#or which will just be one more piece of paperwork on top of everything else

[mariacallous]

There’s this one part of a project our team is working on that everyone kind of agrees is bullshit and useless but senior leadership want it and I’m trying to make it work and get started on it but it’s such bullshit.

[kaszuma]

Bad Habits | Hoshina Soshiro

Part 6 of “Certainly Yours”

pairing: Hoshina Soshiro x fem!reader

summary: Soshiro wanted to set things right by you, so he planned a date that would've gone perfectly. Had a Kaiju not appeared in front of you.

warnings: Mentions of Blood, heavy detail on Injury and Pain. Breathlessness and lots of claustrophobia related to crowds, Angst, Hurt/No Comfort, Slight Kn8 Manga Spoilers

wc: 6,552

–

note: Please inform me if I missed any warnings, It has descriptive injuries so I don't want to trigger anyone who's willing to read this.

Part 7 will be a direct continuation of this. So that's why I dubbed it as a Hurt/No Comfort fic for now. The comfort will come in another part because things have been going too smoothly in the relationship. And I don't want that. Anyways, look forward to the next part. I will be adding a tags list. So if you want to be tagged. Please tell me.

Also, thank you for a hundred followers 🫶

–

Today was the day Soshiro had decided to finally make it up to you.

After weeks of moving between bases. Handling Number 10’s strange quirks in its new prototype suit. It had been an understatement to say that he had kept himself rather busy in the wake of his occupation. His attention often divided between the lousy paperwork stacked against him, as well as his individual training.

One that he had always upheld to keep his body sturdy and his reflexes sharp. Not once acting careless in his response to a Kaiju attack. Especially now where he was equipped with a powerful and sentient combat suit, bloodthirsty for war. Willing to pick a fight with anything remotely breathing in his direction.

By all means, Soshiro could not afford to slack off. And if there was a miniscule chance that he did, he'd be minced alive for sure.

Just when his hard work had started to pay off too.

Now that he had been recognized as a numbers wielder no less. He'd be one of the few melee specialists that Japan could rely on in the case of an emergency. The proof of his existence. That he wasn't just a reject of the Hoshina Family's line of descendants.

That he was more than capable to wield a blade that could slay Kaijus that came after him. And he had succeeded. He had fulfilled his place in the hierarchy. His place solidified beside Captain Ashiro who was an even stronger ally than he was.

But despite his successes. Despite the satisfaction he got from climbing to the top with only the swing of his blade.

That had not been enough for him.

It had not been enough to prove his existence to the world.

And although that had been a major goal of his. To surpass people's expectations of his limits. His boon to keep fighting. To keep swinging his sword despite the odds stacked against him, had also been the downfall of many past relationships that could not blossom because it had gotten in its way.

And you had been the first to stay.

The first to understand his sentiments.The first to clear a path for him when everyone else had all but given up.

And yet here he was. Being a stellar lover and prioritizing everything else above you.

It had been weeks. Practically an entire month since he's spent some quality time with you. Sharing the occasional kiss in the hallways where you'd start your day off. Or acknowledging each other briefly when he had been stuck in the confines of the training rooms.

Beating the lessons right into rookies' bodies when you'd pass by. Or better yet, the daily coffee you had somehow managed to squeeze in despite your equally tight schedule. His favorite blend had always been waiting for him. Ready at his office on the days he burned the very wicks of the midnight oil.

And what had he done in return?

Nothing.

Not since that incident with Kaiju no. 10 at least. That of which he worked so hard to erase any evidence left in its wake. The fake report had at least been a piece of cake to do. And they had to do over the entire prototype testing just to make sure Number 10 was usable in its current state.

And unfortunately for him, it proved to be a much more difficult task to complete. Day by day he had not once made progress in raising the Suit’s combat power. Leaving Kaiju no 10 to mock his defenses and other battle related tactics whenever it could. But that had been the least of his worries.

In all honesty, he had been feeling guilty since that day.

Although he'd be remiss to say he didn't enjoy the feeling. Soshiro had not been in the right sound of mind when he found himself getting closer to you. Drunken by your scent, he had practically seen images flash by his mind. Courtesy by the Kaiju that had seen through his desires. And one thing led straight to the next. He found himself in a troublesome situation that he had been afraid to know the consequences of.

He had desired her. Yes. That much was clear. But he wanted the relationship to evolve slowly. At your pace. One that made you most comfortable.

But he had breached that space. The inch you had given him had turned into a mile. And he was lucky he still held some sort of restraint before he did something stupid and regretted his past actions.

And somehow, you still forgave him.

You enjoyed yourself even. Welcoming him with open arms for the next time around when they had managed to squeeze in the time between work. Open to the idea of a more sensual intimacy. In the privacy of someplace else. And Soshiro had wanted that too.

He wanted to correct his haste. To properly love you right.

But not everything had been picture perfect in the way he had planned. His bad habits showed in the ways he'd prioritize everything but you. And just when he built up his courage–Built up the resolve to face you. To do right by you.

Of course, things just had to get in his way.

Things always got in his way before he could properly apologize and make it up to you. Or atleast, that was the excuse he'd find himself feeling guilty of.

And that is where he found himself outside the premises of the Tachikawa base. Strangely out of uniform and in his civvies that he had managed to find beneath the sweatpants in his closet. Dappered in a simple black turtleneck and a white overcoat. Befitting of the cooler weather Japan had been facing in recent times.

He had been waiting for you to show up with a picnic basket in hand. A few paperback novels that he thinks you might enjoy. Added with a few sweets that he hoped would lighten up your day perhaps.

The plan had been simple.

He’d already done the nerve-wracking part. Stopping you midway as you finished giving him the stack of blueprints for the Combat Suit you had worked on upgrading. His hand reached to touch the soft skin of your knuckles. An action that made you look back at him in turn.

“Is something wrong?” You had asked curiously. The softness in your voice remained. One that made Soshiro want to melt into a puddle.

He smiled. Somehow the words got stuck on his tongue. And he had to remind himself that you were his lover. Who of course would agree to a date. Should he suggest it, Right?

He gulps. Suddenly feeling a little irritated at the way his stomach had dropped and a plethora of nervous butterflies had resurfaced.

Normally he'd have no problem taking out hordes of Yoju that came his way. Boasting the highest individual kill count for slaying midsized Kaiju of his generation. Yet somehow, his reason had gona askew. And he found this situation a little more terrifying than he anticipated.

“Hey, I was thinking..”

“Uh oh- That's not a good sign.” Your comment makes him smile. His eyes rolling to give your shoulder a playful squeeze.

“-That you and I need to have a talk.”

“About what?” You had replied with a tilt on your head.

“I got a few paperbacks in the mail yesterday. I was hoping we could grab a bite to eat while we read through ‘em?” He smiled. His usual grin did not falter in the way he spoke to you. Though you could tell that he had an inkling of nervousness by the way he reached up to scratch the side of his cheek.

“Oh. And here I thought I was in trouble.” You chuckle. “So you're finally inviting me out on a date, Vice Captain?”

He had moved to stand much closer to you. Hand already at the shape of your hip, habitually writing his name on the waistband of uniform. “Is that a no I hear from ya’”

“Now when did I say that?” And it makes you smile knowing he had been trying despite the busy schedule he had.

You had long since understood his place in the hierarchy. Soshiro may have not realized it, but he was far too important of a person in the Defense Force to have been kept away from duty.

His life alone had been the cost of a thousand who'd live due to his sacrifices. And whether or not his insecurities had blocked his view of his own self-worth. You were able to see it clearly.

So despite the difficulties. Despite the yearning you felt for his proximity You did the usual and prioritized his work. Letting him handle things when command had already put so much weight into his daily responsibilities. Not that he seemed affected by it, no doubt already used to the pressure of a hectic battlefield. Much less a hectic work environment.

But of course, you wouldn't reject an offer out on a date with your lover. Not when he so sweetly asked.

And if he had the occasional free time to invite you out. Who were you to say no to his offer?

“Soshiro!” You had called out. Appearing just beside him who stood nearest the entrance of the underground metro station. And he smiled turning towards you with his usual cheeky and cat-like grin.

“You shoulda’ texted me. I would've picked you up by the train stations.” He had moved his free hand to pinch your cheeks. And it makes you chuckle. Revealing yourself completely to him.

Where his eyes had raked over the surface of the cute outfit you decided to purchase the day before. Hand already twirling a strand of your hair before tucking it behind your ear. Admiring your very soul. Your entirety in front of him.

“And miss your startled face? Fat chance I'd miss that opportunity.” You laughed.

Soshiro had rolled his eyes in turn. His heart pounding as his free hand immediately intertwined with yours.

“If it makes ya’ happy Sweetheart.” He didn't waste this opportunity to gently pull you close. Kissing your temple which had been nearest his lips. “You look pretty.”

His compliments had made you brighten. Your face visibly beamed when his eyes drank your figure. “Damn straight. I wasn't about to let you one up me in the looks department.”

“Alright, alright.” He found himself chuckling. “Let's get moving before the desserts I bought ya’ go bad.”

You had half a mind to drag your feet while he took you out of the metro line. Acting stubborn just to stall and ruffle his feathers for a bit. As payback for neglecting you all those days ago.

But you had decided against it, the crowded train station was far too busy in the early hours of the afternoon. And you would not risk losing each other and wasting the rare day Soshiro had all planned out for the both of you to do.

“Lead the way.” You had smiled, giddy at the mere thought of a time well spent together. And Soshiro had shared that very sentiment. Already leading you away from the busy horde where lines of people had been waiting for the next train stop.

Upon your words, he had gently walked forward. Leading you by the hand.

His grip on you was firm and you can see the way his back had engulfed and weaved through the crowd much more easily than you ever had. Broad in his strides as he tried not to go too fast. Matching your pace since he knew you weren't as built in stamina as he was.

You had admired the little details of his nape. The one mole peaking through the skin of his turtleneck, where his hair had shown every detail of his jugular. One that you had marveled at when he wasn't looking.

Just as you were about to offer your help. Reaching for the sling of the basket on his free hand.

A shiver ran down your spine. The hand that had tried to reach for the basket had paused in heavy response.

And you had suddenly flinched as a loud gust of wind had blown past you. Making the indoor lights of the metro begin to pop and flicker abnormally. An eerie buzz emitting from each light source as if the electricity had all short circuited, simultaneously.

The temperature underground had strangely heightened. Unusual for the cool metro station during this time of day.

And the crowd that had busied themselves passing each other by, had all but stopped. With people's stares directed behind the both of you in a frozen and frightened state. You look around, almost confused. And Soshiro had gripped his hand harder against yours. As if he already knew the exact dread that overcame him.

The exact thing that had been staring right back at them.

And somehow you had that inkling too.

But denial had only been your first problem. And the rest of your body seemed to know the truth. Your very palms began sweating like bullets, and you had hesitantly looked behind you. To prove to yourself that it had not been what you think it was.

But Soshiro who had somehow read your mind. Had moved much quicker than you had.

Pulling you behind him, already pushing you to the exit when people had started panicking. Screams had been the accompaniment of hasty footsteps. With people of all different ages, running in the same direction. Away from the stairs leading down the metro line.

A mere glimpse is all it took for the hair on your skin to rise. And the face of a humanoid Kaiju had looked in your direction. Its skin peeled like oranges, unlike the gritty leathery texture that surrounded its cheeks. And although it had a terrifying grin on its face. It remained calm. Observant. It seemed ecstatic in the way it reveled in the attention it had gotten. Whilst Soshiro had pulled you from your trance.

“Run. Get going!”

Soshiro had strangely screamed. Already pushing you to evacuate, weary that the Kaiju could attack you at any given moment should it wish to. But the Kaiju had a strange way of showing its excitement. Gurgling at every noise it heard. And Soshiro's yell had all been reduced to a mere whisper against your ear. The sound of a panicked crowd was all too encompassing for you to actually make out his words.

Soshiro had kept a firm grip on your shoulders. Still trailing close behind you with his gaze fixated on the Humanoid Kaiju.

Its legs had hovered mere inches above the ground. Crinkled like an old vegetable that was left out in the freezer for too long. It had double the arms, one that resembled old branches with no leaves. And although it looked sickly and frail, he was sure the damn thing was capable of major damage given the right opportunity.

But instead of grabbing onto the nearest person like Soshiro had anticipated. It surveyed the area. Weary of its nearest surroundings.

It's molars and gums chattering against each other. Echoing throughout the underground halls of the metro station. It looked as if it was occupied with something. A far off look in its beady eyes. As if it were communicating with someone.

Perhaps it had something to do with Number 9? Shit.

If that's the case, Soshiro needed to get you out of here as soon as possible.

“I can't get through. They're all pushing..” You had gasped. Feeling yourself stumble back when another person pulled at your shoulder and leaped forward. Using you as leverage to get to the exit.

Soshiro, who had seen this, was quick to catch you before you could fall. Your back against his chest in a protective stance.

He couldn't move. Not yet at least.

More than anything he'd like to handle that thing as quickly as possible. But to leave you nearby in such close proximity too? There's no way in hell he was going to let that happen. So all he could do was fixate his eyes on that Kaiju.

This thing was clearly sentient. Soshiro had seen the way it lingered to read one of the signs nearest the exit. But I didn't seem interested in conversing, let alone leave if he had asked. And he wasn't about to take his chances.

He needed to get rid of that thing now.

“Hoshina here.” He had fished out the white earpiece that he hid on his overcoat's back pocket. Pressing the small item down to his ear to contact operations.

“There's a Daikaiju sighting in the Tachikawa-Kita Station. Requesting permission to use Number 10 to neutralize it.” He spoke seriously. Unlike the usual light hearted conversations you'd have with him. And it makes you stare up at him with raised eyebrows.

It had been weeks since you had worked on Number 10. It was still far too early to be used as a plausible weapon out in the field. And yet here he was, indirectly telling you that he had worn it out in public.

“You what?” You had gasped out. Eyes blown wide whilst his hand remained on the small of your back.

Much to your dismay, Soshiro had not answered you.

Simply moving you closer to the wall, to let other people get through. His hand still pressed against the intercoms whilst he waited for a reply from Operations.

Soshiro had been focused on shielding you for the most part. The crowd was pushing, but it seems they had still been making progress in evacuating the area. Save for a few rumbles that had happened when the Kaiju had suddenly implanted its branch-like fingers onto one of the pillars. Cracking the surface of the solid cement that held the pillar in place. And you couldn't help but worry at the close proximity you both had been.

Right in range of where the Kaiju was looking at.

“Permission granted.” Okonogi’s faint voice could be heard. Likely already booting up Number 10's system underneath Soshiro’s civvies. The bioweapon would slowly regain energy which kept it from its usual conscious state.

“Do you, or Do you not have Number 10 on?” You had asked incredulously. Prying his arms off of you to peel off his shirt. And his larger hand stops you before you could see the peak of red in the place of where his skin should be.

“As a precaution m'dear.” His reply was immediate.

And he suddenly grabbed you by the wrist. Ushering you forward along with the thinning crowd. The stairway had all been emptied now. Save for a few runaways that had tripped or were pushed earlier.

“Higher ups wanted me to get used to it. Releasing this thing’s combat power, I mean.” His voice had been an octave lower. His smile, although present, had not been enough to reassure you. And you had a feeling he was trying not to have you panic on him.

“That is stupid. Command shouldn't have let you wear it. Number 10 is still unstable. What if you go berserk and lose control?” You sighed, running your hand through your hair.

“You did try to argue with command right?”

…

“Right?”

Soshiro did not answer you. Already pacing to drag you out of here before things could escalate.

Meanwhile, you had all but looked at him once over. Now it made sense why he chose to wear an overcoat when the weather had only been a little chilly this afternoon. It had surprised you that he was able to hide its tail from emerging from his legs. But then again, he probably had his blades tucked away in that too.

“Soshiro..”

“Listen, I'll explain things later. Take this and get to the nearest shelter. I ain’t havin Number 10 going berserk. I'll be fine. Just let me handle the Kaiju first, okay-” His sentence was cut short by your scream.

A broken chunk of the large pillar had been thrown towards you. And it had startled you enough to drop the basket he handed you. Soshiro had been quick in his motion to shield you. Wrapping his arms around your shoulder to let his back hit the brunt of the pillar.

But before it could hit and crush the two of you to bits. The faint sound of number 10 chuckled inSoshiro's suit. And its weaponized tail lashed out to strike the pillar back. Destroying it before it could scratch you both from its debris.

The sharp end had all but ripped Soshiros overcoat to shreds. And he was quick to remove the unnecessary fabric on top of his combat suit. Revealing the distinct eye hollowed out in the middle of his chest.

“Lucky this bonehead woke up on time.” Soshiro had chuckled darkly. And it was followed by its immediate reply. Tail haphazardly swinging around from behind him.

“Stop with your meaningless trifles and get to fighting swordsman! My patience is thinning.” It sounded almost like a child. Though its voice had been a deep and rambunctious chatter like usual.

“You heard the darn thing.” He sighs, pushing you forward before another attack could come in.

And you shook your head, placing your firm hands against the suit of his chest. Just beside Number 10's glowing eye. Your gaze fixated on his usual smile, one that you had grown accustomed to hearing cheery laughs from. “Are you serious? This thing isn't ready for an actual fight.”

“Do not mock us Woman. By the time you have escaped our opponent would have been ripped to shreds by me.” It screamed.

Making you roll your eyes in turn. And Soshiro had all but chuckled. Already letting you get a head start as you stepped out of the underground Metro line. “Just go. I promise you I'll be jus’ fine.”

“I’ll come find you later.” He had spoken. Already turning his heel to grab the swords he had hidden on his back.

You knew this was his job. The unavoidable was bound to happen. And as much it pained you to leave him alone with a Daikaiju with only a misaligned prototype of a suit as an ally. There was bound to be trouble afoot. But what can you do other than run?

You weren't a fighter like he was.

Your use was only in the presence of a laboratory, as a technician. Paving the way to enhance his equipment. To heighten his chances of survival, even if it was a measly one percent of it.

That had been better than none after all.

So with a heavy heart. You nod. Glancing at his form for a second longer before you began running. Taking careful steps to the opposite direction where you knew the nearest shelter would be at. There was never a shortage of Defense Force Officers there. Maybe they'd be willing to let a few assist Soshiro before things could go awry.

Captain Ashiro had always made quick work of any Kaiju that appeared. The third had always been quick to respond to action. Not once arriving late when the Tokyo district needed them the most.

Soshiro would just have to hold out before then.

Deal with Number 10's strange habits and hopefully manage to unleash the suit's combat power which had proven to be a tricky feat for a while now. And if he were lucky, maybe he wouldn't need backup at all.

The optimistic side of you wished to see him make quick work of the Kaiju. Have him return to you, maybe with a couple or bruises to sport but nothing serious.

He'd smile at you. Holding peace signs with his fingertips out as a form of comfort. To tell you that he had been fine and the Kaiju had easily accepted defeat, ending the story in a clean neutralization.

You'd even be willing to hear Number 10's inflated boasting in the background. Telling you that they had sliced it to ribbons before you even had the chance to reach the shelter.

At least that's what you hoped to imagine.

Just as soon as you arrived at the familiar street. You passed by the multitude of shopping districts in the area. And you see the familiar crowd of people being ushered into the sturdy underground bunker of the shelter. Far away from the premises of the Metro Line where Soshiro’s battle had taken place.

You had immediately stepped up. Trying to fall in line with the rest of the crowded spaces that led up to the entrances of the bunker.

But somehow the temperature rose once more. And you feel the familiar rumble in your chest as a gust of wind had blown behind you. Your hair going in all sorts of directions before your eyes settled on the familiar looking Kaiju floating in the very back of the crowd. Nearing you inch by inch.

What was it doing here?

Everyone who had equally felt the same tension had been paralyzed from fear. Its beady gaze had been burning holes unto the crowd. And its neck cracked as it tried to tilt its head to the side.

This had been enough to get rid of the stupor on everyone's expressions. And another wave of panic ensued. Leaving you and a few others to be pushed around in the wake of everyone's panic.

“Report. Kaiju has been spotted here in Shelter 1121. Requesting permission to engage.”

You had heard one of the Defense Force Officers yell. The few that had been present were already aiming their firearms at the chattering Kaiju. It's head convulsing as it floated ever so closer towards the crowd. Its branch-like fingertips grazed the road. Eerily dragging its long limbs down the cement. Its pace is slow and tantalizing as if to tease your inevitable demise.

You had groaned.

Feeling yourself be pushed down to the ground. Palms hitting the coarse texture of the cement roads. Knees scraping the rough surface as you stopped yourself from falling face flat onto the floor. Luckily the crowd had been mindful enough not to trample you. With most of the citizens already crowding the entrance as Soldiers had blocked the Kaiju's path from going any further.

But you saw the way it moved.

In a blink of an eye the Kaiju had made quick work of the Officers. Sweeping them off like insects thrown to the side. Their bodies hitting the nearest surface available in the area. And you had tried to back away. The itching pain that had surrounded your knees was like putting salt on an open wound. Still fresh from the poor landing you had from earlier.

But there was no time to focus on that. Its beady gaze already staring at you and his next target had been made clear.

Just as you had tried to get up, you saw the way a car had been thrown right above your head. And you had been a hair away from being hit by the force of its pitch. Landing on a few people who had crowded up against the entrance of the base.

Likely crushing a few people in the process.

Shit.

The dizzy unease you felt had all but dazed your mind's eye. And somehow through the fire and the panicked screams. A force had thrown you off the ground.

And suddenly your body had slumped against the nearest wall. Your back landing on the very glass of a fashion boutique. Your weight had shattered its surface upon impact when you were thrown against it.

A shockwave on the ground had likely thrown you a few feet back. And you whimpered. Feeling the shards of glass puncture your shoulder and arms. A few cutting your legs that had shamelessly bleeded against the floor.

You could feel a much larger injury on the small of your back. But as it stands, you couldn't really focus on a specific area. Not when it had hurt all over.

It had hurt to stand up. Let alone to crawl away.

You were not in the safety of the base. And Soshiro had not been here beside you. Even if it hurts like hell. You knew that you had to move. You had to get away and find some help before the situation got worse.

But somehow, it had only gotten much more difficult to breathe. Your eyes which had blurred from the blood flow on your head had suddenly cleared a little bit. Just enough for you to inspect your surroundings. And you noticed it had gotten significantly darker upon your landing. Everything, even within the confines of the boutique, had been covered in a thin layer of smoke that you could've sworn wasn't here before

The scent had been weird. Both earthy and a little rusty for your liking. But it had a distinct bitter smell, like something had gone rotten in the area.

And suddenly your throat lurched. Coughing at the sheer difficulty your lungs had inhaled. Like suddenly oxygen had all but ran out and you were left with a gas that had been invading your system entirely.

Your hand had shakily reached up your throat. Trying not to panic as the breaths you made had gotten shorter and shorter.

Was this poison?

Did the Kaiju have anything to do with this?

Where was Soshiro? Was he dead?

Only panicked thoughts plagued your mind. Not entirely aware that the pain had made you almost delirious as you try not to cry from all the overwhelming sensations you felt.

Your only thought had been to gather your bearings and find Soshiro. Damned the injuries that weighed your body. Damned the poison gas that made you want to throw up your lungs.

All you needed was Soshiro.

Yet somehow, you find yourself back on the ground. With your cheek pressed up against the shattered glass. Eyes slowly fluttering to a close from the sheer exhaustion alone. And your body, had never accepted sleep more than this moment had.

–

Who knows how long you've been laying there. A few gunshots sounded out from the distance before it ultimately quieted down. A roar rumbled to the far east of where you had rested. But the sounds had gone silent a few minutes after.

And here you were, dizzy from a concussion. Bleeding from your arms and legs. And your breaths barely audible from the amount of toxic gas you had inhaled.

You didn't know whether or not your lungs were barely functioning anymore. But with the slow rise and labored falls of your chest, you were sure you had still been okay. Though it's a miracle you were still half awake.

You could still make the odd gasps and silent plea for help. So you couldn't sleep. Not yet at least. Not when help could so easily arrive and your chances of actually surviving would lower.

The smoke had not cleared up from where you had laid. And for a moment, you see the shadow of a figure step hastily through the broken boutique. Staring down at you with gritted teeth.

“Found you..”

Your breath hitched. Suddenly the blinding numbness had been replaced with a fresh bout of soreness and burning pains. And Soshiro, who had stood above your half-conscious body, had stumbled a bit.

Not used to the way your body stood so still. Arched upward from the shard of glass punctured nearest the back of your waist. His breath was stolen away, as he could only imagine how the pain must’ve felt when you were thrown off balance to crash a building no less.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, c'mere.” Soshiro's familiar voice was much clearer now that he had stepped much closer to you.

The clang of his blades had dropped beside you as his hands were already fumbling to remove the straps of his respiratory mask. Rushing to place it atop your mouth and nose. Hoping it would help you breathe properly.

“Someone get the medic. Get the medic.”

Soshiro screamed. Glancing behind him for a moment before his focus had been fixated on you. His other hand gingerly lifting your head from the ground to assess the injuries you sustained.

And his eyes. The wine color of his eyes…

You could've sworn it had darkened. Brimmed with the fear of losing you. A cacophony of unshed tears that would usually be closed and cat-like in its features.

“..Soshiro?” You croaked out. Voice a little raspy from whatever gas that Kaiju had decked out. And your lover immediately pulled you closer. Rocking your body to keep you awake.

His first instinct was to secure the straps of the respiratory mask on your face. Letting you take a few filtered breaths before you try to speak once more. Though he hushed you right after, in the case you’d drain the little energy you had left in you.

And from the deadweight he felt. He somehow feared the worst.

“Hey, hey, Shhhh. You're okay.” He spoke with a shaky voice. As if he were assuring himself more than he did you. “I'm here now. We're gonna fix ya’ up brand new. I promise.”

His words had been loud. Desperate even. But for some reason, it went in and out of your ears. Not entirely sure if he had been screaming at somebody else, or he had been talking to you in particular. His reassurances got softer and softer from the minute your ears began to ring.

The sound of his voice, which you would normally find comfort in. Had your head spinning around. Making you wince in turn.

You had wanted to reach out. To pull him close and check for his own injuries. But your arms and shoulders would twitch in pain anytime you had tried to move a muscle. The poison in your system had made it all the more heavier for your body to move. Chained to the ground as if restrained by your own powerlessness of the situation.

“You're done?” You had managed to groan out. Wondering if the Kaiju had been neutralized.

And his immediate response was to nod in your direction. Pulling you much closer so that his leg would be able to support your weight on the ground. Away from the edged shards of glass that had scattered about.

