#something something he has the title of prince yet is treated like a commoner

[saltyb0ba]

a deep blood moon, a starless night

dark enough to see the light

[lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie]

A Prince and His Subjects

Title: A Prince and His Subjects

Summary: Or five times the other sides were a simp for Roman and he never noticed. Meanwhile Remus suffers as he tries to protect his brother.

Warnings: none, no smut but there are spicy implications.

Pairings: LAMP, BROTHERLY CREATIVITWINS

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            Roman always thought that he wasn’t anything special. Yes, he had his own special abilities and magic. He was confident and extra confident on good days. He was brave and kind. Yet, Roman felt as if he was no different nor did he stand out. He tries to with his prince role but he knows he doesn’t always have to put on the costume. He was just Roman. Thomas’ Creativity, Ego, and Passion. Nothing more and nothing less. That’s what he saw and thought of himself. Of course, there’s his big tower of insecurities but he’d rather not address them. To him, Roman is just Roman. The prince isn’t aware that his subjects, or rather the other sides see so much more. Remus does and he gags every time. He’s glad they’re treating his brother nicely but they could be simping less. A lot less.

1.

            It’s another slow day with Thomas free for the day so that left the sides with not being needed in a meeting for the day or until their host summons them. In the Mindpalace, Patton called everyone together to do some cleaning since the common area had become a mess. The place was used for many movie nights and sleepovers during the past few weeks. So, now they stood in the messy common area. There was trash on the couch, books on the coffee table as well as abandoned coffee mugs and empty cookie plates. There’s probably something behind the couch where Remus pops up to join them.

“Okay, everyone! Are you guys ready to clean?” Patton asks, grinning. “I know it would be easier to snap the mess away but it’s also tricky since we don’t know exactly where those things go.”

Roman nods, always eager to help with a little cleaning. He doesn’t look like it but he does like organizing things so they match and look neat plus the extra space is satisfying to him.

“I’m ready, Padre!” he grins, doing his usual royal pose.

Patton claps happily.

“Good! Has everyone decided what they’ll handle?”

“I’ll clear up the books. I apologize for leaving so many of them here.” Logan volunteers.

“That’s alright, Lo. We know you can’t put your books down. If you want, you can leave the book you’re currently reading here.” Patton replies.

Logan blinks and smiles small, his cheeks slightly pink.

“Ah. Thank you, Patton.”

“Of course! Okay, who else is doing what?”

“I’ll handle the cobwebs, dust, and the trash so Princey doesn’t whine about dust allergies.” Virgil answers, taking off his hoodie and tying it around his waist.

“Please do vanquish every speck of dust. I refuse to sit through another movie night with watery eyes.” Roman huffs cutely, feigning a pout. He does appreciate Virgil taking him into consideration.

Virgil chuckles, averting his gaze with a light flush.

“I’ll vanquish all of them, Princey.”

Remus rolls his eyes at that as Patton nods.

“Good! Roman, Janus?” Patton asks, turning to them.

“I’m going to rearrange the furniture back to where they were. We haven’t moved them since the last sleep over as well as reorganize the movies.” Roman volunteers. “Plus, this place is majorly due for redecorating.”

Patton giggles at that.

“Have fun, Ro! Oh, and don’t strain yourself!”

“I’ll be alright, Padre. I don’t just train to vanquish the Dragon Witch.” Roman grins, waving his hand to change the top half of his costume into a tank top.

            Roman used to be ashamed of showing his arms since they were covered in plenty scars but with some assurances, he found some bravery. Lately, especially on hot days, Roman can be found in tank tops or completely topless. It’s definitely not unwelcome. Roman trains a lot and works out for his Imagination adventures and because he likes keeping his body fit and toned so he’s got quite a pair of muscly arms as a well as a nicely toned chest. It makes the others minus Remus glance at him for a moment. Roman just blinks obliviously.

Meanwhile, Patton stops himself from getting any redder as he tears his gaze away from Roman and his arms before turning to Janus.

“What about you, Jan?”

Janus hums, stealing a second glance at Roman because he can and he’s the most shameless next to the twins.

“Hm, I suppose I shall assist Roman. Someone has to pick up the mess when he moves the furniture. Plus, there’s bound to be something interesting under the couch.” he answers, smirking at Roman.

Roman only smiles innocently at Janus and nods.

“Sure! I could use someone to watch my back in case I bump into something.” he chirps, the poor thing unaware of what was going on.

Virgil, having known Janus long enough to spot his schemes, squints and glares subtly at Janus.

That sneaky fucking snake. That was clever.

Remus nearly gags. He had been surprised when Janus admitted he was attracted to Roman. He’s glad his brother is getting love but also wished he hadn’t had to see stuff like this. He’s not the mushy gushy love guy here. He’s the gross, icky intrusive man. That, and his brother was just so innocent and dumb, more so than Patton. Remus wanted to keep him that way. Not that he cared, nope.

Patton just smiles, flustering more. He seems to know too.

“Alright, Janus. I’ll help Virgil with the dusting then I’ll take care of the dishes.” he nods, summoning a feather duster. “Remus, can you help clean too? You don’t have to handle soap.”

Remus secretly is relieved to hear that and looks around. Well, someone’s gotta keep an eye on Roman and make sure the others don’t make him uncomfortable by accident.

“I’ll clear out my stuff from behind the couch because if I don’t, Janny’s gonna make me do it anyways.” he huffs.

Janus chuckles.

“Perhaps you should stop bringing your things to movie night.” he teases. “We don’t need any more…toys.”

Roman tilts his head in confusion. He may handle romance but he tends to miss innuendos and the like.

“But we always bring our plushies to movie night?” he questions.

“Oh, those toys are okay. Remus can’t bring his toys though.” Janus grins, resisting the urge to ruin his innocence.

“Why? What kind of toys does Remus have?” Roman asks, even more confused.

Remus glares at Janus who has a smug grin on his face.

“Don’t worry too much about it, RoRo.” Remus intervenes.

The prince blinks.

“Oh. Okay then.”

Patton clears his throat awkwardly at that and summons his cleaning apron as well.

“Okay, let’s get cleaning, everyone!”

            With that, the sides went off to go do their tasks. Roman immediately went to the beanbags he left piled in the corner from the last movie night. He hums and bends down, scooping up the blankets on top along with the pillows, setting them aside. Then he picks up his Beast onesie and waves his hand to send it back to his room. With that done, Roman bends back down and gathers the beanbags, unaware of where Janus’ eyes were.

            Janus had followed Roman, waiting for him to move something so he can watch-help Roman pick up any items that had been hiding under the furniture. When he saw Roman bend ever so perfectly, he couldn’t help but smirk at the new view. Roman was quite toned, even from the back. The snake side’s eyes slowly travel lower and lower and…

Roman stands up and Janus hides his smirk.

“Good work, Roman. Oh, and you even found the missing TV remote.” Janus praises, taking that moment to pat Roman’s arm.

Remus squints.

Is the snake seriously feeling up his twin? Gross.

“Oh, thanks, Jan! Could you grab it for me? I need to move these.” Roman grins back at the yellow side.

Janus squeezes Roman’s arm and nods.

“Of course.”

Roman nods his thanks and waddles away with the beanbags.

Remus huffs and stands up from where he was looking for his things behind the couch.

“Really? Feeling up my brother in front of me? You might as well grope his ass too, you horny fucking snake.” he growls, huffing.

Janus merely chuckles and smirks.

“Tempting but we have cleaning to do, Remus. Besides, it’s not like Roman’s going anywhere anytime soon~”

Roman, who had returned just then, blinks in confusion.

“Where would I be going?”

Remus says nothing and glares at Janus.

2.

            Virgil doesn’t often wander into the Imagination, especially alone. When Roman asked him to come along for a walk, he couldn’t really say no. Roman had busted out what he dubs as the “princey pout” and Virgil was a weak side. So now, Virgil finds himself strolling along beside Roman in the Enchanted Forest. It’s nice and peaceful. Or as peaceful as Virgil can tell. Being the embodiment of someone’s Anxiety always reminds him that anything bad could happen. So, Virgil is still a little on guard. He tries to distract himself and glances at Roman.

            Roman is humming as he walks along, his katana sheathed at his side. He had assured Virgil that they’re not going to fight anything but he decided to bring it along. Just in case. Bright emerald eyes gaze at the forest path head, counting the little yellow daisies that dot the way. A blue jay then flutters from its nest and flies down to Roman with a chirp. The creative side smiles fondly and holds up his finger, chuckling as the bird perches for a moment. He takes that moment to pet the bird’s tiny head.

“Hello, little one. I see your injured wing is feeling better. Have your eggs hatched?” Roman asks, gently stroking the bird.

The bird chirps and shakes his head.

“Ah, I see. I’ll try to be here when that does happen.” Roman replies, chuckling as the bird hops and chirps happily.

Meanwhile, Virgil blinks out of his stupor.

“Huh. So, you can talk to animals, princey.” he teases, smirking slightly.

Roman smiles and lets the bird go, watching it return to its nest.

“I love my creatures, big and small, so I used a spell to give myself the ability to communicate with them.” he explains, waving to a passing rabbit.

Virgil hums at that.

“Or maybe you’re just actually a Disney prince.” he mutters.

Roman blinks.

“What?”

“N-Nothing, shut up!” Virgil flustered.

“Oh. Well…I guess we should just keep on walking then.”

Virgil sighs and nods.

Nice job, Virgil.

            As they continue to walk, neither notice the rustling tree branches behind them. Up above in the thick of the tree branches is Remus, watching them walk. He was going to jump down as a sneak attack on Roman but held back when he saw Virgil. Out of curiosity, he stayed back to watch them walk. Huffing, Remus hops to another branch to follow after them. Remus isn’t being overprotective towards his little brother. Nope. He’s just…making sure Roman is okay. Yeah.

            Meanwhile, Roman leads Virgil to big clearing in the forest. A beautiful lake sits in the center, shaded by the canopy above. Off to the side and further back is a beautiful cottage with lavender vines growing down the sides of the roof. Playful creatures like rabbits and squirrels scurry by. A small duck family lounges at the side of the pond. Dragon flies dance around and across the lake. There’s also a log to sit on nearby. This place is one of Roman’s favorite places to go when things are too much or when he wants to be alone. He then leads Virgil to the log bench.

“This is what I wanted to show you. One of my favorite places.” he explains, gazing at the water.

Virgil follows his gaze and watches some waterlilies float by.

“It’s…beautiful, Ro.” he replies, perching on the log bench.

Roman smiles softly, watching the ducklings splashing in shallow of the lake.

“I’m glad you think so. It’s where I sometimes go to unwind after a long day or just to think. Sometimes I come here to nap.” he smiles, chuckling.

Virgil nods along.

“Yeah? That sounds pretty relaxing. I don’t think I could nap out here. A bug might crawl up my nose or mouth or ears. Or I’ll somehow roll into the lake and die even if it’s shallow.” he replies, laughing too.

Roman chuckles again.

“That’s understandable but if you do ever want to give it a try, I’m here to accompany you. I’ll make sure no bugs crawl inside you or that you don’t roll into the lake. Or we could do other things.”

Remus, who had followed and watched from the branches, squints.

Virgil flusters, smiling shyly at Roman for a moment.

“L-Like what, Princey?”

“Swimming!” Roman grins, standing up.

“Oh.”

Virgil lets his heart calm down. Bless Roman, he’s just so damn innocent.

Meanwhile, Remus frowns and huffs.

“You really thought you were going to get dicked down by my brother, huh? Naughty emo.” he whispers, knowing damn well that Virgil can at least hear him.

Virgil does hear him, his head whipping to the side. He squints but sees nothing though he swears there’s glowing eyes in one of the trees and-

“So, do you want to swim with me, emo?”

Virgil looks back to Roman and nearly falls off the bench, his face reddening.

Roman had changed into a pair of swim trunks, giving Virgil an eyeful of his chiseled abs and toned arms. It doesn’t help that he’s got…quite the chest or a sexy-

“Virgil?”

Virgil jolts and averts his gaze.

“Uh, sorry, what?” he answers dumbly.

“I said, do you want to swim with me?” Roman asks again, head tilted in confusion.

Virgil flusters.

“Oh, uh, I’m good. Don’t want to ruin the eyeshadow and I’m too pale.” he replies.

It’s not a lie but he didn’t want to tell Roman he actually couldn’t swim or that he’ll combust, staring at Roman’s abs and arms.

Roman just shrugs and smiles.

“Okay then. I’ll just go on ahead.” he hums, turning around.

Once again, Virgil is blessed with the view of Roman’s backside. Damn, even his back muscles are hot.

Remus growls lowly and huffs.

“That’s not where his eyes are, Virgil.” he hisses.

Virgil jumps again and turns red, glaring at the eyes in the trees. Dammit, Remus.

3.

            Logan doesn’t often hang out in Roman’s room. It’s not that he doesn’t want to, no. It’s just…a little harder to function normally being in the same room as Roman. Especially in his bedroom. He’s Logic, after all. He’s not supposed to be feeling stuff…or thinking about…certain things.

            And yet, Logan finds himself outside of Roman’s room with some books under his arm. It’s a brainstorm session and Roman invited him over. The logical side figured that he could use the books as a distraction, so he didn’t have to look at Roman too much. Sighing, Logan stands tall and knocks at Roman’s door.

“Be there in a moment!” comes Roman’s voice.

The door then opens.

“Ah, I hope I’m not-oh.” Logan’s words die on his tongue.

Roman is back in his tank top and it seems he’s been experimenting with his makeup again. He’s always had the prettiest face despite all of them looking similar to each other.

“Um, Logan? What were you saying?” Roman tilts his head cutely and Logan has to clear his throat.

“Ah, I was saying, I hope I’m not late.” Logan stammers, adjusting his glasses.

Roman smiles.

“You’re right on time, Specs! Come on!” he chirps, taking Logan’s free hand and tugging him inside before shutting the door.

Logan lets Roman lead him. Even his hands feel strong.

“You wanna join me in bed?” Roman asks.

Logan nearly chokes but saves it with a cough.

“E-Excuse me?”

Roman plops down on his big, royal bed with some books piled in front of him and his beloved red binder.

“Do you want to sit here and brainstorm? It’s comfy and soft. It’s okay if you don’t want to. You can also take my desk chair.” he asks, blinking innocently.

Oh. Right. That’s what he meant.

Under Roman’s bed, Remus squints and huffs as he chews on one of Roman’s old boots. Even nerdy wolverine had naughty thoughts about his brother. Gross. It makes Remus summon a shuriken. Just in case.

Logan regains his composure and nods, clearing his throat a second time.

“I-I’ll join you, Roman.” he replies.

He then toes off his shoes and sits on Roman’s bed before setting his books down.

“Yay!” Roman cheers before grabbing his binder and summoning a pen. “So, do you want to hear what I have so far?”

Logan finds himself staring for a moment before refocusing and nodding.

“Of course.”

For next hour, he and Roman share ideas and thoughts. They wind up chatting a lot and talking about books they’ve been reading, upcoming things on Thomas’ schedule, and other little things. It’s nice and Roman cherishes the moment because it’s not often they can settle down and just talk without bursting into arguments. They’re working on arguing less though. It’s a…long process.

“Ooh, I’m so excited for Thomas to do the Crofters tasting video!” Roman then squeals.

Logan finds himself tugging on his tie for the millionth time this hour. Roman’s just so sweet. So bright.

They had moved onto video ideas and the conversation evolved into discussing already planned videos. Most of them were to be fun little shorts for Thomas to do as a break from his usual stuff.

“I agree though I wish we didn’t have to rank them. They all taste exquisite.” Logan replies, a small smile on his lips.

Roman giggles and Logan feels like he’s been blinded by the sun.

“Definitely! But I’m curious to see what Thomas’ opinion is. He only gets certain flavors and there’s probably a lot more he hasn’t tried.” The prince grins, bouncing up and down.

“Of course.” Logan replies before flustering and averting his gaze. “And I appreciate the fact you invited me into this video.”

Roman nods happily.

“I wanted to, Logan! Crofters was your thing first and I merely got inspired to try. Plus, it’s your turn in the spotlight, my dear nerd.” he winks.

Logan has to breathe through his nose to stay calm. Damn, that handsome prince and his handsome face.

“T-Thank you, Roman.” he manages to say a moment later.

Roman nods again and Logan takes a moment to calm himself down on the inside. The two then go back to talking and brainstorming. At some point, Logan found himself gazing at Roman’s face again as the prince was talking.

Logan couldn’t help it. Roman had such a pretty face. The scars made him look extra handsome. His eyes were just as pretty, sparkling like a pair of emeralds. If Logan looked closer, he could see that Creative spark in those eyes. He could see passion and wonder. Sometimes Logan wondered what the world was like through Roman’s eyes.

“Uh, Specs? Logan?”

Logan blinks and realizes he’d been ogling Roman for some time now. Oops.

“A-Apologies, Roman. I…got lost in thought.” he answers, face flushed.

Meanwhile, Remus who had moved to watch from his twin’s massive closet, rolls his eyes.

“You’re so lucky it takes more bullshit than that to summon Janny.” he hisses under his breath.

Back to the two, Roman just smiles and pats Logan’s shoulder.

“It’s okay! Anyways, I was asking if I could practice my makeup skills on your face. Thomas wants to do another makeup video and I want to be on top of my skills so I can help!” he replies.

Logan doesn’t mind makeup though he doesn’t wear it as often as Roman does. He’s not really that good with the art. Yet, he can’t find himself to deny Roman. Not with that smiling, pretty face looking at him.

“Sure, but nothing heavy, Roman.” he nods, a little flustered.

Roman perks up and claps happily, bouncing up from the bed.

“Oh, thank you, Logan! Wait there! I’m gonna get some stuff from the bathroom.” he squeals before dashing off to his bathroom.

Once the door clicks shut, Remus takes that time to slip out of the closet.

“Watch yourself, nerd. I could hear your nasty little thoughts from there.” he whispers in the logical side’s ear, holding up a shuriken.

Logan blinks, composing himself from being startled.

“What do you mean? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Remus squints.

“Uh huh. I saw you eye-fucking my brother.”

Then he sinks away while Logan is left standing there with a red face.

4.

            Patton loves to bake a lot. It’s calming and fun and he loves giving treats to everyone. He loves it more when he bakes with someone. This time, he’s baking with Roman which has him super excited. Roman is often busy in the Imagination, helping Thomas, or doing some creative work so he doesn’t always have time to do this kind of stuff. With Thomas having another slow day and things being quiet in the Mindpalace, Patton was able to invite Roman who happily agreed to join.

            And now here they were in the kitchen, utensils and bowls scattered around the counter. Flour covers the surface. Patton is in his sky-blue apron and Roman in his white apron. Roman also has his bangs pinned away from his face with a cute little hairclip that’s shaped like a crown. Right now, the two were mixing cake batter.

“Mm, I can’t wait to have these for dessert later. We deserve a little treat!” Roman grins, eager to have some cake after dinner.

Patton nods happily.

“We do! How’s your batter coming along?”

Roman holds up his red bowl.

“I think it’s almost ready!” he answers, mixing a few more times.

“Good! Mine’s almost ready too! Once we get these in the oven, we can work on the frosting and icing!”

Roman nods.

“Oh, I love that part!”

The two laugh and they keep mixing. Soon the batter is ready and they put it in the cake pans. Once that’s done, they place it in the oven to bake. After shutting the oven door and setting the timer, Patton moves and opens the cabinet to get more bowls while Roman gets the ingredients needed.

Patton then sees a problem. The rest of the big mixing bowls are on the top shelf of the cabinet and he can’t reach them.

“Oh dear.” he frowns.

Roman sets down the box of icing mix that he was looking at.

“Is something wrong, Pat?” he asks.

“Could you reach up and get those bowls for me, Roman?”

“Oh, sure!”

Before Patton can move aside, he feels something solid behind him and he blinks. He looks up and nearly squeaks. Roman’s pressing up against him, reaching up into the cabinets. Patton quickly turns away, looking at the counter instead. He can feel Roman’s chest behind his head.

Roman is much taller than him and Patton has no complaints. He’s…very strong too. If Patton leaned back enough, he could feel Roman’s chest against the back of his head and-

“One of the others must have put the bowls up here after movie night.” comes Roman’s voice from behind him. It makes him shiver as Roman’s basically talking in his ear.

Then the solid and muscly wall that is Roman is gone from behind him, now standing beside him instead with the bowl.

“Here you go!”

Patton blinks and hopes he isn’t blushing too much before taking the bowl.

“T-Thank you.”

Roman nods and goes to the other side of the kitchen with the icing box to read the instructions.

Meanwhile, Patton calms himself down. As he moves to put the bowl down, he feels something grab his ankle and he almost squeaks again. The fatherly side looks down and has to hold back another squeak when he sees Remus’ head sticking out of the sink cabinet.

“Don’t even think about it, froggy.”

Then Remus lets go and disappears under the sink.

Patton shudders at that and continues with baking, totally not thinking about Roman’s body against his earlier.

5.

            It’s another slow day in the Mindpalace. Everyone had been hard at work, assisting Thomas last week so this time they agreed to just chill out for the time being. They gathered in the living area and put on a movie though no one really paid much attention to it. Patton was doing a word search for fun, Logan sitting next to him on the couch with a book. Virgil was next to Logan, gaming away on his Switch. Roman and Remus took up the beanbags beside the couch, the twins doodling and brainstorming in a shared sketchbook. Janus sat at their feet, also reading.

Though Janus was getting bored. He’s already read his book and despite it being a mystery novel, the plot was predictable. He sets his book down and glances around before seeing Roman. He hides a fond smile as he hears him giggle at something Remus says.

Janus has heard from the others about their…encounters with Roman. He’s very tempted to try something to get Roman to…show off a little. He looks around some more and spots the thermostat.

Hmm…

Janus then grins and nudges Virgil’s leg.

“Fuck off, Janus.” Virgil huffs without looking up.

“Okay but you’ll miss the show, my dear emo.”

Virgil pauses his game and looks over to Janus.

“What show?”

“Just wait and see.”

Janus then subtly waves his hand to turn up the heat on the thermostat. It takes a few moments but soon it’s starting to get warm. Patton and Logan hardly noticing, being used to the warmth of the Mindpalace. Virgil is used to sweating in his hoodie and Janus himself likes heat. Remus already runs warm so he doesn’t notice much change.

Soon it’s even more warm and Roman is feeling a little uncomfortable in his costume. He loves it and all but the thick material makes it hard to stay cool. It’s why he has a different costume for his Imagination trips. Sighing, Roman sets his pencil aside and stands up.

“Oh, it’s just so hot in here! Sweltering!” he huffs. “I apologize but a prince must shed his costume!”

Roman then waves his hand and he’s now shirtless again.

Janus smirks. Lovely.

“Holy shit…Nice one, Jan.” a flustered Virgil mutters beside him, fist bumping Janus.

Janus nods, enjoying the view.

“Very.”

Patton squeaks, adjusting the sleeves of his cardigan around his neck as his face reddens.

“O-Oh my goodness…”

Logan nods, fixing his glasses as he flusters.

“Quite…”

Meanwhile Remus glares and huffs.

“I hate all of you.”

No one replies, too busy staring at Roman who had decided to fan himself for the moment.

Remus glares more.

“Hey! Quit drooling all over him, you fucking weirdos!” he growls, not liking how they’re ogling his twin.

Sweet, oblivious Roman blinks.

“They’re not drooling all over me. That would feel gross, Ree.” he frowns, head tilted in innocence.

Remus resists the urge to smack the others or knock Roman out just to spare him.

“Don’t-Don’t worry too much about it, RoRo.” he sighs, getting up to go check the thermostat.

Roman just blinks again. The others sure have been acting weird lately and he wonders if Remus knows why. He won’t tell him though.

“Oh. Okay then. Wonder why they’re staring at me…”

Oh, if only Roman knew what they saw.

THE END

[greeniegreengreen]

PIRATE AU

Landlubber!Gojou x Captain!Reader

Navy Captain!Nanami x Captain!Reader

Headcannons because I need to get these out there so that means that I am typing with no solid plan in mind to what I am doing

Warnings: Suggestive at the end

Reader is Female/AFAB in this

Landlubber!Gojou who is to be crowned King in a month then married to a Duchess his parents picked the month after

Landlubber!Gojou who isn't so fond of idea of having more responsibilities and a wife he's only seen twice

Landlubber!Gojou who hires your crew and ship to voyage for some artifact his great grandfather had lost as one last hurrah of an adventure

Navy Captain!Nanami who is convinced by onlookers and the current King that you have kidnapped their dear Prince a month before his coronation, given a task with safely retrieving Landlubber!Gojou and bringing you to justice

Landlubber!Gojou who is told by the crew that the Captain of the ship was your first mate who happened to be male as to gain his respect as female leadership was uncommon and frowned upon with where Landlubber!Gojou is from

Landlubber!Gojou who along the trip meets you after repeatedly knocking you over on different occassions because he has yet to develop his sea legs, he's never been so far out before

Landlubber!Gojou who tries to make it seem like it was all your fault on all medts, he fully believes as a Prince he should not be seen this clumsy so he'd much rather blame you to keep his image clean much less to the very crew he payed for

Navy Captain!Nanami who isn't too far off your trail

Landlubber!Gojou who is convinced you are a just a crewmate and nothing more which leads him to treat you no better than any other commoner he's met

Landlubber!Gojou who despite trying to treat you like nothing, starts to lust over you

Landlubber!Gojou who tries to drunkenly flirt with you on night admitting he found you "oddly compelling", you aren't too entertained by the sudden change in attitude but drunken words are sober thoughts

Landlubber!Gojou who has no recollection of the night before, he wasn't a lightweight, far from it actually, it was just that the liqour pirates drank was heavier than the wine he had at the castle

Landlubber!Gojou who notices your slight change of behaviour towards him, you constantly tease him about how blacked out he was while he fears he may of said something

Navy Captain!Nanami who catches up to your ship and begins to set his soldiers to board your ship, attack and find the Prince

Landlubber!Gojou learning after weeks of being out at sea together that you're first mate was a stand in as soon as he sees you barking orders to your crew and receiving a "Yes Captain" back

Landlubber!Gojou who doesn't need to be told twice to find a place to hideout, both for his protection and to not be taken back to his homeland yet

Navy Captain!Nanami who is very fast to try and get him aboard his ship causing you to go and prevent that, Landlubber!Gojou was a very good paying client and you didn't want to lose him yet

Captain!Reader who has Navy Captain!Nanami in a real struggle as they manuever swords in hand along her ship

Captain!Reader who gives the request to her closest crew mates to bring holes to the navy ship's sails before disconnecting them and getting them out of the situation, Navy Captain!Nanami doesn't hear any of this as you keep overpowering him in battle so his attention is to figure out a way out of this and to remove you of your sword

Navy Captain!Nanami who doesn't realise that they are now sailing away from his stationed ship before you subdue him with the help of your first mate and let him take im the situation he is in

Captain!Reader who gives him two options, to either choose to swim with the fishes or renounce his title and join them, you were quite impressed with how long he held up against you

Navy Captain!Nanami who was ready to cuss you out before Landlubber!Gojou stepped in to give a third being that you kept him as a prisioner till you reached a port and left him there, he looked at the Navy Captain and gsve him a sheepish smile and wave before initiatin conversation with him to find out the latest news on his country

Navy Captain!Nanami who is beyond pissed to find out that Landlubber!Gojou had left by choice and wasn't kidnapped like his father had said

Captain!Reader who decides to go with the third suggestion and charts a route to a nearby port

Landlubber!Gojou who confronts you in your office once things have settled on why you didn't tell him the truth from the beginning, cornering you against your wall as you try to defend your case annoyed that he had the nerve to come to you with such //audacity//

It's getting to the point you're both almost shouting at each other before he tackles your lips with so much want, you needing to release all that fervor he caused kissed him back

The kiss itself starts to escalate as the small flame that was slowly brewing inside of Landlubber!Gojou the duration of the trip starts to grow bigger with each touch of the other's body

You pull away from him, he follows your movement trying to close the gap again before you speak

"Is that the reason you came in here?" You tease

"No, but it will be the reason I stay" he lunges forward locking you both in another deeper kiss

[tennessoui]

a “stay til the dawn” epilogue

a christmas present for @anakinsthot at the request of @sexysymphony

short and sorta sweet epilogue of sorts to my king obi-wan au, where anakin crashlands on stewjon, loses his memory, and falls in love with king kenobi who makes everything a lot more difficult than it has to be

(3k)(hinted nsfw, but not really anything explicit)

Tobias has never looked more happy to see him, and they routinely get together for drinks at the King’s Pub in the Garden district to root for the Coruscanti waggleball team, decked out in Coruscanti scarlet in a crowd of unfriendly Stewjoni green.

