#polite and I couldn’t tell my managers because they didn’t care!

[whimsyprinx]

I will quite literally probably never accept that anyone likes me romantically

[ukrfeminism]

One morning in 2007, Frances Harper was taking a bath and listening to the local news on BBC Radio Suffolk when one story caught her attention. A young woman, Louise, was being interviewed about her life as a sex worker in Ipswich. “I couldn’t see how this interview was helping her situation at all,” says Harper, who was 60 at the time. “I got out of the bath and made some notes. I realised she needed a documentary to tell her story properly and I thought perhaps I could try to make it.”

Harper had never owned a video camera and had no idea how to shoot a film. She had spent the past four decades working in secretarial jobs, as well as raising her son and supporting her husband in his construction business. “I was busy but something was always missing,” she says. “Something I could do for myself.”

Armed with a sudden sense of purpose and without a current job to keep her occupied, Harper rushed out to buy a basic camera, read the manual and began looking up ways to contact Louise. The police wouldn’t share her details, but after finding the name of her solicitor in the local paper, she left a letter with the firm to be passed on. “Soon after, Louise phoned me and we decided to meet in a cafe in Ipswich,” Harper says. “I told her I’d like to make a documentary to share her story and help her. She agreed, and that was my entry into an entirely new world.”

Following Louise most days for weeks, Harper documented her life on the streets, her drug addiction and sex work, all while learning how to shoot and interview. “She told me that no one had motivated her or really cared about her life,” she says. “She was interested in art and history, so we went to galleries together and I even took her to an afternoon tea – all things she’d never done before. We spent a lot of time together because I had the time to spare.”

The more Harper got to know Louise, the more concerned she became about her life and especially her living situation. “She was basically sleeping in an electrical cupboard on the streets of Ipswich,” she says. “I started booking her into bed and breakfasts to keep her off the streets. It really showed me how lucky I had been. It’s changed my thinking ever since.”

Once she had enough footage, Harper put together a taster of the film and contacted the local BBC News office in Norwich. The idea of an older Ipswich resident befriending a young sex worker and producing a film was so unusual that Harper was invited to a meeting and commissioned to shoot a half-hour special for BBC East, which aired in February 2008. “I couldn’t believe that Louise’s story would be out there,” she says. “I hadn’t told too many people about it so my friends were shocked when it came out. Once it did, I also managed to battle with the council to finally get Louise a proper flat.”

Sixteen years later, Harper, 76, is fully immersed in film-making. After her experience with Louise, she became interested in the world of drug addiction and produced a film for Sky, which was narrated by Davina McCall and followed two mothers coping with the impact of their sons’ drug abuse. She has also completed a commercial film for the seaside town of Southwold and a charity short for an emergency response service. She is now working on a series about women in horticulture as well as a film about the life of female fighter pilots.

“I just can’t stop,” she says. “It really feels like I’ve found my calling. I get ideas all the time, although I can’t make all of them because I fund my own projects and it’s hard to come by funding for older people.”

But age does have some advantages. “I think people are more inclined to be polite around me because I’m older,” she says. “I’ve also gained newfound confidence through this work. I didn’t know whether I’d achieve anything but I just kept going. I weaved around the obstacles in my way.”

As well as changing her life, Harper has recently learned how her films have had a profound impact on other people too. “Louise contacted me last year and we just carried on talking as if no time had passed,” she says. “She told me: ‘You were the only person who believed in me.’ It made that decision to pick up the camera completely worth it.”

You can watch Harper’s films via the link below:

[reqxxyt]

more than an arrangement

pairings: lando n. x f!reader

warnings: rushed ending, cursing, f!ckboy lando

masterlist requests are open!

[unedited] wc: 2.8k

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

The media flooded once again with pictures of Lando Norris leaving a bar with another girl, arm around her waist as they left to the nearest hotel. This became an almost weekly routine, fans trying to uncover who every girl that was lucky enough to leave with the Mclaren driver. His PR team at first didn’t mind it until this routine became regular, growing tired of having to try and cover for it every single time. 

Until you came in. You were perfect, an innocent appearing model who came from humble beginnings that barely anyone knew about. 

A loud door slam made Lando jult in his sheets, uncovering himself from the sheets as he sat up attemption to adjust the light of the window that was now shining the room. The girl next to him fiddled around in the sheets and his manager looked pissed, glaring daggers at him telling non verbally to get rid of the poor girl he’ll never see again. 

But Lando pretended not to notice as he rubbed his eyes, beginning to get up only in boxers as he asked “whats up?”

“Whats up?” she practically wanted to kill him, she pulled out her phone showing her all the photos that appeared when searching up lando norris, scrolling through the entire thing to show up the explosion of tweets about last night. “Lando you need to get your shit together” 

“It’s not a big deal” he shrugged, waking the girl up as she sat up noticing the other person in the room and taking in the information from last night before her cheeks become a crimson red. 

His PR manager couldn’t believe the words being said, it was getting ridiculous, absurd how he didn’t care about his public image. “Lando, you’re becoming the manwhore of Formula 1” she attempted her best to not raise her voice any louder as the girl behind Lando gathered her things quickly and left. 

Lando stood silent, very little guilt entering his emotions as he just sat back down still a little sore. 

“It’s time you make an announcement” she said, walking forward handing him her phone with your picture on it. Lando furrowed his eyebrows as he looked upwards, about to ask her what she meant but she beat him to it. “I already contacted her team and they agreed to it. You’ll be in a fake relationship for the next couple of months until you figure your shit out and don’t even think about going behind my back and be with more girls because then you’ll just look like a cheater” 

He was about to argue back, btiing his tongue to not further his irritation, sighing to himself knowing he did have to change at some point, lowering his head no longer making eye contact as he just silent agreed with a quiet “sure”. 

The next week, you arrived at the Mclaren building with only your agent next to you as your heart kept wanting to pound out of your chest, wanting to be anywhere but here. But you entered anyways, you spoke to the front desk and they greeted you telling you Landos PR manager would be out shortly. 

You weren’t quite sure why you agreed to this. Hell you didn’t agree to this, your agent did seeing this as an opportunity to have your name out there but you didn’t want that. It would be like cheating the world, you tried to tell her but she would only reply with ‘It’s how the world works sadly’. 

Footsteps walking forward had interrupted your thoughts as you finally looked to see a women in her early thirties shine a bright smile as she waved you forward. You shook hands with her, trying to be as polite as possible knowing you would have to be dealing with how they described ‘man-whore’ for the next couple of months. This wasn’t how your mother would’ve wanted you to go to follow your dream, but you understood the entire thing being a press convenience. 

“This is Lando” she introduced him as he stepped forward. You had already done your research, enough to know most of the sport he was in, what he looked like, and his interests. You wondered to yourself if he tried to the same, doubting by the way he pronounced your name. 

“I’ll let you two talk while I discuss the arrangements with your agent” his manager spoke whisking away your only friend up until this point, leaving you two in awkward silence. 

“I’m sorry they forced you into this” his hand rubbed behind his neck a bit embarrassed as they began walking to the front lobby, you were about to reassure him before he talked again “although this would probably be a dream for you”

“Excuse me?” you were baffled by his assumption. He gave you a questioning look, as if the reason were the most obvious. “Why would having been tied down to you ever be a dream?”

“You’re name will grow with my fame, isn’t that the reason you agreed to this?” he asked not understanding as to why you were confused. Every other girl would’ve loved to be in the spotlight with him. 

“If I had the choice I would’ve not been here” you scoffed, rolling your eyes. Your attraction to him quickly disappearing. You wished your agent could just hurry up a bit faster as your nerves were about to lose their patience. 

“Right, obviously” he sarcastically replied, slumping down onto the couch chair, leaning far back as he crossed his legs. If there was one thing you hated most in this world it was egotistical jerks and narcissists so you only looked at him with disgust you sat next to him putting a few feet between the two of you. 

This would only end with one of you killing the other. 

Your agent informed you the premise of the plan, outlining your public appearances and announcement, when you would ‘surprise’ him at races, and overall interactions in front of cameras. Not making it too affectionate between you two quickly gathering the tension as they walking in the room with you two not looking or talking to the one another. 

This weekend you were going to one of the races, practically dressed in all of his merch. You looked ridiculous in your opinion but you obviously couldn’t state that out loud, only covering it up with an oversized jacket that apparently was well known to the fans as being Lando’s jacket. 

The drive to the race wasn’t at all nerve racking it was having to finally see the crowd of people by the paddock awaiting the drivers who would soon arrive with their loved ones, not knowing about you showing up hand in hand with Lando. But once they spotted the two of you, the swarm of people arrived taking multiude of pictures as you only tightened your hand, feeling your heart run a mile from the attention. 

Lando noticed your tight hold, caressing his free thumb over the back of your hand. You two finally arrived at the Mclaren garage, having to be introduced to practically everyone as you gave them a welcoming smile, trying to appear as approachable as possible. 

They called lando, feeling the sense that it was about to begin with rushed people around you trying to get ready as Lando turned to you not sure if you were comfortable enough but leaned forward anyway. Your felt your heart leap when he leaned in closer before suddenly turning your head, meeting contact with his lips by your cheek. 

It took you both by surprise but he brushed it off as he just left, leaving you in the garage to watch the practice secession from the monitors. After it ended, he walked in giving you a simple greeting as you just complimented him loud enough for passers to hear trying to make it as realistic as possible. 

The hotel room you two stayed in had two beds, per your request so you immediately crashed on the side nearest the window, you’ve always preferred it that way but you could feel eyes trained on you so you turned to see Lando shuffle away, turning away. You wanted to laugh, having caught him looking at you before he suddenly turned with serious look, 

“Are you going to start getting ready?” lando said, sounding suddenly imaptient. You furrowed your eyebrows a bit confused of his sudden irritation. You only entered the bathroom to not entice him more, even if you did nothing. You came out only half an hour later with freshly washed hair and pajamas with enough display to send Lando to feel a sort of unbalance in his stance as he was getting ready to enter the bathroom. 

You missed the way he looked at you with a deep desire beginning to grow before he shook his head, refusing to think of you that way and quickly walking into the bathroom to get ready. It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep, drowsing in an out before you heard the bathroom door open. You ignored it as you heard further shuffling before hearing the creak and you dosed off into a another sleep. 

The next day was unsatisfying for Mclaren, landing in P12 on the grid for Lando. You two didn’t talk much, wondering to yourself if you should try comforting him but with his quiet demeanor you decided not to, thinking it was best for him to be alone and have a quiet time to himself. 

On race day, you wore his mclaren mclaren, wearing along with some sweats not trying too hard as you weren’t expecting much from this weekend with cameras slowly lessening as the weekend went by. But you noticed the amount of photographers in the Mclaren garage, standing in front of Lando as he was speaking to one of his engineers, getting ready to leave. 

“Lando?” you said, getting his attention looking at you now. You glanced at the cameras, already gathering the idea before leaning in and catching him by surprise only reacting a second later but you pulled away. Your eyes looked back at the cameras and Lando noticed, jaw clenching as you only showed him a soft smile whispering “good luck” 

He nodded, lips tightened in a smile as he headed to his position. The race didn’t go in his favor and your sympathetic smile didn’t help as he just passed you, by accident having shoved you a bit on his way to the drivers room. You sighed, biting the inside of your lip wondering if you should go follow him before you just walked not leaving any room for longer hesitation as you attempted looking for him, having to ask around if they had seen where he went. 

It didn’t take long before arriving at the shut door, you softly knocked and it took longer than youd expected before seeing Lando open the door “I don’t want an interview ri-” he stopped in hsi tracks seeing you with an apologetic frown. He wasnt sure how to feel and only said “here to comfort me infront of the cameras again?” 

��What?” your frown replaced by a confused look before remembering a couple of hours ago. You shook your head, inviting yourself inside as you just said “No, can’t a friend just help another friend” 

“We’re friends now?” he asked, wanting to scoff. You understood that he was taking out his anger on you but it didn’t mean that question didn’t hurt you, but either way you attempted to brush it off. 

“Why not? We’ll be stuck for a couple of months together” you shrugged, Lando shutting the door. 

“Because its all arranged. You don’t actually care about me” his voice stern yet his eyes held hurt behind them, only able to look down. 

“Do you see any cameras right now, Lando?” you tested him, stepping forward. You couldn’t believe you were willing to understand his perception, normally with anyone else you would lose your patience and allow them to close themselves out, but with the boy who stood only a few feet away you would’t allow that. “We may not be in a relationship but that doesn’t mean I don’t care” 

Lando thought about you differently since that day, he no longer saw you as the model that was forced to be in his mess of a life but instead the girl that was willing to actually be friends with him even without cameras around. But if they were only friends, why did each others heart pulse a certain way when near each other? 

These two didn’t realize this until a couple of months later, a race in Mexico City. You were originally not going to go seeing as your modeling gigs had increased and you held no more time for races as much but on that weekend one of your gigs had to reschedule and you made a last minute ticket purchase to actually surprise him this time. It was almost no longer an act, growing closer by the day as friends, building a bond that started a strange way. 

So when he spotted you on race day, his smile brightened as he ran up to you giving you tightest hug sending a wave of photographers your way expecting a more intimate action but he only kissed your cheek before you two walked to the mclaren garage. 

Your outfit didn’t consist of much mclaren merch just an orange beaded necklace and a jacket borrowed by Lando (a friendly gesture, of course). You watched intently, growing a certain liking for the sport your media boyfriend was in, beginning to grow a smile the closer he was to reaching the top places. You ended up on the edge of your seat quite literally before the garage erupted into cheers as Lando passed the finish line getting 3rd overall. 

Your smile practically reached your eyes as people in the garage began congratulating each other, proud of their hard work. You stayed behind as they did the podium rewards, not exactly being a big fan of crowds but making sure to congratulate Lando later. 

And later came quickly as cameras followed the mclaren driver whos only mission was to get to you, to give you the biggest hug. He finally found you, with a bright smile on each others faces as his hands wrapped around you before pulling you in before thinking himself, not even considering the amount of cameras around you two. Just allowing your lips to connect with his, feeling all of the adrenaline suddenly kicking in again. 

You two pulled away and finally noticed the cameras around, your shy smile suddenly reappearing trying to tell yourself he just did this for the image. Lando just grabbed your hand and left the scene with you, attempting to lose the press realizing how it appeared to you. 

You two arrived at the hotel Lando was staying in, remembering you had forgotten to book a hotel but either way he offered to sleep on the same bed and without much thought you agreed to it. 

“Hey, y/n?” he asked, stepping out of the bathroom with disheveled freshly showered hair and only with some shorts on as you began to get comfortable yourself, shuffling the covers around before stopping once Lando walked out. You tried your best not to stare at his bare chest, just humming in response. He walked closer, still debating whether to mention the kiss. “Ths kiss, I-”

“Oh that? Its no big deal, it was just for press anyways” you brushed it off, sounded unsure of yourself, wondering if you wanted it to be the opposite. But he stayed quiet causing you to look up now noticing his debating look, asking yourself if he was unsure about it as well. 

“What if I didn’t want it to be?” his voice a bit quiet as he started to sit down on the bed. You pretend to give a confused, secretly hoping this was were you thought it was going. His eyes flickered to your eyes, leaning a bit closer, “what if I could just” his breath was now almost fanning your lips as his hand began to hold the side of your face. His eyes once again looked at your own before flickering to your lips “once kiss you in private” 

Before you could answer back he pulled you in, crashing your lips against his once more. Now whether that was for his own trial run or desire was a debate you would unravel later. But in the moment, you only responded by following along, practically melting in his hold. His hand began to travel to the sides of your neck, allowing little space for air. 

“I would like that” you finally responded to him once you two separated, the curve of his lips curving upwards at your response.

[blushweddinggowns]

It had started as a rough few weeks. A rough few weeks that turned into a rough few months. It was weird, because in all honesty when it came to social standings, Will was doing a lot better here than he ever did in Hawkins. There were no Zombie Boy stories following him here, and he even managed to get a few girls to have a crush on him. He…still wasn’t quite clear how that worked out and he really wasn’t a fan of it. But they were also the only people he could talk to at school. He was way too paranoid of getting close to any guys. God forbid he got another crush on a friend, having none of them just seemed like the better course of action. 

It didn’t help that Mike had basically stopped acknowledging that he existed after they moved. He didn’t write to him, he didn’t call him, and it felt like the only time he heard his voice was when he politely asked for El over the phone. And it hurt. It hurt a lot. Especially when he still put in so much effort to get ahold of El all the time. He’d resent her for it if he could, but the only one who was having a worse time than him with the move was her. Maybe Mike was a shitty friend to him, but at least she had someone to talk to. 

But whatever. Lucas and Dustin cared, and so did Eddie and Steve. And when Jonathan wasn’t busy being high as hell, he had him too. Even Max called him more often than Mike did. Even when she was just trying to get ahold of El she’d take the time to ask him how he was, a courtesy that his best friend from freaking kindergarten couldn’t even offer anymore. 

So maybe Will didn’t have many friends in California yet, but he didn’t feel very lonely. 

Just a little heartbroken. 

But he could get past it. Especially when some of his favorite people were only one phone call away. Sometimes it made him feel a little guilty, that Steve and Eddie were his go to for talking about his problems. Especially since Jonathan was always trying to get him to open up. Even when he was zoinked out of his gourd he never failed to ask Will how his day was. Though…he did have a hard time following the plot when Will told him. 

But that didn’t change the fact that Jonathan always wanted to help. But what could Will say? I’m depressed because I’m in love with my best friend who doesn’t care about me? And oh yeah, I’m gay? Yeah, no. That wasn’t going to happen. If Jonathan of all people hated him for that…he’s not sure he could recover. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t think about it.

It was kind of pathetic, but he’d fantasize about it sometimes. Coming out to his family, everyone smiling and saying they’d love him anyway, no matter what. And if he was being honest with himself, it was technically possible, right? His brother had never said a bad word about Steve and Eddie. His mom never failed to shut the homophobic crap down when his crappy sperm donor had still been around. But it was different when it was your own kid, right? Will wasn’t quite sure. But he did know that he couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

So he called who he always did when he had a problem. It only took a few rings before someone was picking up, Steve’s familiar voice on the other end, “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me,” Will sighed, flopping face first into his bed, the phone pressed to his ear. 

He could hear the smile in Steve’s voice, “Hey kiddo, what’s up?”