“I'm okay baby. Yer’ the one that needs the help here..” He lets out a dry chuckle. Not entirely convinced that his jokes were actually landing. His panic was more evident in his tone than it had usually been, and for some reason. That hurt more than the physical wounds you endured.

“I know.” You hissed. “Hurts all over..if you couldn't tell..”

“Shit. Medics are on their way. I'm gonna lift you up okay? You'll be fine. Just gonna meet em’ halfway..” He had started. With Soshiro gently hooking his arms underneath the knees of your legs. And just as soon as you were an inch off of the ground. You winced.

Your teeth gritted together as you tried not to cry from the pain you felt when your body had raised from the ground. His hands, although they had been careful, were far too firm against the cuts on your body.

And the pain on your back, where the glass shard had punctured your organs, had a burning sensation you wished would go away.

Soshiro who had seen the way you panicked. Stopped in his actions. Putting you back down on the ground where his leg had cushioned your bleeding head.

“I know, I know jus’ bear with me, alright? Keep your pretty eyes open.” The string of curses never left Soshiro's lips. And his hand which had gently held the cheek where the respiratory mask met the skin of your pale face. Hoping that your breaths would get steadier. The mask recording all the slow inhales you'd take.

In and out. Labored but at least it was still there.

“Breathe..jus’ breathe for me, okay?”

Your eyes had tried to blink rapidly to remove the fatigue you had felt. But somehow, you were fighting a losing battle. And you couldn't help but give into the darkness. The fatigue would feel much nicer since you didn't have to worry about the pain. And with your lover here. It was okay to relax now. No longer did you need to have your guard up to combat the fight or flight situation.

And Soshiro found himself panicking even more at the way your eyes grew distant. Screaming at his intercoms for a medic on-field. Likely already on their way to the location he had sent to Operations moments prior. Okonogi in particular was trying to reassure the Vice Captain, but to no avail.

Not when his focus had all but fixated on your wellbeing. Eyes already closed as you drifted to an unconscious state.

His hand had reached down to your cheek. Already running circles against the bags of your eyes. Running across the dried tears that brimmed your eyes. Denying that this moment had a possibility to be your last.

And without hesitation, he started lifting you up again. This time not a peep from your mouth.

He was gonna fucking take you to the neareat hospital himself if he had to.

Like hell he was going to let you die. Right?

Right?

“Shit. This ain’t funny. Wake–Wake up!”

He hears Okonogi speak on the other side. Something about how a few officers had already turned the corner nearest their location. And he found himself running to their direction, your head leaning against his shoulder leaving small blood stains on Number 10's plated armor.

Help was close. But Soshiro's mind wasn't eased by that fact. Not at all relieved.

Not when your head had still been bleeding and a shard of glass as large as his hand had been punctured just below the small of your back.

And as he ran, he had wondered what he could've done to avoid this.

Should he not have asked you to go out today?

No.

You had been far too eager for this moment. It had been his fault for neglecting you. For not prioritizing the wave of affections you gave him in turn.

He had promised himself that he was gonna cherish you. Dedicate entire days just for you.

And yet here he was. With his plans, ruined beyond repair. And he finds himself going back to the root of his bad habits.

His work, his ambition to be seen as someone capable. Someone who existed in the hands of the world who did not see his strength and dedication. It had held him by the collar, forcing him to face elsewhere. Trapped him from doing right by you.

And now?

His bad habits had now suffered the consequences of his actions. No longer did he have the chance to do everything once over.

And his apologies had fallen to deaf ears. Hoping for the chance you'd get to hear him again.

He had a bad habit of doing you wrong. And now, he hopes you'd be awake so he can set things right.

[moraxsthrone]

TITLE — spoiled

PAIRING — dom!sugarbaby!zhongli x sub!sugarmama!f!reader

WC — 4.6k

WARNINGS — nsfw. MDNI. modern au. soft dom/sub dynamic. oral (m. & f. rcv'ing). deepthroat/facefucking. overstim. squirting. creampie.

NOTES — i always said that when (not if) zhongli came home, i would spoil him rotten. i went from having no zhongli to having him at C2 lvl 90 + staff of homa + a 2pc/2pc tenacity/noblesse set, and him being in the top 21% of zl hybrid builds on the NA server, hitting 100k+ dmg...all in less than a month. i've been good to him and he's been soooooo good to me so i wanted to write this as a celebratory, homecoming gift for my long-awaited, highly spoiled geo daddy. thanks to @crystalflygeo for the idea and inspiration! i hope i did it justice! <3

the knock comes so gently you wouldn't have heard it had you not been expecting it.

“come in,” you say, finishing the last piece of paperwork and setting your pen down on your big oak desk.

the heavy door creaks open, zhongli striding in before closing the door behind himself.

“working late again, my lady?” the young man muses with a subtle smile, looking dapper in his favorite armani suit that’s been perfectly tailored to the lean musculature of his frame.

a leaden sigh escapes your lips. “yes, but fortunately i’ve just finished. your timing is impeccable, my dear sir,” you say with a playful lilt while leaning back in your chair. “i presume i’m not the only one since someone else must’ve let you in.”

“your receptionist was just leaving as i arrived.”

“well, now that you’re here, to what do i owe the pleasure?”

“i wanted to thank you again for the handsome topaz cufflinks you procured for me yesterday at that fancy boutique-” he says in his unhurried baritone, fidgeting with one of them. zhongli sounds so commanding without even trying, making your loins stir with want. you’ve taken great pleasure in spoiling him since meeting him a couple months ago, buying him everything he’s had an eye for, as well as a lot of things he hasn’t even asked for…

“i knew you’d appreciate them, what with your exquisite taste…” you interject, admiring the way the dark orange gemstones bring out his eyes. “besides, the color becomes you.”

he smiles back, making him look more boyish. “only someone with a discerning eye for quality and beauty such as yourself would even take me to places that sell such high caliber merchandise.” he walks towards you, leaning against the front of your desk mere inches from where your arm rests. “but i want you to know that i appreciate the little things just as much, if not more so. something as simple as say…” his voice trails for a moment, “...indulging me in afternoon tea means a lot to me.”

“oh? but your company is no small thing, zhongli. i enjoy lavishing you with gifts, of course. but you give me your time and conversation in return, and that is far more valuable to me than any gift i could bestow upon you…”

“you sure?” 

your brow crinkles at his hinting tone. “what do you mean?”

he reaches out with his gloved hand, delicately cupping your jaw as his boyish smile fades. “you’re a very busy lady. your time and attention are in high demand. and yet you decide to give what little of it you have over to me. your time is far more valuable than anything you could possibly buy me, and that’s something for which i could never repay you…”

you raise your eyebrows at him in sincerity. “zhongli. as i’ve already stated, your company is more than enough-”

"my lady," he reaches for your hand and brings your dainty knuckles to his lips. “...if i may?”

your mouth drops open in surprise. though you certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it, you’ve never so much as alluded to the prospect of an intimate relationship with him. you’re beautiful. powerful. but also - as he’s pointed out - very busy, leaving you precious little time for meeting a suitable mate, let alone courting one. so just spending time with zhongli - listening to his captivating stories, admiring his handsome face, hearing his spell-binding voice - has been more than worth any amount of money you could spend on him.

“zhongli, w-what…?” you give into the gentle tug of his hand, standing from your chair to face him. with your hand still in his, he cups your cheek with the other while bringing his lips dangerously close to yours. “zhongli, wait,” you say, catching your breath in your throat before he can take it away. “you don’t owe me anything…”

“perhaps not, my lady,” he says, his thumb stroking your burning cheek. “but i would quite like to give you something anyway.” your eyes search his as he speaks, his gaze so comfortably heavy. “you’re beautiful,” he says, breath fanning across your lips. “you’ve been exceedingly generous to me…and i want to give you what i feel is owed to you…”

“but zhongli,” you try, your voice so small and shaky with desire, “i’ve already said you don’t owe m-”

“forgive my insolence,” he interrupts, not sounding sorry at all, “but allow me to put it this way: i’m going to give you what you deserve.”

his thumb grazes your lower lip, only to trail down the column of your pretty neck as his lips finally and mercifully claim yours. and you give yourself permission to kiss him back. how could you not? of course you’ve never expected anything from him, but you’d be lying if you said you’d never fantasized about kissing him, touching him.

zhongli is incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable, devastatingly handsome, and his voice alone is enough to make your panties wet every time you hear it. in spite of the fact that you’ve been providing for him, it is he who seems to hold some unspoken power over you.

breaking from the kiss, you look up into his amber eyes. “wh-what i deserve?”

without a word he turns you around, your butt now pressing against the edge of your desk.

“by now you must think i’m a weak man…”

you shake your head. “no. i don’t think that at all-”

he places his fingers over your lips. “ah-ah. i wasn’t finished speaking, my lady.”

your eyes widen, filling with lust and desire at his insistent tone. yes. you need this. and he knows it. zhongli isn’t just giving you what you want or deserve; he’s giving you what you need.

“but-”

before you can utter another sound, zhongli spins you around until your hips are pressing against the edge of your desk. you feel his hips press against your bottom, gasping quietly at the unmistakable hard bulge pressing against you.

“zhongli?”

he grinds against you, the force causing the edge of your desk to dig into your hip bones.

“you can feel me, can’t you?” he whispers, his wet lips grazing the edge of your ear. “i’ve wanted you like this all along. does that come as a surprise to you, my lady?”

before you can formulate a response, zhongli’s hands - now naked and warm after having removed his gloves - are running along your bare skin under your pencil skirt until it’s bunched up below your ass cheeks. one of his hands slips between your legs, spreading them apart to slowly make his way up until he feels the moisture between them. 

“it would seem you’ve thought about this before as well,” he deduces, eliciting an affirmative hum from you as a response.

his other hand gently pushes your hair aside to expose the back of your neck and you feel the heat of his breath there as his soft lips ghost over your goosebumped skin.

“you must get so tired of having so much responsibility on you,” he mutters. “wouldn’t it be nice to relinquish control every once in a while?”

his voice alone is enough to easily seduce you. with a small nod, your eyes flutter closed as you fight the chill that wants to run down your spine. “y-yes, zhongli, it’s…” your breath hitches when his thumb brushes your lace-covered clit, “...exhausting sometimes.”

a deep chuckle forms in his throat as he peppers light kisses along the back of your bare neck, pushing the ruffle trim top of your dress off one of your shoulders to expose more of your soft skin.

“then allow me.” grasping the back zipper between his fingers, he pulls it down, taking his precious time undressing you from your collar to your tailbone. “if at any point you want me to stop, just say 'lapis'," he whispers and you agree.

he pushes the sleeves over and off of your arms before unfastening your bra. everything falls to the floor, the expensive material pooling around your feet. having rendered you naked save for your panties and designer heels, he stands back a bit and tells you to turn around and face him. feeling a bit self-conscious, you cover your breasts and bite your lower lip nervously as you follow his order.

“tut-tut.” zhongli shakes his head in mild disapproval. “uncover yourself. i want to see every inch of your gorgeous body.”

you lower your arms, exposing your creamy breasts with pretty, budded nipples and zhongli’s amber eyes seem to glow with arousal. he takes his time looking you up and down, licking his lips, drinking in your form as his hard cock strains against his slacks. 

kissing you as he comes in close again, pulling you in with his hands on your ass to let the clothed head of his cock rub against your panty-clad pussy. you gasp and he grips his own cock through his pants and rubs the head over your hidden clit.

reaching for one of your hands, he places it on his clothed erection, sending a jolt of arousal to your core. “touch me,” he says. "i know you want to."

you nod, giving his girth a tentative squeeze through his expensive slacks. a quiet groan escapes zhongli’s throat as he pushes himself into your hand, watching you with hooded eyes as you palm him. even through the dark virgin wool you can feel that his cock is thick and hot, and you can’t help but clench as you imagine how it would feel to be taken and filled by him.

“get on your knees,” he commands and you obey, putting you at eye level with the wet spot that has formed where his cockhead is pressing against his slacks. “take my cock out.” 

you can hardly believe this is happening. not five minutes ago, you were having an innocent conversation with your platonic sugarbaby. now you’re on your knees, seconds away from freeing his cock and tasting his precum - something you’ve wanted since first laying eyes on him but never thought would become a reality.

your well-manicured hands reach for his belt, unfastening it before opening his pants to free his impressive dick. it’s so pretty - thick and pale with a bulbous tip flushed dark pink and a couple of fat veins running the length of him. you lick your lips and wrap your hand around his silky shaft, so warm and hard. without thinking, you open your mouth to lick his swollen cockhead but he reaches down and stops you with a finger to your chin.

“did you ask for permission to suck my cock?”

his authoritative tone has you soaking through your panties, your own slick coating your inner thighs. “n-no, sir.” zhongli is pleasantly surprised at how effortlessly you’ve stepped into your submissive role. “may i please suck your cock, mister zhongli?” you ask, making his member twitch in your hand.

he gives you a kind, crooked smile. “yes, of course, little one.”

his salty flavor has you clenching around nothing when you drag your tongue from the underside of his cockhead to his slit. you give it a little kiss before swirling your wet muscle around it. “mmm~ you taste so good, mister zhongli…want more.”

“such a greedy slut,” he rasps with a crooked grin. “tell you what - i’ll give you a mouthful of my flavor, but you have to earn it.” he runs his fingers through your hair. “suck my cock well enough and i’ll let you drink as much of my cum as you can handle.”

his words have you eagerly wrapping your lips tightly around him, slowly taking him all the way to the back of your throat to make yourself salivate more. pumping your fist along what you can’t fit in your mouth, pretty soon the room is filled with wet, sucking noises along with the occasional grunt and muffled gag.

with your hand still jerking him, you pull off him with a gasp.

“did i say you could stop?” he rasps, fingers tightening in your hair.

“no, sir.” you barely get the words out before you quickly suck him in again. never before have you enjoyed sucking a cock so much as zhongli’s.

as he watches you bob on him like a cock-hungry whore, zhongli takes off his waistcoat and begins to unbutton the tailored shirt you bought him a couple of weeks ago. he works it off until he’s naked from the waist up. it’s difficult to fully appreciate the sculpt of his perfect body from this angle, but you can make out his chiseled chest and mouth-watering abs, causing you to whimper on his length.

he pets your hair and praises you before resting both his hands on top of your head. he guides your pace slowly at first, working himself deeper, pressing into your throat as he rocks his hips until he’s fucking your mouth. you’re gagging on him, a string of spit and precum hanging from your chin.

“look at me while you’re sucking my dick, little one,” he says, voice still commanding but heavy with lust.

you obey, looking up at him while he admires the way your pretty lips stretch around his wide shaft, traces of your lipstick mixing with your saliva on his skin. it’s hard to see him through the tears that prick at your eyes, but your slick is dripping from your panties onto the floor below. as your fingernails dig slightly into the flesh of his toned thighs, you swear you could cum with his cockhead deep in your throat. 

the way your tears dot your eyelashes makes him suck air through his teeth. “nnfuck~ do you have any idea how pretty you look choking on my cock like this, little one?” zhongli’s hips are rocking steadily, his tight balls touching your chin with every thrust. “such a good fucking girl…are you ready for your reward?”

all you can do is moan, the vibration sending him over the edge. with his fingers tangled in your hair, he presses his patch of black hair against the tip of your nose. fighting to keep his eyes focused on you, zhongli groans loudly, releasing his orgasm down your raw, well-deserved throat.

he pulls out of your mouth, leaving you sputtering and gasping for air. but you’ve loved every second of it. even when he’s forceful, zhongli has a grace about him that’s difficult to describe. but you sense it, you know it when you’re with him like this. “th- *gasp* thank you, m-mister zhongli. thank you f- *cough* for your cum.”

“you did so well, little one,” he groans, tenderly rubbing his thumb over your tear-streaked cheek. collecting some stray semen from your chin, he pushes his thumb between your lips and you suck on it, moaning at the feeling of more of his creamy fluid coating your tongue. “you earned every drop, so don’t waste it.”

your willingness to please, your gratitude, your pliability…they all endear you to him. you may spend your money on him, but he slips into the role of your doting dominant just as seamlessly. he wants to take care of you. to dominate you and reduce you to a babbling mess underneath him, but he wants to care for you and make sure you know you’re safe even more so.

he helps you to your feet before backing you up against your desk. he picks you up, semi-hard cock bouncing with his movements, and sets your ass down on the documents you’d just finished when he came into your office.

“zh-zhongli, the paperwork-”

“my dear, the paperwork should be the least of your concerns right now, but if you must know,” he huffs, pulling your drenched panties down and off your legs, “those documents are as good as ruined…”

before you can protest he curls his hands behind your knees and yanks your ass to the edge of your desk, important forms dragging along beneath you, some fluttering to the floor. now you’re naked, save for your louboutins. zhongli clasps his hands around your ankles and lifts them in the air before bringing his lips to one of them and blazing a long, slow trail along the inside of your leg. 

“but don’t you worry…” he mutters between kisses to your skin, his lust-darkened eyes looking right into yours, “your work will be the last thing on your mind by the time i’m done with you.”

his words, his voice, his gaze…it’s all too much and you shudder under his touch, breathing his name. your hands find his dark brown hair, the long ponytail hanging over his shoulder and tickling your electrified skin as he sucks a bruise into your inner thigh.

zhongli’s hands glide down the length of your legs, spreading them to expose your wet, swollen lips. “your pussy is stunning, my lady. even more beautiful than it smells.” he pushes your knees further back, his softened cock twitching back to life as he watches your folds open for him. he breathes you in, groaning at the pink tip of your hard bud peeking out from between your inner lips. “i’ve been dying to taste you…

“ohhh~” you keen, back arching when you feel the heat of his breath on your neglected sex. “mister zhongli…please~”

“please what?” he grumbles, dark amber eyes peering up at you from between your legs.

“p-please…” you plead, voice meek and submissive, “please lick me…”

without taking his eyes off you, he sticks his tongue out and licks a slow, wide strip over your puffy lips. your hips jolt at the tender sensualilty of his warm, silky muscle touching you where you need him most.

“your flavor…” he moans quietly, “delectable.” he teases his tongue around your hard pearl, swiping slowly between your inner labia to taste more of you. “sweeter and more intoxicating than any wine i’ve had the pleasure of rolling over my tongue…”

already you’re cooing for him and he can’t help but want to hear what other sounds he might be able to pull from you, never mind how much he’s dying to devour you. he swirls his tongue around your tiny, pink erection before wrapping his lips around it and sucking it in against his tongue. immediately your back arches off the desk as you gasp his name, shoving your sex deeper into his mouth. zhongli’s brows furrow as he sucks you in harder with a deep growl. his graceful hands are pushing on the backs of your thighs, pressing you further open to dip his tongue inside your tight hole.

“gahahhh~” you cry out, his nose nudging your throbbing clit as he fucks you with his wet muscle.

he lifts his face from your pussy, glistening with the mixture of your arousal and his spit. you open your eyes but before you can whine in protest, he kisses you, and you moan at the taste of your pussy on his tongue as he presses two expert fingers inside you. you cry into his mouth, the pad of his thumb massaging your clit.

he pulls away, a string of your juices and his saliva connecting your lips. “such a good girl for me,” zhongli pants, drunk on your pussy. he slips his naked shoulders under your thighs, his free hand pushing up over your tummy and ribs to cup your breast and gently squeeze your pebbled nipple. “i think it’s time for another reward, hm?” all you can muster is a pitiful whimper in response as his fingertips find your sweet spot. “but you have to promise to cum for me, little one,” he breathes.

“y-yes, sir…” you all but sing for him, “please, mister zhongli…promise…i promise i'll cum for you~”

a dark smile tugs at his lips as he lowers his mouth to your cunt, sucking your clit into his warm, wet mouth once again. his fingers work you over nicely, tugging vigorously against your g-spot as he rubs his flexed tongue over your hard, pink tip. your orgasm builds slowly, deep in your bones and outward intensely as your fingers curl in his hair and you buck your hips against his face.

“fuck, oh god~” you cry out, only for him to latch on tighter, determined to suck you all the way off and drink down every last drop of your orgasm.

his waiting mouth is filled with your essence as his blunt fingertips dig into the plush of your hips. he drinks you down as best he can as you gush for him, but a fair amount of your liquid escapes his mouth and drips lewdly from his chin. slowly he pulls away, sliding his fingers out of your still-clenching pussy. you’re still too drunk on your high to notice yet, but his cock is in his hand, hard and leaking again. 

“so good…” he drawls, standing and sliding his dark pink cockhead between your wet, slippery folds.

you flinch at the contact. you want it - more than anything - but you’re so sensitive and his swollen tip is driving you mad as it bounces over your poor little clit.

zhongli huffs, his cock momentarily catching on your hole before sliding between your pussy lips again. he knows how overstimmed you must be but he’s too needy to care about that right now. he’s wanted to slip his cock into you for far too long and now that his shaft is sliding between your slippery folds he can’t hold back any longer. 

how many nights and mornings has he thought of you while fucking his own hand until he soiled his sheets with his hot sticky semen? how many afternoons has he returned to his office after enjoying a kettle of tea with you, only to lock his door and pull his cock out of his trousers before jacking off while moaning your name under his breath. too many times he has tried to be quiet while biting his lower lip and whimpering quietly as he filled his own hand with his thick, white cum until it dripped between his fingers onto the wooden floor below.

he leans over you, one hand planted on your desk and the other still guiding his cock, massaging your swollen clit with his thick tip. 

“you’ve been so good to me,” he groans, lust-blown amber eyes looking down at you with fire in them. “you’ve given me everything i’ve wanted and more…” the underside of his hard shaft is gliding noisily between your folds.

“y-you deserve the whole world, zhongli,” you breathe, looking into his eyes. “i adore you…” his eyes soften at your proclamation. he stops moving his hips and kisses you, soft and tender, his tongue rolling slowly around yours before pulling away just enough to look at your beautiful face again, your eyes so full of desire and affection for him. “and i you. please-” he breathes, eyes narrowing and his hips moving again, slowly. “…let me take care of you.” both of your breaths hitch when his cockhead finally presses against your hole and stretches you open.

“nnhh~fuck, zhongli…so good~” you keen, your mouth falling open at the feeling of the soft pop of your pussy as it surrenders to his meaty tip pushing past it, deeper into your wet heat.

“ahh~” he gasps deeply, “y-you…” his head falls to your neck as he works himself in and out, a little deeper each time, “you feel -mmff- perfect~” your warm, soft walls welcome him, yield to him, sucking him in hard as you moan for him.

zhongli's cock is slick and glistening with your need. his hands hold your hips in place as he plunges into you harder, his fingertips dimpling your plush skin. your nose is buried in his hair, breathing in his masculine scent and his deep grunts as he flicks his tongue over your nipple while his naked hips clap against your ass. he rises, yanking your ass to the edge of the desk and holds you there with his hands over your thighs as he drives his length - hard and thick and wet - into your heat. your lover maintains eye contact with you as he puts your ankles on his shoulders, his hands around your hips to hold you in place when he begins thrusting harder.

fueled by your cries of pleasure, zhongli fucks you right. he takes care of you just like he said he would. you can feel the pressure of your everyday obligations lifting from your shoulders with every groan that falls from his lips, every slap of wet skin that fills the walls of your office, every whimper of his name and every growl of yours as he makes you forget that you ever needed to be in charge of anything. zhongli is in control now, pressing his lips to the inside of your ankle while those burning amber eyes stay trained on you. 

you trust him, beyond pleased to finally see this side of him. you had always suspected there was a latent dominant in him, but for him to finally take charge like this - of the situation, of you, of your body - you give it all over to him freely. and you’re rewarded deeply. so relaxed your tits are bouncing, your eyes fluttering and crossing as you feel another orgasm building deep within your core.

zhongli leans forward, holding your legs fast against his chest with one arm while anchoring himself with the other. the pad of his thumb is rubbing your clit, his lips are parted, eyes hooded, his moans mixing with yours as he fucks you so thoroughly and you cry out, “ohh…hnn…ZHONGLI~”, thighs trembling, cumming so hard you spray a little against his taut, sweaty belly, still flexing as he fucks you through your orgasm. 

“oh fuck, so beautiful…” he pants, eyes drawn to the space where your bodies meet, beads of your spend trickling down his abs. your cream coats the base of his cock, glistening in his dark brown patch of hair. he quickly lowers your legs, letting you wrap them around his waist, needing to feel him close as he ruts out the last of himself into you. 

you’re still mindlessly whispering his name against his cheek as his grunts turn into quiet whimpers and his moans become gasps. “nnfuck…get ready to take my cum, little one.” 

you’re fucked out beyond bliss but you manage to breathe out a “yesss…please give me your cum, mister zhongli. need you to fill me up with your hot seed…please, please, please~”

your words send him over the edge, hips plunging hard against you before stilling as his cock throbs inside you to spill the hot, sticky contents of his balls into your readied, welcoming cervix. his thrusts slow and jerk as he fills you completely. 

“want you to take all of me,” he confesses against your cheek, eyes closed and brow furrowed. his hips jerk against you, the last of his sperm spilling from his slit. “want you to have it all. you deserve it.” 

— BONUS ENDING (because i'm a dork and i love zhongli’s quirky sense of humor):

when he’s ready, zhongli pulls his wet, softening cock out and watches with deep satisfaction as his semen leaks from your still-clenching hole to form a thick, creamy puddle on your officially disheveled documents. he laughs under his breath. “looks like this one has my signature now as well.”

zhongli m.list

— please consider reblogging if you're 18+ and enjoyed this. i worked really hard on it. <3

[mentally-gone002]

is it too early to love you? - part 5

(moodboard made by moi)

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, page 6, part 7

summary: reader and spencer build ikea on the floor. they both know there’s something there, but don’t know or won’t say what it is. 

a/n: okay… can i just be honest and say idfk what i was doing but i like it??? i feel like my tone while writing this one changed a bit, but idc (i do but idk how to fix it😭) so pls enjoy I ALSO LOVE UR COMMENTS THEY KEEP ME SANE AND MAKE ME SUPER HAPPY 

————————————————————————

i went without complete dish sets and whatever else i’d written down that i needed to replace for two weeks. because unfortunately the FBI isn’t like the normal nine-to-five. i had to work through a wall of paperwork, and three cases spread across the country before i was able to step foot in ikea.

i felt bad while looking at and then eventually bringing home various things because i didn’t tell spencer i was going. but i felt like i had to go alone, because it was my apartment and all. and i didn’t want him to feel like he had to look after me.

so now i found myself sitting on the floor in my ‘lazy clothes’ which was just sweatpants and a tank-top, drinking my second glass of wine and blasting some upbeat music with a half assembled tv stand in front of me. i was flipping through the instruction book and sorting out all of the pieces i needed so that it wouldn’t fall apart either on me or in the middle of the night. my healing foot that was completely painless after the glass incident moved along with the rhythm of a song.

my trip to ikea was quite successful. i found some pretty blue dishes and really nice drinking glasses that i’d already washed and put away. they looked better than all the other dishes i’d had before, so maybe james going on a rampage was a really, really awful blessing in disguise.

i still felt bad that i didn’t bring spencer along.

halfway through taking in a mouthful of wine i was brought out of my thoughts by a series of knocks on my front door. i swallowed the wine and walked to the door. 