“Ah, Toby, you’re looking well today,” Anakin reaches forward and up—and up—and up—to clap the palace guard on the shoulder of his armor.

“And you’re a sight for sore eyes, milord,” Tobias replies, offering his hand to help Anakin out of the speeder. “If I may say.”

“Say away,” Anakin chirps, jumping down to the ground and peering up at the Gargantiolan. “It’s nice to be missed, even if—“ he checks the comm unit on his wrist “—I’ve been gone less than three days.”

“My joy will pale in the face of the king’s, I assure you,” Tobias says, reaching one long arm into the speeder and retrieving Anakin’s pack. “I will see this returned to your quarters, Prince Set.”

Anakin wrinkles his nose, his immediate reaction to any suggestion that he stand on ceremony.

He may have married a king, but that doesn’t mean he particularly respects all the traditions he’s now beholden to. 

As a Jedi Knight, he never would have been greeted upon his return to the Temple, nor would he be excused from the tedious task of disengaging and storing his own speeder. 

Even as a war general, there had been little ceremony he had observed. He and his men were equal in all but their titles, and he had striven to make sure every soul in his company knew that. 

But his new job, his new title can’t be bucked off nor ignored for the very simple reason that no one will let him.

The Stewjonians are an obliging yet obstinate sort. Much like their king, who they seem to adore above all else. 

As Anakin feels the same way about King Kenobi, they have a lot in common, despite the way every Stewjonian who sees him insists on treating him as if he’s made of fine, delicate, ornamental transparisteel. 

“Fine,” he says with the smallest of sighs. He learned as a general that all battles could be fought, but some were not worth the effort, so predictable was their end. “Would you happen to know where our King is, if he has missed me so?”

Tobias raises four of his six eyebrows. “Can’t you feel him in the Force?” 

“No,” Anakin barely resists the urge to pout, which would be very unbecoming of a Prince Consort. “He’s blocked the bond.”

Something Obi-Wan only does when he’s angry with him, Anakin doesn’t add. 

At least Obi-Wan knows better than to cut himself off from the Force all together. The one and only time Anakin had made him furious enough that he’d slipped on Force suppression cuffs and disappeared from Anakin’s mind, Anakin…hadn’t reacted well.

Now when he’s grumpy—indignant, Anakin, perhaps scorned. Kings do not feel grumpy—he blocks their bond as if he’s simply locking a door, instead of deliberately locking Anakin out of the warmth and comfort of Obi-Wan’s mind, his very soul. It’s almost worse like this, but at least he knows he’s alive, can feel a quiet humming at the end of their bond. 

“Perhaps the healers have used your absence to push the king into attempting a more traditional form of a healthy, Stewjonian Force bond.” 

“I was under the impression such things do not exist.”

“Aye, I’d say that may just be why he blocked it then,” Tobias points out, but at Anakin’s dark expression, he quickly raises all four of his hands in his defense. “I’m only jesting, milord. He’s holding court today, I believe, given your continued absence. If you’d like to wait in the glass gardens or in the painting gallery, I’ll let Aislaen know to tell the king you’ve arrived.”

“No need,” Anakin waves his hand, already turning towards the palace’s front doors. “I know where the throne room is. I’ll let him know myself.”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Tobias says, but Anakin is taking the stairs two at a time, pushing himself faster than humanly possible with the Force in order to reach his husband quicker. 

Given his continued absence—the absolute nerve of Obi-Wan! He’s been gone for two and a half days! He hadn’t even left the damn planet! What Obi-Wan has to be grumpy about, Anakin doesn’t know.

The throne room is one of the first rooms in the palace when one enters through the grand entrance hall. Obi-Wan had insisted on it being so, something about openness and accessibility.

Anakin has never liked its location, maybe because he’s not one to read metaphors into architecture. What it feels like to him, having the throne room only a corridor away from the mouth of the palace, is a security risk.

But at least now it’s convenient. 

The guards at the door know better than to block his entrance these days, though he breezes past them almost before they can drop into the customary bow.

The throne room is almost full, people from the capitol city taking advantage of the king’s need for distraction to come and give him problems to solve while he waits for Anakin to return.

Or whatever he does when Anakin is away.

The room is small enough that Anakin can see Obi-Wan as soon as he steps in. The king looks resplendent seated on his throne, cape carefully folded around him, the blue and green color of his outfit standing out against the dark wood of the seat.

The Stewjon people are not those who value gold and jewels and overt symbols of power; this is something Anakin respects.

But Force, would his king look beautiful decked out in the regalia other planets pile on their monarch. 

Anakin strides forward to stand at the back of the line leading to the King’s dias. Stewjonian citizens line the halls, but the line itself is relatively short. Though it is fairly late in the day, so maybe Obi-Wan has been seated here for hours already. Anakin would know if his stubborn husband would just unblock his side of their bond and let him have access to his mind. 

He looks tired, Anakin decides as he shuffles forward and can see more of the details of his king’s face. There are shadows under his eyes, and though he is careful to give each person before him his full attention, Anakin can see him drooping with the effort of it. 

If he weren’t being so pissy, Anakin would use his princely privileges to march forward and drag his king up to their private quarters for a nice soak in their indecently sized bath. He’d even wash his hair for him and push him back onto their bed to ride him to completion. He wouldn’t have to do anything. Anakin would look after the both of them.

But Obi-Wan is angry with him about something, and he’s decided to block their bond, and Anakin can’t reward that sort of behavior, not when he feels as though he needs that bond to breathe. 

So instead of running his hands through his king’s auburn hair and stretching himself wide enough to take the sizable intrusion of Obi-Wan’s cock after three days of abstinence, Anakin is standing here. In line in front of his king. Ready to complain like everyone else.

Two people away from the front of the queue, Obi-Wan looks up from the woman in front of him—complaining about some sort of imagined cheese monopoly in the Lower Colsteph district that’s been affecting her sales—and locks eyes with Anakin. 

He tenses all over, shoulders straightening and eyes shuttering.

For a very scary second, Anakin is terrified that he’s actually done something quite terrible and he’s just forgotten. 

Can a person have selective amnesia twice in so little time? 

But no, he’s been gone for the past couple of days on an excursion Obi-Wan himself approved. 

It’s perhaps a measure of how much the people of Stewjon love their king that the person ahead of Anakin follows Obi-Wan’s line of sight, sees Anakin standing behind him, and immediately removes himself from the situation. 

Though to be fair Anakin doesn’t know what his face looks like right now, his own anger rising in his stomach at the sight of Obi-Wan’s aloof, diplomatic expression aimed in his direction.

The nerve.

“There was a line,” Obi-Wan points out blasely as Anakin moves to stand before him. 

“And now I’m in the front of it,” Anakin replies. “Won’t you hear my grievances, King Kenobi?” 

Obi-Wan’s eyes flash. “I’ve half the mind to dismiss the court. It’s been a long day already, sir.”

“Oh, yes. It must be very exhausting, sitting around in comfortable furniture for hours at a time. But I’ve flown all the way from Olijon to see you, sire.”

“How flattering,” Obi-Wan replies. “But careful, sir, I’m a married man.”

Anakin bears his teeth. “As am I. As it were, my husband is who I have come to complain about.”

The crowd of Stewjonians shift around Anakin, giving him a fair amount of space.

They’re very smart people, the Stewjonians are.

“Oh?” Their king asks.

“I seem to have married the most stubborn, most uncommunicative Stewjonian the Force has ever created. He would grind his teeth down to the quick before he let slip his own emotions unprompted.” 

“Hm,” Obi-Wan says. 

“For example, I believe he is grumpy with me at the moment, though I’ve had to piece together his anger as one may piece together fragments of a broken mirror: the image is imperfect, unclear, incomplete.”

“Hm,” Obi-Wan says. “Perhaps if you looked into a mirror, you would find the source of your husband’s ire.”

“Oh, don’t you dare claim my metaphor for your benefit—“

“Apologies, darling. I am a king. It is what we do.” Obi-Wan leans forward on his throne and looks down at Anakin, resting his hand on his chin.  “Let me ask you something.”

Anakin narrows his eyes and crosses his arms.

“How long have you been married to this terrible husband of yours?”

“I didn’t say terrible—“ Anakin starts to protest before the words freeze in his mouth. “Two years,” he says instead, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Exactly?” Obi-Wan asks, arching an eyebrow.

Anakin swallows. “To the day,” he admits. “Ah, fuck. But Obi-Wan, I—“

Obi-Wan stands with a swirl of his cape. “Then I suggest you rush back to Olijon post-haste. After all, I’m sure you want to spend your anniversary outside of court, with your love. I, for one, would have.”

Final judgment passed, he turns on his heel to exit through the side door.

Anakin, of course, will not allow this to happen. He uses the Force to hold the door shut as Obi-Wan presses his palm against it.

When Obi-Wan turns to look at him, nostrils flaring and real fury flashing in his eyes, Anakin inclines his head. “Court dismissed,” he prompts.

Obi-Wan clenches and unclenches his jaw before he waves his hand. “Court dismissed.”

There are murmurs of both protest and relief as the people around them start exiting through the main entrance, one Anakin throws open with another flick of his hand.

“And guards dismissed as well,” Obi-Wan snaps at the same time Anakin opens his mouth to remind him. He sends a wave of appreciation towards his husband in the Force, but the king is more blocked off than ever. 

When the throne room is empty save for them, Obi-Wan stalks back to sit on his throne as if this whole thing has been his idea. He crosses his left leg over his knee and rests his hands on the armrests of his throne. “Well?” 

“You let me forget our anniversary,” Anakin says, which doesn’t feel like the best foot forward at the very beginning. But it’s true. “You should have told me not to go on the trip to Olijon. It could have waited.”

“I’m not in the business of telling my husband what to do or not do,” Obi-Wan replies, as if he doesn’t take great joy from ordering Anakin around in bed.

Anakin’s raised eyebrow must convey this skepticism, because Obi-Wan huffs. “That’s different,” he says, crossing his arms. “That’s…pleasure. This is…”

When he doesn’t continue, Anakin takes that as an invitation to stride up the dias into his husband’s personal space. When that doesn’t feel close enough, he doesn’t hesitate to clamber into his lap, forcing Obi-Wan’s body to accommodate him.

“What is this, my liege?” Anakin asks, wrapping his arms around his neck.

Obi-Wan looks torn, shields weakening. They’ve never been in an argument yet that hasn’t petered out when Anakin shortens the distance between them.

“This is duty,” Obi-Wan says resolutely, even as his shields waver. “You needed to go to Olijon because as the prince and an accomplished engineer, Prince Set was expected to inspect the latest transport rig there. That was your duty. And mine was to let you go.”

“But you’re grumpy with me,” Anakin points out, shifting closer and bringing up one of his hands to start playing with the ends of Obi-Wan’s bangs, which just stick out under the weight of his crown.

Maybe this is what causes Obi-Wan to melt into him. Maybe it’s his pout as he does it. Maybe it’s just that he’s missed him as much as Anakin has missed being here with him. 

“I’m not,” Obi-Wan mutters, dragging a hand over his face before he settles it against the small of Anakin’s back. “Not least because kings do not get grumpy.”

Anakin snorts but doesn’t say anything. He does rock forward pointedly though. After all, if they can get through this conversation, nothing is stopping them from…celebrating their anniversary right here in the throne room.

“I have a duty to my people as their king, and in marrying me you have taken on a part of that duty. I cannot keep you away when you are called upon, no matter the day. I…” Obi-Wan‘s eyes catch with his and he curls his hand around the apple of Anakin’s cheek. “It’s silly to be upset that you have taken so well to the duties I have burdened you with.”

Anakin blinks at him, slowly processing his words.

“I may have a reputation for being a bit forgetful,” he tells his stupid husband, nuzzling forward until their foreheads touch and he can stretch to place a kiss on the thin bow of Obi-Wan’s upper lip, “but I do believe I married a man. Not a planet. If my memory serves me correctly, in fact, we weren’t even on Stewjon when we were married. And I believe I have never taken on Stewjonian royalty vows as prince consort—“

“That’s because you keep hiding in the woods whenever we try to schedule a cerem—“

“Which means, my very stupid and melodramatic husband,” Anakin braces his both his hands on his shoulders and leans back so that he can look him in the eyes. “That my duty first and foremost is to you, and it always will be.”

Obi-Wan huffs and shakes his head slightly, automatically. 

“Baby,” Anakin shakes his head back. “I left my family, my friends, my entire way of life thousands of parsecs away just so I could be with you. Duty means nothing in the face of love. Not to me; not when it comes to this love.” 

His husband exhales rather shakily and twines his hand through Anakin’s hair, hauling him forward and connecting their mouths.

Anakin has been waiting for this since his ship landed back in the boundaries of Stewjon proper. He angles his head and opens his mouth at the lightest touch of Obi-Wan’s tongue to his lip, granting him access he never truly has to ask for.

It’s his already to do with as he pleases. Anakin is his to do with as he pleases, and he tries to make sure Obi-Wan understands that as he deepens the kiss, lets his hands fist in the front of Obi-Wan’s shirt as he rocks down in his lap.

Obi-Wan groans when Anakin sucks on his tongue, tightening his hold on his hair and forcing him into a better position. Kissing his husband is always an amazing experience, but after being deprived of his kisses for a few days, it feels like there’s nothing better in the world than the slide of their tongues, the sound of their breaths, the taste of Obi-Wan bursting on his tongue.

Anakin wants more. When it comes to Obi-Wan, he always wants more.

It takes the slightest nudge against Obi-Wan’s mind for his shields to waver and fall to Anakin, and he wastes no time at all reclaiming his space and refreshing their bond. 

The Stewjonian healers had warned them both about bond sickness and unhealthy attachments, the Stewjonian impulse to possess and cling. But Anakin and Obi-Wan’s bond is strong and healthy,  a meadow filled with soft, dappled light. Nothing at all like the thorny, overgrown path that the healers had painted in Anakin’s mind.

And if they were ever to convince Obi-Wan to sever their bond under the guise of his duty demanding it, Anakin would kill them. Simple as.

Greedily, he wraps himself in the tendrils of their open bond, separating their mouths to pant against the side of Obi-Wan’s neck.

After a second to catch his breath, he starts licking and sucking at the skin beneath his lips.

Two years. It’s been exactly two years since they were married beneath the Fei’luka sun. 

“You’re the most difficult man in the entire galaxy,” Anakin murmurs, sitting back to look at his husband. 

Obi-Wan’s eyes are dark, pupils blown.  Anakin can feel the swell of his cock beneath his ass. It would be incredibly easy to sink to his knees right here, lift up the cloth of Obi-Wan’s kilt, and take that cock into his mouth. He knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Obi-Wan would let him. That Obi-Wan would enjoy it. 

He’s enjoyed it before, spreading his legs to allow Anakin’s shoulders to fit between them while he lounges on his throne.

Stewjonians despise opulence yet love ceremony, and their king is the same. His throne is simple treated wood, masterfully carved yet lacking the adornments others affix onto their physical seats of power. Yet Anakin has always thought that Obi-Wan gets a special sort of enjoyment from Anakin kneeling before him on his throne, though he’s never gotten him to admit it.

Anakin certainly enjoys it, the weight of his cock in his mouth and the inescapable press of Obi-Wan’s hand against the back of his head, his liege and his king and the best damn choice Anakin has ever made exacting pleasure upon him as he takes his own as well.

“Darling,” Obi-Wan groans, “a little restraint would be much appreciated.”

“How can I practice restraint when all I can think about is the way you touch me? How good it feels. How very right. Two years of it, but Force, Obi-Wan. Force, how many more years do you think we’ll have?”

“It depends on how kind the Force is to its worshippers,” Obi-Wan’s eyes crinkle and he ghosts a kiss up his jaw. 

Anakin shivers. “I’m its child, baby. The Force fucking loves me.”

The space between their bodies evaporates as Obi-Wan crushes him to his chest, pulling him down so there’s no escaping the feeling of the hard line of his cock.

“Fifty years then,” Obi-Wan swears. “Perhaps a hundred.”

Anakin’s laugh is breathless as he rocks down, rubbing himself against his husband’s erection. “And how many years will it take for us to get to the point where I forget something and you just tell me?”

Obi-Wan stands, lifting Anakin up into his arms. If it didn’t make Anakin lose his voice, that display of strength and possessiveness, he’d say something clever about improper use of the Force.

As it is, he can only moan high and loud as Obi-Wan carries him towards the door to the side chamber.

“Oh, fifty years perhaps. Maybe a hundred,” Obi-Wan tells him, and Anakin kisses him quiet, as is his princely duty.

[iliveiloveiwrite]

How To Stop Time: Touch

Request: Please could you do a soulmate au where time stops when solemates touch for the first time with draco 💞

A/N: Another soulmate AU and for Draco? It’s like you’re treating me, I swear. You must know how much of a sucker I am for this man. Thank you so much for requesting this, nonnie! I hope I’ve done it justice! <3

Warnings: swearing - it’s a load of fluff and me waxing lyrical about the history of soulmates... again.

Word count: 2.1k

The magic surrounding the tale of soulmates is so powerful that it is said time stops when soulmates finally touch.

The eldest witches and wizards in the magical community believe that in response to the muggle witch hunts across history, and particularly, the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the soulmate bond was created as a way for witches and wizards to identify their other half without the risk of increased danger.

To tiny witches and wizards, they grow up on this tale. They relish in the belief that their love for their soulmate is so powerful that time will stop once they touch; spurred on by the tales of their parents and grandparents before them who had found their soulmate in the other. Across the world, tiny witches and wizards curl up in their bed, dreaming of how time will stop the moment they find their soulmate.

-----

As you progressed in your education at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, countless numbers of your friends found their soulmates. Each of them bounding up to you giddily as they each explained how time stopped the moment they touched their soulmate, and how it felt like time would always stop whenever they looked at them.

As you entered your seventh year and you still hadn’t found your soulmate, you began to question whether you had one. For a small percentage of the wizarding population, they did not have a soulmate, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing – those without a soulmate felt the freedom of being able to choose who they loved and who they dedicated their life to. However, as a teenager watching their friends fall in love around them, you were desperate to know if you had one.

Sure, you had crushes. The longest one being on the blonde-haired Malfoy heir, and the part of you that dreams at night, wonders whether it could be him for it seemed that he hadn’t found the person that made time stop for him either.

-------

To say you were frustrated would be an understatement.

NEWT exams were rapidly approaching yet you felt no more confident with your potions ability than you did at the beginning of the year. You had barely scraped by to get into Slughorn’s Advanced Potions class but scrape by you did and now you find yourself questioning why you had ever taken the class.

Not to mention the fact that your soulmate was still to make an appearance. Your closest friend, Sam had found his soulmate in a Ravenclaw boy named James – they were lovely together, but the anxiety of not having found your soulmate as well as the upcoming exams diminished your happiness for them.

They comforted you; promising that you would find your soulmate soon and that you would pass your exams without fail. And though they tried their hardest, you found it hard to believe them.

Instead, you take matters into your own hands, pushing all thoughts of soulmates and your lack of one to the back of your mind as you approach Professor Slughorn after class in which a practical had gone drastically wrong. He agreed to help; promising he would call on you when he found it.

You left the classroom feeling somewhat at ease with his words. You may not have found your soulmate, but you’ll be damned if you don’t pass your exams.

Professor Slughorn calls on you on a Thursday evening; sending a note with a first year to your common room asking you to join him in his classroom. You head straight there, pulling on a jumper as you leave the common room.

“Miss (Y/L/N), thank you for joining us.” Professor Slughorn greets as you enter the classroom, taking in the sight of him and Draco Malfoy.

“Of course, Professor.” You say, sitting in the empty seat next to Draco.

Slughorn smiles at the two of you, “You approached me at the end of our last lesson, Miss (Y/L/N), asking for extra help with Potions, is that right?”

“I did, sir.”

“I spoke to Draco after we had our conversation, and he’s more than happy to tutor you, isn’t that right?”

Draco crosses a leg over the other, “It is. I’m more than happy to help.”

Slughorn claps his hands together, pleased at the fact that he’s sorted this between you both. “I’ll leave my classroom free for you both on Saturday, that way you won’t be disturbed.”

You stand from your seat, smiling at the professor and Draco. “Thank you.” You look at Draco, “I guess I’ll see you Saturday.”

Butterflies erupt in your stomach as you leave Slughorn’s classroom.

-----------

Saturday arrives, and you hold back a yawn as you push open the door to Slughorn’s classroom. The chill of the morning and your residual tiredness has you pulling the sleeves of your cardigan down to cover your hands; hoarding any warmth possible.

“I know it’s early, but I went to the kitchens and the Elves were more than happy to wrap us up some warm pastries and give a flask of tea.” Draco greets.

He holds out a small cup of tea, steam still rising. You take it from him, letting the warmth fill your hands and then flow through your body as you take that first sip.

“Thank you, Draco.” You say, taking a bite of the breakfast pastry, moaning softly at the taste of butter and jam.

Draco smiles as he takes a bite of his own. “I thought we’d follow Slughorn’s curriculum, so we aren’t missing anything out. That means we start with Amortentia, is that okay?”

You nod, continuing to eat your breakfast.

Draco smirks, “Besides, it means I get to find out if you have a crush on anyone.”

You snort, “It goes both ways, I believe, Draco. I get to see if you have a crush too.”

Draco laughs, blushing lightly. He potters around the classroom, gathering the ingredients as you sip your tea. Watching him, you realise how attractive Draco truly is. Once you got past the hard exterior; removed the mask he so often wore, he was soft and gentle.

You had always harboured a small crush on the teenager titled the Slytherin Prince. You briefly wonder whether the love potion would smell like him.

Draco places jars and vials of ingredients on the table before collecting his cauldron from where he had placed it on the floor. He plants it on the stand before murmuring the warming charm so the bottom can heat up as he prepares the ingredients in the order that he needs them.

Draco instructs you through the potion; pausing every now and then for you to take down any notes. As you dip your quill in the ink pot for the fourth time, you think that Draco would make the perfect professor – he has a knack with words making explanations easier and relating them in a manner that are easily understood. Not to mention his passion for the subject comes across so clearly as he gestures with his hands and smiles all through his explanations.

He pauses part way through a sentence, “Let me know if I’m rambling too much, won’t you?”

“Of course, but I enjoy listening to you speak – you clearly love this subject, Draco.”

He looks away sheepishly, reading over the instructions he’s already memorised. “I’d like to be a Potions Professor once we leave here.”

“You’d be brilliant at it,” You reply immediately, “You have a talent for this, I already feel more confident in my potions ability.”

His blush from earlier returns as he murmurs, “Thank you. What are your plans for after?”

“I think I’d like to do something in the ministry; in the archives I think.”

Draco nods, understanding, “I’ve seen you in History of Magic. You’d suit the archives, with all the old documents.”

You laugh, “I just think the history of our society is so interesting.”

“You’d be a good professor, (Y/N).” Draco whispers.

“Let’s hope Professor Binns finally retires then,” You start, “That way we can work together.” You internally groan at your shoddy attempt at flirting, but Draco doesn’t seem to notice. He chuckles, “We’d make a good team.”

You stare down at your notes, fiddling with your quill, so Draco doesn’t see the giddy expression on your face.

Draco looks back to his instructions, glancing over the final few steps. He stirs the mixture clockwise for three more minutes before steam begins to rise from the cauldron.

He sits back into his seat, “There we go. All done.”

For a single minute, you watch the steam rise from the potion. Draco brewed it so effortlessly that you wonder where you had gone wrong the first time you attempted it. But with his instructions and his tutelage, you know that you would be able to brew it again successfully.

Temptation rises within you; the urge to lean over Draco’s cauldron and take a whiff of the potion becomes too much. Draco sees you shift in your chair, “Go on then,” he prompts, “What does it smell like?”

The fumes from the potion make your head spin slightly. They smell of something you’ve smelled before; of something you’ve been in close contact with recently.

Burnt sugar and rain give way to the delicate smell of roses.

And it hits you all of a sudden – you’re smelling the teenager sat next to you. Your heart races as you come to the realisation that the crush you had been harbouring for the blonde-haired teenager had evolved into something more.

The desperate thought runs through your head. The pleading thought of: please let him be my soulmate.

If you were already feeling this strongly about Draco, it would be hell on earth to find out that his soulmate was actually another.

“What did you smell then?” Draco asks as you sit back down in your chair.

You avoid his eyes as you say, “I’ll tell you once you have a smell.”

Draco frowns but he nods, nonetheless.

Draco bends over the cauldron, having noticed your reaction to the smell. He inhales deeply; the heady scent taking root within him.

Jasmine, citrus and orchids.

The smell of your perfume mixed with the floral smell of shampoo. It had settled around him.

He had a hunch it would smell like you. He’s had feelings for you since Fourth Year; smelling you perfume, and shampoo only confirmed what he already knew deep down – that he was in love with you.

Draco takes a step back from the table; the revelation hitting him all at one – so strongly it knocks the breath from him.

“I’ve had a thought.”

“I think I’m having the same one.” You say, standing up.

Draco’s eyes blaze as he states, “I think you’re my soulmate.”

You nod, “I think you’re my soulmate too.”

Draco holds his hand out to you; less than a centimetre away from you, but he doesn’t take the final step. Despite it all; despite the certainty, he cannot ignore the spike of fear running through his body. He never expected he would find his soulmate; he never expected that it would be you of all people. Draco had been crushing on you since Fourth Year; since you had sat next to him at dinner and asked his thoughts on the Triwizard Tournament – he was taken aback by your presence that he answered honestly, and the conversation that followed had been one of the most honest he had ever had.

You watch the myriad of emotions that flit over his face; trying to define each and every one of them. The certainty that you feel with the idea of Draco being your soulmate settles deep within your bones; combining with your genetic makeup. It all makes sense now; your feelings for Draco finally made sense.

You take the final step; taking his hand in yours, tangling your fingers together. His skin is smooth and soft against yours. His hand fits perfectly in yours, as if made for you.

And then time stops.

Time stops.

The steam from the Amortentia potion freezes; the ticking of the clock no longer sounds; the sound of younger students running up and down the corridor outside the classroom fall silent.

The only thing moving in this moment is you and Draco.

He draws you into his arms. One arm wrapping around your waist; the other caressing your cheek. His thumb rubs over your cheekbone as he smiles softly down at you. For a moment, neither of you speak for the small fear of breaking the instant in which you find yourselves. This time is so precious; it’s where everything is defined. You beam up at him, savouring the feel of his arm around your waist though you know that you have a lifetime to memorise the way he touches you.

“I never thought I would find you.” Draco whispers, in awe of the situation.

“You have. So what do you plan to do?”

“This.”

It’s all he says as he dips his head and kisses you.

*******************

General (HP) taglist: @chaotic-fae-queen @obsessedwithrandomthings @dreamer821 @the-hufflefluffwriter @summer-writes @harrypotter289 @heloisedaphnebrightmore @nebulablakemurphy @bforbroadway @idont-knowrn @kalimagik​ @figlia--della--luna​

Draco Malfoy taglist: @the--queen-of-hell @obx-beach @obxmxybxnk​ @sycathorn-slush​

[midnightmoonkiss]

Esoteric.

Witch!Izuku Midoriya X Fem!Reader

Summary: What was a witch, exactly? Someone who casts spells? Dabbled in medicine? Fought in battles? You didn’t know. That was, until you met one.

WARNINGS!: Soft!Dom!Izuku, Face-sitting, Fingering, Potion-play

Category: Smut

Word Count: 7.3k (more than half is like.. pure smut..)

A/N: The final day of the Izumonth Collab!

P.S. I really love Witch!Izuku, idk if you can tell,,, Also, I made the witch!collage above! ‘Tis just to suck you into the mood. And sorry this was.. a bit late.. heheh,,,

Just To Clarify:

You’re both consenting adults

Witches, though actually fairly rare, are seen as common beings

Witches aren’t human

Fantasy-ish au!

