#so I got them both A Food that comes in a sealed bag

[mypartoftown]

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[apomaro-mellow]

Family Planning 10

Part 9

Eddie started knocking on the door when Steve’s parents were home, greeting them both and promising to have Steve home by ten. But he still snuck in and out of his window right after. 

Ms. Engels looked like she had just drank sour milk every time she saw them in the halls, clinging to each other, flour baby secure in a carrier that one of them wore at all times at school. Wayne had happened upon one for cheap at a thrift store.

“Figured it’d help seal that grade.”

And people wondered where Eddie got his theatrics from.

The rest of the school population took notice pretty quick that Harrington and Munson were not just dating, but courting. And once everyone in the school knew, people outside of it began to realize.

“So you and Munson are fucking”, Tommy confirmed, leaning against a vending machine.

“Yeah”, Steve shrugged, putting in a few coins for a soda.

“So the entire concept of the project just flew over both of your heads”, Carol went to lean next to Tommy.

“Hey, it’s not like they made us sign one of those abstinence contracts”, Steve shrugged, popping the can open and taking a swig.

“Oh god, can you imagine”, Carol groaned.

Just then, they heard the rumble of an engine. Steve lit up as Eddie parked on the side of the street, rolling his window down. 

“You come here often, pretty thing?”

Steve walked over, leaning in close to the window, can still in his hand. Neither of his friends could hear what was being said. It was like every time they got together the rest of the world melted away. It was as cute as it was nauseating to Tommy and Carol.

“You look like a corner hooker!”, Tommy hollered.

“Yeah and I’d pay top dollar for him!”, Eddie hollered back.

Steve handed his soda to Eddie who downed the rest of it while Steve got in on the other side. They shared a kiss, Steve cupping his alpha’s face before they sped down the road.

“Five bucks says he gets knocked up before graduation”, Carol said.

“Ten bucks says he’s already pupped up”, Tommy challenged.

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

Contrary to the whispers of the town, anytime the two of them were together there was only a fifty percent chance they were having sex. Maybe sixty percent. Okay, if you pulled their leg maybe a soft seventy-five percent of the time.

But that other slice of the pie? It was them talking about their future. Their shared future. One where they had an actual pup (six, the goal was six) and what they’d need to do to make sure those six pups lived comfortably. Steve didn’t really want to be a secretary at his dad’s firm, but it’d be a sure way to keep food on the table. 

Eddie was more than ready to be a provider. He’d already started showing his face at the local mechanic’s showing his interest to get a job right away, maybe even before graduation.

They’d gone to their spot, Skull Rock, and leaned against the distinct boulder. Eddie had his arms around Steve’s waist. Kisses passed as easily between them as words while they swayed together to a song only they knew.

“You’re gonna look so pretty with my pup in you”, Eddie whispered.

Steve purred, nuzzling his neck and biting just under his jaw. “I’ve been looking at apartments in downtown Hawkins.” A little place of their own sounded nice.

“You know, we could stay at the trailer. With Wayne we’d have built in babysitting”, Eddie pointed out.

Steve snickered, both at what Eddie had said and because his hair was tickling his nose, so he pulled back. Eddie had taken pictures of his uncle taking care of Kimberly and it had been a sight to see such a gruff looking man, cradling a bag of flour and pretending to feed it a bottle.

“I think I’d like that”, he said. Anywhere was fine, so long as he was with Eddie. And Wayne seemed to not mind him.

The same couldn’t be said for his own parents and how they felt about Eddie. They didn’t give him dirty looks anymore, nor did they grumble whenever Eddie took him out. But they still didn’t warm up to him completely. And they didn’t trust him. They made that clear when they laid down the law before going out of town on their next trip.

Steve’s dad sat him down on the couch and stood before him, arms crossed. His mother had her hands on her hips.

“We don’t need to go over the usual rules. You know them, no parties, drinking, smoking, or any other trouble while we’re gone.”

“Yeah, I know”, Steve nodded.

“And you’re not to have the Munson boy over here while we’re gone”, his mother added.

“But what about our project?!”

“That nonsense is still going on?”, his father frowned.

“Keep it at school, or the library. Public places”, his mother held out a finger in warning.

His dad laid down the last warning. “If I get a whiff of him here or find out you’ve been at that trailer alone, there’ll be hell to pay.”

“Your heat’s coming up soon anyway. So you should keep to yourself until it passes. Make sure the pantry is stocked up”, his mom reminded him.

They packed their things and left by taxi to the airport. The moment the yellow cab was around the corner, Steve called Eddie up. They had already discussed spending his heat together and with his parents gone, they had the entire house to themselves.

When Eddie arrived, Steve could tell he was nervous. He had flowers in one hand and carried an overstuffed duffel bag in the other. It was cute.

“Hey, so I didn’t really know what to bring. Like I know how heats go, but I’ve never-like Wayne’s not an omega, and none of the ones I know have ever asked me to spend a heat with them but there’s like stuff I KNOW you’ll need like snacks and junk and soft things? Things that smell like me and-”

“Eddie~”

“Yes, dear?”

Steve took the flowers from him. Red roses. Steve pulled a petal off and kissed it, then pressed the petal to Eddie’s lips. 

“I just need you.”

Eddie promptly sucked the petal up and choked on it, making Steve laugh in the process as he gagged. While Steve had his wits about him, he informed his alpha about all the things he’d require once his heat officially began. Eddie took notes, honest to god notes. He didn’t even pay this much attention in school. 

Steve had already alerted the school to his heat-related absence so no one questioned his disappearance for the next few days. It was lucky that part of it lined up with the weekend. When Eddie also just so happened to be gone from the streets, there were only a few guesses as to where he could be. 

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

Wayne flipped to the next page in the paper, nodding along as he read. There happened to be a coupon for diapers and he wondered just how far he should commit to the bit his nephew was doing. Then he remembered what day it was and predicted it wouldn’t be just a bit for much longer.

Speak of the devil, Eddie finally came through the door. Wayne had heard his familiar engine roaring two minutes before he saw his face. 

“You’ve been gone for half a week, boy”, Wayne said, keeping his eyes on the print.

“Yeah, I um, I was-”

“I thought you were gonna keep your nose clean this time. No more funny business, remember?” Wayne put the paper down to see his nephew’s expression.

He had looked unsure before meeting Wayne’s gaze and then it hardened. “Steve isn’t like that. We’re not like that. It’s serious.”

Wayne folded the paper as he took him in. “You know your folks were about your age when they got you.”

“You sayin’ I’m like them?”, Eddie asked.

“You are. But only in the right ways.” He could see Eddie deflate, like he had puffed up ready for a fight that wasn’t coming anymore. But Wayne wasn’t done. “Those Harringtons aren’t just gonna let it happen though.”

“Well it’s Steve’s life. Not theirs”, Eddie said resolutely.

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

There was only one way to end the project when spring came. Everyone else was either getting college acceptance letters, or else getting confirmation about jobs they’d be doing the moment they graduated. Eddie and Steve had confirmed something else entirely and planned on sharing the news with the whole class.

Ms. Engels only required a detailed written report and for the pretend-parents to give an oral report expressing their struggles with keeping up with the project. The pairs went up, giving a few sentences worth of what the past few months had looked like. One pair had tape all over their bag. Another pair only had half of their flour left and suddenly Brian looking dour at the school’s last bake sale made sense.

Then it was their turn. Steve held Kimberly close, now sporting a drawn face, eyes and a smile to show how happy and cared for she was. Eddie did most of the talking, able to spin a yarn that enthralled the whole class. Ms. Engels didn’t look particularly proud, even when Eddie gave out pictures he’d taken for the class to pass around. Candids he had taken, or someone else did, that showed just what Kimberly had gotten up to while under their parenthood. 

Nights with her great Uncle Wayne, being read aloud to by Steve, Eddie holding up different pacifiers to her as if giving her a choice. There was even one that had the three of them napping on a couch together. No, the depth of their effort didn’t make her smile, but at least Ms. Engels wasn’t glaring at them either. And now for the finale.

“We had a pretty good time taking care of this little bundle”, Eddie said. “My Stevie made sure we stayed on budget without having to cut too many corners.”

“And we’re lucky to have such a supportive group of friends and family to help us out”, Steve added.

“This assignment made us realize a lot of things about raising pups.” Eddie put an arm around Steve. “It’s hard, but fulfilling work. And we can’t wait to have one of our own.”

“So we’re not waiting”, Steve smiled.

“That is not the point of this assignment”, Ms. Engels said. “You’re supposed to learn the responsibility, yes. But to understand that you must wait before taking it on.”

“Well it’s a bit late for that”, Eddie said just as Steve took out a positive pregnancy test to the roars of the entire classroom.

Once again, Eddie was being scruffed by Coach Williams to the principal’s office and once again their families were notified, and much like last time, a shouting match could be heard from beyond the door. But this time, instead of waiting for their fates to be told to them, they took Steve’s car and went to get milkshakes.

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

“Mitchell Gerry, Ronald Graves, Steve Harrington-”

“WHOOO! Yeah! That’s my baby’s mama!”, Eddie’s cheers rang out through the auditorium, earning him a harsh glare from Principal Woolsley who made a cutting motion before continuing to read names.

Steve blew him a kiss as he walked across the stage. He was just starting to show but you couldn’t tell from under the robes. 

“Ralph Lewis, Stella Maxwell, Theodore Munson-”

This time the Hellfire Club could be heard shouting their cheers and Steve could only wait until Eddie took his first step off the stage before running up and kissing him in congratulations. People said that the honeymoon phase would end, maybe it would. They said they were stupid to start so young, maybe they were. But whatever mistakes they made now would be together.

Steve’s parents being traditional had landed one thing in their favor. His father had demanded Eddie make an honest omega out of him and bond right away. Steve now carried the proof of Eddie’s love in him and on him. Eddie started working at Harry’s repair shop next week and they’d be using part of Steve’s college fund towards their new apartment.

And just before the year’s end, they welcomed their son into the family. When deciding on names, Steve always wrote down Eddie’s choices before vetoing them. So far he had saved their kid from Michael Ivan Lawrence Karl and Evelyn Greta Gabriella.

Wade Arthur Munson was born and instantly beloved by his parents and uncle. His grandparents took a little longer, about two seconds after holding him. One day he might ask how his parents fell in love, how they had met. And he would be told that it was all thanks to his big sister Kimmy.

END

Carol got paid and they 100 percent terminated the flour baby program LOL

Taglist

@marklee-blackmore @aol19 @im-really-annoying @ellietheasexylibrarian @queenie-ofthe-void

@redfreckledwolf @lololol-1234 @cuntyfiedcatholicbisaster @themagicalari

[wildemaven]

caught kissing santa | dave york

-> pairing: dave york x f!reader

-> word count: 1586

-> content warnings: 18+ blog; established relationship/reader is married to Dave and stepmom to his kids, mentions of food and drinks, non-religious Christmas celebrations and Santa beliefs, alluding to sexy time but no smut, kissing, mentions reader is wearing pajama pants, fluff, soft Dave, one use of ‘good girl’.

-> note: this literally came to me this morning and i whipped it up during nap time. Not beta’d, so all mistakes and misspelling are my own fault!! -> masterlist / holi-dave masterlist

“So let me get this straight. You saw Santa last night. In the flesh. Just standing in our living room?” 

You hear Dave ask Alice to retell her story again from where you’re standing at the kitchen counter, pouring steamed milk into your coffee. Except this time, he encourages her to tell it at a slower pace  so you both could catch every word of it. 

“Yeah!! I was thirsty and wanted to get some water. So I got up to go downstairs, but when I got to the stairs I could see him in the living room.” Alice says, sitting across from Dave at the kitchen table where there’s a huge breakfast of pancakes, waffles and all the sweet toppings laid out. Her excitement is infectious. Her innocence is still palpable and going strong, as she states she saw Santa with her own eyes. 

“And what was he doing?” Dave encourages Alice to share more as he spoons several helpings of  mini chocolate chips onto his stack of pancakes with a hearty serving of peanut butter melting over the top. 

“Putting our presents under the tree.” Her words were muffled by a mouth full of sliced strawberries. 

“Hmm. I guess that makes sense. Where were you Molly, when all this excitement was going down?” Dave looks over to the youngest of his two girls, who’s been enjoying her own helping of pancakes with a mixture of berries and chocolate chips piled on top. 

“Sleeping.” You snicker into your cup at Molly’s blunt response. Her mild temperament was proof enough that the apple doesn’t fall far from the Dave York tree. 

You turn and lean against the kitchen counter, so you can watch the rest of their conversation unfold. 

It took some convincing to get Dave to go along with your idea of dressing up as the Jolly Man in Red this year. Knowing that Alice gets up every night to get herself a glass of water, it was the perfect set up for her to happen upon. Thankfully Dave folds easy to your convincing pleas and a good make out session on the couch late into the night seals the deal. 

Alice had come to you a few weeks ago about the matter. Asking about the validity of whether or not Santa was real. She had heard her friends talking about how they were getting too old to believe in such a silly thing and how it was their parents all along. You could sense the turmoil of her wanting to still believe in the idea of Santa, but also wanting to feel a part of her friend group who seem to be eagerly growing into their not quite pre-teen selves. 

As her stepmom, you didn’t feel like it was your place to have such a turning point conversation with her. Wanting to leave that for Dave and Carol to broach the topic with her if it were to come up again, supporting whatever their approach would be. You told Alice that Santa is real and he makes sure to bring a little holiday magic each year to everyone, no matter how old they are. Your answer seemed to satisfy her inquisitive mind and gave you an idea to give her a little extra Christmas gift in case this would be her last year believing in Saint Nick. 

“What was Santa doing?” Dave sits back into the chair to take in the rest of what Alice had to say. His arms crossed over his broad chest. Your attention is briefly drawn to the way his gray nightshirt pulls tight over his shoulders and back, then quickly refocusing back to Dave and the girls. 

“Putting all the presents under the tree. He had a big bag of them, too.” Her arms stretched out to give him an idea of how big the bag was. 

You smile at the way Dave is giving her his full attention. Never letting on that he was the one wearing the suit late into the night as he placed each present under the tree in the living room, while you watched him from where you sat under a blanket on the couch. Snapping a few photos of him as he really got into character with each gift. Pausing every so often, his hands on his waist, complaining how miserable and hot it would be to actually be Santa in the thick red suit and beard for an entire evening. He even warned that your gifts would be lost if you continued to laugh at his misery. 

Pushing off the counter, you join the three of them at the table. Settling into the open chair next to Dave, as you continue to sip from the warm coffee in your mug. 

“So did you say anything to him? Ask him if he brought you anything special this year?” You ask Alice. 

“No! I was worried I would scare him away and that he’d take our presents with him.” Her eyes widened as shakes her head no. It warms your heart hearing her response to this whole situation, the exact reaction you were hoping for. 

“Oh! I didn’t even think of that. We wouldn’t want him to take everything away that he brought for us.” You say looking over to Dave who’s smiling into his own cup of coffee. 

“He also seemed a little busy once he was done putting all the presents out. So I just went back to bed. Wanted to be surprised when I woke up this morning.” You’re confused by what she means when she said he was busy.

“Busy? How so?” You ask before taking another drink. 

“Well—“ She pauses and looks at Dave, as if to search for the right words before continuing, then back to you. “I saw something else before I went back to bed.” 

“What would that be?” Dave’s gaze shifts over to you momentarily when he inquires about what exactly Alice saw. Clearing his throat as he adjusts his position in the wooden chair and grabbing for his mug to keep his hands busy, his grip on it tightened and his knee bouncing at a steady pace. His fidgety movements are a telltale sign that he’s anxious— valid, given the way Alice has you all hanging by her every word at the moment. 

“I saw you kissing Santa under the mistletoe that’s hanging over the fireplace.” Alice looks you straight in the face when she says it. 

Dave nearly spits out the sip of coffee he had just taken. Coughing into his napkin as silence takes over the entire room. Molly halts her pancake devouring to stare at you with a shocked expression. 

“Oh! Umm, well—“ You fumble over your words. Sheer panic runs through your body as you try to come up with something quickly as to why Alice would have seen you kissing “Santa”. 

“Hey, girls look at what time it is. Your mom is going to be here in 20 minutes to pick you up. How about you go on upstairs to get your stuff together. Brush those sticky teeth and get dressed so you’re ready to go when she gets here.” The girls cheer in unison as they both hop off their chairs and run in the direction of the stairs that lead to their rooms. The bombshell revelation is long forgotten now. 

“Oh my god!” You let out a big sigh and slump down in your chair, your head turning to see Dave silently laughing to himself. “She’s going to ask me again why I was kissing him— but I think you bought me enough time until they’re back from Carol’s.” 

Dave reaches over and grabs your hand, pulling you from your chair and into his lap. Your arms drape around his shoulders, your temple resting against his forehead. His hand smooths over your pajama clad thighs, the other resting at your hip where he gives you a few gentle squeezes. 

“Thank you for doing that for her. She might not believe in him next year, but she’ll have this Christmas as a fun memory to tell her kids when they’re asking whether or not Santa is real.”

“Thankfully all she saw was the kissing— or she would have been scarred for life.” Dave says between the soft kisses he’s giving to your neck. 

“You’re the worst!” Playfully hitting his shoulder. 

“That’s not what you were saying when Santa was showering you with all those gifts last night.” His eyebrows waggle as he looks at you, rolling your eyes back at him. Your face heats up at remembering just how many gifts you were given.

“How about when the girls leave, you slip back into that red suit— forget the beard. And you can give me some more of those wonderful gifts.” You whisper, as if your suggestion might be heard by two sets of small ears. “I might be in the giving mood and have a few for you as well.”

“I don’t know. Have you been a good girl this year?” Dave asks in a low sensuous tone. 

“The best!” You manage to say before his hand is pulling your face to his, kissing you with earnestness. 

The sound of feet bounding down the stairs cuts the kiss short. Alice and Molly making their way back into the living room to pick up where they left off with their new toys. 

“Merry Christmas, Sweetheart.” Dave places the softest kiss to your lips. 

“Merry Christmas, Dave.”

[delulu-with-wandanat]

ok sooo- reader comes home from school with a pet frog and it causes chaos around the household??? And it jumps in the food that Wanda’s making and jumps on Nats keyboard and makes her send a ton of weird stuff in an email 🤭 but then Wanda and Nat tell the reader that they have to put the frog back outside?

THIS IS SO ADORBSS PLEASE- Ok ok I'm really sorry it took SO long, I just recently have much more free time in my hand. I hope you like it!

Reader Description: 14 Years old, Wandanat's Child <3, gender neutral pronouns.

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x Wanda Maximoff

Summary: Wanda and Natasha's child is an animal lover. They have the tendency to bring home whatever stray they find, today was no different. They brought home a damn frog.

School was typical, you learn stuff, got in one ear and left on the other. Y/n couldn't wait to get back home. As they were walking home from school, they noticed a little pond. In it was an adorable looking frog just chilling on the leaves.

"Hello you!" They approached the frog slowly, careful not to scare it off. Gently, they bent down to offer their hand and the frog immediately jumps on as if it knows they'll be safe with them.

"Imma call you, Julio." They gently hid the frog in their bag, putting it on top of all the books so it doesn't gets squashed.

In the kitchen of the Romanoff-Maximoff household, two women were enjoying each other's company. One of them was baking, the other was typing an email.

DING!

The timer on the oven went on, Wanda bent down to pull out the tray of cookies she was baking. She put it on the counter and suddenly felt a hand encircling her waist. "Is this your way of charming me so I would let you have the first bite?"

"Is it working?" Natasha asked while nuzzling her nose against her wife's neck, Wanda giggled at the action.

"It is, but it's fresh out of the oven. You will have to wait." Wanda said while leaning her body against Natasha's. Her wife whined while resting her chin on Wanda's shoulder.

"Can't I try it now? It smells so good." It was adorable how different the infamous Black Widow is at home with her loved ones.

Wanda rolled her eyes playfully and turned around to face her, "Patience, my love."

Natasha stared at her with a look that could only be describe as pure love, "Alright. For now then can I get a kiss instead?"

Wanda laughs but leans in anyway to sealed their lips. The two women kissed slowly, there was no rush, and it was full of love. Her hand reached up to circle itself around the former spy's shoulder while Natasha's hand pulled her closer by the waist.

The two Avengers had officially retired, Wanda was first to leave the Avengers. Few years later, Natasha followed suit. They both wanted to focus more on raising their family and be there as much for Y/n, their now 14 year old bundle of joy. Natasha she still helps the Avengers a little, honestly it's hard for that woman to just sit back and relax. However she has taken a more of a 'strategic' position you could say, she's mostly working at home and almost never on the field.

Wanda however, opted to leave that superhero life completely. Catching up on everything she had always wishes to do, while also being a full-time mom. Life is perfect for them.

The two pulled away and rested their foreheads together, Natasha started to sway her slowly while humming some tune. "This is nice."

Wanda had a smile on her face as she was gently being held by her wife, she then recognized the tune Natasha was humming. "The song we played at our wedding?"

"Mmmhmm." Natasha pulled back to look at her wife lovingly. Despite them being together for such a long time, Natasha couldn't help but fall in love all over again for the woman in front of her. Natasha leaned in to kiss the slope of Wanda's nose.

"I love you, Natty."

Natasha laughs slightly at the nickname. She remembered all those years ago she almost shipped Wanda to another country just for calling her Nat. "I love you too, so much." Natasha gave her another kiss, "More than I could ever express with words."

She poured all her love into the kiss, the immense feelings she had for this woman. Natasha would go hell and back for her, and Wanda would do the same. If needed, Wanda would destroy the multiverse just for her. They love they shared was something no one could ever match.

"I'm home!!" A voice was heard followed by the sound of their front door closing.

The two woman smiled hearing their bundle of joy home safe. Wanda, the ever so loving mom, was the first to greet them. "Welcome home darling! How was school?" She asked as Y/n entered the kitchen.

"Hi mama!" Y/n said while hugging Wanda, "School was just school." They moved across the kitchen and hugged their other mom, "I got into the softball team though!"

Natasha gave her a kiss on top of their head, "Well done my darling cub! I'm so proud of you."

Y/n sniffed the air and smelled their mother's baking, "MMMMM" their eyes darted quickly to the tray of cookies on the counter. "I want one!" They tried to take one but their mother quickly stood between between Y/n and the cookies with her hand on her hips.

"Nu uh!" Wanda exclaimed, "Did you get the thing I asked you?"

"What thing?" Her child looked at her, confused. Wanda merely raised an eyebrow, "Ohhhhh... Ughhh fine, I'll be right back." They quickly grabbed their wallet from their backpack, leaving it open on the countertop beside Natasha's laptop, and went back out to buy the eggs their mother had requested.

"You know if you need it that badly, I could've gone out and get it for you." Natasha said while leaning against the counter with her infamous smirk.

"And you say I spoil them too much?"

Natasha chuckles and moved to stand beside her wife who was now preparing to chop some onions. "It's almost time to do some groceries shopping anyway, if anything, I'm spoiling my beautiful wife."

"Mmmm, what would I do without you?" Wanda said while giving her a kiss.

"What are we cooking next, Malysh?"

"Well, there's this recipe I've been wanting to try. And-" As the two woman chatter, unbeknownst to them, Julio the frog had popped out of it's prison. Hopping out of the bag, Julio took in its surroundings.

What a weird place?

Decide is not necessarily the right term, but the frog jumped onto Natasha's laptop. Causing the random keys to be pressed, it continued its journey around the surface before it decided to hop across.

Natasha suddenly felt a notification on her phone, she checked it and her eyes narrows in confusion. "What the hell?" She quickly went back to her laptop to check on the email she was writing, "Why did it sent??"

Hearing her wife's frustration, Wanda glanced at Natasha. "What's the matter?"

Natasha cursed under her breath, "I need to check my laptop for virus. It's opening a bunch of weird apps, and sending gibberish emails."

Wanda's face scrunched up in confusion, "I thought SHIELD would provide you with top of the line anti-virus software?"

"Precisely my point, if it's a virus, whoever it is they're up to no good."

While Natasha did her thing, Julio manages to reach Wanda's prepped ingredients. Wanda however was still focused on Natasha, feeling a slight anxiety that someone something might be trying to attack them.

"Find anything?" Wanda asked.

Natasha's eyes was still fixated on the laptop, "No, I can't find any trace leading to them. They're sloppy, but good."

Meanwhile the culprit was still hopping around the kitchen counter, "Well maybe you should call-" Wanda's sentence was cut off with a yelp, hearing her wife's sudden squeal, Natasha glanced in her direction.

"What, what's wrong?"

"Ew! shoo- SHOO!!" Wanda yelled in disgust, "No- NO get away from there!" Natasha was quick to be at her side to asses the situation.

"Honey, what are you-"

"Ge- GET THE FROG!" Natasha quickly saw it and almost burst out laughing.

"Lyubov, It's just a-"

"Tasha, get the damn frog before I make you sleep on the couch!" Wanda said strictly, Natasha quickly obliged, she darted forward but Julio continued to hop around. "Don't let it touch my cookies!"

Natasha manages to pull the trays of cookies away before the tiny frog could jump on it. However despite the tray having some time to cool down, after holding it for a while Natasha's hand started to burn. "Ouch!" She hastily dropped it on the kitchen island.

"Tasha, TASHA!!!" Wanda squealed as she kept an eagle eye on the frog. Watching it continue to hop around like nothing matters.

"Honey, relax I got it." Natasha tried to calm her down and tried to move swiftly to catch the frog. But damn, the fucker was too good. Even for the Black Widow.

It took them a few minutes to finally catch the culprit. It was mostly spent on Wanda pointing and shouting, while Natasha tries to figure out a way to catch the little bastard. Julio was now trapped inside a container box, yet this son of a bitch is just chilling there as if nothing happened.

"What's... going on??" They heard a voice asked, the two mothers glanced at their child who was was standing on the entrance of the kitchen holding a carton of eggs.

Natasha let out a long breath, "We're alright honey, just a little kitchen accident."

Y/n's face quickly twisted into concern, "Are you guys hurt?"

"No, Detka, it's not that. There was a frog."

Y/n snorted, "A frog?" then realization hit them. Y/n quickly moved to check their bag whilst putting down the carton of eggs on the countertop. Surely enough, Julio was gone.

Natasha, knowing her own child, quickly pieced the puzzle. "Detka... Explanation, now." She said while crossing her arms.

"Hehe, Julio caused this little incident?"

"Christ you even gave it a name-" Natasha rubbed her temple, she loved their child. But holyshit, a damn frog?

"Y/n, you can't just keep bringing animals here!" Wanda scolded them.

"But it looked so adorable!"

"Detka..." Natasha sighed, "Put this frog outside please."

"But Momm-"

"No buts!" Natasha said strictly, Y/n begrudgingly approached the trapped Julio. Who is still sitting calmly, slimy bastard. They carefully slipped the cover underneath it to carry the little frog outside.

"And you're going back to the grocery store after this." Wanda said.

"Why didn't you just text me the extra things you needed?"

"I initially didn't need it until your little friend here decided to jump on my food."

Y/n sheepishly smiled, "Hehe, love you mama." They put on an innocent face.

Wanda sighed, she really can't stay mad at them. "I love you too. Now get that frog out."

Y/n walked out to the backyard while mumbling, "This frog has a name..."

Once Y/n was out of earshot, the two mothers stared at one another and laughed softly. Truth to be told they found the whole thing amusing.

"I think it's time we consider getting them a pet to take care of." Natasha said.

"Are you sure they're responsible enough for that?"

Natasha shrugged, "Only one way to find out. Beside, I'd rather have them being too busy taking care of a pet than suddenly bringing home a bunch of cockroach."

Wanda shivers at the mention of that, "I see your point."

They glanced outside the window to see Y/n ever so gently letting the frog out of the container. It seems like they're... talking to it. Wanda wrapped an arm around Natasha's waist and leaned her head on her shoulder. "It's so adorable how gentle they are with it."

"'This 'it' has a name, y'know?" Natasha joked slightly, Wanda pinched her wife's side causing Natasha to jump a little. But they both had a huge smile plastered on their face.

Natasha wraps her arms around Wanda as well, making Wanda nestle to her even more. "I guess a little puppy doesn't sound so bad."

"Mhmmm..." Natasha hummed in agreement. "Or a cat."

Looks like there will be a new addition to the Romanoff-Maximoff family.

Here you go! I hope you liked it, im so sorry it took so long to make :( But I love writing about Wandanat x Child!Reader, it brings me so much comfort!!!!

[targaryenrealnessdarling]

It's Who We Have | Part Six

Summary: After dinner with Billy's parents, the bridge is difficult to rebuild | Word Count: 5.1k~ | Warnings: angst, family trauma, mentions of terrorism, heavy(ish) petting, billy going softie

General Taglist | Billy Washington Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Lana was a little, petite woman, and yet she slammed the door so hard, it could have come off its hinges. She even thought she saw the family portrait above the fireplace wobble. 

A steady, raw silence filled the air at the dinner table. Billy’s mum stared forwards at the centrepiece, with two M&S candles lit, and sighed softly, as if disappointed that she hadn’t expected such behaviour. She remembers Billy’s dad huffing as he got out his seat and wordlessly stepped through the creaky french doors, pulling a bag of tobacco out his pocket to roll himself a cigarette.

She also remembers the cracked leather of the seat cushion, how her feet didn’t touch the floor and the gnawing ache of hunger in her stomach. The passing thought that perhaps this was the only hot meal she was likely to have for a while, and it was in someone else’s house. 

Billy remained quiet beside her, scraping the tongs of his fork against his plate as he tried to stab at a pre-cut piece of sausage, seemingly quite used to keeping silent after the usual outburst from his older sister. 