“hey! what’re you doing here?” i swiped a drip of wine from the corner of my smile-curled lips while looking up at spencer. 

he studied me before answering, “you weren’t answering your phone.” 

i opened my mouth as if to say ‘oh’ while glancing back to my phone as it sat on the counter. “sorry, i had the ringer off. do you wanna come in?” i asked, directing my eyes back to him. 

he nodded and i opened the door wider. his face changed as he saw the disarray of my apartment. “you went to ikea without me?” he asked.

i closed my door with a smile. “yeah, this morning. sorry i didn’t call you, i just wanted to go on my own.” i walked past where he was standing beside my dining table to turn down my music slightly prior to sitting back on the floor. “do you want some wine?” i pointed at my almost empty glass. 

he shook his head. his eyes slowly looked over all of the things on the floor, and how i had my couch pushed against a wall to make the space seem bigger, and then me. “have you been doing this all day?” 

i shook my head, finishing my wine before answering. “no. well… i got up at eight and then came home at noon, struggled to get everything inside for an hour and then went to get food with penelope which meant i got home around six, so no.” the extent of my day tumbled out of my mouth. the recitation was more for me, just backtracking over everything i did just to get the answer right for spencer. “why?” i pushed some hair from my face.

spencer looked at me with an amused smile and came to sit beside me. “you look happy.” 

my hand reached for a piece of what was the next step in the instructions on the floor beside me. i worked on the furniture while i replied to spencer. “i always get really excited when i get new furniture.” i quickly followed the rest of the instructions on the page before turning all of my attention to spencer. “what did you get up to today?” 

he shrugged. “nothing half as interesting as what you did.” his eyes looked over my face a few times. i gave him a look and silently told him to just tell me. he cleared his throat. “i went to the park and played chess, walked around to a few bookstores, drank six cups of coffee and then came here because you wouldn’t answer my calls.” his body leaned closer to mine as he talked about my unanswered calls. 

i giggled. “i already said i’m sorry for that.” my heartbeat sped up at his proximity. it was just the wine… i think. “also, six cups of coffee? on a weekend?”

spencer nodded. “i like coffee.” 

“oh, trust me, i know.” i smiled. “are you sure you don’t want some wine?” i asked, slowly getting up to refill my glass. “it’s that kind rossi broke out for us… a while ago.” i wiggled my eyebrows a little, holding the almost half full bottle up for him to see. 

he didn’t answer immediately, meaning he was contemplating, before he inevitably nodded. 

i smiled and went to grab another glass and fill it up. he joined me in the kitchen, gently taking the glass from me while i poured more for myself. “i’m glad you’re here.” i took a sip. 

“are you?” he asked. 

i nodded, bumping into his side as a way to tease but i stayed leaning into him. “yeah. your company isn’t too bad.” a smile spread over my lips that i hid with my wine glass. 

spencer huffed a short laugh. “do you want help finishing that?” he was referring to the tv stand on the floor. 

i stared at it, tilting my head this way and that before i answered, “yeah.” 

spencer nodded and we went back to sit on the floor together. with his help we got it done in less time than it took for me to construct the first half. granted, i was doing more dancing and procrastination when it was just me. 

after it was done i laid down on the floor, knees up while i stared at the ceiling. my eyes moved to look back at spencer as he smiled down at me. “what?” 

“nothing.” he didn’t look away like he usually would. he kept on staring like he did that night i was in his hotel room. 

i smiled giddily. “in case you need a picture.” i slid his phone to him in the space between us. 

he shook his head. “i have an eidetic memory.”  

i propped myself up on my elbows. “i thought that only worked with words.” 

“it’s works with images too.” spencer told me, reaching out a hand to move a piece of hair out of my face. 

i didn’t breathe while he was doing that. i felt his finger tips on my face and it made me feel warm. “how long do you remember stuff for?” 

“the specifics kind of fade after a few minutes but i still remember whatever i saw.” his voice grew softer as he spoke. 

it got quiet between us again. 

i don’t mind the silence. it leaves me with a better ability to focus on his features. like his deep eyes. his brown hair that framed his face perfectly. the blue sweater that just be new.

i looked away in a rush, trying to push the observations out of my head. 

i can’t be doing this to myself. why am i not allowing myself to feel for him?

“what’s wrong?”

“nothing i just… i have a lot on my mind.” 

“like what?” he was trying to help, so why did i want to push him away right now? i’ve never thought like this before. 

i inhaled deeply. “why did you kiss me?” my eyes found his and he looked like a deer in the headlights. 

he looked away for a second before looking back. “i’m sorry i did that.” 

“i’m not asking for an apology,” i said. “i’m asking why you kissed me.” i wasn’t trying to sound rude or anything other than curious, and yet he seemed like he wanted to cry. 

spencer cleared his throat. “i did it because i’ve wanted to for three years… and i knew that if i didn’t do it that night, i wouldn’t have another chance to.” 

i want to say that explains the last three years, but i can’t. he was too good at hiding his feelings for me to have even had a hunch about it until four weeks ago. 

i didn’t even recognize my own feelings for spencer until four weeks ago… and i’m still not entirely sure what those feelings i have are. 

i only nodded and looked away. i sat up all the way and moved to sit criss-cross right against him, leaning into him, head on his shoulder. 

i wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words, and spencer was okay with that. he returned the touch with an arm around my back. his hand gently grasped my waist. his head rested on the top of mine. 

i closed my eyes. he was really warm. and he was right there. “is it too early to love you?” i breathed. i could barely hear myself. the chances of spencer hearing was slim, but his hand on my waist gave a gentle squeeze. 

[weirdworldofwinnie]

Oasis in a Desperate Land of Dark Desire - Part Six: Lover's Games

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer x Female Wife Reader NSFW 18+ only

Summary: You feel a need to follow up with Ernest Lawrence, much to Robert's dismay, and also uncover buried information that makes you turn rather rebellious.

Word Count: ~7,592

Warnings: Martial angst, infidelity, age gap, unwanted advances, slight physical violence, period stereotypical gender roles, clothed sex, some orgasm denial and sexual humiliation

Usual disclaimers apply, obviously NOT based on complete real life historical accuracy. It is essentially very much a dramatization and AU fantasy/fiction with Cillian as Oppenheimer, Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, Jack Quaid as Richard Feynman, etc. from the film only while other characters are my own entirely made up ones!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Tag List: @forgottenpeakywriter, @frozenhuntress67, @immyowndefender, @szde8-blog, @bypurple, @irenethewoman, @uniquetacofun, @noirrose21-blog, @gridmouse86, @lacontroller1991, @kishie8, @anime-lover-forever-1127

If you'd like to be added to the list, let me know please.

June 1943

You waited a couple of weeks after the party to move past the point of just taking actual action only in consideration in the sense of springing a scheme by meeting up with Lawrence, keeping Robert under the radar all the while and he himself was certainly distant, (distracted by work of course) but also deliberately choosing to give you space. It was fine, but it made you uneasy of how much he was extracting his emotions and you were starting to feel as if you were on a carpet of thin eggshells every moment you and him were alone together, which was usually only at night sleeping in the same bed.

Weekday dinners were a polite affair as well and you mostly ate for yourself, him eating a portion of his plate before he went to shut himself in his designated office room and came to bed hours into the wee morning. He was gone longer now during the day and one early evening, you found yourself cleaning the house alone with no company or pressing responsibilities to attend to, and you went into his office, rearranging his paperwork and dusting the bookshelves when you decided to take a peek into his desk, knowing he kept many personal writings there. Perhaps a poem or musing that could give an indication of what was happening inside his brain and why you were hitting a cold patch in the marriage.

After sifting through many documents, discarded calculations, and correspondence letters, you finally found his dearest belongings buried in the bottom drawer. You knew several of these, for they were cards - birthday, anniversary, well-wishers from the wedding - and some of your own (love poems, really) that you had exchanged with him and even simple notes of wanting to meet for dinner, a party, vacation at his Perro Caliente ranch, anything that merited invitation. You grew teary at a few, oddly nostalgic even though it was only a couple of years ago. But this project had somehow changed everything out of alignment.

A thin stack of folded papers wedged in-between a Valentine's Day card from you last year and inside an envelope that had a wax heart the color of dried blood stamped on it caught your attention and you carefully peeled the corners back to extract the papers, which looked to be three separate pieces creased into halves. You took the one on top and unfolded it to reveal a letter. It had no formal or informal greeting and you blinked, reading the words in your husband's scrawling cursive handwriting. The first few lines seemed more like a diary entry than anything else until you read further...

Well, I am wearier lately than anyone could possibly guess because I have grown adept at adopting a mask of confidence and optimism. But it is a foolish man's desire to remain unchanged and hopeful in his situations that require more than words to express... I know you understand the moody tides well, my love, and I often wonder if you are feeling the bluing void edging on again as you often do, verging on the whole of complete consumption. Though it would be more appropriate to call it black as death itself; blue has been wrongly shamed in this case, although you could drown in my eyes.

Safe to say, I very much miss your presence and touch, the way you find comfort in me as if we are beyond mortal man and woman. Naturally, there are other parts of me that yearn for you as well, but I'm sure you could pinpoint exactly what. It wouldn't be proper to state it here, although I will never be sending this to you Jean. I sincerely hope you never read this because if you do, that means the war is ongoing and I have not evolved past this spout of melancholy. It is hard to determine the future when oneself is so pegged on the past and present... I feel as though I am stuck between the slides. How do I let myself be with you and yet here all at once? You feel light years away from me, though it is only a mere thousand miles, isn't it? I feel closer to the dying stars than compared to my active obligations here on Earth.

"Don't be an idiot, Robert, and alienate the few people who most understand you because one day you might need them." I can hear you say it now and I'm afraid I did exactly that to you but for reasons more monumental than myself. I thank you for being understanding over the phone, but I must remain in this slide while you are busy in your own microcosm of the world and it is easier to miss you, but I should place a bet against myself to see exactly how long this separation lasts. If you'll have me, I look forward to loving you in two or three year's time. I hope by then I do not fall out of the concept of love entirely and with an expiration date instead because that would be a tremendous dissatisfaction if you found another bull who could never match my (nor your) intellect. He would never deserve such a naughty angel as yourself and I myself won't let you linger past my mind too much longer, I promise.

Forever yours (or not, though I hope the prior),

Robert

He had added a postscript, written in original Sanskrit from The Bhagavad Gita and you squinted, seeing familiarity. You jumped up and went to the bookshelves, seeking out his copy and thumbing through the pages, finding the scripture that matched his handwriting and you recognized the passage as he had shown and translated it to you once.

And now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.

Why the fuck would he add that in as a PS in a pining love letter to his ex-girlfriend?

You put the book back and went to sit down on the floor beside his desk with the letter and other ones, which you dreaded opening in case they were more in the tone of lovesickness about Jean. You felt stunned and yet at the same time, unsurprised as if this was to be expected and maybe it was. It further proved that Robert hadn't completely emotionally filed Jean away as you'd thought and was planning on loving her again someday... Or he had just been really, really drunk when he composed this, but you highly doubted it.

Hands shaking, you set that letter aside gingerly as if it contained a deadly chemical and picked up a second folded piece of paper. When you opened it, you audibly gasped.

My Kitty,

I do hope you are well and pursuing a better life for yourself in the useful field of biology. Forgive me, I must be ridden with a fever, but wouldn't it be fortuitous if we perchance crossed paths in San Francisco one summer day? My flamboyant impossible imagination has flooded me again, so I'll indulge here: I'd see you out shopping and hopefully you would be with only female company (I take it your husband would be working, unless you have divorced) and we could strike up a conversation that led us to my Cadillac parked in the shadows of the shade, and I'd let you take refuge from the heat as my passenger and then I'd take your beautiful hand...

He had deeply scratched out the rest, but you could definitely make out a few lines of erotic poetry. In reaction, you bit your bottom lip so hard you nearly drew blood, and then reached for the last one, which was not a letter in the traditional sense, but more of a hastily scribbled note on an index card.

I need to see you soon. From one 'R' to another, you always have me at my truest regards.

You angrily swore aloud and started crumple this note, but paused. If you confronted him about it, this could blow up for both of you and you couldn't have that right now in the midst of life here for the project. No one was or could get divorced, that was not an option. No, you had to keep this secret and try to get back at him more stealthily. Robert clearly loved other women too much, that was it, and this was tangible of that. Enough was enough and it spurred on you to see the fellow you'd been avoiding since the party.

The next day, you went to Technical Area 1 and walked towards one of lab buildings, immediately noticed by the soldiers on guard and they came over, shaking their heads at you and your security clearance button, lower than permitted in such a site. You'd had to sweet talk your way just past the fencing to get to this point, but these particular hardened men didn't look swayable.

"I need to speak with my husband, it's urgent. Please," you begged dramatically, wringing your hands, and the men glanced at one another.

"He's preoccupied with his colleagues now, but we'll be sure to let him know about whatever it is, Mrs. Oppenheimer."

You pursed your lips, realizing they weren't going to let you just waltz into the building without an extremely good excuse, which you couldn't say.

"Fine. Good day, sirs." You walked far away from them and they went back to their business as you glanced around inconspicuously for an alternative entrance, going to another side. You found an unoccupied back door and hurried towards it, heart picking up pace.

"What are you doing?" a male voice called shrewdly from nearby behind.

"Shit," you muttered, whipping around to see a very suspicious Officer Nichols standing several feet away. Thankfully though, he was solitary.

"I'll have to report this, you know," he warned as you backed towards the shut door, forcing a big smile.

"Or what? You'll shoot me for finding my own husband?"

"Depends on the context. Dr. Oppenheimer is a very busy man and I'm sure he has much better to do with his limited time than to entertain his diligent token housewife."

You flushed angrily, feeling for the doorknob and of course it was locked.

"I swear to God I'm not doing anything else but speaking to him. I hardly know squat about quantum mechanics and the nature of his work," you lied, trying to appear absolutely innocent.

"Then what is so important you need to interrupt proceedings?" Officer Nichols asked sharply, coming closer.

"It's a highly urgent personal matter."

"I see." He paused, darting his eyes up and down the length of your body for a second before he spoke curiously.

"You haven't physically left The Hill since your arrival, is that correct?"

"Yes...?" you replied, unsure of where he was going with this.

Nichols stared at you for a moment through his glasses glinting in the midday sun and you looked back, locked in a strange thirty second unnerving silence of equilibrium. Finally he moved, stepping forward and nodding.

"I'll personally make sure that you never do."

"But no, I... I was planning on going shopping for supplies with some of the ladies this weekend in Santa Fe?"

He was silent and you were surprised when he took out a ringlet of keys, going to unlock the door.

"We all must make sacrifices, Mrs. Oppenheimer, and I'm sure your husband would agree. This is your reward for the loss of such a privilege, so go now before I change my mind and report you to General Groves."

You quickly darted inside without a backward glance, heart thudding in aftermath of the interaction. Did he really mean that? Would he get in trouble if someone found out? Or more importantly, would you get in a tight spot for sneaking around?

You strode through the maze of hallways past lab rooms, offices, and the like until you heard dull voices up ahead and saw Robert's back, face to the chalkboard, through a half-cracked door. The scientists turned to stare when they heard your heels come to a halt in the doorway, looking away from their paperwork and the blackboard. The awkward silence was deafening; a pin could drop at any moment and a man coughed, just to relieve the stagnant air. The lone female physicist of the group, Dr. Lilli Hornig, gave you a curious look with a quick polite smile as she scribbled something on a piece of paper. Robert froze with a cigarette in one hand and a piece of whittled chalk in the other, his blues boring into your face out of sheer shock.

"Y/N, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"No. I merely need to borrow that man right there for a moment of time. It's a personal matter," you announced crisply, pointing straight at Ernest Lawrence, whose expression morphed from surprise and to utter bemusement.

"Excuse me, then," he muttered and stood up, shuffling papers self consciously before making his way to you, moving down the hallway. You randomly led him to an empty storage room and opened the door, lightly pushing him inside.

"What are you doing?" he asked empathically as you faced him in the middle of the room, steadying yourself as you looked up at him, unaccustomed to being so close to a man considerably taller and bulkier than Robert's physicalie.

"Remember a couple weeks ago in May at last month's party?" you asked briskly and his brow furrowed in realization.

"Admittedly, not as much as I should. Oppie jokingly mentioned the next day afterwards about needing to restrict the amount liquor we're consuming at the house when you're hosting because we're not frat boys," he replied with an honest shrug.

"Do you recall that kiss you gave me out of the blue?"

His face flexed, eyebrows shooting up as his mouth twitched in guilty humor and you narrowed your eyes.

"Yes, perhaps a bit of it. In my defense though, I wasn't quite all there and there was talk going around, silly talk. I was dared into doing it, actually."

Now your own eyebrows mimicked his at this confession and you stepped closer, toe-to-toe with his shoes.

"Who dared you?"

"Promise to keep it to yourself?"

"Sure."

"Richard was the instigator and then the rest of the guys coaxed him on. Absolute ridiculousness we never would have done otherwise, I swear to you it's the high altitude of this place having an effect on our immature raucous behavior combined with alcohol."

"Feynman? The rascal, I could've guessed," you rolled your eyes disapprovingly and he sighed, shifting slightly on his feet.

"I really do apologize for the regrettable behavior, I sincerely promise it won't happen again," he told you seriously and you cocked your head slightly, giving him a once-over.

"Do you find me attractive?"

Lawrence immediately grew reserved and reluctant, making a grimace.

"Oh, I... I, oh no, I don't think it would be permissible to answer that."

"Go ahead. I dare you."

He swallowed nervously and came close with intimidation, making you stagger back all the way to the wall behind you, where he placed a hand up on it by your head, leaning in intimately and his warm breath tickled your cheeks.

"Yes, I suppose. But I'm happily married and certainly not looking for trouble or to wreck your own marriage. You must think I'm a very lousy friend," he admitted quietly.

"I think you underestimate me, Doctor," you whispered, nearly a purr, as you moved close and brushed his cheek with your fingers. He tried to speak, but you shushed him and gently removed his glasses, letting them dangle in your grip as you tilted into him, pressing your other hand firmly to his broad chest, squeezing the fabric of his vest.

Footsteps suddenly sounded from the hall outside, so you made it fast, giving Ernest a fast peck on the lips, just in time as then the door briskly yanked open and Robert poked his head in dubiously. You leaned back, still holding the glasses and Lawrence fumbled for them, accidentally interlocking fingers as your husband stared in confused disbelief.

"Y/N? What is the meaning of all this? We have work to do, why are you taking up his time?"

"Oppie, it's fine, we were just..." Ernest paused, readjusting rims of the glasses back on his face and he turned to you, a bit breathless.

"What were we talking about exactly?"

"All your great achievements, including the Nobel Prize, in contributing to the advancement of science, most notably your famous cyclotron and I was inquiring about the exact mechanics of how such a thing works. Something along the lines of high energy particles and acceleration...?"

"Right, because you were going to write to your father, who is curious about it," he caught on, proliferating this cock-and-bull conversation.

"And why do you need to interrupt our work about that? Aren't you supposed to elsewhere?" Robert asked, not hiding annoyance in plain sight. You could feel Ernest staring, gaze locked on you and your stomach butterflied, but you gave a brave face.

"You mean my womanly duties at home?" you snapped back.

"Yes, or however you may call it. Now, we need our physicist back if you'll pardon me." He beckoned Lawrence urgently and the man reluctantly pulled himself away from you, clearly ashamed and flustered. Once he was out of the room, Robert stepped inside and shut the door closed with snap. His face was taunt and irritated, fingers habitually fiddling for the ghost of a cigarette.

"What are you playing at here?" he demanded, already hurt without any explanation.

"Just a follow up to our last meeting," you said causally enough to anger him. He crossed to meet you in two strides, catching your wrist and lifting up your arm, interlacing his fingers very tightly with yours as he spoke lowly, intensively.

"What is the matter, am I not giving you enough? Do I not provide enough for you? You feel an urge to court my best man and colleague all of a sudden because you are bored of your humdrum domesticity? Is that what you love about Los Alamos, the fine selection of like-minded substitutes once you tire of me? Am I not enough?" His voice raised before he caught himself, releasing a shaky breath. He was genuinely upset and you felt rotten, but only for a second. It's not like he was clean in this either.

"Don't be ridiculous. I swear, you always assume the worst of me," you scoffed in response.

"Well, I certainly know a cheat when I see one," he said bitterly, twisting his fingers out of yours and dropping his arm.

"Yes, you would know indeed. But Jesus, Robert, he's only a friend, your friend I might add, and it was only a bit of fun, nothing serious. You said it yourself, it's good for him to loosen up. What else are parties for?"

"Right. Oh, yes, I'm sure that's exactly it," he replied sarcastically.

"He started it, you know, after Richard dared him to kiss me apparently at the party."

"Then I'll be speaking to both of them. But you need to stop it, quit acting so childish and inappropriate over this. You're smarter than this shtick and there is too much at stake to be partaking in silly juvenile romantic games."

"You do realize I'm at least fifteen years younger than you, right? You can't expect me to be, well, whatever it is called to be at your age. Old, is it?" you mocked and normally that would've sounded very rude in any other situation, but he knew your sharp side all too well to take it too seriously, especially when delivered with a teasing smile.

"You couldn't think of a worse slander than 'old'?" he scoffed, unimpressed, and you snorted, tapping the knot of his tie affectionately.

"The point is, I am indeed younger than you."

"So? I have no issue with that and you have proved yourself very capable of co-existence so far, I think you are quite mature for your age actually, at least until now... But I don't think biological age matters in love."

"I was just over eighteen when you began courting me and you used to flirt with your few female physics students that were no older," you reminded him and he diverted his gaze, tapping his foot anxiously and he distractedly flicked out a cigarette from his pocket pack, lighting it in a second and puffing in response. You stepped back from the plume of smoke, glancing towards the window and crossing your arms. He exhaled loudly and jerked his hand to point the cigarette at you and then spoke with ultimatum.

"I don't want to see you enter this laboratory with the intention of unnecessary interruption ever again. I will tell the officers outside to stop and restrain you if you do. Hell, I'll take these matters to the General if I have to, you hear me on that?"

"I certainly do as a matter of fact and I also know for a fact that you'd be wasting his time. Petty marriage squabbles isn't a high priority or forte for a high-ranking military man like him. But as for you, well, now you know what it feels like to be jeopardized over another human being," you countered.

"My ties are very different and I would never think to do it so publicly! I am discreet about such internal, highly private business," he exclaimed, getting frustrated with this discussion and this made you laugh humorlessly.

"Bullshit and you know that. I saw you a week before our wedding walking hand in hand with Jean down Shasta Road and what about that time afterwards when our friends saw you dancing with-"

He quickly talked louder, running over your words heatedly.

"No, no, no. You are just feeding into this ridiculousness and fabricating a relationship that isn't there!"

"Maybe so, but I thought it would be a good lesson, or test, for you and if this is any indicator, you've been bothered. I take heart in that you must love me so that it has unnerved you to see me with another man."

"There was never any doubt that I love you. Christ, if that's what this is all about..." He sighed, rubbing his creased forehead briefly before walking backwards to the door, opening it up and you could hear the dull chatter of voices from the other room.

"Well?" you asked when he didn't do anything, just standing with hands on his hips.

"I want you to do whatever it is that pleasures you, just as long as it doesn't happen to be luring my top physicist and close friend in a back room during the middle of a workday. Have some standard decency for God's sake," he spat, the words stinging, and you crystalized, uncrossing your arms and shaking your head at the hypocrisy.

"I never noticed it until we came here, but Ruth sure has your attention, doesn't she?"

"Pardon?" He blinked.

"You heard me."

"Ruthie has nothing to do with this and how dare you drag her name through your muddled mood today."

"Ruthie?" You rolled your eyes at clear affection underlying his tone.

"Listen to yourself Robert, you have feelings for her, you've always been close."

"She's a very dear friend, one of the few people I can truly confide in and share my emotions with, nothing more," he insisted.

"Am I part of that select number of confidants?"

"Of, of course. Has our entire marriage been for naught? I cannot believe your attitude over this, it's deplorable."

"It must be very nice to be you, Robert. No one here in Los Alamos casts open judgement upon you," you commented bitterly and he cringed, closing his eyes for a brief moment before staring back at you.

"Not yet, anyway," he answered with a tone of cryptic ominousness and you only frowned, shoving past him to exit the building.

A full twenty four hours passed without further incident until you haphazardly ran into Feynman on the street, just the man you were looking for.

"Richard?"

"Yeah?" He stopped and gave you a familiar cocky smile which dropped at the narrowed eyes and serious expression you were giving him.

"Oh, is this about the party? I didn't think he'd even do it, I apologize for our frivolousness that night. Clearly very unacceptable." He cleared his throat awkwardly and you leaned close, speaking in a low murmur.

"Do me a favor?"

"Uh, sure...?"

"I have an assignment for you: Find me a single man - preferably scientist - in this town, anyone remotely attractive will do, but no close friends or direct colleagues of Robert's, it has to be at least second or third tier from his inner circle and single - I'm not crossing into some other woman's territory - and arrange me a date with him in secret. Think of it as an experimental equation: One attempted devoted wife plus one all-but-labeled womanizer husband plus unsuspecting stag. It's time to give someone a taste of his own sweet and sour medicine."

"Oh, you feel like causing a scandal, do you? It won't take a mathematician to see what it'll will add up to." He chuckled in disbelief but then dropped his voice, casting wary glances around at passing residents, or civilians, as everyone who was non-military were officially called.

"Are you quite sure about this?"

"If I let my conscience speak, then no. But if I let every other fiber of my being, then yes. Will you do it?"

"I... I can't, no, this is beneath us," he protested, scratching the back of his neck in discomfort.