Tag List:

@coupsieddori​ @desia2​ @strwbrry-lia​ @my-bnha-things​

Every castle has a witch.

It’s been that way for as long as you, or anyone else, could remember.

It was normal.

Mundane to some.

Just something you’d hear about time and time again.

They were workers, just like you. 

But yet, that never stopped your sense of wonder.

They never were in plain sight, not for a peasant such as yourself, anyway.

It always brought up so many questions whenever you’d stop to think about it. 

What did they look like?

Were they nice, or wicked?

How did their magic work?

What did they wear?

Depending on the kingdom, most witches were treated like royalty, especially those who worked in castles.

Of course, how could someone so powerful not have such a title?

It made you question if it was given out of fear, or respect.

It wasn’t until you met the witch of Thidel castle, the ever-so-generous Izuku Midoriya, that your questions were all willingly answered.

You truly weren’t anticipating meeting him during such a catastrophe of a day. Looking back, it was quite embarrassing.

You were the baker’s assistant, tasked with making the batter to elaborate sweets for the King’s ball that evening.

The flour was freshly ground from the mill, the vanilla was as pure as a white daisy, the sugar ever-so-sweet, eggs fetched that morning, everything was perfect.

In fact, everything was running all nice and smoothly, until the King decided to ask for triple the amount of baked goods he had originally requested.

Not only did that mean running to town and back in shoes already falling apart, but that also meant stirring and stirring and stirring until it felt as if your arms were on fire and about to melt off.

You were covered in ingredients and sweat, the other bakers and assistants were running around, spilling things on each other, and making large messes as they pulled their hair out to get everything done on time.

It was chaos.

And that’s when he showed up.

You forgot what he was originally there for, herbs, perhaps?

Batter smudged on your cheek, you were carrying a large sack of flour to the mixing station when the door opened.

You slipped comedically on an egg that had fallen on the floor, and of course, you had to slam into this sudden brick wall of a man.

White powder flew everywhere, and the clock stopped in your head as you watched in horror as the last bag of flour you had was just about to spill all over the dirty cobblestone.

That’s when you saw it for the first time.

Magic.

He had simply flicked his wrist and all of the flour was back in its bag, and such a high ranking individual was on his knees, sputtering apologies to you.

To you, of all people.

A lowly peasant.

It felt unreal.

But that was how you met him.

He looked up and the first image he had of you forever imprinted in his head was wild (H/C) hair coated in sweat and flour, cheeks smudged with chocolate and dried batter, eyes wide with panic, and cheeks a burning red.

He never let you live it down, the bastard.

That night at the ball, you met him again. He had the gall to note how you cleaned up fast, all while sheepishly smiling at you like you were the only girl in the room.

You wanted to punch him at the time. Or die of embarrassment. He was still the witch after all, and never before had someone so high class spoken to you before. You were filled with so many emotions that night, you were sure you were going to throw up.

Instead, you smiled, offered him a pastry, and walked away.

He just had to follow you, though.

His reason being, “I was looking for some entertainment at such a boring event.”

It had made you laugh, as IF you were any entertainment. From then on, though, after having spent an entire night chatting the time away, he was as hooked on you as you were with him.

Nowadays, you got to frequent his studies often.

A privilege not many had, as apparently- witches were quite stubborn with letting people into their sanctuary and touching their things.

Perhaps it was a possessive trait of theirs, one that kept them from misplacing important potions, books, and ingredients, but nevertheless you were absolutely honored to be allowed somewhere so.. otherworldly.

The King and his youngest son were the only ones besides yourself allowed in.

But stepping inside would always be a slap to the face, no matter how many times you actually did enter.

It wasn’t exactly clear to you how he did it, or how the witch before him did it, but the small study tucked away on the east wing of the castle wasn’t a small study at all.

The old, heavy brown door was signed with words of a language unknown to you and others, the hinges creaking ever so slightly as you pulled it open, only to be met with a two-story home inside.

Your nose was always immediately hit with the earthy scent of rain and plants, no doubt from the plethora of the heavenly greens hanging about the place, glowing orbs of light hovering near the ones doomed to never touch true sunlight.

The place was cluttered yet neat, parchments piling up in one corner, yet another where they laid organized.

It was almost like a different world crafted by steady and loving hands.

Old maps were tacked to one of the walls, scribbled writing and red circles pointing out certain areas of the land beyond the one you knew.

Witches apparently had their own realm, or at least, “a pocket of Earth hidden away from humans by magic”, as Izuku had thoughtfully explained one night as a thunderstorm raged on outside.

Old books smelling of age are scattered about, the large bookshelf barely able to contain them all.

Candles lit by a green flame surround a large wooden table, herbs such as chamomile, ginger, ginseng, valerian, lavender, and saffron are neatly placed by a bowl, wrapped in bundles. Clearly, he was going to try and make some more anti-depressant mixture for the prince again.

He was more of a naturalist when it came to the sick, unless worse came to worse.

He was essentially a glorified doctor who was far more knowledgeable on plants rather than bone structure and types of sickness.

He was a sweetheart who helped all he could.

Hell, he was even taken to some battles as a last defense.

Despite looking so innocent, with his baby fat still hugging his cheeks and freckles splattered all about, the definition of youth, he was quite powerful.

Scarily so.

You had heard hushed whispers from fellow servants about how he had taken down armies alone multiple times before, coming back with nothing but burns and a broken bone or two.

He was terrifying to those who didnt take a mere second to glance at him.

But those who did were greeted with nothing but a warm smile and the fleeting wave of a busy man.

It was a mystery how you had managed to capture his undivided attention, enough so that he had made you his, the plain-looking bracelet made from leather string holding an emerald sealed with magic signifying that.

You were untouchable.

Once gutted with fear, you walked the polished grounds of the castle freely.

After all, not even a King would so much as dare to harm witches beloved, lest he wanted to be burned alive by immortal flames and sent to the ninth level of hell.

A level solely made by strong users of the past, the ones who carved the road for witchery, having bent time itself to do so.

Truly terrifying how powerful they could be, but yet it was so mystifying.

You’d be lying if you said you haven’t spent nights wide awake listening to him ramble about their history, about how they came to be and how they flourished.

They didn’t start off as human-like creatures, they started off as a ball of magical light in a land filled with nothing.

It was said that witches built the Earth from the ground up until greed overtook the lands and the humans overpopulated them.

And yet, they work harmoniously together.

Humans fearful of their power, and witches just naturally seeking to help people and continue their craft in harmony with all those who share the lands they grew from scratch.

 It truly was a peaceful existence they led, you couldn’t help but admire it.

Just like you always have.

Pulling the door shut, it locked behind you as you stepped over some paper with doodles, knowing better than to mess with his disorganized things without him in the room to see it.

Speaking of, you were asked here this evening, something about wanting to try out a new potion he had made.

He was always making new things, an inventor of sorts, but never one to have you as a test subject.

Of course, it piqued your curiosity and had you quickly cleaning up the mess you had made in the kitchen when the day was officially over just to get here as fast as you could.

The large window covered in vines holding a small couch beneath it glistened with the light of a crescent moon, casting the room lit with an array of colors in a cool glow.

Smoke from the candles blurred the light, only to collide with the wooden floor above them.

Humming, you grabbed an orb sitting on a side table,  holding it in the moonbeams so it would absorb its brightness. A candlestick of sorts made from magic. You weren’t going to risk going into complete darkness again.

He was obviously not in his work area, so he was probably upstairs.

And so, as quietly as you could, you crept up the old stairs, holding your breath and biting your lip whenever you came to a creaky step. You wanted to scare him, or at the very least surprise him

He was so easy to scare, and he always made the cutest of noises when you did it.

It was hard not to try everytime you were given the chance.

Once you made it to the top, fingers clasped tightly around the carved wooden railing, you looked around the darkened hallway, searching for the room he’s most likely to be in.

None of them had any lights on, which was eerily odd.

He never was much a fan of complete darkness.

It only raised questions as to if he wasn’t here yet, or if he was leaving you high and dry.

No, he would never do such a thing. Perhaps you’re early?

Chewing on your thumbnail, you stood dead at the top of the stairs, waiting for a sign that he was here.

“BOO!” 

“ARGGHH!” you shrieked, jumping away from the noise only to have your back slammed against the wall.

Horrified, you snapped your head to the direction of the noise, only to find a giddy Izuku covering his mouth with a leather-gloved hand, holding away his giggles.

Huffing, you placed a hand on your heart, ignoring the laughs that seeped out of him.

“Geeze, you scared me!” You chided, glaring up into his playful green eyes.

“Oh, like you weren’t trying to do the same to me just now.”

Laughing still, he bent down in front of you, offering you a hand to help you up.

Ever the gentleman.

Placing your palm into his own, he easily pulled you up to your feet, holding you against his muscular chest in a welcoming hug, to which you eagerly returned, arms wrapping around his slender waist.

Though you didn’t know the common body type of a witch, you had to admit, he was certainly buff. Not that you minded.

He could easily throw you over his broad shoulder, and you loved it.

Completely defenseless and vulnerable.

Oh, how sweet it was to trust fully in someone.

His foreign clothes were soaked in his familiar thick scent, the smell of the forest after it had just rained, dewdrops in the early morning sun, a hint of pine, and his own natural musk that always had your head spinning. He tends to travel the forests in the kingdom often, collecting natural herbs and stones he found interesting.

He had jars and jars of rocks and stones, sometimes cracking them open to reveal crystals tucked away inside. He’d always make little trinkets out of them, giving them to people he deemed as friends as a sign of gratitude. You only had one, made from the rarest crystal he had ever found, taaffeite. 

“So, why did you need me?” You mumbled against his chest, cheek rubbing against his familiar warmth.

“Firstly, I always need you.” The sap.

“Mhmm..” you hummed out, letting him pull away and grab your hand, taking the glowing orb and tossing it up and down as he led you down the corridor.

“Secondly,” he trailed off, leaving the orb to float in the air as he unlocked his bedroom door, pulling you inside.

“It’s a bit of a personal thing I can only trust you with testing.”

Smiling to yourself, you sat down on the edge of his large bed, running your fingers over the soft wool that made up his thick comforter.

Never one to use dead animal pelts.

“Is that so?” Your eyes naturally follow his being as he walks around the room, shuffling through different materials before snapping his fingers to light the stone fireplace off on the other side of the room, providing more light, as well as warmth, so he could see where he was going and not trip on the books scattered across the floor.

He didn’t like the windows in his bedroom open at night.

“Y-yes..” he stuttered, fumbling around with a few glass jars on his desk, muttering to himself as he examines the label on each one. Seemingly finding what he was looking for, he turned back to you, proudly showing that he had found it before making his way back to the bed.

“What is that for?” Curious, your fingers brushed against the cool glass containing the shimmering magenta liquid as he sat beside you on the bed, mattress dipping enough from his weight that your sides knocked together.

“A few weeks ago, Shōto had asked a familiar question, if I possessed the ability to make every potion out there. Of course I- I can’t exactly, but I’ve enough skill to make some rather.. exotic potions. He questioned if I ever tried something different than just potions to heal the sick or offer beauty, and I haven’t. I don’t know why, but realizing that upset me. As if my skill set was limited to just some average joe healer,”

“Izuku..”

“So for a while now, I’ve been branching out. Trying different types of potions and having him as the tester.”

“Is that why he’s been acting different these days?”

“Precisely. I’m just lucky I haven’t gotten in trouble for turning him into a frog yet..” he chuckles, rubbing the back of his head as you took the glass from him to ogle it.

“So what is this then?”

“Um..” Embarrassment was creeping up his neck and resting on his cheeks as he averted his shy eyes, “I have a hunch of what it might do. But.. secret?”

You pout at him, “Shouldn’t I know what this is?”

“You’ll know soon! I promise it won’t harm you, darling.” Leaning down, he pecks a kiss on your cheek, large arm wrapping around your waist to pull you into a side hug.

Taking the glass from your hands, he pulled the cork out, glittery, pink mist floating out like smoke from a blown-out candle.

“So, what do you say? Will you try it?” It was almost as if he was giving you no option other than yes with those big puppy eyes of his staring into your soul.

Licking your lips, an action his eyes followed, you gulped the nervousness away.

What had you to fear? This was Izuku after all. Had he ever done you harm? Absolutely not.

You had no reason not to trust the man who held your heart.

“Alright.”

Joy lit up his face, smiling so widely his eyes crinkled.

Huffing out a laugh, you took the bottle from him again, curiously sniffing its fragrance.

“Chocolate and.. maca?” The scent was certainly familiarly tasty, having worked with the foods before, being a baker. Judging how the liquid didn’t resemble them at all, it was off-putting. How had he managed to trap such a delicate smell inside?

“Mhm! That’s right! Apparently, when made, the potion takes on a heavenly smell. Most are usually bitter.”

“Ahh..” Trailing off you eyed it up one last time before finally bringing it to your lips, a shiver running down your spine at just how cold the glass still was, despite being in a warm room.

Tilting the glass up, the liquid glimmering in the light of the fire traveled down the shoot, pouring into your awaiting mouth, feeling as if you were swallowing a runny syrup.

It had the slightest hint of sugar and cinnamon to its flavor, but nothing else. How odd.

Gulping it all down just to get it over with, your eyes that unknowingly closed fluttered open as he pulled the glass away.

Feeling perfectly fine, you stared up at him with confusion, about to speak before his lips cut you off, tongue poking out to lick the renaming liquid from the corner of your mouth.

The clink of the bottle being set down echoed around the room before his gloved palm delicately cupped your cheek, tilting your head as to deepen the kiss.

His tongue eagerly explored the wet cavern of your mouth, as if he was drinking the little essence from his own creation left over.

Pulling away with a wet pop, his forehead rested against yours, mesmerizing green eyes staring softly into your own, waiting.

Waiting for what was what you didn’t know, perhaps for the potion to take effect.

You were eager to find out just what it was, but you had a semblance of a guess considering the position you found yourself in.

“How do you feel?” he whispered breathlessly against your parted lips.

Just as you were about to reply, your words got caught in your throat as your body began to heat up in a familiar way.

“I..” You pant, grip on his cotton shirt tightening as your gut suddenly twisted with a burning need for HIM.

Your (E/C) eyes glaze over with lust in front of his own, pupils dilating as your body began to shake, whimpers escaping your throat.

Thighs rubbing together to offer friction you didn’t know you desperately craved until now, you looked at him helplessly, so close to falling apart if it weren’t for his large hand on the small of your back holding you close to his steady figure.

“I-I feel hot.. Izuku..”

You whined, chewing at your lip as you wiggled beneath his excited stare.

“Good.”

Suddenly, his lips connected with yours once more, drawing a stuttered moan from your throat at the contact you unknowingly began to crave more and more as your lips connected again and again.

You clung to him like a koala, kissing him fervently like you would never be able to again, desperate to have his undivided attention.

Hands sliding to your hips, he pulled you onto his lap, legs hugging his own as hot breaths mingled together with the wet sound of kisses.

“Ah..!” You squeaked against him, your hips involuntarily grinding down onto his crotch, greedily searching for the pleasure your body desperately craved.

“M-mmm.. Izu.. I-” Your apology was cut off with a nip to your neck, “Don’t apologize,” he scolded. Grip still on your hips, he pulled you down rougher against his hardening dick, his hips thrusting up to meet your own, eliciting a sharp cry from your being as your head threw back at the sudden pressure where you craved it most.

He was quick to chase your lips, dragging you back into your heated makeout, swallowing every moan you let out as you both humped each other like horny dogs, the eagerness from him only adding to the pool of moisture leaking out of your body.

The button on his trousers was rubbing deliciously against your clothed clit, making your hips stutter every so often as you fought to maintain that hard surface.

Saliva began to drip down the side of your mouth from the intense kissing, but you hadn’t a care in the world.

No, your mind was too fogged to even think about it.

All you craved was him.

Him.

Him.

You yearned for him like he’d been gone a decade, and your body acted on it in a way you were typically shy about.

Biting your lip, he pulled away from the kiss, dragging a whine of protest from you before he hushes you by licking the outer shell of your ear, breath fanning across it only adding to the tingles of excitement shooting down your arched spine. “Hush,” he commanded, and as if you couldn’t disobey him, your words of protest died on your tongue, leaving only a parted mouth and heavy breaths.

Licking down the column of your neck, nose brushing against you, he searched for that familiar sweet spot on you, teeth grazing your flesh.

Still grinding on his hard cock covered by pants, a wet spot no doubt leaking past the underwear you wore beneath your hiked up skirt and onto him, you gasp once he found the place he was looking for.

Smirking, he nibble gently, holding you still as you began to wiggle once more.

Your head tilted to the side to give him more room as he sucked on your skin, teeth repeatedly nibbling at your sensitive flesh. Biting down harshly, you cried out with pain and pleasure, hips grinding down so hard onto him he groaned, the vibration making your heart jump in your throat.

“A-ahh… hnng.!” Moans poured salaciously past your thoroughly kissed lips, holding onto him for dear life as he controlled your being with every fiber of his own.

A button on your blouse popped open, and your foggy gaze traveled down just to see his fingers expertly undoing each one without looking, letting your bare breasts bounce out above your corset.

Not giving you a second to cover yourself out of embarrassment, his large hand cupped one of your tits, massaging it gently just to feel the soft flesh as your chin rested against his grounding shoulder, small moans now directly in his awaiting ear.

“You’re such a good girl, (Y/N).” He praised, eyes filled with nothing but love as he got to watch your unusually heated body search for the pleasure it craved.

You were usually so shy in bed, but with this potion pumping through your veins, he hoped it’d help give you the confidence boost you needed.

Though, that wasn’t the only thing it did.

He was filled with anticipation, if his throbbing member was anything to go by.

Thumb circling around your cute, perky nipple, he took the bud between his thumb and forefinger, pulling gently and rolling it between them, dragging high pitched whines from you.

You couldn’t help but pull away from him again, body constantly shifting from the delicious pleasure you were being given.

Fully pulling your blouse off, he left your chest completely bare, giving him the chance to dip his head down and latch onto the opposite nipple, lathering it in attention with his warm muscle, sucking softly and continuously rolling your other nipple with his hand.

It left you craving more, fingers threading through his messy green curls, pulling as to not lose yourself, only eliciting yet another deep groan that vibrated on your skin.

Feeling yourself slowly start to come undone, you desperately ground against him, pants becoming high pitched and moans being louder.

He could tell you were getting close, and from grinding alone no less, it made him feel so damn good to know he could get you to come purely from grinding.

But he didn’t want you to cum like this.

Certainly not.

And so, he fell back on his back dragging you with him as his lips found yours again.

Gripping at the hem of your skirt, he yanked it down, pulling it off your legs. Using a little handy magic, he effortlessly pulled your own shoes off, already working your underwear down your quivering thighs, eyes zeroed in on the drip of wetness attaching your core to them for a split second before they were across the other side of the room.

Corsets were always his worst nightmare.

He couldnt think too clearly to untie the knot in the back as your now bare crotch rubbed against his own, so without thinking, he ripped it off, the bare display of strength having you keening against him.

“Princess,” he whispered against your lips, dragging your hips upwards, “please, sit on my face.”

How vulgar of him to say, with a smile no less, but nonetheless it scent a throb of want to your stomach, and you found yourself, once again, unable to disobey him.

Your body burned red from embarrassment as you crawled up his own still fully clothed one, but you weren’t given the chance to dwell on it before he moved your hips directly over his face, tongue poking out to lap at your dripping folds.

“Gaah..!” You cried, fingers digging into the blanket beneath him as your hips once again helplessly sought the pleasure you craved, unafraid to press down against him.

Your juices tasted so sweet, he eagerly lapped at you like a dog deprived of water.

He had to hold you still against his face, drinking in the image of your breasts jiggling like jelly with every shuttered breath you took, head flung back and eyes shut tight as you focused purely on the way the flat of his tongue licked you up like a sugary treat.

He couldn’t help but occasionally press a kiss against your sobbing flesh, teasingly avoiding your clit begging for attention each time you moved against his mouth.

Your cries of pleasure filled the room, only sending his mind into a state of hunger, wanting to drag every noise out of you he could, along with the loud licking that caused your essence to drip down his chin.

His aching cock was straining against the flimsy button of his pants, desperate to be released and buried deep inside your soul-sucking pussy again.

Tongue dipping inside you and lips pressing against your sensitive, pink labia, he ate you out with earnest, squeezing your hips tightly with his fingers as he fought to control himself from shoving you to the blankets and fucking you raw without finishing his dessert first.

A choked sob tore from your throat with his lips finally encased your puffy clit, the tip of his tongue tracing around the bundle of nerves before flattening his tongue against it.

Your hips bucked involuntarily against his face, pressing him harder against you just so you could cry out his name like a sinful prayer.

His heart was full of love for you as he observed your reaction did everything blissful he did.

You were in heaven, walking on clouds as wet squelches from your own body surrounded your ears.

“Z-Zuku..!” You cried as he sucked on your clit like candy, enjoying the rough treatment. The tip of his tongue traced his name possessively over your button, marking you as his forevermore, silently vowing to never let another man do the same.

“I-I’m close..!” You cried, tears of pleasure falling down your flushed cheeks, dripping onto the thighs squeezing his head like warm earmuffs.

He hummed against you, dragging his tongue across the expanse of your womanhood before enclosing around your clit again, lathering it in the attention you needed to be pulled over the edge.

Your thighs clenched around his head, his hair tickling you, body stilling as you screamed out in pleasure, back arching and giving him a lovely view of your demise.

You came on his tongue, the stimulation he gave you throughout your orgasm sending you higher and higher in that clouded head of yours.

When you finally came down and slumped forward, catching your breath, he licked up the mess you made, pulling away from your lower lips and running a tongue over his own to greedily savor your delectable taste.

Placing you off to the side, giving you a second to calm down,, he hurriedly shuffled out of his clothing, throwing his cloak, gloves, and various other things on his person to the floor, kicking his boots off that landed with a heavy thump, leaving his underwear on as he crawled over on top of you.

Dazed, you stared deliriously up at him, a bashful smile on your lips, watching as he wipes your juices away with the back of his wrist before licking it clean. He was so sinful and messy.

The warm fire crackling in the corner hugged at his soft skin, making his eyes blown wide with lost twinkle like starlight. He looked so in love as he stared at you as if you were the only person in the world.

Breathing heavily, you reached out for him, and he was happy to lean in so you could wrap your arms around his neck, toying with the shorter curls at his nape as he kissed you again, your taste still on his tongue as your tongues intertwined. You weakly fought against his intrusion, teasing, only for him to grab a handful of your ass, making you gasp and effectively losing the battle.

He flooded your being with everything he had, his scent, his love, his passion, adoration, everything.

His knowledge on your own sexual human anatomy astounded you, but always left you moaning against him, much to his utter pleasure.

His thumb circled your twitching clit, bringing your attention back to his actions and the way you clenched helplessly around thin air, waiting for him.

You hungrily eyed the bulge in his underwear, licking your lips at the spot of wetness where his dripping head was.

You wanted to feel him inside you again, to clench around the very thing that drove you insane other than his skillful touch.

“P-please..” You begged, detaching yourself from him, pleading for mercy under his sharp gaze as he soaked up your wrecked self.

He loved hearing you beg.

“Please what?” he drawled out, running his lips down the side of your face and neck, pressing kisses against your collarbone. Moving his thumb previously giving you what you desire to your thighs, he held them in his grasp just to feel your smooth, warm skin against his rough, scarred palms.

You whined, shimmying your hips to draw his attention to them. He ignored your advances, peering up at your face with a glare and crooked smile that shot sparks down your body, “Tell me.” 

As if on cue, and unable to disobey his words that squeezed your heart, you sputtered a response, barely able to maintain eye contact, “P-please touch me..! M-more.. I, I need more, please! I want..” your breath was stolen from your lungs as he began to grind his clothed crotch against your wet core, “I want you! I w-want you to fuck me, please..! I- I can’t take it anymore.. Please, Izuku..!” More tears fell from your eyes, falling onto the mattress below you, “Please fuck me..!”

Happy with your response,  but still not quite ready to give in, he pulled away, circling your clenching hole with his middle finger, watching as your head flew back with tears as you meekly thrust upwards.

As much as he wanted to pull himself out right now and fuck you until his bed broke from the sheer force, he couldn’t risk hurting you.

Even if the potion was designed to make you ready for everything sexual, willing to comply with his every demand, you still were his princess, his angel, and he was going to treat you like one.

He didn't want you to wake with the soreness of not being properly prepared, even if he could heal you a minute after. That minute of you crying from the pain that HE selfishly caused would always be stabbed into his heart, and he certainly didn't want that, nor you to experience it.

“Sorry, love..” he apologized, finally plunging his thick finger inside you after thoroughly coating it with your slick, moaning at how tight you were for him. 

“Fuck..” he whispered under his breath, keeping your thighs splayed wide open as he sat back on his haunches to watch you react to him.

Your back was arched, begging for more as you gripped the sheets below you, cheek pressed against the mattress as low moans trickled out your sinful mouth like water.

Face hot, a boyish smile fell on his face as he added another finger, observing how you hotly throw your head back as he pressed against the spongy spot inside your walls.

“Aaahh..! T-there! R-right there..!”

“I know, darling, shh, shhh.” He cooed at you, curling his fingers against your G-spot with each thrust in and out of your sopping pussy. His fingers made wet clicks inside of you as they rubbed against your walls, dragging more and more moans out of you as you ground down on his large digits.

His eyes couldn’t leave the view of you sucking him back in every time he pulled his fingers out, it left him imagining more and more scenarios in his head.

God, how he wanted to destroy you.

Have you screaming his name so loudly you broke the sound barrier he had set up ages ago, letting all of the castle and its snobby guards know he was fucking the love of his life and doing it damn well.

He bet they would be jealous.

Those thoughts of it made his adrenaline spike, adding a third finger to the squelching party mixing your insides up, leaving you at their utter disposal.

Arousal poured from you like a steady stream, gushing down and leaving a wet puddle under your ass.

You were so wet for him it was hard to bear, but you felt so, so good.

Your mind was so muddled with lust, you couldn’t think straight, all that entered your mind was ‘more, more, more.’ 

You were being greedy, but you couldn’t help it.

Deciding you were prepped enough, his fingers pulled fully out of you, putting on a small display of licking them clean as you watched with wide, doe eyes, stuttering out about how dirty that was.

“More dirty than you using my face as a seat, my lady?” He teased, tucking his face into the crook of your neck.

“T-thats..”

He chuckles at your flustered response.

Pulling his underwear down, his cock slaps against his toned stomach, fully erect and dripping with precum.

Throwing them off to the side, he noticed the way your eyes greedily looked at his body, confidence burning his veins as he sees the impatience in your eyes as you stare at his member.

He was tempted to say, ‘like what you see?’ but he himself was far too eager and impatient to wait any longer.

Grabbing himself, he ran his thickness between your lips, gathering your arousal on him before leading himself to your entrance.

“Ready?” He asked whilst kissing the skin below your ear.

You nodded, hips wiggling in anticipation.

“A-ahh! Fuck!” You cried out as he fully sheathed himself inside you with one thrust, bottoming out immediately.

He bit at your skin, concealing the deep moan that rumbled in his chest as you strangled his weeping dick at last.

You were so intoxicating, you sweet aroma wafting off you with every breath.

Grinding himself inside of you, he waited patiently for you to adjust, leaving hickeys all over your skin with each passing second.

Gulping down air, you thrust upwards, dragging him out of his blissed-out state just to moan heavenly deeply in your ear.

“Naughty girl..” he seethed, making you giggle, only to be shut up as he pulled out and slammed his hips back into your own, drawing out a garbled moan.

Skin slapped wetly against skin with each rough thrust he relentlessly delivered, drinking up your cries for more.

Leaning back to watch you with hungry, dark green eyes, pupils blown wide with lust. He pinned your arms to the bed above your head, a punishment for catching him off guard.

His cock was truly a godsend, thick and long, curved upwards just to slam repeatedly into your soft g-spot over and over.

You could only hold on for dear life as he fucked you good and hard just like you wanted, just like you craved.

“O-Ohh!!! Izu!! Izuku-! Ahh.! F-fuck..!” You moaned with each thrust inside your wet self, body being pushed back from the sheer intensity of which he fucked you with.