God, he was such a dad. Will wouldn’t be shocked if he started wearing socks with sandals by the time he hit twenty-three. He went straight to the point, “Do you think that living happily ever after is like a real thing? For people like us?”

Steve laughed, “It better fucking be after all the shit we’ve seen.”

“I don’t mean the Upside Down stuff,” Will sighed, “I mean like…y’know. The gay.”

Steve snorted, “The gay? I’m going to have to tell Eddie that one.”

Will rolled his eyes at the redundant statement. He had learned a long time ago that telling Steve something meant telling Eddie something, and vice versa. He sighed a tiny smile on his face, “Oh what, like he’s not already next to you listening in?”

“...touché.” 

Will laughed, turning over to stare at the ceiling, “I’m serious though. Like…is it even possible? It’s not like everyone gets to magically find their soulmate at eight.”

“Is that such a bad thing though?” Steve asked, “Because no offense dude but honestly? I think you could do a lot better than Mike-”

“Be nice,” Will interrupted, torn between being defensive for Mike’s sake and amused at Steve never failing to find a way to come at him.

“I will when he starts being nice to me.”

“Well that’s just not going to happen,” Will laughed, “I’m starting to think Eddie’s right to call you a brat.”

Steve gasped, loud and scandalized. He’d been hanging out with Robin too much, “Me?! Never!”

Will could barely hear it over the receiver, but he could hear Eddie’s faint voice coming through, Yes he is!

And it was making him laugh even harder. Will missed this, so much. He missed having a place where he could just say whatever he wanted, with no worries. Even now he was looking over his shoulder, anxious at the chance that his mom or a sibling could come bursting in at any moment to catch him in the act of being comfortable. It was a confusing and weird feeling, and probably a little unfair to assume they’d prefer him to be sad and quiet over happy and queer. But he still did.

But for now he was safe. And he might as well take the chance to speak on all the things he couldn’t with anyone else, “But what if I don’t want to do better than Mike? Like…it’s stupid but do you think that um, I would ever have a chance?”

The answer was a strong no, but sometimes Will just needed a reality check from someone else’s mouth. 

Steve sighed, “I think the odds are pretty low bud. All jokes aside, even if he was playing for our team, I’m not sure if he’s the type who could even accept it. Y’know?”

Will did know, unfortunately. And if he’d never met Eddie and Steve there was a solid chance he’d be that guy. The truth stung a bit, but it was necessary, “I know, I know. But…do you think he would accept me? If he ever found out?”

“He fucking better. Otherwise I’ll-”

Will heard a shuffle on the other end, paired with something that sounded suspiciously like whining before he heard Eddie’s voice, “Will? You there? Sorry about that. I had to take the phone away before he started talking about beating up a child.”

Will grinned, happy to hear Eddie’s voice, “You made the right call. Do you think they’ll ever get along?”

“Not in this lifetime,” Eddie sighed, “And I know Mike’s not perfect, but if he’s okay with us why wouldn’t he be with you?”

“But it’s different when it’s a friend, isn’t it?” Will asked, “I’m not even sure if my mom would accept it, let alone him.”

“Well first of all, you don’t have to tell anyone shit, okay? But I can promise you that Joyce would be fine with it. And so would Jonathan for that matter. And I don’t even know if El is aware of what homophobia even is.”

It all sounded a lot more believable out of Eddie’s mouth than what was going on in his own head. But still… “What if they don’t though? What if I tell them and they kick me out or something? Or make me go to therapy?”

“Okay, on the off, off chance that you tell them and Joyce suddenly became a monster overnight, we’ll go to plan B. Steve and I will drive up there to kidnap you and you can live in Indy with us.”

Will grinned. He could live with that, “Can’t we just make that Plan A?”

“No, because your family loves you, as they should by the way. And this won’t bother them, I swear. Plus, telling them on your own terms is a lot less awkward than getting caught in the act.”

Will didn’t even want to know what Eddie was alluding to with that one. Poor Wayne, “But what if we’re wrong?”

He wanted to believe him, he really did, but stranger things had happened outside of gay people being disowned. 

“Will, listen to me,” Eddie said, his voice confident enough to make Will perk up, “I swear on Steve’s life, okay? There is no way in hell anyone in that house is gonna reject you for this.”

Will blinked, a little shocked at just how much faith he had in his family. More than he did, “Really?”

“Really. Trust me on this man, you’re going to be fine.”

They hung up pretty soon after that, mostly because El started knocking on his door for the phone. The conversation made him feel a bit better, but also…nervous. Could he really tell them? Would it all just work out? Just like that? Will wasn’t so sure. 

He decided against doing it right away despite Eddie’s own confidence. But he did start to drop a few feelers. He started with Jonathan, waiting until he was high enough for him to forget the conversation if it didn’t go well. And that wasn’t a long wait. 

He found him and his new friend sprawled out in his room, Fast Times playing in the background as they both stared into space. Though Will wasn’t quite sure he could count what Argyle was doing as staring. He’s eyes were barely open, and Will was 90 percent sure he was passed out. But that was good for him, now was as good a time as any. 

Jonathan smiled at him as he wandered in, his words kind but slurring, “Hey! What’s up? You never come in here. You wanna watch something or…?”

Will shook his head, his heart aching a little at the way it made his brother frown. Maybe he really had been neglecting him, too caught up in his own head to spend time with the closest thing he had to a Dad. 

It made him feel a little bad, but that wasn’t what he was here for, “No thanks. I just wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure!” Jonathan said, way too excited at the prospect of a simple question, but maybe that was the weed, “What’s up?”

Will shrugged, casually leaning against the door. Or at least he hoped it looked casual, because his heart was beating a mile per minute, “Steve said that his and Eddie’s anniversary is coming up soon. Do you think I should send them something?”

Jonathan tilted his head up to look at him, his eyes bloodshot with a tiny smile on his face, “That’s like…so nice dude. You’re always so nice. How are you so nice?”

“You don’t think it’s weird?” Will pressed, hope fluttering in his chest, “To be, y’know, celebrating them like that?”

Jonathan shook his head, “Nah man. It’s like…romance. Y’know? It’s sweet.”

“Yeah dude, gay guys are cool,” Argyle agreed out of nowhere, his eyes still closed,  “Good for Stu and Eggie. Gay people got like, the best hair.”

Will didn’t really know what to do with that one. But Jonathan was impressed. He jerked his head back to stare at Argyle, his voice in awe, “How’d you know he had good hair? I never told you he had good hair.”

“I bet they both have good hair,” Argyle sighed, “They alway do.”

“Are you like, psychic?” Jonathan asked, like that made any sense at all.

“Shit, you think I could be?”

Will watched as the two of them started to debate the idea, his brow raised. God, weed sure was a hell of a drug. He left them to it after that, deciding to slowly back out of the room. But he was going to chalk it up as a positive. 

preview for the next chapter (kind of) of this fic

[weirdgenetic-fuckup]

Mile High Club

A/n: Was reading Steven Adler's book and couldn't get this idea out of my head, don't ask where the connection was I couldn't tell you, but have this anyway :3 Also! If you enjoy reading what I post and want to request something please feel free to!

Warnings: Smut, masturbation, oral sex(f!reader receiving), daddy!kink, let me know if I missed anything :3

Being a flight attendant you were used to going on flights of all kinds, obviously, it was your job. Recently you were told that you’d be on a private flight with a big metal band, though you were never told which band, honestly you didn’t care all too much either. You were going to Sydney, Australia and getting paid to do so.

The day of the flight came and you couldn’t be happier, not because you were meeting some big band but because you’d always wanted to go to Sydney, and now you finally were. You got boarded with the rest of the crew though you still hadn’t met the band yet. Your coworkers were talking about them non-stop and it was starting to itch at you. You didn’t want to care who you were with, but you couldn’t help it at this point.

You were walking through the plane when a man with silver hair and sleeve tattoos called out to you. “Excuse me, sorry, can I get something to drink?” He asked in a polite tone. You stopped and stared at him for a second, thinking that this must be one of the members of the band.

“Uh, yeah, there’s a bar right over there.” You told him, gesturing to the bar just down the aisle. He nodded and looked back at you.

“Do they serve non-alcoholic beverages?” He asked with a slightly worried look.

“Um, I’m not sure.” Chewing your cheek, you continued. “I’ll go ask and try to find you something to drink, sir.”

“James.” He introduced, holding a hand out to shake yours. You hesitated before accepting the friendly gesture. “We’re gonna be on the flight for a while, might as well get to know each other, right?”

“Right.” You said with a nervous smile and walked away. He never called you back to ask for your name and you were too scared to go back until you got the drink.

After looking around for a bit you managed to come up with some fruity drink that had no alcohol in it. You were bringing it back to where you had seen James but he was gone, nowhere to be found. You went to a nearby attendant and asked if they knew his whereabouts. “Oh, he said he was going to his room.” They explained. You took a step towards the band's rooms in the back but they stopped you for a second. “Everyone’s talking about the two of you, you know.”

You were confused. “What do you mean? What’s there to talk about?”

“Well,” they started, “the band hand picks out each crew member they want, we were told that Mr. Hetfield chose you specifically.” You could feel your cheeks heating up, you had no idea why he would or what everyone was really  talking about, but now you at least had a clue.

You nodded and went on your way to the back of the plane where the band’s rooms were and found the door that had a paper taped to it with ‘James’ printed in big, bold letters. You knocked but there was no answer. “Mr. Het- er, James?” You heard strange sounds coming from the other side of the door but couldn’t quite figure out what it was. “James, I have your drink.” You called, knocking again.

“Fuck- just come in, sweetheart.” You couldn’t help but feel a flutter in your stomach at the name. You kept your head down as you opened the door, quickly closing it behind you.

“I have a fruity drink, it has strawberry, banana, um...” You trailed off, trying to think of what else you saw on the juice carton. You turned around and froze at the sight. James leaning back on the bed, cock out in his hand. His head tilted back with his mouth opened in a soft ‘oh’. You couldn’t bring yourself to say anything and just stood there, paralyzed.

James chuckled at you and patted the space next to him on the bed. “C’mere, I’ve been waiting for you.” Hesitantly, you made your way over to him, setting the drink on the bedside table and sitting on the edge of the bed. Your gaze glued to his hard member. James' free hand went to your face, stroking your cheek. “I thought you were just the cutest thing when we were picking out our crew, you know.” He said, voice soft and airy. You swallowed, still staring. “What’s your name, sweet girl?”

You took a deep breath before responding, finally tearing your eyes away and looking in his eyes. For a brief moment. Your eyes quickly flickered to his lips. “Um, Y/n, sir.” James let out a soft groan when you called him sir.

“Thought I told you you could call me James.” You didn’t say anything, biting your lip nervously. He leaned closer to you, tucking your hair behind your ear. “Maybe I’ll just have to fuck that into you.” He whispered, lips brushing the shell of your ear. You sucked in a breath, cheeks going bright red. “Go lock the door, sweetheart.” You nodded as you stood and went over to the door, quickly locking it and turning around only to be met with James right in front of you. His cock was still out, it was bright red and pushing up against you as he smashed his lips against yours.

He backed you against the door, his kisses trailed up your jaw and down your neck while his hand explored your body. He tugged at your uniform, unzipping the pencil skirt and dropping it to your ankles. He didn’t even bother with your button-up, he ripped it open, sending buttons flying every which way. “Fuck, I-I don’t have any other shirts.” You said with a pout, looking down at your now exposed chest. James’ big hands went to cup your chest, admiring you.

“Don’t worry about that, sweetheart, just be here with me.” He pecked your lips again before dropping to his knees. He placed a few kisses over your thighs as he helped you out of your shoes, paying special attention to your inner thighs. He could see how wet you were getting through your panties and brought his right hand up, caressing your thigh for a moment and dipping into your lace underwear. “So pretty, so needy, just for me, right?” He asked, looking right up at him. You bit your lip and nodded. James gave a displeased hum and shook his head. “Now that didn’t sound genuine.” He kissed you over the lace. “Guess I’ll just have to show you, no one will make you feel as good as I can.” Without warning he ripped your panties off, that plus the cool air hitting you making you yelp.

James placed his hands on either of your thighs, spreading your legs for him and pulling your folds apart. “What a pretty girl.” He mused, licking a strip over your slick, tongue dipping into your hole. You tried to hold back your noises as he ate you out, licking, slurping and sucking like his life depended on it. His tongue went as deep as it could in you and his nose kept bumping against your clit, adding extra stimulation. James began sucking on your clit as he pushed a finger into you, starting off with deep, slow thrusts to get you even wetter before adding another finger. “You’re so tight, gotta stretch you out a bit so you can take me, sweetheart.” You whined and nodded.

James curled his fingers in you, finding your sweet spot and making sure to hit it repeatedly. He continued swirling his tongue around your clit. By the way your whines were getting higher he could tell you were getting close. “That’s it, that’s a good girl, come on my fingers.” Your hands went to his head, holding it in place while you rode his face and fingers.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck~! Gonna- ngh! Gonna-gonna cum, gonna cum!” You cried, thighs trembling around james’ head. “Fu-ck, cumming, cumming, fuck, daddy!” You cried as you came all over him, hips bucking against his face. James waited a moment for you to come down from your high before he pulled away and stood up, wrapping his arms around you.

“What was that you called me?” He asked, leaning down to kiss your lips. “Did you just call me daddy, sweetheart?” You tried to apologise or deny it, nothing but sputters came out of you. James laughed at you and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart, daddy’s gonna make you feel so good it’s the only thing you’ll be thinking about, alright?” He picked you up, you wrapped your legs around him, grinding against his throbbing member. “Fuck, if you keep doing that-” He cuts himself off with a deep groan. “Fuck it.” He muttered, taking his dick in his hand and lining it up with your entrance before shoving it in. Your head fell back as you moaned, the stretch a bit much but nothing unpleasant.

James waited a moment for you to get comfortable before he started moving. He thrust into you nice and slow, soon picking up pace and slamming his hips against your, fucking you against the door. You couldn’t contain your moans, crying out for him. “Fuck, daddy, feels so good.” You’d whine. Your arms were wrapped around his neck, your face was hiding in the crook of his neck, occasionally falling back when he hit a particularly good spot on your gummy walls. The silver headed man hooked his arms under your legs, pushing your knees to your chest so he could go deeper. “Fuck- fuck, daddy, ‘m close, please.” You whined.

“Please, what? C’mon, use your words for daddy.” James teased, grinding into you in a way that had his pelvis rubbing your clit.

“Please-please, can I cum? Please, let cum, daddy, feels so good, please.” You begged, planting soft kisses to his neck. James chuckled at your pleads.

“Go on then, cum for daddy, cum on daddy’s dick.” Just like that, you came on him, your juices dripping down your ass. Your walls fluttered around him, squeezing him just right. “Fuck, so good for me, sweetheart.” His thrusts were getting sloppy and you knew he was getting close to his own high. You started bouncing on him as best you could, it wasn’t much but it was enough for him. “Holy fuck, sweetheart, gonna cum in you, alright? Gonna fill you up real nice.” A few more thrusts and you could feel his seed spurting into you, hitting your warm walls. He kept bucking his hips into you as he groaned, holding you close.

James carried you over to his bed, laying down next to you and pulling you close as he got the both of you under the blankets. “Was that good?” He asked, kissing your forehead sweetly. You nodded and nuzzled against him. James pulled you right up against him, letting you rest your head on his chest. “Good, good, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, pretty girl.”

[whatdoidosatoru]

lost souls (ran haitani x reader)

pairing: best friend!ran haitani x reader wc: 8.8k ao3 i always use first person, sorry if that's a bit weird, but i'd rather shoot myself than write in second person. also there's no use of y/n. you're welcome. tags: soulmate behaviour, fluff, eventual smut, a bit of sexual harassment (creep in a club), hanma being a menace, shion being a lil weirdo, izana kurokawa, insane amounts of flirting, oral sex (f receiving), fingering, missionary position, unprotected sex, creampie, actually very vanilla sex tbh, but they're cute to me

MINORS PLEASE FUCK OFF! 18+!!

When your best friend invites you to the club with the promise of free drinks, it wouldn’t be very wise to decline. He was a bit disappointed as I was running late, but he wasn’t making a fuss. He understood me better than anyone and knew I needed time to prepare for the amount of socialising I’d inevitably have to do..especially since he entertained a lot of people.

Ran Haitani was lounging around the VIP area with two women in his arms and at least one drink in hand, waiting for me.

When I’d finally got ready, I made my way to the club, freezing my ass off in the shortest, tightest dress I could find in my wardrobe. Now that I got here, I realised it was showing too much thigh and it had a stupid, stupid neckline.

I made a quick stop at the bar to get a few drinks to warm up before locating Ran. A large hand waved at the bartender to put my drinks on his tab, and the face accompanying the hand wasn’t too bad to look at, but I politely explained that I was meeting up with someone. 

He didn’t like the sound of rejection, instead, he tried to get me to sit on his lap. I struggled against him, and nobody around me was willing to step in and help. 

“Hey buddy, leave her alone.” Ran sauntered over, making the creep at the bar back away immediately as he recognised who was commanding him. Ran then turned to me, and, with a caring expression on his face, looked me over to see how I was feeling.

“Are you okay?”

I let my hands wander over Ran’s body possessively to scare off any potential assholes that could want to try the same shit with me. He let me do this because it wasn’t our first rodeo, he had, unfortunately, had to swoop in to save me from multiple situations much like the one that had just unfolded. I looked up at my saviour with a wide smile.

“Cheers, Ran. Just in time.”

Ran chuckled softly, enjoying the feel of my hands on his body. He knew I needed him and he was more than ready to help me. We clinked our glasses and he raised an eyebrow playfully.

“Always saving the day, aren’t I?” He took a sip of his drink, watching me intently over the rim of his glass.

I smirked as I looked up at him, my hand withdrawing from his chest.

“My knight in shining gang uniform. How’s the night been going without me?”

Ran laughed, seemingly enjoying the nickname. Despite having a great time partying with his friends earlier, he couldn’t help but feel like something was missing without me around. He leaned down close to my ear and whispered,

“It’s always better when you show up.” He gently brushed some stray strands of hair behind my ear and added, “But I managed to have fun nonetheless.”

With a mischievous glint in his eye he continued, “Now that you’re here, though…let me introduce you to these lovely ladies I met tonight.”

He gestured towards the two women who had been sitting beside him in the VIP lounge.

