigger arms and looked like he could fend off against even a whale, if such a thing were possible.

Really, if you actually managed to convince this mer to be your mate, you’d have won the migration lottery.

“I'm not going to wait all day for an answer,’ König drawled.

You squeaked and hurried to his side, "I'll come with you!”

He was already regretting this, but he'd made up his mind, " Then let's go. I was going back to my nest anyways.”

"How come?” you asked as you turned and swam underneath his chest.

"Because I wanted a nap,” he said simply.

Honestly, a nap sounded nice.

“Okay!" you said, “how long will it take to get there?" 

“About an hour," König replied

You swam closer to his chest, “That long?" 

König slowed slightly and glanced down at you. He needed to be a meaner mer. If not for his sake, then for yours. He couldn't bring himself to do it though.

“Come closer,” he sighed wearily, “I'll carry you and wake you up once we get there.”

You eagerly let yourself be tucked into his broad chest. A part of you was sorry that König had essentially adopted you out of pity, another part couldn't be more thrilled. After all, this was step one of the plan. 

You felt König hold you tight to his chest as he swam through the water, going deeper and deeper until you came across what looked like an underwater cliff. Under the ridge, you saw a hole surrounded by carefully placed stones, jagged and threatening even to a merfolk of your tiny stature. And yet, König swam through them easily before ducking down into the hole.

König’s nest was cozy, more so than any you’d ever managed to scrap together. In fact, you completely forgot about the cold hole you dug into the seabed last week. This here was heaven.

König fluffed up a bed of black algae for you and searched through the caverns. Seeing as König was so big already, his cozy lair was absolutely massive for you. You’d never have been able to build something like this for yourself, nevermind defend it against others. His nest was coated in bioluminescent plants, glowing algae and smooth stones. Spots of white and blue lights sparkled all around you. The bedding underneath couldn’t be softer to the touch.

You were just settling in when you saw something scuttle across the floor. You looked closer, and sure enough, there was a little cluster of hermit crabs and shrimp clattering across the algae. Little shells of ivory and gold contrasted against the red and white of the shrimps dancing in the dark. Now that you were looking for little creatures, you looked around yourself to see little shoals of tiny glowing fish swimming through the kelp above you. Larger fish that looked like little moons flitted about the entrance.

You pointed at them, “Do you keep those around for snacks?”

König whirled around and puffed up, “Snacks? They’re my clean up crew!” he narrowed his eyes, “don’t you go eating my pets.”

You had never heard of any sort of cephalopod merfolk keeping pets.

“Wait, why are you keeping pets? Only sunlight level merfolk keep pets, right?” you hovered over a team of hermit crabs scuttling across the floor.

“That’s why I keep them,” König explained, “I realized that they’re better used as cleaners than as prey. That, and they make the place a bit more lively. I mean, just look at them go!”

A little hermit crab scuttled forth to grab a crumb of food before ducking back into the algae carpet.

“They don’t steal food?” you asked curiously.

“Not at all. They only eat what I drop. But, sometimes, they like to try and carry away what I’ve found,” König reached down and plucked a shrimp off the wall. He gently took a rusted coin from its claws. “They like to move things around,” he put the shrimp down and petted it, “I imagine most of are kind would find it annoying, but I find it fun to try and track down where they’ve put my things. It feels like I’m finding my treasures all over again.”

Your ears perked up when you heard ‘treasures’.

“You have treasures?” you asked eagerly, “real treasures?”

“You don’t?” König looked concerned.

“Whenever I tried to keep them, somebody else would take them when I left,” your ears drooped.

König hummed. He didn’t like the idea of sharing, but he’d already brought you into his home. He supposed it wasn’t a far leap to let you share his treasures.

“Stay here,” he muttered and crawled into a dark crevice in the back.

You happily fluttered about the whole room while he was gone. You admired the corals he’d used to decorate the walls, but you preferred the hanging seaweed coming down from the ceiling. The feeling of the plants was foreign to you entirely. Plants like these rarely grew this deep down, and the few that did were always hoarded by more powerful merfolk to decorate their homes, uch like König had done for his nest. Evidently, he’d either grown this collection for quite some for quite some time or he’d fought others for the myriad of fronds. The thought of König fighting worried you. He was heavily scarred, so it was obvious he’d been through his battles. You just hoped he didn’t go through too many. If you lost him, your luck here ran out.

“Here,” König returned with a couple of little trinkets hidden in his large hands, “I have some things for you.”

You dropped what you were doing and swam over immediately. König found your enthusiasm amusing, if nothing else.

He passed you a piece of curved bone, “I got this from my first whale fall. I had to fight some hagfish for it, but I managed to bring it back.”

You gasped, “You’ve been to a whale fall!?”

König nodded and took the bone back and brought it up to the light to admire it, “I have. I’ve been to many, but this one was special. But it was nowhere near as special as this,” he passed you a long hooked tooth, “that’s from when I killed my first whale.”

“What!?” you swam in circles around him, “that’s impossible! Whales are huge!”

“It was kill or be killed,” König puffed his chest proudly as his colours flashed bright, “she tried to get me from behind, but I was quicker. I’ve fought others too. They think that because I’m a squid I’m easy prey. Of course, I’m far too big for them, and they usually learn that the hard way.”

“I can’t believe you actually fought a whale and survived,” you said in awe as you took the tooth.

It felt heavy in your hands, almost as though it carried the weight of König’s life with it.

“Whale meat is not very good,” König admitted, “but it tastes good when you’ve fought them for your life.”

You stilled at the thought.

König watched you stop your excited circling and look at him strangely. He worried you might have thought he was boasting, but he couldn’t be farther from the truth.

“Do you fight a lot?” you asked nervously.