He knew your body so well by now, he knew each and every way to make you fall apart by his own doing.

He knew how to break you in the most sinful way possible, and he loved it.

Your face was lewdly contorted with pleasure, eyes looking back, eyebrows pinched together, (H/C) baby hairs plastered to your sweaty forehead, and mouth gaping wide open so he could hear every slur of words and every noise you emitted.

He wanted to hear everything you had to say, every reaction to the way he fucked you.

He could feel you growing tighter around his throbbing cock, juices coating his thighs with each heavy thrust inside of you.

He loved how much he could turn you on, even if right now it was all thanks to the potion that added pink hearts to your innocent (E/C) eyes.

The same potion that had you openly moaning unashamedly, whereas you previously would have held them in by biting your lip and hands.

He was so happy to hear how good he made you feel.

At long last.

“(Y/N)..” he panted heavily, peering deeply into your glossy eyes, movements becoming more and more sloppy as he lost himself to the pleasure, a burning pressure building up in his gut with each shallow and deep thrust.

Falling down on top of you, he held you close to him, letting your arms go so you could dig your nails into the flesh of his toned, freckled back flexing with each movement.

The bed banged loudly against the wall, he momentarily worried it would leave a dent- but he couldn’t think about that now. Not when you were crying out his name so sweetly.

“I’m here, I’m here..” he soothed as you clung to him.

Your hips began to move in circles, drugging him with intense ecstasy as he thrusts into you. You kept him wanting more and more. He was addicted to you. 

Pushing your legs back against the mattress, he reached so deep inside you, you swore you could feel his head kissing at your womb. 

You were so helpless to the waves of infinite pleasure he washed you over with that all you could do was take it.

“You’re doing so.. hah… so good, baby..” he praised breathlessly.

“Gnnn! Gaahhah..! Izuku!!”

“Let me hear it.. let me hear you, princess.” He smiled against your skin as you let out an onslaught of sultry moans, fueling his inner fire.

“I’m..! I- gwaahhh..! I’m so c-close..!”

“Me too, me too..” He fervently pressed kisses to your cheek, letting his other hand travel down to coat his thumb in your spare wetness, just to rub circles on your puffy clit, applying the right amount of pressure that always drove you insane.

Drool dribbled down the side of your mouth as your tongue flopped out, breasts bouncing with each and every thrust, constantly captivating him as he could feel their softness against his pecs.

Holding you flushed against him, he let magic crackle to life on his hand, green sparks lighting up the area around the two of you just barely. His hand began to vibrate, magic he learned was good for massaging muscles, but of course, it had.. other uses..

The vibration against your clit, added to the pounding of his cock expertly slamming against your G-spot, sent your head flying back, white vision going black as your pussy strangled his cock like a python.

“Haaahh.! Aah!” You cried his name out so loudly it burned your throat, leaving you to cum harshly on his dick, the strange sensation of liquid squirting from your body making your mind go numb as all you were left with was burning hot stars in your eyes.

The display alone was enough to drag him over the edge as well, slamming his cock into you once more before warm ropes of cum spurted into you, completely coating your walls and spewing out from the sheer amount as he let out a silent moan.

His thighs twitched and his stomach felt empty when he finally came down from his high, the same time as you.

Love filled his gaze as you both peered into each other’s eyes, enraptured by the souls sealed within.

Heavy breaths blew past your lips, desperate to calm down your racing heart.

“How was it..?” He questioned lightly, moving hair out of your face so he could get a better look.

“How was… what..?” Your mind was still clouded. You hadn’t any idea how he could still think straight.

Giggling, he rubbed his nose lovingly against your own. 

“The potion. Could you feel its effects..?”

Staring at him in bewilderment, it took a second to register his words. 

The potion.. what had it done again..?

Oh..

You slapped a hand over your mouth, pulling away from him. “Oh gosh..!” 

You were so embarrassed! 

Gah, to be so loud!! You wanted to hide in a hole..!

“Don't be shy, my love,” He pleaded sweetly, placing a kiss on your sweaty forehead, “it’s just me.”

“That's the point!! I-it was embarrassing to- to be so.. lewd in f-front of you…”

“You say that, and yet I’m still deep inside you,”

“Izuku..!” You groaned, shoving his smiling face away with both hands, only for him to grab your hands and place gentle kisses on them.

“I.. I liked hearing you..” he flushed, bashfully looking away.

Though he could be quite the dominant man in bed, it was always endearing how he was still the shy witch you fell in love with at the end of the day.

“W-well I..” You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, “Well I’ll be louder for now o-on then..!” Your declaration surprised him, shock resting on his features before he broke out in another smile, flopping on top of your sweaty body just to hug you to his own equally as sweaty body.

“I love you, (Y/N)..” he sighed blissfully, burying his nose in your hair as he cuddled you, the crackling of the blazing fire just now reaching his ears.

“I love you too, Izuku.”

Though he could be a handful at times, with his insistent drive to be better and push himself beyond his current limits, as well as running headfirst into danger and getting littered with scars, you still loved him.

You always would.

He was your kind witch, and you, his darling beloved.

And nothing would ever get between a witch and the one he called his.

.

..

…

….

“So, are you going to pull out? I feel a little messy.”

“In a minute..”

“Izu!”

[shepard-ram]

Hello again this is Ender-anon with the next chapter of this story as we move on to Wilbur. p.s the poem will be at the bottom.

The most important day of your life so far.

Everything was chaos, as people rushed back and forth getting everything ready for you coronation the next day, dignitaries from other countrys ariving with gifts, the kichens had to order food from abroad inorder to fully cater the event. You however were nervous for a different reasion between going over the speechs with Enciodes and practicing the holy vows you would undertake tomorrow with the current Saintess Anya Silverash ( Enciodes and Ensia's sister), the Arctic Empires delegates had yet to arrive you knew thanks to Tommys latest letter ( and hadn't that been a surprise learning that you friend was the third prince, but you had assured him that it would change nothing between you he was still Tommy to you) his brother prince Wilbur second in line to the throne would be arriving with them since Tommy father had said that Tommy couldn't go. Which is why when the Arctic Empire arrived (with so many gifts Tommy really had gone overboard you though) without the prince saying that he had gone on ahead of the main group a wave of panic sweeped through those in attendance. The wilds were dangerous for outsiders at night the beasts of the land wouldn't attack your citizens ( ancient magic prevented them from doing so a spell cast by an allie of your venerated ancestor) but a lone prince was a different deal. Jumping into action you asked the nobility in attendance the Silverash,Rostova,Schwire and Nearl to search their grounds as they were the few nobles with manors outside to capital and on the way to get your winter coat discretely ordered a hidden member of the Armourless Union to imform the three Obsidians that finding the prince was their new hightest priority and to sent everyone Platinum, the two Lapis Lazuil and to track what woodlands hadn't been searched yet. Rushing out of the capital, lanturn in hand rushed into the nearby woods, woods that you had explored as far back as you could remember, woods you knew like the back of your hand as such when you heard the wolves howling in the distance you knew the quickest route to take after all those seconds could be the difference between finding the prince or finding a corpse.

Leaping over a ridge you found yourself between a terrified Wilbur and a pack of 5 wolves both pausing with your entrance. Wilbur snaped out it first yelling " Kid get out of here, I can distract the wolves RUN" you instead turn towards the wolves and told them to leave as they do you grab the stuperfied princes hand and lead him back towards the capital where you hand him off to his countrys dignitaries while you returned to the palace to get some sleep ready for your coronation tommorow. You looked at your reflection now dressed in your ceremonial outfit based on you ancestors outfit minus the black helmet of course looking over at your soon to be ex-regent Enciodes who looked at you with pride in his eyes, after gathering your nerves you follow him knights flanking you to the second biggest building in the capital after the palace, the temple to the Karlan Goddess. Kneeling before Anya at the goddesses alter you swore to protect your people, your nation and to uphold you nations values rising after Anya placed neatherite crown upon your head. Turning to look at those in attendance you saw Enciodes with tears in his eyes, Buldrokkas'tee with his daughter Yelena holding her up so she could see and curiously prince Wilbur looking at you with a weird look in his eyes that was a strange combination of pity and longing all while clutching a piece of paper close to his chest. During the after coronation celebrations you did manage to start a conversation with him by talking about Tommy of all thinks but he was what you two had in common you both cared about him a great deal before you left you handed him a letter to give to Tommy once he got back to the empire, he staired at it for a moment before handing over the piece of paper you saw him holding earlier you looked at it to see a poem on it "Its my gift to you, as thanks for saving me" he proclaimed after reading it you saw the themes of close bonds and friendship ( at least thats how it looked to you) and as such you thanked him for such a thoughtful poem giving him a hug " I must admit I can most certainly see why my baby brother is so attached to you" and with that he turned and left with the other delegates back to the Arctic Empire.

The most important encounter of his life

Wilbur was pretty sure even before meeting this ruler that he would hate them even though he hadn't met them yet. Why you may ask? First they charm his precious baby brother into letting them call him Tommy something that he only allowed family to do but he wouldn't stop carrying that doll dressed in black claiming that it was a gift from you, then whenever post would arive he would all but tear the poor messenger apart just on the chance you sent him a letter he remembered after he sent the letter informing you of his status he was sure that that would end this farce and he would have his adorable little brothers attention again but nooo you sent a letter telling him that it didn't matter Tommy was still your friend and that reguardless of his title he you wouldn't treat him any differently and to your credit you didn't. But thats nothing compared to what he's currently going through no since Tommy is to young he has to be the representative of the royal family to your coronation (despite Tommy throwing the biggest tantrum he had ever seen), so now he's walking along a poorly constructed road with a the other delegates with the mountain of gifts that his brother has bought you using every coin he had. Tired and just completely done with this day he told the others that he would be walking on ahead and they would meet back up at the palace, that was the plan at least he thinks to himself as he runs before he had strayed from the dirt path and stumbled upon a wolf pack that was now chasing him so his day has gotten even worse great. As he hits a dead end he turns to face the wolves looking around for a way to clime up the ridge above him as the wolves closed in, only for a kid in a winter coat holding a lanturn to jump down inbetween him and the wolves startling them both thankfully he snaped out of it first and yelled at you to run he wasn't about let a kid only a few years older than his baby brother get torn apart by these wolves but instead of fleeing you gave him a reassuring smile before turning to the wolves " He is no enemy of our nation, leave now" you commaned and to his surprise they obeyed his mind going blank trying to process what he just witnessed as you lead him out of the woods. It wasn't till he was in his room in the newly built embassy that he realised he never learned his saviors name after interrorgating the delegates he learns to his suprise that his savior was the person that took his place in his brothers heart.

Maybe he misjudged you he thinks as he spends the time before your cononation collecting information about you pretending that he was merely a curious tourist and when he returned to get dressed into his formal wear he thought about what he had learned, the most dishearting information was how alone you were you had no surviving family no cousins,no siblings and no parents but you still found reasions to smile, to try you best to be the ruler you nation would need despite the fact that said nation in his humble opinion was undeserving.How he had missjudge you so much, of course his brother would try and give you family that you never had he couldn't even think of a world without his little brother, his twin or his dad but you had to endure a world where that was the norm for you, and now he though bitterly this nation would be your burden to carry alone without family to turn to for help. He of course need to thank you and in his own way apologize for his incorrect image of you, he didn't bring his guitar so a poem would have to do, perhaps he could put an offer of family in it so you knew that you wouldn't be alone, yes that sounded good. As he stood with the others of importance during you coronation he couldn't help but think how small you looked in that all black outfit dispite knowing you were older that Tommy in this moment you didn't look it to him as you made vows that in the eyes of your nation, in the eyes of your goddess would forever bind you to a nation undeserving of you, a nation that had caused you to grow up alone surrounded by advisers and (if his brothers rants were anything to go by) a schemeing regent. He truly pitied you and wanted to take you away from this back to the empire where you could be a child for once not be forced to be a ruler, Tommy would be happy if he wisked you away and he realised as they placed a neatherite crown on your head he wouldn't mind having being your big brother. To his surprise you can over to talk to him during the after party, as the subject of conersation shifted to Tommy he saw your eyes light up as you trades stories back and forth acting less like royals from different countrys and more like siblings talking about their younger brother. Its only when you press a quickly written letter into his hands and asked for him to hand it to Tommy that he remembered his poem as such he handed the poem over to you and exsplaned that it was a thank you gift for rescuing him (and for him being so wrong about you) he searched your face as you read seeing if you got his hidden message before you thanked him for it and gave him a hug , hun he could in this moment certainly see why his baby brother was so attached to them oh if the look on your face was anything to go by he just said that aloud time to leave he thinks.On the plane ride home he can't help but read the letter you wrote for his baby brother only for his eyes to widen as you ask Tommy whats its like having a big brother like Wilbur or what its like having a big brother in general but a infuriated look fills his face as you say you think your starting to see Enciodas ( the scheming regent his brain supplied )and his sisters as your big siblings as your family,oh that seals it he thinks he is going to be big brother and save you from you misguided loyaltys at least he count on Tommy to help rescue their future sibling from themself.

Wilburs poem

It's hard to put into words, what I want to say.

But I want you to know your thought of, in a very special way.

Though the distance in between us, keeps us continents apart.

There will always be a place, for our bond within my heart.

Poems are strange arn't they, two people could read the same poem but come away with comletely different ideas as to what it means... Ender-anon

Okay I might stop talking all together on this entire FICS but this- yes absolutely very good

[crownds]

iii. 𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑬      𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑵𝑻𝒀𝑵      𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑳𝑳      of      dorne.

          (  dev  patel  ,  26  ,  cis  man  ,  he/him  )    it  looks  like  QUENTYN  MARTELL  ,  the  PRINCE  of  DORNE  is  prepared  to  play  the  game  of  thrones  .  you  know  ,  their  ERUDITE  &  FORBEARING  side  might  help  them  along  the  way  ,  but  their  VENOMOUS  &  OPINIONATED  qualities  won’t  do  them  any  favours  .  a  little  bird  told  me  that  they’re  currently  NEUTRAL  ABOUT  the  tyrell  rule  and  that  their  loyalties  lie  with  HOUSE  MARTELL  .    hm  ,  interesting  .  that  same  little  birdy  also  told  tales  of  hands  covered  in  writing  ink  ,  the  smell  of  herbs  to  cover  the  creation  of  freshly  made  poisons  ,  tidbits  of  fruitless  information  that  goes  in  one  ear  and  out  the  other  .  will  they  win  ,  or  will  they  die  ?

hello  everyone  ,  elle  here  with  yet  another  character  !  i’ve  been  wanting  to  bring  one  for  a  while  but  couldn’t  decide  on  who  ...  until  now  !  

i.  personal.

full  name  :  quentyn  martell  .

official  title  :  prince  of  dorne  .

nicknames  :  quen  (  pronounced  like  quinn  )  ,  the  prince  of  poison  .

age  :  twenty  six  .

gender  : cis  man  .

pronouns  :  he  /  him  .

orientation  :  homosexual  .

allegiance  :  house  martell  /  himself  .

virtues  :  erudite  ,  forbearing  .

vices  :  venomous  ,  opinionated  .

likes  :  silence  ,  the  company  of  a  good  book  ,  learning  about  westeros  history  ,  being  the  smartest  person  in  the  room  ,  meditation  ,  dornish  reds  ,  horseback  riding  .

dislikes  :  cold  weather  ,  cowards  ,  sweets  ,  lack  of  freedom  ,  being  wrong  ,  being  disrespected  ,  being  told  they  can’t  do  something  .

alignment  :  lawful  neutral  .

ii.  appearance.

faceclaim  :  dev  patel  .

eye  color  :  dark  brown  .

hair  color  :  black  .

dominant  hand  :  ambidextrous  .

height  :  6′2″  .

build  :  slim  .

recognizable  features  :  

iii.  relationships.

father  :  darius  martell  ,  ruling  prince  of  dorne  (  deceased  )  .

mother  :  saerra  martell  née  allyrion  ,  ruling  princess  of  dorne  (  deceased  )  .

siblings,  in  eldest  order  :  tba  older  brother  &  loreza  martell  .

birth  order  :  youngest  .

relationship  status  :  single  .

other  relations  :  joanna  martell  née  lannister  (  sister  in  law  )  ,  mors  martell  (  nephew  )  ,  nymeria  martell  (  niece  )  &  vorian  dayne  (  cousin  )  .

previous  relationships  :  tba  ,  potential  plots  wanted  .

iv.  biography.

born  into  a  loving  family  ,  quentyn  has  always  been  spoiled  .  they  all  have  ,  in  both  love  and  material  goods  .  he  idolized  his  parents  very  much  and  has  many  fond  memories  of  them  teaching  him  his  earliest  lessons  .  he  very  much  enjoys  traveling  ,  which  he  did  much  of  in  his  youth  with  his  siblings  ,  especially  when  their  adventures  take  them  across  the  narrow  sea  .  similar  to  how  he  viewed  his  mother  and  father  ,  quentyn  admires  his  siblings  .  they  all  collectively  have  much  in  common  ,  sharing  elements  of  and  understanding  his  thirst  for  knowledge  and  travel  .  he  has  always  been  fiercely  loyal  to  his  family  and  confides  in  them  quite  a  bit  .  though  quentyn  is  not  beyond  drastic  measures  to  achieve  an  honored  reputation  for  his  house  ,  he  would  never  put  his  loved  ones  in  danger  or  include  them  in  any  of  his  more  frowned  upon  hobbies  .

well  behaved  and  soft  spoken  ,  punishment  and  consequences  were  something  quentyn  rarely  experienced  .  when  he  did  ,  it  was  a  fleeting  moment  of  disappointment  forgotten  the  next  day  .  quentyn  likes  structure  and  honor  ,  taking  great  pride  in  his  studies  as  well  .  as  a  child  ,  he  hated  missing  lessons  and  always  wanted  to  learn  more  .  it  began  as  a  way  to  make  himself  stand  out  among  his  siblings  -  the  youngest  son  ,  a  boy  who  would  be  seen  as  a  spare  in  other  houses  .  he  was  never  treated  as  such  but  hated  the  idea  of  standing  in  anyone’s  shadow  .  quentyn  wanted  to  make  a  name  for  himself  and  travel  to  places  where  he  could  learn  things  no  one  in  his  family  had  ever  discovered  before  ...  which  led  to  his  short  lived  life  as  a  maester  in  training  .

though  politics  became  an  interest  later  in  life  and  he  would  miss  dorne  deeply  ,  quentyn  left  for  the  citadel  at  age  twenty  .  his  desire  to  serve  the  realm  as  a  maester  and  put  his  knowledge  above  all  else  drove  him  to  oldtown  .  he  wanted  to  strip  himself  of  everything  he  had  known  and  become  someone  better  .  instead  ,  when  he  got  to  the  citadel  ,  he  was  met  with  pointless  tasks  and  a  lack  of  teaching  .  four  years  later  and  three  links  forged  together  ,  quentyn  contemplated  leaving  the  citadel  .  he  was  growing  restless  of  his  attempts  and  something  happened  that  made  the  decision  for  him  .  someone  he  had  been  seeing  in  private  had  ended  things  between  them  and  wounded  quentyn  deeply  ,  causing  him  to  flee  .  though  the  prince  had  left  the  citadel  ,  he’d  become  well  versed  in  the  use  of  poisons  ,  history  ,  and  ravenry  ,  even  stealing  the  raven  he’d  trained  to  fly  to  his  home  in  sunspear  .  though  he  had  been  working  on  his  forth  link  for  medicine  and  healing  ,  he  left  before  being  able  to  complete  his  work  .

welcomed  home  with  open  arms  ,  quentyn  was  still  angry  .  he  was  angry  with  himself  for  wasting  time  when  he  believed  he  could  have  learned  it  all  faster  had  he  done  it  himself  .  after  being  home  for  a  few  months  ,  quentyn  realized  that  regretting  his  time  at  the  citadel  in  itself  would  be  a  waste  of  time  and  he’d  already  spent  months  coming  to  that  conclusion  .  instead  ,  he  chose  to  focus  on  what  he  had  for  strengths  ,  and  that  meant  changing  his  perspective  .  quentyn  was  good  at  creating  poisons  and  pickpocketing  brainless  nobles  .  he  still  had  great  respect  for  a  code  of  honor  ,  even  if  the  law  itself  would  be  twisted  to  his  own  desire  .  something  in  him  changed  ,  learning  of  house  martell’s  betrayals  and  how  cruel  the  world  could  truly  be  .  he  would  defend  himself  and  his  family  from  those  who  would  wish  to  seek  them  harm  ...  or  anyone  who  became  an  annoyance  ,  really  ,  if  they  lacked  a  family  .

his  weapon  of  choice  is  poison  ,  though  he  has  a  collection  of  steel  throwing  knives  that  he  routinely  dips  in  viper  venom  .  quentyn  can  be  extremely  calculating  and  vengeful  ,  someone  who  rarely  ever  gives  up  on  a  grudge  .  if  you  wrong  him  once  ,  that’s  it  ,  you’ve  made  his  kill  list  ,  sorry  .  he  doesn’t  have  much  of  a  temper  ,  though  if  people  knew  anything  about  him  it  would  be  fair  to  assume  otherwise  .  quentyn  is  also  very  patient  and  plays  the  long  game  for  tactical  plans  or  anything  else  .  yes  ,  if  you  push  his  buttons  enough  he  will  probably  poison  your  wine  ,  but  you  won’t  know  he’s  even  bothered  until  you’re  already  falling  onto  the  floor  .

he  likes  facts  and  he  sees  the  world  as  it  is  ;  cruel  and  unfair  .  it  only  makes  sense  to  acknowledge  your  surroundings  and  adapt  accordingly  .  he  takes  no  joy  in  causing  others  pain  and  doesn’t  like  the  sight  of  blood  ,  it’s  just  business  to  him  .  if  he  can  avoid  violence  ,  he  will  ,  but  he  won’t  go  out  of  his  way  to  do  so  .  whatever’s  easiest  and  has  the  best  outcome  .

absolutely  hates  being  in  highgarden  .  he  thinks  highgarden  is  beautiful  ,  but  it  brings  up  back  memories  from  being  at  the  citadel  .  plus  ,  quentyn  misses  his  home  .  despite  the  unspoken  feuding  history  that  house  martell  and  house  tyrell  have  had  ,  quentyn  doesn’t  mind  them  on  the  throne  .  dorne  is  still  as  it  was  before  and  it  seems  there  are  bigger  concerns  than  rehashing  a  dislike  that  was  overblown  in  the  first  place  .  as  long  as  they  do  not  interfere  with  the  lives  of  his  people  ,  they  can  stay  on  their  iron  throne  .

he’s  pessimistic  at  times  ,  yes  ,  but  he  doesn’t  like  to  dwell  on  the  bad  .  he’s  more  cranky  with  circumstances  than  anything  and  doesn’t  really  get  involved  with  affairs  of  others  unless  a  loved  one  is  at  risk  .  he’s  chaotic  in  a  calm  ,  you’ll  never  see  me  sweat  kind  of  way  .  looks  like  a  cinnamon  roll  but  you’ll  be  dead  by  poison  before  you  can  figure  out  he  has  the  ability  to  kill  you  .

i’m  still  developing  +  building  onto  him  ,  but  there’s  that  !

v.  wanted  connections.

his  past  love  who  broke  his  heart  .  quentyn  often  wonders  if  love  is  real  and  though  he’s  fairly  certain  he’s  never  entirely  felt  it  before  ,  he  was  certainly  infatuated  with  drystan  florent  .  after  being  on  the  fence  of  leaving  the  citadel  ,  quentyn  decided  to  leave  when  he  discovered  they  weren’t  as  exclusive  as  he  thought  . 

old  besties  from  the  reach  .  while  he  was  training  to  become  a  maester  ,  quentyn  often  snuck  out  to  taverns  in  the  middle  of  the  night  .  they  could  be  besties  and  it  was  a  case  where  quentyn  didn’t  like  them  at  first  but  they  grew  on  him  ,  or  quentyn  could  have  been  pretending  to  like  them  while  he  was  drunk  but  ...  doesn’t  actually  like  them  at  all  ...  sorry  :/  but  quentyn  hasn’t  taken  a  step  in  the  reach  for  years  so  it’s  been  some  time  !

customers  .  the  man  creates  poisons  and  he  doesn’t  ask  questions  .  he  doesn’t  really  advertise  the  fact  that  he  creates  poisons  and  healing  potions  (  there’s  no  evidence  that  he  does  this  but  people  have  suspected  as  such  due  to  his  nickname  and  interest  in  collecting  ingredients  )  ,  probably  even  takes  requests  ,  but  perhaps  you  found  him  through  someone  or  you  just  so  happened  to  be  helping  /  hurting  someone  that  he  wanted  to  see  in  that  position  .

anything  tbh  !

[winterironbang]

Art Preview:

 Below you will find the art previews for this year, remember authors that its not quite time for claiming yet!Take a good look and pick 2-3 favourites and remember their Title for when claiming does begin.

If you’d rather see the art as a google doc click here

   Title: Kissing under the fireworks

Description/Prompt: what it says on the tin. Kissing under the fireworks.

This one is a pretty open universe, could be a first kiss, a regular kiss exchanged at New Year's Eve, the fireworks are celebrating that one of them have been crowned King or them finally getting married. Or maybe a romantic proposal at a holiday celebration. 

Warnings: None

Limitations: No unhappy/ambiguous ending, no alcoholism (but recovery or past mentions are fine), no watersports (kink) 

A/N: The art is not finished I am open to reinterpretation and/or taking the prompt a different way then the one I have outlined or changing the art a bit to better fit the story like Bucky (not) having the arm, short hair or long and similar 

 Title: welcome back / welcome home 

Description/Prompt: Bucky pulls Tony into a bone crushing hug, extremely relieved that Tony is back home and alive. Bucky doesn't plan to let him go, ever again. 

Open verse, could be a no-power AU, or pre-Afghanistan, or maybe sometime when Tony is IronMan. It could be focusing on Bucky's anguish at not knowing where is Tony if he is alive. Or could be the celebration that Tony is home. Maybe how is their life is being affected after.

Warnings: None

Limitations: No unhappy/ambiguous ending, no alcoholism (but recovery or past mentions are fine), no watersports (kink) 

A/N: The art is not finished I am open to reinterpretation and/or taking the prompt a different way then the one I have outlined or changing the art a bit to better fit the story like Bucky (not) having the arm, short hair or long and similar

   Title: 19th century AU

Prompt: 19th century-vibes AU (or can be Bridgerton AU), with behaving one way in private and another way in public to save face, love, and searching for one's freedom. (Can be ABO or not)

Limitations: dubcon/noncon between the OTP, eye gore, MCD, D/s verse (a normal universe with a D/s relationship is fine though), unhappy ending, pwp. I would prefer if it was not simple love at first sight.

 Title: Sweethearts

Description/Prompt:  Punk!Alpha!Bucky gets into a fight, not on purpose - this time - and while he does win, he gets beaten badly. 

He tries to walk it off, but he runs into his Omega classmate Tony who is heading home from a late night lab-session. 

Tony sees him and is very adamant to treat Bucky's injuries - he lets slip by accident a couple of details about Bucky, showcasing that he pays more attention to Bucky than a "proper" Omega should. 

Tony patches Bucky up, and they fall asleep on the couch, Bucky relaxing after a long while.

They end up becoming friends and Tony offers to tutor Bucky. 

They end up falling in love with Tony, and Bucky stops skipping class and getting into so many fights. Though Tony patches him up, every single time. 

In the end Bucky's grades improve enough that he finishes in the Top 10 of the class. 

Warnings: none

Limitations: No unhappy/ambiguous ending, no alcoholism (but recovery or past mentions are fine), no watersports (kink) 

A/N: The art is not finished I am open to reinterpretation and/or taking the prompt a different way then the one I have outlined or changing the art a bit to better fit the story like Bucky (not) having the arm, short hair or long and similar  

Title: Iron Man Noir AU

Prompt: Iron Man Noir AU with influences from Spider-Man Noir. It is 1939, Tony Stark is undercover in Berlin in his hidden Cabaret, to gather intel, and help where help is needed. 

Why is Bucky there? Is he sent for undercover work, ready to meet some secret contact? Is he a Russian spy sent to gather information about America's plans? Or is he just some normal guy who wandered into the wrong Cabaret at the wrong time? 