“Come on, chick, you’re alright,” Billy’s mum smiled softly, the lines in her cheeks deepening as well as around her eyes, coaxing her to eat once again, after being rattled by the incessant shouting and blaring of Lana’s teenage rampage. 

In the eyes of Mrs Washington, there was care, tinged with sadness that such behaviour had made the little girl sitting opposite her curl back into her shell, mouth sealed shut as if on instinct. And so, she chose to trust this mother’s nature, and ate slowly, grateful at least for the company of Billy beside her, non-judgemental and kind-hearted. 

He and his mum were always alike in that way.

"Mummy, can we play upstairs after—" Billy began, interrupted by the ringing of the home phone. His mum rose from her seat, excusing herself to answer it.

"Just a second, love," she said, her voice warm and comforting. “Hello.”

Even her voice down the phone had that warm embracing tone of motherhood.

But all she heard on the other end was shouting she actually recognised. Her own mum, clearly in whatever addled state, her loud screaming crackling against Mrs Washington’s ear. 

“Yes, she’s here- can she not finish her dinner first -” Val murmured, her back turned to both children sat at the table still, as if to shield them from the onslaught of verbal abuse, “-I understand she’s your daught- yes - yes, I’ll bring her home after she’s had her tea-”

The way the phone was placed back on the charging dock made her stomach flip with nerves. Combined with the solemn expression on Billy’s mum’s face, she heard the words before they were even spoken.

“That was your mum, darling,” she said quietly, carefully, her eyebrows arched in worry, “take your time having your tea, alright.”

And she did. She always would. 

“Hiya sweetheart!” Val's voice was wobbly as she greeted her at the front door, giving her a bruising hug that pressed right against her ribs, “you're early.”

She nodded with a tight lipped smile, “thought I'd come and help with dishing up.”

“Oh, don't be silly, duck. You're our guest!”

Armed with her first cup of tea in the Washington household, it didn't take Val long to be completely overwhelmed with everything she had going on, and resorted to accepting her help anyway.

Clearly, Billy's mum had been excited for this. A notion that warmed her heart. Val had gone all out, roasted parsnips, Yorkshire puddings, roasted veg, roast and mash potato, sausages and a cut of beef. Enough to easily feed six. And she found herself biting back a smile wondering if Val had realised just how much food she'd done.

Like most mothers, this was her love language. Making sure everyone was fed.

She felt a lightness that hadn't been there for quite some time. Billy hadn't arrived yet, and she knew that the second he did, the mood would flatten, become suffocating. Like a hug that is too tight.

His arrival was made worse by the fact that he was late, and his dad didn’t miss a beat in telling him off, both of his parents already on his back in different ways the second he walked across the threshold. Shoulders slumped in depression, dragging his body around on long limbs like he was walking through honey.

Jeff had no hope of noticing the rift between them, but Val certainly did when Billy and her locked eyes across the hallway, for a moment not knowing what to say. And it likely would have stayed that way, until Billy eventually cleared his throat and let his mum take his coat, nodding.

“Alright?”

She herself had to force her voice out, “Yeah, thanks. You?”

Conversation didn't improve further than that at the dinner table, though the warm, familiar smell of roast potatoes and meat flavoured with herbs filled the intimate space, she found herself restless, sat beside Billy, with Mr and Mrs Washington opposite them.

Thank god for Val. For if she didn't try, the entire evening would be dead silent and just the sound of clinking cutlery would be enough to drive someone mad.

“How is your new flat, chick?” She asked sweetly, eyes wide and genuinely caring, “settling in alright?”

“Yes thanks, it needs the little niceties but it's a good roof over my head.”

Val nodded approvingly. "Good to hear.”

“Yeah it's about time you got your own place,” Jeff gruffed, not even looking at her to see the sinking look on her face, nor the one of his disgruntled wife.

Billy felt the awkwardness. The skirting around what his dad really meant. And he sat, picking at a stick of roasted carrot, when his dad asked the fated question, “any luck on the job front?”

She could feel herself wince. And even saw Billy tense up in her peripheral vision.

Billy sighed, pushing his chair out, “gonna go for a smoke.”

“But you're not finished with din-”

“I'll be right back, Mum,” despite his mother's protest, he slipped out the French doors, searching his pockets for a cigarette. 

She watched him for a moment as Val elbowed her husband, “do you have to fucking start?”

“What? I was just asking!”

She felt the smile threaten, stabbing a honey-roasted parsnip as she listened to them bicker. But also a dull ache in her chest at Billy's retreat back into himself, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for him. It wasn't just the rejection from his friends; it was the sense of being ganged up on by his own parents, compounded by Lana's absence.

“How is it, love?” Val asked.

“Lovely, Mrs Washington,” she smiled kindly in return, “parsnips never disappoint.”

She'd never tire of the way Billy's mum smiled. “Well, take your time.”

She could've laughed. Some things never change.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. Jeff retired to the living room, half asleep with a belly full of Sunday dinner and god-knows-what episode of Faulty Towers on the tele. And when it was time to leave, Billy gave an ingenuine, tight-lipped smile as his mum handed him his coat, “did you drive?” she asked.

“Nah, walked. Got a mate fixing up my car.”

It was near-comical, the way Billy’s head snapped up at the sound of her voice, as if startled she’d been there listening, “do you need a lift?” she asked, pulling her bag over her shoulder, car keys bundled in one hand.

Billy’s eyes lowered slightly and then rose again to her face, not replying immediately, which made her heart race fast in her chest.

“It’s on the way so…” she hated the desperation in her voice, and tried hard to will the tone of it away. But Billy looked forward to her, a slow, gentle recognition and a reluctance in his expression, shocked she’d even offered.

“Yeah, alright.”

After a slew of friendly ‘thank yous’ and goodbye hugs, she let out a shaky breath as soon as she sat in the driver’s seat, fingers curled around the leather steering wheel as if to keep them from shaking as Billy slid into the passenger seat, spreading his long legs into the footwell once he’d adjusted his seat all the way back.

Neither said a single word for what felt like a lifetime.

As she halted at a red traffic light, the harsh glow accentuated the lines of tension etched on her face, mirroring the fading twilight. Billy broke the silence, his voice barely a whisper against the hum of the blowers set on the lowest setting.

“Thanks for the lift.” 

One arm rested on the window frame, their eyes locked for a split second before the light shifted to green, “anytime.”

The silence that followed deepened the pit in her chest, making her feel antsy and nervous in equal measure. Billy wasn't faring much better, twirling his thumbs in his lap, and bouncing his left leg just to have something to do.

Pulling into the vacant spot behind Billy's battered Vauxhall, she felt a surge of apprehension mingle with the hollow pit in her chest. The engine's persistent hum seemed to mock their inability to bridge the growing chasm between them. 

And he didn't move to get out the car.

Billy sighed, his fingers rubbing his temple, “How do we do this then.”

“Do what?” she countered, her voice betraying a trace of defensiveness

He gestured between them, frustration simmering beneath the surface, “This. Us,” he answered simply, his throat bobbing as if stressed.

“I don’t think that’s really a question you should be asking me, is it?” 

Billy shook his head, a mirthless laugh escaping his lips. "I just don't want this anymore," he confessed, his voice raw with emotion.

Her heart clenched at his admission, the reality of their crumbling bond hitting her with devastating force. "Neither do I, Billy," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the din of their shared silence.

“Can we just talk,” he asked, a shaking tone invading his voice, “please?”

For a fleeting moment, she gazed out at the street through the windscreen, her eyes scanning the darkening sky. It felt as though a weighty conversation had perpetually lingered between them, and now, in this moment, it seemed inevitable.

With a simple, wordless gesture, she twisted the key in the ignition, silencing the engine's persistent hum. The abrupt cessation of sound plunged them back into the suffocating void of silence, where unspoken words hung heavy in the air like an oppressive fog.

Billy sat in the heavy silence, grappling with the weight of unspoken words. He knew he needed to apologise, to bridge the chasm that had grown between them, but the fear of looking foolish held him back.

Taking a deep breath, he shifted in his seat, his fingers drumming nervously against his thigh. He searched for the right words, ones that would convey his remorse without undermining his pride.

"I just... I want to make things right."

She was quiet, her eyes looking down at the gearstick, without the strength to look at him directly. 

She shook her head, “why Billy?” she asked, “do you know how fucking heartbroken Abi was when he heard what you’d done?”

It was a mistake to glance over at him, the way her heart squeezed when she saw his head was lowered in shame, a whirlwind of emotions going off inside Billy’s head. Like he wasn’t sure what he should think for himself. 

Billy's heart sank as her words pierced through him like daggers. He couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze, his shame weighing heavily upon him. Each syllable she uttered felt like a blow to his already battered conscience.

"I... I didn't mean to," he stammered, his voice tinged with remorse. "I was drunk, I wasn't thinking straight..."

His voice trailed off as he struggled to find the right words to convey the depth of his regret. He knew he had hurt not just Abi, but their entire community, with his reckless actions.

Frustration bubbled in her chest as she shook her head, “being drunk isn’t an excuse. Last time I saw you, you were all ‘these people are stealing our jobs and ruining this country’ etc etc. What’s happened to that?” she countered, trying to control the steadily rising anger in her voice, “who are these people you’ve got yourself involved in? Because I know…I know this isn’t you, Billy.”

His throat constricted as her words struck him with the force of a sledgehammer. Shame burned hot in his chest, mingling with the simmering anger directed inward. He knew he had no excuse for his actions, but facing her condemnation made it all the more unbearable.

"I know," he whispered, his voice barely audible above the rush of blood in his ears. “I don't know what to believe anymore.”

For a split second, she felt the crush of his admission choke her with its oppressive weight, her throat closing up with emotion. The dread of being so utterly lonely radiating off him like a miasma. A barrage of emotions, memories, feelings threatened to overwhelm her at that very moment. 

“I've not been completely innocent in this either,” she choked out, though it was difficult to say. And she knew he was looking at her, so she stared at something, anything else, to avoid the horrible feeling she was being pitied.

“I'll say it how it is, because nobody else wants to. My mum is shit, has always been, my dad is god knows where, I was impossible at school and I moved far away to uni to get away from that horrible sick feeling that everyone had seen those fucking pictures of me.”

The words tasted like venom, even to herself, at the heartbreaking predicament that was her life. She shook her head, wetting her lips nervously, “turns out running away didn't fix a single thing.”

Billy sighs, “I feel shit that I wasn't there for you.”

“We were barely adults, Billy. That's not on you.”

“Even so,” he argued, “If I had pulled my head out the ground for one second I would have seen,” he says, “you deserved better.”

She chanced it then, and glanced over at him, swallowing thickly with something weighing heavily on her shoulders. A smile tried to find its way to her face at the expression she was giving him, so, so similar to how he looked as a boy and a teenager, but with the roughened and sharp edges that defined him into adulthood.

“You know I’ve always been jealous of you.”

Billy’s eyes were tinged with confusion when she said that, the blue of his eyes barely noticeable in the low amber glow of the streetlights outside the car.

She tried to swallow whatever bubbled up, “I remember the first time I ever felt it…that first day of school.”

His lips parted, and eyebrows drew together as he looked into his lap, “please don’t-”

“No, let me speak,” she insisted, her voice tinged with pain, face clouding up with barely-contained grief, “I just-I saw you with your mum and couldn’t help it. You were so happy. So loved.”

Silence fell between them, her words strained by her strength to hold back tears hitting him to his very core. Billy remembers so clearly, he’d be embarrassed to admit. Leading her into the girls toilets and using blue tissues to wipe off the mud. Her face wet with tears. He very nearly smiled at the memory of it, and what bond was formed from that day on.

“You were the only one who ever really saw me,” she admitted, “and it made me feel that to someone I existed…and that I mattered.”

It felt painful, this bridge between them, aching to be rebuilt.

“Now it feels like I’m losing you…” she whispered, “...when I had hoped I’d given you that feeling back somewhere along the way.”

The weight of her words hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the rift that had grown between them. Billy felt the ache of regret settle deep in his chest, knowing that he had failed her in more ways than he could count.

But she kept going, the words spilling out of her like she had kept them locked up for too long, and they were yearning to escape. 

“So if these…right-wing, George Cross-waving twats make you feel like you matter then I have massively fucked up somewhere..”, the words nearly made a smile rise to his face, but the seriousness of the conversation made him simply just glance up at her, “..and for that I’m sorry.”

Her words cut through the tension like a knife, raw with emotion and self-recrimination. Billy's heart clenched at the pain in her voice, the weight of her apology hanging heavy in the air. 

He reached out tentatively, his hand hovering in the space between them. "I'm sorry too," he whispered, his voice barely above a whisper. "For everything."

She wet her lips, drawing in a needed breath to fuel the tears that were now rolling down her face, her throat feeling raw when she slid her hand into his, fingers interwoven, the foundations of that bridge feeling all the more heavy, but manageable. And for a long moment, neither said a word, but it felt easier to bask in it, knowing that it was slowly piecing together the broken bonds that had once scattered about their lives.

“Promise me,” she utters weakly, “promise me you’ll stop this, whatever you’re doing with them. Apologise to Abi, Ami, everyone…I know you’re hurting but you’re better than this.”

Her honesty was appreciated but stung all the same.

"Promise," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.

Her eyes searched his, hope mingling with uncertainty. Slowly, a tentative smile tugged at the corners of her lips, a glimmer of relief illuminating her tear-streaked face.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you for trying."

She felt something warm shimmer pleasantly in her chest when Billy’s thumb stroked against the back of her hand, along her knuckles.

“Sorry,” attempting to lighten the mood with a weak laugh, she wiped one cheek, trying to smear the tears away to make way for relief. 

Billy smiles boyishly, and there’s something light and nostalgic about it, “nothing changes,” he starts, a hint of playfulness in his voice, “you still look ugly when you cry.”

She laughs despite her tears, brushing them away gently as she responds, a softness creeping into her tone as their old connection flickers back to life. “Fuck off.”

It felt nice, laughing again, with the lingering hope that Billy desired real change.

“‘m only joking,” he murmured, leaning over the centre console, his other hand reaching out to brush her hair out her face in a motion that made her heart clench and warmth pool in her stomach, “you look beautiful.”

As soon as the words left his lips, the atmosphere in the cramped space shifted, charged with an undeniable tension. Their proximity felt electrifying, every inch of space between them tingling with unspoken desire. How many years had led to this moment they were sharing now, quiet and dark, their eyes alone communicating the depth of this impulse to inch closer?

Their eyes met, a silent understanding passing between them, as if words were no longer necessary in this charged atmosphere. But the tension demanded some kind of release, some acknowledgment of the emotions swirling between them.

Billy's gaze softened, his hand lingering on her cheek. "I've missed this," he confessed, voice tinged with vulnerability. "Being with you like this.”

When she wet her lips anxiously, she swore she saw his eyes flit to them briefly, her reply taking longer than usual to form, "It feels like coming home," she agreed, her voice barely a whisper.

In that moment, the weight of their shared history and the promise of a future filled with possibility hung in the air between them like a tangible force, crackling with tension. Each heartbeat echoed in the silence, a drumbeat urging them forward into the unknown.

It reminded her of that night at Cranstead Fields. She can still hear the clinking of glasses, Libby’s high-pitched drunken confessions to Abi, sat on his lap, Paddy and Harry wrestling on the grass, white shirts smudged with green as they argued about who should go and fetch the football while Ami pulled at their shirts to separate them.

But what she remembers most about that night, was the taste of WKD on Billy’s lips, the warmth that bloomed in her stomach and flipped with nerves and the flush that rose to her face when Billy had turned his face, to press his lips flush to hers and parted them with the swipe of his tongue.

And that is what she felt now, bar the taste of cheap vodka, as once again, however many years later, it was sealed with a sweet but urgent kiss.

She felt his thumbs on her cheeks, fingers threaded through her hair to pull her close to him, and just like she had that night, her hand found its way to his chest, to feel his heart thrumming beneath his skin, the material of his shirt caught in her palm. And Billy felt her eyelashes against his cheek, it was a delicate dance, a balance between desire and restraint, as they navigated the uncharted territory.

But as their lips lingered, a silent understanding passed between them, a silent agreement that this was just the beginning of their journey back to each other.

When they parted, pulling air between their now disconnected lips, all they could do was look at each other, the waves of realisation that the lines between friendship and whatever this was were rapidly blurring was heart-clenching.

“Sorry-”

She shook her head lightly, “No…it's alright, really.”

They both knew that they had just crossed a line, blurring the boundaries of their friendship in a way that couldn't be undone. But despite the awkwardness, there was also a sense of relief in finally acknowledging the feelings that had been simmering beneath the surface for so long.

"We should... probably talk about this," she suggested, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, we should," Billy agreed, his expression a mixture of uncertainty and longing.

And as they sat in silence, grappling with the newfound complexity of their relationship, they both knew that their friendship would never be the same again. But whether that was a good thing or a bad thing remained to be seen.

He cleared his throat, the sound breaking the heavy silence that hung between them like a tangible barrier. “Do you wanna come in? For a cuppa?”

She felt her heart race at the invitation, her mind racing with conflicting emotions. This was familiar territory, yet everything felt different now, charged with an electric tension that crackled in the air between them.

The offer of a cup of tea seemed mundane, almost laughable given the charged atmosphere that enveloped them. But neither of them made a move to acknowledge the unspoken truth lingering beneath the surface.

"Um, yeah, sure," she managed to reply, her voice barely above a whisper. Her tongue suddenly feeling too big for her own mouth as she undid her seatbelt and followed awkwardly behind him as he unlocked the street-level door and lingered behind once they ascended the stairs to his flat.

His flat had changed little from the last time she'd seen it, albeit the clothes were put away. The kettle remained untouched, forgotten amidst the unspoken desires that pulsed between them like a current.

Every breath felt like a struggle, the air charged with a palpable longing that neither of them dared to voice. But for now, they remained frozen in place, suspended in a silent dance of desire and hesitation. She felt so small, standing in his lounge, that when she glanced up and saw Billy leaning against the doorframe, near-filling any void space of it, hands tucked in his pockets.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come. "I don't want to ignore what just happened between us. It's... it's different now, isn't it?"

She nodded slowly, her gaze fixed on the floor as she struggled to find the right words. "Yeah, it is. I mean, we've been friends for so long, but..." Her voice trailed off, the weight of their unspoken desires hanging heavy in the air.

"But things have changed," he finished for her, his voice barely above a whisper.

They both knew that there was no going back to the way things were before. Their friendship had evolved into something deeper, something more complex and fragile than either of them had ever anticipated. She felt her heart flutter sickly in her chest, the same way it had the last time they had kissed all those years ago.

"I don't want to ruin what we have," she said softly, her voice tinged with fear.

"Me neither," he agreed.

There was a long pause as they both grappled with the magnitude of what they were feeling. They had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed, and now they had to figure out how to navigate this new terrain together.

"But I can't ignore the way I feel," he admitted, his voice trembling with emotion.

Her heart skipped a beat at his confession, her own feelings laid bare in the raw vulnerability of the moment. 

And as they stood there in the quiet of his living room, their eyes locked in a silent understanding. The tension growing thick the longer they remained this way, and her heart lurching into his chest when Billy pushed off the doorframe and crossed the room to her in a few strides alone. So close, she could smell his fabric softener.

“I'm sorry I just can't,” he added swiftly, closing the space as she parted her lips to reply.

And just let go.

His fingers curled around her waist tightly, lips clumsily crashing together with desperation, years and years of denial, of longing, of sheer stubbornness, pouring out of each of them in crashing waves.

For a moment, she felt as if she didn't know whether she should touch him, hold onto him by his shoulders, and very much felt like he knew what he'd wanted to do much, much sooner than she had.

But the moment he pulled their hips flush, chests brushing, and her fingers slid up the nape of his neck to grasp the hair that touched his neck, it had felt right. The short, unshaven hair at his jaw scratched perfectly against her fingertips, and tickled her face the more he moved to capture her lips again.

His touch ignited a fire within her, sending shivers down her spine as she surrendered herself to the intoxicating whirlwind of desire. With every brush of his lips, she felt herself unravelling, melting into him with an urgency that bordered on desperation.

In that moment, there were no words, no thoughts, only the raw, primal need that consumed them both. And as they finally succumbed to the passion that had been simmering beneath the surface for far too long, they knew that there was no turning back.

Her heart twisted in excitement as his hands made their way north, sliding up her sides beneath her shirt, thumbs drifting over her ribs to touch her in places she had secretly hoped he always would. 

And she couldn't help the cringeworthy slip of his name as he grunted breathily into her mouth, his palms moulding her breasts through the frustrating layer of her bra, but pleased at the way her body reacted to it.

“Billy -” 

How many years had he wanted to hear that?

She allowed herself the briefest touch of his skin, her fingers against his flesh made him tremble, and she saw the rush of feelings rise to his cheeks as he swallowed whatever he was thinking by pressing his lips fervently to hers instead.

The mere thought of being pressed close to her like this would usually have his body responding in tandem. But now, as his own hand paused at the waistband of her jeans, barely dipping beneath her underwear, he sighed to himself, embarrassed somewhat, and sorely regretted downing three cans of beer in two hours earlier in the evening when his body didn't reciprocate how his mind felt about her.

His forehead rested against the crook of her neck, hot breath batting against her collarbone. The pull of wanting to touch her like this, to just do it and make her feel every bit the way she deserved, was all-consuming.

But after a few empty seconds, he peeled his fingers away from the waistband of her jeans.

“Fuck- sorry…” he managed, out of breath, apologising for what felt like the millionth time that night, “can't…I've had too much to drink-”

“It's okay,” she smiled, the heat on her face feeling tight against the rise of her lips. She gave him a reassuring smile as she righted her clothes, still feeling the burning mark of his hands where they'd touched her bare skin. And as ashamed as she was to say it, the warm pooling of desire tugging at her belly.

“It's late, I should-” 

“Yeah, yeah…” he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.

She deflated once she saw the alerts pop up on her screen, “fuck- road’s closed. Gonna take me ages to drive home.”

While she scrolled, agitation growing at the idea of being stuck in her car for another hour, Billy eventually spoke, “stay here for the night,” he said, it came out more of a desperate plea than an offer at first.

He quickly shook his head of a trance when he saw her face, “U-uh, I mean, no funny business, you have the bed, I can have the sofa-”

“I couldn't ask that of you, Billy.”

“Well, you're not asking, I'm - offering,” he smiled boyishly, in a way that made it difficult to refuse.

She sighed through her nose, “I've got to go into Central London tomorrow.”

“Well…” he sighed, rubbing his palms nervously against his thighs, “I was supposed to meet the lads at Farringdon Tube Station tomorrow, I'll take you down - get you into London and…I'll break things off with them. For Good.”

Swallowing nervously, she met his gaze, her eyes pleading for reassurance. "Promise," he urged, his baby blue eyes wide with sincerity, pleading with her to believe him.

She hesitated, uncertainty clouding her features as she searched his face for any hint of doubt. She clicked off her phone and nodded, with a hopeful smile, “Okay.”

General Taglist: @aemondsfavouritebastard @bellstwd @blairfox04 @buckybarnesb-tch @castellomargot @hb8301 @jamespotterismydaddy @mochi-rose @natty2017 @nenelysian @randomdragonfires-deactivated20 @risefallrise @thelittleswanao3 @theoneeyedprince @thetrueblackheart @tsujifreya @urmomsgirlfriend1 @valeskafics @valleyof-goldenlilies

[yutaholic]

codename: viper (M)

PAIRING: Yuta (NCT) + reader (female)

SUMMARY: ten years ago, Yuta walked away from a life of villainy to be a husband and father, but when an enemy comes lurking, he is ready to protect his family by any vicious means necessary...

WARNINGS: mild language; violent scenarios with mentions of blood; dialogue related to pregnancy and childbirth; explicit sexual content

NOTES: 17k words; this is part of my villain series, beast mode

There was nothing like the view of your house after a brutal day at the office. The sun had long set over the neighborhood as you drove down a street of identical houses. Hiding in plain sight, your husband called it.

Parking in the driveway, you gathered your bag and your high heels, which you had kicked off the moment you got into the car. It had been a grueling twelve hours, the majority spent in court. You walked up the path through the yard, the cold pavement soothing on your bare feet, and opened the front door quietly.

Your babies would be in bed by now, unfortunately. And you didn’t want to wake them.

The moment you stepped into the house, the savory smell of hot food wafted into your nose and your stomach growled, hitting you with hunger pains. “Yum,” you muttered to yourself, dropping your high heels beside the row of shoes by the front door. The sight of two small pairs of sneakers always made you smile.

Yuta was in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove, and at the sound of your approaching footsteps, he turned and greeted, “Hello, District Attorney Nakamoto.”

You grinned, marching right over to your husband and slumping into his chest.

Yuta hugged you tight, kissed your temple, and asked, “Put away a lot of bad men today?”

“A few,” you replied, your energy running on empty, but with every second spent in his arms, you could feel yourself refueling. “Some bad women too.”

Yuta rubbed your back as you broke reluctantly from his hug, though you still clung to his waist, and teased, “I remember when you used to threaten to lock me up forever.”

You gave him a wry smirk. “That was just my way of flirting.”

“Or the times you grilled me in interrogation for hours. Handcuffs included.”

“That was foreplay.”

Yuta snickered. Then, he turned serious for a moment to say, “It’s been a pleasure watching you climb your way to the throne.”

You flushed a little, taken aback by the compliment. “Do you think I’m worthy to sit on it?”

Yuta was stern, as to be expected. “There’s no one more worthy than you.”

You sighed, all the tension breaking in your chest.

Yuta pressed a tender kiss to your lips, which you returned, overlapping your arms on his shoulders and deepening the kiss. It took the loud popping of food over the fire to draw your husband away from you.

“How are the babies?” you asked as Yuta prepared you a plate.

Your husband grinned from ear to ear and gushed, “They’re amazing. Together, they’re smarter than both of us combined.”

You pretended to wince. “Oh, dear. Make sure they never hear you say that.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“And no sign of any…”

Powers.

Yuta shook his head. It was around this age his abilities had fully surfaced. He studied the twins intently, painstakingly, every day. They were his children; it was likely he passed the gene to them, but there was a chance your genes could have defeated his.

You dropped the subject. It was no secret Yuta hoped his children hadn’t inherited his gift. And given they were five years old now, there was a strong chance he’d gotten his wish. It was bittersweet, to say the least.

“I hate when you work late,” Yuta mumbled, walking over to the dining table with your plate in hand.

“I know, but we’re spread so thin right now,” you told him tiredly as you took the seat he pulled out for you.

Yuta sat beside you, keeping you company while you ate your dinner. Propping his head on his hand, he smarted, “No one wants to work for the justice system? I’m shocked.”

You chuckled as you chewed your food, but sadness seeped into your voice when you said, “We get some really good people, especially the younger ones, but the system breaks them eventually. It’s stacked against all of us.”

“No wonder villains choose to play by their own rules,” Yuta said snidely under his breath.

You gave him a look. It wasn’t the first time he’d made that kind of comment and it wouldn’t be the last. Yuta fully supported the work you did, but a life of villainy had shaped him in ways you would never understand.

“Humanity has to have laws that separate us from the animals.”

Yuta whispered darkly, “Some of us are animals, my love.”

You cocked your head and flirted, “Not you, Viper.”

Yuta smirked. Then, his expression shifted and he caught himself staring at you with admiration. You were the only woman that had ever embraced his darkness. You never punished him for his past, but you pushed him toward a healthier future.

“I want a better world for our babies too,” he whispered, reaching over to tuck some of your hair behind your ear. “If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

That meant everything to you. If Yuta was in your corner, believing in you, you knew you could do anything. You leaned toward your husband and kissed his cheek, which made Yuta blush. He was a sucker for affection.

“This is delicious, babe,” you said a moment later, dabbing at your lips with the napkin. “You’ve outdone yourself.”

Yuta retorted, “The spawn have been begging for steak for days. Daddy is getting pretty good with the grill.”

You snorted back a laugh. You still remembered the days Yuta could barely cook noodles without setting the house on fire. Not to mention the time he put both of you in the hospital with food poisoning for accidentally cooking well-expired ham. To this day, you and your husband still gave sideward glances toward ham.

Yuta made it a point to prepare home cooked meals for you and the kids. And after many, many classes (which you were forbidden from telling any of his friends about because he had a ruthless reputation to protect), he had gotten pretty good at it. Your husband’s newest favorite method was the grill on the back porch that you bought him for his birthday. He had grilled almost everything that could be grilled at this point, much to the delight of your children.

Speaking of the precious spawn, your twins came running out of their room, Suki practically sprinting and dragging Yuma by the hand behind her.

“Big news,” your daughter announced loudly.

Yuta shot them a glance and said, “The two of you are supposed to be sleeping.”

“Daddy, this is important,” Suki countered without missing a beat. She gave her brother a little push in your direction and said, “Tell them, Yuma.”

Yuma shifted nervously, his eyes on the floor. Holding eye contact was very hard for him. Your son was painfully shy. “I, um, I was thinking,” he started.

You and Yuta waited patiently, always prepared to give him the time he needed to put his thoughts into words.

Suki rubbed his arm in comfort. “It’s okay, Yuma. You can tell them.”

Yuma sucked in a breath and said, “I… want to be an artist.”

You exchanged looks with Yuta, both of you fighting back delighted smiles.

“That’s great,” Yuta said brightly.

You nodded emphatically. “I would love to see your art, baby.”

Yuma made a noise. “It’s not ready yet.”

“Oh.”