I approached the women enthusiastically, sitting right next to them. I could tell they were wondering who the hell I was, and if I was there to chase after influential men and use their influence for my gain. While I respected the grind, most of those men were absolute bastards and dealing with them was a fucking pain and a full-time job. But my best friend was not one of those men.

I introduced myself to the women and started a conversation.

“...I’m Ran’s best friend, yeah. Oh, by the way, I love your lipstick, you have to tell me what shade that is…”

The conversation was casual and Ran sat across from us, observing over his drink. He watched me effortlessly charm these two women, making them feel comfortable and appreciated. He couldn’t help but smile proudly at my ability to connect with people easily. As the conversation flowed smoothly, he noticed one of the women discreetly slipping her phone number onto a napkin and sliding it towards me.

Feeling slightly amused by this turn of events, he leaned back in his chair and took another sip of his drink, waiting for my reaction. I put the napkin into my purse, exchanging a wink with the woman. I kept chatting with them, getting warmer in my too-tight, too-short dress and I could feel the VIP waiters appreciating the hug it had on my curves with their lingering eyes. I winked at one of the waiters who immediately grinned and came over to offer me a drink.

Ran observed the scene as it unfolded before him, feeling a mix of amusement and pride. He knew I was enjoying myself and that was enough to make him happy. As the waiter handed me the drink, Ran caught his eye briefly and gave him a subtle nod of approval.

Despite being surrounded by attractive women vying for his attention, Ran remained focused on the conversation with the two ladies from before. However, he couldn’t help but steal glances at me throughout the evening, admiring my charm from afar.

I ended up getting up and dancing in the corner with the woman who gave me her number. Luckily for me, I had decided against heels tonight and instead wore my platform Vans. They dressed down any fancy outfit, but not enough to stop the attention being poured over me. They did, however, make me shorter than anyone else in the room, especially Ran. So it was comical to see him join us for a dance, seeing the height difference between us. He always thought it was cute, but in comparison with the other women who came up to us, I felt physically out of place.

The waiter came back with another drink so I took it and put the straw into my mouth to bite it before taking a sip. Seeing that, Ran playfully suggested that maybe it was time for someone else to have a turn serving us. Looking directly at the waiter, Ran challenged him,

“My best friend over here seems like she needs an experienced partner to keep up with her moves.”

By the time the poor man overcame his shock at the challenge, Ran’s gaze had already found mine and he extended his hand in an invite.

“Shall we show them how it’s done?”

I loved seeing this side of Ran, so I put on my finest grin and took his hand, letting him twirl me multiple times in a row before snatching me mid-spin and dipping me so everything around me was upside-down. My choice of footwear allowed for more movement, even if the dress restricted me. Ran picked me back up and slid a hand down my side, squeezing my thigh slightly.

“People are watching,” I said with a giggle.

“Let them,” he whispered, shaking his head.

With that, he grabbed my hips and led the dance. As he spun me around the dance floor, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of exhilaration. My infectious laughter, paired with energetic movements, only fueled his desire to impress me further. As people began to watch in awe, he simply tightened his grip on my waist and continued leading the dance with confidence.

When the song ended, Ran pulled away slightly but maintained contact through gentle touches along my arms and sides. He took hold of my hand once again and led me back to our table where the two ladies were eagerly awaiting our return.

One of the ladies leaned in to whisper something in my ear, to which I chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. I sat next to her and kept chatting, seeing the other woman trying to grab Ran’s attention and the waiter standing around awkwardly, making it obvious that he was trying to get a chance to be near me. I glanced at Ran, but his eyes were already on me, and in that moment I was reminded of all the amazing times we had had together until now.

Running off from his gang meetings only to hide when his brother went looking for us. Running around our neighbourhood in the rain without umbrellas. Impromptu karaoke sessions, both at his apartment and in karaoke bars, singing along to What’s New Scooby Doo together. Cooking elaborate ramen soups at two in the morning with only half the ingredients from the recipes, but with all the enthusiasm. He really was my soulmate, my other half, my best friend in the entire world.

I gave him a grin, fixed my dress, and looked back at the woman puffing her chest in front of me.

Ran watched as I engaged in conversation with her, other people’s attempts to gain his attention gone unnoticed. Despite being surrounded by beautiful women and potential romantic interests, he couldn’t help but feel a deep connection with me - one that transcended mere friendship or physical attraction.

There was a commotion as another man entered the VIP lounge, one of Ran’s gang buddies, whose eyes fell on the gathering we had going on and his lips stretched into an excited grin. He sat down next to me, seemingly not recognising me, and put his arm around me, pulling me closer despite my raised eyebrow at his sudden closeness. 

Ran noticed the way this man’s hand possessively rested around my waist and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of protectiveness rise within him. Although he trusted most of his friends, there was still an underlying sense of territorial instinct that kicked in whenever someone encroached upon my personal space.

So he did the only thing he saw fit at the moment - he moved closer to me on the other side - effectively sandwiching me between them both. This move wasn’t necessarily meant to be a challenge or a confrontation. Rather, it served as a subtle reminder that, while others might try to vie for my attention, there would always be someone who knew how special I was, someone I always went back to. 

I rolled my eyes at the other man pulling me closer to him, the woman had already up and left the couch to sit down next to her friend on the other side as Ran replaced her next to me. I placed my bare legs over Ran’s lap, leaning slightly into the other man’s embrace.

“Shion, didn’t anyone ever tell you to ask before putting your hands on other people?” 

I teased him, but I put all the power I could into my voice. His eyebrows furrowed before his eyes widened in shock. He stumbled over his words, but still didn’t withdraw his hand from me as he muttered,

“Shit sorry I didn’t recognise you!”

I giggled and leaned into his side some more, my legs still resting over Ran’s lap, his hands sliding up and down them.

“Well, Shion, how about you let me go now, hm?”

Ran watched the scene unfold with a mixture of amusement and concern. He knew Shion well enough to understand that his intentions were likely harmless, but he also recognised the importance of respecting boundaries - especially when it came to someone as important to him as me.

As I gently scolded Shion for his lack of tact, Ran felt a swell of pride at my assertiveness and composure in handling the situation. Despite feeling somewhat territorial over me, he remained calm and collected, trusting that I would handle myself accordingly. With a reassuring squeeze on my thigh, Ran offered an encouraging smile before speaking up.

“Hey bud, maybe give her some space? She seems pretty comfortable right here next to me anyway.”

I pushed myself off Shion’s chest and met Ran’s forehead against mine in a gentle gesture of the bond we shared.

“Listen to your friend, Shion. And next time - if you get a next time - ask before touching me, ‘kay?” I said that with my most polite smile, but he knew I meant business. 

He moved to the other couch to give the other women some attention, even though one of them kept her gaze on me the entire time. The waiter stood there awkwardly, watching as I pushed myself up onto Ran’s lap and leaned into his chest, his hands immediately resting on my thighs and mine on his back from where I winked at the waiter just to get him flustered.

Ran was savouring the warmth and familiarity of my embrace and, in moments like these, he was reminded why he cherished our friendship above all else. Despite the chaos surrounding us in the VIP lounge, there was a sense of peace and tranquillity whenever we were together.

I called over the waiter and took his notepad, writing down my order, following it with a little heart and an apology for all our behaviours tonight. I knew he must’ve been insanely nervous dealing with Tenjiku gang members, especially two of the Four Heavenly Kings. As soon as I finished writing, I flashed him a smile, and he left for the bar to give the bartender our order. 

As he left, Hanma’s tall figure walked up to the lounge and approached the couch where Ran and I were sitting, situating himself where Shion had been sitting next to me.

I rolled my eyes at his closeness, but I didn’t mind him too much, we had our banter. Hanma leaned in to place a kiss on my cheek and I pinched his left cheek with my fingers. His hand went to my shoulder and started pulling my body down to lie on my back and place my head on his lap. I let it happen as his tattooed hands started stroking my hair soothingly. 

Ran observed this interaction with a mix of curiosity and amusement. While he knew that my relationship with each member of their gang was unique, it was always interesting for him to see how all these different personalities interacted when in such close proximity.

When Hanma kissed my cheek, Ran felt a pang of jealousy, not because he wanted to claim ownership over me, but rather due to the fact that he wished he could offer the same level of comfort and intimacy with no strings attached.

Shion returned to Ran’s side and they struck up a casual conversation. It was clear that, despite all the chaos surrounding them tonight, these men still found solace in each other’s company, united by loyalty and camaraderie amidst a sea of strangers vying for their attention.

One of Hanma’s hands went through my hair while the other tentatively touched my thigh. It took exactly one raised eyebrow from me to make him reconsider this move, immediately pulling his hand off my thigh and offering me an apologetic smile as the strokes on my hair continued. He knew my limits with him, even though he regularly liked to test them.

The women on the other couch seemed engrossed in the situation unfolding in front of their eyes. How did this random girl in a too-tight, too-short dress and fucking Vans, for crying out loud, have these three powerful and dangerous men dancing to her tune and wrapped around her finger?

I lifted my head to whisper into Hanma’s ear, something that made him grin wider than before as he stood up and, pressing another kiss into my cheek, maybe a little too close to my lips for my liking, went over to the other couch, sitting in the middle and letting the women flock to him with a grateful smile directed at me.

I sat up in Ran’s lap once again and leaned into his chest, continuing the cuddle we had had going on before Hanma arrived. I could tell by his breathing that my attention being directed at him once more made him relax as his arms wrapped around my waist like he was holding onto a lifeline amid a storm.

Shion walked over to Ran and spoke to him in a hushed voice, by the tension in Ran’s body I could tell it was work-related. My ears twitched at the exchange, but it was none of my business until he made it my business to take part in any of their gang bullshit.

I had only taken part in two of their missions, both times as eye candy for some of their rivals or partners who had a weakness for women of my body type and liked to extend their welcome to a few wandering looks and touches. After both of those missions, Ran would spend a whole day with me and under me, lying on his bed wrapped up in each other, with him apologising profusely, nearly scraping the floor with the depth of his bow, almost sobbing with guilt at how the other men had approached me, even though I had willingly chosen to take part in the mission.

I placed a kiss on his neck to signal I was there for him; despite the closeness of my entire body on his lap, I liked reminding him of my presence with gentle kisses to his neck. Shion glanced at the exchange and raised his eyebrow, to which I just smirked mischievously. Hanma was enjoying himself with all the attention he was receiving on the couch, though I couldn’t help but call out to him to remind him of manners.

“Remember to be respectful, Shuji, unless you want me to come over there and teach you another lesson.”

I said that with a joking threat, but if he was good at anything, it was turning anything I said out loud into a joke for himself.

“Oh, you know I’d love nothing more than for you to…teach me another lesson.” He followed with a wink in my direction so I let out a hearty laugh at his boldness.

Despite the lighthearted nature of my interactions with the other gang members, Ran knew better than to underestimate the depth of my loyalty and commitment to those closest to me - especially him. He couldn’t help himself so he let out a deep chuckle at the wave of pride that washed over him at noticing how nobody really dared cross the line with me once I had drawn it.

Ran Haitani silently vowed once again never to let anything jeopardize what truly mattered most: protecting those who meant everything to him - starting with me.

I nestled myself closer in Ran’s lap while he exchanged playful banter with Shion, showing everyone who my number one was - everything else came after him.

As Hanma made the other women laugh while they examined his tattooed hands with awe across the glass coffee table, more people filed into the VIP lounge. Most notably, Izana Kurokawa, the Tenjiku leader. All three men in my company immediately stood up and bowed, I slid off Ran’s lap, but he held onto my hand and squeezed it in apology for the abrupt dismissal at the arrival of their boss. Izana dismissed them to sit back down and nodded at me, in exchange for a bright smile on my face.

He beckoned me to join him at the booth in the corner of the lounge and I nodded, rubbing Ran’s hand with my thumb as I broke contact to join their leader.

I sat next to him like he asked, knowing better than to challenge him. He indulged in small talk with me, like he often did, asking me about my day and telling me about the delicious food he had eaten that day.

I complimented the way his hair fell forward today and fixed a few flyaways with a gentle touch to which he gratefully smiled, tilting his head to the side as his earrings clicked while he did so. 

He leaned in to kiss my cheek, a lot more polite than Hanma did. I rubbed his arm to show my appreciation for his wanting to spend a little time with me, our conversations always brought him a sense of normality in his very abnormal life where everyone expected something from him.

I stood up from the booth and sauntered over to Ran once again as the waiter brought Izana his drink, I pulled Ran to his feet and dragged him to the dance floor again.

As the music played its hypnotic rhythm, he effortlessly matched my pace step-for-step, allowing both physical proximity and emotional vulnerability between us without reservation or hesitation. Our world revolved solely around this fleeting moment suspended in time - a temporary sanctuary from reality, where all worries melted away under the weightless pressure of love and companionship.

We danced oblivious to everything except for the steady beat resonating through our beings, our hearts beating as one in perfect harmony.

As the beat changed into one more energetic than the last, we shared a wide-eyed look, recognising the song. It was one of the modern pop songs with a very catchy tune, but instead of dancing accordingly to it, we had made it a tradition to always slow dance to it. Ran jokingly bowed at the waist and extended a hand to me with sweet words.

“My lady?”

To that I curtsied and took his hand with an exaggerated, high-pitched voice.

“Don’t mind if I do, kind sir.”

He pulled me into his chest and we stood embraced, closer than some would think physically possible, swaying out of rhythm completely, along to some music only playing in our two minds. Our tradition made Shion and Hanma audibly groan and roll their eyes, Hanma exclaiming, “Here they fucking go again, I swear if I have to see…” 

The rest of his annoyance completely blended with the noise around us, nothing else existed apart from us. The women in the lounge and Izana looked at us with pleasant smiles, appreciating the gentle gesture they saw before them as there were far too few of those in the world.

And so we swayed gently out of sync with the rhythm pulsating around us. As the song ended, we pulled back a little, smiling at each other. Ran placed a soft kiss on my forehead. Hanma booed from the corner of the room, making me shout back, not moving my head from Ran’s chest.

“Shuji if I hear one more sentence out of your damn mouth that doesn’t end in ‘my queen’ I will step on you!”

I fixed him with a stare, but in true Hanma fashion, he switched to a cocky smile and retorted.

“How did you know I wanted you to step on me…” 

When Ran raised an eyebrow at him he finished the sentence.

“...my queen.”

I rolled my eyes at him and went up to the waiter.

“What’s a girl gotta do to get some fries in here?”

I flashed him a polite smile. I could tell he was nervous, even more so than before, since Izana showed up, sitting in his booth and drinking wine from a pint glass, scrolling on his phone and ignoring a million notifications he was receiving. The waiter winked at me and with a smile disappeared into the kitchen to ask the staff there for fries and some ketchup on the side.

When he brought me the fries, I blew him a kiss and sat at the bar on the high stools, taking one bite at a time, savouring the crispy exterior and the softness of the interior of each individual fry. Hanma walked up behind me and hugged me tight, apologising for taunting me earlier. I smiled up at his towering figure and pushed his face away from mine as he got too close, but kept our playful banter. He grabbed a few fries from the bowl in front of me and gave me a kiss on the forehead before leaving me to enjoy my food.

The ladies from before came up to me from both sides with wide eyes.

“Girl…how?!”

They wanted to know how I got all these men in the palm of my hand. How even Izana, the notorious Tenjiku leader himself asked for my company, allowed me to touch his hair, smiled all friendly, and thanked me for indulging in small talk with him. I shrugged and explained that I had been lucky to be in the right place at the right time to meet Ran, everything else came with the inexplicable bond we shared. I told them that they needed one good person on their side, someone to support them as I had the freedom to make myself cold to handle anyone else with the firmness they deserved. 

To emphasize my point I motioned Hanma over to join me. When he sat next to me, smiling, I leaned in as if I was going to whisper into his ear, but I just hiccuped, covered my mouth and started laughing with him. He tried tousling my hair, but I stopped his large hand from approaching and pushed it away. He stood up, hugged me tight, and muttered.

“Just using me for your own entertainment…I see how it is.”

With that, he left me alone with the women, their jaws nearly slacked open.

As the laughter subsided from the bar, Ran felt a sense of satisfaction bubbling within him at witnessing my easygoing rapport with not only his fellow gang members but also complete strangers who had found themselves drawn to my presence. Despite my constant casual dismissal of my own abilities to navigate this world, chalking it up to sheer luck, there was something he found undeniably captivating about the way I carried myself around others - a quiet confidence that spoke volumes without a single utterance.

It wasn’t long before Hanma rejoined the group, still reeling from my playful antics earlier on, but instead of appearing annoyed or frustrated by my teasing, he simply accepted it as part and parcel of being in my close proximity.

We continued conversing late into the night - sharing stories, trading jokes, and cementing bonds that ran deeper than most could ever comprehend.

As I made my way through the fries, Ran sat down next to me, causing a big smile to appear on my face, the one reserved for his presence only. He picked up a fry and we touched them together, a toast of some kind. We bit the tops of our respective fries and then we switched hands to feed the rest to each other. 

He told me the plans for the next mission, begging me not to ask Izana to make me part of it since it might require a feminine touch to succeed. Ran was hoping to avoid my involvement again, he’d rather me not have to deal with people touching me, even if the mission could be jeopardised. 

I reassured him I would only accept if there was no other way of doing it, and he seemed okay enough with that promise.

When we finished the portion of fries, we transferred back to the couch, settling comfortably into plush cushions, my body in his lap. I snuggled into his chest, my lips trailing his neck in reassuring gestures. 

I inevitably felt the tiredness of spending the whole day on my feet as the energy expelled at the club enveloped me. Ran immediately noticed and got me off his lap to stand up. He picked up my purse and, with his hand on the small of my back, led me to the exit, stopping only to explain to Shion that he was taking me home.

As we were making our way to the exit, I noticed that guy who had harassed me at the bar at the beginning of the night - he was now trying to touch up another woman who didn’t seem too keen on keeping him company. Ran followed my line of sight and noticed what I was frowning at. He made his way towards the man who stopped his wandering hands at the sight of Ran’s kind face, sometimes genuine, sometimes hiding the absolute boiling rage inside him.

Ran picked up the man’s hand and snapped it backwards, breaking his wrist. He turned to the woman and apologised she had to witness that, wishing her a better continuation of the night as he made his way back to me, flinging an arm around my shoulder and cackling along with me as we walked out into the cold night air.