(These are just some ideas for Bucky, if you have others, let's talk! Bucky could be MCU-inspired or comic-inspired, or a mix or something else.)

Limitations: noncon between Bucky and Tony,  MCD, ABO, D/s verse (a normal universe with a D/s relationship is fine though), eye gore, eye things in general, unhappy ending, pwp, smoking except pipes.

  Title: BDSM AU

Description/Prompt: I was definitely thinking praise kink and rope play, but feel free to include others as well. Who is being tied up is the Author's choice, I will adjust the art accordingly (like including Bucky's metal arm) 

Warnings: BDSM, Rope play and I guess other kind of kinks if they get included. 

Limitations: No unhappy/ambiguous ending, no alcoholism (but recovery or past mentions are fine), no watersports (kink) 

A/N: The art is not finished I am open to reinterpretation and/or taking the prompt a different way then the one I have outlined or changing the art a bit to better fit the story like Bucky (not) having the arm, short hair or long and similar.

    Title: Sea AU 

Description/Prompt: Siren/Mermaid Tony and Sailor/Pirate/Privateer!Bucky - Tony visits his land bound lover, Bucky. 

This one is open verse, I have already listed couple of options for them, but feel free to change that. 

The world can be dark - Siren!Tony attracts unsuspecting ships (and sailors) to their death. Either by Bucky's sword or by shipwrecking them.

Could be angst - ala Little Mermaid style (original or Disney version) or a completely new one 

Could be hurt/comfort - Bucky is the only survivor of his ship, because Tony saved him. But Tony could only bring him to a lonely Island, where the only way out is for Bucky to build a raft, and Tony provides company whenever he can stay above water. 

Could be fluff - Tony and Bucky deeply in love, where in the end Bucky follows Prince Tony into the depths of the ocean, never to be seen again by human eyes.

Or any other combinations! Go wild! 

Warnings: None, I would say 

Limitations: No unhappy/ambiguous ending, no alcoholism (but recovery or past mentions are fine), no watersports (kink) 

A/N: The art is not finished I am open to reinterpretation and/or taking the prompt a different way then the one I have outlined or changing the art a bit to better fit the story like Bucky (not) having the arm, short hair or long and similar 

Title: Vampire Bucky

Prompt: Vampire Bucky AU with Bucky. How does Tony find him like this? Let’s brainstorm together.

Limitations: noncon between Bucky and Tony, unhappy ending, pwp, MCD, ABO, D/s verse (a normal universe with a D/s relationship is fine though), eye gore, eye things in general, smoking, evil Tony, evil Bucky

A/N: It's still very sketchy, total WIP.

   Title: Knight in shining armour

Description/Prompt: The Winter soldier is pulled from a burning HYDRA base by IronMan. 

Open verse, it could be that Bucky is slowly methodically taking his revenge on HYDRA, and everytime he is injured IronMan comes and rescues him, but Bucky never stays, all the way until the end. 

Or maybe Bucky was kidnapped and wiped, and IronMan wiped out the HYDRA base in revenge and now he is taking Bucky home.

Maybe IronMan finds HYDRA during Avengers one and decides to do some recon on his own and comes face to face with Bucky Barnes. 

There are sooo many possibilities! 

(While the IronMan armour is intended to be the Bleeding Edge armour, this can be changed) 

Warnings: Hurt/Comfort? Possibly darker themes 

Limitations: No unhappy/ambiguous ending, no alcoholism (but recovery or past mentions are fine), no watersports (kink) 

A/N: The art is not finished I am open to reinterpretation and/or taking the prompt a different way then the one I have outlined or changing the art a bit to better fit the story like Bucky (not) having the arm, short hair or long and similar 

Title: Dragon Shifter AU

Description/Prompt: Tony and Bucky are dragon shifters, Tony with fire magic, Bucky with ice magic. They can't stand each other, but they have to get along now... (Basically any enemies/ frenemies to lovers story you can thing of will make me happy, maybe with arranged marriage or a common goal/ enemy?)

Limitations: no A/B/O, no Civl War salt, no non-con between bucky/ tony, no mpreg

A/N: This art is purely self-indulgent. Anyone who wants to just have fun with the idea feel free to pick it up!

Title: Warlord Tony AU

Prompt: Everyone has heard of the warlord Iron Man, a cunning monster whose troops mercilessly slaughter his opponents on the battlefield and who has never lost a single battle. According to some he's not even a man at all: After all, he can cut through weapons and people alike, and survived direct hits that would kill a normal man. His army turns wins fights against superior numbers and his cannons never miss their target. Very few people know that he also hides quite a number of secrets in a calm little valley at the heart of his territory, in a town called Arc.

For Bucky, you can go wild - whether he's part of a tribute, an enemy soldier, an assassin or something else. We're looking forward to talking about plot ideas!

Warnings: implied violence, blood

Limitations: no non-con between Tony/Bucky, no fully evil Tony, no MCD, no ABO, no mrpeg, no team cap  bashing pls

  Title: Alpine 

Description/Prompt: Biker Bucky finds Alpine on the side of the road, abadoned and hungry. Bucky decides to take Alpine to the vet, unfortunately this being - your choice of holiday - there are not many vets are open and most of them is for emergency only. 

Bucky worried that the kitten won't survive the night, runs into vet!Tony who is about to head home. However seeing the kitten, Tony decides to help and nurture the kitten. Alpine survives the night and becomes a bike-riding cat, usually traveling on Bucky's shoulders or back pack. 

The story could be a falling in love at first sight, or Bucky bringing all kinds of animals to Tony, because Bucky trusts Tony to take care of them. (There maybe a cracky story hidden in there somewhere too *wink*) 

Warnings: no kittens were harmed in the making of this prompt - none 

Limitations: No unhappy/ambiguous ending, no alcoholism (but recovery or past mentions are fine), no watersports (kink) 

A/N: The art is not finished I am open to reinterpretation and/or taking the prompt a different way then the one I have outlined or changing the art a bit to better fit the story like Bucky (not) having the arm, short hair or long and similar  

    Title: Late night dance lessons 

Description/Prompt: Bucky is baking late into the night as a super soldier he doesn't need much sleep and baking is a relaxing hobby. It's 2am, the night is quiet no people around and his favourite music is playing from the stereo. 

This is the moment when Tony arrives (could be a long night at the 'shop, or maybe just coming in from an overnight flight, maybe this is the time they regularly meet), they get into a small talk which slowly evolves into Tony staying and talking and Bucky reminscens of old times and what he can remember. It's a soft and tender talking the one people only have at 3am. Then an old times music comes on, reminding Bucky of nights when he went out to dance. And Tony seeing the look on his face offers to dance with him. 

Warnings: None

Limitations: No unhappy/ambiguous ending, no alcoholism (but recovery or past mentions are fine), no watersports (kink) 

A/N: The art is not finished I am open to reinterpretation and/or taking the prompt a different way then the one I have outlined or changing the art a bit to better fit the story like Bucky (not) having the arm, short hair or long and similar 

Title: Feats of Flexibility 

Description/Prompt: Bucky is doing push-ups, and someone accuses him of showing off - he had been in the gym for hours now - and Bucky claims that this nothing challenging to him, so naturally he is challenged into proving it. 

This is escalated into more and more complicated and complex tasks ending in Tony sitting on Bucky's back while he is doing push ups, with his feet in the air 

Poor Tony who only come down to keep in shape and tries valiantly to not stare at those feats of muscles and flexibility gets roped in 

Can end in a kiss/confession or more sexy times *wink*

Warnings: None

Limitations: No unhappy/ambiguous ending, no alcoholism (but recovery or past mentions are fine), no watersports (kink) 

A/N: The art is not finished I am open to reinterpretation and/or taking the prompt a different way then the one I have outlined or changing the art a bit to better fit the story like Bucky (not) having the arm, short hair or long and similar 

Title: Untitled

Description/Prompt: Open to any ideas for some steampunk shenaniganry! Skyships, pirates, dashing captains, scrappy inventors, swash*buckly* adventures?

Warnings: none?

Limitations:  DNWs include a/b/o, mpreg, noncon, dubcon between major protagonists, death of major protagonists, unhappy/ bad endings

  Title: Fantasy Secret Identity AU

Description: Bucky standing in front of a wall plastered with posters of all sorts, among them some wanted posters, one for Iron Man, one for the Winter Soldier.

Prompt: Tony Stark is a well-known noble and mage, and Iron Man is a well-known villain. Of course, the two aren't connected at all. Until Tony Stark takes on a bet to figure out the identity of the man in the armor - and hires James Barnes, a washed-up mercenary to find any clues possible. It's just as well James has no links to the feared assassin called Winter Soldier, because that would be making things complicated.

I'm always open for other ideas but am really hoping for some identity porn :D

Warnings: None

Limitations: no A/B/O, no mpreg, no CW salt, no MCD

A/N: I haven't inked most of the posters in order to leave the author some freedom for the AU they want to make - I'm open for suggestions about adding stuff in!

  Title: Promise of the Desire to Live

Description/Prompt: This is a Pokémon crossover piece. The Pokémon egg on the left belongs to Magearna and will hatch in her original coloring (which are pretty much Iron Man colors). This Magearna will be the partner of Tony. The Pokémon egg on the right belongs to Mewtwo and will have almost the same coloring as Shadow Mewtwo except that his tail will be navy blue. This Mewtwo will be Bucky’s partner. Here’s the prompt – 

            The Avengers are called to deescalate a situation involving a young and semi-inexperienced Inhuman who lost her family due to a suicide bomber. After receiving her powers mere days after that traumatic event, this young girl, no more than 12, is able to sense who has a strong desire to commit suicide and send them to places/people/beings that need help and are able to bring them back from the brink of suicide.

Omega!Tony and Alpha!Bucky are sent to a Team Plasma lab with an egg incubator in the center of the room with two eggs in it. They take the eggs.

Warnings: Discussions of depression and suicidal thoughts

Limitations: Story cannot be ended with the Pokémon hatching. I want a full-length Pokémon journey from Bucky, Tony, and their Pokémon. I want them to find a way to travel between the Pokémon world and their home world. Also, must have A/B/O. No rape.

Title: Bunny Tony/ Wolf Bucky

Description/prompt: No matter what the media and Hollywood tried to say, there wasn't really that much difference between predator and prey presenting people. A jaguar wouldn't love climbing trees and napping all day anymore than a squirrel would hoard nuts and play deadly games with cars.

But whenever Tony's gorgeous rear and fluffy tail wind up in Bucky's line of sight, he has to clamp his teeth against a strong urge to bite. And when Tony comes down to the kitchen each morning, hair a mess and silky, floppy ears on display, Bucky has to fight more possessive urges. He's sure neither the team or Tony would appreciate Bucky dragging the bunny off to his territory...Would they?

Warnings: N/A

Limitations: Happy Ending, No Civil War, No  AoU, No bathroom kinks, Prefer Team as family, Explicit welcome

A/N: The sketch will be colored and have at least one more piece featuring a Wolf Bucky. And maybe a shot of Tony's fluffy tail.

  Title: Untitled 2

Description/Prompt: something based on the John Wick tailor scene or James Bond-Q outfitting or just general spies or mafia? 

Open for brainstorming or alternate interpretations or anything really! Assassins/Spies not up your alley? image can be edited/background removed if your idea is for a non powers tailor au instead!

Warnings: canon typical violence for story (john wick levels or mcu levels up to author?)

Limitations:  DNWs include a/b/o, mpreg, noncon, dubcon between major protagonists, death of major protagonists, unhappy/ bad endings

Title: Hold out your hand

Description/Prompt: The only thing I feel needs to be heavily included in the fic would be about Bucky's relationship with his arm and how Tony helps him with that (though it doesn't technically need to be the main storyline) 

If you want other input then I love tropes especially soulmate type situations and Bucky recovery fics, but pretty much any trope is good. 

Warnings: NA

Limitations: Character death, age play (I am pretty much open to anything else, any rating is cool with me as is including smut or not)

A/N: I am still messing with the composition and finish on this so if you have any input then let me know :) (for example the smaller images of the hands and Tony could be used individually for page breaks in the story rather than being the main art?)

Title: Porcelain and Metal or maybe a Toy au?

Description/Prompt: This particular piece was created because I really wanted a porcelain ballerina tony and nutcracker-ish bucky.This could be a first meeting scene of sorts with bucky being a shameless flirt but the writer could expand and add more scenes of course! I mostly just wanted a very cute and magic realism-ish vibe. 

Warnings: N/A

Limitations: No unhappy endings. A bit of angst for the sake of the plot is fine. Non-consensual acts of any sorts is also a no

Title: Scheherazade AU

Description/Prompt: Based on Thousand and One Nights, war chief!Bucky refuses a spouse and threatens to kill anyone he's set up with. Tony ends up married to him and talks every night, leaving off right before bed so Bucky has to keep him around another day 

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Limitations: no noncon/heavy warnings. Also really not into stucky, even as background influence/past feelings. Also don't want any feminization of Tony by having him as 'weaker' or a damsel. I don't like infidelity or overcomplicated drama because of simple misunderstandings. Some smut is okay, but no hard kinks, PWP, or A/B/O.

A/N: Besides inspiration of original story, I don't have much planned. While no warnings, it would include arranged marriage, but no actual noncon please. I like slowburn so totally down for a long fic. Also pretty relaxed with background ships and always here for some epic friendships (tony and rhodey, bucky and nat, etc). 

  Title: Mirror images

Description/Prompt: Bucky and Winter got separated into two bodies by accident or on purpose, which helps greatly with them getting along better (or at all), until they decide independently to woo Tony 

Both of them show how much they care about Tony, even if it's very very different from each other 

Tony appreciates and loves both and absolutely can't decide between the two (nor does he want to because both are important to him) and it ends in polamory either a triangle or v-shaped

Warnings: N/A

Limitations: No unhappy/ambiguous ending, no alcoholism (but recovery or past mentions are fine), no watersports (kink) 

A/N: The art is not finished I am open to reinterpretation and/or taking the prompt a different way then the one I have outlined or changing the art a bit to better fit the story like Bucky (not) having the arm, short hair or long and similar 

Title: College au meet cute or something

Description/Prompt: No specific plot, maybe Bucky and Tony like each other but both are oblivious to the others feelings. Steve and Rhodey as the "Why am I bestf riends with an idiot" best friend. With minor thundershield please 

Warning: N/A

Limitations: No unhappy endings. Bit of angst for the sake of plot is fine.

A/N: Will color and clean this up a bit. I'll also be willing to make more art for the story if ever.

[nocompromise-noregrets]

after everything and it’s always been you for the wip meme?

YAY THANK YOU! <333333

So, I had entirely forgotten that 'after everything' even existed until I did this meme and had a wander through my text editor yesterday XDDDD It's part of Hero Worship-'verse, which is a series of little vignettes showing Pippin and Legolas being friends, and is set somewhere after the battles of Helm's Deep and Isengard (probably actually after the Ring is destroyed), with Legolas giving Merry and Pippin something of a piece of his mind :D :D :D Since I've only written three paragraphs of dialogue so far, here are all three of them:

“I thought you were dead! I mourned you. And then there you were, in the ruins of Isengard, stuffing yourselves with food and drink. I still don’t know what to think.”

“You’d have forgotten us eventually. You live for so long, after all.”

“I would have mourned you for the rest of time. As I have mourned those others I have lost, from the moment I lost them, and I will always mourn them and miss them.”

And It's Always Been You part whatever-it-is-now (I thought it was part three but there's at least one one-shot in between the parts so I'm not sure what to call it and it hasn't got a title yet) is part of the Problematic Series in which both Elladan/Elrohir and Rúmil/Orophin are the main pairings. In part whatever-it-is-now, Rúmil and Orophin happen to be in Imladris when Estel meets Arwen (I've posted snippets of that before), and also end up taking Legolas under their collective wing, a little bit, because the Twins have been being somewhat obnoxious with him and have been winding him up about the new rumours from Dale of his father taking up with a Man...

“We ran into Prince Legolas earlier,” said Rúmil, seeing an opportunity to talk to Elrohir without his brother, thinking it might go better if he started with the gentler twin.

“How was he?” asked Estel, and Rúmil shrugged and sighed.

“He seems very unhappy,” he said. “He seems to think that he isn’t welcome with you and the Dúnedain.”

Elrohir pulled a face. “He isn’t unwelcome. But he does need to learn to take a joke,” he said, not unsympathetically. “Life would be very much easier for him if he had a sense of humour.”

“He has a sense of humour!” Estel protested. “But he doesn’t like you two needling at him all the time, and I can’t say I blame him.”

“I think he has had a hard time of it,” said Rúmil tentatively, hoping that he wasn’t breaking any confidences by speaking in such general terms. “And he isn’t used to being treated the same as everyone else.”

“Life would be much easier for him if he could get over that, too,” said Elrohir. “If he’s going to go wandering about in the world he’s going to need to learn to get on with people. But…” he sighed, “I suppose you’re right. We might have been a little harsh with him.”

“I think he still worries about his father, even though they don’t get on,” said Estel. “And the news that we heard when we arrived, that Elladan was teasing him about…I don’t think he thinks it’s funny. I think he disapproves - or he’s worried about what might happen when the Man dies and leaves his father behind. Or maybe both.”

“Let’s hope you and Arwen don’t go giving us cause to change our tune about it,” said Elrohir mock-sternly. “Personally I think it’s hilarious, and I know Elladan does, but that’s because we’ve met his father. A person less likely to take up with a common Man it’s impossible to imagine.”

“We’re not common!” protested Estel, and Elrohir laughed and ruffled his hair.

“Well, perhaps you’re not, and maybe the Dúnedain aren’t. But by all accounts this one was a bargeman on the Long Lake before Lake-town was destroyed, although apparently he did manage to slay the dragon that destroyed it, so maybe there’s a bit more to him than that. But he’s still the last person we’d have expected Legolas’ father to have given the time of day to, much less anything else.”

Thank you for asking! <3333333 If anyone else wants to make me talk about my WIPs (including the published ones) and post a snippet or two, the list is here...

[silence-burns]

Please Hate Me //part 36

Fandom: Marvel

Summary: Based on: “Imagine having a love/hate relationship with Loki.” by @thefandomimagine​ Who would have thought that babysitting a god could be so much fun?

Genre: slow-burn, enemies to lovers

The passage of time was a difficult thing to judge by the moonless and sunless sky. There were no clocks in your quarters either, which only made the matter more confusing. 

The adrenaline was still running high in your veins when you focused on finding any traps or hidden passages in the rooms Loki and you had been sent to. Everything felt new and strange, and you still couldn't quite wrap your mind around the fact that you'd successfully left the Earth. 

You wondered if you were the first human to ever walk the Edge.

"Is it night already?" you finally voiced your confusion to Loki, looking over the opposite wall. 

There was not much to inspect in the living room, since it barely contained any furniture. The walls there, for all you could tell, had nothing suspicious about them, except for the remarkable carvings made directly into the stone. They mostly consisted of nature and beings similar to the High Prince you'd already met. The poses seemed mostly symbolic, but it was difficult to guess the meaning behind them without any knowledge of the Edge's culture or history. 

There were some other carvings, too, but you couldn't look at them for too long. There was a strange discomfort when you tried to focus on the details of figures that seemed to have too many eyes or limbs or were shaped in ways flesh should not be able to bend. There was a depth to some of them that made you carefully brush your hand over them to make sure they were actually flat. The only thing you felt then was the chilly cold of the stone under your skin, and nothing close to the drowning depth of the outlines on its surface that seemed to drag you into the void. It was a similar feeling to the dizziness you tried to fight around the Prince. 

"It's the closest thing to night the Edge has," Loki said. He extended his hand over the chimney in the bedroom, using his magic to detect any irregularities. The Edge was not a place that would welcome foreign magic, and it made using it difficult. He felt himself growing tired every time he used it.

"How do you know?" 

"By the light. Violet means night, then it changes to blue around morning, and then shifts into orange near afternoon. As far as I'm concerned, there is no noon or the concept of hours as we know it, but the day lasts for roughly 24 hours, so for my own personal use, I divide it that way."

"But what casts that light?" 

You groaned as you pushed a heavy table out of the way to inspect the floor. You had watched too many movies on Earth to make the mistake of not checking each and every tile. 

"Nothing. The Edge simply… makes it." 

Loki winced, putting his arm down. The chimney seemed to be normal. He had lost track of time too, but a few hours must've passed since your arrival. It was a comforting thought to know the place you were supposed to spend the next few days was a rather safe one, but Loki couldn't shake off the feeling they might've missed something. 

He walked over to the corner you almost finished inspecting. 

"What do you mean?" you asked, glad to have a conversation to fill in the strange silence in the rooms. Even through the large windows, there was no sound of birds, insects or any other living creature on the other side of it. 

Loki leaned on the wall. 

"The Edge is… not entirely made out of matter, as most worlds are supposed to be. Atoms, I think they’re called on Earth. Magic makes up around half of the Edge, and only leaves so much for the matter. It's a unique trait, not seen anywhere else in the known universe. It's a fascinating thing, and there are a lot of theories circulating around about its origins, but that would take too much to properly dive into. To put it simply, the Edge is one of the places where intent shapes reality. Some natural laws that we take for granted might not apply to this place at all. Like the lack of sun or the moon, for example. Or the breaches."

That was certainly an interesting concept to think about in the middle of almost-a-night. 

"Every answer I get only creates more questions," you admitted, finally leaving the floor. The passage of time might have been difficult to measure, but your body was slowly catching up to all the hours it lived through since waking up in the morning on Earth. 

"I've had centuries to study every scrap of information Asgard's libraries held about this place," Loki shrugged apologetically. "I wouldn't outright call it an obsession, but my interest in the Edge was great enough to accompany me during a lot of sleepless nights."

"Don't say it like I'd ever shame you about it. It's good that at least one of us knows vaguely what's going on. I won't be able to catch up on all that, but I have to know more if we actually plan to investigate this murder. I don't think we can treat this case as a typical one."

Loki winced again, crossing his arms. He sat down on the huge bed. "I have no idea what's going on. It took Asgard so long to finally install an ambassador here, and now he's murdered along with a lord? It makes no sense unless someone was fond of yet another war." 

"Would it be so strange? Wars are waged all the time." 

You fell onto the soft mattress next to him with a delighted sigh. The covers were divinely cold under your cheek as you rolled on top of them. 

A small smile played on Loki's lips as he watched you. "That's true, but the Edge has no means of winning it. There is no army here, no one to even draft in one." 

That made you freeze mid-roll. "The Edge is empty?" 

"No, but-" 

"You know what? You look like you're about to give a lengthy explanation, and I can't focus right now because of this bed, so how about I take a quick shower and you tell me about it all during it?" 

"Do you want me to join you?" he asked with mischief in his eyes that made your knees a little more shaky than usual. 

"Maybe later, you naughty god. We'll have all the time we want once you tell me, precisely, how deep of shit we are in right now." 

Your hand patted Loki's arm briefly before you made it towards the large bathing chamber. You left the doors creaked open, so he sat next to them, with his back to the wall. The murmur of running water filled his ears, but he didn't turn. 

A single greenish wil-o'-the-wisp played between his fingers as he recalled the tales he'd read as a kid. 

"The Edge is not an empty place, but it is far from having a society. It's mostly made up of individuals of various races and origins, that have nothing in common except that they live in the various parts of the Edge. The only exceptions are the 'lords' I've already mentioned. They look as the High Prince or the Queen, and dwell around the places of power, like this palace. The names might be confusing, because they certainly are not a ruling party. There is no ruler of the Edge, the lords simply have… a duty to fulfill."

"Which is?" you asked over the sounds of the splashing water. 

"To die." 

The water stopped. "I don't think I heard you right." 

"Their duty is to die, and in doing so, restore the magic-matter balance that is so fragile in this place," Loki explained with his heart heavy. 

The greenish light moved along his fingers, jumping from one to another like a living creature. Even such a simple spell was distorted by the powers raging under the calm surface of the edge of the universe. 

"There are three lords chosen for that purpose - the King, the Queen, and their child. Those are titles, for their names no longer matter once they're chosen. They are the strongest of lords at the time, which makes their connection to the core of the Edge extraordinarily strong. Which is why, when they fade one after another, all the magic and the matter they've been, feeds that core and brings back the balance. Right now, the King is gone, the Queen is fading, and when she's dead, most of the breaches you've seen from the window will be fixed. For the time being, of course. Until another one is needed."

"Does it… have to be them?"

There was uneasiness in your voice that Loki couldn't blame you for. He remembered his own shock when he had discovered the truth all the centuries ago. 

"No," he said. "But because they are the strongest, their connection is the greatest. Many more weaker beings would have to die in order to replace just one. But don't be sad, love. The lords think of it as a great honor and are grateful for restoring the balance to this shattered place. It is not a world, after all. It's just a state of things on the verge of the universe."

"That's… sad." 

"It is." 

Loki put out the little light. It felt off in the violet radiance. 

The water splashed as you washed off the events of the two worlds, so different from each other. Without the words to fill in the silence, Loki had to forcefully steer his mind from conjuring images fitting to what he'd been hearing. 

Loki cleared his throat. With nothing to focus on, his gaze involuntarily kept falling onto the crack you left the door with. It was only there in order to hear him talk, he knew that. 

It was not for lurking. Definitely not. 

Right? 

Overanalyzing every moment of the conversation previous to that, Loki didn't even notice when the sounds changed. He was only brought back to reality by the soft steps and a thrilling sight of two barely covered legs passing right next to him. 

"What?" you shrugged, noticing the look on his face. "I forgot my clothes." 

The pastel blue robe rode further up your thighs as you crouched next to Loki's bag, searching in its depths. You didn't seem to be in a rush. 

"And people say I'm the villain," he shook his head with a smirk he couldn't stop. 

"I've got absolutely no idea what you're talking about." 

"I'm sure you don't," Loki eyed the glistening skin, not yet dried completely. The aroma of whatever oils you'd used teased him every time he breathed your scent in. 

He noticed you staring at him with a smile that told him all he needed to know. 

"I'm going to repay you one day," he promised, standing up from the floor. "Slowly, and meticulously." 

"I hope so. But for today, I think you need to prepare for that lovely murder." 

Loki cursed, walking into the bathroom and closing the doors firmly behind his back. He cursed again under the shower cold enough to rattle even his teeth.

[pocket-luv101]

Summary: Kuro is a powerful wizard and he has received countless marriage proposals. He doesn’t wish to marry so he decides to create an impossible challenge to make his suitors give up. He sets up a maze where the person who reaches the center will win his hand. One day, Mahiru enters his maze. (KuroMahi, Fantasy AU)

“There goes another one. Shouldn’t you reject these marriage proposals directly instead of making them go through an impossible test? As your royal advisor, I need to warn you this behaviour will create resentment from important families.” Gear said to Kuro. He didn’t respond to him but they had been friends long enough to know his answer. “You call politics troublesome but it is important. You completed your training to become a wizard so your father will require you to marry soon. This maze will make that more difficult to find a mate.”

“That’s the point. My father has been disappointed in me for twenty years so he shouldn’t be surprised. I already told him that I have no wish to marry anyone so he should focus on his other seven children.” Kuro sat on a tree branch that overlooked a sprawling maze of rose hedges. He was a powerful wizard and many people approached him to negotiate a potential marriage. “They only want my magic to enhance their family’s rank.”

Kuro wanted a simple and quiet life with people who cared for him as a person before what he had. Most only saw him as a powerful wizard or the son of a Count so he doubted he could fall in love. He found it tiring to constantly reject shallow marriage proposals so he created a maze around his home. He declared that the first person to make their way through the maze and reach the center would marry him.

The maze would constantly shift and change so it was almost impossible for someone to reach the center. He also enchanted the roses to stop people as they walked through the maze. Most of his suitors gave up after they learned of his challenge and the few who entered the maze would quit after a few minutes. “The sun is setting so I don’t believe anyone else will enter the maze. Let’s go hang out with Hyde.”

Next to Kuro, a rose swayed in the wind and the soft petals created the sound of a bell. He knew that it meant that someone had entered the maze and he groaned softly. Since the roses were connected to his magic, he couldn’t leave the maze or else it would disappear. He started to question if the maze was more troublesome than the suitors.