“Yuma wants to do art,” Suki said with excitement. “But he thinks people will say it’s stupid.”

Yuta snorted. “If anyone says your art is stupid, Yuma, then they are idiots with no taste.”

“Exactly,” you agreed.

Your son smiled, relieved. With the three of you on his team, he was ready to try.

Yuta lowered his tone to something mischievous and asked, “Now, be honest, did the two of you stay up waiting for Mommy to come home?”

“Yes,” the twins answered in perfect sync.

You quickly rose to your feet and exclaimed, “Then, you better get over here and hug me before Daddy takes you back to bed!”

Suki and Yuma rushed toward you, colliding into your chest and you enveloped them in your arms. Yuta let out a fake growl and held up his hands, chanting, “I’m coming to get you!”

The twins squealed and laughed as you raced through the living room with them in your arms, keeping them out of their father’s clutches.

Not long after, you met Yuta’s eyes and smiled contentedly. Suki and Yuma were nestled between you and their father, sound asleep. Yuta traced his thumb over your cheek as you drifted off.

Everything was right in the little world you shared with your family.

Only a few years ago you’d wondered if you would ever be where you were now.

“It’s killing me, Yuta,” you cried, on the verge of tears. “I wanna get pregnant. I want to have a baby with you.”

“I know,” Yuta sighed, level. He was reluctant to show you just how distressed he was, because Yuta was an empath where you were concerned. He tended to reflect your emotions. Especially when they were running high.

You paced in front of your husband, who was leaning against the doorway of the bedroom. Little by little, you’d stripped out of your clothes from work and Yuta had tossed you one of his shirts to wear over your naked body.

This was less of an argument and more of an unresolved conflict. And if there was one staple in your relationship with Yuta, it was that the two of you could talk through anything.

“But the work I do is important,” you continued, voice breaking with sadness and longing. How you could miss a baby you’d never met was beyond your understanding. “I can’t give up my job, but I’ll be damned if I let a stranger raise our kid.”

Yuta finally approached you, crooning, “Babe, calm down for a second.”

“It’s eating me up,” you whimpered, spinning your wedding band on your finger the way you always did when you were stressed.

You and Yuta had recently celebrated your second anniversary of marriage. The discussion of babies was coming up more often. You both wanted kids. It was something you talked about together even before you got married.

But everything in your career was falling into place. Your dedication did not go unnoticed by Hel’s brutal justice system. You were a fierce prosecutor, sorely needed in a city rife with both lawless villains and corrupt heroes.

You found yourself at a crossroads of your dreams - being Hel’s hammer of consequences and making your hometown safer or being a mom and having a baby with the love of your life.

Yuta called your name and said, “I’ll raise the baby.”

You stopped dead in your tracks, eyes wide. “What?”

Yuta nodded and said it again, “I will raise the baby. You can keep your career. It’s okay.”

You gawked, like your brain had short-circuited. “You’re okay with me being the breadwinner?”

“As long as there’s bread to eat, I really don’t give a fuck who wins it,” Yuta quipped.

“God, Yuta,” you groaned as he gathered you in his arms. “You keep setting the bar too fucking high.”

Yuta laughed at that.

You melted into him, stars in your eyes. He had the most beautiful laugh and smile you had ever seen. The sight still made butterflies dance in your stomach, even after all the years spent together. Your body was already on fire. It was taking all of your restraint not to pounce on him.

Yuta could tell and the corner of his mouth lifted in that trademark smirk of his. It was going to be a very long night of baby making, Yuta sensed, and he had a feeling you’d be calling out of work in the morning. Kneading at your hips, your husband asked, “What do you say? You bring home the bacon and I’ll cook it.”

Your heart was so full you thought it would burst at any second. “You’re gonna raise our baby?”

Yuta stole a quick kiss and said, “Gladly. It would be my honor to raise our children.”

You bit your lip, shivering as his hands ran up and down your back. Then, without another word, you walked over to the dresser and grabbed the packet of birth control pills, holding them up dramatically before dropping them in the trash bin.

Yuta kept his promise. After your babies were born, you went back to work, determined to make Hel a safer place.

Raising the twins was Yuta’s greatest pride. He loved watching them grow, enjoyed teaching them everything they needed to know about life. Every day, he would catch himself staring at Yuma and Suki in wonder.

How such beautiful, pure creatures came from him was a goddamn mystery.

It was early in the afternoon when Yuta returned with the twins after a few hours of kindergarten. Schools in Hel were a little different. The affluent could afford to send their kids to very secure private schools and you didn’t mind shelling out the extra money for that.

Regardless, Yuta tended to hover near the school until it was time to pick the kids up. Just in case. He had no idea how he was going to cope with the following year when they would be at school all day. Yuta was seriously considering getting a job at the damn school, but Suki would be opposed. She often called him out on his hovering, much to Yuta’s amusement.

Yuta drove home with the twins in the backseat, all three of them singing along to the radio. Suki belted her little lungs out while Yuma mumbled the words he knew here and there. Yuta constantly caught himself smiling until his cheeks ached.

Back at home, he set out snacks for the kids and Yuma made himself comfortable at the coffee table in the living room to work on his drawings. Since he told you and Yuta about his passion for art, Yuma’s pictures were beginning to collect on the walls. It was the boost his confidence needed.

Yuta’s hand shook with the urge to chuck the calculator against the wall. God, he hated balancing the fucking checkbook. One of these days he was going to hire one of his friends to do it. Someone good at math. Probably Jungwoo.

Suki finished her snack and walked over to the dining table where her father was slowly but surely losing the will to live and called, “Daddy?”

Yuta looked over his shoulder. “Yes, Suki?”

“I have a problem.”

Well, that was Yuta’s least favorite phrase. Nothing unnerved him quite like it. Setting down his pencil and turning to her, he asked, “Okay, do you want to talk about it or is it something I need to fix?”

Suki replied flatly, “I would like to talk to you about it.”

Yuta patted the seat next to him and said, “Alright. I’m all yours, baby girl.”

Suki clambered into the chair and began, “There’s a girl in my class.”

Yuta waited patiently.

“We held hands today.”

Yuta breathed a little easier, having expected something a bit more dire. “That’s nice,” Yuta said with a smile. “Did you want to do that?”

Suki nodded happily. “Yes, I liked it.”

Yuta fought a laugh. “Good. Okay.”

“I want to marry her,” she announced, very matter of fact.

“Oh. I see.”

“Is that okay?”

Yuta chewed over his words carefully before answering, “Well, I think it’s sweet you found someone you like, but Suki, marriage is a very big step.”

“Hm.”

“Do you think you’re ready for that?”

Suki’s face was filled with determination. Yuta’s daughter feared nothing and felt the world was hers for the conquering, and he’d be damned if anyone ever told her otherwise. “Yes. I love her,” she told him.

Yuta was grinning, trying desperately not to giggle. Judging by the look in her eyes, Suki had no idea the gravity of what she was asking. She was only five years old, after all. “And while I appreciate that, do you have money for a wedding?”

Suki thought about it, tallying up her allowance money in her head, and replied, “I have a little bit.”

“And a house? Do you have money for a place to live with the person you marry?”

His daughter grimaced. “I didn’t think about that.”

Yuta reached over to take her tiny hand and gave it a squeeze, explaining delicately, “That is why it’s important to go to school so you can get a good job one day and have a nice house for you and your partner. Because marriage is a partnership.”

“Like you and Mommy?”

Yuta smiled warmly at the thought of you and said, “Yes. Mommy works very hard to give us this nice house.”

Suki sighed and her eyes sparkled. “I love Mommy.”

“I do too.”

A thought struck Suki. She looked to her father expectantly and asked, “Did you want to marry Mommy when you held hands?”

Yuta bobbed his head. “Absolutely. Holding hands with a pretty girl triggers all the happy feelings in your brain.”’

Suki giggled.

Yuta peered down at his daughter with joy. She was the cutest thing in the world with her sweet smile and bouncy pigtails. She looked a lot like you while Yuma looked more like him, but Yuta could see himself in Suki when she was up to no good. She had his mischievous grin and his penchant for trouble.

Suki seemed content with the conversation and gave her father a grateful kiss on the cheek before sliding off the chair.

Yuta stopped her to ask, “One question, Suki. Did anyone say anything to you about holding hands with a girl?”

She seemed puzzled by that, brows furrowed. “No.”

“Good,” Yuta said. He would not hesitate to march into that school and give them a piece of his mind if necessary. Yuta was always in fight mode when it came to his babies. Fortunately, the school knew you were Hel’s biggest lawyer and went out of their way not to piss either of you off.

“Did I miss anything today?” you asked that night after finishing your dinner, following Yuta over to the sofa in the living room.

Yuta poured you a glass of wine and took the empty spot beside you, putting his own glass to his lips and replying, “Your daughter wants to get married.”

You lurched, almost choking on your drink.

Yuta was beaming, sidling closer to you as he added, “To a pretty girl in her class.”

“I’ll be damned,” you said, shaking your head with a laugh. “What did you tell her?”

“I told her that while marriage is admirable, it’s also very expensive,” Yuta quipped, draping his arm around your shoulders.

You downed another mouthful of wine and groaned, “God, why are they growing up so fast?”

“We’re gonna blink and they’ll be our age.”

“Don’t say that. I swear, I just birthed them yesterday.”

Yuta snorted.

You mulled it over and spoke like you were presenting closing arguments for a case, “Tell them they can’t get married until at least thirty. They’re ours. We don’t want to share them with anyone else for a long time.”

Yuta clinked his glass against yours. “I’ll be sure to tell them.”

You lowered your head, breathing out a sigh. Blinking rapidly, because your eyes had begun to burn, a tear escaped and rolled down your cheek. You did your best to quickly wipe it away with your hand, hiding the evidence as it were, but Yuta saw. He could feel your body tensing up.

“Baby, don’t do that to yourself,” your husband whispered. He knew you too well, better than anyone else on earth.

You sniffled and more tears followed when you cried, “I feel like I’m missing out on so much. What if I look back and I’ve missed everything, Yuta?”

“Come here,” Yuta crooned, tugging you close.

You buried your face in his chest and closed your eyes, dampening his shirt with your tears.

Yuta rubbed your arm, trying to warm you because he knew a cruel chill was working its way through your body. You were exhausted and burnt out, and for every criminal you put away, three more took its place. You were a warrior locked in an endless war with a hydra.

You hated working late, hated that the sweet beautiful moments with your children were few and far between, but you were determined to fix the system before they had to live under it.

There were days you wished you could live somewhere else, but the rest of the world had designated Hel the only sanctuary for those with powers. If they ventured anywhere else, they were hunted to the death. Regardless of Yuta’s abilities, you would never ask him to run forever.

Once you were spent of your tears, Yuta slipped his fingers into your hair and tugged your head back so he could search your face. You weren’t surprised when he kissed your wet lips, tasting the salt on his tongue.

The two unfinished glasses of wine were left behind on the coffee table as Yuta popped your legs around his waist and carried you into the bedroom. You disappeared with him into a haze of kisses and touches, lust and passion.

Yuta wasn’t satisfied until he broke you. Until your body was as exhausted as your heart and mind had been. Seconds blurred into minutes and minutes blurred into hours. You were covered in sweat, tangled in damp sheets. Tears of sadness became tears of pleasure as he took you again and again.

You screamed into his hand clamped over your mouth, because Yuta dared not let the sounds you made travel outside of the bedroom. You shook with orgasm, your body an unhinged livewire, and darkness rolled over your eyes like a blackout.

It was times like these you were convinced you and your husband were made only of ecstasy. And only for each other.

“Look at me,” your husband growled, clasping your jaw. He was propped over you, rocking his cock in and out of your core at a lazy pace.

You were sore and overstimulated, shivering each time he bottomed out inside. The slow strokes of his cock were too much and yet not enough. You held onto his arms for dear life and stared into his eyes, lips parted as you panted for breath.

“You’re a good mom,” Yuta told you gently, his voice low and husky. “They love you so much. Almost as much as I do.”

Fresh tears spilled from your eyes and you whimpered just as Yuta smashed his lips on yours, silencing all of your doubts and fears with his words and with a kiss.

You were lingering in that place between awake and asleep as Yuta lowered you into the hot bath he’d prepared. With your head on his shoulder, you closed your eyes, letting the heat seep into your bones while Yuta hummed along to a familiar tune. You barely remembered him drying you off and tucking you into bed.

“Goodnight, my love,” he whispered, leaving one last kiss on the corner of your mouth.

In the morning, you roused out of bed, careful to be quiet as Yuta still slept. You always envied him a little extra on Saturdays. Not only did he get to sleep in, he got to spend the day with the babies.

You showered and dressed, and walked over to the bed, propping yourself over your husband and kissing his cheek. “I love you so much,” you murmured, leaving one more kiss near the corner of his mouth.

Yuta garbled a vague “love you” in his mother tongue, still asleep.

You grinned that even in his dreams he could hear you and tiptoed away to another long day of putting down Hel’s worst criminals.

Sunday was the only day of the week you had off and they were without contest your favorite day of the week. You and your husband were reluctant to leave the bed at a reasonable hour, catching up on much-needed rest, and eventually the twins crawled in to cuddle. Rather than get up, Yuta put on a movie for them, the latest Pixar release, which they happily watched in the comfort of your bed while you and Yuta dozed a bit more.

The next time you woke up, your daughter was pushing on your shoulder. She jumped up and down on the mattress, chanting, “Wake up, Mommy. Wake up!”

You stirred, blinking to clear your vision, and snatched your daughter, bringing her in close for a hug. Suki was all giggles, hugging you back.

“Daddy made pancakes,” she told you hurriedly, trying to roll you off the mattress.

“I’m coming, baby,” you rasped, staggering out of bed. You wobbled over to the dresser, putting on some sweatpants to go with Yuta’s tee you were wearing, and followed your daughter out to the living room.

Yuta was holding your son over the counter and you watched as Yuma scattered chocolate chips onto the pancakes. Your husband glanced up and flashed you a grin. “Hey, Mama. Finally out of hibernation, are you?”

“And whose fault is that?” you shot back playfully.

Yuta stuck out his tongue. The images of you howling his name into the pillow and scraping your nails down his back were still fresh in his mind.

“I’ll get my revenge tonight,” you murmured under your breath, stealing a chocolate chip from the bag and popping it into your mouth.

“Mommy,” Suki whispered quietly, tugging on your shirt.

Discreet, you handed her a few chocolate chips which she crammed into her mouth with a victorious grin.

The four of you sat at the table and ate your pancakes. Laughter echoed through the house. You couldn’t put into words how much you enjoyed eating with your family. After a week of solitary dinners, nothing warmed your heart than when the four of you were together.

Suki was a riot of personality. You and your daughter went back and forth, arguing facetiously over the most mundane things. Yuta was already making jokes about her following in your footsteps as a vicious lawyer.

Yuma was just like his father. In the tiny lulls between you and Suki’s fast-paced conversation, he let monotonous comments pass. The epitome of Yuta’s dry humor. Your son was hilarious without trying. Yuta would throw his head back and laugh, chiming in as well. It was only when with his family that Yuma defeated his shyness.

Where Suki had Yuta’s mischief, Yuma had your balance. While Suki had your snark, Yuma had his father’s wit. Yuta often said the twins inherited the best parts of you and him.

With breakfast finished, you gathered the plates and took them into the kitchen to clean. You had to chase Yuta away more than once, insisting he relax on the couch. It wasn’t often you got to actually wash something. Yuma and Suki came to help you, but more or less ended up just keeping you company.

In keeping with Sunday tradition, the four of you went to the park not far from your neighborhood. It was a nice, breezy walk, your fingers intertwined with Yuta’s. Suki led the way, not surprising, and Yuma was a step behind her.

Once the playground was in sight, Suki took off running, rushing over to join her friends. Yuma stopped and turned to look at you, and you encouraged him forward. Your son meandered over to the swings, watching his sister who was gabbing away with the other kids as if she’d never left.

You sat comfortably on one of the benches, returning the waves of familiar parents nearby. Yuta traced senseless patterns on your shoulder, leaning his head against yours. The two of you were content to watch your kids play.

What was mundane to others was paradise to Yuta. His life had been chaos; absolute, utter chaos, but now, it was beautiful and calm. He wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

“Yuta?”

“Hm?”

You nestled deeper into his embrace and said, “I need to take a step back.”

Yuta made a tiny noise, as if in agreement, but without saying it outright.

“I miss them so much,” you whispered, then turned to him. “I miss you.”

“I’m right here, babe. We’re not going anywhere.”

You chewed on your lip. “I want to be home more. The kids will be in school full days next year. At the very least, I can try to stop working until night. That way I can see them in the evenings.”

“What will that mean for justice?”

“I won’t be able to pack in as many cases in a day as I usually do, but maybe that’s a price Hel will have to pay.”

Yuta was gleaming. “I support whatever you want to do.”

You smiled, happy, and turned your eyes back to your children. Their smiles warmed you down to your very soul.

By the time you returned to the house, Yuma was sound asleep in your arms and Suki was drooling on Yuta’s shoulder. You tucked them both into their beds and turned off the light, closing the door as quietly as possible.

“One minute past their nap time and they are out,” you joked, tying up your hair into a bun on your head.

“They don’t even realize they’ve worn themselves out until it’s too late,” Yuta added, standing before the television with the weather report on. His phone was in hand and Yuta viewed his unread messages. He liked to be kept up to date on the state of the criminal underground and the dangers on the city’s surface, but he never told you that.

You were better off not knowing that Yuta kept his fingers on the pulse of Hel.

Plopping down on the sofa, you let two whole seconds of quiet pass before whining, “Ugh, go wake them up. I miss them.”

Yuta chuckled and turned off the television. Setting down his phone, he made a beeline for you and you cried out in surprise when Yuta steered you onto your back on the couch and crawled over you, leaving playful kisses across your neck.

Your giggles shifted into moans. Yuta pinned you under his weight and stroked his clothed cock on your thigh, his hand down your pants. You sighed his name into his ear and arched your body into his, the two of you writhing together and getting each other off.

Yuta made you feel like a teenager again, sneaking off to hook up in the car or stealing a quickie in the bathroom. There was no end to his desire for you. You were his other half and the mother of his children. Every day, he fell more deeply in love with you.

And you with him.

Yuta’s breath was hot on your neck as he let out one final moan. Your husband clambered off of you and slumped back against the couch, both of you disheveled and panting. And buzzing with that post-coital surge of dopamine.

“Fuck,” you groaned, eyes fixated on your husband. His cheeks were red and sweat glistened across his collarbones. With your legs still around his hips, you flexed your thighs, intentionally trying to get a reaction out of him.

Yuta swallowed to wet his dry throat and smoothed his hand over the lowest plane of your stomach possessively. “Woman, you’re insatiable,” he growled, feigning annoyance.

“You satiate me just fine,” you purred, grabbing his hand and dragging it underneath your shirt until he landed on your breast.

Yuta instinctively squeezed your mound, teasing his fingers over your nipple, and asked lowly, “Think you can wait until tonight for more?”

“Yes,” you said, but the fire in your eyes betrayed your words.

Yuta bit his lip, raking his eyes down your body. Knowing your warm, wet cunt was right there, inches from his cock, made him start to heat up again. Your husband shifted, draping himself over you once more, and teased, “It would be just like the babies to come running out here as soon as I get it in.”

You laughed. “Like the six-week mark?”

Yuta dropped his head to the crook of your shoulder with a groan and his reply was mumbled against your skin, “How could I forget?”

Six weeks after you gave birth was the imposed limit for intercourse your doctor had given you. And god knew you were counting down the days. Yuta pretended to have far more patience than you did, acting unaffected by the lack of intimacy. Honestly, having two newborn babies was distraction enough.

But as the clock winded down, you and Yuta were doing a mating dance of frustration and downright insanity. It was endless flirting and touching and the most obscene sexts you’d ever seen. Or sent. On more than one occasion you messily dry humped each other to the finish line over the nearest surface. Not your proudest moment, but you had to take what you could get.

When six weeks came and Yuta called your doctor to make sure it would absolutely be okay for him to touch you again, the two of you nearly destroyed the house on the way to the bedroom.

And just before Yuta was about to cautiously sink inside you, the baby monitor burst with cries.

This pattern continued for two weeks. Every time you were about to get railed by your husband, your beloved twins let their feelings be known on the other side of the house, screaming for milk or a diaper change or just to be held. Which effectively ended the mood.

It wasn’t until Yuta’s saint of a mother offered to take care of the twins for a day that you and Yuta enjoyed twenty minutes of fucking around and then, hilariously, spent the remaining ten hours catching up on sleep.

“How was your nap?” Yuta asked your son as he dragged his feet out to the living room. You and your husband were sitting on the couch, cleaned up, and had been talking quietly amongst yourselves.

Yuma rubbed his sleepy eyes. “Good,” he finally said, remembering his father had asked him, and climbed into your lap, using your chest as a pillow.

Yuta smiled fondly and reached over, smoothing down Yuma’s fluffy dark hair.

Suki joined not long after, her face puffy and her eyes squinting. Unlike her brother, she was too tired to speak and merely collapsed into Yuta’s lap in the most dramatic fashion.

The debate was soon on for dinner. Yuta always ordered something rather than cooked, since it was the day of rest and all. Traditionally your husband and kids would play rock-paper-scissors to decide. You never played, because you rather sucked at it and always lost so why bother.

When Yuma emerged the victor, Yuta and Suki threw up their hands and whined over their defeat, much to you and Yuma’s amusement. Your son excitedly declared, “Pizza!”

Fresh, hot pizza was delivered to the door in twenty minutes. Yuta carried the big box to the dining table and called, “Come and get it, spawn!”

Your twins were already tripping over themselves to take their place at the table and you were a few steps behind. As Suki impatiently grabbed at the slice her father had put on a plate before her, Yuta made a disapproving sound and chided, “Wait a second, silly girl.”

Suki lifted her chin as Yuta tucked a large napkin into the collar of her shirt, protecting her clothes from the mess she was undoubtedly about to make. You did the same for Yuma, who rarely ever spilled, but he never wanted Suki to feel like she was the only one that had to wear a bib. Yuma was all about sibling solidarity.

The evening was defined by full bellies and endless laughter, much like the rest of your day. Suki decided to stand on her chair and regale the rest of you with a recap of the latest episode of Sailor Moon she’d watched. Yuma would calmly chime in here and there with major plot details she missed and Suki was ever appreciative. He was the only one allowed to interrupt her, on account of them sharing a womb and all.

As night fell, Yuta snuck away to prepare a bath and once it was ready, the twins followed you eagerly in. They played in the bubbles while you washed their hair and made sure to splash you right in the face. Yuma pretended he was a sea turtle, while Suki decided she was a walrus.

Everyone brushed their teeth and washed their faces. Suki treated both as if they were Olympic events and Yuma was content to watch you in the mirror the whole time, trying to imitate you. The twins dressed in their pajamas without much fuss, but Yuta knew better.

“I don’t wanna go to sleep,” Suki cried loudly, racing into the living room. “I wanna stay with Mommy!”

Yuta reminded, “Suki, you get grouchy if you stay up past ten.”

Yuma turned to you and asked, “Why is the weekend over?”

You snorted. “I ask myself that every Sunday, baby.”

Suki darted between Yuta’s legs, escaping his intentionally slow attempts to catch her, all the while yelling that she wasn’t tired.

Sensing both of your kids on the verge of a meltdown, you spoke firmly, “Suki and Yuma, come here to me. Now.”

No one dared contend with that tone.

The twins did as told, flocking to your outstretched arms. You hauled them up with you onto the sofa and steered your babies to lay their heads on your chest, as you’d always done since the day they were born. Pressing a kiss to each of their heads, you started to hum.

Yuma and Suki held each other’s hands in your midst and smiled at each other before closing their eyes. Listening to your heartbeat reminded them of the warmth and safety of your womb. You rocked back and forth a little, humming that familiar tune. Yuta braced his hands on the back of the couch, watching over you and your babies.

When you were pregnant, Yuta made a habit of talking and singing to your growing belly. It was hard for you not to join in even though you didn’t have a beautiful singing voice like he did. Yuta would beg to differ, but that was an argument for another day.

Around your eighth month, you were put on bedrest which almost made you lose your mind with boredom. As someone who was perpetually busy, laying around was the quickest and most effective way for you to go insane. Yuta was forever brainstorming ways to keep you occupied.

It also lent itself to fear. You had nothing to do but think and your brain decided to fixate on all the things that could go wrong with a twin pregnancy. Add hormones to that and you were a messy ball of nerves wound up so tight you thought you would snap.

Yuta cradled your face and pressed his lips to your brow, humming softly. Telling you to calm down would only frustrate you more, so he treated you like a fussy baby. And it worked. You sniffed back the tears and closed your eyes, letting him rock you back and forth with his hand on your big belly as he hummed that little tune he’d come up with for the babies inside you.

And here you were, five years later, soothing the twins with those same low notes. They had no meaning outside of your house, but for your little family, they were everything. Yuma let out a soft sigh and you knew he was dozing off. Suki fought sleep for the sake of her pride, but her little lashes batted heavier and heavier.

You kept humming as Yuta took your son carefully from your arms and you continued humming as you carried Suki into the bedroom behind him. You gave each of them a kiss on their foreheads and whispered, “Goodnight, my darlings. Sweet dreams only.”

Then, Yuta turned on their night light that shone a galaxy on the ceiling and closed the door behind you.

Yuta took you by the hand and led you with him to the bedroom. Just shy of the bed, he gave you a little spin, twirling you like at the start of a dance, before pulling you into his arms. You giggled, meeting his oncoming kiss.

“I wish every day was like this,” you sighed longingly.

Yuta hummed an agreement against your mouth, slipping his tongue between your lips. Seeing you hold those babies made Yuta out of his mind with love for you.

You kissed him hotly, running your hands beneath his shirt to palm at his warm skin, feeling the taut lines of his abs. When the kisses grew out of control, you braced your hands on his chest, cocked your head toward the bed and said, “Lay down.”

Yuta smirked at you and did as told, taking off his shirt and laying on his stomach over the mattress.

You climbed on top of him, straddling his hips and sitting squarely on his butt. Then, you started running your hands up and down his naked back.

Yuta let out a little moan. You could break every knot in his muscles until he was mush in your hands.

“No matter how hard I work, I know you work twice as hard,” you told him, massaging his shoulders. “You’re doing an amazing job with our babies.”

“I’m doing my best.”

You put forward more pressure, working away the tension in his muscles. Every now and then, Yuta grunted or moaned and you knew you were on the right track.

There were lines in his back. Battle scars, he called them. You often wondered how much evil Yuta had seen in his lifetime, but he never told you. He kept those secrets buried deep within. You knew your husband was a force to be reckoned with and that was part of the reason you slept so soundly in his arms.

You dragged your lips down his spine, kissing across his scars, making Yuta shiver beneath you. You pressed wet, open-mouthed kisses over his broad shoulders and tongued your way along the ridges of his muscles.

Yuta shifted, all the blood rushing to his cock. Your every touch was enough to drag him to the edge of ruin.

“You feel like getting pegged tonight?” you teased, licking your lips a bit hungrily.

“I’m not in the mood,” Yuta said, nonchalant.

“Oh?”

Yuta glanced at you over his shoulder and growled, “I’d rather fuck the shit out of you.”

You snickered. “You already did last night. Tonight, I wanna make you feel good.”

“You always make me feel good, baby.”

“Well, I’m ready when you are.”

Yuta turned over beneath you, grabbing your hips. He peered up at you in reverence and whispered, “I love you so much it hurts sometimes.”

“Babe, don’t talk like that,” you purred, running your thumb over his perfect lips. “I’ll suck the soul out of you and then there won’t be anything for me to ride.”

Yuta brought your hips down, grinding his hard cock into your clothed folds. The presence of pants between your bodies irritated him. “I’d get it back up for you in a heartbeat.”

“I know,” you said, bending down and kissing him.

You stripped each other naked between kisses. Slowly. Intimately. Like you had all the time in the world to explore and pleasure each other’s bodies with a familiarity belonging only to lovers that had been through heaven and hell together.

And not until you were begging him to take you did Yuta guide you further up his body to sit on his face.

“Mm, fuck,” you groaned when Yuta raked his tongue through your slit, teasing around your bundle of nerves. You were already throbbing with want and the lightest of touches made your body spasm.

Yuta looped his arms around your thighs, making you lower even more. He knew you were hesitant to put too much weight on him, no matter how many times he’d told you otherwise, but he was determined to have his way with you.

Your arched your hips slowly, almost barely at all, tentatively thrusting your sex closer to his mouth. Yuta worked you with his tongue, tasting your arousal and grunting lowly in the back of his throat at the taste of you.

“B-baby,” you stammered, threading your fingers through his hair. You dared not look down, because the sight of him sucking at your clit like his last meal would end you on the spot.

Yuta reached up to squeeze your breasts roughly before caressing his fingertips over your nipples until they were stiff to the touch. God, he loved your body so much he couldn't stand it.

You bit your lip to quiet yourself, but between his hands and his mouth there was no hope for you. You whimpered and whined, riding his face at a languid speed, just enough to keep his lips from getting ahold of your engorged clit.

Yuta knew that and he brought his palms to your ass. Then, he started tapping and drumming his fingers on your skin. It was a warning.

You picked up the pace, arching your cunt closer to his mouth. Gathering your bouncing breasts in your hands, you pressed them together and pinched your nipples.

That still wasn’t enough for Yuta. He reeled a hand back and landed a hard smack on your ass, making you jolt and squeal.

You sped up a little, feeling him tickling his fingers over your ass again. Reminding you how easily he could give you another spank. “Yuta,” you pleaded.