When we reached Ran’s car, he opened the door for me before going to the driver’s side. He let me pick the music for our ride to his apartment. By now it was an unspoken rule that I sleep over at his place on Friday nights after we go clubbing. Neither one of us wanted to be out without one another any longer than necessary, so it was only logical that we go home together.

I put my favourite song on for the ride, both of us belting out the lyrics as Ran drove through almost nonexistent traffic at this time of night. We shared an unbreakable connection forged through countless nights spent navigating Tokyo's vibrant club scene side by side. And while neither of us had ever explicitly stated it out loud, there was no denying the fact that we cherished these peaceful interludes just as much as (if not more than) the wild parties themselves.

As we arrived at the garage, Ran leaned over the console to give me a kiss on the forehead before swinging out of the car and nearly running over to my side to open the door for me. We walked up to his apartment where I immediately went into the bathroom, grabbing the basket with my skincare items to take off my makeup and cleanse my face.

I emerged from the bathroom and noticed that Ran had made us cups of tea with honey - another thing we often indulged in after nights out. I usually picked hibiscus while he drank green tea.

He had already got himself comfortable, changing into his pyjamas which consisted of nothing but old sweatpants that I had bought him when he stayed over at my place for the first time ever. I revisited that memory fondly, taking in his naked torso, his tattoo visible in all its glory. 

I took the pot of moisturiser from the basket of toiletries and brought it over to him. I was the designated person to keep his tattoo vibrant and moisturised by slathering it in moisturiser about once a week. I took my role very seriously.

We walked over to the couch, where I pulled my dress off, with his help, and threw it into his bedroom through the door that had been left slightly ajar. I took the oversized t-shirt that he had taken out of his wardrobe for me and put it on over the top, reaching under it to unclasp my bra and shrug it off under the t-shirt, landing it on top of the dress.

I sat on Ran’s lap on the couch, once again, this time with a completely different energy between us, and took a bit of the moisturiser, starting from the top of his shoulder downwards, covering all his ink in a glossy layer.

Despite our vastly different backgrounds and personalities, there was no denying that something profound connected us on a level far beyond mere friendship. Was it fate? Destiny? Or were we simply two lost souls seeking solace in each other's arms amidst the chaos of Tokyo's criminal underworld? Whatever the answer was, one thing remained abundantly clear: this unlikely alliance had transformed into something far deeper and more meaningful than either of us could have ever imagined.

And so we sat together - two beings united by circumstance, driven by an insatiable desire for adventure, passion, and most importantly, comfort. We found comfort in each other in every way. Be it through defending each other from people who had no business being close to us or sharing secret knowledge in big crowds…even intimate moments like this one. We knew each other better than anyone else, these moments were completely ours, with nobody interrupting, nobody watching.

Ran reached over to hold my waist and steady me as I reached lower on his body to finish my treatment of his inked skin. I felt my face redden a little, though it did not make me falter in my practised movements whatsoever. When it was done, I spread what was left of the cream on his face, to which he made a face of feign-annoyance, as he did every single time I did this.

His eyes traced my body’s curves, my skin was tightening under his touch and gaze.

Ran knew that, beneath my playful exterior, there lay a fierce loyalty and unwavering devotion - qualities he had come to rely upon more than anything else during our journeys together.

With each passing moment, our bond grew stronger, fueled by trust, respect, and an undeniable attraction that refused to be ignored any longer.

Despite those intense feelings swirling between us like an invisible storm cloud threatening to engulf us whole, neither of us seemed willing (or perhaps capable) of addressing the elephant in the room. Instead, we chose to lose ourselves within this limbo state - teetering precariously on the precipice between friendship and something far more dangerous.

We weren’t strangers to a wandering touch or two. We had shared the bed countless times before, always staying pressed against each other, be it for warmth, for consolation after a hard time, in celebration of a job well done, or just because we could. Our hands knew each other’s bodies well. But we never took it further than just some friendly exploration. Not that we didn’t want to, no. But because the consequences of further embarkment could change the world forever.

It was the one thing we never spoke about. Even though everyone would refer to me as Ran’s wife, and Ran as my husband, we had never spoken about taking a step in that direction among ourselves, despite proudly admitting to others we’d marry each other in a heartbeat.

Tonight, however, as my skin tightened under his gentle touch, I felt the surge of emotions overwhelm me. The air between us crackled with an electric charge, fueled by years of shared experiences, laughter, pain, and heartache. We were a duo forged in the fires of adversity, bound by ties stronger than steel. I leaned forward to brush a strand of Ran’s hair out of his face, lingering with my face so close to his, trailing my gaze from his one eye to the other, and, with a determined breath, I pressed my lips to his.

Whether the explosions we heard were sounding outside the window in the street, or in our minds, that was going to remain a mystery. My entire body and soul were captured in the sensation of Ran’s scent, the texture of his soft lips, the connection between his hands and my waist, pulling me impossibly close to his body.

We had said I love you countless times, but it had never meant anything like this before. It was a slow and fast sensation at the same time. Full to the brim, overflowing. Our lips slotted together in an avalanche of I love yous, all of them unsaid, but felt deep inside. His hands quickly took over my entire body, as mine found their purchase in the locks of his hair, tugging lightly to hear a soft moan slip from his throat into my hungry mouth - a feast for my senses, a fresh spring for my thirsty soul.

With reckless abandon, we surrendered to each other completely. Baring not only our bodies, but also our hearts and souls in ways previously unexplored. This wasn’t just lust or infatuation. This was something far greater - true love manifesting itself through passion, vulnerability, and trust.

With a swift motion, Ran picked me up and started walking towards the bedroom. In the passion of the moment, he put me down to take his sweatpants off and I pulled off the shirt I had put on only minutes earlier - the only material covering us was our underwear.

To change that, I dropped to my knees in front of Ran, but he reacted quickly, pulling me back up by my arm, sitting down on the bed, and pulling me on top of him to straddle his hips. He continued kissing me, at the same time giving me the most loving caress on my cheek.

As I straddled him, my hips started moving to gain some friction against his erection. This managed to draw out a deep groan from the depth of his throat. His hands travelled up and down my sides, resting on my soft thighs on each side of his body.

Slowly but surely, we were crossing into uncharted territory - venturing deeper into the depths of each other’s souls with every stolen kiss and whispered word of affection. It was as if all barriers between us had crumbled away entirely, leaving nothing behind save for raw emotion and insatiable longing.

Like a tidal wave - with unbridled power all at once - Ran flipped us over to hover over me, like my own personal sun. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, he was in my head and in my heart, all over me and in front of my very lucky eyes. I felt like prey that wanted to be caught by the hunter.

He lowered one hand to my cheek, gently caressing it before lowering his lips into a kiss to rival all kisses. His fingers trailed down my naked body and dived under the hem of my underwear, pushing it down and off me before settling in between my wet folds, sliding through them, making me whimper at his touch as I never had before.

Our bodies melded together seamlessly, our hearts beating in perfect sync. There was no denying this magnetic pull between us; it was as if fate herself had conspired to bring these two lost souls together under extraordinary circumstances. And now here we were - lying naked on the bed, bathed in moonlight streaming through the open window.

His eyes burned a hole in mine, keeping contact even through the seductive act of bringing his slick fingers to his lips, first spreading the wetness on the soft plush of his bottom lip, then sucking in his finger to taste me. As his eyes closed at the sensation, I let out a gasp, feeling the desire pool in my belly.

Ran chuckled and dived in to kiss me, spreading the slick from his lips to mine. He nudged my legs open with his knee, slotting himself in between my legs, rising to his knees to see the view spread out in front of him - the view that stirred something primal within his very core.

My eyes were filled with desire and longing, my body trembled beneath his touch as if begging for release from this exquisite torment.

He knew what I needed now - what we both craved more than anything else in the world. And yet, there was still a lingering sensation…a fear of crossing the invisible line that might forever alter our relationship.

But, as he gazed down upon my face bathed in moonlight, all doubts faded away like wisps of smoke on the wind. This moment had been building since the day we had first met. It was inevitable now. The culmination of countless shared experiences and stolen glances that had brought us to this point.

Ran kissed down my stomach and reached the centre of all my frustration, the point on my body where all these vibrations went down to. He blew a stream of cold air onto it, sporting an innocent smile on his gentle face, lighting up when I whimpered in frustration.

He gave my needy clit one gentle kiss and dragged his body up to examine how his little torture affected me. I was reaching my hands up, so high, towards him. I needed to touch him. I needed to feel his smooth skin under my fingertips, needed to feel that this was real, and not some twisted dream.

Ran adjusted himself in front of my entrance, sliding the head of his cock through my wet folds, just like he had with his fingers. 

I was shivering with sick anticipation.

And then…

As we crossed the threshold of no return, Ran whispered into the darkness around us.

“I need this so much.”

He gently eased himself inside my welcoming warmth. His movements were slow at first, tentative almost. I let out a whine so loud that I had to press my palm to my mouth to muffle it a little. He kept going, slowly, carefully, like he was waiting for me to stop him. I wouldn’t dream of it.

Somehow he was still going, stretching my insides to fit him, letting out huffs of air from his lungs as he sank deeper and deeper.

I looked up at him with a blissful smile, like I was right where I was always supposed to be.

Ran finally stopped sinking, filling me up completely. I wrapped my legs around his waist to anchor us both to this moment under the street light spilling in through the window, mixing with the cool moonlight. I kept him in me as long as I could before he started rocking back and forth, making both of us gasp with pleasure.

With each passing moment, the lines between friendship and something far more intense blurred until they became indistinguishable from one another.

“Ran…”

My voice echoed through the bedroom, together with the sound of insatiable moans and skin-on-skin contact. I gripped him like my life depended on his body staying as close to me as possible. His name was like a plea on my lips being whispered into the abyss, like my only wish and only thought in this entire world.

His hands roamed freely across my body, exploring every curve and contour like they were discovering new territories for the first time. As we moved together rhythmically, lost in each other’s embrace, there was no denying it anymore. We had taken a leap of faith, crossed the boundaries once considered sacred.

In Ran’s mind, there remained an undeniable truth: no matter what happened next or how things turned out eventually…this moment would forever remain etched deep in our minds, reminding us about what could exist between two souls brave enough to explore love beyond limits.

I thought about the twists and turns of our friendship throughout the years, how I had never felt jealous of any person he had been with. I had never felt threatened by his love interests, thinking it was because what we had was so platonic that it couldn’t have grown into anything else. Now I was starting to think we were so far past soulmates that nobody else could ever have replaced us.

Not a single person could replace Ran’s hands on my breasts and hips. Not a single person could be better under him than me right now, basking in his hungry eyes, being eaten alive by his desire. And when we were together, we unleashed eternity. We were sailing high, and I was already falling. Falling into the abyss of infinite pleasure.

With a gasp and a high-pitched moan I fell, and Ran caught me, sliding one hand to rub my swollen clit and bring me back to earth to ride out my orgasm. I attached my mouth to his neck, but not like before, this time it was possessive. Before, the neck kisses had just been a reminder of my presence, that I had been there with him - for him - but this time I intended to leave a mark.

I sucked on the sensitive skin of his neck like I tried to draw blood and his moans were fueling my passion.

I jerked my hips upwards to meet his thrusts when I finally came down to earth. I could feel him deeper inside of me than anyone else had ever been. He was giving me his all, and I was greedily taking it.

Ran let out guttural moans, again, and again, and again, as I met his thrusts with equal force; our bodies were like two pieces of an intricate puzzle designed specifically for one another.

As we spiralled towards oblivion together, consumed by insatiable desire and boundless affection, there existed within us both an unspoken understanding - this wasn’t about sex or pleasure, it was about exploring love unlike any other.

And then it finally happened, when we reached the pinnacle of ecstasy together, time seemed to stand still for a moment. 

With the last thrust of Ran's hips into me, I realised I'd never been full before in my life. Not until then. When his face betrayed him, when he lost himself in me, when his voice couldn't handle any more, that's when we ascended from mere mortality. 

I fell apart under his body, and he absorbed me into his soul.

Nobody else could ever compare. Nobody else came close to what we had.

All thoughts vanished except those centred around each other: You are mine.

Ran gazed down at me with a mixture of love, lust, and admiration as we descended from the dizzying height of our orgasms. I turned to him to gauge his reaction and figure out whether we were still, as usual, on the same page.

“Are you okay?”

My voice didn’t show any worry, though I felt in my soul the importance of our next decision - and that we had already decided when we pressed our lips together the first time.

Ran could see that this moment held more weight than any other we had shared thus far.

“Alright, sweetheart. Let’s talk about everything.”

He continued, propping himself up on one elbow and tracing his finger gently across my cheekbone. “What do you want from us?”

I shivered under his touch, still not over the way he had touched me just before this.

“I want all of you. I want to keep what we had before, but add this into it.” I thought for a moment. “The only thing I’d change, though…no more entertaining other people the way we did before.”

Ran listened intently as I spoke, my words resonating with a sincerity that made him feel both humbled and exhilarated. I wanted all of him - not just the passionate lover, but also the loyal friend who had been by my side through thick and thin.

“I promise you, darling…from now on, it will be just us.”

I drew closer to him.

“Yeah?”

Ran couldn’t help but smile, my eagerness mirrored his own excitement about our newfound intimacy.

“Absolutely, sweetheart.”

He ran a tender hand through my hair, savouring the moment before speaking again.

“I want nothing more than to be here with you, experiencing life together in every possible way.”

I drew myself up to face him and decided to get closer still, so I sat on his lap. I stuck my pinky out and he hooked his own to mine.

“No more holding back.” 

“No more holding back. From now on, we’ll face whatever comes our way together. We are in this for real.”

I snickered as he leaned in to kiss me, our pinkies still intertwined.

“I love the sound of that. And I love you. With everything I have.”

Ran pulled away slightly, gazing into my eyes before responding.

“And I love you too. More than anything else in this world.”

He brushed a stray lock of hair from my face, tucking it gently behind my ear. We were completely connected now - hand in hand, heart to heart.

I sighed, remembering the reality that awaited us beyond these walls.

“We have to tell Izana. He asked me about us earlier.”

Ran’s expression darkened, his mind already coming up with the best way to break the news without causing too much friction.

“How did he ask? Was it casual or serious?”

I smirked and caressed Ran’s face.

“Oh sweetheart, it’s going to be fine. He asked me if we’d grown a pair to confess to each other because he was our number one supporter,” I moved my hand to Ran’s hair, stroking it softly, “he’s always seen through us, I think.”

Ran couldn’t help but feel relieved. 

“Alright. Once we do this, there’s no going back. Are you absolutely certain about wanting everyone else to know?”

I held his gaze with determination.

“Absolutely. I don’t want anyone to think of me without visualising you by my side…if they hadn’t already.”

Ran nodded.

“Let’s go see him tomorrow then. We can catch him at breakfast.”

He squeezed my hand gently.

“Just remember, no matter what happens after we tell him, nothing changes between us two. We’re in this together until the very end.”

I nodded solemnly. I was ready to stand by Ran no matter what.

“In that case, we should try to sleep. Don’t want to show up in front of him with bags under my eyes.”

Ran chuckled lightly. He pulled me closer, nuzzling against my neck.

“That sounds like a plan. But before we retire for the night, there’s something I want to do first.”

His eyes glinted mischievously as he trailed soft kisses along my jawline. His lips curved into a smirk as he leaned over and brushed his lips against mine in a tantalising whisper.

“I was thinking of using my tongue on you, darling. Would you like that?”

His words sent a shiver down my body and I nodded wordlessly. His smirk widened at my response. He wasted no time in flipping us over and sliding off the bed to his knees, positioning himself between my legs.

“Let’s see how good you taste now, hm?”

He ran his fingers over my thighs, savouring the anticipation building within us. Ran enjoyed the sight of me lying on the bed, waiting for him with deep breaths. He lowered his head, pressing a tender kiss to my inner thigh before moving higher.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”

With that said, he parted my folds with his fingers and began lapping at my clit in long strokes. I whimpered as soon as his tongue made contact. My thighs pressed together in reflex as much as they could, pressing against Ran’s head. He chuckled softly against my sensitive flesh, relishing the way I reacted to his touch. He gently nudged my legs apart with his shoulders.

Slipping a finger inside of me, he began matching the rhythm of his tongue with slow thrusts. With each stroke, he could feel my skin getting warmer and my body more responsive.

“God, you taste amazing,” he murmured between licks and kisses, “I could do this all night.”

I tried to speak through shallow breaths.

“I- I’m not going to fuck to complain, R-Ran.”

His tongue was playing with me perfectly and, combined with his long elegant finger, it was heaven.

Ran continued his ministrations with renewed vigour, determined to push me closer to the edge. He moaned into my pussy, letting the vibrations add another layer of sensation.

“Mmm, you like that?” His voice was muffled by my flesh, but audible enough for me to hear his question.

As my grip tightened on the sheets, he knew I was getting there. He increased the pace of both, his tongue and finger, ever so slightly, eager to watch me fall apart under his expert touch. I hummed and whimpered to the rhythm of his finger, sprinting towards the edge of oblivion and, not looking back or hesitating, flinging myself into the endless ocean of pleasure.

I came on his tongue and I could hear his low chuckle vibrating my clit, sending me further, deeper, into the abyss.

Ran caught me as I fell apart, holding me tightly tethered to earth as he continued pleasuring me with his tongue and finger. As he felt the waves of my orgasm wash over him, he revelled in the knowledge that he had been the reason behind it.

“Good girl.”

He whispered between licks, prolonging my climax until I went limp in his arms.

I struggled to find the right words as I slowly opened my eyes to gaze at him, his fingers in his mouth, licking off my release. The only words I could think of were a long string of I love yous.

I love you I love you I love you I love you…

@bontensbabygirl @haitani-maki @animeangel21 It took me way too long to fit all this together on the page :(

[colourstreakgryffin]

Can I request a Maki Zenin x female non sorcerer reader. They are best friends. This could be an angst/fluff/comfort oneshot. Like they are having a usually nice day out. All is going well, and until Maki leaves the reader for a short while, the reader unfortunately collides with Naoya. We all know that he is an asshole so things really go south. When Maki comes back even with tensions high and the destroyed happy atmosphere the situation gets sorted and yeah happy ending.

Haha! Awww, this’ll be the first time I write for Maki so let’s see if I can do the strong girl to the standard she deserves!