"It's one event at a casual party, it's quite another outside... Well, you know. Real tampering with people's lives has consequences and I'm not sure I'm the man for this job, I think if maybe, it-"

"I'll pay you," you interrupted quickly and he quirked an eyebrow and leaned closer.

"How much?" he whispered curiously.

"Twenty?"

"Make it 100 and you've got yourself a deal. I'll do it and you can pay me later at your convenience. Now excuse me, but I have some business elsewhere."

He hurried off and there was no further word until one early morning you came into the kitchen as Robert was dressing his toast and brewing coffee, and you were surprised to see a bouquet of long stemmed red roses on the table. Naturally, you looked to him as his habit of flower gifting was infamous, but he was staring just as confounded as you were. He seemed positively rattled, in fact.

"Did you...?" he asked and you echoed that same question.

"Did you?"

"No, I haven't been flower picking as of late," he replied dryly with a taut closed smile and then it dawned on you. Could it be from the mystery date you'd sent Feynman to set up?

"I'll put them in the living room, shall I? They'll get the strong afternoon light that will illuminate their velvety rouge petals," you expressed and he nodded emotionlessly, turning back to the toast and grabbing the pot of coffee.

Once you were alone in the lounge, you carefully inspected the flowers; they were beautiful and fairly fresh, only one or two were curling at the tips from the heat and as you held it up to admire, there was a small square piece of paper taped on the bottom of the skinny glass vase: It was a thin note, reading of a scrambled code of some sorts. You smirked, knowing it had to be Feynman who did this; he was always writing letters in code to his ailing sweetheart stuck in Albuquerque.

"Y/N, have you seen my badge? It's gone missing!" Robert called anxiously from the kitchen and you quickly tore the note off the bottom and tucked it into your pajamas.

"You probably left it on the dresser," you called back to him absentmindedly.

Once he left for the day, you sat down and worked to crack the code, which wasn't terribly hard considering it was predictable; boiling down to an address, date and time. You'd hoped for a name of the mystery gentleman, but didn't seem to get one.

That evening, you dressed in one of your finest silk dresses, red in color as the roses, and made your way to the bachelor's dormitory on the other side of town. You technically weren't allowed to be transversing around here, especially at this hour, and you cringed at a couple of catcalling whistles from young drunken men loitering outside. You ignored them, hurrying up the stairs to the mystery man's dorm and knocked once. The door opened, almost cautiously, and a decent looking young man stood there, his short brunette hair combed back and he wore a well pressed suit but with a blue tie slightly out of alignment.

"Good evening, Ma'am," he greeted in a pleasant voice and you automatically blushed, staring into his eyes which were a very watered-down literation of Robert's own blues; if his were the ocean, this man's were a lake on a grey skied afternoon and it made you feel a tad sad about doing this. Of course no man's eyes could ever quite compare.

"Hello...?" you trailed off, needing a name to this blind date of yours.

"My name is Anthony, Mrs. Oppenheimer."

"Pleasure to meet you and please, that makes me sound old and tethered. Just call me Y/N."

He nodded, stepping aside and you went inside, closing the door behind you as you surveyed the somewhat neat living quarters consisting of basic furniture and scattered paperwork and magazines.

"I apologize if this is rather awkward, but I take it Richard gave you the details?"

"More or less," Anthony answered and the way he was ogling at you wasn't so much like piece of meat, but out of respect and disbelief that he had actually had a date with the wife of the top dog scientific director of Los Alamos.

"Would you care for a drink? I just have, uh, scotch if that's alright. Probably different from what you're used to," he murmured the last part and you assured him quickly it was alright.

"Yes I would, thank you."

He handed a half filled glass to you gently and you noticed his hands were trembling slightly.

"You don't have to be nervous, I'm really not all that remarkable. I may have my husband's name, but I'm certainly not him, you know. We all bask in the long reaching shade of Oppie, don't we?"

"Right, of course," he chuckled, offering you a seat on the sofa and taking a sip of his own, regarding you impressively.

"Have you ever been with a woman before?" you asked tenderly and he shrugged, still rather timid.

"I was dating a girl back in college but we broke off right before I signed onto the project."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty four," he answered.

"Good, not younger than me; I suppose we are perhaps compatible then in that respect. You don't need to hear my life story, but I was a year in studying medicine at Stanford until this and now I suppose I'm just another housewife at the moment." You sighed, taking a small sip and nodding at him pleasantly.

"So what do you do here, generally? I take it you aren't one of the boys in Oppie's so-called cult?"

"No, I'm an engineer actually. I work in one of the labs, hands on, none of that theoretical bunch."

You nodded approvingly and there was a lapse of silence until he gestured with his glass, sloshing the liquid slightly.

"So I take it you're quite unhappy with... with Dr. Oppenheimer if you wanted to meet with another man?" he asked cautiously, disguising excitement.

"No questions, if you don't mind. I'm not here to talk about him," you replied seriously and he nodded fervently, setting the drink down on the side table.

"Yes, right. I apologize. I guess that doesn't leave much formalities then." He paused, swiping his tongue across his lips.

"I'd like to kiss you if that's not rushing too much," he proposed politely, but with a tone of urgency.

"Go right ahead." You braced as he leaned in, inches from your lips and you shared air for a second before he plunged forward, groping your mouth fast and lightly. But it felt all so wrong. You lightly pulled back, his hands not even holding your face like Robert always did so there wasn't much real intimacy, and glanced to the floor self consciously.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this," you murmured guiltily. Maybe it wasn't even your conscience; maybe he just wasn't the right guy.

"But I thought you wanted it...?" Anthony's brows furrowed in hurt confusion and offense, so you quickly backpedaled.

"Not here, we can't do anything here. How about... Do you want to come over to my home?" you blurted out abruptly and he swallowed.

"But is-isn't your husband home?"

"That's the point."

Gathering courage for the both of you, Anthony then stood and took your hand to walk you to the door, leading you out down to the street level and the two of you walked all the way to Bathtub Row together. You could tell he was in awe of these homes that were larger and much better constructed.

"So this is how the other side lives." Anthony gave a low whistle and you laughed, bumping his side gently.

"Don't worry. We use the same water, electricity, and plumbing as you do, it's just a little more glamorous and I promise you anyone living in Los Alamos to work on the project is not substandard or lower class, even if the military may be rather degrading at times. It's all just a socially constructed hierarchy."

He squeezed your waist affectionately and you led him to the house, telling him to wait by the shrubs as you walked around to peer into the windows to see if Robert was still up, which you'd be surprised if he wasn't, and indeed he was: reclining in an armchair by the fireplace, reading and puffing on his pipe.

You signaled to Anthony to come closer and he crossed the yard to stand by the side of the house, appearing wary. He mouthed 'do you see him?' and you nodded, turning your back to the window and beckoned to him to move close. He carefully did so until he was a few inches from your face and you swallowed at the intimacy, the daring nerve to kiss a man right in front of the windowpanes where your husband sat in the living room.

"Kiss me, but passionately this time, no holding back. Just pretend it's only the two of us, okay?" you whispered and he breathed in, parting lips.

"Is this a dream?" he whispered and you giggled lightly, straddling his body and cupping the back of his neck, hairs bristling your fingers.

"Only if you want it to be, but no telling anyone when you wake up, understand?"

"No one would believe me... I feel as though I'm about to commit a great sin against the Oppenheimer unity, I can't believe I'm going to do this," he admitted with a dark chuckle.

"I can," you breathed and before you knew it, his lips connected to yours and the kiss was actually amazingly passionate indeed for two people who just personally met tonight. You breathed in his musky scent and intertwined tongues, smooshing noses and you felt him push you up against the window, arms embracing you whole and you secretly hoped it would eventually catch Robert's attention. Your intention was just one full kiss, but now this man had you, he seemed reluctant to let go as you began to lean back from his mouth, head lightly conking against the window. Anthony groped your breasts hungrily and you felt his hard-on pressing against your thigh as your bodies rubbed, the kissing becoming sloppier and for a moment, you completely forgot what you'd done this for. A faint yell came from somewhere and Anthony grew more attached, tightening his grasp on your frame, kissing harder and you started to feel a slight wetness in your panties.

"Stop! Get off of her! Please, that's my wife!" Robert's voice called in audible distress and you realized this must look a lot worse than it was, and you had to admit this man was getting a bit rougher as his more primal desire came to fruition and you grunted, turning your head and trying to wriggle out from underneath his locking embrace.

"That's enough, enough," you murmured anxiously, but he wasn't stopping.

"You said this could be my dream, can't ya let me finish first?" Anthony growled in your ear, but you were done, having successfully alarmed your husband. This wasn't meant to go further and quite frankly, you were unnerved how quickly it had escalated. He wasn't quite the shy gentleman scientist anymore once he was aroused, but you supposed these types of adventures did bring out the animalistic behavior in most after all.

Simple souls, Robert had said once of human beings.

Unfortunately, he was now witness to such a 'simple man' about to take you right on the windows of his stone and log cabin style house.

"STOP THAT NOW!" Robert yelled off to the right and you felt Anthony being forcefully tugged away, his arm flailing out and trying to grasp, catching your hair and you winced as he accidentally yanked painfully.

You were suddenly released and you gasped, sidestepping and watching in shock as Robert tried to jump on the man, his belt removed from his waist and gripped tightly in his hands as he wrestled it aggressively around Anthony's neck, constricting with enough force to make him gag and choke.

"Robert, no!" you shouted, rushing forward and attempting to pull him away, but it was as if he were deaf to the wind.

"I demand you to LEAVE my property at once and to NEVER see my wife, or this won't end on civilized terms," he threatened loudly and you'd never seen such a fire in his piercing eyes before. It intrigued and frightened you, considering he was not a brute in any sense. Anthony pleaded through his choking, whimpering pathetically, until Robert finally backed off, snapping the belt and huffing.

The other man stumbled up to his feet and held up his hands in surrender as Robert squinted in the dark, trying to fully identify him.

"I'm terribly apologetic Dr. Oppenheimer, sir, I won't bother you or the Mrs. anymore, I'll be right on my way!"

Anthony ran like a bat out of hell from the property and once it was silent, Robert turned to you with heavy breaths, the belt hanging limply at his side. You took one look and then rushed inside in the house, kicking off your heels in the hallway and dashing into the bedroom, slamming the door, heart pounding a sprint.

Moments later, you heard his clodding footsteps and anxious voice calling out desperately, the door bursting open.

"Jesus Christ, are you alright?" he gasped as you shrunk away from him, still feeling Anthony's hands all over you and the whole guilt imploded, resulting in a sudden overflow of tears.

"Fuck, Robert! It's all my fault, I told Richard Feynman to set us up and I told Anthony to come here as a show to make you jealous and it advanced, I promise he meant no harm, we just wanted-"

"You did this on purpose?" he interrupted, betrayal lighting his features and you wiped messily at the tears streaming down your own.

"Yes! I kissed him on purpose! I wanted to spite you, I'm sorry but I cannot handle this anymore! I wanted to hurt and infuriate you like you do to me with your blatant love of other women! I bribed Richard $100 for a date with a single scientist, I didn't know what I'd get, but I'm glad you saw us together, it is only fair when I have to read love letters to past girlfriends... or are they just current 'friends'?!"

His mouth gaped and the frown lines appeared, creasing his forehead in prudent anger.

"The audacity... I suppose I indeed underestimated you, my sweet Aphrodite," he said lowly, voice a low rumble and despite everything you actually felt a shiver of arousal in your core.

In two strides, he met you at the foot of the bed, grabbing your head in a vice and in a bizarrely dominant twist, pinned you down to the bed, trapping you underneath him and yet you saw the uncertainty flicker. He was pretending to be so dominant, but couldn't take the reins fully.

Oh, Oppie.

"Roll over," you ordered sharply and he did, collapsing onto his back as you unbuttoned his pants and yanked them down hastily, staring at his cock straining against his boxers. You placed your palm on it, teasing him and he moaned softly, shaking his head at the deviousness on your face.

"No, please. Please, let me out, please don't do this, please..."

Begging. He was actually begging. After he just had attacked a man outside and was reeling from your confession, he was here at an embarrassingly burgeoning erection.

"I'm so close that I don't need you inside me, but I think you need a bit more help, is that right?" you whispered condescendingly and he gulped, eyes wide dilated marbles.

"I'm sorry about all of it, I never meant t-to-" he sputtered off as you clapped a hand to his mouth and you straddled his body, legs quivering with anticipation.

His penis grew harder and a clear wet stain bled through the fabric, causing him to squirm underneath you and you smiled, bumping up and grinding against clothed erection. You yelped at the sudden rush of internal pleasure and his hands gripped your dress at the hips, gasping along with your heaves and whines, but he himself was yet to peak. He seemed mortified as you then sat back and placed firm hands down on his crotch, holding his bulge tightly. He groaned, mortified as you wouldn't let him go, and after stretching him out to his limits for too long, a single squeeze brought him to a full climax, absolutely soaking his boxers and he threw his head back on the pillow, reveling in the orgasm.

Panting, you climbed off him and he weakly sat up, holding out a hand with the other on his wet crotch in sheer humiliation. You left the bed, gathering your appearance and catching breath.

"No, don't... Don't leave," he requested desperately from his spot on the bed and you shook your head, tousling hair as you glanced over at him.

"Clean up your own mess, darling," you told him firmly, a metaphor as much as a literal one.

He sighed, swinging legs off the bed and hobbling off to the bathroom as you began to undress, slipping out of the dress and into a bedtime robe.

He came back in, clean but utterly naked, and his dick was still dripping a smidge at the tip.

"You very much ruined a good pair of my underwear," he complained and you merely shrugged, patting the bed as you crawled in and he joined, scooting under the sheets and pulling you close, resting his forehead at yours, speaking in a mutter.

"You just had to stoop low with that male 'catch' of yours, didn't you?"

"That's not very nice, darling. Anthony seemed like a nice man and he's an engineer, I'll have you know."

"He isn't a third of the man I am."

"No one is you, Robert. That's why I went to another man in the first place."

"I truly wanted to suffocate the life out of him, I would have maimed him quite seriously had I lacked control. I haven't thought of doing such a terrible action since my Cambridge episodes, my terrible fits of jealousy... I suppose I expressed protection over you," he mused grimly.

"It's the thought that counts," you commented darkly.

"I can be so impulsive and erratic... You and everyone knows quite well how I was going to poison my tutor; I had injected potassium cyanide in the body of that innocent apple and left it on his desk..."

You remembered it had been Jean who had offhandedly first mentioned this story to you and she had assured you it was only because he was going through a very difficult phase in his life and actually all he needed to feel fulfilled was to just "get laid" as she aptly put it. Funnily enough, 'getting laid' was the least of Robert's problems now.

He took your hand at the moment and grasped too hard, squeezing your fingers, leaning towards you anxiously and speaking urgently.

"Listen, and I mean this very much: Don't ever see another man, I don't think I can do this again without gravely spraining my heart."

"And your enormous ego," you added the obvious with a small smile and he returned it, also giving you a light kiss on the cheek and cuddling in close.

"I love you," he offered gently and you shot him a glance, unable to hide the blushing smirk.

"Touché."

[the-guilty-writer]

Free

Request from anon: hii there if its no problem could you do Hotch x reader (platonically) where she flinches and he pieces togheter that her husband has been (tw) abvsing her so he wants to help her??

Aaron Hotchner x platonic!reader

Summary: You're strong and fearless, but Hotch can see there's more going on under the surface. All he wants is to help set you free.

A/N: Thank you for this request! hopefully it's okay.

CW: suggestions that Hotch grew up in an abusive household, reader is physically, mentally, and finacially abused by her married partner

---

You were smart and strong and fierce. You were one of the last people Aaron Hotchner ever thought he’d need to worry about. When you joined the BAU six months ago even Emily Prentiss was a bit intimidated by your assertive, but never impolite, nature. Your interrogation skills were top-notch, always knowing when to get loud and when to get quiet. You could break an unsub faster than Hotch. You weren’t quite as reckless as Morgan, but from day one you would have taken a bullet for anyone on the team. Reid claimed he could think better when you were there to pull his thoughts apart, asking him if everything really fit. JJ refused to practice hand-to-hand with you. Garcia fully admitted you were the last person she would have wanted to be on the bad side of. Rossi even wanted to train you in hostage negotiation.

But behind that confidence, quick-wit, bravery, and vigor, the BAU unit chief saw something else. There was a look in your eye that when you came into the office, you were relieved, but not in a I-made-it-to-work-on-time way; It was an I-can-relax-a-bit way. For the first couple months he wasn’t sure where he had seen it before, and it was driving him up a wall not being able to remember.

The first time he ever saw you really crack was during a case in New York. Hotch knew that the women on his team were strong- not hesitating to throw punches first and ask questions later if they ever felt uncomfortable with physical contact- so when you flinched away from one of the officers after he had grabbed you by the wrist, he found it odd.

On random days you came in looking far more exhausted than normal. Every once in a while you’d ditch your heels for something a bit more comfortable, accompanied by subtle wincing as you walked. If someone mentioned it, you brushed it off as having worked out too hard the previous day. The bags under your eyes were darker than bags some days. There were times when you wore high-collared shirts despite it being just a bit too warm.

Despite your tough exterior, you were good with families, particularly women. Just like Morgan, you were a protector type, so when victims didn’t feel safe you took it upon yourself to stay with them a little longer to make them feel better. That was, until there was a case which involved multiple battered women. The whole case you were far more quiet than normal and opted to stay at the station rather than go out in the field. When he asked if you would interrogate an unsub with Prentiss by your side, you asked if it would be possible for JJ to do it instead.

That’s when he remembered where he had seen the look before- he had seen it for years growing up. Every time he left the house with his mother and not his father, every time they stayed overnight in a place where his father was far away from them, Aaron’s mother had relaxed just a bit. Just like you did now.

He didn’t bring it up until the night after the team got home from the case. You were the last one in the bullpen, filling out copious amounts of paperwork that had piled up, probably from you being unable to do them at home out of fear. Aaron had his work packed for the night. He was about to go down to your desk and tell you to go home when you walked into his office.

“I finished paperwork up through Monday,” you handed him a stack of files.

“Thank you.” Hotch put the files on his desk. “You should go home now. It’s late.”

“I figured I might stay and try to get through another few files so it’s not as much work this weekend,” you said. If Hotch didn’t have all the evidence stacked in his mind, he almost would have believed you. You were convincing- too convincing. “But you have a goodnight, sir.”

You turned and walked away. Without thinking, Hotch grabbed your wrist lightly. Your face flinched as though you were about to be struck and pulled yourself out of his grasp as if his touch burned your skin. The edge of your sleeve rode up on your arm, revealing bruising that was still fresh.

“S-sorry.” It was the first time he had ever heard you trip over words. His heart broke just a little- the person standing in front of him was someone he didn’t recognize. “I’ll get those files to you by tomorrow, I promise.”

And now you were fawning. People like you didn’t fawn. Who had broken you so badly that you’d had to learn to survive like that?

“(Y/N),” Hotch said gently. “Who is he and what is he holding against you?”

Your eyes filled with tears and he could see that you were struggling not to cry. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hotch sat back down at his desk and gestured for you to take the seat across from him. You did as you were told, your shoulders slightly caved, your spirit looking broken.

“You don’t have to tell me,” he said. “But I want you to know that you can come to me if you need someone safe.”

Now the tears were cascading down your face. Your hands were in your sleeves as you wiped them away, covering any possible marks. “When we got married he went behind my back and put everything in his name,” you said quietly. “My income now even… I can’t use it without him knowing. I have nothing… I’m worth nothing.”

Hotch knew those last three words weren’t just about money- they had been ingrained into you after years of hearing it over and over again, making you feel as though no one else could ever love you and that you were lucky to have the person you had. You let your sleeves out of your grasp and he could clearly see the bruising now- mostly green and yellow with traces of blue and black. He didn’t want to think about what marks were hidden where no one could possibly see them.

“That’s not true,” Hotch said. “You’re worth a lot. You’re worth a lot to the team and the people we save. Since the day you joined the BAU, you’ve dedicated yourself to helping people. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to help you.”

You took in his words and the look in your eye flickered for just a moment- going from a woman who was surviving, to the woman he knew you were; the one that fearlessly challenged death on a daily basis and made the grim reaper pray to live another day.

You hesitated, and then you nodded.

“I have a friend from law school who works a few pro bono cases a year. I’ll call her first thing tomorrow and you can speak to her about your situation. Garcia should be able to switch your income to go to an account where it will be held without him knowing, at least for a few weeks. You won’t have access to the balance until you can officially put your name on it, but it will give you something to fall back on if you have to settle in court. Now, it’s up to you where you stay. You can go home if you’d like, but if you don’t I’d be happy to make up the spare room for as long as you need. If he asks, say that you had to spend the night at the office. I’m more than willing to take the blame,” Hotch finished before taking a deep breath and starting again. “But don’t feel forced to do anything. This is to help set you free, not to trap you in a different cage. Do what you feel comfortable with. You probably haven't had control of your life like this in a long time, so you get to choose what happens.”

You looked down at the bruising on your wrists. Hotch watched, looking for the flicker again- hoping that it would come, that you wouldn’t go back, that you would realize you were worthy of having a good life free from being harmed inside your own home. And it did.

“Then,” you said, taking a deep breath. “I choose to be free.”

[kenslilove]

᯽៰ ͘ ࣭⸰ 𖥔 ͙ࣳ Happy Birthday, Ken

a.n: sorry this is late. Ken’s birthday is on the 10th of may but I wasn’t active then… but I’m active now! And I thought I’d share my first piece of writing with y’all 💖 it’s been a while, so my apologies if this is a little rusty. I hope you enjoy it all the same!

w. fem!reader x draken, mostly fluff, implied NSFW at the end, use of daddy, dom/sub dynamics.

Draken wasn’t one to make a big deal of his birthday. Growing up, he never really had someone to celebrate with, and even when he did, it took him years before he actually told Mikey when his birthday was. It came out randomly in conversation when Mitsuya noticed that Draken’s birthday was the only one they never celebrated altogether.

“It's May 10th”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Chifuyu asked, curious with a cocked brow.

Ken just shrugs. “It’s just a birthday.”

None of the boys seemed to push it. And when his birthday did come around, a few “happy birthdays” were spared, as well as a couple of small gifts that Ken would always say were not necessary, but say thank you anyway.

But, you were a little different. Ken was special. More special than anyone else. And you always made it your goal to make sure he knew just how special he was on his birthday.

—

Ken rolled out of bed at the same time he did every day. When the rising sun started to crack through the blinds and always managed to hit him square in the eye every time. Despite the scowl on his lips and the furrow in his brow, he pulls the covers from himself, leaning over to press a fond kiss to your forehead as he always does.

It makes you stir only the slightest bit, your body now turned and face snuggled into the side of his pillow as if you’re seeking him, even in your sleep.

It makes him smile to himself.

He’s out of bed before thoughts of staying cuddled in bed with you take over. He’s quick in the bathroom, doing his usual routine of using the toilet, slipping on new boxers and sweatpants, washing his face, using your moisturizer, brushing his teeth and finally braiding his hair. It’s something that has become a ritual to Ken, tying off the black braid effectively before heading to the kitchen.

But not before he leaves one more smooch against your cheek.

He opened up the fridge, where the first surprise of the day occurs.

There's a small cake in there, covered in a layer of white cream. With his typical furrowed brow, Ken pulls the platter from the fridge to read the pink icing on top.

Happy Birthday, Lovey!

Hearts, smiley faces, flowers and stars cover up the rest of the surface, and attached to the plate is a heart-shaped sticky note reading:

“Take a piece to work! It’s white chocolate– you’re favourite!! More to come later!”

And your name is signed off with a little heart, as it usually is.

“Goof,” Ken murmurs to himself, and yet, the smile on his face is wide, basically, a full-blown grin as he cuts a piece for himself to add to his usual lunch. He brings the note with him too, just so he can reread it during his break and hear your voice in his head.

Once at work, Ken got his usual birthday hug from Inui, along with a clap on the back that causes bickering between the two for a couple of minutes. The two get settled into their grove quickly, Inui behind the counter shuffling through paperwork while Draken squats before a bike, inspecting its engine now that he’s fixed what seemed to be the problem.

“So, are you going to have a party?”

“Nah,” Ken responds, and it makes Inui’s roll his eyes.

“Sorry, is your girl throwing you a party?”

Ken snorts, shaking his head a little as he tightens a loose bolt. “I dunno, but probably. I tell her every year to quit wasting her time.”

It takes everything in Inui not to smack Draken across the head. Instead, he settles on throwing his pencil at him, which Ken easily evades despite his focus on the bike. “Cut that shit out–”

“Be grateful you’ve got a pretty thing wanting to celebrate you.”

“She is pretty, isn’t she?”

“Ken,” Inui says through a small chuckle, which finally gets him to look up. Inui has a lazy smirk on his lips. “She’s not wasting her time. She’s celebrating you because she loves you.”

Ken looks away from Inui then and doesn’t say a word. He knows, he knows better than anyone just how much you love him. And that's because he loves you just as much, if not more. Ken can feel the tips of his ears heating up, just the slightest bit, and even though Inui drops the topic at that, he can’t help but smile to himself noticing Ken work a little harder, his face gets a little redder.

—-

It’s right after lunch when a delivery is made to the shop, one that has Inui confused momentarily before he realizes exactly what it is. “Ken.” He called out, to which Ken replies by poking his head out from the backroom.

“Got my hands full Sei, what's up?”

“Birthday treat from your girl arrived.” There are only a few seconds between Inui’s declaration before he starts to hear things getting shuffled around quicker in the back. It makes him laugh to himself as he places the brown paper bag down on the front desk.

“Ah? But she already made me a cake this morning, this girl–” He stepped out from the back, a bit of grease on his fingers that he quickly wipes away on his coverall. The brown bag is one he recognized, the label belongs to his and your’s favourite coffee shop. Inside the bag are two drinks. A large black coffee, and a medium caramel latte.

And of course, one of those adorable heart-shaped sticky notes. How you worked it into the delivery bag will forever remain a mystery to the boys.

“Although it isn’t Sei’s birthday, he deserves something sweet.” Ken reads the note out loud, which makes Inui hum in delight, scooping up the drink and sniffing in its sweet scent. It makes Ken scoff playfully, shaking his head as he continues reading. “Drink up, handsome birthday boy. See you when you get home.” The words left Ken’s heart fluttering behind his ribcage.

“You’re so down bad.”

“Shut the hell up,” Ken replied in a gruff tone, with his brows drawn and his lips frowned but he still took a hefty drink of his favourite coffee, still slipped the note into his pocket along with the other note.