He parted from your dripping cunt to growl, “I know you can ride better than that. Just ask my dick.”

Your stomach clenched as you let him suck more intensely at your clit. The stimulation was almost too much. Your body began to shudder involuntarily.

Yuta let a hand slip from your ass, holding it at the ready, and he smirked against your lower lips as you rolled your hips frantically in response. The moment you shied away from his tongue, he brought his hand down on your ass, sending a loud slap through the room.

“I can’t, baby,” you choked out, craning your body back and bracing your hands on opposite sides of his waist.

Yuta pinched your hips in his hands and lifted his head, flicking his tongue mercilessly on your clit. You can and you will, he thought to himself, chuckling against your folds.

You fisted the blanket and panted, your breaths loud and downright pathetic. Eyes winched closed, you bucked your pussy into your husband’s face, seeking the wet warmth of his tongue while everything in your body tried to escape it.

Yuta tightened his hold on your hips as you came, grinning smugly at the lecherous sounds leaving your mouth. He could feel his fingers sinking into your flesh to the point of bruising, but he knew how much you loved that. All his energy was on his tongue, rubbing your sensitive clit until you begged him to stop.

Your legs were like jelly and your head was stuck in a fog. Yuta steered you back into position over his hips, rutting his hard cock against your soaked folds. You swallowed to wet your dry throat and ran a hand through your hair, peering down at your husband and shaking your head. “You’re a fucking god. I hope you know that.”

Yuta chuckled, draping his hands lazily on your thighs while he kept grinding into you, waiting. Your pussy coated his length in your juices, evidence of how hard he’d made you come.

Part of you, when things became serious in your relationship with Yuta, wondered if the fires between you would ever die down. Years of dating passed, then marriage, culminating with the arrival of your children and the answer was still no. Yuta still drowned you in his passion like it was the first time.

“You’re mine,” Yuta had hissed into your skin on your wedding night, crushing you in his arms as he buried his cock inside you. “Every inch of you is mine. Every breath you take is mine.��

With that memory fresh in your mind, you grabbed one of his hands and brought it to your neck to hold. Lifting your hips, you wrapped your fingers around his hard cock and guided him into your entrance, sinking down on him. You were so slick from orgasm, he pressed right in without resistance. But you still moaned at the girth of him stretching you.

Yuta squeezed your throat, clenching his jaws at the tight heat of you enveloping him. “Fuck,” he staggered out, abs flexing as he fought the urge to pound his cock into your perfect pussy.

Adjusted, you braced your hands on Yuta’s chest and started to ride him, moving in a way that he stroked deep inside you. You locked eyes with your husband, watching the pleasure on his face, and purred, “You’re mine.”

“All yours,” Yuta said, breathless.

You bounced on his cock until Yuta lost the last of his restraint. That was when he wrapped his arms around you, trapping you to him, and began to thrust up into you, hips slapping into your ass at inhuman speed. You held onto his shoulders and moaned desperately into his neck, enduring his brutal pace until another orgasm ripped through you.

The echo of your cries and the clamping of your cunt around his length made Yuta burst, stuffing his cock into you as deep as he could go and filling you with his load. He shuddered and groaned, fisting a hand into your hair and biting down on the base of your neck.

Utterly spent, the two of you slumped limply into the bed and held each other tight like no force on earth could ever tear you apart.

In the morning, you couldn’t bring yourself to get up for work after the third night in a row spent tangled with your husband. You called to let them know you would be coming in late and since you were technically the boss, no one could tell you otherwise.

Funny enough, your secretary applauded you for finally taking a little break.

The moment you tossed your phone back onto the nightstand and folded the pillow under your head, Yuta was on you. You hummed when he settled his weight on your back, trailing kisses over your cheek.

If you thought you would be getting extra sleep after presenting a rare opportunity of morning sex to your husband, you were mistaken.

Yuta glanced up at the clock and mumbled, “The babies won’t be up for a while.”

You smirked, closing your eyes and feigning indifference, but you lifted your hips, making your ass bounce into his stiff cock. Like intimacy with Yuta was all your body was capable of craving. Still naked from the night before, you arched your back into his body, moaning softly when his dick rubbed against your folds.

Yuta whispered filth in your ear as he pushed the blankets and pillows away from you. You held the edge of the mattress and cried out when Yuta steered you into position roughly, bending your leg up and pressing a hand into your lower back.

You wiggled your ass, enticing him to take you, and sucked in a breath when two fingers slipped into your hole.

“You’re still wet,” Yuta hissed, biting down on the bridge of your shoulder and pumping his digits between your folds to prepare you.

You taunted, “I stay wet for you. You know that.”

Yuta gathered a handful of your hair in his fist, yanking your head back to kiss and tongue at your throat while he withdrew his fingers from your pussy and guided his cock in, impaling you on every last inch.

“Yuta,” you moaned, your eyes rolling back. You gripped the edge of the mattress harder, your mouth gaping.

Yuta let out a noise of pleasure as he coaxed his cock deep into your cunt, the kind of sound that made you clench on him. “So fucking tight and swollen, baby,” he crooned in a tone meant to rile you up. “Does it hurt?”

You shook your head, biting your lip. His hands roamed over you, playing with your breasts and nipples, whilst Yuta sank his hard dick into you slowly, moaning in your ear at the warmth of you around his cock.

“I love you,” he sighed, stealing a kiss.

Rather than answer, you decided to goad him. You glanced at Yuta over your shoulder, arching your hips to meet his languid pace, and whispered, “I know you can fuck harder than that. Just ask my pussy.”

Your husband could and gladly would fuck you for an hour, but you were too sore for that. You wanted a quickie. Hard and fast.

Yuta chuckled, remembering his words from the night before, and used his grip on your hair to shove you face first into the mattress. You would definitely need to stifle the noises you were about to make.

You winched your eyes closed and held the mattress for dear life, eventually biting on the edge too as Yuta smacked his hips into your ass, throttling his cock into your pussy.

“Don’t wake them up,” your husband warned, pinning his hand to the nape of your neck. He had you whimpering and moaning like he’d fucked all the goddamn sense out of you.

“I’m coming,” you told him in a matter of minutes, squirming in his hold, trying to get yourself the rest of the way.

Yuta thrust into you faster and faster, at an almost inhuman speed. Almost. Sensing you at the edge, Yuta bore down on you with his weight, whispering dirty praises in your ear, and rammed his cock into your sweet spot until you came with a cry.

“I love you,” you chanted, because it was much less embarrassing than saying thank you over and over again for the mind-shattering orgasm he’d just ripped out of you.

Feeling your pussy try to push out his cock with the intensity of your climax, Yuta got a punishing grip on your hips and plunged his length into you, releasing with a mangled groan, finishing with one hard thrust after another.

You gasped to catch your breath, bouncing ever so slightly to milk his cock. Being fucked full of his cum made you arch your back and moan, wanting every last drop he had to give.

Yuta gave your ass an appreciative slap when he reluctantly drew his soft length from you, and said, “Atta girl.”

You lay there, your entire body thrumming and satisfied, and dozed off the moment Yuta finished cleaning you with a cloth from the bathroom.

Your husband dragged the blanket over your naked body and left the room quietly, knowing that if he stayed in bed with you, it would undoubtedly result in another round.

So instead, Yuta made himself comfortable on the couch and waited for the kids to wake up. He shook his head, thinking of you and your beautiful body. Fuck, he wanted to march back in there and drill you to another toe-curling orgasm.

Yuta fixed a pot of hot coffee, knowing you would want some when you woke, and blew the steam billowing from his mug as he watched the TV. The news was reporting a steady decline in city violence; a result of the new district attorney’s efforts to put away bad men and corrupt cops.

Seeing your picture on the screen unnerved Yuta. He didn’t want your face to be so widely known. Fortunately for you, however, Yuta still had friends in low places. They would keep it known that you belonged to someone that was not to be crossed. A venomous serpent slumbering in its den, as it were.

It was half past ten when you dragged yourself out of the bedroom, forcing yourself to get ready for work. To your surprise, you found both of your children waiting for you.

“Mommy, you look beautiful today,” Yuma greeted, smiling widely at you when you emerged from the bedroom.

“Thank you, darling,” you told your son, pressing a kiss to his brow. Then, you checked the time and remembered what day it was. “No school today?”

“Teacher work day,” Suki replied. She was seated at the counter and Yuta stood beside her, jotting things down on a list.

“Anything you need from the store, Mama?” Yuta asked, spinning the pen between his fingers.

“I can’t think of anything,” you said, looking between your son and daughter. “Are you going with Daddy to the store?”

“We always do,” Suki replied excitedly.

Sadness washed over you, but you hid it quite well on your face like any seasoned lawyer. You wanted to spend some time with the babies.

Yuta saw right through you, as only he could. Turning to the twins, he started speaking rapid fire Japanese, to which they giggled because they understood perfectly.

You scowled, though it was insincere, and whined, “That’s not fair. You know Mama is still working on her Japanese.”

“You’ve been working on it for ten years, my love,” Yuta teased under his breath, then he changed his tone. “I was just telling them how smart you are.”

“Bull… poop,” you started, quickly correcting yourself before using profanity in front of your children. Yuta grinned with amusement at irritating you.

At the word poop, Yuma and Suki giggled again.

A very loud bang sent a reverberating shudder through the house, making picture frames rattle on the walls. No one flinched. Undoubtedly a villain and a hero were duking it out in the center of the city again.

One moment Yuta was beside Suki, in the next he had crossed the room, caught a falling vase and set it back, and returned to her side in the time it took you to blink.

You mumbled, “I saw that.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yuta said blithely.

“Daddy says he’s not fast,” Suki announced. “Everyone else is just really slow.”

You snorted back a laugh.

“Alright, Suki, let’s hit the market,” Yuta said a moment later, tucking the shopping list into his pocket.

You blinked in surprise. “You’re not taking Yuma with you?”

Yuta shook his head, a tiny smile on his face. “He wants to stay with you.”

You looked back at your son on the sofa, who was beaming at you warmly.

Yuta and Suki gave you and Yuma parting kisses and left.

Yuma sat beside you, watching a movie intently. He held onto your hand, absentmindedly playing with your fingers, and leaned against your side like he couldn’t quite get close enough to you. While Suki could talk a mile a minute, Yuma was rather quiet. She was the one to always drag him out of his shell, while you preferred a more gentle approach.

You reached over and brushed his hair from his brow before running a finger over his cheek. It was wonderful getting to spend time with him and you wanted to catch up on things you’d missed. “Anything you wanna talk to me about?” you asked sweetly.

Yuma shrugged.

“No pressure. Whenever you want.”

Yuma nodded and flitted his eyes between you and the television, pensive. He shifted a little and after a long pause, he said, “I want to make friends.”

You turned toward him, giving your son your undivided attention, and asked, “Do you have friends at school?”

Yuma couldn’t meet your eyes and shook his head, mumbling under his breath as if he were embarrassed, “Suki has lots of friends.”

You chuckled a bit. “Suki is very… assertive.”

Yuma peered up at you with furrowed brows. “What does that mean?”

You pinched your lips, thinking of the best way to explain. “It means she goes after things very strongly.”

Your son was staring at you, admiring. He was looking at you like you were the whole world. The same way you looked at him. “She’s like you,” he said, sweet as could be. No anger or jealousy to be found.

You snorted. “I suppose so.”

“Is Daddy like that?” Yuma asked curiously.

“A bit.”

“Why not me?”

You took his hand and gave it a squeeze, saying, “You’re a little different, Yuma. But different doesn’t mean wrong. You’re just you and that’s more than enough.”

Yuma relaxed. “Okay.”

“Do you want to be more assertive? Because I could teach you.”

“I don’t.”

“See? It’s just who you are. You’re perfect.”

Yuma was comforted by that. “But I want to make friends.”

You slipped a finger under his chin, tipping his head up. “Then, you make friends that are more like you. Does that make sense?”

He nodded. “It does.”

“I never had many friends,” you told him. Once upon a time, you would never have been able to verbalize that. A large part of your life had been spent with a lonely heart.

It was something you and Yuta had in common.

That caught Yuma by surprise. He looked up at you with wide eyes and nestled closer to you, putting his little hand on your arm as if to comfort you. “You didn’t?”

“No. People thought I was weird. I was obsessed with doing good in school and becoming a lawyer.”

“What about Daddy?”

Your face lit up at the mere mention of the love of your life. “Your father is my best friend in the whole world.”

“What made you be his friend?” Yuma pressed. He was suddenly an endless well of curiosity. He liked hearing about you and Yuta before he was born. Yuta told you that Yuma asked the most questions about how the two of you met and fell in love.

Suki, on the other hand, was more inclined to hear that she came out of your tummy first and was therefore, the oldest of your twins. By nine whole minutes.

“He told me I was perfect the way I was,” you replied, smoothing back Yuma’s hair. God, he really was Yuta’s spitting image. It was like looking into his eyes even though he was miles away from you. “And that there was nothing that could ever stand in my way if I wanted to do something.”

Yuma bounced and exclaimed, “He told me the same thing!”

“Your father is very wise.”

“He is.”

You pretended to wince and put a finger over your lips, whispering, “Don’t tell him I said that. It will go straight to his head.”

Yuma covered his mouth with his hand, playing along with your little joke. “I won’t.”

You wrapped your arm around your son and pressed a kiss to his nose, cooing, “You’ll be a great friend, Yuma. I promise.”

Your son hopped into your lap, hugging you tightly.

A quiet thud made you turn your head sharply toward the front door, every hair on the back of your neck standing up.

Yuta spoke to his daughter in his mother tongue as they walked through the farmer’s market. Suki loved looking at everything there was to see and the vendors always let her taste test things because her reactions were dramatic, but very genuine.

And because Yuta was generous with his money.

“Much better,” Suki declared after eating a grape.

“Yes, Miss Suki. They were a bit watery last time, weren’t they?”

She nodded.

Yuta chuckled, then told the seller, “Two bags please.”

Gripping her father’s hand tightly as they meandered, Suki asked, “Daddy, when are we getting takoyaki?”

“Soon, princess.”

“I’m being very patient.”

Yuta’s face tensed with the threat of laughter. “Yes, you are and I appreciate it.”

Suki suddenly went rigidly still, her hand slipping from around Yuta’s fingers as she stopped dead in her tracks. The smile vanished from her face in an instant and her eyes went out of focus.

Yuta jolted, all of his attention centering on his child. Crouching down before her and holding her arms, he asked frantically, “Suki, are you okay?”

His little girl trembled, tears filling her eyes. She looked like she’d seen a ghost. For the first time in her life, she was terrified. “Daddy, something’s wrong,” she whimpered, reaching for him.

Yuta lifted her into his arms, adrenaline tickling up his spine. “What is it, baby? Do you feel sick to your stomach?”

“No, it’s Yuma. And Mommy. Something’s wrong!”

That was all Yuta needed to hear. He dropped the basket of food and cradled Suki to his chest, feeling her cling to him. “Take a deep breath and hold it, Suki.”

She did as told and in a flash, they were gone.

But he was too late.

Yuta walked slowly through the house. His hands were shaking.

The front door was splintered into pieces. The living room was destroyed like a goddamn tornado had swept through. You put up a hell of a fight. Yuta knew you would. A mother’s instinct to protect her baby was formidable even against the strongest of enemies.

Yuta stepped over the broken coffee table, analyzing everything. He could safely assume there were a number of attackers. You were no match. Hell, even in his prime he would have struggled.

There was blood smeared on the wall, but Yuta breathed a little in relief when he didn’t recognize the scent. He had been right beside you when you gave birth. He was the one that put bandaids on all of your clumsy little cuts.

He knew the scent of you intimately.

This blood was not yours. It belonged to someone that foolishly tried to separate you from your child and learned you would die or kill before that happened.

“Suki, you can come out,” Yuta said lowly. “It’s clear.”

A panel above in the ceiling moved and Suki jumped down, landing in Yuta’s arms. He held her snugly to him, feeling her shaking with emotion, and coaxed, “I know this is hard, baby, but I need you. I know you can sense your brother.”

Suki nodded.

“Is Yuma hurt? Is your mother hurt?”

Suki paused, tapping into the connection she shared with her twin. “Yuma is okay. Mama is okay,” she told him, lips quivering. “Yuma is really scared, Daddy.”

Yuta took a steadying breath. He would rend this goddamn city inside out to get back what was his. “Can you find them, Suki? Can you lead me to them?”

His daughter nodded. “I think so.”

Yuta set her down on the floor and pulled out his phone. “I need to make a call. Go grab your panic bag, okay?”

Suki trundled to her bedroom. It went without saying Yuta taught his children extensively what to do in situations like these.

He was very aware of the dangers in Hel. But he never thought someone would dare enter the Viper's nest.

Pressing the phone to his ear, Yuta paced and after two rings, a familiar voice answered. “Someone took my wife and son,” Yuta said, skipping any greetings. He didn’t have time.

“I know,” Mark replied gravely. “It’s already spreading underground.”

Yuta grit his teeth and hissed, “Who did this?”

“I'm already looking into it. Give me fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you. Call me the second you have anything.”

“Done.”

Yuta hung up just as Suki returned with a little purple backpack. He gave her a proud smile and lifted her into his arms. “Ready, baby?”

She grabbed his face, staring into her father’s eyes, and asked, “We’re gonna find Mommy and Yuma. Right?”

Yuta gave a single nod. “Yes, Suki. We’re going to find them. I promise.”

By his tone, Suki knew her father would move mountains. She found her courage again and took a deep breath.

Despite the blindfold over your eyes and the cords wrapped tightly around your wrists, binding them together, your son was curled on your chest and you had managed to mold your entire body protectively around him.

You spoke softly and soothingly to him, but Yuma had whispered in your ear, “Daddy’s coming.”

Part of you already knew that. In your heart you knew Yuta would stop at nothing to bring you and your baby home. All you had to do was buy enough time. You kissed Yuma’s head, holding him even tighter.

Cradling your son, feeling his terror, knowing danger was closing in, was another kind of hell.

You closed your eyes and thought of Yuta. The one thing that could distract you from the suffocating grip of fear on your throat. You thought back to the moment you met, at the police station of all places. As a junior district attorney, you had been brought in to consult on whether a case could be made against him.

The Viper.

Sitting in a dimly lit room, Yuta was handcuffed to the table, but you knew you were the one in a cage with a lion. He was not captured. On the contrary, he was rather entertained.

“Everything you have on me is circumstantial,” Yuta stated plainly.

You took the seat across from him and said, “I know.”

Yuta narrowed his eyes, assuming you were manipulating him, and asked, “Then, why are you here?”

You shrugged. “Just following orders.”

“You don’t seem like the type.”

“The type of what?”

“To just do what you’re told.”

You stared into his eyes. Yuta’s gaze was hypnotic. You couldn’t look away. He was drawing you in slowly.

So began a dance of Yuta intentionally getting himself caught, prompting you to be summoned to the station to question him. Questions ended up ranging more toward you, the things you liked, the things you hated. The things you were interested in.

Who you were interested in.

As Yuta was led out of custody, free to go once again, he made sure to stop by you and whisper, “I would love to take you out to dinner.”

It took every ounce of your restraint not to smile. It was about goddamn time, to be honest. He was the most attractive man you’d ever seen. Not just his face, but his mind. Nothing about him was simple and that thrilled you.

“I can get a reservation at the Blood Raven tomorrow night. Interested?”

The Blood Raven, one of Hel’s most illustrious, high-end establishments. Known to be frequented by villains on the regular. “I’m interested,” you murmured softly.

It wasn’t like you to flirt with danger, but when danger flirted back, you kinda liked the rush it sent through you.

Yuta grinned victoriously. “Seven o’clock then. I’d offer to pick you up from work, but I’m sure that would be frowned upon, considering your profession.”

“I’ll see you then.”

Yuta sauntered out with an extra swagger to his step while you were screaming internally.

You snapped out of your reverie when the van jerked to a stop. Your son jostled on your chest, but you secured your hold on him as the men grabbed your arms and dragged you out.

Though they made no attempt to separate you from Yuma again.

Yuta folded his arms and glanced around the back alley. There was an overturned trash bin and tire marks on the ground.

Suki ambled along the alley, searching with her wide eyes. Your beautiful eyes. Yuta smiled at her fondly, hiding the ice cold fist of terror wrapped around his heart.

His daughter turned to him anxiously, but Yuta was quick to assure her, “Take your time, baby girl. You’re doing great.”

Suki nodded and kept looking for traces of her brother to follow.

Finally, she pointed and said, “That way.”

Yuta scooped her up and bolted.

He came to a sharp stop, mid-sprint, when he felt a vibration in his pocket. Holding his daughter, Yuta answered the phone, “Yes?”

“Your wife recently put away three upper-rank members of the Cyrus Gang, including the second-in-command.”

“Mm,” was all Yuta said. He knew exactly where this was going.

The Cyrus Gang had popped up after Yuta went into retirement. From what he knew via his friends, their leader was a villain with unknown powers and he ruled with an iron fist. They were organized, ruthless and known for their brutality.

No wonder you had made it your mission to put them behind bars.

“Camera footage on the street shows thirteen of their known members breaching your house,” Mark continued.

Yuta seethed. “Keep going.”

“Additional footage shows them dragging your wife and son into a different unmarked van two alleys over. Premeditated counter measures, obviously.”

Yuta assumed that was the alley he and Suki had just left. “Anything else?”

Mark’s voice filled with disappointment. “Footage shows evidence of tampering. We lost sight of them after that. I’ve got guys working on it.”

“Thank you. In the meantime, I have a very reliable source leading me to them,” Yuta said, looking to Suki.

She smiled at him, emboldened by his words.

“Good luck, brother,” Mark said.

Yuta hung up.

Suki put a hand on Yuta’s chest, subconsciously searching for his heart rhythm to settle her own, and asked, “Did they find Mommy and Yuma?”

“No, baby,” Yuta told her levelly. “It’s up to us to find them.”

Suki nodded. She was ready.

You giggled as Yuta kissed his way up your big pregnant belly. Both of your babies were stretching and kicking, and Yuta thought it was the most delightful thing he’d ever seen. He tickled his fingers near a foot and laughed when that foot sent a retaliatory kick in his direction.

“I can’t possibly get any bigger,” you groaned, though you didn’t mean it. All you wanted was two healthy, happy babies, and you were prepared to get as big as necessary for them.

“Don’t jinx it,” Yuta joked. He glanced up at you, his long hair falling into his eyes. “Are you hungry?”

“I’m always hungry. They’re always hungry.”

Yuta smoothed his hand over the crest of your belly, marveling. “They’re strong. I can feel it.”

You placed your hand over his and said, “Me, too. I can’t explain it, but… I can feel their bond.”

“They’re inside you. Of course, you can feel it.” His voice was soft, reverent, like he was holding all the answers to the universe between his hands.

“It’s something magical.”

Yuta turned somber, a frown tugging at his lips. “I hope they get all of your magic and none of mine,” he huffed under his breath.

“I don’t have any powers,” you reminded him, ready to scold if any self-deprecation chose to rear its ugly head. You’d become somewhat of a master at making it crawl back inside its dark hole.

“It’s a heavy burden.”

You sighed and carded your fingers into his hair. “We’ll help them carry it.”

Yuta finally turned away from your belly and propped himself over you, losing himself in your eyes. “Just like you help me carry mine,” he whispered.

You drew your husband close until you could press your lips to his.

“You have a magic all your own,” Yuta said, kissing the corner of your mouth.

Your son’s voice brought you back to the present. Peeking down at him worriedly, you asked, “What is it, baby?”

“Suki,” he said distantly, feeling his sister’s emotions. “She’s sad.”

Your eyes welled with tears. You were tucked in a corner of a rundown warehouse. There were locks on all the doors. With you secured, the captors removed your blindfold and restraints. Which was surprisingly considerate of them. And yet all it did was unnerve you more. “We’re gonna see them again, Yuma,” you told your son firmly.

He believed you, nodding before tucking his head beneath your chin and hugging you tight.

You wiped at your tears with a clenched fist and cried, “I should have sent you to the store with Daddy and Suki. It was selfish of me. I wanted to spend time with you.”

Yuma didn’t seem bothered by that admission. He merely said, “That’s okay, Mommy. It’s better this way.”

You blinked in surprise.

“I’m here with you. You’re not alone.”

You devolved into sobs, curling inward with your son hidden in your embrace. You kissed his sweet face and he kissed your cheek, looping his arms around your neck.

Suki had never seen the city at the speed of light. She was getting better at holding her breath, but keeping her eyes wide open. No matter how much it stung. She didn’t want to miss a thing.

She could feel Yuma. He was far away and no matter how much her father ran, they didn’t feel closer.

Yuta sprinted between cars, between buildings, between people. No one saw him. They would feel a wisp of wind that was gone as quickly as it came.

A killer in the night; that had been Yuta’s reputation in the not so distant past. No enemy could see him coming. No defense could be prepared. No lawman could pin a single shred of evidence on him. He was a silent blade in the darkness. Uncatchable and unstoppable.

Never had Yuta killed with anger. He was a cold and calculating villain. It was all business. This time would be different. The Viper would have its vengeance.

Suki tugged on Yuta’s collar and he grinded to a halt, the atmosphere shifting around them. Suki’s eyes were full of tears and she was trembling.

“What is it, Suki?”

“Hurry, Daddy,” she cried, choking on a sob. “They’re trying to take Yuma from Mommy!”

Yuta had never known rage and madness like what unfurled inside of him at that moment. He knew you would fight. He knew you would kill. But who would they keep alive?

They were running out of time. The men that took you knew who Yuta was and what he was capable of. And that he was coming. They would have to be quick.

Suki turned her head this way and that. Light shone in her eyes as she fought back her tears to focus on the task at hand.

Yuta recognized her determination and stroked a thumb over her cheek. “You’re very brave, my Suki. Find them and I will take care of the rest.”

Yuma was screaming. Suki could hear it as if she were in the room. Though he was miles away, his increasing emotions made his signal to her stronger. Suki pointed. “That way!”

Yuta didn’t need to remind her to take a breath. The moment she’d told him, Suki inhaled a big gulp of air and they were gone again.

You tapped into a reservoir of strength you’d forgotten you had. It was the same bottomless pit you’d fallen into when you gave birth. It didn’t matter that these men were inherently stronger than you. You could rip them apart with your bare hands every time they reached for your baby.

Yuma, though he was only a child, tried to push the men away as they pinned you to the concrete ground and shoved a phone against your ear. Your son didn’t understand. They screamed in your face, threatened unspeakable things against your children, if you didn’t orchestrate the release of some very bad men.

You relented, because of course you did. No criminal was worth the life of your son. Bloodied and bruised and choking on your own tears, you gave the order to release the Cyrus Gang’s second-in-command.

Satisfied, the men hung up the phone and warned they would keep you a little longer to make sure he was free and clear.

Then, your fate would be decided.

Yuma bolted to you the moment his captor let go of his arm and curled his small body around your head, trying to shield you from them. Every inch of you was trembling and you were breathing hard and fast, tasting the metallic sting of blood in your mouth. Adrenaline had seized ahold of you and torn its way through your system.

Your life flashed before your eyes. You saw yourself sigh tiredly as Yuta held you in his arms, two newborn babies sleeping soundly on your breasts. Only moments after birth, they had reached across your heart to hold each other’s hands and didn’t let go.

Yuta had never run so hard in his life. He was trying to outrun his emotions and his memories. He was thinking of the day you married him, when the two of you promised your lives to each other with the sea and the mountains as witnesses. Yuta had sworn to love you and only you for as long as he lived.

It was an easy vow to make. Yuta knew he’d found his soulmate. No woman on earth would ever get to hold his heart like you. It was yours.

He thought of your gentle smile when you kissed his brow and held him to your chest, lulling him to sleep after another nightmare. He thought of your grin when you showed him that positive pregnancy test. Yuta picked you up off the ground and spun you around. He could hear your laugh in his head. It was his favorite sound.

Then, he thought of all the times you told him, “I love you.”

Even before you had carried and birthed his children, you had given Yuta what he always wanted, but never had - a family.

This was life and death. If Yuta lost you, he would lose himself. He would raze the city to the ground and then throw himself into the ashes.

Because he would never be able to live with the monster he became if he lost you.

Your eyes snapped open when the door creaked. A lone man walked toward you and your son, his steps heavy and ominous.

“You have served your purpose,” was all he said.

You ignored the pain in your bones. Those words ignited a spark inside your chest like no other. This man should have known by the bloodstains coating your fingernails that you were a caged mother bear. Steering Yuma behind you, you crawled backwards until he was nestled against the wall. You guarded him with your body and got your legs underneath you.

Suki let out a scream of agony that knocked the wind out of Yuta. He was at full momentum and stumbled, instantly curling around her as they toppled into the dirt, rolling and spinning in a heap.

“Suki,” he shouted, searching her frantically for injury, but finding his daughter unscathed.

She wailed, “He’s killing Mommy!”

Yuta couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. He sat there in the barren wilderness outside the city with his daughter in his lap, the last tie to you that was about to be severed forever.

Yuma wasn’t brave. He never had been. Suki had courage. She always protected him. He wished she was there. She could destroy this man with her power.

Power. Yuma looked at his hands.

The man threw you to the ground and each time he stalked in Yuma’s direction, you charged him again. You knew he was toying with you, drawing it out for his own sadistic pleasure. You couldn’t beat him; you could only buy time.

“Yuma, run,” you screamed at your son, over and over, but he wouldn’t leave you. He refused to leave you.

Suki gripped Yuta tight, breaths staggering in and out. The tears streamed down her cheeks. “Yuma’s too scared to do it.”

“Do what, Suki?”