Zen'in Maki- Multiple Problems

“You don’t mind just staying here for a bit, right, Dokusha?” Maki asked you politely once she draw down her phone from her face, her golden-browns checking your every movement as she sat on the chair facing you, your frame and hers were practically staring each other down as you fold your arms over the firm wood café table and nodded with all the honesty you could manage

You truly weren’t bothered nor against Maki leaving for as long as she must. Something important could be going on and you care for her, it’d be selfish to force to continue your little café hangout when something drastic can be happening to her or her family as you let out a soft smile and chime your response in that signature sweet tone you’re known for. Maki flashed a relieved smile back, she knew you wouldn’t refuse but she still couldn’t help but beam

“Thanks, Dokusha. I promise I’ll be back in maybe a few minutes! If my order arrives, just tell the waiter I’ll return” Maki explains in a knowledgeable manner, flicking her cute dark green ponytail off her shoulder as she rose to her feet and gave off a friendly wave before walking away casually, keeping her bag of belongings tossed over her shoulder lazily as she disappeared from sight in little time, leaving you all alone at the now semi-empty café table. You continued to smile at nothing, recalling on how you met Maki

Such a wild but cute situation with the two of you that you love to think about at times; Maki defended you from a invisible hand pulling at your hair and once she made that hand disappear, you struck up a conversation as a gratitude sign and Maki found herself going along as she found you sweet. It didn’t take long for her to willingly give you her number so you two can chat after you parted ways

And after all was said and done, you and Maki grew a mutual yet very powerful friendship as she is always looking forward to picking you up from your high school once she is done with Jujutsu High. No, Maki has never told you about her sorcerer status but that’s all because she doesn’t want any cursed spirit to target you. She makes you believe she goes to a private school and you never in-depth question why her glasses have such a odd glaze when worn

Maki is a sweet girl underneath that cold steely exterior. Yes, she was tough and rebellious most of the time you had seen her, but you idolised her like a big sister and she treated you like a little sister back. She opened up to you when she usually wouldn’t with anybody else, not even her own twin sister Mai. You’re the special one and she is doing everything she possibly can to protect you

If only she could have been there in that scene to protect you. As you stood up after several minutes of silent patient waiting for your best friend to return, you realised that you needed to use the Lady’s room and waddled over to it with a slowly growing need to release yourself. However, your plan was throttled by accidentally bumping into a tall figure. Shaking your head in recovery, your eyes scanned up to meet eyes with the person

Zen'in Naoya, Maki’s misogynistic and merciless cousin, judgementally glared at you as you stepped back a bit and he dusted the nonexistent dirt off his dark blue kimono top with disgust marking his dark golden eyes. “Worthless, clumsy fool” Naoya barked, ready to give you the hell for daring to bump into him and ruin his mundane mood. He wasn’t in the best state but he also didn’t wish to be irritated to this level, and it’s all your fault as he will ensure you know that

You internally cried out for Maki as Naoya begin going off at you, shoving you against the wall in a intimidation tactic whilst you felt like crumbling into the hard brick surface whilst Naoya separated his rosy red lips to continue on with his verbal assault, your arms pulled together over your chest as a defensive measure in case he would attempt to swing on you and he did raise his arm

But before anything could strike downwards, a mighty hand grabbed his wrist and firmly, letting out soft cracks and making him grunt in pain as Naoya was spun around to face who the arm belonged to. Your heart jumped in relief as Maki flashed that death stare, a expression that was so sharp it could cut him into pieces. She was definitely not happy with the way he was treating you for not even a mistake, a mere bump and she wouldn’t tolerate you being spoken down to, as if you’re a piece of stepped-on road gum

“What are you doing to my friend, Naoya?” Maki passive-aggressively demanded a answer after keeping eye contact with him for a few uncomfortably long seconds, her voice dark and furious with a tongue so boiling, she could probably spit flames on the spot. She didn’t care much for his mistreatment of her, she could take every punch so easily but not you, she wouldn’t let him ruin somebody so special and important to her

“H-huh? You know him?” You let out a soft, stuttery-like question but just when Maki opened her mouth to speak, Naoya butted in and pushed her back so rudely, leaving your reach to stare her down. “Yes. Cousin… how have you been, huh?” Naoya purred back, equally as passive-aggressive as he let out a malicious smirk at her. Maki didn’t even flinch at any word nor action he pulled, she stood strong with eyes that shot laser beams through his hideous skull. She knew she couldn’t intimidate him to get lost but she could see his cocky grin fade into annoyance

“You’re such a joykill, bitch…” Naoya hissed as he stomped away from Maki altogether to the exit in a delusional sense of victory, knowing that it was truly a waste of time to argue with her with hours on end. She is far too stubborn and annoying. He slammed the café door shut and it eluded Maki to turn around to face you, pulling you away from that uncomfortable wall and bring you steady to your feet again with a comforting hold

Maki’s very frustrated expression dissipated into a gentle smile at the sight of you smiling as well, you encouraged her to let go of her hatred in favour of feeling happy with you. You’re just so adorable and she was happy to protect you once again from the dangers. As she always did but she felt bad that you ended up being basically harassed after she left for under ten minutes. Such a cruel world you to live in but she is here to ensure the cruelty is decreased

“Are you okay, Dokusha? I apologise for him, he is awful. Want to go back to our table now? Our order has, most likely, arrived”

[shini--chan]

I really like your ~Cantin~ story with the dark Canada. It's my favorite! Can you write please what will be next when the reader wrestle the phone from him and trying to call Alfred for help. Maybe with a little bit yandere Alfred too. Thanx and sry for bad English!

Of course, let’s see what will come of this. And darling, your English is better than you probably think ;D

Yandere Canada - Sanctimonious

Your body simply moved of its own accord. Maybe it was the hope that hadn’t died already, maybe it was pettiness and you just wanted to see Willams suffer; either way, you found yourself lunging at the phone in his hand. Although surprised, your false lover managed to side step your attack and the unstopped momentum sent you sprawling in the snow to the side of the snow. 

Spluttering, you spat out snow that you had nearly swallowed and shook your head to cast off the snow that had gotten caught in your hair and the outside of the scarf you were wearing. Sadly, some snow had slipped beneath your clothing - the uncomfortable cold was spreading across your neck and chest and your calves. However, you had bigger fish to fry - there was a phone you had to get your hands on. 

Quickly you scrambled to your feet and lunged again, this time managed to get your hands on his arm and then his wrist. Fruitlessly, he tried to keep the phone to his ear but finally saw that he wouldn't be able to simply ignore you for much longer. 

“A moment Al, gotta take care of something”, he quickly shouted in the speaker and then grasped your wrist. The phone was held high in the air and with him being taller than you there wasn’t really a chance of you grabbing it from him. 

So you did the next best thing that came to mind - kicked him in the kneecap. You didn’t care which knee you had damaged, or how much damage you had inflicted. The only thing that mattered was that the hand went down and you could pry the phone from his grip. Turning around, you set off into a light jog and put the phone to your ear. 

“Hello, hello! I need help, sir”, you hissed into the phone. 

“Jeez, who are you kid, and why do you have Mattie’s phone?”, came an enthusiastic voice from the other end. American, judging by the accent. Matthew had told you he had a brother but this couldn’t possibly be him. What sense did it make to have a blood brother that was of another nationality? Difficult parents could be a reason but it would be unlikely. 

“I was kidnapped by Matthew Williams and am being held against my will. He claims to love me, but it can’t be love since… since I’m just his captive and plaything that he uses as he pleases. Please, please sir, you have to help you”, you pleaded into the phone, tears welling up in your eyes. 

There were a few moments of silence on the other end and hopefully it was because he was thinking of how he could rescue you. To your horror and confusion, however, the pause was ended by laughter. 

“You must be the one that stole Mattie’s heart. Christ, I can see why he loves you - so polite and still feisty. I’m even tempted to steal you to have you all for myself, but don’t tell him that”, he remarked once he managed to calm down a bit. 

“What the blazes do you mean? You have to…”

“Not so quick kiddo. I don’t have to do anything and since you’ve stopped being so nice, I sure am hell not gonna do that now. Not that I intended to do anything really before, but that is besides the point

“The point here is, that while Mattie and I have some fundamental differences, at the root we are cut from the same cloth. So sweetie, I can’t say that I would have done anything different than my bro. We talk, y’know, so I’m completely in the know of what is going on between you two love birds. Hell, he even asks me for advice on how to handle you. 

“So let me give you a tip, for free ‘cuz it’s you: Just give in and it will be all smooth sailing. Don’t make it more difficult than it already is.”

[silent-sanctum]

✧ Polaris ✧ - Jotaro x Reader

PART 9: Get to Know You

— The previous parts of the fic can be found in the pinned post of my profile. Hope you enjoy! —

I rise from the dead yet again! But sorry for the wait! College's been rough with the workload but I've managed to put out a new part! No warnings this time, just joot's emotional development and a bunch of jotaro and reader fluff interactions~ But what if I told you that there's 2k+ more story over in my AO3? It's exclusive over there because it contains my OC's lore (aka the character the reader's standing in place of here). However, I promise you it's worth reading with jotaro gradually learning to open more to you and both of you just basking in peace. Regardless, hope you enjoy!

word count: 2.6k

Bright light dawned beyond his shut eyes.

Already? Jotaro stirred from where he lay on the grass, flexing his arms to stretch, though he did expect his left to be a bit heavy. Through his early morning squinting, he turned to the spot where a girl should be lying only to find it unoccupied and his arm free.

“Morning~”

Jotaro sat upright and turned to look at you sitting cross-legged across from him. He quickly swept his gaze over you to check how you fared- faintly flushed cheeks, puffy eyes, fixed hair, smoothed-out uniform. You appeared good compared to the state you were during the night prior but-

“How are you feeling?”

You looked up in thought, humming as you planted your hands on the ground to lean on them. “Better? But admittedly still like shit. As expected, I couldn’t sleep for long and ended waking up shortly after falling asleep but,” you glanced at him with a soft smile. “Company was able to get me through the hours.”

Jotaro nodded once at the words with the smallest of smiles on his face responding to yours.

“So yeah. I somewhat patched bits of myself back to… this.” You gestured to your body with one sweep.

“That’s good.”

You tilted your head with concern. “How about you?”

The probable bruises spotting all over his back and arms as a result of the chaotic whipping ached at the mention but he paid no attention as he shrugged with casual ease. “I’m fine.”

“Jotaro,” he paused at the mention of his name. He stared into your eyes and felt the weight of your gaze towards him. One that, paired with a gentle smile, carried an array of sentiments unable to be conveyed through words. “Thanks for last night. Really…”

You had a lot going on behind your confident strides, and to this moment Jotaro has yet to know about them. But with the shared look of trust between him and you, he was in no hurry to figure them out.

He tipped the visor of his hat down as a sign of acknowledgment and as means to cover his warming cheeks.

“Alright,” And as if nothing happened, you were up and standing with a clap and dust of your clothes. “Enough with the sappy stuff, we should head back to the others. They must be starting to think we did something freaky last night knowing them.”

Getting up as well, Jotaro rolled his eyes at the thought of the Crusaders poking fun at them for the nth time. “Definitely.” Though, by the feel of the mellow sunlight on his skin, it wasn’t too late in the morning and a bit more exchange of words would be nice before returning to the annoyance that was the group itself.

It’s been a while since you’ve properly talked to him like this after all.

“Let’s?”

He nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets.

With you leading the way back, they both returned to the main campsite and was greeted with the bizarre sight of Kakyoin dropping what looked like a literal piece of shit into a bowl Joseph’s breakfast pudding, before offering the bowl to the old man to feed the evil-faced baby with enthusiasm.

Jotaro didn’t question what the reasoning behind it was nor did he care that much, though you were about to if it wasn’t for Avdol, the moralistic guy that he was, politely telling you that infant was devious for some reason and what the other student did wasn’t entirely wrong.

You glanced at Kakyoin’s arm, read the “BABY STAND” carved on the skin, and understood, joining them to watch the whole feeding happen.

Polnareff woke up minutes too late to witness the child suffer from feces-tasting food.

Letting that be a bygone, the Foundation managed to track the group by the time the sun was high in the sky. In two separate teams, one transported the grimacing infant to a nearby village while the other brought the Crusaders to a remote island where they would wait for another vehicle departing for Egypt.

A submarine if he heard right.

The island itself wasn’t all too bad- Fine sand, lush tropical trees, and the tranquil ambiance of the sea. Jotaro wouldn’t mind waiting here. In group fashion, everyone kept themselves preoccupied to pass the time. The Frenchman ran off to god knows where, you and the older adults engaged in simple conversation, Kakyoin probably went to look for Pol to make sure he didn’t get himself into any trouble-

While Jotaro was left sitting by himself on the sand, a lit cigarette in hand when finding some temporary peace in the near-rhythmic crash of waves.

It felt… strange.

Even though he’d asked for breaks numerous times during their battles, a weight grew heavy on his shoulder at the fact that with each passing second, his mother’s life was slowly dwindling away and all the times they got blocked off by either an enemy or mundane inconveniences were seconds thrown away that could have been used to further progress this damn trip.

He took one long drag of his cigarette and sighed deeply, letting out a small plume of ashy gray into the air. All those times he cursed at her, dismissed her motherly affections, downright ignored her… Jotaro placed his hand on his nape, scratching lightly as if it would alleviate the rising guilt in him once he realized what he’d been doing.

What was this for? Why was I so mean to her when she did nothing but love and care for me? For a well-kept facade I didn’t even want in the first place? He hated that it took a life-or-death situation for him to ponder like this. Mom… I should call her soon…

“The young Joestar is in deep thought I see.”

Jotaro snapped out of his thoughts to notice Avdol taking a spot beside him. “So?” He took another drag.

“There’s nothing wrong in self-reflection from time to time,” he said. “For someone in their youth, all this chaotic fighting and constant travel must be starting to make you wish you’d be in school right now, right?”

“It’s fine,” the teenager shrugged. “School sucks and it bores me.”

“The high grades Holly-san told me you got throughout your academic years says otherwise.” Jotaro grumbled something incoherent that he himself didn’t know what the words were. “You’re thinking of her, aren’t you?”

“It’s shitty to think about how much of an asshole I was…”

Avdol chuckled. “I’m not going to say you’re wrong. You definitely disrespected your mother most of the time all of us were in the same room together, but as terrible your behavior was-” he patted the delinquent’s shoulders. “I know you still love Holly with all your heart. You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t the case.”

Jotaro remained silent. He wasn’t wrong…

“Toss all my other wisdom talk aside if you wish, but I hope this advice would stick with you,” Avdol turned to his clasped hands. “Holly’s still here and when you return to her, I suggest you let her know how much you love her the way you can instead of pushing her away. Cherish the ones you love while they’re still here with us.”

If it were weeks ago, Jotaro would have done what Avdol said seconds ago and dismiss this sagely talk as nothing but some sort of “respect your parents” propaganda. Oddly enough, he didn’t feel the urge to ignore his words now that he’s stuck worrying over his mother’s life.

The spark in his cigarette dimmed down to ashes. “What’s with the random inspirational speeches? You a counselor or something?”

The Egyptian smiled. “Teacher actually. If I wasn’t doing readings or fortune telling, I worked with children, especially the troubled ones, and guided them with the right knowledge and values to live through life. That is until DIO found me and I had to seek Mr. Joestar for protection.”

Jotaro scoffed. “You see me as a kid then? Is that it?”

“Are you not? You’ve yet to mature past your rough edges after all.”

He clicked his tongue, thought not entirely disagreeing with the adult. “Whatever.”

“An answer expected from you.” Avdol stood. “You’ll understand when you’re older. Who knows? You might be a teacher in the future as well if fate deems it to be.” With that, he walked back to the others and left the reserved teenager alone with his thoughts.

Yeah right… like that would ever happen. Time continued to pass as he remained sitting on the sand, mulling over what Avdol had said to him together with memories of his mother stirring in his thoughts. At some point, Jotaro had dozed off, leaning on his propped-up knee with the remains of his cigarette left somewhere on the sand beside him.

When he came to, the sun was halfway down the horizon, dimming the sky above as the stars slowly made themselves visible. He expected to wake up by himself as is the case every time he took his naps, but with one glance to the side, he found you watching the sea beside him.

You noticed him staring so you spoke. “You’re awake.”

“I assume the sub’s not here yet?” The pointed stare and silence you gave him the answer. He sighed. “Figured.”

“Mr. Joestar and I took one stroll around the place and there’s a bunch of neat little hideouts on the island you could have slept in. It’s more secluded and quiet, has enough wind to keep cool, and the grass is short enough to not be itchy,” you said. “Why choose this spot by the water?”

“Ambiance,” he said in return. “I like the sound of waves. It’s… calming.”

He took one glimpse at you to gauge for your reaction. You weren’t looking at him when you had that soft smile on your face as you had this faraway gaze facing the mellow movements of the ocean. “The waves make me relax too. It’s what helps make it so beautiful aside from its glittery surface.”

Jotaro thought about what you said to him back in Singapore. The ocean looks beautiful, don’t you agree? Fresh from his talk with Avdol, he couldn’t help but be nostalgic for a second. “Mom used to take me to the beach when I was little… usually when I felt like shit. And it helped somewhat.”

“Lucky you. My birthplace is by the sea and by this point, you already know I had a rough past. So, I’d watch that huge body of water sway with the breeze and let myself listen to the waves as a mean for comfort.” This time, you faced him and locked his gaze with yours. “Looks like we’re not so different from each other, huh?”

“You tend to overshare though.”

“But you’ve gotten used to it by now, huh?”

He shrugged. “A bit.” A bit? A complete understatement considering his level of tolerance to her numerous bouts of talk. “But it’s either that or spend the rest of lunch bored out of my mind.”

You cooed, cupping your cheek with a small tilt of your head. “Are you saying you miss the simple times of lunch with yours truly? Or am I hearing things?”

Though he hated admitting it, he thought about what Avdol said and with some heat to his cheeks, Jotaro tipped his hat over his eyes and gave one small bob of his head. Not allowing him the silence to wallow with self-embarrassment, you giggled as you shoved him lightly.

“And here I thought you wanted this bitch to shut up.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Jotaro looked at you this time, finding some sort of relief in the fact you blushed deeply at the sentiment despite the teasing you were fond of doing to him. “I still prefer some peace and quiet.”

