#that aside! do not know if I will manage art about this one since it's a period I'm not very familiar with

[chiropteracupola]

ough ouch ow aaugh [has once again been knocked head over heels by a rosemary sutcliff novel]

[messenger-of-babel]

Doorstep Ghosts

Summary: Dick takes you into his apartment when you appear on his doorstep, unable to cope with the recent accident. (Dick Grayson x reader)

Word Count: 1.9K

Notes: Is this even angst anymore? I don’t know. I might have missed the mark a little bit. Warning for sensitive topics and alluded to mentions of suicide. Maddd survivors guilt. If you are triggered I’d suggest to avoid all together just in case. If you are feeling that way, please reach out to someone and call the panic line in your country. There's always someone willing to listen. <3

I had to try and research the difference of whump vs. angst and I still don’t fully understand so I’m just gonna run off of vibes. This might classify more as hurt/comfort actually. Waah idk. Much love, RiRi~ xx

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Since the accident, Dick had been keeping close tabs on you.

He had asked Tim if Red Robin could keep a tab on you, even though Tim had his own ordeals to handle back in Gotham. Bruce had even chipped in when Dick asked, transferring him some money so Dick could move you into a safer apartment. Dick hated taking Bruce's money, he could do fine without it, and quite frankly he didn't want to take what he hadn't worked for himself. However, when it came to your safety, he put that aside for a moment. He wasn't going to risk it, so within the week you were in a nicer part of Bludhaven with a state-of-the-art security system secretly set up to ping him if anything went wrong.

He had been so careful, so meticulous about making sure that you were okay that when you appeared on his front step one night, soaked through to the bone and dripping on his doorstep he was stunned. Your eyes were red rimmed and puffy, snot building in your swollen nose. Your arms hugged around yourself to bite back the chill of winter, hair matted to your forehead.

"Can I come in?" you sniffle, quaking. Wordlessly he steps back, arm opening to usher you in and shut the door behind you. His mind is reeling, unsure how you managed to find your way here, halfway across town, without him or anyone back in Gotham noticing. He frowns softly, pulling you into the living room and disappearing to find you a towel. Bringing two fresh ones back, he hands one to you and unfurls the other. Softly he begins to dry your hair while you wipe down the rest of your body, jacket peeling away and making a wet plop on the floor next to you. "It's unsafe for you to be out, especially this late at night. How did you even get here?" He murmurs, squeezing the water from your scalp.

"I took the train." you say back weakly, voice crackly from hours of crying. His frown deepens, fingers clenching in concern.

"You know the train is dangerous on the best of days. No way to get off or go anywhere if something escalates. Not to mention, only gangs use the rail this late. You know better, why didn't you call me?" he chides softly, flinching at the way you hang your head at his tone. he hadn't meant for it to come out like that, he was just concerned for your safety.

"I didn't want to bother you," you sniffle back. "Not to come get me."

"It worries me more when you don't let me come get you. If you wanted company, I would have come to your place-"

"No." you say firmly, towel wrapped around your shoulders and voice firm. "Anywhere but there, anywhere else just not-" you cut yourself off, biting on your lip harshly. He turns you to face him, hands soft as they grip your shoulders.

"No what?" he asks softly. "Come on sweetheart, you gotta work with me here."

"It doesn't feel like home. It's not-" you begin to break into a sob again, and he sighs while rubbing your shoulders.

Home.

He knows how badly you want to go home to your old apartment. The one you had moved into the very first day you set foot into Bludhaven and poured your heart and soul into. The one that you shared with your elder brother, or had.

"I know. But you can't go back there sweetheart," he murmurs, thumbs running small circles over your skin. "It's an active crime scene, and it's unsafe-"

"It's home." you say weakly, hands coming up to wipe at your eyes. "I just want to go home, want to go to my bed in my room."

"You do have a room," he tries to soothe. "I made sure we found you somewhere nice and big, where you can take the master bedroom and have all the freedom to do what you want with decorating it, just like you always wanted."