König looked down at the myriad of white scars hatched across his body.

“I have a large territory to uphold,” he said slowly, “and most merfolk I come across around here are… They don’t really understand what sort of mer it takes to defend a territory like this. They don’t understand their place. Why? Is there a problem with me fighting?”

“I’m just worried about you getting hurt,” you fretted.

König smiled behind his mask. You truly were the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

“I don’t lose,” he assured you, “and if I think I might, I’m smart enough to make sure I always have a way to get out. You don’t have to worry about me.”

You wiggled anxiously, “You’re sure?”

He laughed, “Of course. You can trust me to keep this territory safe for you. Don’t worry about me getting hurt.”

You smiled brightly. König felt his heart melt. You were absolutely precious. Maybe he could call you one of his little treasures? Maybe. He’d have to see how you felt about that.

Little did he know you were just making sure you wouldn’t have to search for new territory again soon. You’d spent enough time being chased out of nests by fish and merfolk alike. You were keen on making sure you could lock him down and make him yours, and in turn make all he had yours as well.

You focussed back on the treasures.

“Do you have any others?” you chirped.

König thought for a moment. He had many, but most of them were back deeper in his nest, and he was tired. But how could he deny you?

“I have another, and then I’m going to sleep for a bit,” König said and pulled out a small shiny stone. You looked closer, marvelling over the iridescent white gem.

“What is this?” you asked and crept closer.

König glanced down at you and held it out to you. You tentatively took it from him. It was small in his hands, but it filled both your palms. It looked so beautiful in the blue and yellow lights of König’s nest.

“It’s called a pearl,” König whispered, “I found it in a giant clam.”

You admired it once more and handed it back, “Do all animals make these?”

König shook his head and tucked it away on a bed of coral, “Fish can’t. Only molluscs can, but some pearls are more beautiful than others. I have found a few types that I keep. This is just the most beautiful one.”

“You have more?” your eyes sparkled.

“I fought others for more,” König admitted.

That made you frown, “Are they really worth fighting for?”

König hummed. He supposed you had a point. If he was going to be keeping this territory for you, he might have to be more careful with which battles he picked.

You were still just worried about how long you’d be able to stay in this nest.

“I will be more careful for you,” he conceded.

You looked at the pearl again and a smile crept back onto your face. You held it up to the light to admire it for a moment, then passed it back to him.

“Can you show me some more of these?” you asked.

König sighed and took the pearl from your hands with one arm and used another to pat your head as he put the pearl away.

“Later,” he said, “I’m tired.”

Your ears drooped sadly.

“If you want, you can rest here too,” he offered, “there’s plenty of places around here to curl up.”

The algae looked tempting, but you’d liked curling into his chest when he brought you here.

“Can I nap with you?” you asked hopefully as your ears perked up.

König narrowed his eyes and hovered over his den protectively, “I’ve already brought you into my nest. Are you really asking to go into my den now?”

You nodded eagerly.

König sighed. You were such a small and innocent little creature. You were going to be the death of him.

“I have a little nook you might fit into,” he let himself sink into the depth of his den, “just follow me.”

You swam behind him into the darkness. Here, the water was warmer. You could just make out the shapes around you, your eyes still adjusting from the light. You felt an arm wrap its suckers around your waist and tug you in. Once inside, you could see the soft glow of König’s blue eyes.

“Sleep here,” he put you in what looked like an impossibly large clam shell, “this will be your bed.”

You peeked over the sides to see König curling himself into a tight ball beside you. It was warm in here, but you knew it would be better if you could get to König’s side. You just needed to be patient.

There was no way you could just cozy up right away. There was no doubt that König would just boot you out of his den if you tried to cuddle while he was still awake. You needed to wait a bit. Only a little bit. Then you could attack.

Soon enough, König’s chest slowed between rises and falls. You could see his mask had risen just a bit on his neck, enough to see the gills along the sides slowly pushing water through. His arms and tentacles went slack on the floor. Surely he was asleep by now.

You debated swimming over for a moment. The risk of König ousting you from his nest entirely was high, but the possibility of being wrapped up in König’s arms was too enticing to pass on.

You slipped out of the shell and quietly swam over to König. You were just a couple of feet away when König stirred.

“What are you doing?” he sounded positively peeved as he slowly opened his glowing eyes.

“It’s not comfy in the shell,” you said and slowly swam closer.

He blinked slowly. Slowly, he unfurled his arms and tentacles blearily. He’d just managed to feel himself dozing off when you’d rudely awoken him. He looked down at you incredulously. 

“You’re not seriously…”

You saw an opening through his arms and dived into his chest, hitting him with a solid thump. He grunted and tried to pull you off him, but you attached your suckers to his chest and stuck fast.

“Get off me you little imp!” he snapped and tried to wrench free.

“Let me stay!” you fought back.

“This is my den!” he snarled and thrashed, knocking around the walls of the tight cavern, “if you don’t get off me right now-”

“But you’re so warm!” you whined.

“I could kill you with one bite you stupid little inker!” he accidentally smacked his head into the ceiling and groaned.

You wrapped your upper arms around him and dug your fingers into the part of his back you could reach. He tried to weakly pry you off with one of his tentacles before sighing. He slumped down to the ground in a sulk.

“I’m banning you from my den from now on,” he muttered.

“But you’re not banning me from your nest?” you checked.

“No,” he sighed, “but don’t think I’ll just let you get away with this. As soon as I’m done napping…” he yawned, “I’ll figure something out.”

You nuzzled into his chest.

Tentatively, he put his hand on your head and rubbed your ears. You purred and he grumbled to himself, but he at least stopped trying to pry you off of him.

“Fine,” he conceded, “but just this once.”

You couldn’t be happier.

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