“Use his power.”

Yuta gawked. “Yuma has powers?”

“He hides them,” she said shakily. “They scare him. He doesn’t want to be bad. He doesn’t want to be a monster!”

Yuta knew that feeling all too well and it broke his heart. But his only concern in that moment was you. You needed a monster. Yuta cradled Suki’s cheeks in his hands and whispered lowly, “Tell him to protect his mother. Tell him to do whatever he has to do.”

Suki nodded.

The man braced his hands on his knees, winded, and chuckled. “You’re strong for a bitch.”

You were an unhinged creature, reduced to your most primal form. You had cut him with your nails, sank your teeth into his flesh. Anything you could manage to deter him from your child. Your own life meant nothing to you as long as your son could live.

The man grabbed you by the throat and lifted you off the ground, cutting off your oxygen. Darkness seeped into the edges of your vision. You clawed at his hands and kicked at his torso, but to no avail.

Yuma rushed over and wrapped his arms around the man’s leg.

In an instant, the monster choking the life out of you screeched and dropped to his knees, staggering back as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through him.

But not you. You coughed and choked, scrambling to get your bearings and reaching for your son. The tiniest shock pricked your hands and then it was gone. Yuma shuddered, jumping into your arms as fast as he could.

You looked at the man and knew he was dead. And you didn’t question it for a second. Hiding yourself in the corner with your son, you kept his head turned away.

Suki exhaled loudly, wiping at her tears.

Yuta asked, “Is it done?”

She nodded.

“Let’s go, baby,” he said, getting to his feet again.

There was a rhythmic drop from a leaky pipe above. It echoed in the silence of the warehouse. You knew it was only a matter of time before the others came to finish you off.

You peered up at your son as he held your face, your head in his lap. Your injuries were dire, you could feel it. Part of you wondered if you were bleeding into your own body. That was kind of a relief. Your son wouldn’t have to see you die in a pool of your own blood.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” you asked him gently.

Yuma frowned. “I don’t want to be bad.”

You simpered. “You could never be a villain, my Yuma. You have a good heart.”

Yuma looked at his hands currently cradling your face and said, “But my power hurts people.”

“Then, use it to protect us from bad people. Like you did for me.”

Yuma smiled, comforted by that. After a pause, he asked, “Are you okay, Mommy?”

“I’m okay,” you lied. Under no circumstances would you tell your son any different. You would hide your pain until the very end.

Yuma studied you. “I can’t feel your heart as good anymore.”

You steered one of his little hands to your chest and asked, “How about now?”

“Your heart sounds tired.”

You fought back the tears and rasped, “It is, a little. But if I need to protect you, it will beat hard again.”

“For me?”

“For you.”

Yuma leaned down to press a tender kiss to your forehead and said, “I will protect you too, Mommy.”

“I know you will,” you said with a smile, thinking of your husband. “You are your father’s son.”

“I want to be brave like Suki,” Yuma murmured, evoking the bond with his sister. He wanted to tap into her courage.

Reaching for his hand, you let your eyes flutter closed, running out of strength. “You are very brave, Yuma. No matter what happens, never forget that you are a dragonslayer living in a city of dragons.”

Yuma raised his chin a little higher. It was what he needed to hear.

Suki urged Yuta to stop and told him, “Yuma says Mommy’s heart is slowing down.”

Yuta tensed. His world was coming to an end. It had been beautiful while it lasted. Looking into Suki’s face intently, seeing you in every feature, he said, “Tell Mommy that I love her.”

“I love you too, Yuta,” you sighed, eyes still closed.

“And tell her to remember what she promised me.”

The faintest smile tugged at your lips. “I remember.”

You fell into that memory. You were young and reckless and in love. So in love it honestly terrified you.

“Yuta, I know we’ve been… avoiding this conversation,” you told your boyfriend, wringing your hands nervously. “But I didn’t know you felt this way and I’m sorry.”

Yuta waited. He had just confessed his love to you. Neither you or him had vocalized your feelings yet. There was a silent fence between your hearts, because you were on opposite sides of the law. And Hel.

You found your courage, risking your heart, and began, “I’ve never felt like this before. When I go to bed at night, I think about whether you got enough to eat. When I wake up in the morning, I wonder if you had nightmares or good dreams.”

Yuta swallowed the lump in his throat. He could feel the emotion rushing up his chest and heating his cheeks.

“When you kiss me, I feel like I can do anything. When I think about the future, I picture marrying you on a beach somewhere. I imagine spending days in bed with you. I want to have beautiful, happy babies with you.”

Yuta smiled. No one had ever wanted that life with him and little did you know, it was his most precious dream. One he had long convinced himself was unattainable. Until he fell in love with you.

You continued, voice trembling, “I want to get through all the decades of our lives together. Hand in hand. I want to watch the world change with you. Or burn. Whatever the fuck it decides to do.”

Yuta snorted, fighting back a laugh. Yeah, he could picture sitting beside you, watching the world burn.

He would never let the fire touch you. He’d probably be the one to light the match.

You walked toward him, confident. The twinkle in his eyes drew you closer. “I wanna grow old with you and tell our grandchildren about how things were in our day,” you quipped, then your tone shifted. “I wanna die in your arms and be buried beside you. Because next to you is where I belong. In life and death and whatever comes next.”

Yuta closed the rest of the distance and swept you up in his arms, kissing you with abandon and tangling his fingers in your hair. “I love you,” he said over and over between kisses. “I love you.” He seared those three words into every inch of your skin that night.

You had never known such all-consuming love before. You kissed him like you’d never kissed anyone else.

It was that moment Yuta knew he had to give it up. He was ready to leave the life of a villain behind. He would give you everything.

If you were going to die today, then so was he.

Yuta would not watch the world burn alone.

Suki eyed the warehouse. Her father was perched low to the ground, moving her behind him, but Suki wanted to see. The building was miles outside the city limits, rundown and abandoned. There was a strange aura about it.

Someone had cast a field around the perimeter. Though Suki couldn’t fully wrap her head around it, she knew that had been affecting her bond with Yuma. It was why they had felt so far away no matter how much her father ran.

“Suki, stay here,” Yuta told his daughter sternly, sweat dampening his hair. He’d sprinted to the point of exhaustion. “If anyone comes near you, do whatever you need to survive. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Suki knew her secret was out then. She gave him a solemn nod. “Yes, Daddy.”

Without his daughter in his arms, Yuta was free to break the sound barrier at last. Her little body couldn’t sustain his true speed. And so, the Viper coiled and struck. He vanished inside the building in the time it took to blink, kicking up dirt in his wake.

But Suki had no intention of staying put. She would not ignore her brother’s frantic calls, telling her their mother was drifting further and further away, and headed right for him.

Yuma’s fingers touched your cheek and you woke yourself up again. It was getting harder to stay conscious no matter how much you tried.

“Daddy’s here,” Yuma whispered under his breath.

You heaved a sigh. The weight lifted from your chest. You could finally let yourself slip away. Yuma was safe. Knowing your son would be alright, you had done what you needed to do and you could finally succumb to the darkness dragging you into its warm embrace.

Shouts began to reverberate through the corridors. Bullets fired made Yuma jolt in place. Something was happening on the other side of the wall.

A shadow was picking men off, one by one, before some of them could even draw their weapons. There was a tiny flicker of movement followed by the spatter and spray of blood.

Men wailed in horror. Their comrades fell to the ground, limbs ripped clean off their bodies or gaping holes left in their chests like a fist had punched through with the force of a fucking machine.

A few screams were cut short, belonging to those who had their heads taken clean off their shoulders.

“Suki,” Yuma exclaimed at the sight of his sister rushing toward him. Tears poured down his cheeks in relief.

Suki hugged her brother, but he kept his arms around your head, as if letting go of you would cause the last of you to part from him.

Yuta could feel himself slipping into that darkness, like an old friend he had cut out of his life because they brought out the worst in him. He could see you in his mind, telling him to stop. This isn’t you, Yuta, you pleaded.

But this was him, wasn’t it? Bloodlust. It was as potent a venom as any. The Viper was exacting his revenge. He was killing in the most evil ways possible.

Without a word, Suki lifted her tiny hand. The pipes groaned and burst. Water began to rain down in every corner, flooding the warehouse. She kept her arm outstretched and the water didn’t dare touch you or her brother.

“Yuma,” was all she said.

He carefully drew away from you, laying your head gently on the ground, and stood, reaching out toward the water.

You heard the crack of lightning in your dreams and then an endless collision of screams. Electricity surged through the water, amplified and lethal. Anyone touched by Suki’s water was consumed in Yuma’s sparks. Death was instantaneous.

Yuta could hardly believe his eyes as he ran. The water was up to his calves now, but it didn’t touch him. It coursed around him like a river around a rock. The water cleansed the blood from the walls and the ground, and swept away the remains of what he had done.

And now, there was no one left to kill. Yuta felt a tear slip down his cheek.

His babies had saved him from himself.

When he sprinted into the last room, breaking the locked door off its hinges with the force of his speed, his daughter and son looked toward him innocently. Yuma was once again holding your head, while Suki had her hand over your heart. The waters receded until disappearing completely, obedient to their masters.

Yuta spoke to the twins in his mother tongue, words they would remember for as long as they lived. His children weren’t dragon slayers, after all. They were dragons, just like him.

He hurried over and gathered you in his arms, surveying your bloodied, swollen face. For a moment, Yuta wished he had powers of resurrection. So he could kill those men again and again. But then he remembered what you had told him and let it go. For now. “Hang on for me, baby,” he whispered for your ears alone, knowing you could hear him. Wherever you were.

Still crouched, Yuta instructed his children to clamber onto his back. They clung to his shoulders and arms, and Yuta walked away, carrying his family with him.

You held Yuta’s hand tightly as you walked down the path between trees. Your eyes were on your children, the two of them rushing a few feet ahead of you. Every now and then, they would turn back to smile at you and their father.

It had been three months since that day; three long, grueling months of recovery. This was the first time you could walk freely with your husband and kids without needing to sit and rest every few steps as your body healed.

Yuta found an empty bench and you got comfortable, watching your babies rush to the playground to join the other children. Yuta looked with caution briefly, doing a quick scan of all the nearby parents before taking his spot beside you.

You patted his thigh and teased, “Everyone pass the villain check?”

“Mm,” was all he said.

You chuckled and leaned into his side, Yuta’s arm around your shoulders.

The two of you watched Yuma and Suki on the playground. Naturally, Suki was surrounded by other kids, giggling and running about. To your delight, Yuma had made a friend recently. The two were off in the sandbox together building castles.

“A little birdie told me that word of our kids’ powers has spread through the underground,” Yuta said a moment later.

You arched a brow. “Oh?”

“No one will be breaking into our house ever again,” your husband murmured.

“That’s not why.”

Yuta’s brows stitched as he turned to you. “What do you mean?”

You kept your eyes on your babies, watching them play, and replied, “I got a call last week.”

“From?”

“The force,” you said calmly. “They said the entire Cyrus Gang was wiped out.”

Yuta was oddly quiet.

“A silent killer. Gone without a trace. There’s no hard evidence, of course, but every last member in the gang was killed execution style. Except the leader, who was dramatically beheaded.”

Yuta shrugged, but his jaw was clenched with anger. “Good riddance.”

You faced your husband and whispered, “I know it was you.”

Frankly, you were surprised he’d waited this long.

Yuta stared you down, his eyes filling with that familiar darkness, and snarled, “I sent a message.”

“I’m glad you did.”

He was a little stunned by that. It wasn’t like you to sanction his violence. Yuta had a feeling this would be the one instance such retribution would be allowed. “No one would have ever dared hurt you back then. They thought I went soft. They’ll never think that again.”

Warmth filled your chest. This had been a reckoning not only for Yuta and your twins, but for you as well. “If you come in the viper’s den, you’re gonna get bit,” you joked, but there was definitely an edge to your words devoid of humor.

Yuta rubbed your arm. “The viper, the mama bear,” he said with a chuckle, then looked to Yuma and Suki, his face and voice filling with pride. “Tsunami and Lightning.”

You leaned your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes contentedly.

Copyright 2020-2024 © yutaholic (formerly zenyukhei) All rights reserved do not copy or translate without my permission!

[mynameismckenziemae]

Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone-Chapter VI

Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd x Female Reader (no use of y/n)

Goodbye for now

(previous chapter here, next chapter here)

Warnings: smut, same ol’ same ol’.

You wake up to a loud thump and groan from the living room. “Everything okay out there?” You call, too tired to check yourself.

“Yeah. I’m okay, Steve launched me off the air mattress.” Mickey responds with a laugh, “Not the ears, buddy!”

Bradley’s head pops up on the other side of Bob. “I know I was drunk last night but…we didn’t, uh…you know, me and you…with Bob?”

You laugh, throwing a pillow at him. “You’re an idiot”.

He laughs too, “I kid, I kid. I would definitely remember a night with Bobby here”.

Bob sits up with a yawn. “How’d you end up in here Brad?”

“Not sure. The last thing I remember is laying on the bed and telling you should try it, see to how comfy it is” Bradley says, trying to recall.

“Yeah okay, I remember now. I said why not and laid down too. Must’ve fallen asleep.” Bob replies.

“More like you both passed out,” you laugh, picking up your phone to show them the picture you got.

“Well, next time Sunny’s in the middle, Bob kept pushing me all night” Bradley complains.

“You kept nuzzling my neck with your mustache, it tickles!” Bob argues.

“Wait, Next time?” You ask.

“Yeah. Now that I know your bed is this comfy, I’m crashing in here every time I have too many beers with Pete.” Bradley says matter of factly as if you have no say.

Before you can argue, there’s a knock at the door. “Bob, I’ll take Steve out for ya. Penny’s making breakfast if anyone’s hungry” Pete says, already heading back down the stairs, Steve in tow.

You hear Nat and Jake stirring, talking with Mickey as you stretch. You’re all a little worse for the wear this morning, Jake’s missing his shirt, Mickey can’t find his shoe, and your hair is a rats nest, but hey-no one’s puking, so that’s a plus.

________________________________________

Pete takes a call when you’re all eating, everyone looking more alive with some food in them.

He comes back a few minutes later, looking grim. “That was Adm. Simpson. The mission’s been moved up. We leave tomorrow at 0800, and report to base at 0700.”

His words weigh heavily in the air, shifting the energy in the room from carefree to tense instantly.

“You too?” Penny asks. He nods, unable to meet her eyes.

Dread fills you at that. They’re all going, the best of the best. It’s definitely something serious.

Everyone finishes eating and cleans up in near silence, needing to get home to pack and tie up loose ends. You follow Bob to his truck, giving him a kiss and a promise that you’ll be over later, as you have to prep for the upcoming week first as well.

You strip the beds, vacuum, meal prep, and clean. As you’re putting the clean blankets back under your bed, you find the Polaroid camera you got for Christmas and a lightbulb goes off. You have an idea.

You find your prettiest lingerie and scroll TikTok for tutorials and poses before changing into deep red lacy boy shorts that hug your ass just right, paired with a matching push-up bra, you slip on a pair of red-bottomed heels you splurged on and you’re set. You set the camera on a step stool and set the timer. It takes a few practice takes, but you get it on the 3rd try.

You capture different poses in various states of undress. You have to admit, you look pretty damn good in the light of the early afternoon sun. You picture Bob finding them and getting all hot and bothered, jerking off to them. You end up pulling out your vibrator and bringing yourself off quickly, snapping a few pictures during, too.

You pick several of your favorites and place them in an envelope before writing: ‘For Lt. Bob Floyd’s eyes only’. You seal the envelope with a lipstick kiss and squirt a spray of perfume in the air before waving the envelope through it. Perfect.

You shower and pull leggings with an oversized tee before packing an overnight bag and you’re on your way.

________________________________________

Bob and Steve meet you at his door, taking the bag of takeout you picked up.

“All packed?” You ask as you kiss his cheek in greeting.

“Yeah, pretty much. I’m still waiting on a few things in the dryer. Not sure if you heard yet, but Mav said we can take our phones. We’ll have limited access but at least we’re allowed to have them this time”.

You breathe a sigh of relief. “Oh good.” You were dreading not being able to talk at all. The dryer dings and he leaves the room to get the clothes, you slip the envelope in his bag under some socks.

“I should’ve asked sooner, but my sister is stopping over in a bit to pick up Steve, are you okay meeting her?” Bob asks, plopping the clean laundry on the couch to fold it.

“I don’t mind at all. Annie, right?” You say, walking over to help him.

“Yep. She and her husband Mike, are taking the girls to Disney in 3 weeks, leaving on the 19th. Would you want to take Steve if I’m not back by then? I can board him if you can’t or prefer not to” he asks.

“Oh, I’d love to have him! I would’ve taken him the whole time but I’m not sure what my call hours will be yet, I’ll find out more tomorrow when I accept the position. I’m sure Amelia will kidnap him when I’m not home too” you joke.

“Thanks, that’s a relief knowing he’ll be in good hands. I hate this is all last minute,” he sighs, dropping the shirt he’s folding to pull you in for a hug. “I know this is new, but I’m—I just don’t want to leave you yet.”

“I don’t want you to either” you mumble into his chest.

________________________________________

You finish folding the clothes and help him pack, a little nervous that he’ll discover your gift, but soon he zips his duffle closed.

The doorbell rings as you two dish out the food. “Come in!” Bob calls.

“Hey, whose car is that in the drivew—oh, I’ll bet it’s yours. You must be Sunny…the pretty nurse from Minnesota that I keep hearing about?” She smiles, holding out her hand as Bob flushes.

You laugh, shaking her hand. “That’s me, and you’re Annie-the brilliant statistician and lifesaving sister.”

“I’ll take that over the ‘annoying little sister that he never wanted’ I heard all the time growing up” she teases.

“I literally only said that once…after you smashed the Hot Wheels track I had spent hours making,” Bob argues.

“Whatever you say. It’s nice to meet you though,” she smiles, turning her attention back to you.

“Likewise. Have you eaten yet? I brought plenty of food” you ask.

She nods, “I did. I’d love to stay and chat but I left the girls with the neighbor since Mike got called out to a fire. I wanted to bring them with me, but Harper keeps getting carsick if she rides more than 10 minutes and I really didn’t want Steve to eat it. Speaking of, I should really put a call into her doctor about that…” she rambles.

You try and hide your smile—she’s the complete opposite of Bob.

“It’s alright, I understand. Thanks again for taking him on such short notice. Sunny said she’ll take him when you guys go to Disney. I’ll FaceTime if and when I get the chance,” Bob says, hugging her.

“Be safe, okay? I love you” she sniffs, wiping her eyes.

“I will, I love you too. Tell Mike and the girls I say hi” Bob replies, voice cracking a little. You have to look away, or you’ll start crying next.

You take her phone number and text her right away so she has yours. She hugs Bob again and then takes off with Steve. The house feels too quiet.

You finish eating and clean up. It’s only a little after 7 but you both head to the bedroom.

Bob takes a seat on the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh. His head drops, obviously deep in thought. You step out of your leggings, and pull off your tee, leaving you in just your basic thong and bra as you pad over to him in your bare feet.

You lift his chin, surprised to see tears in his eyes. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just…scared” he replies, voice thick with unshed tears.

“Me too.” You reply softly before leaning down to kiss him.

He kisses you back slowly, sweetly, savoring every sigh and shiver. He rises and unsnaps your bra, pulling it down your arms before turning to lay you back on the bed. He strips off his tee with one hand and pushes his sweats off before crawling on the bed.

He kisses up from your ankle to your knee, knee up to your inner thigh. He places a sloppy kiss to your clit through your underwear, and you whimper as he moves on. He licks a path up your stomach, past your navel stopping to give your breasts attention. Your hands weave into his hair as he lavishes your nipples, sucking, nipping, flicking, teasing. “Please, I need…I need more” you whine, tugging lightly on his strands.

He surges forward for a kiss, thrusting his boxer-clad erection against your clit. The head of his cock catches your entrance and he stills, groaning lowly, feeling your wet warmth through both layers of underwear. He takes a shuttering breath before thrusting against you again, careful to not repeat it. “I want…cccan we? When I get back?” He pants into your neck.

“Yes, God yes, please,” you cry, getting close. Your fingers run down his back, before sliding under his boxer briefs to squeeze his ass, nails biting into his skin as you pull him into you harder. “Fuck!” He chokes out, cum soaking the front of his underwear. He continues rocking against you, and the added moisture is enough to send you over the edge too. You cry out into his neck, grinding your hips into his as you ride it out.

He catches his breath before pushing himself off you “I feel like a teenager again, dry humping in the backseat and jizzing in my pants,” he chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed.

“Me too,” you smile up at him, “the only difference is I never got back then.”

He crawls off the bed, slipping off the cum soaked boxers and balling them up, walking away to throw them in the hamper. Your eyes naturally drift to his ass and widen as you see the crescents your nails left. Those are gonna sting in the shower.

“I’m gonna do one last load of laundry, do you want to add yours? He turns back to you, nodding at your underwear. You nod, climbing off the bed to pull them off and hand them over.

You clean up and get ready for bed in the bathroom, putting on the pajamas he left for you.

He takes his turn after you. He returns to the bedroom and wordlessly turns off the light before climbing into bed next to you. He puts his head on your chest and you run your fingers through his hair, putting him to sleep before drifting off yourself.

________________________________________

As always, morning comes too soon. Your phone’s alarm startles you awake at 5:15. Bob rises as you hit snooze. 10 minutes later it goes off again and you turn it off with a groan. You are not a morning person.

You smell coffee brewing as the shower turns on. You hear a yelp. “Jesus Sunny! What’d you do to my ass?!” He hisses.

“Want me to kiss it better?” You say with a smile.

He doesn’t reply, but shower door slides open.

You laugh, stripping your pajamas off and get in behind him.

________________________________________

He brings you to orgasm twice, once with his fingers, and the second time with his tongue.

You kneel to return the favor, but only after you kiss each mark your nails left.

________________________________________

He hold your hand as you drive him to base. The ride is quiet and somber.

You pull in the lot shortly after Jake and Nat.

Jake pulls you into a hug as soon as you get out of the car, knowing you need it.

_______________________________________________

Soon, everyone’s here. You make your way around the other family members to you say your goodbyes, saving Bob for last.

“Bring him home safe?” You ask Nat. “Of course” she replies, tearing up a little.

“No cuddling Bob without me, alright?” You tease. “No promises” Bradley winks, giving you a bear hug.

Bob pulls you in and Bradley releases you, kissing you deeply. Someone wolf whistles and Mickey yells to get a room.

You pull away with a laugh, but tears are brimming. “I’ll be here with Steve when you get back.”

He nods as Admiral Simpson clears his throat. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I can” he whispers before kissing you one last time.

The tears flow as they walk away.

[kyuusberry]

can i can i can i request a fluff please? 🥹 a seeeeeuuuulgiiii fluff?

bear — kang seulgi

𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗲

𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆: 𝗻/𝗮

𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁: 𝟳𝟴𝟮

𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀: 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀.. 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗼 😓 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁!! 𝗶 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸

© 𝗸𝘆𝘂𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. 𝗻𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀. 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.

“love, pleaseeeee!” you pleaded, holding onto her shirt. “it’s soooooo cute!” seulgi rolled her eyes, hiding her smile.

“no, y/n. i have no money. i gotta save it on groceries and stuff for the members since it’s my week to buy it.” you frowned, letting go of her shirt.

“whatever.” seulgi’s neutral face turned into a frown as well when she heard your reaction. “baby, i’m sorry. really. i’ll make it up to you soon, i swear.”

“swear?” you raised an eyebrow. “swear.” she replied, a smile on her face. “let’s go then!!”

“where to? my treat — nothing too expensive. i still need to have money for rent and food..” seulgi sighed. “here!” you led her to a blind box figurine place, filled with things like smiski and sanrio.

“you can pick two. since they’re small.” you got distracted very easily, mostly just looking around and telling seulgi how cute they all were and how you couldn’t choose. not that she was complaining of course, she enjoyed seeing you happy.

in the end you ended up picking two of the smiski bed series. “they’re so cute! seulgi, look!! we can match! since they’re both from the same series.” your cheeks were slightly red and seulgi found it adorable. “wanna open them here or somewhere else?”

“let’s open it here.” your box had the smiski sleeping figure and seulgi had the fussing one. “they’re so cute. i can’t.” seulgi took you home and you didn’t want her to leave, but she had to go grocery shopping for the dorm — which was half true. she ended up going back to the mall and bought the bear stuffed animal you wanted.

“thank you so much.” seulgi smiled, the bear in a cute little bag and sealed nicely. she put it next to her in the passenger seat, a replacement for you at the moment and headed to the grocery store.

“hey, seul.” irene smiled, helping seulgi carry the groceries from the front door. “hi unnie.” irene’s gaze instantly noticed the small white bag on the floor. “what’s that?”

“a gift for y/n.” irene nodded. “what is it?” she asked, setting the bags on the kitchen counter. she began putting away everything, seulgi helping her. “just a stuffed animal she wanted.”

irene laughed, “you buy her everything she wants. she’s so spoiled. not that i’m complaining, but she is. even though you give her a ton of gifts, you better be treating her right. gifts are something, but the way you treat someone matters even more.”

“i know, unnie. i am. she deserves the world and i’m giving her the best i can.” she sighed. irene smiled, “you’re doing great, seulgi. don’t worry.”

“ugh, is there food yet?? we’re starving.” yeri groaned, walking out of her room with joy following behind. “there will be soon. where’s wendy?” irene looked up.

“bathroom.” joy was too busy on her phone texting someone. “hey! park sooyoung, who are you texting!” yeri tried taking away her phone to see. “no one!”

-

“who is it?” you asked, looking through the small hole in your door. you saw it was seulgi and immediately opened it, hugging her within seconds. “can i come in?”

“oh yeah! sorry.” you laughed awkwardly, standing out of the way so she could come in. you noticed she walked sideways so you couldn’t see her back. “hey, kang seulgi. what are you hiding huh?”

“surprise!!” she held out the bag and a bouquet of your favorite flowers. your eyes went wide, “oh my gosh, seulgi, thank you! you didn’t have to get me anything you know.. now i feel bad. and it’s not any special occasion.” your arms were around her neck, a smile across your face.

“let’s go to the living room to open it.”

-

“no way seulgi. seriously?? after you said no?” you looked at her with an “are you kidding?” face. you weren’t complaining.. okay maybe a little, but it was cute so you weren’t gonna. too much. “if you have no money it’s okay. i don’t mind. all i need is you.”

“i know, i know. but i felt a little bad.”

“seulgi!” you hit her arm, the brown bear stuffie in your lap. “it’s cute, so i think you should be happy.” she huffed.

“still, don’t spend your money on me all of the time! materials don’t matter much to me. it’s you that matters. you are my girlfriend after all. not my necklaces or food or this bear you got me.”

“fine, fine. i’ll refrain for a while.” seulgi put both of her hands up. “thank you, love.” you smiled, “i love you. i hope you know that.”

“i do.”

[jplupine]

Beast of Sunagakure: Part 2

Pairing: Gaara x AFAB Reader Word Count: ~8k Date Published: July 19, 2024 WARNINGS: 18+ MDNI, Monster!Gaara, Exophilia, Size Difference, Feral Behavior, Underwear Stealing, Marking, Vaginal Sex, Hair Pulling, Vaginal Fingering, Creampie, Getting Caught; Reader is AFAB but no gender is specified, Terms such as pussy/cock/etc. get used.

A/N: The art above was drawn by me! Gotta crop to make it Tumblr friendly </3 If you'd like to see the full image, you can follow the links here or read it on AO3.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Bonus You can also read it on AO3!

  "Oh, this is just wonderful." Your voice was heavy with sarcasm as you threw your clothes around.

  "What's wrong?" Gaara asked as he watched you from a few feet away.

  "Have you seen my underwear? I left them on that rock to keep sand out of them and now they're gone!" You picked up your bag to search it just in case they had been placed inside and you had simply forgotten. Gaara shrugged before glancing toward the opening of the cave.

  "The wind did pick up for a little while earlier."

  "You've got to be kidding." You went to the edge of the cave and peeked outside. Your eyes scanned the sand to see if the wind had blown the garment away. If it had, you couldn't see it. You groaned in frustration before going back to your bag. "Whatever. At least I have more."

  Pulling out a clean pair of underwear, you then got dressed to finish the journey home. Gaara would be returning with you as the beast to make it seem as if you had found him and were bringing him back. To make it more convincing, he was putting his shackles and muzzle on before he shape-shifted back into his cursed tanuki form.

  He shook out his fur and stretched before you both headed out into the desert and went in the direction of Sunagakure. Gaara used his larger body to provide you shade from the blazing sun crawling across the sky. It was easier crossing the desert with his help and much faster.

  When you could see the village in the distance, you took hold of the chain dangling from Gaara's muzzle. He huffed through his nose but followed your lead.

  Nearing the village, you could hear people yelling and rushing to get out of the way when they saw Gaara coming. A few screamed, but Gaara remained behind you. You swallowed while trying to maintain a calm appearance as you walked through the village. Your grip on the chain tightened.

  Best case scenario, you could get Gaara back to his cage before any elders or other village officials could interfere and have as little fuss as possible. In reality, you didn't make it far before you were stopped by the Kazekage himself standing in the middle of the road. His expression was firm as his gaze was settled on Gaara.

  Panic made your heart beat faster when his eyes drifted down to you.

  "You were taught to control the curse seals? I was not told anyone took you on as an apprentice."