Kuro lowered himself to sit on the branch again and looked towards the maze’s entrance. He couldn’t see the person well with the distance between them. “He’s entering alone. Most people know that my maze is dangerous and they would have an army with them. Did he enter my maze without knowing that I made it as a challenge? Can’t deal. I should go to him and escort him out before he’s hurt.”

“He looks like a simple commoner so it’s likely that he can’t afford to hire help. You’re a Count so he might have entered to marry your wealth.” Gear said beside him. He didn’t want to see his friend be taken advantage of. Most would be jealous of Kuro’s power and title but Gear only felt pity for his friend. He saw how it made Kuro lonely. Kuro only had a handful of people he trusted.

Their attention was drawn back to the man in the maze. He folded his hands in front of him and he began to sing. At first, Kuro thought that the man intended to use a spell to find the center of the maze. He doubted a simple mage would be able to manipulate his maze though. Rain started to fall over the maze and Kuro could sense a warm magic within the water.

The man’s song changed and sunlight replaced the rain. As the lingering rain reflected the light, it created a spectrum of colours. The different colours mixed with the moonlight and washed over the red roses. Kuro didn’t understand why the man casted the two spells since it wouldn’t help him reach the center of the maze. He realized that wasn’t the man’s attention after he turned around to leave the maze.

The man only stopped in the entrance to pick a few roses before he disappeared out the gate.

“Your touch slipped away to become a memory. Do you remember my kiss as I miss yours?” Mahiru sang as he walked down the road. He could see the maze in the distance and he thought of how beautiful the roses were. The moon didn’t provide a lot of light to see yet it was enough for Mahiru. He would visit the maze every week and walk through the garden to clear his mind.

With the final note of his song, Mahiru stopped in front of the maze’s entrance. He heard stories of the wizard who created the challenge and most called him haughty or cold. Mahiru couldn’t believe the rumours though. He cupped his hand around a rose and its subtle scent calmed him. The magic he sensed within the rose was warm and welcoming. His mother had taught him that person’s magic reflected the type of person that they were.

Mahiru walked through the grand gate in front of the maze and he wandered through the roses without a destination in mind. He would usually stay near the entrance so he could find his way out easily. He looked towards the large that sat in the center. Sometimes, he would consider exploring the maze to find the center but he knew that it was impossible. He was a mage and he recognized the spells within the rose from simply picking one.

He folded his hands in front of him and sang, “I hope my memory will always be with you.”

“If you’re going to make it rain again, you should put on shoes or else your feet will become muddy.” The voice surprised Mahiru and he turned around sharply. He knew everyone in his small town but he didn’t recognize the man before him. His red eyes were unique. He was handsome and Mahiru wondered if he was a prince who wanted to marry the wizard.

“Are you here for the wizard’s hand in marriage? The maze is dangerous at night so it would be better if you come back in the morning.” Mahiru warned. Something the man said caught his attention and it caused his brows to furrow slightly. “How did you know that my song would summon rain? It’s not a common spell.”

Kuro didn’t know how the man would react if he told him that he was the wizard who created the maze. He had seen him enter the maze a few times yet he would only water the roses. He became curious and he finally decided to speak with him. Most people would treat him differently after they knew about his title and family so he lied. “My name is Kuro and I’m a gardener for this maze. Sleepy Ash hired me to help maintain the rose bushes.”

“I’m Mahiru.” He introduced himself and then held out his hand to shake Kuro’s. Mahiru blushed when he took his hand and kissed his fingertips. He thought that only noblemen would do something so formal. He took his hand back and said, “I hope the rain I created with my song didn’t cause you any trouble with your job. You probably got soaked the first time I made it rain.”

“As long as Sleepy Ash resides within the maze, the roses will stay alive. You didn’t need to go to the trouble of watering such a large maze.” Kuro became more intrigued by Mahiru and the reason he entered the maze. “Do you like roses?”

“I think roses are beautiful but I prefer simple flowers like daisies. I heard this maze was made by a strong wizard so I did assume that a wizard like Sleepy Ash would use magic to keep the roses alive. Flowers should be watered properly though.” Mahiru told him. “Honestly, the first time I entered the maze, it was on a whim. I had a long day and I needed a place I could be alone.”

He took a pair of shoes out of his bag and slipped them onto his feet. Mahiru doubted Kuro would want to hear about the problems of a stranger. He changed the subject and said, “My shoes got wet after I casted the rain spell the first time. I thought I could dry them with a song of sunlight but that didn’t work. Since then, I would bring an extra pair of shoes with me.”

“The maze is dangerous so you shouldn’t walk around here without shoes. The roses have thorns and you can be hurt by them.” He pointed to the vines that lightly lined the ground. Kuro was confused when the vines moved on their own to avoid Mahiru’s feet. He hadn’t controlled the maze with his magic and he wondered if Mahiru was the one who moved it.

“I’ve never been pricked before.” Mahiru didn’t seem to notice how the rose bushes moved around him so Kuro doubted he was using his magic to manipulate it. He looked up at him and tilted his head in confusion. “From what I hear, the maze would chase people out but it hasn’t attacked you or me. Maybe the maze likes us since we’ve spent so much time here.”

“That must be a strange thing to say since a maze isn’t alive and it doesn’t have thoughts like we do.” He had created the maze and enchanted it but he didn’t give it life. Mahiru shook his head and held out his hand towards the tall hedge next to them. A rose fell from the bush and landed in Mahiru’s palm.

“My uncle taught me that magic is a mysterious force that flows through all life. That’s why we need to be kind to things around us. You’ll never know who or what will put a curse on you.” Mahiru joked and laughed softly. His smile was full of warmth and Kuro found himself reflecting his expression. “I became an animal doctor because of that. May I ask why you chose to be a gardener?”

“Gardening isn’t a passion for me or anything like that. It’s a job that pays well.” Kuro shrugged. He couldn’t tell him that he was truly the heir to a powerful family and a large estate. Mahiru didn’t seem to question his evasive answer and they started to walk aimlessly through the winding halls. “You’re an animal doctor? It must be hard for you to find work. The witch doctor of Eve is rather famous.”

“I get by. You work here so you must know this rose maze well.” Mahiru’s comment made Kuro stiffen slightly. He assumed that he would ask him to take him to the center because he wanted to marry Sleepy Ash. Then, he said: “I visit the maze often but I haven’t explored it well. Most people want to find the center but this maze is so large that you must know secret places that are beautiful.”

“Other people would be more interested in reaching the center of the maze to win Sleepy Ash’s hand in marriage.” Kuro decided to voice the question he had since he first saw Mahiru enter the maze.

“Do you think I'll offend Sleepy Ash if I say that I hope he doesn’t find a fiancé through this maze? The rose bushes are stunning and I enjoy walking through the maze. Once someone reaches the middle, this maze will disappear. That would make me sad.” Mahiru’s confession shocked Kuro. Everyone who entered his maze only cared for his title. Yet, Mahiru appreciated the roses.

A loud clash above their heads caused them to look up at the sky. Dark clouds started to cover the moon and Mahiru smelled rain in the air. He rushed to take his umbrella out of his bag but the rain fell before he could. Mahiru opened the umbrella and moved closer to Kuro so they could share the umbrella. “My umbrella is only large enough for one person but it’s better than nothing.”

Kuro noticed how Mahiru held the umbrella over him more than himself. The simple act of kindness was foreign to him but he knew that Mahiru was an honest person. The rain soaked his shoulder and Kuro didn’t want him to become sick. He placed his hand over Mahiru’s on the umbrella and whispered a spell. “Votre gentillesse m’a changé.”

His magic wrapped around their joined hands before it travelled up the umbrella. The umbrella grew until it could protect both of them from the rain. With the larger umbrella, they didn’t need to stand close to avoid the rain. Neither of them moved away from the other though. “Did Sleepy Ash teach you magic so you could care for the maze?”

Mahiru was surprised that a gardener would know magic and he stared at Kuro. The magic he felt was oddly familiar as well. Kuro couldn’t tell him everything but Mahiru’s curious eyes compelled him to answer. “My father sent me to school for magic but I was a terrible student and they kicked me out before I could finish. Did you go to school for magic too?”

“My uncle taught me a few things but I mostly learned on my own. Since my father left before I was born and my mother was always working, my uncle would give me magic books. Magic was a fun distraction but…” His smile became bittersweet and the expression tugged on Kuro’s heart. He could see a quiet strength in Mahiru and he wondered about his past.

Rose petals fell among the rain and Mahiru held out his hand to catch one. He brought the petal closer to his nose so he could smell the flower. The dew on the petal made the scent of roses more powerful. “This maze is amazing, isn’t it? I’ll make a warm breeze to dry us before we can get sick. You remind me of that summer night long ago.”

He had heard him sing countless times yet his voice held Kuro spellbound once more. A warm wind circled them and it dried their clothes and Kuro couldn’t help but notice that it resembled Mahiru’s personality. The maze reacted to Mahiru’s song in a similar way it affected Kuro. A path opened before them and it led to an open garden with a gazebo.

“Oh, look, Kuro!” Mahiru patted his arm and then pointed to the gazebo where they would be safe from the rain. He hooked his arm around his and dragged him forward. The wooden gazebo had roses circling the pillars and framed the canopy. Even in the darkness of night and the falling rain, Mahiru thought the gazebo was stunning.

They stepped into the gazebo and Mahiru lowered the umbrella. “I hope this rain stops soon. This gazebo is gorgeous but we can’t sleep here. We’ll catch a cold or something. Worse, my cat will destroy the house if he doesn’t have food. Do you have anyone waiting for you at home?”

“I live alone.” Kuro told him and he saw relief pass over Mahiru’s face. A blush replaced the expression and he felt his face redden as well. He didn’t know how to react to the thought that Mahiru could be interested in him. “Will your cat be jealous that you’re spending so much time with me?”

“Maybe a little. I’ll give him a rose and he’ll forgive me for staying the night with someone else.” Mahiru giggled softly.

He sat on the bench and looked beyond the rain to the rose bushes in the distance. In the corner of his eyes, he watched Kuro pick a rose. He burned off the thorns before he held it out to Mahiru. He took the rose and their fingers brushed together. “That’s for your cat so he’ll forgive you.”

“Thank you, Kuro.” Mahiru brought the flower to his nose to hide his shy smile. He was certain that his cheeks matched the colour of the rose. Between the pleasant scent of roses and Kuro’s warm presence, he felt comfortable. He forgot the rain around them and they were in a world with only them. Kuro sat next to him on the bench. “Will picking flowers get you fired?”

“Sleepy Ash doesn’t mind.” Kuro reassured him. “I’ve seen you pick a rose from the gate each time you visit. You can take more if you want.”

“My mother loves roses… She loved roses.” His voice broke slightly. Mahiru didn’t want to cry in front of Kuro so he kept his gaze to the ground. “I picked a rose to put onto her memorial. Last month, we held her funeral but I still can’t believe she’s actually gone. This must sound childish, doesn’t it? One of my co-workers said I needed to be strong when he saw he cry. I’m an adult but I’m still clinging to her.”

“I don’t think it’s childish. She must’ve been important to you so it’s natural that you would be sad. Your co-worker was a jerk.” Kuro took out a napkin from his pocket and wiped his cheek. He didn’t know if the water was rain or tears but he gently wiped it away. Mahiru turned to face him and their eyes met. Looking into his brown eyes, he felt a mix of sympathy and protectiveness of him.

“It has been hard since my mother died but visiting this rose garden has helped me feel better. It’s quiet here and I can gather my thoughts.” Mahiru found it easy to talk to Kuro and he unconsciously leaned into his palm. The rain was cold but that wasn’t the reason Mahiru moved closer to his warmth. “Thank you for listening to me even though we’ve only met today.”

“I don’t mind.” He patted his head before he sat back. Kuro thought of something he could do to make him smile again. He waved his hand over the rose Mahiru held and the flower multiplied until he had a bouquet. A few of the roses had become daisies.

“These are beautiful.” Mahiru took a daisy from the bouquet and placed it behind his ear. The rain had stopped but they stayed in the gazebo. The water droplets that coated the flowers reflected the moonlight and they created the illusion of diamonds. “It looks like it’s time to return home but I would love to talk to you again. When you’re not working, do you want to meet in the town and get to know each other better? There’s a ramen shop we can go to.”

“How did you know that I love ramen? Are you a stalker?” Kuro joked and smiled. “You should know my full name though. It’s Sleepy Ash Kuro Servamp, the Count of Sloth.”

“Sleepy Ash?” He repeated his name as his eyes widened. Kuro knew he would be surprised but he hoped he wouldn’t treat him differently now. He hesitantly turned to face him. Mahiru slipped a rose from the bouquet and tucked it into Kuro’s jacket pocket. “My name is Mahiru Shirota, the witch doctor of Eve. We’re more similar than I thought. We both hid our titles to not be judged.”

Kuro was hopeful that he found someone who would see him for himself and he touched the rose over his heart.

[girlmeetsliv3]

Prince of Nothing I

~ Part One of Five ~

Release Date: March 19th, 2020 @ 9 p.m.

Word Count: 6,608

Jeon Jungkook was the prince of everything except for you…

Jeon Jungkook was the prince of everything: heaven, hell, and everything in between. His family was an enigma who came to power under mysterious circumstances and had managed to retain hold over the kingdom for centuries - even if no one knew how. There was one thing that Jungkook wanted though, something that could never be his: you. A nobody. A girl with no title. No land. Just money and a pure soul to your name. Jeon Jungkook would’ve never spared a look your way, had that incident not occurred. Now you find yourself the target of his affection and the most hated woman in all the land. Which will kill you first?

Trigger Warning: The following story contains mentions of manipulation, abuse, and vivid, as well as implied, descriptions of abusive acts. The behavior and mindset of the characters in this will be incredibly yandere and toxic. This is a work of fiction and doesn’t represent the character of bangtan sonyeondan. Enjoy ~~~

“YN, please listen to me,” Hyunshik spoke a frown etched into his pale face. From where he was standing YN could see how his leg twitched anxiously. Hyunshik wasn’t the type of individual to be easily stressed, in fact, the man had a perpetual optimism that often irked his sister. Which is why her brother’s sudden switch unnerved YN. “Shik, what’s going on?”

Hyunshik had suggested a holiday for the two of them. Though the way he shaped his words, YN wondered if it was less of a ‘holiday’ and more of an escape. From what exactly she didn’t know. YN shook her head, she didn’t understand where all this was coming from. Things had been going well for the siblings as of late: their house was small but quaint enough for them to live comfortably. While Hyunshik had been employed in Mistress Eun’s manor since he was sixteen, YN had recently been employed in a small shop in the town square. Her employer was a bit strict but well-meaning. Is it Mistress Eun? YN had heard enough around town to know that she wasn’t a kind woman - often barking orders and treating her staff like scum beneath her feet. Hyunshik though simply cleaned, he wasn’t in high enough of a standing to be able to communicate much less see her.

YN stopped organizing the different fabrics on the shelf and walked towards her brother. “Talk to me. Did something happen?” In her eyes, there were unspoken words - one that Hyunshik could easily understand. Did she do something to you? Though Hyunshik was always happy, he wasn’t naive about the cruelty of the world. Something his sister had yet to experience fully, so for her sake he smiled. “Nah, work has just been piling up recently and I thought the two of us could use a break you know. Maybe go to the seaside and enjoy the ocean for a bit.” YN smiled though it didn’t quite reach her eyes, “I just started working silly. Maybe we can go for the solstice? That way we can actually enjoy the sea. It’s far too cold now.”

Hyunshik gave an exaggerated sigh, “Fine but don’t complain to me later on,” his finger came up and gently massaged the space between YN’s brows. “Stop frowning, it’s unladylike and makes you look like a hag.” YN scoffed, “Rude. Plus, I am hardly a lady.” She returned to the counter and began organizing the small intricacies placed there. Hyunshik rolled his eyes, “Please my sister is the fairest maiden in all the land. I have to fight off suitors every day.” His tone became a strong bravado as he flexed his arms.

“Don’t lie to yourself, if anything I fight off my suitors every day. You couldn’t harm a fly.”

           YN and Hyunshik had moved to their current home when the latter was sixteen years old. Their parents had just passed shortly before and they couldn’t afford to live in the city anymore, despite them living in the slums; which only grew worse over time. Slavers often went around picking up orphaned children to either sell or trade, so Hyunshik sought to get both of them as far away as he could. In desperate times came desperate measures, but Hyunshik had always stayed on the right side of things. Even when doing the wrong thing would have provided an easy out to all their hardships, he wasn’t that type of man. YN knew this deep down in her bones. So, when she saw a detained poster pierced to her front door with Hyunshik’s name under it she knew it had been a mistake.

           Soojin knew this was a part of her role, didn’t mean she hated it any less. Soojin had woken up that morning to the advisor telling her that the King had relayed his duties of standing council to Jungkook, and Jungkook to her. She didn’t have to do it - not really but it wouldn’t bode well. Even if these were technically not her people, they would be someday and it would be better to win their favor than their apathy. Soojin was meant to be the velvet to the Jeon's leather and she would play her role well. So she had sat in that wretched chair that seemed to wrap around her, tightening every second she sat upon it. It wasn’t too difficult, most of the cases were simple cases. As she was not a princess by blood, she couldn’t make any impactful decisions but it was a bit fun nonetheless to have people look up at her in the opal throne, fear in their eyes. It sent a tingle down her spine.

           Still the sensation would fade quickly as the black mamba kept coiling around her form; a reminder that it was not her throne - not yet. “Princess Soojin, the next case.” Soojin felt her eyes roll to the back of her head as she looked down upon Joo Eun feeling nothing but disgust crawl up her throat. The lady was Yoongi’s latest fling, but she felt the need to parade that around the entire court. Though one could tell just by looking at her attire that modesty and sensibility wasn’t something she knew. “What seems to be the problem?” Before Eun could speak a younger girl stepped forward, her attire worn but pleasant. Her eyes were red and brimming with unspilt tears, but somehow the girl’s head remained held high.

           “Good Morning your highness, I am here on behalf of my brother to ask that he is released as I believe there may have been a mistake.” The commoner kept her head low as she spoke, body angled in a bow. It wasn’t until she finished speaking that she looked up and Soojin’s eyes met hers. When she gazed into her eyes a weird sense of Jamais Vu consumed Soojin. What? “Why that’s just ridiculous. Why would I lie?” Eun’s voice was a high shrill, too high to be genuine. “I know my brother, he would never steal or harm anyone. Even if they tried to harm him.” The girl pleaded. She never once looked at Eun, perhaps knowing that would be a lost cause. No, all her words were directed towards the princess sitting on the throne. “Are you implying something?! Look at these people, we give them everything. Allow them to live under us, yet they bite the hand that feeds them.”

           Soojin would’ve normally agreed with Eun’s statement, but her attention was focused on the girl. She knew her from somewhere but it almost felt like what she was seeing wasn’t real. An illusion. A vision. “There are no witnesses. My brother doesn’t even have access upstairs. How would he steal?” It seems that Eun hadn’t thought out her plan to incriminate the boy or she hadn’t expected that he would have someone come to bat for him. Nonetheless, it seemed this case was a simple one. Soojin raised her hand to signal her decision, about to wave in the direction of the village girl until -

           “He assaulted me! He asked me to bed him and when I refused he threatened to kill me.” Ah, so that’s what had happened. Poor boy had refused Eun’s advancements and now he was paying the price. “Do you have any proof of this statement Mistress Eun?” She didn’t need proof, Soojin knew that. Just her words were enough to condemn him. No one would ever dare question a noble - their words were gold. Still, Soojin felt pity for the girl. “He took that necklace off of me.” Eun pointed towards the girl’s neck.

“No, this is my mother’s. She left it to me when she passed.”

“Liar. As if a vermin as yourself could afford something like that.”

“Please Mistress Eun. Please, Your Highness.”

Soojin was beginning to get a headache with all the back and forth. She rubbed her temples slowly. Just let Jungkook deal with this when he gets back. For some reason, something twisted in her gut when she had that thought but she ignored it. Soojin leaned back, feeling more claustrophobic by the second. A sigh left her lips, “The prince will deal with this when he returns. Take her to the dungeons.”

 YN couldn’t stop the tears flowing from her eyes even if she wanted to. She’d long given up on holding in the sobs that racked through her body as her brother’s fate dawned on her. Hyunshik...we should’ve run away. There was a time for should've. If only she could’ve gone back and recognized the absolute terror in her brother’s eyes. The dread. Please. Please. Please. Please. I’ll do anything. It seems someone had heard her pleas for YN felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand, goosebumps rising beneath her clothes. YN turned to look past the iron gate, she saw nothing but pure darkness - but she could feel it. Her lips parted, but nothing came out. She was hesitating, afraid of what would occur next. Unsure if she was prepared for it.

“Who are you?” She heard a slight snicker back. YN jumped off the slab of metal she was previously sitting on. Her eyes pierced into the dark abyss trying to find something, but she came out empty-handed.

“Someone.” It was curt, monotone in its nature. Not giving much away except that it was a man.

“Why are you here?” The question was echoed back at her. YN stepped forward heart wavering, but her voice was strong. “You know why.” It seems he didn’t have a remark for that. Something inside YN told her to keep her guard up, she had only ever felt like that when she was younger and living in the slums. Life had been a tightrope walk without a safety net and YN felt transported back to her youth.

“Tell me YN, if you had to choose, would you rather be the fool or the one doing the fooling?”

“Does it matter?” YN didn’t see where he was taking this conversation.

“Better to be the fooler than the one being fooled.” The smugness seeping from his tone was palpable.

“I disagree.”

“Oh?” His voice seemed closer now, though she still couldn’t tell which direction it came from.

YN stepped forward once again, “I’d rather trust blindly, stupidly, and be fooled than be the one doing the fooling.”

“Why?” The voice was even closer now, YN threaded carefully still uneasy about not knowing who this mysterious man was. There was something familiar about his tone, though she couldn’t quite place it.

“Because the world needs more of it...hope I mean.”

“I don’t think that is what it comes down to.” YN could feel his disappointment, but she didn’t care. The man seemed to want to converse in circles and she wasn’t in the mood to entertain whims.

“Doesn’t it? I would rather live a life full of hope that the world out there is good and pure, even if it is a short one. It would be worse to live a long life without hope where I rob others of it.” There was a strong silence that followed. As if the man was mulling over her words, then suddenly there was a shift in the air: it became lighter. Pushing all the warnings aside YN took one last step until she was mere inches from the metallic rods that imprisoned her in the cell.

“I can save your brother.” YN felt disoriented as if the air had been robbed from her lungs before she even knew it. Happiness swelled in her. Hope-filled her, but - “Did you not just confess to fooling others?” YN knew better than to trust the words of a mysterious stranger lurking in the shadows. It seemed the man was aware of this for he finally stepped out of the shadows and into the light, his body inches from the door.

Jeon Jungkook, the prince, stood in front of YN with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. It was a cocky smile, the type that alluded to an inside joke or something ironic. “Did you not just confess to trusting blindly?” YN peered into his eyes trying to decipher what he wanted. Though YN was trustful, she wasn’t a fool to the way things worked. The only time a man in a position of power like Jungkook offered something to someone like her - is because he wanted something in return. The devil is in the details. YN had heard enough stories about the Jeon family growing up to know they gave the devil a run for his money. ”What do you want?”

“Hm,” Jungkook seemed to actually think this over as he glanced away from her and towards the long dark corridor. He’s trying to play it off. “Your highness?” At this, his attention returned to the woman in front of him. “Yes?” Jungkook whispered, his eyebrow quirking.

“What would your highness like in return for helping my brother?” YN had tossed caution out the window, the second she realized it was the prince she was speaking to. Not that royalty could be trusted - no - but he was the only person who could aid her. Besides Princess Soojin, who threw me here in the first place. The princess had appeared to be on YN’s side only for her to throw her in a dark cell the second her patience wore out. If she treated her subjects like nuisances rather than people, it seemed she wasn’t the good well-mannered princess the media portrayed her to be. Just another spoke in the wheel.

Jungkook could see the wheels turning behind her eyes and spoke quickly, “I am lonely and require stimulation...of the intellectual kind, of course.”

This dazed YN for a bit, “You wish to debate?!” At this the prince shook his head, “I wish to converse. It’s not often I get to speak with my subjects, especially not ones as well-versed as yourself.” That was a back-handed compliment if there ever was one.

“Perhaps if you did, your highness, you would find that many of your subjects are as well-versed as I am. Some even more. It’s a survival tactic, not a skill.” Hyunshik had always said that tongue of hers would only get her into trouble. Considering how intrigued Jungkook looked by her response, he was right.

“How so?”

“It's a dog eat dog world out there.” More like a snake eat snake.

“And yet you trust blindly, stupidly even and hope.”

YN had no response for that so she chose to change the subject, “When do you wish for this to happen?” Jungkook chuckled, stepping closer to the iron bars. YN could faintly feel his breath and he hers. “I’ll send a guard to escort you.” YN didn’t respond, something in the back of her mind warned her against this. Told her to turn her back at the extended hand, to bite it, spit at it, and never accept it. However, to do so would mean losing her brother; the only thing she had left in this life. As if sensing her reluctance Jungkook gave that final nudge, the one that would send her tumbling down the rabbit hole.

“What would you do to save your brother?”

“Anything.”

 Yoongi had never excelled at pleasantries or small talk, he preferred standing in the corner and merely observing everyone else. His father used to joke that it would’ve been better if he was born in the lower class, that way he could live his life unnoticed and unbothered. Still, there were definite benefits to being in his position and Yoongi had long taken advantage of them. Plus, the food wasn’t too bad. Although having to sit in awkward lunches such as this one often turned any delicacies in his mouth to ash. He picked up on the discussion between his two patrons, but when the subject of Eun came up Yoongi scowled. Yoongi had taken her as a Mistress simply to entertain him. She wasn’t too bad to look at and did decently in bed.

Her blowjobs, though, we're out of this world. Still, she proved too difficult to handle and had been bragging nonstop about being a Duke’s lover. While normally Yoongi wouldn’t care, it would only cause trouble at home and Yoongi already caused enough of it all by himself. Deciding it better not to dwell on those thoughts in public, especially in front of them, Yoongi’s attention returned to the Prince and Princess. Why the hell am I here?!

Yoongi had been resting in his room when he’d been informed that he'd been invited to a private lunch with the Prince. Though gauging from how out of it the young man seemed, especially whenever his lover spoke to him Yoongi was only more confused as to why he was here. Yoongi was in a high standing position, but there were definitely others who outranked him. Other’s that made for much more interesting players in the Jeon’s chess game, but it seemed the younger had a soft spot for him. It wasn’t the first time the prince had shown him a kindness he reserved for those closest to him. Maybe it meant he liked him? Or maybe he sees me as easy prey? Actually the more he focused on the young prince, the more it dawned on him that Jungkook was daydreaming - he was thinking.

“My mother has called and requested I visit her, says it’s an emergency. I’ll be leaving right after lunch and should return the day after tomorrow.”

Jungkook’s entire aura had shifted, a gleeful look now in his eyes. “Is that so?” pondered the young man, with an exaggerated pout on his lips. Yoongi had fallen victim to that trick so often he now recognized it, but it seems the Princess was none the wiser. “Don’t miss me too much,” Soojin replied, a smile on her face. Yoongi was often confused by the dynamic between the two of them. They didn’t act like lovers - no it was as if they were both pretending to be lovers and just happened to be really good at it. Or at least that’s how it should’ve been. For when Soojin stared at Jungkook for too long, her mask began to slip and Yoongi could see traces of affection and admiration in her eyes. Jungkook’s, however, remained forever blank and cold.

Their relationship reminded him of his own. “Tell me Yoongi, how has Jisoo been doing?” Shit, he wasn’t prepared for the cards to turn on him. Now both of them gazed at him with unrecognizable looks in their eyes. The masks are back on. “She’s well. Resting at home and tending to my mother.” Yoongi grumbled, he didn’t like being asked about his wife. It only served as a reminder to him and everyone else how undeserving he was of her. Thankfully the conversation had strayed away from him again onto some random girl. Yoongi let out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding in. I need a break. Well, he had been taking a break he hadn’t seen his wife or lover in weeks, but now he needed a break from his break. Yoongi was getting angsty again and there was only one person who could fix that for him.

“If the two of you would excuse me, I’ll be going now.”