He was incredibly down bad.

—

Home time couldn’t come soon enough, so Ken was more than grateful to open the door, being met with the sounds of one of your favourite playlists, and the savoury smell of something downright delicious. It made him sigh in contentment, work bag dropping from his shoulder right in the entrance way.

“Little love”

“Ken!” You appeared before him almost as quickly as the squeal had left your lips. He had braced himself, arms held open wide as you jumped him. Your legs latched around his hips tightly, arms locked around his neck. His large palms cupped your ass, kept you held close to his body as his nose nuzzled gently into the top of your head.

“Hey, babygirl.”

“Happy Birthday, Lovey.” You murmur back to him, the sweet sound only making his heart do flips within his chest. That, and the feeling of your fingertips leaving heart-shaped outlines along the back of his neck.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” He lifts his head and you follow suit. You’re both grinning at one another and Ken caves first, his lips slotting against yours. The kiss is sweet, and much needed on both of your ends. Your palms slowly smooth up the sides of his neck, while Ken’s pulls you in closer, unable to resist the urge to squeeze at the supple flesh of your rear–

“Okay okay birthday boy–” Your words are muffled against his lips, as well as the sweet sounds of your giggling. Ken pulled back, reluctantly, and couldn’t even help but pout as you wiggled your way out of his arms. “We gotta save that for later, okai? Your dinner is almost done!” And there you went scurrying off back into the kitchen.

“Oh is it? What did you make, sunshine? It smells fuckin awesome.” Draken kicks his boots off, following on your tail. It’s only now that he’s able to get a really good look at you, standing before the stove and multiple pans. You wear his apron, which is looped around your waist twice to keep it from falling. Underneath you wear that pretty pink dress he bought you for your last birthday.

Like you knew it was his favourite on you.

“Spicy curry of course, with a side of chicken wings!” You announce proudly, just as Ken loops his arms around you from behind, his chin coming to rest comfortably on the top of your head. “Chicken wings with spicy Thai sauce to be extact–”

“God, I love you.” It's spoken lowly, softly from Ken. He doesn’t let you respond, because he grabs your chin and turns your head, connecting his lips with yours once more. You giggle against his mouth, checks flushed as he pulls back just enough to playfully bump his nose against your own.

Something the two of you had done since you started dating. You can still remember the look of shock and distaste on Ken’s face the first time you did it, and now here he was doing it himself.

“I love you too, handsome.” Ken could have sworn there were little hearts in your eyes as you reply to him, and he wouldn’t want it any other way. “Now sit, sit!! I’m trying to spoil you on your special day.”

“Cookin dinner is enough baby–”

“No no no–” You interrupt him, taking his hand and dragging him to the table. He can’t help the chuckle that leaves him as you sit him down in his usual spot, pressing a kiss to his cheek and then scurrying off to the fridge to pull out his favourite beer. “We haven’t been able to spend the day together because we both worked, so let me spoil you, please Ken?”

“You know what would really spoil me?” He muses, using both palms to pull you into his lap before you have the chance to run off again. Your squeak only makes his grin grow in size, his lips leaving a little trail down the side of your neck, goosebumps forming in their wake. “Having my pretty baby in my lap. That would be a real treat.”

“In due time!” You whine back at him, and although it's so very tempting to just give into him and his sly touches, his wandering lips, you managed to break free, shooting a pout in his direction which makes his grin grow into that shit-eating one you’ve grown so fond of. “But first, want you to eat this dinner I worked so hard on.” The whine that stays in your tone as you start to pull everything from the stove leaves him laughing, cracking open his beer and taking a gulp as you plate the food for him.

Truly, you were too good to him.

“Oh, I’m gunna eat all of it, little love. Fuck I’m starving.”

“Good.” You replied, more than pleased as you set a steaming plate before him. “Eat up, birthday boy.”

You end up caving to half of his desires because rather than sitting in your chair, you sit right in his lap as the two of you have dinner. You chat like you always do, about work, about your days, slipping in laughter between bites and exchanging small kisses when you have the chance. You finish up long before Ken, who makes well on his promise and eats everything you made for him. His last bite of curry has his eyes closing in delight, humming around his fork as his free hand gently massages your thigh.

“That was the best fuckin curry I’ve ever had.”

“You said that on your last birthday!”

“Hmm, and I meant it then too.” He mutters, glancing at you to see a slight flush on your cheeks, a flush that he has grown incredibly fond of. “You know how to make a man happy, little love.”

“Don’t hold your breath.” You say playfully, which earns you an eye roll and a barrage of kisses that get sprinkled all over your face and neck. You start squealing, arching back in an attempt to escape only for one of Ken’s big hands to press up against your spine, pulling you in closer, making his kisses even more sloppy.

He only lets up when you suddenly nibble at his cheek, which would have caught him off guard had he not been very used to you and your affectionate biting by now. Instead, he just laughs, making a one-off joke about how the food must not have been enough if you were already munching on him.

“Alright, m’not done spoiling you lovey.” You announce, hopping from Ken’s lap as soon as his arms loosen up on you. He raises a brow at that, amusement still very much evident in his eyes as you take his hand again, leading him toward the bathroom.

“What’s next, beautiful?”

“You’re gunna take a long, relaxing shower with the new body scrub I bought you.” You announce proudly, pushing the room door open to reveal candles already lit, and fresh fluffy towels waiting to be used.

“Mmm, and you’re joinin me?” Ken questions, eyeing the setup. He notices the new products, and the love you’ve put behind every detail. It was one of the many things about you that made him putty in your hands.

That adorable flush was back on your face, and as a bonus, you even started nibbling on your bottom lip. “I wish lovey. But, I have to finish setting up your other surprises–”

“What could be better than a long, steamy shower with my girl?” Ken’s voice dropped an octave, to the one he knows sends shivers up your spine. He pulls you up against his chest, palm cupping your cheek and thumb rubbing fondly at your bottom lip. “Cause I don’t think nothin’s gunna top that”

The hesitation is evident in your gaze, that and the way Ken can tell just how tempted you are to take his thumb between your two plump lips. He loved that you were wrapped just as tightly around his finger as he was with yours.

But you fought off the temptations with a little pout, pulling from Ken reluctantly and pushing him closer to the shower. “You’re really tempting, you know that mister? But I simply cannot.” You start to tug at his shirt, revealing his abs and it makes him laugh with just how rushed you act suddenly. Probably an attempt at hiding how badly you wanted him. “Now get this butt into the shower, c'mon.”

“Alright alright, you don’t have to strip me.” And although he sighs, he pulls his shirt off the rest of the way. He leans down, lips puckered, and you happily give him a sweet smooch before taking a few steps back. You linger around enough to see him strip down to just his boxers, and he can feel you staring at him without even having to look at you.

You were so damn cute.

“Thought you had things to tend to, little love–”

“I do! I do! See you soon! Enjoy!” The way you babble out your reply and scamper so quickly from the bathroom just has Ken smiling to himself, chuckling lowly. Damn, was ever he lucky to have you.

He does as you tell him, and takes his time in the shower. The warm water feels so nice against his skin, and the new scrub you got him was just as good as you said it would be. It seemed to wash off all his stresses and anxieties from the day, leaving him feeling fresh and light as it washed off his toned body. He made a mental note to use the scrub on you, whenever you let him shower with you next (which in his brain, he wanted sooner rather than later).

He stepped from the shower, steam following suit as he rings the remaining water from his black hair. It's then that his eyes narrow in on another heart-shaped sticky note. Just the sight of it makes his heart beat faster, nibbling on the inside of his cheek as he reaches for it. “Little sneak… didn’t even hear her come back in here.”

He reads over the note, eyes widening a bit as curiosity starts to swarm his brain, clouding his thoughts.

Meet me in the garage, I’m looking for something to ride ♡

“Fuck.” Desire already laces his tone. He’s not one hundred percent sure what his sweet girl has planned for him, but her wording alone has him slipping on his sweats and a black t-shirt that you had so kindly left for him.

He slipped on his sandals to head to the garage, far too impatient to tug his boots on. And what was waiting for him was even better than he could have imagined. It had him stopping dead in his tracks, eyes a bit wide, cock visibly twitching underneath his grey sweats.

There you were, sitting pretty perched on his bike. You were wearing nothing, other than a pair of lacy pink panties, and a matching garter. And course held snug to your neck was your collar, the heart tag with his name dangling and reflecting the dim lights within the garage. You were nibbling on the tip of your finger, flush covering your cheeks and going all the way down to cover your neck and collar bones. Your feet shuffle a bit on the cold floor, legs spreading just a bit to show that the crotch of your panties was already wet, beckoning him forward.

“Hi, Daddy…~” You murmur shyly, and it makes Ken groan. In two strides he’s before you, palms swallowing your waist. He can feel how you shiver when his thumbs brush over your ribs, fingers already trembling slightly as they smooth up his biceps.

“Hello, Little love…” He speaks back, his lips already ghosting over yours, making our head tilt back slightly to meet his gaze as his hands start to smooth up the valley of your stomach, thumb nudging over your already perked and hard nipple. “Look at you…”

“Told you the last surpise would be worth it.” You say, your smile shy and a bit sheepish as your fingers smooth over Ken’s muscles, the little charm hanging from your collar dingling like a sweet bell to Draken’s ears.

“So worth it.” He agrees, keeping his hands on you even as you stand up. Your chest pushes up flush against him, making your breasts swell against him. That alone has Ken’s cock twitching in delight, licking at his bottom lip. His pupils were already starting to dilate as desire started to take over.

“M’gunna ride you… on your ride, Daddy.” Your voice is soft, still shy despite how filthy the context was. Ken made sure to make a mental note to praise you on that later, because he knew just how hard it was for you to put your dirty thoughts into words, and use your words. You were being such a good girl, just for him.

“Mmm, fuck yea you are.” His hands tighten on your hips once more, and to your surprise he hauls you back onto his bike. Your brows furrow in confusion when he kneels between your thighs, his name sitting in question on the tip of your tongue.

But that question quickly gets replaced with a soft gasp as Ken presses a firm, sweet kiss against the crotch of your panties. He even snags the fabric with his teeth, letting snap back against your pussy so he can see you jump a little, hear you squeal, just for him. “But first, Daddy wants his dessert.”

“B-But Daddy” You whine to him, but its a weak whine, your fingers tangling into his still damp hair to help ground yourself as he hooks one of your legs over his shoulder. His fingers tease at the pretty frills on the garter belt, while he leaves soft, open mouthed kisses along your inner thighs. “It’s your birthday… I wanna treat you.”

“And you will.” He reassures, finally pulling your panties to the side to get a look at his favourite gift. Your cute pussy lips are already slicked up, strings of your arousal webbing together even as you flutter and clench for him. “But I need a taste. Okay sweetheart?”

His nose nudges your clit, and you moan in contentment, nodding quickly as your legs lock together over his shoulders. “Okay Daddy…” Before you become too fucked out from his tongue alone, you make sure to murmur to him.

“Happy Birthday, Ken, Happy Brithday, Lovey.”

“Thank you, Little Love.”

PROPERTY OF @KENSLILOVE . DO NOT COPY, PASTE, OR POST ONTO ANY OTHER PLATFORM. REBLOGS, COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED ‼️

[damagedintellect]

Trafalgar Law x reader

💌 Fake it till you make it: Chapter 11  💌  

Summary:  To avoid an arranged marriage set up by Doflamingo, Law needs to bring home a girlfriend during the Christmas break and you just so happen to be a theatre major in the same dorm at One Piece University. What could possibly go wrong?  

Tropes: College AU, Fake Dating, Idiots in love

💌 Word count: 4,843 💌 <= Previous Chapter | Next Chapter =>

Since talking with you, Sabo has been wracking his brain around the strange sense of familiarity he feels with one of the cases Dragon was detailing and your encounter with "Joker". To be honest he hasn't been paying too much attention to the paperwork since being put on the case. As intellectual as Sabo was he would rather let the rest of the group handle the tedious forms while he got straight to work. His associates would understand. He was a man of action after all.

Sabo walked into the office swiftly tipping his hat to some of his fellow students as he made a graceful beeline to his favorite colleague. Koala didn’t notice the blonde sneaking up on her but just as he was about to pounce Koala seemed to have remembered something. She needed a file located in the next room over. Turning around she collided with Sabo with enough force to bring them both to the floor.

"I'm so sorry I didn't see you!"

The blonde only snickered as he teased her “Aw, I missed you too Koala~" He patted her head as she was still sputtering out a string of apologies.

"Oh it's just you," she sighed, grinning. She thought it was someone else. "Never mind I take back everything I just said." She giggled getting off of him before offering a hand. "I thought you didn't have class today?"

Sabo dusted his hat off before answering "I don't but I'm seeing Ivankov later and I wanted to check something with Dragon about the trafficking case." He grinned putting his hat on his head "I think I have a lead on our broker. You wouldn't happen to know their moniker off the top of your head would you?"

Koala sighed again. Go figure Sabo would forget. "Seriously? What's the point of coming to briefings if you're not going to pay attention." She started shuffling through files knowing it would be easier to have him read it on his own time. Meanwhile Sabo tried to defend himself "Everyone knows I'm better as a field agent rather than intelligence analyst. That's why we," he gestured to Koala before he pointed to himself "make a great team."

He never said he couldn't do it. If he really wanted to he definitely could. Sabo is capable of more than he likes to let on. He has patience and a long list of proper etiquette and formal training he just chooses impromptu chaos for the fuck of it. Luffy and Ace weren’t his brothers for nothing. Unfortunately Koala is aware of this fact.

Koala rolls her eyes. Sabo also wasn't wrong. She did like working with him but she wasn't about to admit it. "Just because I'm the only one good enough to clean up your messes doesn't mean we're a good team." She smacked the blonde with a manila folder "I'm just good at my job. Honestly, sometimes it feels like you only want to whack people with a metal pipe."

Sabo laughed awkwardly, taking the file and following her to Dragon's office "I mean you're not wrong but I just have a more hands on approach one would say." He skimmed through the file and sure enough in big bolded letters the word "Joker" was plastered all over the file.

"Ah bingo," he smirked, taking a pause to denote his victory to himself "I might actually have the puzzle piece to blow this case out of the water."

Right before they walked into the room Sabo looked Koala up and down. "Which reminds me, are you free later tonight? I have a side quest I could use some assistance with."

—

Tonight was the big night and everyone involved gathered in the common room one last time before heading to their set battle stations. It was one hour before operation undercover sneak out, two hours before the boys would kidnap Law and three hours before your New Kama Land debut.

You were going to be seen walking back into the dorms after having dinner with Robin. From there you will trade clothes with Koala as Sabo escorted you, "Koala" to your destination. Everyone none the wiser that you had even left the campus. Did you have to jump through this many hoops? Probably not but it was better to be safe than sorry. Doflamingo was already pulling the strings behind the scenes and based on the "joker" incident someone wanted you out of the way. Hopefully tonight you would have the answers you were looking for. You were running out of time and the ideas well was running dry.

After Sabo gave you the signal that the coast was clear you knocked on the back door and Bon Clay ushered you both inside.

"There’s my sweet little candies! And Sabo, now there's a surprise. Did you finally want to try your hand at the night life?" Ivankov winked as they welcomed you to New Kama Land.

Sabo slouched, crossing his arms "Sorry, but the only pole you'll see me swing around is Ole trusty. I'm here on business but (Y/N) has priority." Ivankov gave him a nod turning their attention back to you.

"You must be the little darling Bon-boy has told me so much about! Such an interesting story it has me at the edge of my seat but all is fair in love and war baby." They motioned for you to follow them up a flight of stairs. "And war requires a wardrobe change."

You were taken to the costume room. Ivankov introduced you to Inazuma who didn't say much while they took your measurements before disappearing amongst the costumes. You could hear shuffling and muttering in the distance. They weren't gone long and when they returned they had a handful of outfits along with two different sets of over the knee thigh high boots. You could choose between a pink or a white pair but either way the style of pleaser shoes were called flamingo, oh the irony.

You decided on the white ones to match with the "slutty bride to be" theme that Shachi suggested. You sifted through the pile of costumes picking out a short strapless white frilly negligee that didn't leave a lot to the imagination. The shape reminded you of a shortened version of one of the wedding dresses you saw at the fitting. You would almost say it was princess-esque. Long fingerless satin bridal gloves that connect to a ring on the middle finger were thrown your way, as well as a white laced corset adorn with diamonds, ribbons and pearls. Instead of a veil you were given a white blindfold that looked opaque to the audience despite being see through. Some interesting choices but somehow you made it work. It almost reminded you of something you saw in a video game.

Bon Clay had lent you a pair of eight inch heels to practice in but no amount of practice could make walking down the stairs any less terrifying. You death gripped the railing during your descent back to the green room. You were slightly nervous. You hadn’t done anything like this before. Which isn't to say you hadn't danced in skimpy clothes performing provocatively for an audience, it was just your first time doing so on a pole in shoes that could easily injure you if you're not careful, but who doesn't like a little danger. Law better appreciate the time and energy you put into this or you will kick his ass. Scratch that you were going to kick his ass regardless. He deserved it.

Everyone at New Kama Land was a delight to work with each of them showing you where to make your entrance, how to make your exit and tips and tricks of the trade. If you crash and burn you were told to bite your lip, twirl your hair, and shake your tits or ass, people will forget it ever happened. You were astonished with the amount of positivity you received over your dress rehearsal. It helped put you more at ease over the evening. It was a lot of walking on eggshells and into unknown territory from here on out.

The worst part of all of this was the small voice in the back of your head that continued to tell you none of this will be worth it. That no matter what you do Law would disregard the effort everyone was making to save him because he had too much pride. The headstrong asshole already deserted you without a word. You wish you knew what exactly was going on in his head, you really did. You thought you were getting mixed signals before but now more so than ever. If only he knew how you felt about it. About him. Hopefully he would tonight.

"(Stripper Name), you're on in five!"

You were pulled from your thoughts as Bon Clay gave you your 5 minute call. "Thank you five." You responded warily, deciding to wait side stage, mulling over your relationship. A lot has happened in the span of 2 months but it feels like you've been together for much longer. You don't want it to be the end. You don't want it to end like this and deep down you know Law doesn't either.

—

Law doesn’t like being told what to do. He mentions it often enough but since leaving Dressrosa he's been bored out of his mind. The unwanted Bachelors party will be a nice change of pace. With each day, the wedding approached counting down his last few days of freedom. He didn't want to give up but he's lost all hope. He already lost Corazon and he hasn't been able to shake the eerie feeling that he may never wake up. It was all his fault too and if he was in a better position he would be planning his revenge against Doffy but he has enough on his plate on that front. In addition he fucked himself ten times over with (Y/N) and doubts he has second, or well third chance at this point. Doflamingo has him wrapped around his fingers dancing in the palm of his hand. At this point without any leverage Law would need to perform a miracle, and he's never been one to have that kind of faith.

If anyone could perform a miracle it would be straw hat but he's just as reckless as he is helpful and the odds of him making everything worse is also a possibility, whether the outcome is preferable or not. Law dug his grave pretty deep this time he might as well stop dragging people down with him.

Speaking of dragging people, Shachi and Penguin haven't stopped grinning since they picked Law up. They were currently sitting in the VIP booth at some strip club Law had never heard of. Go figure. Law doesn’t know what he was expecting them to come up with but even this seemed too predictable. He polished off his drink welcoming the burning sensation down his throat. It was going to be a long night he supposed. He didn't really have any interest in the dancers so the only other thing he had was the alcohol.

"Give it up one more time for Usakkov!"

The patrons all cheer wildly as the candie in question takes another bow. "Everyone's favorite honey bunny will now be available for private performances, for those who want a little extra sugar! Just flag us down, any waitress will do, but be careful you're not going to want to miss this next performance, they're a real treat~" The MC winked at the crowd for emphasis. Law thought it was an interesting system. He half wondered if that's why they were sitting in the VIP section; he wouldn't doubt it by the way his two comrades were murmuring to each other. If that was the case he was going to need another drink. Being the center of attention wasn't his thing either, sexual or otherwise.

"Now our next candie is making their New Kama Land debut tonight, and tonight only! Let me set the stage for our Lady in waiting, our very own bride to be (Stripper Name)~" The MC flourished their hands, white petals falling from their fingers as they made their exit. What a strange intro to the next act. "Bride to be?" This had to be what those two knuckleheads planned. Law's suspicions were confirmed but his jaw dropped in utter shock and surprise. He could feel the heat around the collar of his shirt rising to his cheeks. He glared at Shachi and Penguin as they threw him a thumbs up cheering with their drinks in hand.

—

As your song starts you slowly strut on stage making the most of every hip sway before chassing with your arms in a high third to get into your starting pose, gracefully port de braing your arms down for your standard ballet B plus . As you took a breath mostly to calm your nerves, you locked eyes with Law. It was the most emotion you think you've ever seen from him yet he seemed frozen in place. Stunned by shock or fear you couldn't tell.

You start again slowly piqueing into arabesque holding it at ninety degrees before penchéing down. Your stripper heels prevent you from touching the floor as your leg finishes the split in the air. Once again you hold it for a brief moment before relaxing your upper body while pliéing your standing leg, allowing yourself to roll forward landing on your back with one knee up, arms spread out to the side as you arch your back up as much as possible gracefully pulling your upper body leading with your chest. You tilt your head back and breathe in the moment.

You were told the more time you spent doing floor work the less time you'd actually need to spend on the pole. Being a dancer you had a few tricks up your sleeve. You tried your best to choreograph something showy that passes as a typical performance but you didn’t care about specifics as long as Law was watching. You leaned back on your elbow playfully dragging your heels into the air. Changementing them like a little flutter before whacking into a spread eagle. The crowd cheered and whistled at the action however Law still looked frozen in place getting redder by the minute. His brain was probably short circuiting. You rolled your eyes. Who knew the great Trafalgar Law could still be enticed by something like this.

Pitching yourself forward you slowly walk your hands in front of you stretching yourself flat with the floor, sitting in your middle split. You pull your arms back in, leaning into your chest, more so you can shift the weight off your legs. You roll through your middle split. The shoes were gripping the floor more than you would like. To fix this you needed to stick out your ass higher in the air, as much as you could on your tiptoes to help shift the weight enough to allow you to close your legs behind you. You were resting on your elbows presenting yourself nicely in the air. You move to thrust quickly into the floor, only touching it lightly before popping it back up, this time with your knees propping you up, arching your back slightly. You slide one knee at a time into your chest and crawl across the short distance to the pole.

You rolled onto your feet delicately as you finally touched the pole body rolling into it. While flicking your leg behind you, you twirl yourself around the pole. You start off simple with a fan kick, something you do all the time. The only difference now is that you were holding a pole to lift you off the ground. You walk yourself swaying your hips around the pole getting a feel for where you are in the music. You stopped paying attention to the crowd as they shouted for more. You weren’t here for them. You glanced back at Law to make sure he was still watching.

You kick off to get some extra height for an attitude spin and on your third rotation you swing your legs around to sit on the pole stretching your arms out to the side like you were told while giving yourself a little rest. The latex boots were gripping the pole keeping you in place. A fun little life hack you learned about wearing boots versus heels.

What were you thinking?

You transition into another position trying to remember exactly how to grip the pole for the pose you’re thinking of. The world was still spinning but your mind couldn’t help drifting to Law. You don't even know what to say to him. You didn't actually think that far ahead. If you’re being really honest you just wanted to see him. There were too many questions you had and not enough answers that would satisfy you.

You let yourself slide down the pole into a backend. Thrusting your hips up as you body roll a few times before pulling yourself back up. Stepping around the world a few times you mentally sigh. It's times like these when you wish you didn't have to be so extra but Law’s stubbornness didn’t help you either. You still don't know what Doffy said to him to make him cut ties so abruptly. To make him go against everything he was saying from the start.

You close your eyes and feel the pole doing the most basic inversion you remember. Your music will be ending soon; you might as well make the most of it. You bring yourself down stepping through to fall into a back hook. After a few rotations just like earlier you let yourself slide down the pole stopping on your knees in front of Law. You avoid eye contact even though he can't see through your white blindfold. You felt too much looking at his eyes.

You continue your last bit of floor work. You might not understand Law at the moment but maybe you could show him where you stand in all of this. When you finally finish your set draping yourself on the pole you look back to his seat. He was already gone and so were the rest of the crew. You frowned as you walked off stage ignoring the audience's cheers at your performance.

You huff and hit the wall when you get off stage. It was all for nothing, he's already gone. Sabo and Bon Clay praise you for your performance as you give them a weak smile in return. You were surprised that Sabo stayed to watch. You were about to say the mission failed when Ivankov pulled you aside.

"(Stripper name)! You have a request for a private performance." They wink at you as you remembered you're still technically on the clock. Nodding as you're ushered to a private room you pass Shachi and Penguin who give you a thumbs up. That's when you snapped out of your sulk and your heart started hammering in your chest. Ivankov pats your shoulders leaving you to walk in on your own.

The moment you step inside you're pulled in and pushed against the door. Law forcefully kissed you passionately as you gasped into his mouth at the sudden contact. It was dizzying as he deepened the kiss pushing his knee between your legs. You could feel that familiar fire course through your veins, the one that had you melt into him so much so you almost forgot you're supposed to be angry with him. By the time you remembered he pulled away first.

"Do you know how reckless that stunt was (Y/N)! Why are you like this! You’re almost as bad as straw hat-ya" He looked furious but embarrassed at the same time his face was the reddest you've ever seen. He looked hot, you always thought Law became sexier when he was livid. The way he's being assertive and commanding gets you weak but you have to focus. You ripped off your blindfold to get a better view of your target as your hand moved on its own connecting with his cheek. The slap echoed off the walls as you shouted "That's rich coming from you!"

He was too stunned by your actions to realize his cheek stung with a sharp pain. It took him a moment to register what just happened and how he impulsively acted. “I,...” he paused before finally admitting “I deserved that.”

“Damn straight you fucken asshole!” You shouted pushing him away as you started angrily hitting his chest with your balled up fists. Not enough to hurt but to get your point across as you tear up. "Do you even know the lengths I had to go through to be here right now?! You idiot! You leave without a word, avoid me like I didn't exist and you have the audacity to ask me "why, I'm like this?"" You stop your assault falling into his warm embrace. Your heels make you tall enough to rest your head on his shoulder. He grips you tighter, knowing he deserves worse for how he’s treated you. He hates himself for it.