He can't stand the way his voice sounds so condescending, as if throwing money at the problem as going to make the wound in your heart heal over. He knew it couldn't erase the horrors that you saw or fix the gaping hole in your life. He knew it wasn't going to bring your brother back, but he couldn't find the right words to take the pain away.

"What did you come here for?" he asks gently, crouching down in front of you so he can meet your gaze, heart clenching at the way you hang your head to hide your face. "I've got the spare bed made, or you can share mine. I'll even sleep in the spare room if you want it to yourself, you know I've got the best mattress." He tries to make a teasing remark, but it wavers with uncertainty.

"I…I was thinking." you murmur, hands beginning to quake. His eyebrows furrow, hands coming to grip yours.

"Thinking?" he inquires softly, not liking the ton of your voice.

"If I had been me instead." you hoarsely whisper, making panic flare through his chest.

"It's lucky it wasn't." he counters quickly. "This wasn't your fault, and it wouldn't have made anything better. You're here still, and that means you keep fighting." he stresses, thumbs tracing the back of your hand.

"It wasn’t lucky for him though," you say, voice trembling badly. "It was my fault it happened; it was all my fault. I'm the one who took the photographs of the deal and gave it to him, I'm the one who said he needed to stand up to other police on the force, I'm the one who said he should try to go against the corrupt ones. He took my advice, and it got him killed."

"Sweetheart, no." he tries to stop your rambling. "Listen-"

"It should have been me." you finally sob. "It should have been me, I don't know how I'm supposed to just keep going when all I want is to be with him again." you cry, breath coming out in chokes and eyes clenching shut. Your hands shake in his grip, trying to catch your breath in between sobs. "I want so badly to see him again." you manage to whisper out, voice tight. "I wanna follow, I just want to go."

Dick stands to his full height upon hearing that, pulling you tight. He buries his face in your hair, one arm coming around your back to press you firmly against him, the other on the back of your head. "Stop that." he says firmly. "We don't talk like that; we don't give into those thoughts." His voice comes out stern, but the sharpness of his words is dulled by the panic they're wrapped in.

"I... I know…" you choke out. "I’m... I’m confused Dick. I was convinced but then I got scared about it and I-I…" you trail off, breathing becoming quick and broken by hiccups. "I ran all the way here. I'm a coward, but in that moment, I just felt-"

"Scared." he finishes softly, hand softly petting your damp hair. "You were scared."

You nod against him, sniffling into his worn sleep shirt. "I don't know what to do. I don’t know where to go, where to turn." you whisper fearfully. Dick tightens his arms around you, senses dulling around him as he focuses on you. The sharp intakes of your breath, the erratic ticking of your pulse. "You stay here." he says softly. "With me. You tell me when you're having those thoughts, and I'll make them go away. You won't have to be scared, not when you're with me."

"And when you're not with me?" you ask quietly. He frowns at that, pulling back slightly to look at you.

"Sweetheart," he says adoringly, the faint traces of a warm smile gracing his lips. "Even if you can't see me, I'll always be with you."

Your eyes water more, and you let your head fall forward again. "When you have no one else to turn to, don't forget that you can turn back." he murmurs gently. "Because I'll always be behind you. Always, every step of the way." you say nothing back for a moment, but he holds you as you shake.

"Why?" you ask softly, hiccupping.

"Because I love you." he replies instantly, and you look up at him. Your eyes ware nearly swollen shut from the amount of crying you've been doing, and quite frankly, a mess. "I love you." he repeats. "So don't you dare try to leave, okay?" his own voice wavers, eyes clouding with a sheen of concern. More and more under his soothing you begin to relax, until you're barely standing by yourself. He guides you to bed, helping you change out of the wet clothes and into some of his freshly laundered ones before slipping you under the sheets. He gives you your favourite side of the bed before following suit.

As soon as your head hits the pillow you're out like a light, hand still gripping his softly. He adjusts so he's comfortable, not letting your hand go. With a soft sigh he stares at your worried and beaten form, the worry lines that have formed on your forehead and the bags that have developed under your eyes. You look exhausted, with faint tremors even as your breath evens and you fall deeper into sleep.