  "Um, no." You cleared your throat. "I-I found him wandering the desert on my way home. He recognized me and thought I would have food for him. Thankfully, I had a lot of provisions from my cousin's wedding to give him." You hoped talking about Gaara as if he were more like an animal would be enough to convince Rasa that you didn't know the truth about Gaara. There was a stretch of silence as you were scrutinized before the Kazekage stepped to the side.

  "Come. We should have him properly fed before he gets the urge to hunt." You felt relief wash over you. "It must have been terrifying being alone with him." Rasa spoke while walking.

  "Oh, yeah." You nervously laughed. "When he charged at me, I thought I was done for until he was shoving his head into my bag to get the food. The muzzle got in the way, so I had to help him." You were quick to spin your story and add details to lower suspicions.

  "You're not going to ask how he escaped?"

  "I wasn't sure I should. I was guessing something must've gone wrong while he was being transported because of the muzzle."

  "I commend your ability to stay calm in such a situation. I'll take it from here. This is where you live, is it not?" The Kazekage stopped outside of your home, and you glanced at it before looking back at him.

  "Yes, sir."

  "Go. Rest. You must be exhausted." Rasa took the muzzle's chain from you only to have Gaara resist. The Kazekage looked Gaara in the eye with a silent, threatening expression.

  "Thank you, Lord Kazekage." You bowed out of respect before turning to go inside. When you looked back, Rasa was dragging Gaara away.

  The next time you saw Gaara was when you returned to your work duties. He looked okay as he could be, alert and with his ears perked in your direction. His bright eyes were a welcome sight compared to when he was aggressive or indifferent.

  "Good morning, Gaara." You greeted him while unloading his breakfast from the bucket you carried. Judging by his behavior, you truly didn't need to worry about being attacked anymore. You got his food through the bars before taking off your gloves as Gaara came over to eat. "I don't know about you, but I could hardly get any sleep last night. I was too worried about what the Kazekage might be doing to you."

  Gaara huffed and started eating.

  "I'm serious!" You leaned against the bars. "I could barely bring myself to leave you alone with him. He looked pissed." Gaara's ears tilted down before he nodded, letting you know the Kazekage had indeed been very angry with him. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" He shook his head. "Good. That's a relief." You sighed.

  Having Gaara finally responding to your idle chatter also felt nice. Talking to yourself before was a bit hollow.

  When it came time to clean his cage, you were more comfortable being in there with him than last time. Gaara also seemed more relaxed while watching you scrub the floor. His gaze didn't feel as predatorial either.

  Rattling came from behind you along with metallic scraping. Looking over your shoulder, you saw Gaara in his human form and pulling the shackles off his ankles. Your eyes widened and darted around to make sure only you two were there.

  "Gaara? What are you doing?"

  "I want to talk to you."

  "About?"

  "I want to help. Show me how to do this." Gaara guided you further away from his bed. You were immediately suspicious as he took the scrub broom from you.

  "What are you hiding?" His eyes locked with yours and he looked like a caught mouse.

  "What? I'm not-"

  "You think I'm not used to you hiding crap in your bed? I have to change out your bedding today, so you better tell me. I swear if I find another slobbery bone-"

  "You won't!" Gaara waved his hand as he blushed.

  "Right." You had a dry tone before going to his bed to look.

  "I'll change the bedding!" He tried to stop you, but you knew exactly where he tended to hide things among the straw. You pulled up the floral fabrics you already knew he had.

  However, with the headscarves was something else you knew belonged to you but didn't know he had. Holding it up, you spun on your heel to look at Gaara who now had a bright red face.

  "Gaara!" You yelled while shaking your fist clutching the garment. "Is this my underwear?!" He averted his gaze while crossing his arms. "You are a pervert! And a little liar! Wind blew them away, my ass."

  "I can explain."

  "Yeah. Explain why you stole my dirty underwear. Pretty sure I can guess." You then looked at the underwear you held as your brows furrowed with confusion. "Wait, how did you even steal these? You don't have any pockets." Gaara lowered his head as his jaw clenched.

  "I....tucked them into one of my shackles." His ears were nearly the same shade of red as his hair.

  "You didn't think this through past doing that, did you?"

  "I won't argue about my actions being impulsive. They were."

  "You need to learn to ask for permission instead of just taking my things." You pointed at Gaara, and he looked at you with wide eyes. "Being a little pervert is one thing, a thief is another."

  "You say that as if you would give them to me."

  "I don't know. I seem to like how you want me so badly you act like an animal." You shrugged. "It makes me feel better about the thoughts I've had about you." He was visibly caught off guard by your words. There were a few seconds of utter silence as Gaara stared at you before you raised your eyebrows at him.

  It was hard to tell what was going through his head.

  Then he took a step closer. His eyes now looked hungry as he was stalking toward you. He only stopped when he stood close enough that you could feel his breath on your skin and his gaze studied your face.

  "You have thoughts about me?" His voice had dropped in tone as he cocked his head to the side.

  "I do."

  "Then in the cave.... That wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment thing?"

  "I'll admit I did have ulterior motives at first. But I meant it when I said that I was coming back to you. I worried about you the whole time I was gone." You were being honest and hoped that he could tell.

  "What ulterior motives?" His brows slightly furrowed.

  "To tell the truth? I was planning to jerk you off so you'd be less inclined to maul me." There was another pause before the corners of his mouth curled up and he laughed. Gaara's laugh was sweet and reached his eyes; it made your heart skip a beat.

  He was a pretty beast and a pretty man. The way his eyes seemed to glitter in the sunlight coming through the barred windows made you momentarily forget your circumstances. Gaara covered his mouth with his hand while still smiling. His closeness and expression had your heart beating faster.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to be so blunt."

  "Is that smile worth a kiss?"

  "You want a kiss?"

  "Well, it's either you give me a kiss, or I steal one like you've stolen my things." You waved your underwear and headscarves.

  "Is this threat also with ulterior motives?" His question made you lean in closer until your noses were only centimeters away from each other.

  "Yes. To get you to kiss me." You saw his eyes drift down to your lips. "I won't tell if you don't." You whispered with a smirk.

  Gaara closed the distance between your mouths to kiss you. One of his hands came up to cradle the back of your head as his fingers laced through your hair. His other hand grabbed your hip to pull your body flush against his. You tossed the garments you held behind you to drape your arms over Gaara's shoulders.

  As his lips moved in time with yours, you slid your fingers up the back of his neck. You knew you shouldn't be doing this with Gaara given the chances of getting caught being a lot higher than back in that cave. But one little kiss couldn't hurt, could it?

  The way he kissed you was hungry; full of craving as he held you impossibly close. It made your knees feel weak. After tasting this forbidden fruit full of desire, no other man could compare.

  Gaara pulled away only to kiss along your jaw and down your neck. He inhaled your scent and softly growled.

  "You smell sweeter."

  "What?"

  "Stress is bitter." He muttered before grabbing the back of your thighs to lift you. A gasp left your mouth when you found yourself on your back and Gaara on top of you. His face was buried in your neck and shoulder as the straw beneath you rustled. "I've watched you get plumper and sweeter. It makes my mouth water." His lips were on your skin when he pulled your collar to the side. "I tried to behave. But I could never forget your touch or the way you sounded."

  "Tried to behave? You stole my underwear, Gaara." You scoffed.

  "I didn't think I could have you." He grazed his teeth over your exposed skin, his sharper canines causing goosebumps to rise in their wake. Gaara's tone and his mouth on you made you realize keeping it to 'just a kiss' would be harder than you thought; how quickly things had escalated and you were now in his bed.

  You both were dancing on the edge, pushing just how far you would go. It was only supposed to be a one-time thing in that cave, but as Gaara had said, you also could never forget what happened between you two then. It was hard to think straight with him so close.

  "But you want me. That much I know is not a trick." Gaara brushed his nose right under your jaw while slipping one of his hands between your thighs to cup your core. Your eyes fluttered closed as you took in a shaky breath. Your grip on his shoulders tightened from his fingers rubbing over your pussy through your clothes. "That scent doesn't lie."

  Opening your eyes, you pulled Gaara's face away from your neck to look at you. The silence between you was sparking before you pulled him in for a kiss. Your tongue slipped past his lips to caress his, and Gaara yanked your apron off. He pulled at the rest of your clothes to have skin-to-skin contact and threw them to the side.

  You moaned into the kiss while grabbing his hips to pull his body closer to yours. Feeling the warmth of his skin as his palm ran up your side made a shiver of delight go up your spine. His erection was pressing against your inner thigh until you spread your legs more, allowing him to get comfortable while lying against you.

  His weight on top of you was bliss as you nipped his bottom lip. Your hands on his hips moved to go up his back. Gaara's breath faltered before he pulled away from the kiss for air. His deep blush had reached his ears and made his pale eyes stand out even more.

  He lowered his head to kiss down your throat, and you leaned your head back to make it easier. His hands wandered, touching and groping anywhere he could reach. Gaara craved with his entire being, memorizing your body with his hands and lips as his kisses went lower.

  He bit down on your chest hard enough to leave a mark near your heart. Gaara then licked the bite to help soothe it. Something about the bite made your skin buzz with excitement. His desire to mark you, to leave some evidence of his touch that lasted longer made you feel good.

  You watched him kiss and nip more places over your torso. Gaara's lips were so gentle before the sting of his teeth followed, then the soothing wet heat of his tongue. It drove you wild, made worse by thinking of what else he could do with his mouth even in his beast form.

  Gaara turned his face up again to look at you while holding your hips in place.

  "I can't wait any longer." His voice was breathy as he panted.

  "Go on, then." You bit your bottom lip while looking at his hard cock hovering over your core. Your hands were on Gaara's shoulders again as you watched him penetrate you. Being smaller in his human form made it easier, and his hips were soon flush against yours. Your hands on his shoulders moved to cup his face and guide him into another kiss.

  His hunger for you was insatiable as his tongue slipped into your mouth and his hips began to rock. He was slow at first, processing every sensation at once before his hips snapped. Gaara had you moaning into his mouth over and over again just to devour the sound. His chest rumbled with a low growl when your fingers tangled in his hair and pulled, the sound vibrating not only his body but your own as well.

  You quickly forgot about everything else; your chores, your circumstances, and even the risk of being caught was no longer on your mind. Gaara was all you could think about as he pistoned his cock and grabbed the back of one of your knees to raise it higher.

  The new position allowed him to go deeper and grind against your clit. Gaara rested his forehead on yours while moaning and panting, breathless from the kiss. He leaned on his elbow placed near your head while still holding your knee up.

  "You may need to keep my cage locked when you ovulate. I don't know what I might do now knowing how you feel and taste." Gaara groaned while going balls-deep in your pussy as arousal leaked down over your ass. The thought of him driven feral with need for you made you clench around his cock.

  You moaned and let the waves of pleasure wash your worries away. Gaara rolled his hips, putting more pressure against your clit to make you squirm beneath him.

  "Fuck~!" You cried out while tugging on his hair. "Please- Oh, fuck!- Please do that again." Gaara obliged, making you clench around him again.

  You pulled his hair to bury your face in his neck. His grip on your leg tightened as he went harder, making you moan louder into his skin. Gaara growled with satisfaction and maintained his heavy pace to keep hearing you.

  Your nails dug into his skin as your toes curled. Gaara bucked when you began to leave sloppy kisses on his neck. You nipped his warm skin, and hearing the way his breath shook, you bit harder, making him groan.

  Gaara was falling apart on top of you, grinding and thrusting while moaning near your ear. When you bit down hard enough to leave a mark, he couldn't take anymore. His cock was buried to the hilt as he was coming. You licked the bite while smirking and holding him close.

  Listening to him panting, you could feel his racing heart against your chest. Your fingers in his hair loosened their grip and began to gently rub his scalp to help him calm down.

  "I'm sorry." His voice was quiet.

  "Hm?"

  "I'm sorry." Gaara let go of your knee. "You didn't get to-"

  "Stop. It's okay." You cut him off and kissed his cheek. "If it really bothers you," You grabbed one of his hands and raised it. "you can use your hands." He watched as some of his fingers disappeared in your mouth. His chest rumbled with his eyes locked on your lips and tongue.

  You weren't able to leave until hours later, body still buzzing and delightfully exhausted. Gaara wanted to explore you and had done just that. The fact that you left without underwear also meant you had to go straight home and get cleaned up.

  It was clear things between you and Gaara would never be the way they were before. You began to bring him more gifts, starting with a small potted succulent to put in the window. When asked about it, you would say that it was an attempt to make the place less barren and easier to work in. The elders would roll their eyes but let you keep the growing number of plants in the windows.

  All the while, you would sneak into Gaara's cage to spend time with him when no one else was around. From cuddling and sharing stories to sex that left you breathless, your relationship with Gaara grew. When he was in human form, you loved it when he smiled and clung to those moments.

  "Who would have known this was all it took?" A woman's voice made you look up while you were wiping your hands off on your apron. You had just cleaned up after feeding Gaara and returned to see a blonde woman standing near one of the windows, touching one of the potted succulents.

  "I'm sorry, I don't understand." You said, and the woman looked back over her shoulder at you. You froze when you realized she was the Kazekage's daughter.

  "You've been his caretaker longer than most. He even seems to like you." Her gaze drifted over you before she glanced at Gaara. "I wanted to know why. You don't seem all that special. You can't even control his curse seal." Temari's tone was steady as she spoke. "You also aren't the first to try being kind to him. In fact, the last person who tried to be kind to him ended up unrecognizable. So I couldn't understand what made you different." She then looked at the plants in the window again.

  "I wish I could tell you." You chuckled nervously while shifting your weight on your feet.

  "There's no need. I can see it now that I'm here." Temari crossed her arms. "You actually mean it. I heard you talking to him earlier. You were genuine in asking him how he slept and how he was feeling. Being genuine is something I've never seen anyone do for Gaara." She turned to face you and got closer. "You walked with him right into the village without being attacked or anyone else getting hurt. It has people asking questions."

  "What? Why?"

  "Do you really have to ask?" Temari suddenly grabbed you and shoved you against the cage bars. With one hand on the back of your head, she had your face pressed against the bars. Gaara was snarling with his hackles raised as he paced the cage. "He won't attack you. He attacks everyone if given the chance. My brother and I have scars to prove it. Gaara isn't some stray dog who starts obeying after being fed, and we all know it. People are thinking you're a witch."

  "I'm not!"

  "I know." Her grip loosened as she looked at Gaara. "But you should be careful." Temari backed away from you and moved to leave. "The Kazekage always puts the village first. If what you've done has weakened Sunagakure's greatest weapon, he won't take kindly to that."

  The silence that followed her warning was tense.

  "She knows, doesn't she?" You muttered while staring in the direction Temari had gone. "About you, I mean." Looking at Gaara, you saw him turning into his human form before grabbing the cage bars.

  "Yes. I wasn't always locked away. Hurting them is how I got here." Gaara averted his gaze to look at the ground. "It was harder to control when I was younger. People hurt me, so I hurt them."

  "Then Temari and Kankuro aren't going to be on your side anytime soon."

  "No." Gaara shook his head. "Which means you need to make sure no one learns that you know."

  "Do you never want to leave this cage? You don't have to keep going through this." You cupped his cheek in your hand while studying his expression.

  "It's better that I'm here."

  "How? You're not some wild animal, Gaara." He didn't respond while holding the back of your hand as he turned his face to nuzzle your palm. You sighed through your nose and didn't push the matter any further.

  Your heart ached seeing him remain here like this. He looked at you and softly sighed through his nose.

  "There's more to that story."

  "What?"

  "The last person who tried being kind to me. Temari doesn't know what really happened." Gaara looked away as his grip on your hand tightened. "He tried to kill me. What I did was in self-defense."

  "I believe you." You muttered while brushing your thumb over his cheek. Getting to know Gaara, the real Gaara behind the raging beast, you learned that he was full of pain and had been lashing out his entire life. However, he was always honest about the things he had done even if it hurt.

  After Temari's visit, it didn't seem as if she was planning to make regular appearances. It was like before when she avoided Gaara. It didn't seem as if she told the Kazekage her thoughts about you possibly making Gaara weaker either given the fact that you retained your position as his caretaker.

  And when you stood in front of his cage with another potted succulent in your hands, holding it in front of your face while peeking over the plant, you knew. Hiding your smile with the succulent, you watched as Gaara's eyes softened and a smile pulled at the corners of his lips. He made a joke about how many plants were now filling the windows and spilling onto the floor but it wasn't a complaint. Hearing his light tone and seeing his soft smile, you knew you were in love.

  You also knew that could get you in so much trouble. Had you fallen in love with any other man in the village, it wouldn't be an issue. But you had to go and fall in love with the Beast of Sunagakure.

  What sort of future could you two possibly have? You didn't want to be sneaking around all the time just to be with him. What you wanted was Gaara out of that damn cage.

  Your concerns for Gaara would keep you awake some nights. You would toss and turn, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep, but your mind wouldn't stop racing. On one of those nights, you couldn't take it anymore and got up.

  The silence of the night surrounded you as you walked through the empty village with only a few drunkards stumbling about on their way home. It didn't take you long to reach the building where Gaara was kept far away from the rest of the villagers. Using your keys, you got inside without being seen and locked the door behind you.

  Quietly making your way deeper into the building, you entered the room with Gaara's cage. He was sound asleep and curled up in bed. Moonlight through the barred windows provided enough light for you to find your way to the front of his cage to unlock it.

  Gaara stirred when he heard your key turning in the lock with a twitch of his ear. He tiredly blinked while raising his head to watch you come closer.

  "I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep." You muttered while rubbing the back of your neck. "If you want me to go, I will." Gaara shook his head, much to your relief. His tail straightened out as he was shifting his body as if to get up. "Actually," You stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

  He raised a brow in question, and you set the keys on the floor before timidly slipping under his arm while crawling into his bed. Gaara rolled onto his back with you lying on top of him. He looked down at you as you rested your cheek on his chest and heavily sighed.

  The sound of his beating heart beneath your ear filled the silence. You relaxed against him, and Gaara draped one of his large arms over your back while crooning. Running your fingers through the soft fur on his chest, you listened to his heart.

  Gaara nuzzled the top of your head, comforting you as your stress began to ease. Your fingers twirled around his fur, his warmth soaking into your bedclothes and reaching your skin. You wished you could stay like this without having to sneak back home before the morning light.

  You raised your head to look at Gaara with your chin resting on his chest. His head tilted as he looked at you. With a soft smile, you leaned up to kiss the tip of his nose. He huffed through his nose before licking your cheek.

  Chuckling, you grabbed his face to litter it with kisses. On his cheeks, forehead, nose, and temples. Gaara's chest softly rumbled with a growl that nearly mimicked a purr. He was loving the attention and your touch.

  Gaara made a sound like a rolling chirp when you rubbed the base of his ears. His arm over your back pulled you closer to his face. Burying his head under your chin, he was breathing in your scent as your fingers went through his hair and fur.

  "Look at you being so sweet." You cooed, and his tail curled. Rubbing one of his ears, you smiled. "You should've been nicer to me sooner if this is what you wanted." Gaara huffed through his nose again, the warm air hitting your neck and chest and making you chuckle.

  You wanted to be able to do this every night.

  "My lovely Gaara." Your voice was soft as you traced your fingers along his jaw. Gaara gave a pleased rumble as his tail slowly swayed, letting you know that he was still enjoying the contact. "Maybe next time I'll sneak you out to my house." His ears perked up. "Oh, you like that idea, do you?" You chuckled, and he nodded. "I could bring a cloak to disguise your human form. Then I could make us dinner."

  Gaara was quietly listening to your musing as you ran your fingers through his hair. His tail coiling rustled the straw in his bed.

  "After dinner, we could have a bath. Nice and warm. You'd end up smelling like me, though, unless I get you your own soap." You hummed but felt Gaara shake his head. "No? You don't mind using my soap?" He shook his head again. "All right, then. We could even help each other wash up. I often have some trouble getting my back. You'd help me with that, wouldn't you?" You asked as your hand went down the side of his neck and over his chest to his shoulder.

  Gaara nodded after a short pause. His ears were low and his heart was beating faster. Looking at Gaara, it didn't take you long to figure out why he wasn't as relaxed as before. While you were talking, he was imagining.

  "See? You're so sweet." You pretended not to notice the changes in Gaara and continued to talk. "My bathroom is pretty small, so it'd be a tight fit for both of us in there. We can make it work if you don't mind being close to me. Hmm. I won't have to fill the tub as much with you in there, though. If I did, there'd just be water getting everywhere." Your fingers traced lazy circles in his short fur. "And then we could cuddle in my bed. It's not as spacious as yours, but you should be able to fit with me in your human form."

  There was a quiet groan from Gaara that made you scoff in amusement.

  "What? Don't want to squeeze in? Sorry, prince. I can't afford a luxurious house. It's also a good thing you don't think I stink because everything smells like me in there too." You softly sighed but watched as Gaara's ears moved and his breath faltered. "I'm beginning to think you like that idea; being surrounded by me. Well, you'd have to behave for me to be able to sneak you through the village. Think you could be a good boy for me?" Your voice went softer, and his ears turned back as his hold on you tightened.

  Gaara nodded to answer you while turning his face toward your neck. You knew his mind was racing now even if you couldn't tell exactly what he was thinking about. Flattening your palm against his chest, you heard his tail twitch across the straw. His tongue slithered out to lap at your throat.

  "Is something on your mind, Gaara?" You asked as a smile pulled at your lips. He gave a soft whine from the back of his throat. "Are you uncomfortable? I can lay beside you instead-" You moved to sit up only to have Gaara pull you back into him. Chuckling, you kissed his temple. "So if that's not your problem, what is?" He huffed, his warm breath rolling over your skin.

  There was another soft whine as Gaara nuzzled your jaw.

  "Oh, I think I know what it is." Your fingers circled the dark spot on his chest. "You're thinking about me naked, aren't you? Soaking wet from a bath. Skin warm and soft beneath your hands." You purred as your hand went down his torso. "The smell of fresh soap clinging to my hair. Sheets soaked in my scent." Gaara groaned low, making his chest vibrate beneath you. "I can sneak you over tomorrow if you're that interested. But for tonight...." You trailed off while lifting your tunic higher up your thigh.

  Gaara's gaze followed your hand, watching as more of your skin became exposed. When you glanced back, you saw that Gaara's hard cock was already leaking with precum. Looking at him with a smile, you scooted down his torso to press yourself against his erection. He moved his arms to give you more room.

  Slipping off your underwear, you then took off your tunic. Straddling Gaara's hips, you leaned back while placing a hand on his thigh for stability. His cock was pressing against your ass while your other hand traveled over your body.

  His breath quickened as he watched you. Your hand went down your torso before your fingers spread yourself wider. There was a low growl from deep in Gaara's chest as he stared at your pussy on display for him. His tongue hungrily licked his maw while watching your fingers glide through your arousal. You circled your entrance and up to your clit.

  Your breath faltered from how you touched yourself. Gaara couldn't look away, drinking in how the moonlight lit your skin and made your wetness glisten. His eyes were begging for more.

  Letting your head fall back with a groan as you rubbed the throbbing bud beneath your fingers, you bared your throat to Gaara. He sat up, taking his chance to taste your skin with his long tongue curling around your neck. Your hand on his thigh moved to push against his chest.

  "Lie back down." Gaara hesitated with a whine before doing as told. He was eager, needy, and you had been teasing him with fantasies. You made him watch as you slid your fingers into your pussy and coated them in your slick. Gaara looked so close to snapping.

  Pulling your fingers free, you lifted your hips to bring Gaara's cock in front of you. Your wet fingers smeared your arousal along his shaft as he groaned. You hummed while swiping your thumb over the tip of his dick, using his precum along with your slick as a lubricant.

  Placing one hand on his stomach, you lined up his cock, running the head between your wet lips until it slipped into place. Lowering your hips, you felt yourself stretch to accommodate his thickness. Gaara whimpered when you took all of him as his fingers twitched and his claws flexed.

  Closing your eyes with a sigh, you took a few seconds to adjust. Gaara rested his arms above his head to dig his claws into the straw. Raising your hips, you sank back down to the hilt. You set a slow and steady pace at first while readjusting to get a better angle.

  Gaara grunted as his face twisted with pleasure. You rode him with your hands running up his sides. His back arched off the bed when you clenched around him, his sharp intake of breath making you smile. He couldn't keep still beneath you, twitching and groaning with your arousal dripping down his balls.

  You picked up speed after planting your hands on his chest. Rising and falling on his cock, you moaned and panted, feeling his soft barbs from deep within. His head rolled to the side as he panted and his claws left scratches on the bed beneath the straw.

  His mouth hung open from his heavy breathing as drool dripped from his fangs. Gaara's gaze drifted down, his muscles twitching as he watched your body move. His eyes settled on his wet cock you were busy bouncing on. He groaned as his keen ears picked up the slick sounds coming from between your thighs along with your shaky breaths and moans.

  He could see how your body stretched around him and felt how it clenched and squeezed. You liked how lost he looked. He could easily roll over and mount you if he wanted, but he was instead letting you ride him as he squirmed.

  Gaara bucked, driving his cock deeper when his tail smacked against the bed and floor. You moaned as your nails dug into his fur. His chest rumbled beneath your hands, sending vibrations up your arms.

  "Does it really feel that good, pretty boy?" You purred, and Gaara's ears turned back as he whimpered. You knew that if he was in human form his blush would be spreading down to his chest from how he was acting. He managed to nod before licking his maw with a groan. "I can't believe just talking about- Ngh!- spending the night together got you this riled up. You're so cute." One of your hands slid down his torso, fingers ghosting over his abdomen and around his belly button before going lower.

  His body arched toward your touch as if seeking more of it. Gaara rocked his hips up, giving more of an impact when you sank down on his cock. You cursed through a moan and leaned back to place your other hand on his raised knee. Gaara continued to thrust his hips in time with your movement while gripping the edge of the bed above his head. Your hand that had gone down his torso now went up to your clit.

  Rubbing circles over it, you felt yourself clench around Gaara's dick. His entire body tensed as his lip curled into a snarl to bare his fangs. He watched your hand work while trying to keep his hips moving steadily.

  Your grip on his knee tightened. It was difficult to focus while seeing the way Gaara looked at you and hearing his sounds of pleasure as his cock filled you. You could feel your orgasm building and added just a little more pressure to your clit. You bucked, Gaara's name spilling from your lips with a breathy voice.

  Gaara's grip on his bed was harsh enough to break a piece off in his massive hand. The damage wasn't enough to make either of you stop, so close to the high that nothing else mattered. Your thighs burned and clenched around Gaara's hips. Your blunt nails were digging into Gaara's thigh when you finally climaxed.

  Your orgasm was the last straw for Gaara, his head rolling back as he bellowed. You were locked in place by his barbs while feeling his cum flooding your core. Your body was buzzing and sensitive, feeling every twitch of his cock buried inside you. He groaned as his body relaxed, and you let your gaze wander over Gaara.

  The rise and fall of his broad chest, the drool leaving a sheen on his jaw, and the way his fingers spread and closed into a fist as if to keep himself grounded. When his cock and barbs began to soften, his body began to shrink from him shifting into human form. More of his cum spilled out and dripped down his balls before he propped himself up on his elbows to look at you.

  Seeing the little smile on your face was all it took before he reared up and grabbed your face to kiss you. It was sweet and hungry, his arms wrapping around you to hold you against his chest. Your fingers slid into his hair to deepen the kiss, but then you caught a glimpse of the chunk missing from his bed and began to laugh.

  Gaara was confused for a second before realizing what you were laughing at. His lips curled upward with a laugh bubbling up that made your heart flutter. His pretty eyes glittered in the moonlight as you both laughed together over the broken piece of the bed discarded on the floor.

  Until Gaara suddenly stopped and his head whipped in the direction of the windows. He tensed, making you follow his gaze to see what he was looking at.

  Never did you think someone other than you would come to see Gaara in the middle of the night. He was feared by nearly the entire village; who other than you would possibly dare come here in the dark? And yet, despite everything, someone was standing outside and looking in through one of the barred windows with eyes wide in shock.

  Dread settled in your gut. How much had this person seen? You were naked in the arms of a man in the Beast's cage; it wouldn't be hard to figure out what was going on.

  "Gaara, what the fuck?!" The man outside whisper-yelled before looking away as if to check his surroundings. Gaara quickly leaned over to grab your tunic and shove it into your arms.

  "Get dressed." He rushed to move you off him before getting up. You did as told, pulling your tunic over your head before searching for your underwear. Gaara remained in human form, and it wasn't until the man outside came inside that you recognized who he was. Seeing the man's face made you feel even worse.

  "What in the fuck is going on here?!" Kankuro hissed while standing outside of the cage. The silence that followed was deafening. Gaara grabbed your wrist to pull you closer as if he was worried something might happen. He stood straight with his shoulders squared and a serious look on his face.

  "We were having sex."

  "No shit."

  "Then why ask?"

  "Are you kidding me? We all know what you're like, Gaara. I'm asking how the fuck this happened." Kankuro waved his hand.

  "Do you seriously want me to answer that?"

  "Yes!"

  "I became aroused, and then they took my penis-"

  "Are you stupid?! I don't need you to tell me how sex works!" Kankuro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose while his other hand was on his hip. You had to cover your mouth to keep from laughing. You weren't sure if Gaara was trying to frustrate his older brother on purpose or not. "You nearly took out my eye once, so finding you giggling and balls-deep in someone is the last thing I expected to ever see. Temari said you took a liking to your caretaker, but I didn't think it was to this degree."

  "What are you doing here anyway?" Gaara asked while crossing his arms.

  "I was coming to talk to you about what Temari told me. Wasn't sure you'd talk to me, but clearly, I got my answer regardless." There was an awkward silence as they looked at each other. Even if they were brothers, they were not close, and Gaara stood unmoving and unspeaking like a statue.