"(Y/N), look I'm sorry I-"

You push him away again a little harder than you meant to causing him to stumble back onto one of the many couches in the room. You were pissed "No, you don’t get to say that! I don't want your apology, I want answers!" You tried to hold them back but with the adrenaline coursing through your veins hot tears streamed down your face as your legs wavered. You didn't realize how much you missed him. You need to take off your shoes before you break your ankle, you don't have the strength to hold yourself up anymore but you stay standing in front of Law waiting for an answer. You see his expression flash through multiple. He was clearly frustrated with the situation and or himself.

He grits his teeth before his expression stays at concern. "I promise I'll explain, just let me help." He sounded defeated but motioned for you to sit beside him.

You sigh, "Help is the last thing I want from you." Despite saying that you sat next to him swinging your legs over his lap as he worked on unfastening the buckles. He was quiet as he collected his thoughts knowing how tense the air between you was.

"That night with Doflamingo and Pudding, when Pudding pulled you into the bathroom he showed me a file. He had Vergo run a background check on you. It had your family history, school records, they found your mother's hospital,"

Your eyes widened as the words left his mouth. He continued "If I kept associating with you he threatened to make your life a living hell starting with the destruction of the hospital." Law put the shoes down pulling you into his lap. He took a moment to wipe away the stray tears from your face before deflating and slumping into the crook of your neck. He couldn't face you anymore, not after what he's put you through. He hated this feeling of vulnerability; it was hard letting people in. Letting people help when he felt so useless. Especially after he's done more harm than good.

"He had me cornered, I didn't know what to do. Every outcome I could think of lead to hurting you in some way shape or form. All I could do was sit and watch." He grit his teeth and took a shaky breath as his usually collected demeanor cracked. "I figured if I got you to hate me it would hurt less and you could move on."

Hearing him sound almost broken softened your standoffish attitude as you slowly wrapped your arms around him. “God fucking damnit, why do you always have to shoulder everything by yourself?” you give into his warmth again. You were a sucker for being held like this, by Law knowing he could use the comfort. You finally felt him relax. You both have to stop ending up like this. Your heart can only take so much but the worst is yet to come.

This is much more complicated than you anticipated. Without a shadow of a doubt Doflamingo was behind the “Joker” incident and with Corazon out of commission for the time being, you had no other affiliations with the Donquixote's outside of being Pudding’s maid of honor. You were at a loss and now you know he has not only your career but your mom held hostage. Great.

Your only ace up your sleeve was the fact that Doflamingo doesn't know the rest of the strawhats are going to the wedding with the Vinesmokes. And even then that's not really an ace up your sleeve, it’s more of a shitty last resort. You know Luffy was not afraid to make a scene. If anyone can manage to stop the wedding it would be him but you can only imagine how bad the collateral damage will be. You'd rather not get too involved, not in front of the public eye anyway. Who knows what kind of a story they’ll twist it to be with your involvement and you need to tread lightly.

You pulled back to look at Law. For the first time in a while you were finally on the same page. "Your hands might be tied but mine aren't." You bit your lip trying to think about it. There must be some angle you can take advantage of “I can’t give up now. There has to be something I can do.” Knowing that Doflamingo has your mother held hostage complicates things on your part. You could care less about your professional career, that was something you could do anywhere but you only have one mother. You sigh, falling back into Law’s neck as he hums.

"You could forgive me." He kissed your neck softly, hoping it was enough to smooth things over. He's not exactly sure where he stands with you in all of this. The most he's sure of is that at least you don't seem like you want to kill him.

Law needs to do better if he wants to be back on your good side. "Yeah I could, but I'm still mad," you paused. You really don't want to fight anymore. "I thought we were supposed to be a power couple. What happened?"

You felt Law hold you closer as he mumbled "Communicating my emotional state is not my strong suit." He doesn't like the squeamish feeling he has admitting his flaws out loud.

You scoffed at him "Communicating, period, is not your strong suit." You melt into the embrace again. You don’t know how much longer you guys have the room for but you were going to make the most of it. This was probably the last time you would be seeing him before the wedding. You stayed like that for a while in silence.

"So where do we go from here?" Law sounded hopeful despite still holding his breath.

You act dumbfounded at the question playing up the fact that you're still a bit cross with him. "What do you mean, "we" right now I don’t see how there is a “we” you’re someone else’s fiance!” you groan playfully shifting to face him again “And having an affair right before the wedding? I didn't know you were so naughty~” you smirked seeing him frown.

Law rolled his eyes. If you wanted to tease him, so be it. "Just kiss your boyfriend already."

You didn't have to be told twice before you connected your lips with his.

—

“That’s all I got so far. I was hoping you would know something we don’t being this close to the action.”

Sabo showed Ivankov the file from Dragon. A lot of things in the underground passed through Ivankov's neck of the woods. It was always convenient having someone on the inside. Joker seemed to be well known for distributing weapons and drugs but they've never been able to pinpoint their suppliers or trade routes.

"Have you heard of Sonrisa?”

Sabo shook his head as Ivankov continued “It started popping up not too long ago. We’re not sure about its origins but it’s one hell of a drug. We managed to intercept a shipment before it left for who knows where. One of our candies was able to trace it back to Kaido’s territory.” Ivankov closed the file. “Given that, your theory might not be all that far fetched.”

“How so?” Sabo had a gut feeling but he would still like to know. They knew Kaido was most likely manufacturing and distributing weaponry across the border but they could never catch the transit in action. Could that be where Joker came in?

“Oh? You don’t know, Sonrisa means smile in Spanish.”

___

Chapter Navigation: [1]  [2]  [3]  [4]  [5]  [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [You are here] [12]

[fair-fae]

Lil real life update~ mostly just incoherent rambles

I’m starting a new job in January. It’s been in the works a crazy long time now but I didn’t mention anything sooner, which I’m glad for because it has taken actually forever and anything that could possibly happen to delay the process did happen :’) But it finally paid off. I’m quitting my current job in December because it’s the only way I’ll be able to get time off to spend Christmas with my family for the first time in years (since it’s “forbidden” for us to request time off October - early January at my current job). It caused some drama with my in-laws who I guess pre-emptively assumed we were doing “Christmas” in January because “that’s what we always do” (yeah because I can’t get any other time off, not for funsies or our personal preference lol????) but whatever, that’s a whole other thing. I have finally escaped the service industry! As someone with no degree and no “marketable skills,” that’s huge lol. And I am very excited. I am little nervous since I don’t know a lot about the job or what to expect. The hours apparently vary wildly--some times of the years we are off, some times will be slow, some it will be super busy and I’ll be working a lot of hours. I’m not really sure how it will go. I don’t really have the spoons to keep up with overtime let alone fulltime work. But like? I already work 30 hours a week at an emotionally, physically, and mentally draining job. I lose two entire days every week of my life to double-shifts that leave me no time for anything but sleep and hygeine. I feel so busy and so drained I can’t even enjoy my time off or do anything with it. So like, could it really be any worse than that? It also involves some travel which I am really excited for! I do kinda wanna scream because things are going to shit with my husband’s job and he’s talking about us moving back to DC/noVA because that’s where the most job opportunities for him are now that I’ve finally got this job that I sunk a year of waiting and endless hours of paperwork into and I am so tired of moving :))))) But w/e we’ll see how things go. I am ignoring that possibility for now and just going to let myself feel excited that I can finally quit this shit job LOL I know I haven’t talked about my real job a lot here. I’m a hostess at a fine dining restaurant which is one of the nicest places in this combination tourist trap + retirement community I have the misfortune of currently residing in. Along with all the usual fun of working in the service industry, most of our regular customers are rich, entitled old people, and then we get a lot of people coming to celebrate special occasions and expecting everything to be ~*perfect*~ and business people having business meals and thinking they are more important than everyone else in the restaurant. It’s kinda horrible and to top it all off, my boss may actually be one of the worst people I have ever met. I know most people hate their bosses and like yeah, I’ve had bad bosses before, but no, this is beyond the stereotype. She incompetent. She is lazy, won’t do shit, only comes in for two “shifts” a week (by which I mean she shows up like three hours into an actual shift) but then tries to micromanage and do nothing but lecture people and refuse to help solve any actual problems or talk with customers wanting to speak with her. Her shitty attitude toward us is not even a “the customer is always right” thing; she is actively horrible to both her employees and even the customers, like almost actively malicious toward our customers who give her their money LOL. We get bad reviews about her and she upsets so many of our customers. She’s a spiteful, racist, xenophobic, Fox-news obsessed piece of MAGA shit who goes on about her shitty political views at the work place to us and bewildered customers alike. She won’t let anyone request time off for anything but she’ll take multiple vacations a year + time off for plastic surgeries and not even have someone available to cover for her in her absence. Oh and she loves to party and drink with her employees who are younger than her own children, get mixed up in all their drama, and bring her relationship drama about who is cheating on who in her marriage (well, former marriage now lol) into the workplace and like. If it weren’t for everyone else still there, I would love to see this entire business blow up in her face, but oh well. Anywho, I’m excited for the new job but definitely nervous. Even if it doesn’t work out, I’m just so relieved I can quit my current job before I actually snap. I’m really looking forward to the future now. Even if that means potentially moving yet again.

[nobodiesheartlessshitblog45]

Call Of Duty Fanfic: Welcome Home

John PriceXMaleOc Part 2: Trigger Warning Gun Violence, War, Blood, Anxiety Attacks and PTSD

Okay here is part 2.

I have been taking my time with his and I have say this had been helping me get back into writing a bit. And I can saftly say I am Call Of Duty Trash. John Price is my husband.

Right next, Aizawa, Gojo and Nanami. and Charles Smith and Arthur Morgan.

The pasta and meatballs with a beautiful bottle of red german wine like being at fancy food at 5 star restaurant.

John was sitting and eating listening to Luka talk about, well, anything.

It didn't matter what.

John just sat across from the small kitchen, a relaxed smile on his face listening to sound Luka's voice, hr took everything detail of his facial expression, and the tone of his tone as speak.

It was music too ears.

Being away from his beloved his husband for 2 long month was always hard on him, and wanted to make it up for all that happen.

John just sat there with soft smile on his face has Luka was going off about the paperwork that he had to get done.

"... I had spend 2 days getting some files updated. 2 days!" Luka snaps. "I swear to god if I have sign another piece of paper I am going lose my shit."

"Heh. That's a shame." said John. "I have loads of paperwork I have when I get back to base, I was hopping you do some of it for me."

He smiles when Luka gave him a glare.

"No."

"Well worth a shote, eh?"

Luka took one last sip of his wine. "Despite how soul sucking the updating the paperwork and failing was: it wasn't." He said. "Creed really saved the day for me. She help with all the rest of the paperwork. So I am basically on top of things.” He is finished his wine and was about to pick his plate and was about to get up John was already too his feet.

“No, no. Let me wash the dishes."

Luka looked up. "Oh, I can wash them. It’s big deal. I can--." He was then cut off when John walked around small table and places his hand onto Luka's.

"Dearest, let me do it."

Luka just blinks and gave him a sweet smile and said: "Alright."

John just smiles and leans in giving his sweet kiss and pick Luka's plate and wine glass and began walking over to the sink.

"What else happen?" he asked, reaching for the dish soap.

"Besides the paperwork… Really nothing. Just same old things."

"Heh. Come now, something must have happen when I was gone for the past 2 months, Pet. Tell me." said John, with a soft smile on his face.

"Um... Okay. I finally finished those two paintings there have been ignoring for weeks, and I through my clutter and clean up art studio."

"Oh. You have show me. What else?"

Luka thought for a moment, began talking about small things here and there, and John just listened taking every dental on what he was saying.

John finally felt more and more relax, and after facing all the horrors that he had face over the past few months, he wanted to feel somewhat human for a bit.

Washing the dishes was a good start and brought him a sense of ease.

However he did still awful about making Luka cry before. After last weeks mission which almost put in his men in bad spot and caused them their lives, making Luka worry too death.

He hated that put so much stress and pain on him. John wanted to make it up to him someone.

"Oh, I nearly forgot." said Luka, standing up. "Laswell and I did meet up about the New recruit from America. Bryce Green." said Luka.

"How is he so far?" asked John.

Luka made annoyed face. "He's an asshole."

John places the last plate onto the rack and turns to look him. "How so?"

"Ahhhh, just some young punk who thinks he's hot shit. I have been helping out training some of the newer recruits, and he's been trying to tell how to do my job. He was recently promoted to Lieutenant before he came to U.K. And he thinks he can call the shots. Pfff ! Jerk…”

John just looked at him, and asked: "Has he been rude to you?"

"Well. yeah. But really he's not the first person to be rube too me. Not a big deal."

John now ever serious said: “If someone is being rube too you, Love, it is a very big deal."

"John, sweetheart, it's really not." said Luka standing up, and walking over to him. "And you really think I'm going to let some idiot get the best me."

"Heheh. No, never." John amused.

"Good." Luka grins and leaning giving him a sweet kiss. John wraps his arms around him, pulling him closer.

After a few moments, they pulled away and Luka said:

"Alright. Now that we are both happy and red, why don't you grab a shower and we both can get ready for bed."

"And if I do so, would you be joining me~?" asked John, with a bit of smirk on his face.

"I-I, um..." Luka stemmed, his a bit red. "I-I... could. I-If you want me too."

"Oh, I do, Dearest.~." John whispers. "And it's an order~."

Before Luka knew it he was swept up off his feet and was hoisted over John's shoulder.

"J-John!?" Luka snapped his face beat red.

"Right then. Let's a have a shower." John said, brightly patting Luka's backside.

"H-Hey! C'mon, you idiot! Put me down! J-John!"

John just humming to himself as he was carrying Luka, who gave up, and the began making their way up the stairs.

After a whole a John came walking of the bathroom, a towel warped around his middle. He walked across the master bedroom, to his dresser.

As he opens it and was pulling a pair of sweat past and night shirt, Luka came walking out fully clothed and drying his hair with a towel.

"I'll head to shop in the morning." said John.

"I can do it." said Luka.

"Hahah. I insist, Luka." John amused putting on plain white shirt. "Plus I need to pick my cigars. I ran out my favorite brand a few days ago. So it's no problem." He turns to him. "After I'll take you out to dinner too that nice restaurant you fancy so much."

Luka was about say something, then stopped and looked at John. He realize the dark circles under his eyes. Luka didn't notice how exhausted John looked.

Luka starred at him. John watched with for a few moments.

"Something wrong, Pet?"

"... You... just tied." said Luka, walking over and placing his on the side of his face. "I mean really tied."

John felt his chest cliched. "... Is that advice?"

"Yeah..." said Luka. "Look, John... I want you take easy."

"Haha. I am." John said, with a smile on his face. "I've been taking it easy since I got home. I'm fine."

Sighing Luka said: "John, look at me." He places both his hands over his face. "... It's just me. Sweetheart, okay? It's only me."

John's eyes widen as his blue eyes looked into those handsome brown eyes.

"You know you don't have it from me... You know that."

John felt his lips quivering when he heard Luka say that. Without saying a word, he pulled him into arms. Luka wraps his arms wrap John, rubbing the back his head.

The two said nothing for a while.

John rested his forehead against Luka's letting a shallow breath, he was breathing heavily.

"... I would go absolutely mad if I didn't have you."

Luka just smiles, and gave him a kiss.

"C'mon. Let's get some sleep."

John just gives a sweet smile and nods. "Roger that."

"Honey, no soldier talk when you're home."

"Roger that, dear."

Luka just gives John an annoyed expression, who just him a soft amused expression, then two began getting for bed.

As soon as John's body hit the mattress it suddenly hit him all at once. His body felt more heavier than he remember. It was everything that happen over the past 2 months had finally weighted down on to him. He could not remember the last he felt this.

He lets out low groans has he felt himself skinning into the bed.

Luka laid down right next to John, and pulled the blankets over him. John lets out long huge yawn rubs his eyes.

"Bloody hell... I-I didn't realize how tied I really am..." He lets another yawn and reached his arms out too Luka. "Come here."

Luka smiles, and cuddles up next to John resting his head on his chest. As he did that John wraps his arm around him, taking his left hand into his and gently kissing his knuckles.

"I have truly missed this." John said, softly.

"Me too."

"And... Luka, darling, about earlier... I-I'm sorry if I made you cry."

"... N-no, John, sweetheart... You didn't anything." said Luka. "Let's forget about it and sleep, okay?"

John just hums.

"I love you, John."

John felt his eyes welling up with tears, when Luka said.

How can one person be good too someone like him?

"I-I... love you too, Luka. I love you so much."

John just held him closer, at and the two stayed like that until they both feel asleep.

The sounds of gun shots and people shouting could be heard in his skull. It could see that he standing behind all, as bullets were wizzing past.

He could sound of his men yelling over the radios, and sound of explosions and the walls and building caving all around, the sound yells and shouts of his men began too fading in the background.

John eyes snapped open.

His version was blurry at first and his was breathing heavily as felt his heart his beating against his chest. John eyes wonder and fell onto Luka's peacefully sleeping form, and he felt himself calm down.

John's lets out a sigh of relief. As he took a few moments trying to calm himself a bit. He lifted up right hand and looked at his watch.

It read 1:45 am

"Shit..." John thought, letting right arm slowly fall onto face cover. "... Another fucking nightmare."

He didn't move for after a moment, and tried to go back too sleep but after sometime he couldn't.

Letting out a defeat sigh, John thought about getting some paperwork before he had to go into the base

He slowly and gently as possible got up from bed. As soon he moved Luka lets out a groan and slowly sat up a bit.

"Huh...? What...'s happening...?"

"Shhhhhh. It's just me, Pet. Just going to use the toilet." said John, sweetly.

Luka just nodded and lays back down. "... 'kay, hon. ..." He lays down. "J-Just wash your hands after you're done..."

"Hahahah. I will." said John, with a chuckle.

He sat there, looking down at Luka's peacefully face. John reached out and brushed the bits of hair and just looked at him.

He could not understand. He never understood how a bloke like him ended up with man like Luka.

Too John he was a man among men.

Brave, Selfless, Kind.

A man who can stand his sound ground and can fight back when he needs to.

A true gentleman.

John smiles slowly at down a Luka, and slowly leans down and places a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Be right back, Love."

He slowly stood from the bed and walked out the bed.

The next morning, Luka was began waking up. He didn't open his eyes at first, but slowly shifted under the covers has he was reaching out for John.

"Morning, honey." He tried feeling for him, but John wasn't lying next him. Now slowly sitting up and rubbing the sleep out his eyes and Luka looked down at the empty spot that right next him.

"... Hmmm... Guses went the store..."

Luka not thinking too much about it, Luka lets out a big sleepy yawn, and pulled the covers off of him.

The bedroom was slightly dark, and wanting to get some sunlight began making his over way too the large square bedroom window that on his side and began pulling back the curtains.

The window looked out to the backyard that had large old stone fence, where small garden bed where there flower bed. Luka looked out, and saw that it didn't snow that much, thankfully, and after few moments he began walking too the bathroom to get ready for the day.

He brushed his teeth and wanted to shave the bit of stubble from his face after cleaning himself a bit, he began walking the dresser where he had left his too charge for the night, and check too see the time.

It was about 8:48 am, and he did see that John had left a text.

*Headed to shop.*

*Won't belong long.

*John*

He was read the text while walking down the walking down the stairs. He began reaching the bottom and walked down the the way that at the end where the kitchen was.

He could someone talking, and can sleep fresh bacon in. Thinking that John had just come home from the store, Luka lets out another yawn and said:

"Morning, babe. Hope you sleep well."

"Well, yes, I did, Sweetumts." said male voice.

This caught Luka off guard, and looked there Kyle Garrick, was standing in front the stove making stable eggs and bacon, he loved over at Luka and gave him grin.

"Oh... Kyle. I didn't expect to see you here." said Luka, then looks at the kitchen table and there sitting was Ghost. He had his mask but was lifted showing his chin and mouth.

He picked up a hot cup of tea and took a sip.

"And Ghost, too. Hey." said Luka, with smile small smile.

Ghost just looks up and nods.

Just then someone came right up behind Luka and said: "Ah! 'here he is. Mornin', Lu."

"AAGH! S-Soap, hello. Good morning." said Luka, turning Johnny MacTavish. "Good too see you."

"Aw, c'mere," said Johnny, and pulled the older man into a hug. "Grea' to see yae, old man."

"Haha. You too, you dumpass." Luka amused, and hugged him back.

As the two broke away Kyle turns his head to Ghost. "Oy, Ghost, mind takin’ over cookin’ for me?"

"Sure." said Ghost, who stood up and walking over to the stove, has Kyle rushed over to Luka. Johnny stepped a side has Kyle hugged Luka.

"I'm glad you too see all of you." said Luka said, hugging Kyle tightly. "Are... you guys doing, okay? After... You know?"

"We're good, mate." said Kyle, pulling away. When he did Luka saw the Kyle had pretty large bandage on the right side of his.

"Woah, Kyle, what happen?" asked Luka, a bit worried, pointing at the bandage.

"Oh, this?" said Kyle, placing a hand over head. "It's just a few stitches from that last mission we head last week. But don't worry, it's healin’.”

"How... How many stitches did you get?"

"5."

“Hm… That… hat's not so bad. Still I think you should Dr. Jones at some point"

Kyle smiles and: "Yes sir."

Luka clears his throat and looks around the room. "Well, since you guys are here, I should at least put on something a little more put together..." He looks down at his PJ's witch was black t-shirt and sweats.

"At least you're not just tighty-whities," said Ghost, the looks at Johhny.

Johnny scoffed. "What are yea implyin', L.T.?

"Ghost is implyin’ too put on a fuckin’ pants, Soap." said Kyle, turning his whole. "No one wants too see you walkin’ around your nothin’ but your underwear."

"What's this 'bout?! A man need to let himself breath down there. Ya lads should understand better anyone!.

"... Y-Yeah, you do have point, Soap, but still I would be caught dead in just my underwear and nothing else." said Luka.

"Oh, Lu, c'mon, lad. No need to feel shame." said Johnny.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!" Snapped Luka, and place over face. "My god... It's too early for this. I'm … going to get dress…”

And he walks over the kitchen.

After a few a bit Luka came walking back downstairs, with dark blue shirt and jeans. As he reach the finally he saw Ghost standing at the bottom.

“Something you need, Ghost?”

“Y-Yeah, been meanin’ to ask.” Ghost said, looking at the kitchen making sure no one was listening. "How has Ellie been when I’ve been away?”

Luka paused at first: "She's fine. She was... emotioanl wreck last when you guess went missing. Hell we both were."

Ghost didn’t say anything just looked at him,

Ghost was looking at him, and lowers his head. "Fuck…” he places his over face.

“Whoa! Hey, hey, Ghost.,” Luka reached and places a hand over shoulder. “It’s okay. She's okay, mostly you and rest of the guys are okay.” He gives Ghost a smile. “That all that matter.”

"R-Righ'." said Ghost, sighing softly. "Sorry. Jus’ needed to ask…”

"Hey, hey. Don't be. I understand." Luka smiles.

"Heh. Thanks, Lu."

"Anytime."

"Oy, breakfast is ready!" called from the kitchen.

"I could 'ave 'elp cook, ya know." said Soap.

"No way in bloody hell I would let you near a stove again."

"Oh, god. Not this again, Gaz."

"Mate, almost bunrt the base kitchen. Twice."

“Be right there!” Luka called and looked at Ghost. “You wanna join us?" asked Luka.

"No thanks. Goin' for a walk." said Ghost.

"Alright." Luka smiles at him, know he was going to see Ellie. He then walk Ghost to door, and open for him. John was walking up the the path way with a few bags in a hand.

He looked up and saw Ghost walking down the pathway.

"You're leaving already?"

"Need to check on somethin'." said Ghost.

John just shrugged. "Enjoy your day off." And he took the grocery bags into the house.

[boundinparchment]

Of Blood and Sparks - IX

Karina Alexandre of Fontaine lost her position, her family, and her Archon's favor. A dead Electro Vision is her mark of guilt. A reminder to never fail again. Faith shattered, and suspicious of the Fatui, she eventually makes her way to Liyue, where she encounters a certain funeral parlor consultant. Little does she know it's only the beginning. Original character centric; eventual Zhongli/OC. Posted originally at @chevalier-of-fontaine. ArchiveOfOurOwn || FF.net || Karina's profile

Karina ran her usual errands and was surprised when a stack of letters and a package bearing her name were included in her latest run to the post, all stamped from Mondstadt.  She was promptly reminded to update her address (something she thought was already done) and handed forms on top of everything else.

Liyue, the city of contracts.  Liyue, the city of eternal paperwork.

The form required verification from employer and landlord, apparently.

At least it hadn’t been as bad as the forms the legal advisor, Yanfei, pushed her way when Jun Lei filed the employment requirements.

Some things were universal, she supposed.  Fontaine was notorious for its files and records of incidents and cases.  Karina was certain that the military archives alone would have been enough to fill the Jade Palace that floated above the harbor.

Juggling packages, Karina flicked through the envelopes, her eyes constantly darting between the path ahead and the handwriting in front of her.

Diluc, Eula, Jean (with a scribble from Klee), Albedo, Lisa…

The package was labeled from Lisa as well.  Interesting.  

Some envelopes were thicker than others to boot, which was to be expected.  Formality, she supposed, dictated reaching out.  She had, after all, left without much of a word to anyone else.  It had been easier that way.

Karina arrived back at the shop, dropped off the appropriate things, and headed next door to wait for Zhongli.  She took a seat outside in the back and began unwrapping Lisa’s package first.

The note was short, offering reading material Karina might find interesting with an extended loan period, provided the books were brought back in one piece on her next visit back to Mondstadt.  The signature of the Librarian of Mondstadt was followed by a line about how shocking the fines would be otherwise.   Surprising, for Lisa, but Karina had proven she not only took care of the books but returned them well before her deadline.  The former soldier glanced at the titles; Rex Incognito, Yakshas: The Guardian Adepti , and a few other titles she recognized from home, including one about spinning straw into gold.

Something she thought possible as a child, if she tried hard enough.

Lisa’s letter elaborated on the choices, as well as reiterating the rumors that Karina was already beginning to hear circulated in Liyue.  The Electro Archon hadn’t issued a new Vision for anyone in some time and actually seemed to have stopped giving out Visions entirely.  Words of new laws and practices were swirling, merchants now needed more paperwork than before just to get their goods to and from Inazuma.  To say nothing of the perpetual storm that seemed to linger…

Albedo’s missive was similar, although more technical.  He couldn’t recreate the conditions under which she lost her Vision, of course, but he also couldn’t seem to pinpoint the source of her lack of power and darkened Vision.  It wasn’t clear, not in the way a masterless Vision was; under the right light, Karina could still see the deep purple.  According to Albedo, her Vision was a contradiction of itself.