He can't even begin to comprehend the horrors that you had seen coming back from work that night, entering your apartment as usual only to walk in on a gruesome scene like that. he had seen it himself, as Nightwing. He had only seen the aftermath though, once the body had already been taken away. He never got to see the body, never saw the carnage that undoubtably the mob had left behind. What he had seen though was the blood splatters over the wall, and the array of household items that were being bagged for murder weapons. He had seen the message scrawled on the wall, crimson letters dripping with a warning. He had seen you, sitting with the paramedics as you stared off into the distance, eyes unseeing as they draped a shock blanket over your shoulders.

He moved himself closer to you, pulling you into him. He wasn’t going to let something like that happen to you, not if he could help it. he was Nightwing, if anything, he should have the power to stop these things. However, the fear that it would slip through his fingers plagued the back of his mind, the nightmare of you fading away like your brother bouncing around painfully inside his skull. He couldn't bear to lose you, not to the mob, not to yourself. He takes a deep breath to try and control his own emotions, careful not to wake you up. As he exhales through his nose, he lets himself relax slightly, gently snaking an arm over you for extra protection. He doubted he'd be sleeping very deeply tonight, but it was the price he was willing to pay to keep you safe.

He'd do it every night for the rest of his life if it meant keeping you by his side, keeping the flickering flame in your heart alive.

He'd keep his arms around you till eternity ended, just so you could know that even if you didn't think you had anyone, you would know you had him.

That is the thought that finally lets Dick flutter into sleep quietly himself, room filling with the sound of the rain outside and the quiet duet of even breaths.

[cupidssorbet]

"What a cowboy.”

Cowboy/Vaquero Miguel x Ranch-Hand? Reader.(Beautiful art above is by Katromz on tiktok and insta!)

Summary: Miguel ends up trying to befriend his longtime friend and employers niece however maybe befriend isn't quite the word.

Includes: AFAB reader but no specified pronouns/race/looks nothing, flirting/teasing, Nicerish AU Miguel, caught masturbating, Oral M & F, recieving praise, mentions of the word 'cunt/pussy', P in V, as well as not much use of name more nicknames.

P.S Vaquero and Cowboy are the same words for those who don't know, a friend requested this so I delivered! Please pardon any terribly translated Spanish I am still learning and had only few help from a friend of mine! This was a request so thank you to my friend!

Word count: 7766.(it's a long one babes.)

By cupid.

Begin.

You’d been sent out for the summer to help your uncle at his ranch, you didn’t mind too much it’d be giving you more to do than usual. He was happy to have you since most his ranch-hands called out or would be busy trying to fill in the empty spots left by others. So when he heard his favorite niece would be dropping in to help out he was more than delighted.

It was a long, long car ride to his ranch and by the time you had arrived the sun was high in the sky and it was sweltering. You hopped out of your dad’s truck with a smile on your face, your cousin’s Poppy & Nana coming to greet you with enthusiasm, quickly taking your bags. “Look at you two, it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve hung out together!” You say as you nudge Nana’s arm, she laughs a bit as the three of you trudge up the dirt driveway up to the main house.

Poppy opens the door for you as soon as you head inside you hear a squeal from your Aunt Maria, who immediately runs over to scoop you up into a hug. “Sweetheart it has been too long!” She says excitedly as she practically squeezes the air outta you. “I missed ya too aunty but please..please let me go I can’t breathe-!” You manage out as she lets you go, “Oh my! Sorry ‘bout that sugar! It’s just been so long!” She says pinching your cheek a little. “Now, Girls go show her to her room alright? Get all cozy, Jack said he wasn’t gonna have you start work till tomorrow when he can give you the lowdown of everythin’ new.” She said shooing you three up the stairs.