  A naked statue with bits of straw sticking out of his hair.

  "Could you at least cover up?" Kankuro sighed, and Gaara lowered his hands to hold them over his crotch. "You know this is going to cause problems."

  "Don't push me, Kankuro. I won't waste time with threats if you put them in danger."

  "Look, I'm not saying I'm gonna tell. But if you two plan on fucking next to uncovered windows, I'm not gonna be the only one seeing something. Now can we backtrack to how this even happened to begin with? You're not exactly known for being the cuddly type."

  "....It's complicated."

  "I got that already." Kankuro glanced at you. Your hands were clutching the sides of your tunic as you kept quiet to let Gaara handle whatever this situation was developing into. It was looking as if Kankuro was going to keep your and Gaara's secret.

  You just couldn't figure out why. With the brothers not being close, what reason did Kankuro have to keep what Gaara was doing hidden from the Kazekage?

  "Just tell me what you want." Gaara's tone was steady and cold.

  "We can talk about that in private." He then looked at you again. "I can walk you home."

  "They're not going anywhere with you until you tell me what you want." Gaara remained firm. He was suspicious and acting with caution. Should you worry about what Kankuro might do?

  "Gaara...." He trailed off before sighing with both of his hands on his hips now. "Seriously?"

  "Yes."

  "Fine." Kankuro paused while looking at the ground until he finally looked at Gaara again. "I'm next in line to lead the village, but I have no desire to do so. I want you to find someone to take my place when the time comes."

  "That's a lot to ask of me. I wouldn't think you'd entrust such a task to me either."

  "Well, I've got quite the bargaining chip now. Even if I don't want to tell our father about your secret little nighttime visitor doesn't mean I can't." Kankuro raised his eyebrows, and Gaara glanced at you from the corner of his eye.

  "I'll do it."

  "Good." The sealed deal left you a bit confused, but you weren't going to ask Kankuro why he didn't want to be the next Kazekage. Not at the moment, at least.

  "It's late. You should go home." Gaara turned to you before cupping your face in his hand to kiss your forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow." He then kissed your cheek before whispering to where only you could hear him. "I'm sorry you have to clean up the mess by yourself." Your cheeks burned, well aware of what he meant since his cum had been soaking into your underwear the entire time you patiently stood by as he and Kankuro talked.

  Kankuro did indeed walk you home after leaving Gaara. It was quiet and awkward given the circumstances. What were you supposed to say to the man who caught you having sex with his younger brother?

  "So....why don't you want to be Kazekage?" You asked after turning a corner.

  "I'm just not cut out for it. I've seen what it's done to my father trying to manage everything all these years. I know I couldn't do that." Kankuro heavily sighed while putting his hands into his pockets. "So....you and Gaara?"

  "What about it?" You averted your gaze, not sure what he was going to ask next.

  "How did that happen? I know you're his caretaker and all, but I can't see how you decided a beast was a good idea for a lover."

  "Gaara's more than just a beast." You muttered. "Like he told you, it's complicated. One thing just seemingly led to another."

  "I'm kind of jealous."

  "What? Why?"

  "I'm still single, and yet Gaara who spends most of his time snapping and growling somehow got you." Kankuro sighed with slumped shoulders. You couldn't help but laugh at his pouting but tried to hide it behind your hand. "Yeah, laugh it up. At least I'm not dumb enough to have sex next to open windows."

  "At least I am having sex." You popped off without thinking and immediately regretted your words. If you angered Kankuro, he could go back on his deal with Gaara and tell your secret.

  To your relief, he burst into laughter.

  Entering your house, you went to get some light in the dark room. Gaara slipped in behind you, shutting the door and locking it before he reached up to pull back the hood of his cloak. He took in his surroundings as you walked to the cupboard to get out ingredients for dinner.

  "I think you're right."

  "About?" You asked while setting out food.

  "Me leaving the cage. For good." Gaara's words made you look at him.

  "Really?"

  "I want to...." Gaara glanced away for a second before locking eyes with you. "I want to be the Kazekage. But I'll need your help." You froze while processing what he'd just said. "Will you help me?" There was some uncertainty in his eyes until you gave a reassuring smile.

  "Of course I will."

[password-door-lock]

It’s the afternoon of the twins’ birthday, and after a quick trip to pick up ingredients, the three of you are ready to test out the present that you got for the pair of them. “I never could have imagined something like this,” Saeran muses as he carefully measures ingredients. He’s always so precise with recipes— you guess that comes from his background in baking, where ratios matter very much. “I would have loved it if I’d been able to play with it as a child.” 

Saeyoung dries the blue sphere off with a kitchen towel and sets it on the table. “If I’d known they existed, I would have got one for you.” 

Saeran laughs easily. He’s now far enough removed from his childhood that he can laugh about it, and you don’t miss the significance of the gesture— on top of being a sign that Saeran has healed from his past, it’s also a reminder to Saeyoung that nothing that happened to the twins in their youth was ever his fault. Saeyoung, too, was a child, even if he was never allowed to act like one. “But maybe it’s better that we waited until now. Now we get to make a happy memory, just the three of us.” 

“That’s true,” Saeyoung admits. “MC, could you pass me the ice?” 

“Sure thing.” You place a bag of ice on the table beside the ice cream maker, careful not to disrupt Saeran’s work as he pours some heavy cream into a measuring pitcher. Unsurprisingly, he had most of the ingredients in the kitchen already, aside from the food coloring that Saeyoung requested. “Did the instructions say we could kick it around outside?” 

Your understanding is that this ice cream maker is meant to be tossed and rolled around, though you can’t imagine that it was intended for adults to kick with all their might outdoors. Saeyoung shrugs. “The instructions didn’t say we couldn’t kick it around outside.” 

Saeran considers the situation. “Let’s play with it inside. Maybe we should put down a tarp in case it spills.” 

“You’re so responsible,” Saeyoung sighs, but there’s a glint in his eyes. You know that he spent a good chunk of his life praying that Saeran would have the kind of life he has now, one where the preservation of area rugs is of the utmost priority and afternoons can be spent playing with novelty toys. You also know that Saeyoung probably never imagined that he would get to share that life together with Saeran. “But if we’re getting a tarp, then that means we get to really kick it.” 

Saeran grins at this. “The box says ‘roll and kick,’” he points out, “We wouldn’t be following the directions if we didn’t roll it and kick it. What do you think, my love?” 

“I think it’s up to you,” you decide. “And anyway, if it doesn’t turn out well, we have regular ice cream in the fridge, so there’s really no risk.”

“Mhm,” Saeran agrees, watching as his brother fills the sphere up with ice. “But I think it will turn out well. It’s meant for children, isn’t it? So three adults shouldn’t have too much trouble. Oh, Saeyoung, don’t forget the salt.” 

Saeyoung gladly accepts his brother’s offering of salt and pours it into the ice cream maker before sealing the bottom. “Okay,” he announces, flipping the sphere over easily. “Now it’s time to make some ice cream.”

Saeran carefully pours the ingredients in. “MC, my angel,” he addresses you, sure to include you even as he and his brother heal their inner children. Both twins are already sporting wide-eyed expressions, and the ice cream hasn’t even been made yet. “Do you want to put the food coloring in?” 

“Absolutely,” you grin, finding the package of food coloring. It easily contains a full rainbow. “What color are we using?” 

“All of them,” Saeyoung tells you. 

At the same time, Saeran says, “We can start with red.” 

“This feels like a scheme,” you confess, locating the red food coloring and dropping some of it into the ice cream maker nevertheless. “What’s the scheme?” 

“Saeyoung wanted rainbow ice cream,” Saeran explains, “We talked about it this morning, after you gave us the machine.” Of course they did. 

“But we realized right away that it wouldn’t work if we put all the colors in at once,” Saeyoung adds helpfully, “Since everything would blend while we were kicking it. So we figured out how to do it.” 

“How?” You ask. You should have known that the twins would use their childlike wonder to make something magnificent. They’re both so creative, after all, and it’s no surprise that they’ve dedicated so much time to thinking about sweets. 

“We’ll make layers,” Saeran explains, “Since the ice cream won’t be totally frozen once it comes out of the ball.” 

“We can spread it out in a baking pan,” says Saeyoung. It truly is dizzying to watch them finishing one another’s thoughts this way. “And put it in the freezer in between so they don’t blend.” 

“I guess these are just the benefits to making roll and kick ice cream with two geniuses,” you shrug, accepting the afternoon you’ll spend contributing to this very thoughtful ice cream scheme. “Now, come on, let’s roll and kick.” 

“As you wish,” Saeyoung sweeps into an elaborate, playful bow, before closing the ice cream maker tight and carrying it into the living room. 

“Mhm. Whatever you say, my love,” Saeran adds, opening a tarp that he’d already left sitting on an armchair. You can’t help but be endeared by the fact that he must have been thinking of the possible mess before you even went to the store to procure the ingredients for this venture. 

The three of you spend about twenty minutes kicking the ball around on the tarp before pouring the red ice cream— which looks much better than you expected, considering how cheap the machine was— into a baking pan. “Ah, we’d better try it, just to make sure it’s good,” Saeyoung advises, pretending to sound woeful. 

“Of course,” Saeran agrees, feigning seriousness. You have to cover your mouth to stifle a giggle. “MC, darling, open wide.”

“I get the first taste of your birthday ice cream?” You ask, incredulous. 

“It might be bad,” Saeyoung jokes, “So you’re the first victim.” It’s nice to hear him joking around again, but something feels different about his tone now. You can practically feel the gratitude in every word.

“I’m sure it’s good,” Saeran assures you, “But if it isn’t… you are the first victim.” He grins, eyes lighting up as he regards you with joy. You could kiss him.

“I knew this felt like a scheme,” you grumble, but of course, you do as you’re told and open your mouth. 

Ever indulgent, Saeran feeds you a spoonful of the ice cream. You can already tell that you put in a bit too much food coloring— it’s probably going to stain your tongue. But, then again, it looks like ice cream, aside from being bright red, and it tastes like ice cream, too. “Oh!” Your eyes widen. “This is really good! Is this… cinnamon flavored? I didn’t see you sneak the cinnamon in!” 

Saeran smirks at you. God, that’s such a pretty look on him, especially when his eyes are so plainly full of mirth. “Feed it to me next.” 

“Ugh, lovebirds,” Saeyoung pretends to complain. Over the course of the past few months, he’s adopted this phrase from Yoosung, who has been using it on you and Saeran since the first time he saw you in the same room together. “Save some for me, okay?”

You pass him a comically oversized novelty ice cream scoop (which probably came from his own collection, now that you think about it) before using a regular spoon to get some ice cream for Saeran. “Open up,” you sing. 

 Saeran closes his eyes and opens his mouth before accepting the spoonful of ice cream. “This is good,” he agrees, “We did a good job.” 

Saeyoung, who has located his own spoon and tried the ice cream for himself in the time that you and Saeran were staring into each other’s eyes and feeding one another, nods in agreement. “I’ll help you make more, but we need to add some rules to the roll and kick game. Right now it’s like a free-for-all, and there’s no way to earn points.” It does sound exciting to make an actual game of your ice cream-making venture, rather than just rolling the ball around and chatting.

“Is this what it would have been like to play with a ball together as children?” Saeran wonders, still smiling. 

You half expect this casual phrase to devastate Saeyoung. After all, he doesn’t tend to take well to any commentary about his childhood. Instead, he breaks into a wide grin. “Of course,” he says, before taking another spoonful of ice cream. 

[mothfables]

V. Growth Spurt

After over a year of sleeping in one place and eating good food, Ravio has a growth spurt. Link shows him why this is a good thing

(inspired by @breannasfluff’s cute fic Seal Cuddles!)

“Ravi?” Link knocked on the bedroom door before opening it. He glanced into the room to find his partner standing before their full-length mirror, shirt pulled up to his chest and frowning at his reflection. Link slipped inside and shut the door, making his way over to stand behind him.

“Ravi, what’s wrong?”

The merchant startled and squeaked, dropping his shirt to stare at him through the mirror. Link met his gaze, concerned. Ravio’s arms slowly rose to curl around him, as if he was trying to hide himself from view.

“It- it’s nothing, Link, I-”

“Ravi.” Link’s voice was firm as he met Ravio’s eyes. “Obviously something’s bothering you. I’m not going to leave you to deal with whatever it is alone.”

Ravio stared at him for a beat more before sniffling. One hand came up to wipe at his eyes, and Link felt a pit begin to grow in his chest. “I-I-I think I might be sick. I don’t- this has never happened before, I-”

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” Link soothed. He stepped forward, reaching out to wrap his arms around Ravio’s waist. The other boy did nothing to stop him, but he tensed as Link’s arms encircled him and pulled him back against his chest. “Whatever it is, we’ll-”

Link paused. Blinking in surprise, he gave his arms an experimental squeeze. Nope, not his imagination. Ravio was watching him anxiously, rupee-green eyes still shimmering with unshed tears. Slowly, Link unwound his arms until just his hands sat on his partner’s hips. Hips that were no longer sharp and bony.

He took a closer look in the mirror. Ravio’s skin was a healthy colour, not pale like it might have been if he was ill. The bags under his eyes looked lighter, making his eyes appear brighter than usual. He was still in his pajamas, and Link noted that his sleeves were no longer so loose - they actually looked like they fit now, and he could just see the tips of Ravio’s fingers peeking out of the ends. His collarbone no longer jutted out of the edge of his shirt. And, Link noted with some surprise, he stood a little bit taller than the hero now. And his stomach-

The pit in his chest disappeared, replaced by something warm.

Link released his hold on Ravio’s hips and turned the other boy to face him. He went with a startled sound. Link’s hands found his waist again and he found himself smiling at the softness there.

“W-what is it? Why are you looking at me like that?” Ravio was staring at him, arms still wrapped tight around his stomach. Link breathed out a laugh and nuzzled him comfortingly.

“You’re not sick, Ravi. If anything, I’d say you’re getting better.” Green eyes blinked at him in confusion.

“Are you sure? B-but I felt so awful for a few days and now my clothes all fit differently and- and I don’t know what happened!” Ravio’s voice rose to a wail. Link clucked his tongue and cooed, rubbing soft circles into his waist with his thumbs.

After a minute or so Ravio calmed, though he was still sniffling. He released his death-grip on himself to lean against his partner and bury his face into the hero’s shoulder. Link rested his head against the other boy’s, swaying the two of them slowly.

“It sounds to me like you had a growth spurt, that’s all.” He felt the merchant’s nose scrunch where it was tucked against his neck. “Ravio, remember when you told me what it was like growing up in Lorule?” A slow nod. “Well, since coming here you’ve had constant access to a good bed, plenty of food, and you’ve had no need to keep moving every day to stay safe. Your body has been able to rest and store energy without needing to focus on survival. It probably felt safe enough to use that energy and help you finish growing.”

“...Huh.”

Link hummed before perking up and he steered them over to the bed as a plan began to form in his mind. He got them both sitting down before leaning into Ravio until the merchant fell back against the pillows. As he sputtered in surprise Link scootched down until he reached his stomach. He pushed his shirt up, shooting a glance at the other to make sure it was okay, then dropped a kiss right onto his bare tummy.

Ravio squeaked. He didn’t sound uncomfortable or unhappy with the action, though, so Link kept going, pressing more kisses against soft skin with loud ‘muah!’ sounds. Ravio started giggling, squirming at the sensation of lips against sensitive skin. Link slipped his hands under his back to keep him from getting away and moved on to his hips. The skin dipped and folded where it didn’t before; where once it was stretched thin enough he could see the shape of the bone underneath, it now held a padding that acted as a cushion he found extremely comfortable. He smooched each hip with a grin.

Ravio was laughing, slapping his hands against Link’s shoulders as he wriggled. “L-link! Link, s-st-stop! Hahahaha!” The hero obliged and dropped one last kiss before pulling his shirt down.

He wasn’t done, however, and shuffled upwards so he could reach Ravio’s collar, pressing kisses to the bone there. It, too, was no longer painfully visible. Instead there was only a slight dip, made deeper as the merchant squirmed. From there, Link moved to cradle his partner’s face, only to grumble when he found the angle too awkward.

Ravio snickered as Link tried to find a position that would let him hold his face comfortably but ultimately gave up and propped himself up with his elbows on either side of the other boy’s head.

Link leaned down to give him a happy nuzzle but paused, staring closely at the merchant’s face. For his part, Ravio could only stare in befuddlement as Link’s eyes sparkled and he exclaimed:

“Rav, your cheeks are round!”

“...What?”

“Your face isn’t so thin anymore. I’m glad, it makes you look...” Link hummed, tilting his head this way and that in thought. Then he grinned. “You’re even cuter now!”

And with that he peppered the merchant’s face with kisses, only adding to the bright blush overtaking his cheeks.

A few minutes later, Link scooted back down to lay on Ravio’s chest with his head propped on his arms. Ravio had his own arms wrapped around his hero, his blush dying down to something more manageable as he caught his breath.

“Link?” A questioning sound came from the hero cozy on his chest. “I-I know you explained, b-but are you sure this-” Ravio bit his lip, uncertainty making him anxious again. “Are you absolutely sure this is okay? That it’s... normal?” His voice cracked.

“Ravi... Of course it’s okay. You went through so much, your body needed time to heal. Don’t worry about it too much. Besides,” Link reached up to tuck a lock of dark hair behind an ear. “I’ll be here to remind you whenever you need it.” He smiled, suddenly cheeky. “And give you all the kisses you need to help you remember too.”

Ravio snorted. “And here I thought I was the one who initiated most of the kisses in this relationship. But- thank you. I’m here for you too, you know.”

“I know, Ravi. I love you.”

“I love you too. And... thank you. Again.”

“Of course, Rav.”

[georgiedoodles]

📚Broppy CollegeAU | "Campus Days"

Part 5: Locker #A340

Tuesday, week 3 of 16.

“BRANCH!!” arms quickly wrapped around his shoulders, it’s a pair of pink hands resting under his neck; a certain someone seems to be getting more comfortable with being touched. Branch turned to look over his shoulder and saw Poppy grinning ear to ear with excitement.

“How come you’re in line for the lockers already? Isn’t class about to start in a few minutes?” Poppy peeks over his shoulder to see a long line of students waiting for registration, Branch seemed to be the 20th person in the queue.

Branch faced forward again, “Well, last week the professor said we’re excused from the class to get our lockers, after all we’re doing independent work today, there won’t be a lecture to miss out on.” Branch patted her hands, holding her arms and gently swaying.

Poppy swayed along, it felt nice to be this close to him. Luckily, she left her portfolio and tote bag at their station, so she avoided another trip inside. Soon enough, the queue started to move, and students were getting their lockers. Branch and Poppy sign their names on a card which included the locker number [A340], the locker code [11-4-16] and the building it was at.

“Do you want to check out the locker or go back to class?” Poppy asked while holding the card, taking a photo of it with her phone. Branch gave it a moment and nodded, “No, let’s wait until after the class to drop off our stuff at the locker. I even brought a locker divider to help us utilize more space.” He smiled and walked along side Poppy back to class.

The classroom was quiet, the professor seemed to be late, and everyone was confused. A good 20 minutes after class had begun and there was still no sign of him, not even an email through their school app. Then a student got up, packed up his things and left the class. One by one, everyone followed his example and left, it looks like class is canceled today. Poppy and Branch looked at each other, waiting for one of them to pack up and leave.

“Hey Branch?”

“Yes Poppy?”

“What do we do now?” never breaking eye contact, she was hesitant, she never had this happen to her before. Branch reached under his cart and collected his belongings; Poppy mirrored his actions and they both left together. They made their way to their locker, dropping off some of their work and utensils before they walked toward the café, they had nothing else to do for the time being.

“I’m kinda hungry, did you want coffee and snacks, or did you want actual food to eat?” Poppy brushes out the knots at the end of her ponytail with her fingers, glancing over to Branch.

Branch hummed, thinking about his schedule, they had a few hours to burn, “Let’s get actual food, I have about 3 hours before I need to head to my next class” He adjusted his backpack, it was a lighter now that they offloaded their stuff earlier. Poppy nods and makes their way to the cafeteria, pulling out her wallet from her tote bag at the same time. In the cafeteria, Poppy orders a breakfast curry burrito with a bottle of orange juice, and Branch orders a grilled chicken sandwich with apple juice. Poppy paid for their food and sent Branch to find some seats for them, he carried both of their trays to a table.

“Thank you Branch~, it was super sweet of you to bring my tray aswell.” She patted his shoulder and sat down across from him. Branch smiled and happily took a bite from his sandwich. Halfway through their breakfast, Poppy’s mind started to wander, she was unknowingly staring at Branch when he ate a particularly saucier part of his sandwich, she watched him lick his bottom lip to clean from any sauce running down his chin. She wondered what his lips felt like. When branch reached for his juice, she watched him break open the seal of his apple juice, his jaw is very defined when he tilts his head back to take a sip.

Soon enough, Poppy started to wonder something about him, ‘Does he have a girlfriend? Has he ever had a girlfriend?’ She took another bite, chewing very slowly, thinking deeply about her friend’s personal life a bit more. ‘I wonder what kind of partner he is, maybe he’s soft and clingy? What if he’s the opposite of how he is now?? Like, what if he’s assertive and- ‘

“Poppy? Uhhh hello? Earth to Poppy?” Branch waved his hand in front of her face, trying to bring her back from whatever world she’s in.  

“Huh? OH” Her cheeks burned up and quickly composed herself when she noticed Branch staring at her. “Don’t worry *cough* I’m fine, I just had some… homework on my mind.” She sipped her juice, trying to seem normal.

“Ookaay.” He brings his sandwich up to his mouth, taking a small bite and watching Poppy’s movements carefully. “What kind of homework is it? Did you need help doing it?”

“It’s uhm...” Poppy and Branch lock eyes, he continued to eat and wait for her response. “I can do it myself, don’t worry” She laughs awkwardly, imagining them kissing for an assignment. “What kind of class do you take after our art class?” She changed the subject, she wanted to think about other things instead of what Branch’s lips taste like.

Branch takes another sip of his juice to clear his throat, “Well it’s a prerequisite class that I need for my other history class, it’s just a lecture that I have to sit for twice a week.” He shrugged, taking the last bite. He organized the trash on their table onto his tray. Poppy felt a bit full, so she packed her burrito for later, and cleaned up the rest of their area.

They both stood up to leave “So what now? We have more than an hour before you leave” Poppy threw away their trash and left their tray on top of the bin. "We could always go to the library and finish some of our homework together, maybe some of the study group rooms are available for us to use." Branch thought about Poppy's assignment she was thinking about, this would be a good time for them to get stuff done together. Poppy nodded, and they both made their way to the library. 

Inside the Library was cold and the air felt crisp, Branch walked to the kiosk in front of the librarian's desk to reserve a study group room. Fortunately, one room was open for an hour before the next group reservation. Inside the room, it muffled most noise, so the students using it could talk at a normal level without disturbing the ones studying outside of it. In the middle was a large round desk that Branch and Poppy sat at, and behind them was a large whiteboard that took up the entire wall. Branch set up his laptop and took out his textbook and notebook. Poppy pulled out her iPad and mounted it on her keyboard. They both sat in silence, to Branch it was peaceful and put him in a studious mood. On the other hand, Poppy felt like the silence was too loud, she could hear her heartbeat in her ears and her thoughts seemed louder, so she slipped in her earbuds and played some white noise. 

Poppy was not used to being alone with Branch, she was used to a pair of carts putting some distance between them, but there were no carts, and he felt so far away from him. She stretched out her legs to feel closer to him, at the same time, Branch stretched his out to also feel closer to her. Their shoes touched and Branch apologized, when he was about to pull his legs back under him, Poppy quickly spoke up,

"Actually..." She blushed at the idea, "You can leave your legs out, it feels nice to know I'm not that far away from you." She felt shy and instantly regretted her words.

Branch smiled, reaching his legs out, and touched the noses of their shoes gently, a fuzzy feeling blazed through him. This felt very intimate for both of them. Poppy always held hands, hugged, cuddled, or took naps with her friends. Yet, this felt different, she could tell that they both had some desire buried under their friendship. Poppy and Branch wanted more, but they didn't know what that more was. All Poppy could do was use her legs to link their ankles together, it's as if they were holding hands.

It stopped feeling cold in the room, it felt warm and cozy. Butterflies were swarming in their stomachs. They were entranced by the other's touch, distracting them completely.

Before they knew it, the hour was up, and they were disrupted by the next group that needed the room. Branch and Poppy left the library, and neither got any work done.

Previous Post | Next

[creative-frequency]

Astarion x Reader: Contradictions and Other Counter-Measures Ch.4

Summary: Finally you get someone around the camp who can cook. It's a shame that he can't take special diets into account. Word count: 2087

Previous chapter

CHAPTER 4: Sunbathing

After pulling the mighty Gale of Waterdeep from his self-imposed predicament (and slapping the wizard’s dangling hand before helping him, much to Astarion’s delight), your party of now five members takes a moment to rest and prepare in camp.

Everyone was quick to forget their initial shock of a daywalking vampire spawn and you think Astarion seems to be in a better mood with the heavy secret off his chest. Unfortunately, better mood in his case seems to correlate to being a pompous, exuberant and decidedly flirtatious asshat.

At least Gale seems to be the perfect gentleman, much to Astarion’s chagrin. The wizard is also quick to make clear his love for cooking, essentially volunteering to become the group’s designated cook.

You get to know each other in the midst of preparing supplies for a late lunch with Gale and Shadowheart. Lae’zel is out hunting. Astarion hangs back, pretending to read one of his books but you just know his ears are perked up, waiting for the moment the conversation turns interesting.

“Gale, do you know how to make potato scones? We have some potatoes left in one of these bags,” you say and rummage through a box to find the said bag.

“Oh certainly!” Gale perks up with a smile. “It would be my pleasure to cook them for you the next time we camp, my lady.”

He bows. You giggle in a manner that your noble-born parents would be proud of. Astarion sneers from behind his book.

“It was about time to have someone eager to cook here,” Shadowheart quips, reminding you how none of you have had a proper meal since being taken by mind flayers. Or well, maybe Astarion has.

“Say no more, Shadowheart. I shall take care of all your culinary needs henceforth,” Gale boasts, “But first, I’m going to fetch one of my favourite recipe books. Ladies, just a moment, please.”

Gale runs back to his tent. You and Shadowheart glance at each other with faint, accepting smiles. The wizard is a welcome addition to your group and his arcane knowledge will surely come in handy in the adventures to come.

Unfortunately, not everyone is as delighted about your new companion.

“What a charming fellow that magician of yours is,” Astarion says dryly, as if he has not been waiting for the chance to say a couple of choice words about Gale.

“Yes, if by ‘charming’ you mean polite, funny and very much helpful,” you reply and motion towards the ingredients.

Astarion’s eyes narrow and he slams the book shut.

“Don’t be so crestfallen, Astarion. You got, well…” Shadowheart shrugs and counts her fingers. “I guess one out of three depending on the circumstances,” she says coolly.

“I would’ve used ‘over-enthusiastic’,” Astarion continues, unamused. He turns away to retire inside his tent with the book.

You heave a sigh and rub your temples. Apparently vampire spawns could die from being co-operative and kind.

“Everything alright?” Gale questions as he returns with the recipe book. It looks well-loved and surprisingly thick.

“Yes. What would you need today for cooking? I’ll pack the rest away and seal it so it doesn’t spoil.” You glance one last time at Astarion’s tent and decide that trying to force him to be included in camp activities isn’t worth it. At least not yet.

“An excellent idea. Let me see…” Gale muses and opens the book.

His claims of being a wizard in both the occupational sense and in the kitchen prove themselves true when you finally taste the stew he created from whatever you had laying around. It’s a miracle you even happened to have cooking utensils and a pot.

“Gale, this is the best meal I’ve had in this camp,” Shadowheart praises and promptly proceeds to devour the food, disregarding all lady-like manners.

“Even though the standards were exceedingly low,” Lae’zel reminds her. “Eat quickly, we will still need to move before nightfall.”

“Yes, yes…” you hum in reply and weep at not having time to enjoy the lunch properly.

“Astarion, please, help yourself,” Gale says and motions towards the almost empty cooking pot.

Astarion scoffs at the offer and his turned up nose scrunches. “No, thank you.”

Gale’s brows furrow, but Astarion is not done. You strive to chew the food faster in case an intervention or a polymorph is needed.

“Such culinary delights are not exactly for me,” Astarion continues in a derisive tone.

“You look like you could use a hearty meal, though,” the wizard points out with a shrug. He seems more confused rather than irked at Astarion’s unfriendliness.

“Might I say, when I choose to have a meal, rest assured – it won’t be of your making,” Astarion says.

Gale’s brows furrow. “And might I say you’re ill-mannered and rude for refusing even to give it a taste, but to each their own, I guess.”

Astarion sneers at Gale and just as the wizard notices the suspiciously protruding fangs, you intervene. You step up in between the men and shoot a decimating glare at Astarion.

“Apologies, Gale, we forgot to tell you about Astarion’s special diet: he is a vampire spawn,” you explain.

“You can’t just go around telling people that,” Astarion screeches and glares back at you.

Gale takes in the revelation without so much as a blink.

“Oh. In that case, Astarion, I’d like you to know that I taste extremely bad. Also apologies for what I said about your manners,” he says matter-of-factly.

“No, he did deserve it,” you add in a huff before Astarion can graciously forgive Gale.

“So the tadpole allows you to walk in the sun. How curious.” Gale taps his chin, examining Astarion.