She cracked Eula’s envelope open when her tea arrived.  The aristocratic pariah just returned from a long excursion to the Chasm, on the edges of Liyue.  Treasure Hoarders had taken root, as had Hilichurls and Fatui, and the disturbances in the area required the work of multiple nations to keep the peace.  But even then, the area was too dangerous to send too many scouts.  Despite the usual nonsense, Eula seemed happy to be back, although she mentioned Karina would pay dearly for leaving without sending her an update.

Karina smiled.  A bed to rest in, some drinks, and a long, long catch-up session would ease the other woman’s annoyance easily enough.

Diluc’s letter was, by far, the longest, but only because it was encoded and contained more information than the others.  A recent Abyss attack, Fatui presence in Mondstadt again (this time, it was Pantalone, who booked the Goth Hotel until further notice), under the guise of diplomacy.  A scoff escaped her lips.  It was diplomacy last time too, and it resulted in Diluc getting captured,  Dottore’s assistant turning into a robot, and a scholar from Sumeru coming in to whisk a wandering child, Collei, to safety.

She was halfway through Diluc’s retelling of a recent incident at Angel’s Share involving Kaeya, Rosaria, a dart board, and way too much wine, when Zhongli arrived, later than usual.

That wasn’t like him.

Karina smiled, greeting him before skimming the rest of the letter and tucking it away.  Not only was some of the content sensitive, it would be rude to not give her full undivided attention to her morning companion.

Zhongli’s smile seemed to be weaker than usual.  It was hard to tell.  His visage was usually stoic but she liked to think she could spot the difference between that gesture.  Perhaps it was arrogant of her to assume as such.  But it hurt when his smile didn’t entirely reach his amber eyes, which looked just a little too distant this morning.

Although he appeared to be enjoying his tea as usual, Karina spotted Zhonglil’s gaze falling to the books and letters she set aside, his unoccupied hand clenching and then unclenching.  He was unsettled but when he cast another smile her way, truer than before, she swallowed her desire to ask if he was okay.  Zhongli’s affinity to Geo was no surprise, she supposed, given his expression was usually stoic, as it was now.

“I am happy to see that you have people elsewhere who think of you,” he said, as if sensing her silent question.

Karina gave a sardonic smile and held up Diluc’s letter.  “The situation for some is a bit more complicated but I’m happy to hear from them nonetheless.”

It was true.  After she’d settled in, she and Diluc had dinner, before he promptly took his leave to head back to Mondstadt, following a lead along the way.  She had not heard from him since.  It was easier that way.  Better that way.

“What about this particular individual makes it complicated?” Zhongli asked.  “Judging from the number of pages, one would assume either a long-time friend or a distant lover.”

Karina tried to not let her cheeks flush at his use of the word.  It was apt at one time.  And coming from his tongue, her mind saw fit to throw together bold words asking if he had someone.  She pushed them back down and willed her lips to form other words.

“Previous lover would be appropriate, I suppose.  He was an employer of a sort first and foremost, although I suppose we’re still friends.  He’s...of a certain standing and ultimately we weren’t good for each other.  We remain in contact out of…some semblance of respect, I suppose…”

“I see.”

Did he?  Because Karina swore the grip on his tea cup tightened every second until she said that.

This wouldn’t do.  Not only was he slightly off-schedule, his mind seemed elsewhere.  Usually, he was loquacious, elegantly so, but as the sun came out from behind a cloud just right , she could see the knit in his brow, gentle eyes narrowed ever so slightly more than they normally would be, the slight tick in his jaw, as if he was trying not to clench.

Carefully, Karina placed her tea cup down, and said, “Is something wrong, Zhongli?”

She watched as the mask he usually wore slipped in place again; his brow relaxing, his gaze attentive, and his smile reaching his eyes in the way that threatened to melt her heart, her very being.

“Forgive me, Karina.  My mind is clouded today.  I am glad to hear your friends are well.  What books did they send to you?”

She presented the books without much fanfare but hastily hid one of them when she realized what, exactly , the librarian had sent her.  Zhongli didn’t need to know she owned a romance novel, especially one marked with a red stripe on the spine, which was universally known throughout Teyvat as the mark for adult content.  She had needs, too.

If he noticed, he didn’t say anything about it.  Instead, gloved fingers ran over the spine of Rex Incognito, a fond smile crossing his lips.

“Cruel of your friend to only send the first book of the series,” Zhongli murmured.  “A good choice, however, given that you arrived after the Latern Rite, and missed the Rite of Descension.  You will, no doubt, be well-versed by the time next year comes around.”

Zhongli placed the title back on the stack, squaring the corners so the books were neatly aligned.

“You may be able to find copies of the rest over at Wanwen Bookhouse, above the Feiyun Commerce Guild,” he supplied.  “Although I do not think I need to tell you that many of the tales of Rex Lapis have been...embellished over the years.”

“History tends to do that,” Karina replied, eyes falling to her own cup, full of a strong black tea that lingered too long on her tongue.  

He hummed in agreement but didn’t speak until she looked up again.  “Then it should be corrected, if only for those who seek the truth within it.”

In this light, his eyes were less gold and more amber, more earthen.  How had she missed that?  The subtlety was astounding but now that she was aware of it.  She could only think of the translucent orange fragments in which parts of the physical past were trapped in perpetuity.  A piece of history forever inlaid in tones of orange and ochre, cherry and cognac, and even moss, depending on its origin point.

The steadiness of his gaze and words provided what the letters from her friends did not.  

She smiled and finished her tea.  As she gathered her things, she tried to ignore the deep-seated ache that reached from her heart to her toes.  If she suffered as she did, what could possibly have happened to someone like Zhongli for him to understand? 

____________________

Wanwen Bookhouse did, in fact, have the remaining series of Rex Incognito.  And Karina spent what free time she had reading the texts.  

Zhongli indulged her, on occasion, when she asked about the Archon.  The tales were so different from what she grew up with and  what she knew from a nation who transitioned through Archons.  If Rex Lapis took on multiple forms and walked among the people, as the story depicted, why would there be a Rite of Descension?  Wouldn’t most people assume, if they took the story seriously (and given it was about their god , why wouldn’t they?), that anyone and everyone could in fact be their Archon?

To which he responded that, while they were fables, it was why the people of Liyue were so exacting with their laws and contracts.  Anyone who broke them could, in fact, be facing the wrath of their Archon.  The timber of his voice and the flash in his amber eyes spoke volumes in themselves.

Sometimes, especially when it came to story-telling with a captivated audience, at the end, Karina would overhear debates over whether Rex Lapis did this, or that, or the order of events was incorrect.

All the while, she followed the measurements she owned to their decimal point and listened intently when Jun Lei taught her the way fabric should fall for traditional Liyue garments, how the layers spoke to and played off of one another.

Her employer didn’t ask why Karina was interested in learning about hanfu but considering how quickly she churned out an impeccable suit, Karina was certain Jun Lei suspected .  The less anyone knew about it, the better.  Which was why she’d squirreled away the fabric she purchased and draped an extra bed sheet over the mannequin in her apartment.  

During Zhongli’s final fitting, she found her mind wandering to the fabric she picked, a subtle pattern of a dragon’s scales in the color of a perpetually golden forest.  She’d based the rest of the palette around it, earthy browns and deep blacks, accented with gold and ochre and amber.

Amber eyes met hers in the mirror after Zhongli inspected the fit and the fabric.  She’d found a tie clip, small but striking, inlaid with amber, and included it with the tie she picked out to match the outfit.

The squaring of his shoulders and his praise for her work told her everything else she needed to know.  It was one thing to have a client happy; it was another to have Zhongli happy.

Prioritizing his request meant rearranging the list of projects but Karina was glad she did.  The setback was worth it.

Upon seeing the finished product, Jun Lei said, “You have a keen eye, the amber pulled everything together.”  

Her employer’s words lilted with pride and it took everything for Karina to keep her pride in check.  

After settling his bill, Karina set to work on wrapping up the suit, the hammering in her heart impossible to ignore.  It meant more to her than she wanted to admit that he was happy with what she created for him.  And for the first time in a while, she was perhaps even something close to content.  It was a little bit of a lie to say she was merely content but her heart could not lead, not this time.

As she draped the tie around the shirt’s collar, Zhongli asked, “Would you care to join me for dinner this evening?”

Karina blinked, processing his words for a moment.  Zhongli gestured to the garment bag she was packing away.  

“I will be gone from Liyue for time, on business for Director Hu, and I would like to thank you for your hard work before I go.”

Oh.

She was thankful for her military training.  It kept her from screwing up her face too much.  She shouldn’t be disappointed in his reasoning; it mirrored her own.

“Your appreciation and happiness are more than enough,” Karina replied quietly.  She looked up to find him poised to interject and she continued,  “But if you insist, dinner sounds great.”

She offered the garment bag to him and hoped he couldn’t feel her pulse throbbing from how hard her heart was pounding when their fingers brushed in the exchange.

“I have a table reserved at Liuli Pavilion.  How does seven sound?”

“Seven’s perfect.”

She finally released a breath when the door closed and she could no longer see his silhouette through the frosted windows.  

Frustration claws at her; he didn’t need an excuse to ask if she was free, it was hardly the first time they had dinner together.  And while he was usually formal, this seemed...different, for him.  In fact, he’d seemed a bit different ever since the other morning.

She would at least get to see him one more time before he left.  Before her mornings became entirely her own again...

Wait...amber...she’d picked amber for the tie clip.  The incarnations Rex Lapis took always seemed to have…

It wasn’t exactly a common color.

But assumptions were rude.

“The funeral consultant, huh?  Well, I suppose you could do far, far worse.”

Karina’s stomach sank to her feet, her heartbeat almost stopping in its tracks.  Her employer overheard all of that and heat crept up her neck.

“Luili Pavilion is not a place for just a thank you, not with their dress code.”  Jen Lei said, leaning against the wall at the top of the small set of stairs, her eyes on the door before they fell onto Karina.  “Am I correct in guessing you don’t exactly have evening wear?”

The soldier-turned-tailor felt her cheeks grow hotter and her employer laughed.

“What kind of tailor shop would we be without a stock of customizable ready-to-wear?  Come up when you’re finished with the ledger.”

[thessalian]

Thess vs Introductions

So apparently I have new people following this mishegoss. Hi, new people. Welcome to Thess vs the World. There’s beanbag chairs and hot drinks. Now. Quick overview of what you’re in for in the form of a sort of “This Is Me” post.

Femme nonbinary panromantic asexual. I’m fine with ‘she’ for the paperwork but my gender is functionally ‘eh, whatever’. I am aggressively sex-positive for other people in that I want everyone who wants it to have it safely, consensually, and with as much enjoyment as possible, but for me personally it’s a big ol’ nope.

Following on from that, I truly believe that homophobes, biphobes, transphobes etc are the world’s biggest hypocrites in that they seem to keep saying that the LGBTQIA+ community is degenerate and sick and deviant but they’re the ones who have a truly unhealthy interest in the contents of people’s pants and what people choose to consensually do with the contents of said pants. So who’s the weirdo now, bigots?

On the subject of bigotry: race is complicated. I do not feel that people should be judged solely by the colour of their skin. However, the “I don’t see colour” bullshit is just as damaging, because it erases so much, not only in terms of accountability for centuries of oppression but also centuries of unique and beautiful culture, which deserves respect instead of the appropriation it so often gets. Basically I believe in a combination of equality and equity, where we try to aim for a world where everyone’s cultural and racial backgrounds are accepted and respected but not judged. On a related note, fuck the monoculture.

Billionaires should not exist. Full stop. End of statement. If you’ve made more than ... I’ll be generous and say five million ... you get a plaque that says “I Won Capitalism” and everything else you make from that point on gets funnelled into initiatives like universal basic income, universal healthcare, free public transport and civic and national infrastructure. Honestly, the global economy is currently this bit of magical-thinking bullshit with no grounding in anything like reality, balancing the books by treating human beings like things - and not even the most important things to keep the business going, which they blatantly are.

Disabled people’s lives are hard enough without them being told that they don’t look or act ‘disabled enough’ to be worth even sympathy, never mind aid. Disbled people are not your inspiration porn. As a reminder: “survival of the fittest” is about survival on a species level, not an individual member of said species’ level, and human beings wouldn’t have survived long enough to use our thumbs and forebrains to climb to the top of the food chain if we hadn’t helped each other do so. If we can find fossils of prehistoric people who lived decades after a debilitating injury because they were cared for by their communities, why can’t we do the same now?

The arts need to be valued for more than just their material worth. Everyone who produces something that entertains people should have enough to live on. Degrees in art, literature, theatre, game design etc are not “wastes of time” or “hobby degrees”, and deserve the same respect as any other degree. After all, how empty would our lives be without the people who provide our entertainment? How drab would our lives be without the people who provide our art? PAY YOUR ARTISTS, AND LET THEM LEARN THEIR TRADE WITHOUT MOCKING THEIR ‘HOBBY DEGREE’.

That’s my basic belief system - sums up to “try to be kind to people because you don’t know what they’re going through ... until they’re treating someone else like shit, at which point UNLEASH HELL”. It’s people’s actions that should lose or gain them respect, not their religious beliefs, sexuality, gender presentation, skin colour, physical / mental ability level, or anything else about who they are. It’s what you do that matters.

Now for the more basic bits and pieces: I work part-time doing medical typing for a histology lab. I’ve worked as a medical secretary for about 25 years now, mostly temping (it sucked, by the way; temp roles are hell). I live in the UK and desperately wish I could move because this whole country is getting worse than the US was under Trump, but I can’t afford to move. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about a year and a half ago, and spend most of my time in significant pain. Still, I try not to let that stop me from doing things I love, and seeking out things I love, because life’s too short, honestly.

I write. I am a Forever DM, and happy to be that way. I garden. I cook pretty damn well, if I say so myself. I truly love making things - resin casting, candles, soap, scent oils blends, bath bombs, and recently branched out into candy. I love most genres of music and most genres of book. I love video games (but can’t play first-person ones because it triggers migraines - woe). I love Lego. I love my friends. Basically, for a person who self-identifies as a grumpy-ass cynic about most things, I love a lot of things and I love them hard. Especially my friends. I’ll cope if you try to hurt me; you hurt my friends and you will regret it. They are what I value most in my life, you see.

So that’s me. I don’t figure anybody who’s newly following me is overly surprised by any of this, but if somehow it does - if you’re a racist, if you’re a TERF, if you’re a bigot in any way - you might want to unfollow. I am unapologetically socialist in my political and economic outlook, and ... well, basically I run the gamut between Social Justice Bard and Social Justice Barbarian.

So welcome to the madhouse. If you think you’ll be happy here, settle in. I’m making more maple sugar candy this week. I can only virtually share it, but it’s the thought that counts?

[troublcmakcrs]

     @howdyneighborr  〢 cont from here .

Craig was helping.  He possessed a certain skillset that Kyle didn’t, and that was mingling with the ‘dregs’ of society.  Despite his three-piece suit—which he couldn’t even wear correctly, having his blazer and the top two buttons of the pressed shirt underneath undone—he had a way of making them believe he was more down-to-earth.  He wasn’t one of the entitled, wealthy, corporate types they were used to dealing with, despite having all the appearance of one.  His flippant, breezy demeanor attracted them, and he couldn’t fall out of practice with it, which meant he had to keep it up around Kyle, too—obviously.

Kyle was better at the paperwork stuff, like what he was doing now, not so much with mingling with the lowlifes.  (How the fuck did he get Craig on board, then?)  He had been raised rich and had no idea how to be otherwise, didn’t understand the struggles of the working class like Craig did.  If it weren’t for the fact that Craig wanted to work smarter, not harder, he probably wouldn’t have stuck around Kyle, either.

Anyway, there didn’t need to be two of them hunched over the desk, overlapping each other’s ideas for their grand plan, scribbling out each other’s markings.  Kyle was doing great where he was, and there was no room for Craig to do anything but watch.

Craig walked over to the mini-fridge Cartman kept in the office and got a Coke out of it, pushing the cans around so the freshly vacant space was less obvious.  If they were doing that fatass some favors, he owed them a couple back, and he could afford to miss the sugar.  Craig popped the tab on his drink—better free up here than down at the bar, where he had to pay way too much for everything—and sipped on it loudly specifically to annoy Kyle.

When Kyle rose to his full height, the corner of Craig’s mouth twitched up, a small glimmer of amusement lighting his blue eyes for just a second until his whole expression slipped back into a blank state.  He shrugged and sat down in the chair across from the desk, not about to be intimidated or feel as if he had to prove himself to his partner.

“You can not like all the implications you want,” he said.  “It doesn’t make them less true.”  He paused and filled the silence with another, quieter drink of his beverage, letting Kyle ruminate in the meantime.  Control was important to him, but this heist was so huge and unwieldy that he was starting to spread himself a little thin.  Anyone could see it in the way Stan was starting to slip from him a little—he just couldn’t keep his eye on that much shit at once, and just because he had accomplished getting into Cartman’s office meant nothing if everything else fell to the wayside.  Even Craig was starting to think he might have to cut Kyle loose after this, if that penchant for control got too much worse to the point where it fucked both of them over.

He tipped his head back, resting it on the back of his chair, and sighed wearily.  “So you’re in this big fancy office, and so you’ve made nice with the head bitch in charge.  You still shouldn’t get too cocky.  There’s a lot of shit left to do.”

[husbandohunter]

A Small Predicament [Baby Genshin x Reader]

Characters: Scaramouche, Diluc, Kaeya, Childe, Xiao, Zhongli, Albedo

Synopsis: Cursed for a week, the boys either have to live with it or find a cure as soon as possible. You on the otherhand hoped otherwise.

(A/n): It only takes ONE glance for me to start having ideas. It was twelve in the morning yall, enjoy~

Oh here's part 2

--------

Scaramouche

• "Oh you shrank? I couldn't tell-"

• Threatens that he will murder you to pieces and burn your remains but his voice was so squeaky and high pitched (voice crack) that you couldn't help but burst into a tearful laughter. 

• Its payback time  Bully him, take his hat and hover it above his head. Truthfully, without his hat Scaramouche looks like a little schoolboy. Overall less intimidating.

• Tries glaring. Cute. He's really bratty as a kid, sitting on a high chair (which you had to help him get on) and demanding his servants to do his bidding. In reality, his personality never changed. You realized that even as a grown up he still acts like this (bratty kid in a grown man body).

• The curse made his week a living hell. Signora had the audacity to pull his ear when he misbehaves. Childe constantly messes with his hair while giving head pats and the WORST of all, pinching his cheeks. Scaramouche never wanted to commit arson so bad in his life.

• Eventually finds a cure so he doesn't have to deal with it anymore and orders everyone to never speak of it again. Though, he's plotting how he'll get revenge on everyone who made fun of him using the very same curse (You better run).

~~x~~

Diluc

• "Oh…Oh my! Diluc you're just so cute!" 

• Diluc grimaces as you glomp him in this state. How can you help it? With his head so small it makes his hair all the more fluffier! His coat no longer fits him to the point the sleeves had made past his fingertips. He tried wielding his claymore again, only to lose balance and fall flat onto his bum

• (insert kid voice "Retribution!") Did I mention the babyface?

• Diluc tries to act as if everything was normal, acting like the Darknight hero and Mondstadt's Tycoon but fun-sized. He couldn't. There was no way people would take him seriously in business meetings. Same with fighting abyss mages, his smaller form was too much of a disadvantage. Thus you ended up doing most of his paperwork.

• One time you caught him sitting on the floor couldn't reach his office desk  while reading away the various books for a cure. It was three in the morning. You told him it was way past his bedtime and he argues saying when did he ever have a curfew schedule. In the end you managed to convince him and he begrudgingly obliges.

• The type to NOT ask for help even when it's obvious that he really needs it. Before he was the one who helped you reach things from the top shelves, oh how the tables have turned. He avoids Kaeya like a plague unless he was in it for another round of funny remarks. When he wanted to go out and get some fresh air, you insisted on accompanying him. Worst mistake in his life. A travelling merchant bumps into you and commented that you had a very cute son. Diluc was mortified.

• The day ended up with him sulking in his room. Although it was tempting, you resisted from cooing over his adorable form after days of treating him like a child. It wasn't because you were teasing him, Diluc just works so hard that you wanted to spoil him a bit. At least he could still play a game of chess with you.

• When things went back to normal, Diluc ensures that you will NOT see him as your son.

~~x~~

Kaeya

• "Well look who it is, my little Prince Kaeya~"

• Tries really hard not be bothered by it at all. Kaeya still maintains his suave facade, throwing in a couple of flirting lines here and there (and forcing his voice to go a few octaves too low in which puberty has yet to occur HA). Though no matter what approach, he couldn't ignore the sparkling mischievious glint in your eye. You were obviously not taking him seriously.

• Things couldn't get any worse. He lost his masculine physique and boob window, he wasn't able to go to certain places without supervision. But the worst thing of all was that he was underaged. Kaeya hated the fact he couldn't drink anymore, he even insisted you to sneak him a few bottles (which you refused) and had to settle with plain beverages such as fruit juice (what an insult). He was never really grounded since his childhood days but he certainly felt like he was grounded now. 

• Kaeya still kisses you on the lips whether you like it or not. If you ask him to sit on your lap, he will find a way to turn the position into his favour such as resting his face between your breasts. You're not gonna treat him like a kid, nuh-uh, he actively avoids it.

• Since his personality still remains, Kaeya is a naughty child. He will use his innocent appearance to sway people (even you) to get what he wants. That was how he was able to take a sip of the wine he stole somewhere (he wouldn't tell you). Diluc scolded him heavily and threatened to ban him from drinking from his Tavern for a week (they ended up arguing, Kaeya being the passive aggressive little shit he is).

• He was extremely relieved to return back to his normal form again. He has so much to catch up (specifically his bedtime activities with you *wink wonk*)

~~x~~

Child(e)

• "Hmmm to be honest, this actually suits you very much."

• Unlike the other boys, Childe was completely okay with it. Turns out that YOU were the one who was not going to be okay. If you thought taking care of Teucer was energy-draining then expect Childe to take that tenfold and beyond.

• You've officially became his full-time babysitter who is in desperate need of a raise (and rest). You can't take your eyes off of him and archons forbid that he will ever meet Klee. One point he'll be running ahead by your side and the next you'll find him getting himself in a 1vs7 situation with some shady looking treasure hoarders. Childe genuinely thinks he could take them on but the curse downgraded his abilities. You carried him and barely made out of it alive. (This made you ponder whether the best solution would be to strap him against a chair for the time being…)

• Childe being a child will eat all the candies and ice cream he pleases. You wonder if the curse also turned him a few years back or was it that he acts like this simply because he wanted to (it was the latter). He loves being spoiled, spoiled by you! Childe demands your full attention, spoon-feeding his meals, back rubs and head pats. Yep, he's definitely doing this on purpose.

• Did he just call you 'mommy'? (Childe has mommy kink confirmed).  He has so much energy that it was exhausting, you literally had to drag him away from what ever he was doing in order to get him to bed. "No Childe, your sleeping time is 9p.m stop whining." He bargained that he'll sleep if you sleep beside him (you didn't get any sleep. You knew what he was planning. In the end, you tried to make sure he didn't sneak out behind your back.)

• Finally you were able to get out of that hell-hole. Childe promised to make it up to you, you deserve it after all~

~~x~~

Small (aka Xiao)

• "Did you know in the Liyuean language, Xiao translates to small?" You didn't say that out loud. Not when he's this angry (this angy)

• He just stands there, crossing his arms and grumbling. You were hesitant to touch him in case he might hiss at you. Xiao has always been short, maybe an inch taller than you, but seeing him like this made you think 'my almighty yaksha can't be this cute♡'

• He gets mad when you no longer call his name for help. How could you? He's just so precious~ Xiao makes it clear that no matter what form he takes, it doesn't make him weak ("Adepti and you mortals are nothing alike." Or so he says but you could tell he wasn't running as fast as he used to because…small legs). You may not comment on it aloud but he can tell just by the look on your face and it irritates him.

• Also the type to not ask for help but worse. Xiao is an agressive little kid, he seems as if he'll be willing to bite someone's finger off if they try to pet him (He gives strong cat vibes, so thats understandable). His spear was too big for him to wield so he often has to put it away or else he might knock someone over with it. Xiao hates being short so you'll be hearing him complain alot.

• Since he was an adepti, he didn't need to sleep however, the curse must have brought down his power by a significant amount to the point you DID catch him napping. You almost swooned out loud just by taking a glance upon his face. For once he didn't wear his signature grumpy look. Xiao appears like a normal child, one full of innocence. His snoring was soft and breathly but that just meant he was deep asleep. (You wished to take a picture). 

• Of course, everything had to come to an end (much to your disappointment), he still complains about the incident to this day.

~~x~~

Zhongli

• How is it possible for a baby to still look so handsome? (Must be his godly abilities)

• Zhongli is unfazed by this 'curse' since his past lives have already taken many forms. Though for some reason whenever he walks down the streets of Liyue, young girls, mothers, ladies all come him was and start complimenting him and gushing over him (he was suffocating). They'd squeeze him tight or squish his cheeks, it only takes once glance before the little girls start blushing and hiding behind their moms.

• Needless to say, despite what form he is in, Zhongli is still able to get free stuff. He got some free candies and some free kites to play with. You had to help him carry his items. Zhongli ends up tripping too much because his tailcoat reached his feet (he decided to just take it off. You had to hold that too). Seems like he can have anyone do things for him in the end HA.

• He still got that drippy voice and you're just like ???? "What on Teyvat Zhongli, you're a kid." This is why you can't see him as one, its nearly impossible.

• Actively avoids Hu Tao and Childe. Once Hu Tao caught sight of him and chased him for hours, he couldn't stay in one spot knowing that she might just pop out of no where. Childe still spoils him, however Zhongli feels irritated by the fact the only things Childe buys him toys (its different when other people do it.)

• Everytime you guys go back strolling through Liyue, you had to hold his hand in case more women come swarming hin again. You swear that at this rate he might get kidnapped because hes just such a beautiful baby.

• Zhongli learned an important lesson after his curse was lifted: no matter how many years he lives throughout  never take a form of a child.

~~x~~

Albedo

• You find him buried beneath a pile of books and had to dig him out before he suffocates.

• Albedo has the cutest eyes, they're big and round full of curiosity and they sparkle too (he has the prettiest eyes out of everyone tbh). He is the only person who is fascinated by this outcome and immediately goes in the wild to test out his new physique. 