You followed the girls up the stairs as they talked away, you weren’t really invested in the conversation as you looked at all the old pictures that were hung up on the walls. All those old memories made you smile, you were out of it until Poppy pulled you back into reality with a tug on the arm, albeit a hard tug, “You alright there?” She asked, raising a brow at you as nana opened the door to the room, you blinked and flashed her a smile. “Yeah just got a little out of it, this heat whew it is-” “Why don’t we head to the lake!” Nana says with a bright smile as she sets your bags on your bed, cutting you off.

“Oh I don’t know what if your dad needs me here or help with anything I’m not just here to leisure about.” You say as they both sigh dramatically, “C’mon you heard mama, papa’s not gonna need you till tomorrow!” Poppy says crossing her arms, eventually you sigh giving into them and their antics. Excitedly they leave you to get ready telling you to meet them downstairs when done. Once you are ready to go with a little bag that has sunscreen and such inside you hurry downstairs the two girls waiting for you.

You can’t help but grin with their contagious smiles, “Ma! We’re heading to the lake!” Nana calls out to her, “Be safe girls! Be back by sundown too ya hear?” She calls from the kitchen and you all respond with unanimous ‘Yes ma’am!’ before hurrying out the door giggling like a bunch of school girls as you anticipate the cool water of the lake.

It was a bit of a trek until you reached it, shoving branches aside and walking through bushes hoping none of them were poison ivy or poison at all. Once nana pushed a thick willow branch aside you sighed happily, the blue water shining under the high sun. The three of you quickly hurried to the shore finding a nice spot to lay your things.

As you and nana carefully laid things out poppy quickly ditched her shorts she wore over her swimsuit bottoms and ran into the cool water with a loud cheer. She then decided to splash the two of you, causing you to get a cheeky grin. “Oh that’s how it’s gonna be huh?” You asked playfully as you ditched your own shoes and bottoms before running into the water yourself.

The cool embrace of the lake on your warm skin made you feel completely relaxed, until you remembered your motive to run in here in the first place. The time at the lake started with games and running off the rock ledge that overlooked the lake to jump in. Splashing one another or Watching as someone did something dumb for what felt like the 100th time in those hours.

By the time the sun started to settle down in the sky you were resting on your towel as the girls continued to play in the waters. Drifting off into your own daydreams, sunglasses shielding your eyes from the fleeting rays, until you were startled awake by squeal. You assumed something had happened, so you quickly sat up pushing your sunglasses to sit on your head. “What? What happened?” you asked worried, until you saw them giggling over something or more rather..someone.

You let a slight huff at the fact they had you all worried for nothing, you however curiously followed their eyes. Wondering what could’ve caused them to squeal to begin with. Down a good way from your spots on the bank was a man, a rather handsome man you had to admit. Poppy however caught your staring and with a cheeky smile sat beside you, “Ooo! Do I sense a crush perhaps?” She said with a shit eating grin.

Waving her off you stopped staring at the mystery man, “Oh please, You think everything is a crush or love related.” you said, trying to dismiss her packing your stuff away as the sun started to set. Nana was quick to hurry outta the water spotting you and your packing, quickly just tossing her stuff in her bag as you & poppy shook your heads at her mess of a bag now.

All of you hurried back dodging branches and plants until you were on an open stretch the house coming into view, “So..” you started, earning their attention again. “Who was that guy?” you asked, keeping your gaze ahead. You heard the stifled giggles and such from them before nana caught up to you, “He is papa’s right hand man, quite the looker isn’t he?” she teased with a smile. “I suppose,” you said as you walked up the porch steps hearing their squeals and giggles. “But don’t go tellin’ anyone, I barely know that man.” you said sternly pointing at the two of them and they quickly stopped their giggling nodding as you headed inside.

Heading inside your aunt had prepared some dinner for when everyone got back, and as hungry as you were you decided to go and get a shower. Not before your uncle was quick to scoop you up in a hug much to your protest before you fake made a disgusted face before he ruffled up your hair as you headed up the stairs getting a warm shower and some dryer clothes.