“Apparently yes, now if you’ll excuse me, I shall go enjoy the day up the hill where it’s less crowded.” Astarion turns on his heels dramatically and stomps away.

“Dramatic as always,” Shadowheart mutters.

“Excuse me,” you say to Gale and Shadowheart, pick up one of the food baskets and hurry after the petulant vampire spawn.

Astarion plops down on the lush grass at the top of the hill. The sky is cloudless and the sun casts its warming rays on his pale skin. Looks like he is almost glowing as he takes in the sunshine. It must be unimaginable to be able to leave the shadows and bask in the daylight. He reminds you of the cat that used to enjoy resting on top of the warm baking oven back at home. Though the cat didn’t have the tendency to try and bite you.

The hill is steeper than it seemed, so Astarion can definitely hear you trudging after him, trying to catch a breath.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have blurted your secret out like that.” Carefully, you sit down next to him. “But you could’ve been nicer to him.”

Astarion sighs and leans back on his hands, turning his face upwards to the sun. “No matter. At least Gale took it unexpectedly well.”

“Mm. Our next companion might not,” you continue.

Astarion glances at you.

“True. But we still have bigger issues,” he remarks.

Your tadpoles hum in recognition, but you’re quick to block out the connection. Since the initial meetings after the crash, you’ve done your best to stay out of your companions’ heads.

“What do you have there?” Astarion asks to change the subject, nodding towards the basket.

“Dessert. Sugar buns, bananas, pomegranate and sunmelon.” You glance at him, unsure. “I’m assuming you don’t want any?”

Astarion’s lips curl into that wicked half-smile and you brace yourself.

“Oh there is something far more tastier than bread and fruits.”

He takes your hand and brings it to his lips, slowly, with ample time and opportunities for you to draw back. His touch is cool; his body temperature is clearly lower than yours. You can see the small quiver as he inhales the scent of your skin; your blood.

“I’m not your afternoon snack, Astarion,” you say quietly, but at the same time realise how weak it sounds.

The corners of his lips curl up and he looks directly into your eyes. “No, darling, you are a five course meal.”

Your heart speeds into such a rapid pace that you feel faint. For a fleeting moment you think he is going to bite your wrist, but he only presses his lips on your palm and lets it go. The spot tingles after his touch.

You turn away and busy yourself with the contents of the basket to hide your burning cheeks. Astarion’s behaviour seems to be getting bolder with each passing day. You’re not sure if you mind or not. Biting at the slightly stale sugar bun, you sit in silence under the sun. Astarion’s eyes are closed, face angled to welcome the warmth. Like a cat indeed.

“What does it taste like? Compared to actual food?” you ask to break the silence.

“What, blood?” Astarions brows furrow in thought. “I… would not really know. One could compare it to wine tasting, but that misses the whole macabre point of it.”

He turns to look at you. The underlying sadness in his eyes makes you regret asking in the first place.

“It’s been so long,” he adds solemnly.

You nibble at the sweet dessert with your appetite lost. “How long has it been since you were turned?”

For a moment you think he won’t answer.

“Almost two hundred years,” he utters softly, but you gather that he doesn’t want to discuss the subject more.

Another silence falls and you’re left pondering Astarion’s answer. As a human, two hundred years is a timespan you can’t even begin to fathom. When you’re done crumbling the rest of the bun for the birds, Astarion speaks up in a sly tone: 

“Well, princess. I was honest with you, what do I get in return?”

You pick a pomegranate and a knife from the basket and start cutting the fruit’s top off. “What would you like to know?” you reply dubiously.

“Would you like some help with that?” he asks, eyeing the blade.

“No, thanks– Hells!”

Of course the knife slips and makes a clean cut to the pad of your thumb. The pomegranate rolls to the ground. Your first instinct is to look up at the vampire spawn in horror and wrap the hem of your blouse around your hand.

“Clumsy, are we?” Astarion asks and tuts, eyes glinting ominously.

“Don’t even start,” you grumble and apply pressure to the cut for it to stop bleeding as fast as possible. “What did you want to ask me?”

“To speak the truth, your life does seem rather tedious, but I could be persuaded to partake in your picnic,” Astarion remarks with a smirk.

Before you can ask what exactly he means, he grabs the wrist of your injured hand and yanks you towards him so hard that you have to clutch his chest to steady yourself. His other arm curls around your waist, pulling you intoxicatingly close to his side. The whole swift manoeuvre is expertly performed.

“Astarion! Quit joking,” you hiss, but he hushes you.

You watch as your own hand is lifted in front of your eyes. Astarion’s mouth opens just enough to reveal his fangs, hovering right above the bleeding cut. The blood is quickly creating a trickling course down your wrist. Astarion’s piercing red eyes hold your gaze and you can’t help but stare back, almost mesmerised.

“Stay very still,” he purrs.

You feel how the tips of his fangs touch your skin and his lips press around them. His tongue skims generously across the wound and a jolt shoots through your body.

A feeling is set alight in you and from somewhere in the back of your mind springs an explanation that you don’t wish to hear: It’s exciting.

You gasp in horror and pull your hand back.

“You–! You can’t bite people without asking,” you cry, full well knowing that his fangs barely touched you. The cut is still bleeding and making a mess of your favourite camp shirt.

“‘Bite’ is a bit of a stretch here,” Astarion notes and makes a show of licking his lips clean. “You taste absolutely divine, darling.”

You grab the basket and promptly shoot up from the grass. So much for a nice afternoon chat with Astarion.

“I was only trying to help.” He has the audacity to throw a smirk at you.

“Asshole,” you mutter and stomp back to camp, half-wishing he would even try to stop you but it doesn’t happen.

-

Next chapter

My Writing Masterlist

[somany-fandoms-solittle-time]

In A Sentimental Mood: A Ruggie/Yuu Oneshot

Some quick Housekeeping! This was originally meant to be a song-fic but the only time I remembered to/felt inspired to write was nearly the middle of the night (as writers do lol) so I didn’t have enough mental energy to splice the lyrics together into the story. Instead, I listened to the song on repeat while writing, like, HALF of the fic but I thought it was cute enough to fit the vibes. The narrator's voice and descriptions were hard to keep consistent as well as concise, but whatever. I don’t think I properly matched Ruggie’s speech pattern but I think it’s close enough to ‘random, working class teenager’ for now.

Also! It’s an X Yuu but I’m pretty sure I used all GN! Pronouns so please feel free to read it as an X Reader (who’s the Ramshackle Perfect). It felt kinda awkward to not describe the character or use open descriptors (like Y/N, HC, etc.) but feel free to add any notes or styles to try out for an open reader audience. Honestly feel free to comment or message any feedback lol! I don’t have a beta reader atm (I might ask either my gf or my IRL friend who’s also into TWST) but it could be fun to have a random stranger react to my writing so they’re disconnected from personal feelings and whatnot.

 I have a fic introducing my oc a little interacting with the Pop Music Club, but it’s making out to be longer than expected so between writing for my own AU/ocs story I’ll be posting cute lil song-fics as well as crackhead interactions lol! Maybe a few headcanons as well. I’m not sure if I would have ever actually started writing fanfics (or writing in general) instead of simply daydreaming about it if it wasn’t for @twst-beam and @krenenbaker , so a quick dedication for them for lowkey lighting a fire under my ass. Not only have you opened the creative floodgates, but actually gave me the motivation to actually TRY and put it into action. Anyway…. ON TO THE STORY BITCHES!!! ENJOY THE THE SWEET HYENA BOY (who weirdly looks exactly like my Boyfriend, lol) AND COME REALISH IN THE CHAOS~

In A Sentimental Mood:

A Ruggie/Yuu one-shot

It had been a long day. Scratch that–it had been the longest year of Ruggie Bucchi and Yuu’s life! However, there was something especially trying these last 24 hours. Maybe it had something to do with how this was the first day off the both had (that lined up) in w e e k s and they STILL BOTH got called in to run some nonsensical errand. Or maybe it’s because when the First Year Squad were supposed to be babysitting Grim the entire first floor of Ramshackle got absolutely trashed. 

Something about stupid bets, idiotic magic competition, and a prolonged chase. Afterwards, Rugs and Yuu had to help clean up! The aftermath of the wreckage was too much for the Hodge Podge group of freshmen.

What really topped the day off was the mission impossible scheme the couple failed to pull off. Originally, the two were simply planning to “borrow” on one Leonas (numerous) credit cards while the latter was passed out for an all-expenses-paid date out. It’s not like they were about to rob the second prince blind! Just a few trips to their usual thrifting stops, maybe hassle with a local boutique and then some semi-fancy free grub. 

Instead they got caught two shops in when they decided to grab some food before being totally weighed down by paper shopping bags. Since they had a later start, Yuu suggested getting dinner to the new uppity wine-and-dine.

“C’mon Rugs~ When are we gonna have another chance to dine like Kings? And on a Royal Dime at that!” they foolishly (but successfully) tempted the poor Hyena into a little more Mischievous than the two realized.

Too bad their Dinner Date got cut short from one of the waiters recognizing the Sunset Savannah Royal Seal on Leona’s card. It took an hour and a half of being corralled into a backroom, 3 ominous threats of calling the police, snarky back talk and just general arguing before Leona strutted into the Restaurant and vouched for his underclassmen. Seeing the lazy Lion not only WAKE UP, but come off campus was a bit of a surprise for the thief couple. 

What wasn’t as surprising was his smug, diva face while declaring that they would need to pay him back for disturbing his nap. After hasty, and admittedly sheepish, promises to the Prince, he collected his missing card and strutted back to campus. Luckily, he was secretly a bit of a softy towards his unofficial Vice and the magicless Perfect that saved his life (and probably his status for not ratting him out to his older brother). It’s safe to say while making the switch a decent stack of Thaumarks was placed in Ruggie’s wallet.

So yeah, in a word, the day had been a bit of a shitshow. A clusterfuck of misfortunate events (and if it weren’t for Leona, Yuu and Ruggie would not only be in some kind of jail but also flat broke). 

But finally–finally–this hardworking hyena Beastman and the Ramshackle Perfect were about to have some peace and quiet! A moment for just the two of them. A small, precious moment late at night. After the longest night of their collective lives, the two were able to cuddle up and appreciate what they had. Even if all they had was encompassed by long, tiring days and horrendous luck… and having the bend to the whims of some of the brattiest Divas of NRC.

Regardless, this time isn’t about them. It’s about Ruggie Bucchi and Yuu enjoying what left they had of their day off, Damnnit!  

“Ya’ know,” Yuu hummed into where their face was buried for max comfort; Ruggie’s chest. “Today wasn’t a total bust.”

Ruggie snickered sarcastically as his left hand paused its petting motion through his significant other’s hair. He was clearly only humoring his lover's thought process, yet paying attention all the same.

“I’m just saying it wasn’t a total loss,” they began to half-jokingly argue, “I still got to spend the day with you. Besides, you gotta admit it was pretty funny watching that stupid manager’s annoying face drop when Prince Grumpy strutted in all pissy!”

“Shee Shee Shee! Fair enough, Sugar! Good thing he didn’t realize Leona’s always cranky… or that His Majesty~ was mostly just pissed he had to wake up.” Ruggie answered playfully.

“It was kinda sweet of him for letting us, mostly, off the hook though. He even let us keep our goodies along with that sneaky bonus,” Yuu mentioned while lazily motioning towards the small mound of shopping bags and the miscellaneous items inside.

“Pleeeease~ He probably spends more on a single earring than we did with his card and cash combined,” Rugs pouted enviously. To emphasize his pout, he completely encircled Yuu with his arms and clutched them tightly. He was hanging onto them tighter than a swiped snack from the cafeteria on Doughnut day.

“I don’t know,” his partner giggled in response, “Leona’s been such a softy lately… but his whole dark and brooding reputation gets in the way a bit.”

“Dark and brooding?” Ruggie snorted, “Dunno if Leona’s habits of lyin’ around counts as dark and brooding.”

Yuu tried to suppress their elated smirk at feeling the slight tremor of quiet laughter. “True, that’s more of Mal’s stick isn’t it? Angsty and depressed?”

“Nahhh, that’s Idia’s thing! Also, I still can’t wrap my head ‘round you calling Malleus by some nickname.” His laughter died down as he scrunched his nose at the thought of his partner so buddy-buddy with one of Twisted Wonderland’s most powerful mages. And a crown Prince… with servants and castles and-

“You do realize that Malleus is like a GIANT kid right? I mean, yeah he’s some super powerful wizard-”

“Mage!”

“...whatever. He’s an absolute beast when it comes to magic and whatnot, but he’s got this whole ‘homeschooled only child’ vibe going on and honestly? It’s a little pathetic, in a cute stray way.”

Ruggie didn’t really know how to feel about his partner’s revelation. On one hand, he knew they were just friends and had befriended each other longer before Yuu realized Malleus’ status. That didn’t necessarily make it any easier to cover up the inherent inferiority or the slight unsettling fear. Good thing they didn’t feel the usual pressure of this world’s social ladder… but that doesn’t mean they won’t start worrying if he stayed lost in thought for too long.

“.......what was your world like for you to turn out so weird?” 

“Hey!”

Ruggie continued to laugh, but it came out a little bit strained. Yuu finally glanced up in order to catch a glimpse of their boyfriend’s adorable pout.  His lightly scrunched eyebrows and the way his ears seemed to fold-in on themselves made him look like a grumpy puppy. Absurdly cute, but clearly bothered, and they both had had such a long day t wouldn’t be right not to cheer him back up!

“Oh, c’mere!” the Perfect said through teasing giggles as they flipped Ruggie over to switch positions.

Rugs was currently (and quite contently) snuggled face first into his lover's chest; enjoying the sound of their heartbeat along with the comfortable extra cushioning. His arms reached slightly down to wrap around their waist snuggly as the two pairs of legs naturally crisscrossed at the joints. The moment he fully relaxed was when Yuu started to softly pet his bushy hair and scratch along the base of his ears.

Pure Heaven.

“Were you getting grumpy because I kept mentioning Leona and Malleus?” the Perfect lovingly taunted now that he was trapped and attacked (with euphoric head scratches) in his weak spot. Truly, an idiots mirage of paradise.

“C’mon Sweet Cheeks! Ya Couldn’t’ve least let me keep my pride?” Rugs whined, quickly going back to frowning deeply but unable to hold it for long. There was no chance in all of Twisted Wonderland he could stay “upset” while his precious Dandelion Fluff’s fingers softly caressed his sensitive ears. At least he could cover-up the way he melted, burying himself further into their figure. Luckily, Yuu was already squeezing him closure with a burst of affection,

“Don’t worry, my silly Hyena, the only one I was focused on today was you. The only one I wanted to spend time with was you. And the only person I think of from dawn till dusk, and dream about the whole night through, will always be you, Ruggie Bucchi.” Yuu declared playfully, then slowly breathlessly serious with a sappy amount of affection as they watched Ruggie's tail wave faster and faster.

“Shee shee shee,” Rugs bashfully replied, “where did all that come from outta nowhere?”

Yuu wistfully sighed, “I guess I’m just in a sentimental mood.”

The two shared some playful hushed whispers until Ruggie had to turn his head to hide a yawn. His attempt was futile however, as Yuu caught it–but instead of teasing him over it they simply snuggled him closer and quietly sang an old, sweet crooner love song from their home world. Despite the long day, it felt blissfully short as the two peacefully drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms. 

[the12thnightproject]

Chapter 48: Two Degrees of Separation - Comparing notes with Sasuke and Shingen leads to more questions about the multiverse.

Shingen x OC; Kenshin x MC (Mai)

Previous Chapter: Here

Logline - Disguised as a boy, Katsuko finds herself working for Shingen, but her dangerous masquerade becomes difficult to sustain when she falls for the man with a fatal secret.

“I brought these in from the car.” Sasuke slid open the door to the bedroom wide enough to pass a few shopping bags through.

“You can come in. We’re both decent.” I took the bags, noting one of them was from a high-end lingerie store. That… had the possibility of going very very wrong, in a number of ways. I dropped the bags on the foot of the bed, as Sasuke settled in a chair by the window. “You let Shingen loose in a lingerie store?”

There was a rather embarrassed cough from the ninja by the window. He looked away from us.

“I was fine. He’s the one who can’t be trusted around women’s underclothes. I may be scarred for life.” Shingen shot a glare at Sasuke, who seemed to take great interest in the parking lot outside.

“I thought it was a mannequin and not a live model,” Sasuke muttered.

“Nope. Don’t need any more details there.” Instead, I dove into the bags, finding a couple pairs of jeans, some t-shirts… “Oooh, Black Widow, nice.”

“Figured Natasha Romanov would be your jam.” Sasuke sounded more confident now that we’d left the subject of underwear.

“Oh yeah… and I’ve got about seven years of MCU to catch up on. And I don’t know how many seasons of Game of Thrones.” It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment that I’d finally learn how some of these continuing stories ended.

Shingen and Sasuke looked at each other, then Sasuke shook his head. “Um… about the Game of Thrones conclusion… you might actually find the story of my adventures in ladies lingerie categorically less traumatic.”

Huh. I returned my attention to the bags and pulled out a hoodie! I hugged it to me. It was red, not the blue-grey shade of the one that I had been wearing on the day I had initially gone through the wormhole, but it was soft and warm and felt like home in a way that no other article of clothing had. “How did you know?” I slipped it on and zipped it up.

There was a tug on the hood. Shingen flipped it up over my head. “Red hood. The better to see you with.”

“Alright, Sasuke, are you ready for all the wormhole weirdness I need to tell you about?” The three of us had relocated to the living area of the hotel suite to eat lunch that Sasuke had picked up from one of the hotel’s onsite restaurants. He’d asked me if I wanted pizza, but until I was sure how my digestive system would readjust to modern food, I’d decided to stick with soba noodles and a light soup. I was wearing my first pair of jeans in nearly seven (or was it eight now?) years, and they fit surprisingly well (Shingen: “I know every inch of your body, it wasn’t difficult”).

“Before we debrief, I have something else for you.” Sasuke handed me a sealed manila envelope. He didn’t say anything else, so I went ahead and opened it, pulling out identification papers, including a passport as well as a bank card. The accompanying account information made me do a double, then a triple take to make sure I was reading the amount correctly.

“Sasuke, do you have previously unrevealed connections with the Yakuza?” I took a second look at the passport. Yes that was definitely me in the picture – it looked like my old student ID photo, had been “aged up” slightly. The birthday was correct as well. Someone clearly had skills.

“No. Not that I am aware of. This came from a Professor I know.” Sasuke glanced over my shoulder to look at the paperwork. “Holy mother forking shirtballs.”

“From your advisor? The one who arranged my hospital stay?” Shingen examined the passport. “Nice picture… but not as nice as the real thing.”

“No. Different professor. My advisor in Kyoto who helped get you into the University Hospital is Professor Sakaki. These – as well as Shingen’s papers and bank account … which did not have nearly this many zeros – came from a friend of my parents. I’m certain they have nothing to do with the Yakuza.” He laughed off the idea. “Actually, their friend, Professor Yamaoka was the man who gave the initial idea that led me to study wormholes and their relationship to temporal anomalies.”

Wait…what? Who?

“Professor Yamaoka.” I said it slowly, to confirm I had heard that correctly.

Aki, you have some ‘splaining to do.

“Yes.” Sasuke took the envelope and folded it up. There was a rattling noise within. “There appears to be something else inside.” He shook it. “Given the amount of money in your account, I can only surmise it’s a key to a safety deposit box that contains the Holy Grail.”

“The what?” Shingen apparently hadn’t worked his way up to European literature – or the Monty Python film (the latter was something I would make sure to correct before we went back to the Sengoku era).

“No.” I already knew what was rattling around in that envelope. “It will be a shogi piece. A lance… or maybe a knight.” It had better not be a pawn after all he’d put me through. I turned the envelope upside down and dumped the item onto the coffee table. It landed with a clink, spun a few times, and landed tokin side up.

The knight.

Sasuke blinked at me a few times. “How did you know?”

“I’ve been working for Yamaoka Akihira for the past seven years. Shogi is his… calling card.” I sank back into the sofa cushion. On the day he’d left me with Shingen, he’d kept his face in the shadows. Later, when I’d thought about it, I’d figured that he’d been trying to keep Shingen from seeing his face… but no… he’d been hiding from Sasuke.

A lot of explaining.

“Your old master… the man in the woods. He’s the same?” At my nod, Shingen turned to Sasuke. “You said this man is a friend of your parents?” Shingen quickly put things together, and I was sure he could tell this information had unsettled me.

“Yes… I mean, they aren’t besties, but I know he’s consulted them on history.” He picked up the tile and examined it. It was a modern tile, made out of some kind of tempered porcelain, and not one of the wooden ones we’d used when we played at The Mountain. “They might, possibly have some old photos of him that I could try to get my hands on.”

“Anything they have would be terrific. I feel like five mysteries just got solved, but five times that many new mysteries appeared.” Popping in and out of time would explain Aki’s many disappearing acts. But why had he never told me he was a fellow time traveler? Why had he never sent me home? And what was he doing in the Sengoku era to begin with? ‘Putting things on the right path’ seemed a lot more ominous now that I knew he was from the future. “Can they scan what they have and upload it to the cloud?”

Sasuke shook his head. “They’re mysteriously attached to paper. The last time I tried to talk my father through attaching a file, he emailed me his entire hard drive and crashed my laptop.”

I put the questions about Aki aside for the moment. Possibly Sasuke and Shingen, once I told them about my detour into another timeline, might be able to help put the pieces together when it came to Aki’s involvement. “Sasuke, remember when you said you thought Togakushi might lead to a different timeline than this?”

“Theoretically, yes, though I suppose since you made it here, that must not have been the case.” He was typing up notes on a tablet faster than I’d ever seen anyone type before. He glanced up and caught the expression on my face. “Ninja fingertips. I didn’t used to be able to type this fast.”

I led him back to the topic. “Yeah, about that. My trip through the wormhole was not like the original trip. I felt like I sort of… well, stuck.” And even though I was trying to be so totally blasé, like, ‘oh yeah, I got trapped in a temporal anomaly, NBD,’ I could feel my lungs tighten at the memory of the feeling of that fog sifting through my body. Shingen put his hand on my shoulder and gave me an encouraging squeeze. Yeah… he could tell I was upset.

“Given that the passage of months here and according to Yuki, in the Sengoku, was the same, you may actually have been stuck in there a year.” Right, Sasuke had gone back and for the between here and the Sengoku while I was missing. “But you didn’t experience that physically – or that wound on your arm would have healed completely – and you’d have starved to death.”

“Thanks Sasuke.” That time I did shudder. And the mental experience had been unsettling enough without throwing in starvation. “When I did come out of the wormhole, I was told I was in the wrong timeline.”

Sasuke stopped typing. He looked like he was trying not to bounce up and down on the couch. “Do you know what this means?” He hurried on before either of us could respond. “Proof that the timelines are connected to a multiverse. Who told you that you were in the wrong timeline?”

“You did.”

“I did? I did! That is… that is frakking awesome!” He pumped his fist, then bent over his tablet and did that supersonic speed typing again. “What did I say?”

Shingen and I looked at each other, exchanged a silent mental shrug, then back at Sasuke.

“You… or I guess technically Sasuke Mach 2, looked surprised to see me, and I asked you where Shingen was, and that’s when you – he said I was in the wrong timeline.” While Sasuke seemed to be having his nerdgasm, I glanced at Shingen to see how he took that. Aside from holding me even tighter, he appeared to be following along fairly well.

Sasuke continued to fire questions at me faster than I could process them. “Were you still at the Togakushi shrine? Were you in present time or the future of that time? What was I wearing? Did I have any cool tech? Did anything unusual happen before you got stuck?”

“Yes. Present, as far as I could tell. A parka. A cell phone – I think it was a cell phone. And…” Right before I got stuck Iekane had pushed me and told me… wait, before that. In my head, I rewound things back to when I was in the tree. “Shingen, have you ever heard the phrase don’t bring a knife to a gun fight?”

He pondered for a moment. “No. However it makes sense.”

I turned to Sasuke who was already typing into his tablet. “Yes, but not sure… ah. The Untouchables. 1987.”

“I’m pretty sure Iekane was already familiar with wormholes… and has been to the present before… in fact… he said… ‘I came here with him’ … him being Aki. I thought he meant he was with Aki before Aki based himself on the Mountain. But he could have meant that he came from this time with Aki.” Before Sasuke could ask more questions, I told my story from the moment Yuki and I had spotted Iekane. “Iekane looked happy to have gotten into the wormhole. If what Sasuke Mach 2 told me is true, maybe Iekane is the one who is messing up the timelines.”

“It wasn’t this Sasuke who talked to me at the flood site?” Shingen stared at Sasuke, as if he were trying to determine what was different about the other version of him. “I do remember thinking something was strange about you, but after all that happened, I’d put it out of my head once he said a child had fallen into the water.”

Pushed. The child was pushed. The boy… what was his name? His father had said it, hadn’t he? I tried to put myself back into that moment, but my thoughts were interrupted by Sasuke.

“Huh. I wonder how I travelled there without a wormhole… no wait, you said I told you that getting back here was ‘lateral jump’.” Sasuke turned his tablet into a sketch pad and began drawing some kind of schematic. “That would mean we could jump between different points in the multiverse, and-”

“Sasuke!” He looked up me, started by my tone. “You told me not to let you investigate. It sounded like getting me here stabilized this timeline. Maybe we should do as little interfering as possible.” For my part, once I was back in the Sengoku, I was going to stay as far from the wormhole nodes as possible.

“Agreed, Devil.” Shingen pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “The wormhole stole you from me once. I do not intend to let it happen again.”

“Investigating is not interfering.” Sasuke pointed out.

“Sasuke. I know you. You wouldn’t be able to resist poking around in alternate timelines… but, from what I can tell from the conversation I overheard,” I decided not to mention that I was pretty sure Sasuke Mach 2 had been talking with Katsuko Mach 2, “there’s a timeline where Kenshin is running around modern Toyko, causing all sorts of mayhem.”

Both Shingen and Sasuke were silent at that.

In fact, Sasuke literally turned pale.

Sasuke erased the schematic he’d begun to sketch on his tablet. “New plan. We stick to this timeline, and only use the wormhole to go back to the Sengoku era when it reopens – which should be in about three months.”

“That sounds like an excellent strategy,” Shingen said.

@bestbryn

[clatterbane]

Yay, more prophylactic freezer action.

All the dry staples (rice, flour, beans, etc.) from the grocery order earlier are now in frozen quarantine for a few days before they go anywhere near our pantry cupboard. Because I was unfortunately reminded again not long ago that I probably should NOT have slacked off on that, when I found minor evidence of flour moths in my previous bag of cornmeal. 😵

After some careful inspection, it didn't look like any had managed to get much further than that. Everything infestable that was in there got cycled through the freezer to kill off any kind of bugs and/or their eggs anyway, playing it safe. I actually just cleared out the final batch this evening, to make room for the new stuff. Including a fresh bag of the same cornmeal!

The few items left in those four drawers usually dedicated to dry goods are, like, pickled vegetables and some shirataki noodles in vacuum pouches. Not tempting chow for horrible little moth larvae, and it would be obvious if the pouches had lost seal

Now an amazing amount of pantry stuff has been taking up space to one side of our living room for several weeks altogether--and I am leaving that cabinet empty of everything that might host them for a few more days, until those new groceries are ready to leave quarantine. Just to hopefully make sure there's a lower chance of any eggs or anything lingering in there.

Our temporary pantry, y'all. That back of the couch bag just got hastily hoiked there a little while ago.

Thankfully no evidence of any worrying bugs anywhere else in the house so far, with the freezer-cycled food just sitting there in the openwith no good way to keep anything out of it. Can't say I will be sorry to finally get everything back where it belongs!

Anyway, I am indeed aware that this might seem like an overly nutty reaction to finding what looked like evidence of moth webs in a bag of cornmeal. And maybe it really is.

But yeah, I do have actual OCD. Plus I lived with both moths and freaking weevils in my mom's food hoard, which she couldn't just get rid of on any of the several different occasions when bugs did get into it. Hitchhiking in on new items from the store.

She would honest to goodness also go ahead and cook pasta that she knew had weevils lurking in the package, and fish them out of the boiling water with a spoon. 🥴 I think I took significant psychic damage from just several years of those damned moths flapping around the whole house, and their awful maggoty-looking web spinning children dangling on threads. I remember walking straight into one hanging from the living room ceiling fan, of all places. And this shit went on for several years straight.

Those little fuckers will get into things that you wouldn't even imagine them possibly being attracted to. You may think a jar or other firmly closed lidded hard container will keep them out, but if it's not completely airtight they will find a way in.

On the plus side, I did develop extensive experience at identifying signs of weevils and moths in your food stores.

Anyway, I really am extra motivated to avoid dealing with pest bugs in my own pantry, now that I am in charge of my own. Brought home weevils a couple of times back in London, but promptly tossed everything that might be infested and preemptively froze the rest.

So yeah, it might be aggravating, but I think I will indeed go back to making sure everything risky that comes in goes through freezer quarantine before it joins the other food. Needing to systematically go through and do that on all the existing shit has eaten up way more spoons than if I had just done it gradually before a new thing went into the cabinet at all. And luckily we also have more freezer space now, to help make quarantine more practical.

Also, it may be pretty ingrained in me to keep plenty of food on hand. To the point that I do set actual stock limits for myself. But, at least this feels like further evidence that I really do not seem to have developed the same outright hoarding urge--to the point that you literally could not bring yourself to throw a buggy bag of cornmeal or rice in the trash. 😬 I can, and will, toss whatever I need to in order to keep things non-disgusting.