• He was always curious why Klee T-poses when she runs so he decided to try it out himself. She was thrilled to find out that she now has a little brother to play with. In the end, Albedo indulges in the games she always wanted to play but couldn't because he was too old: princess dress up tea parties.

• You felt many things when you saw Albedo wearing a frilly gown and a plastic tiara tucked on his head. Deep down you knew regardless of what gender Albedo was still pretty. Klee even had the guts to redo his hair and hardly anyone was able to recognize it was him at all. He has pigtails, PIGTAILS! You made sure to burn that image into the very depths of your mind forever.

• The only advantage was the he was ablw to fit through small spaces, other than that, being small was way too inconvenient. He knocked down a few of his potion bottles which damaged the floor (thankfully not him) because they were lethal (he wonders how Klee was able to not injure herself when using bombs). You carried him and lifted him to alot of places such as trudging through the snow because Albedo would surely fall on his face due to his small form.

• Enough was enough, he only lasted a day with this and decided to just make a potion and put an end to the curse once and for all. 

[supernaturalgirl20]

La Secretaria

Pairings: Javier Pena x reader

Warnings: Smut 18+, explicit, angst, fluff, men being sexist, mutual pining.

Summary: being Javier’s secretary isn’t easy. He’s hot headed, stubborn and aggressive, but so are you. What happens when he finally meets his match.

A/N: I wanted to writ pure smut for Javier, been in my feels today so I needed this.

{Comments and reblogs really appreciated}

You’d heard the rumours, of course you had. There wasn’t one person in the DEA that didn’t know about thee Javier Pena. Hot headed, stubborn, flirt with anything in a skirt and his number one MO, visiting the local brothel. Stechner hired you to keep a close eye on Javier, or as he put it ‘tame the beast’. He’d gone through at least six secretaries since he arrived in Bogotá, which didn’t give you great odds but you were nothing if not a trier.

You arrived at the office early wanting to have everything set up before he came. At nine on the dot Javier arrived and when he opened the door to his office he was shocked to see you standing there, coffee in hand. He narrows his eyes at you before you feel his gaze roam over you. He runs a hand over his face before placing his hands on his hips.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Y/N, your new secretary Mr. Pena. I brought you you’re coffee and the file on the Rodriguez brothers. If you need anything else, I’ll be at my desk.”

He stares at you, if he was impressed, it didn’t show on his face. You walk towards the door, the one he’s standing in front of. You stop before him and look him in the eyes.

“Do you mind moving!”

His eyes lock with yours before glancing at your lips and then back to your eyes. He doesn’t say anything, just walks past you to his desk. Leaving the office you sit at your own desk and begin typing up some of his reports. The day passes quickly and as you get ready to go home, Javier pops his head out. “Where are you going? I haven’t finished for the day yet.”

“I can see that, Mr. Pena, but my schedule is 9-5, so seen as it’s 5:10 I’M finished for the day.”

You can tell he’s angry, see the thick in his jaw. “I have reports for you to type up, your schedule is whatever mine is, and I’m not done. So sit tight and type these up.”

“I will, in the morning. Goodnight Mr. Pena.”

“If you leave, your fired.” He has a sly smirk on his face, he’s waiting for you to put your things down and start working. He doesn’t know it yet, but your just as stubborn as him, so you call his bluff and leave. He quirks his eyebrow, he hadn’t expected you to disobey him.

***

The following morning Javier arrives to find you in his office again, files in one hand, coffee in the other.

“I fired you.”

“And yet here I am.” You hand him the file and coffee and walk out of his office. He’s speechless, and just stares after you. Continuing your work from the day before, your interrupted when an agent walks toward Javier’s door. Standing, blocking his way you put your hand out to stop him.

“He’s busy.”

“Who are you?”

“Mr. Pena’s secretary, and you are?”

“Agent Feistl, has he fucked you yet?”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s a no then. Early days I suppose, or,” he looks you up and down, “hmm not really his type are you. He likes them skinny and pretty..”

You narrow your eyes at him. “You think I haven’t heard all this shit before, you don’t intimidate me what was it Fritsle?”

“It’s Feis..”

“I don’t care, your not getting in. You want to see him, make an appointment.”

Feistl grumbles under his breath.

“What was that?”

Before he can say it again, Javier opens his office door and stands beside you. He places a hand on your lower back, “ why don’t you head out for lunch?”

“That’s it princess, run along.”

You stare daggers at him grabbing your bag and leaving. Feistl turns to Javier who has a stern look on his face.

“What did you want, I’m busy.”

“I want to go to Cali boss.”

“No.”

“What, why not?”

“We’re not placing any agents there, not yet at least.”

“Right well if they do I’d like to go sir.”

“Mmm”

“Gotta say boss, that’s one fine piece of ass you got out there.You mind if I have a go?”

Javier can feel his blood boil, how dare he talk about you like that. Sure he has a reputation but he treated women with respect. He didn’t really know you that well but you could stand your own which he respected. Your different from the others, your intelligent, stubborn and your absolutely beautiful.

“Don’t talk about Y/N like that, if you harass her again I’ll have you on the next flight home.”

“Ok, you got it boss.”

***

It’s been two months since you became his secretary and he has fired you at least fifty times. You know it’s a challenge, that he is testing you, but you don’t give up easy. He’s started being kinder with you, offering to buy lunch on occasion. Your currently sat with him in the meeting room taking notes as the ambassador rambles on. He’s berating Javier for sending Feistl and VanNess to Cali and you can tell from his shoulders that he’s angry. When the meetings over he stands abruptly and leaves. You follow behind him, staying silent, knowing he likes it like this when he’s mad. He gets into the elevator and holds it open for you before pressing the correct button for your floor.

“He’s a dick.”

Javier wasn’t expecting you to say anything, certainly not that. You think you see a hint of a smile on his face.

“I think you did the right thing sending them, fucking bullshit deal, it’s a cop out..”

You don’t get to finish what you we’re saying as Javier pushes you back against the metal wall. He’s on you like a rash. He’s kissing you passionately and you can feel the heat coming off of him. He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you flush against him. You can feel his growing erection straining against his trousers. You run your fingers through his hair pulling a low moan from him, one that shoots right to your core. You can feel the elevator come to a stop, Javier does too as he slowly pulls away from you. He whispers in your ear, “come find me later when everyone else is gone.” Then your alone.

***

Finishing up some paperwork, making sure no one is left in the office, you slowly approach Javier’s door. You raise your hand to knock when the door suddenly opens and he’s standing there looking at you with hooded eyes. He pulls you into him and once he closes the door, your back is pressed against it. His kiss is rough, hungry, like a man dying of thirst and your his only source of water.

“Wanted this for so long.”

“Really? How long?”

“Since that first day.”

He makes quick work of taking off both your clothes before moving you to the couch. He sits and pats his thighs, “come here baby, want you to ride me.” You walk towards him with sway of your hips. He grabs you by the hips, helping you straddle him. You sink down onto him slowly, savouring the feel of him stretching you. He groans at the feel of you hot and tight around him.

“So….damn tight baby.”

You start moving your hips slowly against him as he grips your hips tighter. He sucks on your hardened bud earning a moan from you.

“Javi….oh god….I’m going to…come.”

“That’s it baby come all over my cock. Wanna feel you grip me tight.”

Your body tingles all over as it erupts in ecstasy. You come hard with his name rolling off your tongue. He begins you thrust up meeting your movements as he grows impatient. Suddenly he flips you over, your back hitting the leather on the couch. He grabs one of your legs and holds it against his hip as he thrusts into you without abandon. You can feel the beginning of another orgasm,

“I’m close baby, want to feel you come on my cock one more time before I come.” He can feel you clamp down on him as your orgasm washes over you.

“So beautiful baby, who do you belong to?”

“Yours , all yours Javi.”

That’s all he needed as he releases into you. He slumps on top of you, careful as to not crush you. You run your fingers through his hair and he sighs at the feeling. He pulls out of you slowly and grabs a cigarette. You sit up and fiddle with your fingers unsure of what to do now. Do you stay or get dressed and leave? You know his reputation with women, he doesn’t do relationships. Deciding it’s best to leave you get up and start dressing. He sits there watching you as he smokes his cigarette.

“If you wait we can go get something to eat?”

“I…I actually just want to go home, I’m exhausted.” You gather your things, not noticing the hurt flash in Javier’s eyes.

“Yeah, I might hit the bar.”

You say nothing else as you leave for the night.

***

Your relationship with Javi is complicated, you work together and most nights you end up fucking in one apartment or the other. You love him, you know you do, you have for a while. You also know that Javi doesn’t do commitment, honestly your afraid to even tell him how you feel. In work things remain professional, he’s your boss and no one suspects a thing. Feistl might have a hunch but that’s it. The only time he claims you in work is after a bad meeting with the ambassador or Stechner. Which brings you to your current situation, bent over his desk, him pounding into you from behind. He’s rough today, not that you mind, he pulls you towards him by the hair until your back hits his chest. He grabs your breast and gives it a tight squeeze. It’s slightly painful but it still elicits a moan from you.

“Shh baby, gotta be quiet. Don’t want the whole office to know how well you take my cock.”

“It’s….just so….good.”

You’ve lost count of how many times you’ve come and you can feel another one hitting you. Javi is close too, you can tell from his sloppy thrusts.

“Can I…come inside you baby?”

“Yes….yes claim me, I’m yours.”

He’s quick to pull out of you and tuck himself back into his trousers. You pull down your skirt and put on your underwear. You both didn’t notice that Feistl had entered the room, catching you both fix yourselves up.

“I fucking knew it. You too have been fucking each other. VanNess you owe me 50 bucks.”

“Jesus will you keep it down.”

“How long has this been a thing?”

You don’t know what to say. It’s not really a thing you both just fuck each other nothing else, much as you would like. Javi comes up beside you placing his hand on your lower back. He pulls you into his side wrapping an arm around your waist. You look up at him stunned by his actions, only to find him already looking at you with adoration in his eyes.

“Not that’s it’s any of your business, but it’s been almost a year now, right baby?”

“Eh…”

“Screwing the boss is the only way you’ll get anywhere darlin.”

You feel Javier’s grip on you tighten and you know he is going to blow.

“I wouldn’t get to comfortable either, he’ll kick you to curb as soon as he gets bored.”

“You need to shut the fuck up, or you’ll be out of here by the end of the day. While we’re at it, don’t ever speak about Y/N like that, she’s better than half of you idiots. Now get out of my sight.”

When’s he’s gone Javier turns you in his arms so your facing him.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, did that just happen?”

“Don’t worry about him. I’m not good with this stuff, but I… I eh…look Y/N I want to be with you. Not just for a night or her in the office, like actually be with you.” He’s fidgety and you can tell he’s not used to talking about how he feels.

“Is thee Javier Pena asking me to be his girlfriend?” Your teasing him but there’s a part of you that hopes that’s what he wants.

“Well I wouldn’t say…”

How could you have been so stupid, of course he wouldn’t want that. You pull away from him and make your way to the door. He grabs your wrist and pulls you to him.

“Where are you going?”

“Look Javi, it’s fine, we’re fine, I know what we have isn’t anything special.”

“Hey hold on, did you not hear me when I said I wanted to be with you?”

“Yeah I did, but I am with you, we fuck..”

“You didn’t let me finish. What I was trying to say is that we don’t have to use those titles, I mean we’re not teenagers.”

“What. I….we….”

He’s getting annoyed now and runs his hand over his face, “ ok if it’s not what you want that’s fine.”

“No hey I want you Javi, I want to be your girlfriend. I just didn’t think you’d want that, I mean you don’t exactly scream commitment.”

He kisses you and it’s one of those kisses that leaves you breathless. Pulling away he rests his head against yours.

“I love you. This is all new to me, I’ve never felt this way about anyone, not even Lorraine. I’m all in, for as long as you’ll have me.”

“I love you too Javi.”

Tagging:

@lunaserenade @anaaaispunk @librariantothejedi @day-off-inkyoto @asta-lily @maievdenoir @elinedjarin @dindjarinneedsahug @pascal-rascal424 @pintsizemama @seasonschange-butpeopledont @janelongxox @stevie75 @thorins-queen-of-erebor @dihra-vesa @loserrlauraa @kirsteng42 @ikinmahlen @almaeunice @jediknight122 @colorlesswhispersunknown @rosie-posie08 @alberta-sunrise @javierpinme @pascalisthepunkest

[belphies-cuhm-sluht]

So I have a silly request, can I request the demon Bros who has an MC who just randomly puts up a good noodle board. Like there is no purpose to any of the stars on board and it's just a social experiment between MC and Solomon to see how the demons will react. I keep thinking of how funny it would be if MC went about a week just adding stars at random for no reason and one day taking two away from Lucifer with no explanation. Which makes them realize that they can now lose Stars. The bros get told that it's a social experiment after about a month of dealing with the good noodle board.

The Good Noodle Board (Demon Brother Headcanons)

“Hey, remember that one episode of spongebob? You know… the one?” Solomon asked over study break, and honestly… this man… this fucking man. If he wasn’t asking about Lucifer and how to get close to the demon he was asking shit like this. It didn’t make any sense, and it was so vague, it drove you nuts… but you were bored, so you decided to humor him.

“Ahhh, yes… I remember that one episode, out of 248… I remember the exact one that you’re talking about with no context or description. I know that one.” Was the sass necessary? Nope, absolutely not, but you couldn’t really be that way with the demon brothers because they knew how to sass you back twice as much, and you couldn’t possibly be that way with the angels because they wouldn’t understand it and their feelings were fragile. Solomon on the other hand was a little shit and his sass wasn’t even good so you could take it if he tried.

“Ha… funny. I mean the one with the noodle board, the Good Noodle Board.” Now it was ringing a bell, but it still made no sense why he was bringing it up, so you nodded to encourage him to keep going. There had to be some reason he was bringing this up. “Social experiment… see how the brothers would react to a Noodle Board. You gotta try it, a month tops, and tell me how it goes.” It wasn’t a bad idea, and it might be fun for everyone… or it could go horribly wrong… You’ll never know if you don’t try though.

You hung the Good Noodle Board right in the living room in the middle of the night, no explanation. They’ll just wake up to the noodle board, and that’s where the fun begins!

Lucifer

He is highly suspicious of the board. But right now he sees that everyone has the same amount of stars, so he doesn’t get it, but everything seems even, so it isn’t really a problem. Not yet at least. Things really started to get confusing when he came out of his office later in the day and saw two new stars next to his name. It was a good feeling because that meant he was ahead of everyone else… but why? How did he get those stars? What did he do? He said good morning to you this morning, and he remembered to eat something with his coffee, were those the reasons for the stars? This was more confusing than Lord Diavolos' out of order paperwork. “Oh! Y/N I caught you… the uh, Good Noodle Board… what is it? How does it work?” There was no fun in explaining it already, it wasn’t even day two at this point and he had racked up a bunch of stars. You didn’t know why he was worrying about it now, the real fun part hasn’t even come yet. You shrugged, smiling sheepishly at him before walking towards the stairs, waiting for him to go back into his office before running back out and sticking one more star next to his name. After two weeks came the fun part, taking away the stars. He yelled at Mammon for no apparent reason and made him sad… he got two stars taken away. He fell asleep at his desk overworking himself? One star is taken away, and after the experiment is over you’ll talk to him about that because it isn’t good. Every morning you wake up and see him fretting over this board, counting and recounting the stars just to make sure he’s not just seeing things and that his stars are going missing. “Y/N… The uhm… My stars seem to be going missing. Is there a reason for that? Do you think Mammon is stealing the stars? Hmm… Never mind. I’m not even worried about it. I have a meeting with Diavolo today. Goodbye.” Another star was taken away for accusing Mammon of things he didn’t do. To see Lucifer get so worked up over the board, you were sure Solomon would want to be there to experience it too. By the end of the month, Lucifer is frazzled and confused and thinking way too hard about all of it. You were kind of sad to end it, but seeing his face when you explained it to him made ending it all worth it.

“I-... Study break is for studying. Use it wisely, and stop letting Solomon put ideas in your head. If I may ask though… Why did I lose the stars?”

Mammon

The Good Noodle Board is awesome. He’s got so many stars right now, and he already knows you did it. You think he doesn’t get suspicious of why you’re not in your room and sneaks down to see what you’re doing? Not in a weird way, he’s just making sure you’re okay. But yeah, he totally watched you put up the board and everything. He tried to stay on his best behavior because, well… things like this usually meant there was incentive, and that could mean money at the end. You were onto that too though, and you were trying to keep things fair, which was already out the window when you found out that he already knew what the board was. “Ya know… I’ve been real good lately and… I don’t think the stars are showin’ how good I’ve been. Don’tcha think I should have more?” He pouted at you, and you could only laugh as you shook your head at him before walking away. He was going to ruin the experiment if he kept questioning you, so maybe you should just add a couple more to get him to shush, or at least to keep him from telling his brothers about it. It took a couple hours for him to get busy enough to not worry about the noodle board for a few minutes, just long enough for you to run back down to the living room and stick a couple more stickers next to his name. It was hard for him to stay good the whole time though. The experiment lasted a month, and it was amazing that he was able to be on his best behavior for even one whole week. By the second week he was back to his typical self. One by one you pulled stars off, and each time he’d come to you whining about how it wasn’t fair. “Ya all just wanna see me upset! That’s why yer takin’ my stars away! I don’t need the stupid Good Noodle Board anyway… I know I’m a good noodle!” He stormed out of the room, making sure to stomp loudly just to show how upset he is. So the social experiment went well, and when you finally told him what it was… He was torn between thinking it was funny or being upset because it was done at his expense, plus it meant that you hung out with Solomon which he didn’t like at all.

“Next time ya wanna do somethin’ like that come ta me instead! I don’t want ya hangin’ with Solomon anymore.”

Leviathan

The Good Noodle Board didn’t seem like it would be a problem, he stays in his room all the time anyway, it shouldn’t be a big deal. He’s banking on his stars staying consistent, there’s no way he could earn stars because he doesn’t leave his room, and he doesn’t like being in competition with his brothers, so it’s better if he just stays up in his room anyway. The board can’t affect him if he doesn’t think about it. The thing is, he was getting stars randomly… It didn’t make sense to him. He’d find a new star stuck next to his name when he came down for breakfast and dinner, and on the days that he didn’t skip RAD classes he’d have five more. The system was strange, it was like whoever was running the board, although he did assume it was you, they spotted his good behavior even when he wasn’t trying to be good. “Hey Y/N…” He stopped you after dinner, leading you into the living room to point at the board. “What’s uh… What’s up with this… Do you know anything about it?” It would have been easy to tell him, but there’s no fun in that. You shook your head, walking away and leaving Levi to stare at the board, questioning his newly placed stars. Taking the stars away was even more entertaining than putting them on. If he stayed up all night and raged and kept the rest of the house awake, he’d wake up to stars gone. If he skipped his RAD classes, his stars would be gone when he came back home. There wasn’t really anything else to take his stars away for, but once he noticed the stars were gone he started to panic. “Wh-Why are my stars disappearing? What’s going on? What did I do? H-How does Mammon have more stars than I do?!” That didn’t seem right to him, not at all. Mammon couldn’t possibly be doing better than him. He was going to sulk about it until his star count was at least above Mammon’s. Waking up at the end of the month and seeing you take the board down was probably the happiest he’s felt all month. He wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore, but also, now he knows 100% that it was you, and he’s got a lot of questions.

“S-So it was you… Why was Mammon doing better than me? How did you come up with it? Why is it called being a Good Noodle? Why did I lose stars? Please don’t do it ever again…”

Satan

He had walked right past it the day that it got put up, he didn’t even notice it at first. Lucifer was known to hang weird decorations in the living room, and most of the things that hung on the wall didn’t interest him, so clearly this new wall piece wouldn’t be a big deal to him either. His curiosity got the best of him though when he saw you looking at it. Now he was invested in the star board, checking it every single time he walked through the living room just to make sure he was ahead of Lucifer. That was the only thing that mattered to him now. Being ahead of Lucifer on the Noodle Board meant that he was essentially better than Lucifer, and that would mean he was winning. “You see that, Y/N… Lucifer is below me… It feels good. Whoever is running this board knows who the best brother is.” He was going to lose stars for that as soon as you started taking them away, but for now he was still receiving stars for helping you study and reading to you at night. Once the stars were taken away though, he had a lot of reasons for getting them taken. He didn’t straighten up his books and you constantly tripped over them whenever you visited him in his room. He was sassy as hell most of the time, and his constant berating of Lucifer was kind of irritating, especially since it was pretty well known that he hated the guy, he just felt the need to constantly say something about it. Stars were disappearing left and right from beside his name, and he couldn’t understand why, it was stressing him out way more than it should. “Lucifer is doing this! It’s because I was above him and he couldn’t handle it! Look how many stars I’ve lost! He’s jealous. He’s so jealous. That’s fine. I know I’m better than him.” This whole thing cracked you up. It was hysterical how mad he got. Finally explaining to him that you were the one who ran the board and that it was yours and Solomon's idea, he didn’t know if it was a relief or if it irritated him more.

“So this was… your idea… and Solomon’s…? Did you write a book report on our reactions? Did you have fun? Sure seems like you did. Glad you enjoyed it. Never again.”

Asmodeus

So when he first saw the Good Noodle Board, he initially thought that it meant… well… he thought that Noodle meant… dick, so it was really shocking that all of the brothers, including himself, had the same amount of stars, especially since he knew damn well that his noodle was the best. It wasn’t until he started getting stars after not doing anything sexual that he realized that the board wasn’t pertaining to having a good noodle, but being a good noodle, and that he as a whole is the noodle. It still wasn’t going to be hard for him though, he’s a good demon, he’s a sweetheart, he knows it. He didn’t have to do much to get stars either, he was just a happy guy who loved himself and everyone else. How could he not be raking in the stars with a personality like that? “Look at all those stars, Y/N! It’s not easy being a star, but whoever is running this board really understands that I’m the brightest star there is. They’re very smart.” He had no idea that stars could be taken away, apparently he assumed that stars were permanent once they went on the board. He couldn’t have been more wrong. He changed his outfit about 3 times a day, which meant that weekly laundry was way more than it should be and laundry detergent was going faster than food in the fridge when Beel was home. And some days… he’d wear certain lip glosses that stained every single glass that he drank out of, which wouldn’t really be a problem if you weren’t the one doing dishes and trying like hell to scrub those lip marks off. He didn’t lose a lot of stars for the last one, but every time you had to deal with it, he’d lose one star for the hours you scrubbed away at those glasses. “I think a couple of my stars fell off… which is weird because none of the other ones did. Do you think… do you think someone is taking my stars away? How could they do that? Hmph… And I thought they were smart. I guess not.” Finally telling him was like a weight off of his shoulders, he finally understood what the whole meaning of the board was and who was doing it. He became way more interested in it when he found out it was Solomon’s idea as well.

“So this whole thing was just an… experiment? And Solomon was in on it? I didn’t know you and Solomon hung out like that. Well, next time you do, tell me. I want to be in on your next idea.”

Beelzebub

He also, like Asmo, thought the Good Noodle Board meant something else, although his thought wasn’t anywhere near what Asmo thought. He just thought it meant how many good noodles the brothers had made, which is why he was unsure of why Belphie and… well… any of the other brothers had so many stars. Their noodle making skills were not very good. You didn’t want him to be in the dark, so without giving away too much information, you explained the meaning of the board. Earning stars was really easy for him, and you actually worried that he didn’t have enough space next to his name for all the stars that he got. He was just… a sweetheart, and he was always being good to everyone and he never got into trouble or did anything bad. You were running out of stars, but he was so happy to see how many stars he’d have at the end of the day, it was really sweet. “Look Y/N. Noodles are really good, and I guess I’m really good too. Cool, I’m like a really good noodle. Goodnight.” Taking away stars was almost as upsetting for you to do as it was for him to see. You knew he didn’t mean to be a bad noodle, but… He was eating the lunches that you packed for yourself and you were constantly running late to your classes because you’d have to repack your lunch and… Well he had to lose a star for that. He also kept leaving his gym bag in the middle of the main hallway when he came home and you’ve tripped over it several times. When he saw that his stars were able to be taken away he looked really upset, which kind of upset you. “Am I not a really good noodle? I wonder what I did… Y/N, do you know what I did? No… I’ll figure it out. I have to be a good noodle.” You were really relieved when it was finally over, for his sake. It was fun with all the others, but he was thinking too hard about it and you didn’t want him to have to worry about it anymore.

“Oh, so I’m still a good noodle? I did have more stars than anyone else… Do I ever get to know why I got the stars taken away though, because I still don’t want to be a bad noodle… Even if the board is gone.”

Belphegor

He didn’t come out of his room often enough to even notice the board was up. Beel actually had to tell him about it, and that was the only time he came downstairs wrapped in a blanket to look at the board. All he did was shrug though, he legitimately did not care about it at first. It was hard to give him stars because… he was never around? Can you give people stars for sleeping? You’d have to use the same system that you used for Levi. He came out of his room to eat meals with the rest of the house… he’d get a star. He actually showed up at his classes instead of “accidentally” sleeping through them? He’d get a couple more stars. When he’d come home he’d see the extra stars next to his name and shake his head, but you could tell he was confused as to why he was getting them. “I get stars for participating in things I don’t want to do? I don’t know if I actually want the stars… but somehow Mammon has a lot which is stupid, so I guess I’ll just keep doing whatever so I can be ahead of him… And Lucifer. Stupid Lucifer.” Taking away stars was a lot easier than you thought it would be. Sometimes when you’d try to wake him up in the morning to get to class he’d throw pillows at you until you went away, and he’d lose stars for that. Other times he’d willingly go to sleep in the middle of classes, or meal times even though you knew for a fact that he had a full night's sleep, he was just trying to be rude. He got stars taken away for those things… and many others. When he saw that most of the stars next to his name had been taken he was kind of pissed off. “So according to the Noodle Board… I’m worse than Mammon, and Lucifer. I call bullshit, this whole board is bullshit and I’m taking a nap.” He was very sassy and he generally avoided the board. He couldn’t have been happier when he saw that it was finally gone at the end of the month, and when you told him that it was yours and Solomon’s idea, he just laughed, so you didn’t really know what that meant.

“I knew it was you the whole time. Only you and Solomon could come up with an idea that would throw all of us off like that. I’d have enjoyed it if I wasn’t involved and I got to watch Lucifer suffer. But now I can finally sleep whenever and wherever I want, so, I’m glad it’s gone. Night.”