After dinner and what not you were sitting upstairs with Poppy & Nana and one or two of the herding dogs, flicking through movies trying to find something to watch. Seeing as none of you could agree on anything it eventually came down to just getting some sleep, the hours at the lake tiring you out and your aunt & uncle calling out a goodnight to you three had reminded you that you’d be out helping in the morning so sleep was a good option.

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The birds started chirping and the sun began to peek through the blinds, once it hit your eyes you groaned and began to open your eyes with a squint bringing a hand up to block the bright rays from practically blinding you. Sitting up blinking the sleep from your eyes you took note that it was just you and nana in the room, nana being fast asleep still.

You decided it’d be a good time to wake up and get ready so you could start helping your uncle out, you quickly brushed your hair to look less like you just got up and then you grabbed an outfit from your suitcase that would best suit the chores you’d be doing and the hot summer heat. You quickly made your way downstairs some of the dogs following you, “Mornin’ Sugar!” Aunt Maria called to her as she flipped some pancakes. “Morning Aunt Maria, Where’d poppy run off to?” you asked, snatching up a piece of bacon from the plate on the counter sharing some with the dogs.

“Oh she ran into town to fetch some more seeds for the garden, Jack told me we had extras but I know we didn’t, speakin’ of which since your most likely heading out that way mind giving those breakfast burritos on the counter the boys.” She asked using her spatula to motion to the cloth covered basket. You nodded, finishing the bacon off and grabbing the basket heading out the back door and off the porch to the main farm area and barn.

It wasn’t a long walk by any means, just one that felt long with how the sun sat so high and beating down on you, you spotted your uncle's truck out front of the barn. All the workers either sitting in the bed of the truck or leaning against it, you hurried over with a smile on your face as your uncle spotted you tipping his hat back slightly, a smile coming to his face.

“Hey there sweetheart, whatcha got?” he asked as he got up off the side of the truck walking over. “Aunty asked me to bring these breakfast burritos for you boys.” you said and they all hooted and hollered hurrying off the truck to grab one for themselves making you just laugh and shake your head. “Thank you for that darlin’ , right you all know my niece don’t you?” He asked, raising a brow as a few murmured yes’s and no’s were heard.

“Well you do now,” he said as he motioned to you, moving aside as you gave them all a wave of ‘hello’ then you spotted him, the man from the lake the other day. You didn’t realize you were staring until he made eye contact with you. A rather cheeky smile gracing his lips.

Once they were all done with their burritos the real work began. “Alright, Think you can work on feedin’ all the animals first then we can start on herdin’ the pasture ones back alright?” Your uncle asked and you nodded, “I’m on it!” you said with a smile. “How bout I send someone with ya, we’ve got a few new ones that might need some introduction, How about..Miguel!” your uncle said, clapping his hands together.

You were picking up one of the feed bags off the truck bed when a rather tall and muscular man walked up with a slight smile on his face, “Looks like I’m helpin’ you today sweetheart.” Miguel said, and oh god Miguel was the man from the lake. This realization almost had you dropping the feed bag before you quickly readjusted your hold on the bag. He only chuckled, slightly tilting his head and the brim of his hat up, giving you an even better look at his face, “Come on don’t go fallin’ for me already.' ' he teased at you.

Huffing you adjusted your grip on the bag turning on your heel with a little scoff, “You wish, I would never I barely know you.” You said as you began walking, utter bullshit, you couldn’t lie that his face, his eyes, his damn voice had you enthralled. He only let out a hearty chuckle following you carrying a bag or two of his own, “Then why not get to know me?” He suggested, shaking his head as you sped up your walking speed.

When you finally reached the animals you breathed a sigh of relief, quickly hurrying over to say ‘hello’ to all of them forgetting about Miguel following after you, he stood off to the side as he opened some of the bags watching as you excitedly said ‘hello’ to the ones you knew, all calling them by name then excitedly gasping at the ones you didn't know.