“Hey I’m not judging,” you raised your hands. “Not when I also miss our mini rooftop breaks. It’s… a nice breath of fresh air. Literally.” You let out a breathy laugh, eyes closing from your smile.

Jotaro could feel his heart beat a bit faster than before. One that always came with warmth on his face, his hands turning clammy and his stomach feeling a sensation similar to that of fluttering butterflies. It happened more often the more they made progress to Egypt.

Fuck. I don’t want to think about this. He took in a deep breath and sighed, blurting out the first thing that came to mind to divert the subject away from the familiar banter. “Admitting you like the smell of smoke now?”

“Huh?”

“It can’t be a breath of fresh air when I smoke next to you every time.”

You rolled your eyes. “The winds blow them away from for most of the time so I don’t really care, but don’t think I’ve noticed you’d smoke less and less the more we hung out.”

Jotaro cocked an eyebrow and fished through his pockets, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. To prove a point, he flipped the lid open to reveal five sticks remaining inside out of 20. “I beg to differ. This is my 3rd pack this trip.”

Which was a lie. It’s his first and is this empty only because Polnareff wanted some to smoke and practice the delinquent’s parlor trick for the nth time.

“Yah!” You leaned forward to try and snatch the box off his hand. “Are you trying to kill yourself on purpose?!” You swiped again only for Jotaro to lean back and stretch his arm away from you with a smug smirk. My turn to tease. “You can’t do that now, we have unfinished business!”

“I don’t care.”

You deadpanned. “Liar. Now give me.”

Without anyone noticing, you ended up sprawled over his lap still struggling to reach for the pack of nicotine in his outstretched hand. Too preoccupied with making sure your grabby hands won’t reach it, Jotaro didn’t notice the slim strip of rose-gold creeping up behind him to snatch the box off his hold.

The delinquent clicked his tongue, crossing his arms. “You cheated.” Though you didn’t care as you leaned back with cheeky smile and tiny shimmy, pack of cigarettes now in your hand. “Doesn’t matter. I can always buy another.”

“To practice your little cigarette trick for the masses?”

“I can do 5 at once.”

“Shut up. You’re lying.”

“I can show you.”

You scoffed, tossing the box back at him with defeat. “Unbelievable. You really do have a death wish.”

Jotaro grew acutely aware of how much closer you got to him without you noticing, so close that he felt his shoulders brush against yours and the back of his hand overlapped with your smaller, softer one. His chest tightened and his pulse increased yet again beneath his aloof expression.

As the two of them watch the sun set below the horizon, he stilled as you leaned your head on his shoulder. Respecting the quiet air of the area, you said to him in a hushed voice. “I’d rather you not die on my watch. I don’t think my heart can handle any more of those.”

You said it with nonchalance and a smile, but he knew better. He slowly turned to glance at you still facing the ocean. Any trace of playfulness you had minutes ago dissolved, making way for that tone of sadness and longing to make its appearance just as it did prior to your breakdown.

Under the touch of your hand, his fingers twitched ever so slightly, wanting to graze your skin as minuscule means to soothe you. But Jotaro had a feeling you just needed company and nothing else at the moment.

He allowed you to rest your head on his shoulders, peacefully watching as the sky grew dark and its stars started to twinkle.

“I won’t.”

[secretsandwriting]

3 Times No One Believed Dewdrop Has A Partner and The One Time They Couldn't Deny It

Dew: This is my partner, we've been dating for a year Everyone else: No its not, how much is he paying you? Dew: well well well, if it isn't the consequences to my own actions

Some notes: So while it might seem like the ghouls are being harsh on him, it is because Dew has joked about having a partner enough times that they figure he's doing it again. There are ways Dew could have been like "No this is actually my partner" and the ghouls would have believed him but he didn't. The ghouls also know him well enough to know the limits of what they could tease. Dew just really wanted the dramatic, "I told you they were actually my partner." (He got it)

crossposted from my ao3

~One~

            Silence had never been so loud. Dew had just introduced you to the other ghouls and none of them seemed to know how to handle it, you weren’t sure why exactly as Dew had told you he had talked about you before. 

            “No.” Aether, or the one you assumed was Aether based off of the descriptions Dew had given you. “There's no way you actually have a partner.” The rest of the ghouls nodded in agreement while Dew sputtered next to you.

            “Look Dew, we love you. But there’s no way you managed to get a partner as pretty as them in a year. It would take at least two for them to look past your spontaneous combustions, much less the pranks you pull.” 

            So Dew was right when he said he didn’t think they believed him. Dew argued back and forth with them, the other ghouls teasing him with reasons your relationship couldn’t be true using reasons that wouldn’t bother anyone who spent enough time around the fire ghoul. 

            “Nope. You’re too ticklish for a partner.” 

            “What the fuck does that mean?” After a few minutes of the teasing with no sign of it stopping, you moved to one of the couches. It provided some comfort as you watched Dew fight for his life in the argument you knew would leave all of them in a good mood. A mug of tea was handed to you by Mountain.

            “You can go if you want, we know you're not actually dating. Dew’s claimed to have a partner before. You are however the first person he’s brought in to prove it.” He spoke softly while Aether was in a screaming match with Dew over pizza rolls? You took a sip of the tea, it was decent.

            Eventually the ghouls couldn’t hold it together anymore and broke down into a giggling mess. Dew glanced back at you and grinned. At the end of the day all that mattered is that you were in a happy stable relationship, not that people believed you were. Besides, Dew had already predicted this would happen. 

            Despite all of them thinking Dew paid you to be there you were invited to stay for movie night. Dew gladly gave up some of his space for you and watching the ghouls react to some classic movies was quite entertaining. 

~Two~

            Copia had heard from the other ghouls Dew had brought his “partner” to meet them. So when Dew inevitably dragged you to practice to watch he was somewhat prepared. He greeted you just as politely as all the other ghouls and was a little more subtle then the ghouls about his disbelief.

            Dew ignored it. You had had a conversation with him after meeting the ghouls to make sure it really didn’t bother him. He had confirmed that it really didn’t and their disbelief was the consequences of his own actions so he didn’t blame them for not believing him. He assured you that eventually they would believe it.

            You didn’t let it bother you as Dew said it was a waste of energy to care. They were his pack and he had no doubt that if it weren’t for all the times he joked or made up a partner they would be denying it. 

            “I don’t mean to pry, but how did you meet?” Copia asked you when the group was taking a break. You could tell the other ghouls were listening in. Dew just smiled from his spot next to you. 

            “He just kinda appeared next to me when I was walking down the hall in the middle of the night so I kicked him in the balls and then punched him in the face which is apparently not normal behavior for being scared by a ghoul so he started to do it every night until it didn’t phase me anymore.” 

            “It hurt too.” Dew piped up. “Can’t imagine how bad it would feel if I was human.” Copia paled and you snorted. 

            “It was just an adrenaline rush.” No one seemed to believe you, it was really becoming a common theme especially since no one believed you had been dating Dewdrop for almost a year.

~Three~

            You didn’t mind the ghouls or Copia not believing you because they had a reason and they were nice about it. The other siblings of sin were an entirely different thing. They were rude, constantly making comments where you could hear them. 

            “There’s no way he would date them. He probably just likes them in bed.”

            “He could be dating anyone in the Clergy and he chose them? I don’t believe it.”

            Most of the time you could ignore their comments and you always tried to let them roll off your back, at the very least make sure you pulled yourself together before you saw Dew. You weren’t sure what he would do if he found out about the comments.

            No one had ever said anything to your face but you were sure that wouldn’t last. Eventually one of the siblings would get brave enough to approach you and talk like they knew everything about you and berate you for trying to lie to the whole Ministry. You had seen it happen multiple times.

           “You're the one that claims to be dating Dew right?” There it was. You ignored her and kept working, Dew had asked you to meet him in the gardens at dinner so you were trying to finish all your chores so you would have time to clean up a bit before going to see him. Ignoring her only seemed to make her yelling louder. "Fine if you won't speak to me I'll just make your life miserable." She kicked over the bucket of dirty mop water, you sighed as you realized you would probably be late to whatever Dew planned. Her grin was wiped off her face when someone behind you cleared their throat. 

            "Actually, you just made your own life miserable." Sister Imperator has seen the whole thing. "You'll be doing all their chores for the rest of the week. I could hear your yelling in my office. As for you-" she turned and looked at you. "You're free for the rest of the week. I'll be sure to send both of your instructions to the heads of your departments."

            Word about her stunt and Sister Imperators involvement spread like wildfire and while you were left alone, the rumors spread even more, the comments not addressed to you but said where you could hear them got more intense.

            “I bet they're just a common whore he's using.”

            “Whore? That’s rude to group them in with the whores. They’re so much worse.”

            “Obviously, i was just trying to be nice.” the mocking tone seemed to echo through the halls more then most things did.

~Plus One~

            The ministry had decided to throw a formal event for everyone as a way to try and “Unify” all the members. Dew had asked for you to be able to sit with him at the table for the ghoul, making you the only human at the long table. It was your first time meeting most of the ghouls. All of them were with the others in agreement that you weren’t actually his partner but Dew just ignored it. He wanted to have a nice night with you.

            Towards the end of the night, you and Dew had disappeared and so they went to look for you. Eventually they heard Dew’s voice coming from the gardens. Standing on a partially hidden balcony they realized they were wrong.

           Dew was spinning you around in the gardens, talking and laughing with you about who knows what. It looked so intimate and it was obvious you were in love. Dew was practically glowing in the moonlight and no one had ever seen him smile that big for that long.

            When the imaginary music to your dance stopped, they watched as Dew leaned closer to you. Seeming to whisper something to you he rested his forehead against yours just standing there in silence before they noticed your lips moving. It was such a soft moment, softer than anything else they had seen in the ministry. Eventually Dew closed the distance, but flipped off the ghouls and the papa’s on the balcony. When he managed to pull himself away from your lips he sent a glare to the watching party.

            Stepping away, he pulled you with him. Sprinting through the gardens laughing as you ignored the protests coming from the crowd behind you. 

            They started believing Dew a little more after that.

Check out my ao3!

[steambot-sparky]

I wrote a short thing for my fanbot Sparky!

It’s angst!

Sparky glanced from the downtrodden faces of her siblings to her inventor. “You’re sending them off to war again? But why? You know they hate it!”

“The government was paying a large amount of money for their use, and running a robotics company when my father told me very little about how Blue Matter works is very costly.” Sparky knew Peter Walter III was almost as upset at this situation as she was, and yet he still acted like he had no doubts that this was the right thing to do.

“Can’t I at least go with them? I can self-repair, and I know how to fight! I don’t mind it as much as they do…” her pleas did not convince Three who simply responded

“Who flipped your switch? How long have you been on your alternate code?”

“It’s not that hard to tell how long. My eyes always turn purple. That’s how *you* built me.” Sparky resented the fact that he didn’t respond to her actual question.

“Sparky, turn around.”

The automaton reluctantly obliged. Three quickly flipped her switch and Sparky was back to the way she should be. She still couldn’t manage to smile, though, even though her code told her it was only polite.

“To answer your question, Sparky, you can’t go with them because your purpose is to care for children, not to fight.”

“Of course. I’m sorry.” She didn’t want to make Three more stressed than he already was. “I’ll say my goodbyes and go check on Four.”

[potatoesenpaii]

I’ll be with you on Every Step

Comission made by my lovely @marycecilyy

Cove Holden x reader

Word count : 1,611

Theme : we got angst, we got fluff

Special mention to Kit - Kit shall live on forever in your writings Ceci 💙

It was your birthday. You had invited your closest friends to your apartment in a small celebration. You didn't like huge parties, nor had the means to throw one at the moment.

You and Cove were going through tough times. It had been a while since you last published a book, now you were facing a huge creative block, and couldn't even finish the first draft of your next novel.. Cove’s work had been compensating the down of income on your end but his salary wasn’t large enough to keep you from worrying about paying your bills. Not to mention your dog, Kit, was recovering from a surgery (which had taken a huge portion of your savings) and still needed a lot of care.

Because of that. you and your boyfriend hadn’t been able to travel back to your hometown for your birthday, or even plan a bigger party than you had managed to throw.

It had been two hours since the guests started to arrive. You were talking to Lany, one of the closest friends you made since you moved there. They worked with Cove, but you were introduced to them very quickly and were inseparable ever since. Your boyfriend had his hand placed on your thigh, drawing circles on the fabric as you both listened to the story they were telling you.

The doorbell suddenly rang, which startled you since everyone who was invited had already arrived. You got up, but before getting to the door someone put a hand on your shoulder. It was Alex. You met her through the internet, you two were active in the writers niche and, after finding you lived in the same city, you started hanging out.

"It 's Erik. I forgot to tell you beforehand that I invited him. Sorry, I hope you won’t mind.”

In fact you did mind, but you wouldn’t tell her. Alex was sweet when she introduced Erik, her cousin, to you in hopes that he would meet new people. The only thing you knew about his recent divorce was that it devastated him and that he needed to get out of the house he used to live in with his wife. That was the reason Alex introduced him to you, getting him new friends and lifting his spirits. However there was an issue that she couldn’t have predicted (nor did she know of).

You were pretty sure that Erik was into you.

You didn’t mind at all talking to him, it was nice to have a new friend, but your gut told you that he’d rather be more than friends with you. You didn’t welcome his affection, nor did you reject him because he actually never did a proper advance. He was subtle. You didn’t even know if he wanted you to become aware of his crush on you as he knew you had a boyfriend.

That thought made you remember this will be the first time Erik meets Cove. Thank you Alex, you thought. You knew she hadn’t done it with bad intentions as she didn’t even know of what was going on. To her, she was inviting her cousin and your friend. She could have refrained from doing it? Yeah she could, but now it was already done.

With all of that in mind, you smiled politely at Alex and went to get the door. There was Erik. You felt glad when he, after hugging you and wishing you a happy birthday, went straight for the appetizers. At least you wouldn’t have to think about awkward conversation for a while.

An hour passed and you were enjoying yourself a lot. You played some card games with your friends, ate a lot of snacks and stayed close to Cove the entire night. You knew that, even if he wasn’t as close to all of them, he was happy to see you having fun. And he was enjoying the night as well, in his way. You could see it.

A few of the guests had already left when Erik went to talk to you.

“MC, I had a lot of fun tonight. I hope you didn’t mind that Alex invited me.”

You darted your eyes from him and fiddled with your hands. You had to find a change of subject quickly.

“Oh, what a fool I am, I haven’t introduced the two of you!” What a great idea, MC… “Cove, this is Erik, Alex’s cousin. Erik, this is Cove, my boyfriend.

You noticed how his eyes lost a bit of spark. Still, Erik smiled and greeted him. Then, he held between you a package that you didn’t even notice that was with him the whole time.

“Happy birthday, MC”

You weren’t expecting that, it was kind of him. Even if he knew that he was only there because Alex invited him, not you, he bought you a gift. It was very generous of him.

“Erik…! You didn’t have to. Really.”

The gift was a book. Not any book, actually, but a rare edition of your favorite novel. You had no idea how he managed to find it. There were few places who sold it and it was very expensive.

You didn’t know how to feel about that. Of course you were happy, but it was too expensive for a friend’s present.

“After all you’ve done to me, this is the least I can do. You helped me get through a tough time and never complained when I wanted to vent. You are a dear friend.”

Even if the word friend had a bittersweet tone as he said it, you felt he was being sincere. You hugged him tight and said goodbye to him.

After Erik and Alex left, you turned to Cove, who remained silent through most of the conversation. He looked strange, you noticed.

“It’s a really nice gift. Erik’s a good friend.”

He avoided your eyes and tried to walk away, but you stopped him beforehand, asking if he was alright.

“It’s fine, I just need some time alone.” He gave you a fake smile and disappeared into his bedroom. You felt uneasy. What was wrong with him? Your instinct told you to run to him, but you gave him the space he needed.

During the last hour of the party, you kept thinking about your last conversation. The obvious conclusion was: he was jealous. It was so hard to believe, though. You had never seen him jealous before. It was really weird.

But the thought that the last conversation had been, indeed, weird convinced you that that was it. There was no other explanation to his behavior.

As soon as the last guest left, you went to your bedroom. You had given him some time, now it was time to understand exactly what was going on.

Cove was sitting at the edge of the bed, petting Kit’s belly. She was clearly enjoying the caresses on her hairless abdomen (the surgery required no fur on that area). Kit looked at you immediately and left her post at the bed to come greet you. Your boyfriend, on the other hand, didn’t budge. You were becoming more upset each minute.

You sat beside him and took his hand. He didn’t retreat, on the contrary. Cove entwined his fingers with yours and brought your hand to his lips.

“I’m sorry, I overreacted.”

“To what, exactly? What happened?” When he didn’t answer, you continued “Did you get upset because of Erik?”

Cove chuckled.

“No, I’m not jealous if that’s what you’re asking. There’s no reason for that. I trust you. I just-” He made a pause. You stared at his eyes. “The book he gave you. It’s difficult to find. It’s expensive as well. But even so, I got it.”

Cove took a bag that was on his lap and handed you. As soon as you opened it, you saw it. Your favorite novel.

“Oh, dear…”

“I guess I felt bad because all of the effort I had didn’t matter. Erik’s wealthy, I’m sure it was no sacrifice for him to buy that. And I wish I didn’t envy him, but in some sort of way I do. And I feel even worse, because I don’t want that kind of feeling in me.”

You kissed his forehead, his nose, cheek, lips. You told him it was fine, that you understood what he was feeling and that it was valid. It broke your heart seeing him like that, but at least with your reassurance he felt better quickly.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you. Not only for the gift, which I loved, but also for the wonderful day you gave me today. It was special, really. My first birthday without my family around and you managed to fill me with joy during every second of it. Cove Holden, you’re the best boyfriend ever.”

He kissed you tenderly, holding your face with his hands. You turned your head, breathing him in. He smelt so good.

After giving you a few pecks to end the kiss, he kissed your neck with affection. “Why don’t you open the book?” He said with his lips still close to your skin.

You took the book and looked at the first page. There was something written but before you could read what it was you felt something drop on your lap.

A ring.

You gasped and looked at Cove, who had the brightest smile on his face. Tears instantly reached your eyes and fell from your face. He took the ring from your lap and held it between you.

“Mc, will you marry me?”

There was only one answer possible.

“Yes!”