Before Yoongi could even blink, Soojin had left the room; left him alone with Jeon Jungkook. Those sharp snake-like eyes trailed over him like a beast assessing its prey. Any second now Jeon would strike, Yoongi could feel it. “Say Yoongi, your little songbird, does he still sing?” Yoongi was frozen in shock. H-how does he know? Jungkook had his head resting casually on his hand with an almost unamused look on his face, though Yoongi could see the wickedness gleaming in his eyes.

There was no point in denying the accusation, Yoongi knew, but perhaps to agree would cause so much more harm. “Not anymore, your highness.”

At this, the man sighed, “What a shame. I was in need of his services.” Jungkook was baiting him, Yoongi was too much of a coward not to bite.

“Services for what?”

“Nothing too major, just information.”

Information Yoongi could deal with, but there was something about the dark look in the Prince’s eyes that unnerved him. Still, this was a test, Yoongi would lose far too much if he failed it. God bless the poor soul. “Who?”

Yoongi didn’t miss the way a grin spread Jungkook’s lips apart.

 It was hours later that a guard did appear, his jaw sharp and nose held up high as if she were scum. YN was used to nobility treating people like her as if they were inferior, but a guard? YN smiled a bit which only seemed to upset the man more, for he practically dragged her out of her cell before threading through the dark corridors of the dungeons. The castle was beautiful - there was no denying that. Exorbitant and excessive in only the way the rich could be, still the palette of the castles were mostly shades of blacks, greys, and muted whites so it didn’t appear as if Midas had gone mad. It was a fairly long walk until they reached what she assumed were the apartments. The room they seemed to be heading for was the one at the end of the hall, whose doors stood taller and prouder than those around it.

YN did note how she hadn’t seen many nobles loitering around and decided it must be offseason. Why else would they let me into a room? The doors slid open before either the guard or YN could even touch them, which confused her. The guard wasted no time in pushing her inside and gesturing towards the bed, “Twenty minutes.” He stated before slamming the doors shut. For her to say the room wasn’t beautiful would be a lie, it was so unlike everything else the palace was: simple and almost vacant. Though what definitely stood out the most were the tall rounded stained glass doors that led out onto a balcony. There was something so beautiful about the way the moonlight streamed into the room, creating a beautiful highlight that contrasted all the darkness in the room. YN found herself walking towards the doors, drawn in by the moonlight.

When was the last time she’d seen the moon? Surely, it couldn’t have been so long ago? Her hands reached out towards the handles, as she pondered if the moon would look that much beautiful up close. It must. All beautiful things look better upon closer inspection. She was so close - STOP! YN jumped back and looked around the room, catching sight of the dress on the bed. It was a black embroidered gown, from just putting it on YN was sure it was worth more than her life. She assumed she should be using this time to make herself look presentable to the prince, but all she really did was try to smooth down her hair and calm her heart. It wasn’t long until there was a harsh knock on the door before the guard from before threw the door open.

YN assumed they were heading down towards one of the dining rooms or maybe a parlor, but instead they continued to climb upwards until they reached the top floor. Where the guard made a sharp left turn they were met with large opal doors with the Jeon’s crest embedded in it. “I thought we were having dinner.” The guard smirked, raising his fists to knock. The doors opened to Jungkook sitting at the head of a table with an elaborate feast in front of him, whilst he sipped on a glass of wine. “Thank you, Jinyoung. You’re excused.” Jinyoung smiled and bowed, before pushing YN into the room.

YN lingered by the door, her focus lay entirely on the man ahead and now that she was in his presence without a barrier to separate them - she realized how threatening he was. Almost as if the cell was keeping him out. The room itself screams Jeon in every sense of the word, it's dark colors accented with green, silvers, and golds. It must’ve been the largest room in the castle save for the king’s - a penthouse in a way. “Come, sit. I don’t bite.” Somehow she doubted that. YN walked towards Jungkook counting the steps as she gazed straight ahead, she wanted to sit away from the prince but he had other plans as the chair to his left was the only one not tucked in. It was once she sat that he finally looked at her, trailed his eyes delicately across her body.

YN shifted uncomfortably aware that the evening dress, though long, still accentuated her figure in a way she wasn’t used to. YN cleared her throat, “I thought we were going to have dinner.” He seemed to understand what she was implying but played coy nonetheless.

“Is this not dinner?” Jungkook gestured to the row of dishes in front of them. Not when it’s served in your bedroom it isn’t.

YN surmises all of this was supposed to impress her, but all it truly did was make her annoyed at the prince. There was a clear disconnect between the palace and the world that existed outside the tall metallic gates. If the prince was willing to spend all this for a simple village girl, what might he do for someone of actual ranking and value? Then again he was a Jeon and their reputation precedes them, the image they conjured up wasn’t of ‘for the people’ but rather ‘for themselves.’

“You don’t seem impressed.” The prince leaned forward, eyes piercing into hers.

“I am…”

“Please, don’t hold back on my account.” Jungkook leaned back, resting on his chair. One of his legs was perched up and his hand resting on it, as the wine inside the glass swirled around. His eyebrow quirked, indicating he was waiting for a response and YN thought it best to simply give him what he wanted. After all, hadn’t he asked her not to hold back?

“It just seems like a gluttonous amount of food for two people.” She remarked looking at it.

Jungkook chuckled, “Gluttonous that’s a big word.” The stare that YN sent him had him laughing. She was taken aback by it, his laugh: the way his crinkled eyes shined and the melodic airiness of it. “Sorry but you are quite amusing. Telling the prince off for ordering too much food.”

YN’s eyes widened and she was quick to apologize, biting the inside at her cheek while she scolded herself for forgetting her place. Jungkook dismisses her apology, waving her off. “It’s refreshing.” For a second, YN felt comfortable around him. Truly comfortable, as if they were young acquaintances - not a prince and his subject. Someone next in line for the throne while YN was fighting to prove her brother’s innocence. Things would’ve been different. Things could have turned out different for the two of them, were they in another world and another time. Or maybe they were always destined to bring nothing but pain and suffering into each other’s lives. It’s easy to wonder and pretend, but fate is cruel and has a twisted sense of humor. Still, YN wondered if in another world Jungkook and her could’ve become friends. Maybe.

 “Tell me about yourself.” It wasn’t a suggestion, more of a statement really. YN places the knife down pausing cutting the steak as she looks up to meet Jungkook’s eyes. There was something lurking in them.  “Why?” The prince shrugged as if he was simply trying to make small talk. It didn’t go unnoticed by her how throughout the course of their meal he had gotten closer to her: his chair was tilted towards her, his feet were outstretched so they occasionally brushed hers, and he stared at her as if he were trying to pierce into her soul.

“My mother and father died when I was fairly young, so it has been my brother and I for a while. My brother has been working since he was eleven and I’ve managed to get a job recently,” she moved around the food on her plate. “I haven’t had an easy life, but I don’t have room to complain when there are others who have had it far worse.” YN’s early life hadn’t been easy and she still didn’t know how she got out. Still, there was always someone who had it worse and she had her brother, a good home, a sense of security. Jeon Jungkook might seem polite, or at least he’s good at pretending he is, but he would never understand what it’s like. YN doesn’t want to bother educating him, so the sugar-coated version of her life is better.

YN heard a chair screech and suddenly Jungkook was incredibly close to her, sitting at the edge of his seat. “No, I want to know you. All the little things about you.” The change in his attitude almost gave her whiplash, he was whining now. Like a child that didn’t get what he asked for. That sense of unease crept back into her system as she leaned back trying to get as much distance between the prince and her. “I’m sorry, but why?” It wasn’t a ridiculous question to ask, but the way Jungkook was looking at her made her feel like it was. “Why not?” His dark coal eyes boring into hers were almost predatorial.

Goosebumps began to rise throughout her body the longer the silence prevailed. YN didn’t feel safe anymore, Jungkook looked just about ready to strike at her but instead, he simply smiled. “Why were your parents killed?” What? “Why did you run away from the slums? Why did you move into Giihan? Why were you never engaged?” YN’s jaw slackened as she sat there unable to comprehend how he knew all of this. Finally, Jungkook paused, seeming to deliberate on whether or not he should ask his final question. “Don’t you think it’s inappropriate to live with a man with no blood relation to you?”

YN was frozen with fear, she saw at that moment a brief glimpse of Jeon. What he was capable of. “H-how...” How does he know all those things? How does he know Hyungshik and I aren’t related?

“I had to make sure I wasn’t being fooled.”

Rage. That’s what began to rise inside her, though it was mainly at herself still it was a cruel reminder that to him this was all just a game. Something to entertain him because he was bored. YN grips the chair handles to stand up but freezes when she feels something slither across her neck. Her ears picking up on slight hissing. Jungkook grinned, “Ah yes, that’s Morte. Don’t worry he’s harmless just try not to make any sudden movements.” His eyes were alight with humor, finding the entire situation funny.

The snake settled comfortably on YN’s shoulders and the girl willed herself not to cry. It would only further wound her pride and it might startle the snake. Jungkook reaches over to the wine bottle and pours himself another glass, “By the way, I spoke to Eun. She admitted to having a fancy on the boy and getting upset when he rejected her so blatantly. It’s his fault really if he had gone along with it none of this would have happened.” That wasn’t true if Hyunshik had been caught in an affair with Mistress Eun his corpse would be hanging from the gallows.

“Thank you, your highness. May I see my brother now?”

“Oh, he’s still imprisoned and awaiting trial.”

“...what?” YN couldn’t comprehend what he was saying. He had said, he had agreed. A sudden flashback of the first words Jungkook had ever spoken to her, “would you rather be the fool or the one doing the fooling? Better to be the fooler than the one being fooled.” It wasn’t until she felt the tears rolling down her face that YN realized she was crying. The next words were the ones that solidified how naive she’d been. “I only agreed that I could save your brother if you had dinner with me, not that I would.” YN felt her entire world begin to crumble. Here she was playing dress-up, feasting with the prince, trusting him, while her brother was about to be imprisoned for the rest of his mortal life. She should feel upset, disappointed, enraged, but all she felt was a cold apathy overtakes her as it finally dawned on her why she was here.

She was a nobody and yet the prince had visited her, dolled her up, and had her delivered straight to his bedroom. There was only one way to save her brother.

“What would it take for you to save my brother?”

“From imprisonment?”

“Yes.”

“A kiss...just one.”

“Do you swear on your life?”

Jungkook laughed, “I swear on the life of everyone in this kingdom, save for yourself of course.”

It was sudden really how she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, tears still trailing down her face. It was so sudden in fact that it startled the snake, who sank its fangs straight into her neck.

  Yoongi had barely the night before images of his loved ones massacred while a snake suffocated him plagued his mind. It had been months since Yoongi had been home, but he had this urgent need to return; to make sure everything was okay. His current definition of okay meant that everyone was alive and not dead by the hand of some psychotic prince who had recently found himself a new toy to play with. It was quite ironic how much Yoongi felt the need to criticize Jungkook, considering he too had fallen victim to the same type of infatuation. He would never dare recognize it as such though, no, what they had was different. No one understood him like he did. No one would ever love him as much as Yoongi did. J-

“Duke Min?” Yoongi spun around and was greeted with the sight of a young girl. There was a sense of urgency, need, in her eyes and Yoongi thought she looked familiar. “Pardon, but I must be getting somewhere.” Yoongi spun back around but was halted when she gripped the sleeve of his jacket. “Please sir, it’s regarding Mistress Eun.” Yoongi rolled his eyes and proceeded to walk away, Eun was clearly too much of a hassle and he would get rid of her as soon as he could. “Whatever issues you may have with Mistress Eun have nothing to do with me, take it up with her or the king for all I care,” Yoongi grumbled, speeding up trying to get away from the girl but she chased after him. There was something about her that made him nervous.

The girl took off in a sprint and managed to get ahead enough to block him, “Please. Mistress Eun has accused my brother of stealing and he is to stand trial today,” Yoongi tried to push past her but the girl wouldn’t budge. “The prince has already promised his help but if you could just -” No wonder she looked so familiar. Yoongi’s widened eyes cast downward, truly taking in the girl for the first time. Fuck. It was her. Yoongi felt a deep sense of remorse crawling up his throat, it practically choked him as he saw the desperation in the girl’s eyes. “- just get her to drop the charges then the entire trial could be avoided. Please I’ll do anything.” No, it wasn’t because of her picture that she was familiar to him it was her expression. That was the exact same expression his songbird had when Yoongi had first laid eyes on him.

“How many lives will you ruin all to satisfy your needs?!” As many as it took, Min Yoongi was not a good man. He would never be. He’d been raised with a silver spoon in his mouth and the world handed to him on a silver platter like it was his to play with. Yoongi only really took advantage of it when he saw something he wanted and now he’s willing to risk everything to make sure it is forever in his hold. Even the life of the poor girl staring up at him as if he was her last hope.

“I’ll get Mistress Eun to drop the charges. You have my word.” Words are empty. It is actions that truly speak. Yet when Yoongi saw her smile, the way her eyes filled with hope, he realized that he had a lot more in common with Jeon Jungkook than he previously thought.

 YN waited among the crowd, her hood up to shield her from the downpour of rain that fell. Person after person had stood trial with whipping, banishment, imprisonment, and other methods of torture being the most common sentence. Death was rarely ruled as most of the cases were light criminal offenses. She thanked the gods, as YN didn’t think she could stomach seeing a man being hanged. Still, she knew some of the people around her begged to differ, they would scream and curse at the men on the wooden stand begging for blood and pain. It was moments like these that reminded her that although the nobility was cruel, sometimes they were no better.

“Kim Hyunshik.”

YN saw as her brother stepped up the stairs and into the stand. His clothes were dirty and full of grime, his lip was cut, and the bottom of his eye had begun to swell. It hadn’t even been forty-eight hours, yet he still looked like he’d been through hell and back. Her heart pounded in her chest as she willed herself to calm down. Hyunshik’s eyes darted all over the crowd and YN knew he was looking for her, yet he would have difficulty finding her in this heavy rain. The guard pulled out a paper, beginning to read the offenses and the verdict. YN held her breath.

“Kim Hyunshik stands accused of thievery, disrespecting a commanding officer, and assault.” The crowd began to spew insults at him, some going as far as spitting. “The court finds the defendant...not guilty.” Oh, thank god. YN almost cries of happiness. Hyunshik seems to visibly relax too, thankful that he wouldn't have to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

“Kim Hyunshik also stands accused of plotting, assaulting a member of the court, and conspiring against the crown.” What? No. The crowd became louder, venom spewing out their mouths towards Hyunshik as YN stood in shock. This can’t be happening. “The court finds the defendant guilty and sentenced him to...death.” No. No. No. No. NO! The crowd goes into a frenzy with jovial shouts as Hyunshik is dragged away to the post by the left of the stage. YN tries to fight against the crowd to make her way to her brother, desperate to reach him. “Hyunshik! Hyunshik!” Her brother looks around panicked, begging for mercy as he is placed on the false bottom and the noose is placed around his neck. It is then that their eyes finally meet, Hyunshik staring straight into YN’s eyes, his mouth moving gently as he stares at her with nothing but affection. ‘I love you.’ He mouths.

The lever is pulled.

[imsorryimlate]

Specific references in Pomegranate Seeds, sorted by chapter

Title of work: Pomegranate Seeds

A reference to the myth of Persephone and Hades, where Hades is the god of the underworld who kidnaps Persephone – the daughter of Demeter, goddess of agriculture and harvest – and makes her queen of the underworld. He gives her a pomegranate to eat, and for every seed she swallows she has to spend a month with Hades in the underworld. During the months she is with Hades, she is gone from her mother, and that’s why autumn and winter exist (since Demeter is grieving the loss of her daughter). Spring and summer are the months when she is back with Demeter, and Demeter is once again happy. The myth has lots of interpretations, but my favourite is the one where it is said to be based on the trauma of both daughter and mother as they are separated when the daughter gets married and enters a new household.

Even though Giorno’s mother didn’t treat him well, her death was most likely traumatic to him. He enters the new household of Dio (Hades) and every time they touch each other in a way that isn’t befitting father and son, one could say that Giorno swallows another pomegranate seed, and it binds him to the underworld. In this case, the underworld would both represent the criminal world, but also the trap of their incestuous relationship that he then cannot leave, should he want to.

No specific references in chapters 1 & 2.

Chapter 3:

Demetra – Giorno’s mother doesn’t have a name in canon, so I made one up. Demetra is the Italian version of Demeter, which is the name of the Greek goddess of agriculture and harvest. The goddess is the mother of Persephone, and the title of this fic – Pomegranate Seeds – is a reference to the myth of Hades and Persephone.

The biblical paintings in the church – John the Baptist (martyr) was beheaded, and Judas (traitor) hung himself. The imagery around Eve, the snake and the red apple, well… depending on how you interpret the story in the Bible, this could mean that the scene doesn’t represent a fall from grace, but rather that it was God’s intention to have humanity step into the broader world.

Dio’s books – I mostly just had a look at my own bookshelf, but I purposely included Nabokov, Machiavelli, and Plato. Nabokov, of course, references his infamous novel Lolita. Machiavelli was an Italian politician and philosopher during the Renaissance, and he’s most famous for his book The Prince, where he gave rulers quite… devious advice, not shying away from unethical and corrupt means. Therefore Machiavelli and the derived term Machiavellian often denotes (political) deceit. And Plato, well, in his text The Symposium he speaks of the ancient practice of pederasty in a very positive manner, and claiming that it is the purest form of love.

Aniara – I picked the book because it’s my sister’s favourite. It is a book-length epic science fiction poem that narrates the tragedy of a large passenger spacecraft carrying a cargo of colonists escaping destruction on Earth veering off course, leaving the Solar System and entering into an existential struggle. This is the “space-travel” Giorno later reflects on while in the bath.

No specific references in chapter 4.

Chapter 5:

The next reference to Machiavelli – Giorno thinks about Machiavelli and the question if it is better to be feared or loved, which is something Machiavelli writes about in his book The Prince, where he states that it is better for a ruler to be feared than loved, if they cannot be both.

No specific references in chapter 6.

Chapter 7:

Reckless – Giorno notes that Dio wants him “recklessly, passionately”. This is one of the two times the word “reckless” is used in this story; the only other time being in the first chapter when Giorno’s mother dies after her car collides with a reckless truck. Dio’s desire for Giorno is tied together with that accident, as if it’s equally dangerous.

Jewel – “Yes, Giorno would like something like that; to show Dio that he was a prized jewel, cut to fit perfectly in the curve of his palm.” This line directly references the Song of Songs 7:1 “Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a master hand.”

Eden – “How truly unfortunate, that the most tempting fruit should be found in the middle of Eden.” The garden of Eden, in the Bible, is where life is first created by God. It can therefore also symbolise family, where life also is created. So what Dio essentially says here is “what a shame the most fuckable person is found in my family”.

Draconic tendencies – Giorno having “draconic tendencies” is a reference to his earlier thoughts about Abbacchio hoarding Bucciarati like a jealous dragon.

Chapter 8:

Buttercups – Giorno picks a bouquet of buttercups for Dio, and buttercups have traditionally been associated with childhood. It is meant to express that Giorno, no matter how mature he himself is convinced that he is, still has a childish edge to his affection. As a fun aside, the Latin name for buttercups is Ranunculus, which means “little frog”.

Leda and the Swan – the painting Dio has in his study. It is, of course, an erotic yet controversial motif in itself, but there are some references to the Greek myth it is based on. In it, Zeus disguises himself as a swan and copulates with Leda. It is not entirely clear if it is by rape or seduction. Zeus, of course, is known for his sexual escapades, his violent temper and jealousy, but here he disguises himself as a swan, which is an animal that in European culture often has symbolised love and fidelity. This story of a shady person disguising himself as someone loving, to enter a relationship where consent is dubious at best, well… I think the implications are clear. As a fun aside, the name Zeus and the name Dio are directly connected.

Uneasy lies the head – the whole quote is “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”, a saying from Shakespeare’s play Henry IV, Part 2, meaning that someone with great responsibilities won’t be able to rest properly.

The prodigal son – it’s a reference to a parable in the Bible, from Luke 15:11-32. The story goes that a son requests his inheritance early, spends it all irresponsibly, and then returns home to beg his father to let him work for him. His father, however, welcomes him home with open arms and throws a feast, which indicates that he has hopefully waiting for the son to return.

Nakedness – the scene in Giorno’s room, where he lowers his duvet to display his “nakedness”, the word choice here is important. Except for Genesis 42, all biblical occurrences of the common idiom ”to see the nakedness of” or “to uncover the nakedness of” are explicitly sexual, usually referring to incest. The Classical Hebrew word 'erwā is not “nudity” but “nakedness”, in the sense of something that is unseemly or improper to look at or expose; often used to denote forbidden sexual relations.

Chapter 9:

Wine-dark – Dio’s eyes are described as wine-dark, which is a reference to the use of “wine-dark sea” in Homer. It’s an epithet used in the Iliad and the Odyssey, of uncertain meaning. What exactly does it mean that the sea is “wine-dark”? Is it a reference to the stormy sea being unpredictable, like someone who’s drunk on wine? Or does it tell us something about how ancient Greeks perceived colours, where maybe depth and opacity levels were more important than hues?

Ambrosia – Giorno compares the taste of Dio’s seed to ambrosia, which is the food and drink of the gods in Greek mythology.

Lollipop – Giorno is sucking on a lollipop while he’s out shopping. This is a shameless reference to the most culturally recognised image of Nabokov’s Lolita, where Sue Lyon, the actress who portrayed the character Lolita in Stanley Kubrick’s film adaption of the novel, is sucking on a red lollipop while wearing heart-shaped sunglasses. It’s worth noting, however, that the character Lolita doesn’t eat a lollipop in the novel or Kubrick’s film, and the images were only used for promotion. Either way, the lollipop has nonetheless become a symbol for playful, youthful temptation.

No specific references in chapter 10.

Chapter 11:

Dio’s alarming beauty – Giorno reflects on how beautiful Dio is, that he is alarmingly beautiful. This is a reference to a quote from The Secret History by Donna Tartt: “Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory. Quite the contrary. Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.”

Chapter 12:

Kisses – there’s a lot of descriptions of kissing in the beginning of this chapter, and it is all a reference to the biblical book Song of Songs. “Honey-sweet kisses that melted his tongue” is a reference to Song of Songs 4:11 “honey and milk are under your tongue”. On a more complicated note… “those kisses, Giorno drank them from his mouth like they were life-giving water” is a reference to Song of Songs 1:2 that should be “I want to drink kisses from his mouth”, however, most translations will read “let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth”. It’s really complicated as to why I and others would translate it differently, but in general it has to do with the manuscript and the Masoretic editors’ vocalisation, which in turn has a lot to do with evaluating Classical Hebrew grammar and poetic conventions… I am going to spare you that lecture, but I still wanted to let you know that you won’t find that wording in most English translations of the Bible.

The garden, Eden, and juvenile sex – this all ties together. The garden of Eden is, in the Bible, where life is created and before “the fall of man”, it is a place of peace and innocence. Now, it might seem strange to refer to innocence in a story like this, but there still is a certain kind of innocence to their relationship, especially on Giorno’s end. They are described as “easy and unafraid, in full view of God”, which again is a reference to the biblical creation story; after “the fall of man”, when Adam and Eve have sinned, they are suddenly afraid of God and tries to hide from him, and for the first time shield their nudity, since they have now lost that innocence. So, Dio and Giorno being unafraid in full view of God is another reference to them being fairly innocent. At least that’s how Giorno conceptualises it.

Satyriasis – a word for excessive sexual desire, and an outdated term for hypersexuality. The word was developed in relation to the satyrs of Greek mythology, who were lustful woodland gods.

Nipple play – Giorno sucking on Dio’s tits, well… quite obvious reference, but if you missed it; it’s a reference to breastfeeding and nourishment.

Sunlight – in Stardust Crusaders, Dio tells Polnareff that he too has pain in his life because he can never see the sunlight, since he is a vampire. In this story, Dio isn’t a vampire, but I still wanted to include this pain. Dio’s love for the sunshine, and the depravation of it in his childhood, is my attempt to reconceptualise it.

Chapter 13:

Ice cream – elder flower sorbet has a tendency to taste like laundry detergent if you’re not careful, so Mista definitely picked the wrong flavour that time.

Know thy enemy – “know thy enemy” is a famous quote from The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

Chapter 14:

Paradise burning – more Eden references, they never truly stop.

Loins – in Classical Hebrew, one specifically emphasises that a child has sprung from someone’s loins to indicate that it is a biological child rather than an adopted one.

Deadly sins – Giorno notes that one of the seven deadly sins, sloth (that is, excessive laziness and indifference), doesn’t come as naturally to him as others would (such as lust or pride).

Know thy self – another reference to the famous quote of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.

Companion – Giorno thinks about how the universe has blessed Dio with a companion that can keep up with him, which is a subtle reference to the creation myth in the Bible. There, God creates the first human, Adam. Adam attempts to find a companion amongst the other creatures, but cannot find an equal until God creates another human – incidentally, God creates another human from Adam (by his rib), which of course parallels with Giorno being created from Dio, since he is his biological child.

Clay – the dream Giorno has of Dio forming him out of clay and breathing life into him is another direct reference to the creation myth in the Bible, where God forms the first human out of clay/soil/dust from the ground and breathes life into his nostrils. Similar creation myths are found in several ancient Near Eastern religions. If you want a little more “fun” fact, the first human is named Adam, a name he gets from the Classical Hebrew word for “man” (as in human – not male), which is adam, and the word for “ground” is adamah, which ties to all together quite nicely.

Nakedness – Dio uncovers Giorno’s nakedness, and just like in chapter 8 it’s a biblical reference. Except for Genesis 42, all biblical occurrences of the common idiom ”to see the nakedness of” or “to uncover the nakedness of” are explicitly sexual, usually referring to incest. The Classical Hebrew word 'erwā is not “nudity” but “nakedness”, in the sense of something that is unseemly or improper to look at or expose; often used to denote forbidden sexual relations.

Chapter 15.

Cuddling – after having breakfast, they cuddle, and their position is described as Giorno resting his head on Dio’s left arm, and Dio draping his other arm over Giorno’s waist. This position is a reference to the biblical book the Song of Songs 2:6 “His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.”

Angel lust – Dio gets hard after Giorno chokes him, which he says is a perfectly natural reaction to being choked. Which it is! “Angel lust” or “death erection” refers to the phenomenon of men executed by hanging having an erection, because of the increased downward blood flow. After observing this, doctors in the 17th century started prescribing choking sex to men with erectile dysfunction, and that’s partly where erotic asphyxiation comes from.

England – the phrase “lie back and think of England”, alternatively “close your eyes and think of England” is an old-timey reference to unwanted sex that one doesn’t enjoy – specifically used for sex within a marriage, which at least back in the day was more of an economic arrangement than a love affair. Disgustingly, it means “just lie back and endure it”.

Bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh – this is another reference to the creation story in the Bible. The specific verse is Genesis 2:23, when God has created another human to be a worthy companion of the first one. Adam, the first human, has searched for a companion among the animals but been unsuccessful to find an equal. But when he meets the newly created Eve, the second human, he exclaims “At last! This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (since she was created from his rib). That “at last!” is very sweet – and fits in this story too! Dio has finally found a worthy companion to share his highest highs and deepest lows with.

Chapter 16.

Roses – Giorno buys a bouquet of roses for Dio. This is intended as a contrast to the buttercups he picked for Dio in chapter 8, being that roses are a much more “mature” flower than buttercups, therefore showing that Giorno has matured. Also, the fact that he buys the bouquet of roses while he picked the buttercups indicate a certain loss of simplicity and naturalness in their relationship.

Fin.

[marshmallowprotection]

Calluna

Pairing: Saeran Choi/Reader

Fairytale AU.

Description:

The Prince has been bound to the castle walls, and he’s never been able to leave from it. The only place that he has to escape to are the books that he reads and the garden that he’s allowed to venture into every evening. But, what happens when he encounters someone that has eyes that know a world unlike his own?

Inspired by a drawing by @sensetenou​

Chapter Index

Chapter One: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Two: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Three: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Four: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Five: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Six: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Seven: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Eight: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Nine: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Ten: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Eleven: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Twelve: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Thirteen: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Fourteen: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Fifteen: Tumblr | AO3 Chapter Sixteen: Here! | AO3

Chapter Sixteen

There was once a time when you were merely a child that didn’t know what they were doing.