He had to admit he found it amusing, cute even at the way you greeted them all. He had to, he just had to, he cleared his throat which brought you back to your little situation causing you to huff almost and it only made him chuckle as he pushed a feed bag, ready and open your way. You grabbed the bag, opened the pen door and made your way inside without him, starting to fill up all the feeding spots walking about.

Miguel thought this would be a good time to start a conversation, “So, Why do ya keep ignoring me?” he asked and you just hummed in response, “I’m not.” You denied, “Ah-Ah just now you almost did.” He said looking at you, that stupid look on his face had you smiling slightly and rolling your eyes. Trying to look away before he caught it, but oh he caught it. “Hey! I saw that, I made a breakthrough!” He says motioning around to a nonexistent crowd almost proud of himself causing you to shake your head with a slight smile.

You two finished up the feeding chores with relative ease, the tension simply melting away as you two actually got to talking with one another actually getting to know more like he suggested, then you started saddling up some of the horses so they could head out to check for any lost or still loose cattle or sheep. You finished tightening one of the straps, patting the nose of the horse, a smile on your face when it responded with a big sloppy lick to your hand. “Alright, Are we ready to get a move on?” he asked as he took the reins from your hand. “Yep, All saddled up.” you said with a little salute.

“Thank you sugar, how bout you go feed the calves while we’re gone if you're up for it?” your uncle asked, hoping on the horse. “I can’t say no to feeding the calves,” you said with a smile. With a few waves and goodbyes you went off in search of the bottles that had the formula for the calves that were rescued and didn’t exactly take to any cow the ranch had. You grabbed the bucket of bottles and took a seat in the stable stall with one of the babies. Taking the bottle out, the little thing came running and it made you laugh.

You held the bottle up for it and at first it went well until it didn’t somehow, something had gotten on the shirt underneath your overalls and that was not sitting well on your skin with heat in the air. So you thought, hey they wouldn’t be back for maybe an hour or two at most so you unclipped the clips of your overalls and took the shirt off letting it rest on the table that had all the tools and such then you clipped your overalls back up and when right back to taking care of the calves.

To you only 30 maybe 40 minutes had gone by so you still weren’t too worried about putting that shirt back on or heading back to the house as you happily wandered the stable saying ‘hello’ to the horses that stayed behind. Blissfully unaware that Miguel had headed back to grab the hat he had forgotten, quickly making his way inside of the stable. Stopping his tracks quietly when he spotted you petting one of the horses and it seemed innocent enough until his eyes seemed to wander lower..to the point where he noticed you were not wearing a shirt under your overalls. And not wanting to make you uncomfortable or wanting to make anything else happen he just gave up grabbing his hat and left as quietly as possible.

When you had assumed they’d be coming back you went and got the shirt off the workbench and put it back on quickly as the cowboys came into view. You put on a smile and looked ahead as they made their way over and started hopping their horses all saying their ‘hellos’ and such but Miguel just completely ignored you, was he not going on about you ignoring despite barely knowing him earlier? What a hypocrite.

You just shrugged it off, what would it matter really, you said a quick ‘hello’ to your uncle as you checked the time, you had promised you’d spend the last few hours before the sun actually set at the lake with the girls and you had to depart to get ready. Simply brushing off Miguel ignoring you, you went back to the main house to change and once you were done you headed off however little did you know you’d spend your time alone at the lake..well for a little bit at least.

You relaxed on the bank for a little bit taking in the sun's rays after applying sunscreen of course, waiting thinking maybe they’d got busy or something. So you went from enjoying the water to resting on the shore to reading the book you brought until you exhaled a bit annoyed. You got up, gathered your things, slipped your shorts back on and made your way back to the main house in a slight huff.

When you opened the door your aunt seemed to pick up on your bad mood, “What’s the matter pumpkin?” she asked as she dried her hands with the towel. “The girls told me to meet them at the lake and then they just didn’t come!” you said with arm motions. She seemed to shake her head and sigh, “Well if your looking to pick a bone with them they might’ve gone down to the guest house to deliver the fruit like I asked, the one where the cowboys are stayin’.” She said, giving you a little nod. You thanked her begrudgingly before starting your way to the guest house, saying hello to the cowboys you saw as you headed by whether they were lugging hay or simply just passing by.