Special tags to my lovelies : @dreamtydraw @otomes-and-tears @saladzz

[alexanderlightweight]

I know you just wrote it but can we have more of the winter soldier-like au for the wednesday prompt?

i have to go to work in a bit but i HAD to write the next part so i hope you enjoy

<3 lumine

-

“Isabelle.” Magnus says, low and cool and she turns, eyes wide with hope and hands trembling.  Her bright eyes dim and she looks dull when she realizes he’s alone.

Around them, the gloomy halls of the Silent City seem to warp. Jem assured him this was the safest place to meet with any nephilim, especially an Iron Sister.

“You didn’t bring him?”

“Why would I ever let him near any nephilim again?” Magnus asks coldly, looking at Isabelle with disdain where once there was a sliver of fondness. “Even his own sister can’t stop from betraying him once again.”

“I haven’t!” She protests, “Magnus I swear to you. I couldn’t.”

“And yet, the nephilim children you thoughtlessly gave information to weren't so smart. They went straight to Imogen and when she finished regaling them with details, they showed up to demand the weapon I stole from the clave.”

Isabelle pales and she shakes her head, “no, Magnus. You have to understand, I just... she needs help. You’re the only one I could think of that might be able to!”

“You thought you could rewrite history. You see those reckless children and you see yourself, Isabelle. So tell me, my dear.” The endearment is mocking and cruel where once it was sincere and she flinches, closing her eyes, “why must Alexander be sacrificed a second time for a little girl too spoiled to care about others?”

Isabelle takes a deep breath and she laughs, bitter and weary. 

“I’m never going to see him again, am I?”

“Perhaps if he’s better by the time you die, I’ll let him visit you on your deathbed.” It’s more than she deserves and they both know it, even if Magnus normally refrains from being so cruel.

“Magnus, I really didn’t mean to.”

“You never do, Isabelle. You went to the Iron Sisters to do better, so why are we here? Back at where we began?”

“I just want him back, Magnus.” Isabelle whispers, voice hoarse and thick with tears, “it’s been decades. I miss my hermano. I just wanted to see him, I thought maybe—” She trails off, unwilling to voice her absurdly selfish wants that have once again put her brother in danger. 

There is danger once again and the clave have been reminded that Magnus has something they consider theirs. 

Magnus looks at her and he believes her.

That doesn’t change a thing.

“Then perhaps, Isabelle. You shouldn’t have betrayed him.” Magnus turns, walking away because this was the sole purpose of the meeting. If Isabelle continues to help little Clarissa Fray and her blonde shadow, then Magnus will deal with her as he vowed to, when she first cost him his love.

—

Izzy sighs as she watches Magnus leave and she shakes her head at herself. She knows better, she really does and yet in her impatience, with the fear of dying from old age without seeing Alec one last time, she let it get the best of her.

Which means that now, she might not even get to see her brother.

Its a sign of impatience that Izzy thought she trained out of herself.

“Izzy?” Cleophas asks as she returns and Izzy gives a bland, cool smile and nods to her friend. “Are you alright?”

“I made a mistake.” Izzy admits, which she rarely does and it makes Cleophas send her a second, concerned look. “I don’t know if I can salvage anything from the shards.” Because Cleophas thinks she’s talking about a weapon, but Izzy is talking about the last bonds of the strained relationship between her and Magnus that she just managed to shatter. 

“You’ve always been able to create masterpieces, even from a ruined piece.” Cleophas reminds her dryly and Izzy gives a polite smile back, but her heart isn’t in it.

“Sometimes, the most valuable things are too delicate to repair.” Is all she says and when she gets to her rooms, Izzy sighs and stares at the picture of a young, fifteen year old Izzy with Alec on her dresser. It’s an old picture and the only other picture Izzy loves as much is hidden.

She retrieves it now and stares.

She’s freshly seventeen in the picture and Alec is in it, Magnus wrapped around him and the three of them are in one of Magnus’ many homes. Whisked away by portal while Alec and Izzy pretended to just be out on their own for her birthday.

It’s one of many times that Alec included her, despite how dangerous it was to have anyone know of his relationship with Magnus.

Ultimately, it was Izzy’s own hubris that broke them all and she sighs and pets her fingers over her brother's face.

Her own hair is gray now and there are lines in the corner of her eyes and mouth and while her beauty is still revered, all she can wonder is how Alec looks.

Does he still look young, caught in the age he was when she lost him? Or is Magnus fighting time as well as magic and Izzy stiffles a sob, because Magnus looks as young as he did when they first met.

It brings up too many painful memories that Izzy has to force herself to choke her emotions down.

Magnus refused to reach out during the Uprising or even in the two decades since it failed and Izzy knows she could have requested a meeting with him, but she was terrified to be denied.

It was an accident, mentioning Magnus to Clary. A mistake that Izzy is going to pay for and it’s a price she doesn’t think she’s willing to accept.

Which means that Izzy needs to find a way to once again endear herself to Magnus.

The best way to the High Warlock’s heart — for the last forty plus years at least — has always been through Alec.

So, Izzy grits her teeth and squares her shoulders and reminds herself to be strong.

She’s the Lightwood heir, despite joining the Iron Sisters. 

If committing treason and sending adamas and books to Magnus to help him save Alec from a countdown that Izzy started, she’ll do it. 

-

please remember that izzy was super young and it was complicated. magnus blames her and she blames herself and it is her fault but there were also extenuating circumstances and ofc the clave took it too far

izzy also hasn't seen alec in decades and suddenly this kid who reminds her of herself with a blonde shadow. she doesn't meet jace because male, so she just sort of assigns him alec's personality and basically accidentally emotionally manipulates herself

also izzy is super endeared by clary and only met her the once.

this doesn't have a name yet

also remember that magnus is super biased and clary showing up sputing bs hit every switch imaginable

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hello, Could you do “… Where did all of these scars come from?” And “I thought you died.” Of the Lamb and GN!Reader who was Lamb childhood friend and helped them hide from the Bishops when the whole sheep hunt happened but got separated when they were caught.

Ps: feel free to use any pronouns you want for the Lamb.

"They're killing us all, [y/n]!!"

"Wait, what are you talking about?!" Holding Lamb's trembling shoulders, you looked into their teary eyes, wondering what’s gotten into them. They just rushed into your home without warning, and it had you gravely concerned. "Who's killing?"

"The..The Bishops! My whole species is being slaughtered b-because they think we're gonna fulfill some "prophecy". I don't know what it is but..I-I'm scared. We just want to live in peace! Wh-What did we do wrong?!!" They sobbed as you hugged them tightly, feeling their small form shaking. “I don’t wanna die..”

"Shh, it's gonna be okay.” You comforted them. “You’re not gonna die. Not on my watch. But you need to hide somewhere right now. I have a place where you can stay."

Nodding, they let you go and sniffled as you took them by the hand, leading them to an underground section of your home. It was an emergency shelter in case you had to hide from any heretics or bad weather. Stocked with enough food and water to last several days.

As Lamb descended into it, you heard a knock at the door. They froze and gazed up at you in panic, but you offered them a reassuring smile. "I'll deal with it. Just stay quiet, alright? Don’t make a sound."

Once more they nodded, and you shut the trapdoor and covered the entrance as the knocking persisted. You wiped the sweat from your forehead, trying to pretend you weren't hiding a lamb in your home before opening the door.

On the other side stood a duo of swordsmen. Their red eyes glowed in the darkness as they stared at you, already looking impatient.

"Hello. May I help you?" You asked politely.

"We are looking for a young lamb. Have you seen any pass through this area?" One of them inquired.

"Nope. No lambs here. But if I see any I’ll let you know. Have a goodnigh-”

As you went to shut the door, however, one swordsman drew out their weapon, stopping it from fully closing. “Are you sure? Because we noticed a lamb’s tracks leading up to this place.” They gestured to the hoofprints left in the dirt.

‘Shit..’

“I didn’t see those until now. I was asleep. If a lamb had entered my home, I would’ve known.” You were growing anxious and annoyed at their persistence. “Now are we done here? Because I’m fairly exhausted.”

“A prophecy is at stake here. We’ve been given orders to search every home. Leave no stone unturned.”

“That shouldn't be necessary. I’m telling you the tru--HEY!”

Suddenly they rudely pushed past you and marched straight into your home, checking all the rooms. They clearly didn’t care about the mess they made as they opened up cabinets, closets, and any other potential hiding places.

You couldn’t stand by and watch them wreck everything, especially when one of them was wandering a bit too close to the trapdoor. 

In a panic, you grabbed a cleaver and snuck up behind them, poised to strike--

Until they somehow anticipated your exact movements and managed to snag the cleaver from you, tossing it out of your reach. Then they slammed you against the wall, holding a blade to your throat.

“I knew it! You’re hiding them! SHOW US WHERE THEY ARE!!” They demanded.

Nodding in terror, you opened the trapdoor, turning around to strike the swordsman before shouting at Lamb to run. You prayed to every god out there that it would buy them some time to escape.

They jumped out and sprinted past you, barely making it outside your home...

Only to get caught by an enforcer waiting there. 

“We have the last lamb! We must return to the temple at once!”

“NO! LET ME GO!!”

“LAMB!!” You cried out in anger, only for the swordsman to shove you to the floor. Their bladed weapon was mere inches from your throat, causing your whole body to freeze.

“Normally we’d have your head for hiding the lamb from us..but we need to begin the ritual immediately. Thanks for you cooperation.” They sarcastically huffed, withdrawing their sword.

You could only watch in devastation as the cultists left, with Lamb sobbing as they were dragged away in chains. And you punched the floorboards, damning the gods who took them from you.

What were the Bishops going to do to them?

You couldn’t even imagine..

..........

Once Lamb cut down the last of the bushy worm horde, they huffed as their weapon turned back into the Red Crown. Their wool was covered in dirt, which they casually brushed off before gathering some coins, bones, and fervor.

With Leshy gone, things in Darkwood were more sinister...more chaotic. His subjects laid traps at nearly every turn, and the monsters he once commanded grew in strength. Not to mention the camelia were growing scarcer by the day.

But Lamb was stronger, still.

Strong enough to fight the Witness who took Leshy’s place at the temple. That was the goal of their current crusade.

First, however, the Red Crown informed him of a path leading to a potential follower being sacrificed. The others only involved fighting more heretics and creatures.

They sighed and made their choice to rescue this person. 'Might as well save whoever I can.'

As they entered the ritual room with determination, they stopped for a moment, alarmed by the sight of the follower bound to the table, surrounded by swordsmen.

It was..someone incredibly familiar to them.

Their eyes widened in shock, but the arrival of more creatures made them shift their focus to the fight.

And they summoned their weapon and charged forth.

Blood splattered across the stones, shrieks of dying cultists filled the air, and all the while...you watched in awe.

Not only did you see that your savior bore the Red Crown of Narinder, but..

They were a familiar face. One you thought you’d never see again after that dreadful night.

So when the last of the cultists have been slain, and you could clearly see them as they approached the table, you smiled from ear-to-ear. 

“Lamb! I..I thought you died.” You whispered, tears in your eyes as they sliced the ropes, freeing you.

“I thought I did, too, but..I’m back.” Lamb beamed. You noticed how they sounded far more confident than the timid little sheep you were childhood friends with.

Both of you hugged each other the moment you were off the table, taking a moment to let the realization sink in.

You were both okay.

Then they let go, sighing. “Come. Let’s bring you home.”

“Ah, but..my home was destroyed-”

“Oh no. Not there.”

“Then..where?” You tilted your head, seeing their eyes glowing red and the ground beneath your feet doing the same.

“To your new home: my cult.”

..............

Since your official indoctrination into Lamb’s cult, you adjusted to life here pretty quickly.

You made fast friends with nearly everyone, but none were closer to you than the leader themself.

It was amazing to see they started this entire cult all on their own, apparently for the One Who Waits--who saved them from being sacrificed.

Although Lamb had done rather...questionable things in his name, and to appease the sick desires of a few cult members, you remained loyal and faithful to them.

How could you not? 

Eventually, you found out that Lamb didn’t require sleep anymore. So they either mediated until daylight or went on a nightly crusade to pass the time. You'd talk to them but they always insisted you sleep instead.

Though one night, you saw them disappear into the temple and followed them in. You haven’t had the chance to talk to them for some time considering how busy they always were.

You spotted them at the altar, laying down a holy talisman.

“Hey, Lamb. May I enter?”

They looked up in surprise, but upon seeing only you they smiled. “You may. Just give me a moment.” Turning their attention back to the talisman, their eyes glowed as they transmuted it into a golden fleece with a silver arrow pendant.

You were awestruck by the spectacle before you.

They turned stone into cloth within seconds!

Just how much power were they given?

“I can wash your red fleece for you..if you’d like.” You offered, stepping up to the altar.

“Ah, of course! Thank you.” They suddenly ducked down, out of view, but you understood that they just wanted privacy while undressing. So you left a donation in front of the podium while waiting for them to finish.

As Lamb removed their collar, they felt their neck stinging and quietly hissed at the pain. Their fingers lightly grazed over the scar that formed a ring around that area. 

No wool to cover it, only flesh.

The marks on their arms from fights with non-believers remained as well. Those would heal with time, but not the one around their neck. It was the most painful of all the wounds they sustained, and it wasn’t just physical.

Taking their hand away, they shivered and curled up against the podium as they closed their eyes. Their breathing suddenly grew rapid, tears threatening to spill forth, but they had to be strong. They had to calm down.

For the cult’s sake. For their god’s sake.

"Lamb? Are you alright?” You heard their panicked breaths and looked, your heart sinking upon the sight of your beloved leader and friend. They were completely bare and vulnerable, clutching their dirty red fleece with trembling hands.

You only caught a glimpse of their neck wound, and it pained you to see them hide it so quickly.

It was like..you were staring down at that terrified little sheep all over again.

“...leave..” They ordered weakly with a scowl, thinking you were going to insult them or think they were a pathetic leader. Yet you didn’t listen. Instead you knelt down in worry, gently coaxing them into letting you see the scar.

In that moment..they almost forgot. You weren’t like the rest of their followers. You risked your life to hide them, even though it ended up being for nothing.

Still..they realized they at least owed you an explanation.

The truth of what happened at the sacrifice.

They finally gave up and put the red fleece aside, only to blink as you took their hands, looking over the scars on their arms. Then your gaze trailed to their neck; and finally to their eyes, your heart breaking as they watered even more, their walls crumbling.

“Where did all these scars come from? What did they do to you, my friend?” You put a hand to their cheek as they sniffled, tears finally streaming down their face. 

“Th-They..beheaded me. Butchered me like I was a piece of meat.”

You were horrified by the revelation. 

After all this time, you assumed they were saved from death at the last possible minute. Because dying meant the prophecy will remain unfulfilled and condemn Narinder to eternal captivity. That should have been the end of Lamb.

But no. Instead, they were brutally executed and were somehow sent straight to him..before being brought back to life with that scar. 

A permanent reminder of their last moments as a sacrificial lamb.

“I-I didn’t want you to know..not like this.” They began to sob. “I’m so sorry..I should have told you sooner-”

“Oh no, no, Lamb..it’s okay.” You brought them into a hug as they buried their head into your chest, clutching your robes. And you allowed them, knowing they needed someone to lean on for once. After all they’ve been through, they at least deserved this. “I understand now. Thank you for trusting me.”

They embraced you tighter, nearly squeezing the life out of you. “O-Of course..how could I not? You’ve always been there for me.” They sniffled.

How they wished to stay like this for a little while longer, but unfortunately the One Who Waits was growing impatient. They could feel it. He couldn’t have his vessel blubbering over the past forever.

So after a minute or so, Lamb reluctantly let you go as they calmed down at last. You smiled softly at them, before reaching up to grab their golden fleece, helping them get dressed. You ensured the collar was snug around their neck without digging too deep into their scar.

Then you took their hands again and helped them to their feet, before you stepped back as they admired their cloak.

“So..how does it look?” They gazed at you for approval.

All you could do was grin, hands clasped together in awe. Seeing your dear friend and savior bathed in gold was truly something to behold.

“You look magnificent, my Lamb.”

[wenella]

Zhu Yilong: A Multi-faceted Gem:

English Translation of Zhu Yilong's WSJ Men's Style Sept 2022 Interview by wenella

朱一龙说：“只有松弛才能做得到。”

Zhu Yilong said: "You can make it work only by relaxing."

"Do you think I can act?"

Han Yan, the executive producer of Lighting Up the Stars, remembered his conversation with Zhu Yilong. Zhu was filming Cloudy Mountain when Han called him. Over the phone, he asked Zhu Yilong, “Do you dare to take up the role of Mo Sanmei? Do you think you can handle it?”

Zhu Yilong didn’t answer his question and turned the table on him; he asked Han Yan, “Do you think I can play the role?”

They were trying to sound each other out. When Han Yan recalled this conversation, he said, “I wanted to assess this actor based on his willingness to play the role. But he wanted to get a sense of how this role might develop based on my judgement.”

At that time, Han Yan just joined Lighting Up the Stars as its executive producer. He overhauled the structure of the script and the prospective casting.

In the script, Mo Sanmei is a mortician working in the funeral industry. Many would traditionally associate this job with rough and older men. Few would think of casting a young and handsome actor for this role. But Han Yan wanted to create this sharp contrast in Lighting Up the Stars and thought of using an actor who does not look like a mortician at all. And hence, Han Yan thought of Zhu Yilong.

Han Yan and Zhu Yilong first met at the end of 2019. During their 1st meeting, Zhu Yilong didn’t speak much. Zhu didn't pander to anyone; he wasn’t excessively polite and didn’t seem particularly eager. For most of the time, he was just a quiet and focused listener. But Han Yan could feel a powerful and silent strength within Zhu Yilong.

"My impression of ZYL back then - he really cared a lot about acting. He is ambitious. He was listening to me quietly but I knew that he took in whatever I said. He understood what I was talking about.”

The filming for Lighting up the Stars took more than 70 days. The weather was hot and humid, and the crew was extremely busy every day. Zhu Yilong engaged Han Yan in long conversations frequently on the set. They talked about his role and discussed his scenes with his co-actor Yang Enyou.

Although Han Yan could not remember many details about the filming, he could clearly remember the stress that Zhu Yilong faced on the set. "Zhu Yilong can handle stress very well. He wouldn’t talk about his stress openly while on the set. He would communicate and resolve his stress privately."