You often cried and hoped that someone would have sympathy for you but they never did. You were just another kid on the streets that would die sooner than not and no one wanted to help someone who wouldn’t benefit anything. It was why you took to theft to survive but while you managed to take what you wanted, you never took more than you needed.

Just a few bites of food, just a few sips of clean water, and nothing more than that. You were a child, and surely nobody would notice a few bites missing from their table. That was where you doubted who you were stealing from for the last time, and by taking from a feast, you were forever sold to the man who called himself Red Hood.

He saw that you had talent but deemed you good enough to be used in the field given your childish nature. The second that he saw anything that he could use, you were spared a death sentence or you were damned to suffer forever, you would later discover. Death might have been a mercy, you would know in hindsight.

You were handed away to the White Devil, who was a few years your senior but someone that had proven himself to Red Hood time and time again. With a title like that, you thought that he would be cruel and callous, but the man that you would come to know as Zen was far more kind than he was menacing. He sympathized with your position.

He had been in a similar position himself, except that he willingly approached the criminal to make a deal that would trap him until he could pay off the loan that he took out. Even though you could recall his kind smile as the first one that you’d seen since the passing of your parents and you took to him like he was the brother you never had.

Zen treated you the same way, like a little sibling that he wanted to look out for and protect. He showed you everything that he knew and more when you were working together in the field. He had the charm to swindle anyone and you had the innocent face that would sell the story that he spun around and around for the rich to believe.

It was the only time in your life where you felt like you were having fun, and that first time that he took you out, he showed you how to survive. You could remember that day where he took you by the hand and showed you how easy it was to trick a rich man.

It took a matter of seconds by his side, you distracted them and Zen took everything they had in a matter of minutes and that was that. The memory was stitched deeply inside of you and you would never forget that day because it changed the path that your life was on and the road that you were on forever.

“Good sir, it seems to be that you’ve dropped this.”

Zen held out the gold coin in his hand and flashed it to the man. The rich man’s eyes widened and he took it from the young man. He nodded his head and thanked him profusely. It didn’t take long for Zen to get him enriched in a conversation about the state of the world and how there were no good common men left around to do such good deeds for someone.

You were only nine years old, but even you knew that he was too good at buttering someone up. It was too easy for him. You thought that crying was enough to trick someone to steal a few coins but this was well above your level. You kept trying over and over and over to learn how to do things like that on your own but it never worked out.

Your parents had told you that if you wanted to geet somewhere, you had to be diligent and focus on your studies. But, there was no studying that you had the power to find on your own to help you learn how to be a better thief. It left you to flounder often, but still, you kept stubbornly trying to do it right. Before you had been handed off to Zen, you had been forced to stick it alone.

You failed almost every single time you were on your own.

Yet, you kept trying and Red Hood’s patience was wearing thin. The only reason you had this chance was that Red Hood wanted you to prove your use to him. He wanted you because it wasn’t often that he’d found crafty young thieves to use. How had Zen learned all of this, anyway?

You stared at him in awe the entire time before you remember that you had a job to take care of.

While Zen kept the man talking, you were quick to bundle up everything that he had in the tavern and get out of the way with a solemn nod back to your partner. Nobody thought a thing about some kid wandering around because there were plenty of young workers that were hired as cheap labor if they were paid for the work at all.

It made it all too easy for you to get everything you needed.

The adrenaline was pumping in your veins the entire thing, though, and all you could think about was getting back to the waiting point for Zen to catch up with you. He did, eventually, but you were left in wait underneath an apple tree. Food was always the one thing that you had a weakness for and you figured it would be alright to take from a tree rather than a person.

You were still… traumatized about the incident with Red Hood to try and steal food again.

With a huff, no amount of shaking was enough to get you what you wanted. You weren’t used to climbing trees, but a part of your new duty meant that you had to be fast and able to get the heck out of the way if the guard came around. This kingdom may have been near the sea but the grassland was fraught with a lot of trees. The easiest way to move around without guards tailing you was through the trees.

It was the scaling that was a problem for you at this age. Your arms were too short to reach what you needed. It wasn’t the first time that you were at a disadvantage because of something that was out of your control. When Zen came around to find you, he wasn’t surprised to see you pouting and trying to pretend that you weren’t annoyed.

He called you out on it, too.

“You know, there’s an easier way to get what you want. You just have to be clever to get there,” he offered his advice and handed you a rock. “Now, if you catch reach something and you can’t get your hands on it the way someone with more power can, then you need to improvise. Take that rock, for example, if you aim just right, you should strike the stem and get it to loosen or fall free.”

You were skeptical, of course, but who were you to disregard the tips from someone that hadn’t steered you wrong thus far. So, you took a few steps back and listen to how he advised you on how to sharpen your aim and then you let it go. It missed the apple, and you had to try again, and again, and again. But, your persistence won in the end.

You struck the stem rather than the apple and with a firm shake from the tree after weakening its binds, it came loose and fell into your hands. “I won’t always be around to tell you how to be cunning, so you need to learn how to think fast. That’s the only way you’ll survive bound to Red Hood, understand? If you don’t put in the work, then you’ll never pay him off.”

That was the sweetest apple that you had ever tasted and you had worked for it.

It was also the day that you gained your name. You no longer could use your common name because it would make it easier for the guard to find you and take you down. Zen was the one that looked at you once and called you what you would come to use as your alias without hesitation.

He said that you were a sparrow.

Sparrows are hard workers who work all day long to gather food and ensure their nests stay together with the weather. They are a true symbol of diligence and patience in a life of hard work. If you want to get where you want to be then you have to work for it and Zen was reminding you of that. He had called you a sparrow in the hopes that your hard work would give you your wings someday.

That feeling you had went you worked with Zen all those years in the past? It was a real rush, a rush that made you feel like you were getting back at the people that left you to die in the streets. People with too much money in their pockets. People that didn’t care about anything but getting more and more and more without giving back.

Greed could make a demon out of someone, and when it wasn’t applied to being hopeful for time with the people that you love… it turned a person into a real monster. A monster who couldn’t see anything but their desires and needs that could never truly be completed because they already had everything that they could ever want and it wasn’t enough.

It would never be enough for them.

That was what told you that Rika and Red Hood were going to never stop. No matter what they did, it was never going to be enough. Even when they got rid of you and Saeran… that would never be the end of it. That wasn’t something that you could change, no, you knew what was in the hearts of those that had no soul.

If you submitted to everything, then the suffering would know no end. There was something that you had to do and if it wasn’t for Zen, you may have fallen to the darkness and accepted that this was your end. However, if there was one thing that you needed to hear it was that—

No matter who tried to clip your wings and lock you away, you would keep trying to get back to that blue sky.

—

You had to act fast and you couldn’t think it through. You knew that thinking was the source of the problem and that you couldn’t outwit someone that had the advantage. You had to use the element of surprise pray that it worked. So, you did what you knew best, you waited for Saeran to make a move once more and held your breath.

The chains on your ankles kept you bound to the throne but you still could stand up and walk, though not for very far, it was just enough that you could reach him if he wanted it. It was late into the night when he returned to you from taking care of Rika’s orders and the saunter he had in his step told you that he meant to play.

So, you would play.

“That’s no way to greet the man who spared your life,” he said, pointedly, coming to rest two steps in front of you. “What’s the fanfare? Where’s the excitement? You never know when I may decide to pity you. I thought you had more hope than that.”

You didn’t lift your head.

Saeran wanted a reaction. He liked to see people squirm and fall down and as long as you didn’t give him that, he was going to lash out. Your plan was shoddy and you didn’t even know if the crown was going to make a difference in him but Zen said you had to try, and you knew that he was close enough to the former king to know something.

The crown was a part of the curse.

But, was Saeran from the curse of the crown?

You had to know, you had to see for yourself what the answer was. Holding your breath, you could feel Saeran come closer and closer until his breath rustled over your cheek. You could feel him grip your cheek with one of his hands before he lifted your head to make sure that you were looking into his eyes instead of avoiding him.

“There we are,” he smirked. “Isn’t that much better? Look at you, you’re still trying to keep your composure even now. Did all your tears dry up? Did you realize that it’s hopeless to try and fight back against the truth?”

Sucking in a shallow breath, you forced yourself to remain as stiff as possible. “Yes,” you said as if you’d reached a revelation.

Saeran raised a brow at that. He didn’t expect you to say that because he didn’t respond. He seemed to be waiting for your elaboration on the subject as proof of whatever you had learned while you laid in wait for him.

“I was wrong,” you started to say as you felt your hand twitch at your side. Not fast, don’t move as fast, you told yourself. “I was wrong to think that I could outwit anyone. I’ve done a lot of bad things in the name of justice and fairness but really… I don’t know if I was always right. I shouldn’t have tried to take the crown or the gems.”

“Naturally,” his tone was dry.

“And, I’m sorry, Saeran. I’m sorry that I hurt you, and I’m sorry that I hurt Ray too. I know that an apology doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things but you deserve to hear an honest apology from someone,” Your hand began to rise behind him but Saeran was too caught up in trying to search your face for lies and cruelty. He would find nothing.

“Whether it’s the curse that binds you to this castle or something else, neither of you deserved to deal with all of this grief and animosity. I know that Ray dreamed of a kingdom where nobody would get hurt ever again and I know that you dream of that as well, even if you see a different road to get to that place. I will never truly know the pain in your heart, not wholly. I won’t pretend that I do.”

“But, I know what it feels like to be caged. I know what it feels like to be forced to become someone that you aren’t and hate yourself for it. Saeran, I understand that pain, and I wear it on my sleeve every single day. I will never be able to make up for what happened, but I’m never going to stop trying to see this through. That’s why they call me the Sparrow. I never stop trying, no matter what stupid that is.”

His silence, stunned or not, was what you needed to fuel you forward to take back everything that had been done to harm him. It didn’t matter what he did in his life, as long as he wasn’t wearing this crown, he would have the right to choose for himself what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go.

Ray had always dreamed of the sea and freedom.

The thought of him was what motivated you.

And, you thought, whatever Saeran wanted, he had the right to decide for himself what he wanted without the crown forcing him to believe something.

“That’s why I’m willing to burn to ash if it means that you have the right to choose what you want to do with your life, and even if you never can forgive me for what happened, I want you to remember that you made that choice, and nobody forced you to make it. That’s why I—” your hand touched the crown and he realized what you were about to do but it was too late for him to stop you.

“What do you think you’re—!”

You yanked the crown from his crown and tossed it behind you with a heavy clatter to the ground. Far from his reach or your own.

“...”

Your heart was beating out of your chest. Neither of you moved, but the swirling pool of darkness in that room felt lighter.

However, when you looked back at him, his steely was undaunted for the longest moment. He stared at you, and you starred at him. The crown hadn’t made him become Saeran. It had fueled his anger and more, but he was still Saeran. There was no magical flutter that returned Ray to the surface, only the man that you had come to know over these last few days.

“...Saeran?”

“Expecting someone else?” he countered, his hands gripping your wrists tightly. “Am I a joke to you, did you just try to steal my crown, again— even though I’ve bound you in chains like a dog to this throne?! Who do you are?!”

“Your friend!” the frustration poured out of you at the last second as you felt your voice crack and shatter into pieces. “Saeran, that crown is controlling you! The queen charmed those stones with magic and she’s been manipulating you from the start! I know that Ray could see the magic in things, can’t you? He was the one that taught me how to see it! Look at me, look at that crown! Tell me that you see it!”

Your ragged breath tangled with his but he had no choice but to look at the crown.

He saw exactly what you saw, the dark glimmering energy that pooled and seeped from the gems as it sat there on the ground, not hurting anyone but taunting anyone that dared to place it upon their brown without thinking it through. Saeran couldn’t deny that there was magic, but that look in his eyes was of confusion.

He wasn’t proficient in magic, but Ray had mentioned that he studied magic in its technical terms to try and find a cure for his curse.

“You see it,” you continued, knowing that he had. “You see that there’s magic in it. Why would there be magic in your crown, Saeran? That doesn’t seem right, does it? Think about it, think about what’s happened, about what the queen has been telling you, and why she would want to make you upset in the first place. Isn’t magic fueled by your emotions?”

“...What?” the words escaped his lips.

Now, he was confused.

“Saeran, think about all of this, you know the queen closed off the castle to everyone and then it just so happens that she’s working with a man that you’ve never seen of or heard about before, yet you were to become the king and should have been entitled to everything that was going on well in advance to your ascension! She’s trying to use you for her desires and because you trust your mother so very much, you never expected her to do this.”

“But, there’s no denying those gems in the crown,” the flurry of information escaped you faster than you could stop it. “I gave those to Red Hood after Ray helped me escape, the man that demanded that I was Red Hood has been in the castle with you, and he planted them on me before I came to the party. He’s been working with the queen this entire time! Think about this, Saeran, surely you’ve seen her trying to undermine your authority!”

His hands had risen to clutch his head, the impending sign of a headache. Was it possible that magic could overwhelm someone once it was taken away? You knew that she needed to keep adding more and more magic to the crown to control him, that’s what she implied, so did that mean that the overuse on him had taken to wash over him?

“No, no… no!” he hissed, nails digging into his scalp. “No, you can’t— You can’t make sense— That isn’t right! This isn’t right!”

“Saeran… please,” you tentatively reached to touch his cheek. He didn’t jerk away but you could feel tears starting to leak from his eyes as his breath became haphazard once more. “I know it’s not right and I know you’re angry about the magic but—”

And just like that, you watched as he lifted his head and gazed into your eyes, a dazed confusion blurring his features before the watery tears escaped. He looked at you as if he didn’t know you, or if he couldn’t place your face, and then he blinked, those narrowed eyes opening widely as he gasped, those mint eyes looking at you in soft.

“No… no… no…” he breathed, looking at you and then down your body, and then back at his own hands and haggard appearance. “This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this isn’t— this isn’t what I wanted—I never wanted to— [Y/N], no!”

“...?”

He dissolved into a flurry of whimpers and whispers that you couldn’t make sense of anymore. It made you think about the last time you’d see him cry. It hadn’t been Saeran who cried like this to you in the stillness of the night about his frustration over the magic that had trapped him. It had been Ray, it had been him.

It was a one in a million chance but you tested the waters, trying to see if that pit in your stomach was right. “Ray?”

He looked at you, and there was recognition in his eyes. That sob in his throat was pushed away as he began to speak again, “It’s all my fault— I was so upset… I… I… I don’t know… I thought he was gone… I thought Saeran was gone…. No, wait... “ he muttered. “I… You… that man…. That man that… said you were Red Hood… you can’t be Red Hood… all I remember is… being upset… wait...”

Did Ray remember what happened?

Wait, what did he mean by Saeran… being gone?

“[Y/N],” he tried again. “Are you Red Hood?”

“He’s Red Hood,” you gently clarified. “He tricked me. He put the stones in my bag and made sure that the guards caught me when I was trying to complete my final task for him. He was… going to… let me go if I took the crown for him, and if I…. if I refused…”

A somber note hit you before you could complete that thought. He had started to undo the locks that rested on your legs.

You looked away from Ray but his hands lowered to take ahold of yours. It gave you the strength to finish, “He said if I refused, that the group would take your life in front of me, and then he’d end mine right after. But, that’s no excuse, Ray. I’m so sorry. I should have told you. I should have tried harder to fight Red Hood. Now, Rika and he have been using the crown to manipulate you, and Saeran.”

His breath was haphazard.

You waited for him to say he didn’t believe you, but it never came. Rather, Ray clung to you and wrapped his arms around you, desperate to not let you go. It made you shut your eyes and choke back your sobs. You missed him, you missed him so much and he was—

“The crown…” he breathed. He was looking beyond you at the crown as if he saw the glimmer of the magic from the gems. He saw it. There was no denying it. You could him hear trying to deny it and let it go, but… there was no way to explain why the crown would be imbued with magic. “Mother… why? I thought… I thought she only knew healing magic… but… that… that’s dark magic, [Y/N].”

His mother turned against him.

You didn’t know what to tell him but you understood that he was upset. He had the right to be, he was being used.

“Ray, we have to get out of here. They’re planning on using us as an excuse to pillage the land, look, look outside,” you shook the panic from your mind. Ray stiffened and looked in the direction of the open window. He could see the smog and the darkness where the sun once was and the two of you rose to look out of the window.

The guard was there and countless people were being taken in chains and weapons were being forged on the ground. It looked like a scene from a nightmare and Ray was trembling the more that he had to see it.

“But, my curse—” he stopped. “I’m trapped here. I can’t leave, [Y/N], but… I… I can get you out of here. You need to go, you need to run away as far as you can.”

“Ray, no, I can’t leave you here—”

A voice spoke from the other side of the room and stunned you to your core as you clung tightly to Ray. “That’s right, Ray, they can’t leave, and neither can you. Tsk, tsk. I should have known not to leave you with this criminal.”

“Mother!” Ray’s widened eye looked back at the blonde curls. “Mother, why is there magic in the crown? Explain yourself, please. I don’t understand!”

“All in due time,” Rika sighed. With a wave of her hand, the crown rose from the ground and flew across the room to rest in her hands. “Now, I hate to force you to do something. Mother knows best, Ray, so, listen to your mother and let go of that criminal.”

Ray wouldn’t let go of you. That didn’t please Rika. She had gone to a lot of trouble to control him and trick him, but now… the dark glimmer in her eyes told you that she was going to do something whether he liked it or not. You were both helpless to the power of a witch.

A witch who planned to take everything that she wanted.

“Mother, even if they were Red Hood, I never would have asked for a war! Or for them to be hurt! What’s happening out there? I wanted peace for our people… I don’t…. I don’t understand… why are you doing this to everyone? Father never would have wanted this.”

“Ray… wait.”

The mention of Jihyun Kim sent a surge of dark magic through the room and that knocked you on your ground. “You know nothing of your father! How dare you speak so crudely to your mother who only wants to protect you and care for you! You cling to a criminal that wanted to throw you away like trash instead of your own family. How dare you!”

You were forced against the wall by the binds of magic.

There was nothing that you could do to protect him from danger.

With a wave of her hand, she compelled Ray to leave you and return to her side where he was forced to sink to his knees in front of her. She gripped his hair with one hand and that dark look in her eyes warned him of what was to come. “I don’t want to punish you, my son, but since you want to throw a tantrum like a child, I will treat you like a child.”

“Stop this, please!” You pleaded with the queen but it fell on no one’s ears. “He doesn’t want to hurt anyone! All Ray wants is to bring harmony to our people!”

Rika’s eyes met yours, and she smiled, broadly. Magic surging into the crown once again with a fiery intensity. “And that’s where our dear Ray is wrong, and that’s where the former king was wrong. The people are pitiful and foolish. Only those on top deserve to receive the gift of God’s good favor, and it was wrong for anyone to think otherwise. So, you will bear witness to the destruction of the last shred of light that exists in that damned Jihyun’s reign. Go to sleep, Ray, I don’t need you anymore. It would have been so much easier had I simply just taken your brother instead.”  

“...!”

A gasp escaped his lips but the magic forced him to hang his head with a slump.

The magic that was forcing your back started to cut into your throat second by second, and it was growing harder and harder to breathe. You tried to grasp at your skin but nothing would stop it and your vision began to cloud.

He was in danger, he was in danger—

Just as the crown was to rest upon his brow once more, it was knocked from her hands and fell to the floor once more, and your body went slack.

[rantheon]

the bakarina anime is done! it’s just a drop in the ocean that is the otome isekai genre so these are some recs + what you need to know about them. i just listed most of my favs otherwise it’d be too long :p

in no particular order. includes some non-isekai ones too. needless to say most of these aren’t completed yet

my next life as a villainess: all routes lead to doom

using this to plug that there’s more bakarina content in the form of light novels, manga and 3 spin-offs

an observation record of my fiancee - a self-proclaimed villainess

told in the pov of prince cecil, whose fiancee bertia straight up tells him she’s a villainess of an otome game from her past life

if you ever wonder what jeord from bakarina might be thinking half the time, this is probably close. cecil is the same kind of prince who initially finds things bored and predictable until they met the mc

the things cecil would get up to for bertia? hoo boy

also the way the mangaka draws hair is addicting to look at

the villainess cecilia silvie doesn’t want to die so she decided to crossdress

the title speaks for itself~ after remembering an otome game she played in her past life, cecil (previously cecilia) is now the one capturing the hearts of the academy ladies instead

it’s fairly new so there’s not much of it yet :c but it’s pretty interesting

the original otome game had a whole rpg combat system going on and i’m hyped to see how it’s gonna lead the story

the Angelique vibes are strong in this one

the villainess wants to marry a commoner

isabella used to play an otome game in a past life, but she was really only interested in a side character named ursch. and then one day she finds him in her mansion garden

her past life self is such a mood - i too have 100% otome games in hopes of side characters getting hidden routes but alas

definitely deserves the ‘video game’ tag. isabella can see status screens and character stats/skills etc, and all the gacha rewards and grinding transferred over after her reincarnation. she’s the isekai female protag we’ve always wanted

seriously the main ship is too op for their own good aha

deathbound duke’s daughter

in a past life, erika only managed to finish 2.5/7 scenarios of an otome game thanks to an unlucky encounter with knife-kun. with the different flags of her impending doom approaching, she takes things into her own hands years before the game events start

very fantasy-oriented (the most on this list) and pretty action-packed, once you get past the game exposition in the first 3? chapters

the world building is brilliant, from the hafan mages to the aurelian alchemists, and there’s beasts and wands and spells and dnd stuff sprinkled in

the cast has quite interesting dynamics and interwoven plotlines, and they’re all dorky in their way :>

beware of the villainess

melissa remembers a novel from her past life and desperately tries to cut off contact with the male leads, but they still make her life hell & she rages

she’s just so done with everyone and you can’t help but relate to her

definitely the funniest on this list XD melissa and her reactions takes the cake but even the shit characters are hilarious in their own way

there’s also a lot of parodies to memes etc & best of all, there’s cussing. all the shits and fucks. a whole lot of it

it’s great

death is the only ending for the villainess

penelope wakes up as the villainess from a game she’d been playing in her past life, only right now it's on the hardest difficulty where death is literally everywhere. thus she tries, well, not dying

what’s cool about this is that penelope has access to the original game system. she can see menus, choice options etc. the male leads even have affection percentages floating above their heads :> which is always cool to see (and what i’m a sucker for)

but it’s definitely one of the darker ones on this list. iirc there’s depictions of violence, abuse, drugs and then some. just a fair warning

the daughter of albert house wishes for ruin

upon realizing that she’s the villainess from a past-life otome game, mary decides to stay as one. chaos ensues

i love this manga so much, everyone is so quirky and there’s something to laugh about on almost every page. the story almost feels self-aware of itself and just lets the characters do whatever. like ride bikes

addie is so cute ;o;

it’s definitely something everyone should experience

i’m a villainess daughter so i’m going to keep the last boss

one of the finished ones!

post-annulment, aileen pulls a Lisa Tepes and asks the demon king claude to marry her. he refuses. hijinks ensues

mostly on the fantasy side, as it builds on the world of the monsters

the cast is pretty fun! aileen’s smart, funny and pretty competent in her own right. plus she and claude are positively adorable together

milady just wants to relax

post-annulment, ronia decides to open a cafe in the countryside. it later becomes the frequent hangout of a beastmen mercenary group, who are intensely feared by the townsfolk

well... beastmen. that’s all you need to know /wink

okay, that aside, it’s just as chill as the title suggests. ronia slowly makes friends she can trust, and the beastmen find a second home in the only cafe that’s willing to accept them. it’s pretty wholesome

the banished villainess! living the leisurely life of a nun making revolutionary food

despite actively trying to change her ‘villainess from a past-life otome game’ fate since childhood, elizabeth gets annulled, her noble title stripped, and is sent to a church in a neighboring kingdom. she enjoys it more than expected, despite the appearance of the ever watchful leonid

there’s plenty of 21st-century food like sandwiches, cotton candy leonid’s muscles <3

the entire cast is lovable, and can chris get an f for all the heart attacks leonid keep giving him

seduce the villain’s father

yereninovica (or just yerenica) realizes that she’s in the world of a novel she read in her past life, but as the aunt of said novel’s mc. after thwarting a kidnapping that’s basically the mc’s origin story, she takes it upon herself to also prevent the tragic death of emperor belgoat

a bit different since it switches the roles around (side character x side character) and goes into the “parent generation” of the original work

there’s also an interesting bit where the world seems to recognize her as a hijacker, and where that takes her, we’ll see in due time :o:

plus the way yeni habitually calls him ‘father’ cracks me up every time

transferred to another world but i’m the savior of an otome game

after a ritual gone wrong, “yamada tarou” (fake name) is stuck in the world of an otome game. the only way back is with a magical ring, normally obtained after becoming the lover of one of the male leads. he of course says no i’m going adventuring but the game doesn’t like that

it’s absolutely hilarious - the leads treat our mc like a heroine, and there’s a lot of otome tropes that are called out on/parodied. like the seiyuus’ names oh my god

tarou’s reactions are great and his appraisal skill is the funniest thing alive

endo and kobayashi’s live commentary on the villainess

in modern japan, endo and kobayashi start their playthrough of an otome game, which becomes a bit glitchy and odd. they discover that siegward, a male lead in the game, can hear what they’re saying. they use this chance to finally give lisolette a happier ending

much of the story’s focus is on the characters slowly warming up to lisolette, and a bit on endo/kobayashi’s irl relationship. despite being the primary drive of the story, lisolette herself hardly moves the plot - if you know what i mean

regardless it’s undeniably adorable

tearmoon empire

no isekai, more of time travel? chronoskimming?

mia wakes up 10 years in the past after being sentenced to death. now afraid of guillotine-kun, she strives to solve the issues in her kingdom that had previously led to her doom

a bit similar to bakarina in terms of concept: avoid death flags, unknowingly recruits the people she meets into her little saintess cult. the misinterpretation is very strong, and in brilliantly funny ways

it has really fun narration ngl especially in the light novel

of course, i’ll claim palimony!

to prepare for her annulment, yulia starts scheming recording her fiance’s meetups with the heroine to use as evidence. if you’re gonna lose a suitor, might as well get some money out of it, right? along the way she gets involved with rudonik, one of the male leads

no reincarnation. rather than an otome game, the villainess story comes from a book written by a side character, and the “heroine” just decided to play it out in real life

the cast together is a riot, and it’s entertaining to watch yulia only think in profits and every connection she can make to achieve it

the villainess’ slow prison life began with her broken engagement

no isekai, just a plain old villainess

post-annulment, rachel is sentenced to imprisonment. which she enjoys and is thoroughly, hilariously prepared for

everyone’s a little afraid of rachel and for good reason. it’s better to find out yourself through the LN or manga, but let’s just say that even the king doesn’t want to deal with her XD

the holy grail of eris

now this one is interesting, putting the villainess trope into a mystery ghost story. that said, no isekai either

our innocent heroine constance attends a party and encounters scarlet, an executed villainess from ten years ago. a body possession and some public embarrassment later, they decide to team up to solve the mystery that might be behind scarlet’s death

i mean, ghost villainess? sign me up

+ some honorable mentions

i favor the villainess (the heroine goes for the villainess- girls? girls? yes)

a bellicose lady got reincarnated (a delinquent reincarnates as a heroine; what a concept :o unfortunately there’s not a lot of english content for it yet)

it seems i got reincarnated into a yandere otome game (i like that the mc actively makes it so that game can’t ever happen the way it should; plus, yanderes are always interesting to study)

inso’s law (modern isekai, and quite cute!)

the reincarnated young lady aims to be an adventurer / holy guardian tiger (similar to deathbound duke’s daughter in that there’s more of a focus on the fantasy aspect)

expecting to fall into ruin, i aim to become a blacksmith (so far the only one with a shounen tag that i like; its main charm is probably the cast and their interactions with each other eliza best girl)

since i’ve reincarnated as the villainess’ father i’ll shower my wife and daughter with love (big big wholesome vibes)

level 99 villainous daughter (severely op lady who takes no shit from the people looking down at her, and regularly thinks about blowing up the academy within the first 4 chapters? hell yeah)

may i please just ask one last thing? (post-annulment, the mc literally punches everyone in the room; it’s great)

this is getting long now oops

edit: i also made a visual-friendly personally-tagged-by-me bookshelf here!