Zhu Yilong’s co-actor Yang Enyou in the film was only 7 years old. She couldn’t distinguish between the actor Zhu Yilong and his character Mo Sanmei, but the entire film’s plot development, conflicts, and emotions had to be driven by her acting.

Therefore, filming Lighting Up the Stars was challenging for Zhu Yilong as it was a creative process that he has never experienced before. Zhu Yilong recalled, “The director and I came to a consensus. We wouldn’t design any reaction for the child. We would explain the story, describe the scene to her, and tell her how she was supposed to feel in that scene. Once she has processed this information, she could act in any way that she want. After we managed to capture her best take, I would watch her playback on the monitor and act in response to her performance.”

Han Yan often observed Zhu Yilong on the set and felt that Zhu was under immense pressure during the filming. “Actors always want to present their best performance before the camera. But he had absolutely no idea how the child would react. How should one cope with such uncertainty? He had to react immediately on the spot and ensure that his performance was still consistent with the film’s narrative. This was extremely difficult. Sometimes, Zhu Yilong had already expended great energy after Youyou was done with her scenes, but he would need to get himself ready again because it was time to film his scenes. This process is extremely painful for any actor. It may seem effortless, but the stress is like an invisible knife that stabs at you every day. It is unbearable. We often say that filming is tough, but the logistical trouble is nothing compared to the mental stress that stems from the uncertainty of your co-actor’s performance. We often think that physical fatigue is the real stress, but I don’t agree with this. In my opinion, the greatest source of stress stems from not knowing how your co-actor will act the next day. This is the greatest source of stress for actors.”

Zhu Yilong put in special effort to bond with Yang Enyou onscreen and offscreen. On the set, he was Sange to her; he told her stories, played with her, and managed their relationship carefully. Han Yan said, “The topic that Zhu Yilong and I discussed the most was the extent of this relationship. I often saw Zhu Yilong playing with Youyou when they weren't filming. He might seem very casual when they were interacting, but you could tell that he made an effort to manage his relationship with her. He handled their relationship very carefully even offscreen just to present the best performance onscreen."

Zhu Yilong and Han Yan became good friends after filming Lighting Up the Stars. They are of similar age and share the same passion for film; “We are young artistic workers. We can talk freely about acting and films.” Han Yan recalled that Zhu Yilong likes Daniel Day Lewis. Sometimes, they would huddle in a small room together and analyze the performances of actors such as Yoo Ah-in, Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae.

"Relaxed and heartwarming"

Zhu Yilong has filmed many shows since his debut more than a decade ago. In the first 10 years, he was filming non-stop and didn’t mind that no one remembered him. “At least you’re doing something that you enjoy while supporting yourself. You just have to go on.”

Many people regard Guardian (2018) as the watershed moment in Zhu Yilong's acting career. The immense popularity of the show triggered heated discussions about acting and traffic stars that he couldn’t avoid. The dramatic story of a diligent, hardworking actor who finally had his breakthrough naturally drew media attention.

Back then, reporters often asked Zhu Yilong, “How do you feel about your sudden burst in popularity?” Visibly anxious, Zhu Yilong confessed his worry to the media: could his works justify his fame?

However, he is definitely more relaxed in recent years. When we asked about what brought about this change, he laughed and said, “As I grow older and shoot more projects, I became more relaxed.”

Zhu Yilong still remembers how flustered he was when he shot his 1st movie scene. He was an undergraduate at Beijing Film Academy and made a cameo appearance in the film "Confucius" as the State of Wei envoy. He only had one line. However, as he was acting with Chow Yun-fatt, he was so nervous that he forgot his line and NG-ed more than 10 times.

This experience left a lasting impact on him; it helped him to set a standard for himself. He said, "It made me realize my attitude towards films. What do you expect of myself? What kind of standard do I want to achieve when I make a film? This experience helped me to set a standard. I knew I had to minimally achieve this standard before thinking about making other films."

Subsequently, Zhu Yilong gradually discovered the joy of being relaxed. "You need to be relaxed. Acting isn’t something you can do well by pushing yourself too hard. You will realize that you need to relax and open your senses. You can’t focus only on your acting on the set. You need to relax when you’re acting in order to feel the changes in the environment, in your body, and around you. You can only do this when you’re relaxed."

He learnt about the logic of relaxation when he was in school. However, it took time and experience before he could put what he learnt into practice. “Our teachers told us that we need to relax. Your acting must be relaxed, but it is very hard to do so. The camera is in such close proximity. And you can't film the scenes sequentially and continuously. This means your acting is fragmented. So how do you remember your emotions in this scene and bring them into the next scene in a relaxed manner? This takes experience and one must learn it step by step. But once you are relaxed, the process of filming becomes more enjoyable. You wouldn’t mind the camera in front of you and you wouldn’t care about the opinions of others on the set; you become totally relaxed and you get to act and experience another person’s life. I find this process very interesting.”

Zhu Yilong once said that acting is a profession in which you experience solitude in front of others. As an experiential actor, he follows the Stanislavsky’s method of acting. This system trains the body to be soft so that the actor can convey emotions through the role.

He still experiences such moments of solitude while on the set. “It is impossible for anyone to teach you how to act. It is simply impossible. The director can adjust your acting so that you can deliver an accurate and great performance. But most of the time, you need to interact with yourself. You need to understand yourself, to control your body, to talk to yourself, and to spend more time by yourself.”

Zhu Yilong is very sober and has a keen sense of self-awareness. No matter the external circumstances, he has always remained steadfast. Zhu Yilong’s make-up artist Pengpeng has worked with him for six years and witnessed his journey to fame. In Pengpeng’s eyes, Zhu Yilong’s temperament didn't change at all despite the fame. “He’s a man of few words; he is always quiet, always stable. After a certain work is recognized by everyone, Longge will choose (the next script) more carefully. He hasn’t changed much ever since I first got to know him. He has maintained his passion for acting.”

In 2019, Zhu Yilong was invited to attend the Cannes Film Festival. Pengpeng traveled with his team as a makeup artist. Over the phone, Pengpeng recalled the trip excitedly, “There were filmmakers from all over the world; we made it onto the international stage! Haha!” Pengpeng said that he wanted to present the best of his makeup skills to live up to the occasion.

Usually, stars and makeup artists share a delicate and sensitive relationship. There is no legally binding contract and sometimes, it is simply a verbal invitation for collaboration. It is also common practice for a star to change their makeup artist once they have gained popularity. However, fans and media have noticed that Zhu Yilong didn't change his makeup artist Pengpeng after Guardian. During our interview, we asked Zhu Yilong if he is one who values old ties. He nodded and said that the oldest thing on him now is a spectacle case that he has been using for more than a decade.

Pengpeng said, “We belong to different fields of expertise and have our own set of ideals. We are rather persistent in our pursuits and want to do a good job. We share the same frequency and get along well. Most importantly, we have similar aesthetic preferences.”

Even after working with Zhu Yilong for so many years, Pengpeng still tries to show his professional side to Zhu Yilong. This is because Zhu’s serious attitude towards his work has influenced him too.

“When I work with him, I always treat it as though I’m doing his makeup and hair for the first time. I remind myself not to relax or slack off simply because we are on familiar terms. Zhu Yilong is very professional and I want to make sure that I live up to his standards too.”

Pengpeng saw another side of Zhu Yilong when they visited Namibia as part of WWF's Black Rhino conservation program. "5 of us were crammed into a small plane. When we were flying at a high altitude, the plane shook due to air turbulence. It is scary when I think about it now. But we were busy admiring the scenery back then as it was a novel experience. Zhu Yilong was very excited when we were out in the wild tracking the rhinos."

There are also moments when Pengpeng was touched by Zhu Yilong's thoughtfulness and carefulness. It is easy to bump into lighting equipment if one doesn’t pay close attention while on a photoshoot set. There was once when Zhu Yilong pulled him back and told him to look out. Pengpeng is touched by moments like this. “Longge is very thoughtful and takes good care of people’s feelings. There are so many little details – a pull or a nudge, everything is unforgettable and heartwarming.”

A vivid side of Zhu Yilong has unfolded before us. There is only one thing that matters to him right now, that is, “to perform well and to produce good works.” As an actor, he is seldom distracted by frivolous thoughts and protects his inner world carefully.

When I asked Zhu Yilong what does he strive for, he smiled and said mysteriously, “I can’t tell you. It would no longer be powerful if I reveal it. I believe that actions speak louder than words.”

Zhu Yilong said that he is very contented now. He is doing something that he enjoys and it is great that he can keep the creative process simple and straightforward.

“Very often, when you have so many choices, you’d ask yourself if you made the right or wrong choice. Once you make a choice, all you need to do is to make it right. So whenever I choose a role, I invest all my energy and turn my choice into the right one.”

Post translation note: Finally had time to translate this article though it took way longer than expected. Been wanting to do so because the first part of this article features Lighting Up the Stars producer Han Yan and he shared plenty of insights on the making of this film beyond the BTS videos we saw & described the immense mental stress Zhu Yilong was under during the filming. So glad that his hard work paid off after all! If you’d like retranslate this article, please DM me for permission & credit. Pls do not repost.

[sxugaryx]

Happy (Fanfic)

New chapter of my angst series

Geppetto and Carlo were lying together in bed, Carlo was already asleep, he cried himself to sleep, he tried to hurt himself again and Geppetto was keeping an eye on him, to stop him, occasionally, Romeo would be the one to keep an eye on him, but Geppetto doesn’t like that because Romeo shouldn’t have to deprive himself of sleep to take care of Carlo, Geppetto is his father and he is the one with the responsibility, but there are times when Carlo just can’t look at him, can’t stand him, has tried to kill him, and Romeo has to be the one to take care of him, and Geppetto wishes it didn’t have to be like that.

He wishes a lot of things would have been different, but he has Carlo back, and Romeo is here too and he has to protect both of them.

It’s been a year since everything happened, things in Krat have been on edge since Pinocchio died…

Since I killed him.

Pinocchio had managed to find a cure for the petrification disease; Antonia still passed away, despite being cured, due to her age her body couldn’t handle it anymore. With the cure, some things have been at ease, but the rebuilding of Krat has been hard, not just because it’s hard to make new buildings and repair damaged ones, but also because there has been a lot of tension in the socio-political status.

“Maybe if Venigni was still here…” Geppetto thought to himself, Venigni was a genius, he knew that if someone would be able to take the initiative and make a plan, with many backup plans along the way, it would be him, he knew that his friend could have accomplished so much with helping rebuild the city.

But he isn’t here, he had to die, when Carlo was brought back, Venigni was disgusted

“How could you?! Geppetto how dare you murder Pinocchio for this? You are playing God, this is wrong!” He shouted at him, he was furious, appalled, he had never spoken to Geppetto that way, he could tell that Venigni was hurting, because he knew Carlo before he had died and was brought back, and he loved him, he was like an uncle to him, but Pinocchio was gone now to bring Carlo back, and he didn’t like that, Geppetto had never seen Venigni so furious, his emotions had gotten the better of him, and he tried to attack Geppetto, but Carlo wasn’t going to let anyone harm his father, not even if it was his beloved uncle Venigni, he was the first to go, Carlo had stabbed him with his weapon, Venigni fell into the floor, he died almost instantly, he murmured his final words, but his voice was like a whisper, maybe it was the shock of being killed so suddenly, maybe he just didn't have the full energy to get the words out but either way, Geppetto couldn’t hear what he said, the rest was a domino effect, Pulcinella wasn’t going to let Venigni die like that, so he tried to fight back, Pulcinella didn’t stand a chance against Carlo but he tried; then Polendina was next too shocked to even to fully process what was happening; then Eugéne, she briefly tried to fight back, she might have known how to make weapons but she wasn’t good at fighting; and finally Hugo the explorer, he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

They all died, and Carlo was sad about it, he couldn’t let his son be sad, so he made him new friends, friends that would never question him, that would never tell him no to anything, friends that he could control, anything to make his son happy.

“This isn’t my body, it’s not my body, it’s not my body, it’s not my body, it’s not, it’s not, it’s not my body” Carlo constantly repeats that, or phases along those lines, Geppetto doesn’t understand why he feels that way, he made the body perfectly, an exact replica of his body, and Romeo doesn’t feel that way about the body he gave him.

Carlo is just sick, that’s why he must feel that way, Geppetto tries to look back at his son's childhood, wondering if there were other signs that could have told him that something like this would happen, that Carlo showed some symptoms that something wasn’t right, but he can’t think of anything.

You can’t think of anything because you were never there for him.

So Geppetto believes that the trauma of the event is what made him lose his mind, 

I haven't lost mine, I´m perfectly fine.

His poor son had gone through so much, and he had to protect him, but he knows that something like this isn’t just something you can make go away, that it doesn’t matter how much he loves his son, that love isn’t enough when someone is sick like that, sometimes he just wants to make a phone call, ask for a favor so a doctor could help his son.

They would ask questions, everyone knows Carlo is supposed to be dead, and they won’t keep the secret, they will tell everyone, and they will take him away, I can’t let anyone take him away from me.

Geppetto is hugging Carlo and gently stroking his hair, Carlo is a good boy, he might be older now but he will always be his little boy, and he has to keep him safe from the rest of the world, Carlo and Romeo always wanted to become stalkers, he never liked that, he was vocally against it, it was dangerous, he has never understood why anyone would like that type of life. The world is so cruel, and Geppetto can’t let Carlo or Romeo deal with the cruelty of this world, both are best friends, they have each other and they are happy together.

Do you keep them here so that they are happy or so you can be happy?

Geppetto eventually falls asleep, and the next morning he wakes up early, he wakes up very early each day so that he can do his work, and leave it outside the door of the house to be picked up, Geppetto’s skills are unmatched because he can work from home perfectly fine and still do a good job, he has mastered his craft, other engineers need to be present, see the schematics, work as a team, constantly make adjustments, but his many years of working have made it capable of doing all of that at his own home now. The groceries are delivered to the house, so he doesn’t have to leave for that either.

Geppetto goes to the door to open it, he has the keys in his hand, his seven keys, there are several locks bolted in the door, he unlocks them all one by one, and he unlocks the door, leaving in an envelope the work he did, and goes through the process of locking the house again.

He had recently added the locks, he gets too anxious thinking about someone breaking in and trying to harm his family.

It’s 7 a.m., and Romeo and Carlo are still asleep, they have never woken up early, and he won’t wake them up early, he lets them sleep as much as they need. Today both boys ended up waking up at 10 pm, Geppetto makes them breakfast and lets them do what they want, he keeps a close eye on them, Geppetto usually reads a book, or goes over some of his work while watching over them, the truth is that his boys don’t really get much privacy, even in the basement, they don’t know that Geppetto wired taped the basement, just be absolutely sure everything was fine with them when they played together down there.

You are spying on them, that’s what you are doing, you can’t sugarcoat this.

He is listening to them now.

“Romeo, why did you think my father added all those locks?” Carlo´s voice sounded worried. 

He had hoped they would notice that he was a fool to think otherwise.

“I don’t know Carlo, let’s not think about that.” Romeo was trying to defect the conversation, he never wants to talk about anything that could upset Carlo. 

“But, what if someone is trying to find us and hurt us?”

“Why would-”

“Don’t you remember what happened at Monad?!” Carlo shouted, his voice sounding panicked. 

What? He hadn’t heard about this before, what could have happened at the Monad Charity home? He never saw anything on the news talk about it, surely something big would have…

Simon.

Whatever happened Simon had covered it up.

Geppetto’s mind is racing, it starts to click in his head, the petrification disease was first seen at the Monad Charity House, that’s why Carlo and Romeo got sick, but it was strange, how could a disease like that be found in a place like that and not in a hospital? 

He curses Simon in his head and wishes he was rooting in his grave, that he is suffering the worst torture in hell.

“Hey… that… probably had nothing to do with us, right? I mean…” Romeo’s voice sounded scared now.

“Those people that died, and how they lied to all of us, made us keep quiet, and then Sophia disappeared, and when we went to look for her they lied to us, they said she left on her own and that wasn’t true!” Carlo was recalling everything that happened, all the memories were too intense for him. 

“I remember that we were trying to look for clues, we were so close to finding the truth, and then…

It was all quiet, so quiet, the suspense was killing Geppetto, he could hear that Romeo had started to hyperventilate, and he was desperately trying to compose himself.

…and then we were one of the first ones to get sick.”

Geppetto’s heart sank, did Simon really do it? He was more than capable of, that monster, how dare, but at least he couldn’t harm others anymore, at least he was dead, Pinocchio killed him.

And then you killed Pinocchio, you murdered your son.

“That can’t be a coincidence! Someone was after us, maybe they are still after us!”  Carlo had begun to cry now.

Simon might be gone, but could be Carlo was right, he still had loyal followers, people who aided his cause, and even if their leader was dead they could be capable of avenging him.

Romeo was now crying too, and now the crying had turned into sobbing, Geppetto could tell that both of them were scared, terrified even, they had all the right to feel that way. Geppetto got up from his study and went downstairs to the basement.

“Boys, what’s wrong?” He asked, pretending as if he didn’t know already.

But neither could give him an answer they were in tears, Geppetto was quiet, he wanted to let them speak and not force them by asking questions, eventually, Romeo was the one who finally managed to speak up.

“We are scared” his voice was very soft, he could barely let the words out.

Geppetto pulled both of them into a hug, they held him tightly, whatever they saw, whatever happened back at Monad, it had impacted them greatly, and they were silenced so they could never speak about it.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone hurt the two of you, I won’t let anything bad happen to both of you ever again” It was a promise.

He doesn’t care what he has to do, he doesn’t care who he has to kill, and he won’t let anyone harm his family.

That night, after he put them to bed, Geppetto made a few phone calls, he may or may have not known a few alchemists who were still hiding in Krat, and the citizens of Krat had a vendetta against alchemists. These people used to be his friends, but he couldn’t trust them, he couldn’t trust any alchemist, he saw now that they were all disgusting people who only had a lust for power, that they all pretended to be good people to fulfill their own goals, so he may have let slip their true identities to local authorities, anonymously of course, it can’t know that it was him to blow the whistle.

The next morning, he was reading the newspaper, they all had died, the police were planning an arrest, but as soon as the people of Krat knew that there were alchemists amongst them, it was all over for them, there was a witch hunt against them.

Geppetto smiled, he was making sure his family was safe.