You got to the guest house and opened the front door, it was rather empty, and you didn’t hear any giggling, not even a hint of your cousin’s voices, you raised your brow carefully making your way down the hallway. You continued until you saw a door slightly creaked open, you neared it hoping maybe your cousin’s were just fooling around here and that you could drag them back. But that idea quickly evaporated as you neared closer you heard..grunts? At first you thought it was one of pain but when you got a view of what was behind the just barely opened door you quickly realized it was not one of pain rather of pleasure.

There Miguel laid on presumably his bed, legs spread slightly, cowboy hat resting lazily over his head, pants just barely down his thighs as his head moved up his hard erection..precum leaking from the red angry tip. You couldn’t help but stare, biting back the gasps with a hand over your mouth. His teeth sucking his bottom lip back slightly exposing his sharp canines that had you feeling some kind of way, but oh boy it just got better as soon as you mindlessly dropped your hand from your mouth he muttered out your name, “Dios... Ni siquiera sé cómo me hiciste esto..(God... I don't even know how you did this to me.)” He murmured out in Spanish as he hissed when he glided his thumb over the leaking slit.

Miguel was lost in his own thoughts, his mind flitting back to when he saw you in the stable in nothing but your shoes and overalls. He groaned out as he moved his hand up, he knew it was wrong and dirty not just for the fact that he was just getting to know you but the fact he wished it was your hands and not his then he was snapped back to reality by a noise..

You gasped and your gasp got his attention causing you to quickly hide behind the wall before he could spot you, when you heard him moving off the bed you were quick to run as quietly down the hallway. Your feet carried you quickly as you hurried out of the guest house not wanting to get caught in the slightest.

Your heart felt like it was in your ears, your cheeks felt hot, hell your whole body felt hot. You hurried quick and fast to the main house, your feet just carrying you inside as you gave a quick ‘hello’ to your Aunt before going to your room flopping onto your bed. Burying your head into your pillow and just screaming muffling it.

God..he was thinking about YOU? That had your heart feeling like it was going to burst out of your chest, you rolled onto your back as you stared at the ceiling that moment replaying in your head causing you to subconsciously rub your thighs together before you brought your hands up to smack your cheeks, mentally cursing yourself for feeling this way.

Huffing you sat up on the bed grabbing your journal you brought with you, “God..Was he really thinking about me? But why,” you murmured as you flipped out the journal trying to write it out of your mind at least so you could push it off and act as if normal. By the time you finished you were called down for dinner and you just inhaled and exhaled pushing it to the back of your mind shoving the Journal under your pillow and heading down.

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By the time dinner was done you and poppy were helping with the dishes as a few of the cowboys stopped by to drop off some stuff and there he was again, you quickly looked away as he spotted you offering you a sweet smile and tilt of his hat. You only just ignored him continuing your conversation with poppy and working on the dishes.

When you finished you quickly dried your hands not wanting to stick around for very long you couldn’t even fathom why seeing him again got you so much more worked up than it should. “I’m headin’ to bed really tired, Night everyone!” you called quickly as you hurried up the stairs to your bedroom causing Miguel and a few others to raise a brow before just brushing it off to turn to their own things.

You inhaled sharply and exhaled laying onto your bed, your hands traveling gingerly down your stomach to the hem of your pj shorts. Your fingers slipping past the hem of the shorts to your panty clad cunt, exhaling slightly as your fingers brushed over your cunt that slight pressure you added caused your body to melt slightly into your pillows. Your mind clouding with thoughts of him, before the sound of someone coming upstairs snapped you back to reality.

You quickly pulled away from your shorts and grabbed a random book from the nightstand to act as if you were reading. Poppy and Nana came bursting in with a movie for the three of you to watch and you all but sighed happily as it was something to completely take your mind off it.

The movie was put in and the lights were turned off getting all cozy in your beds and watching the movie until you all but fell asleep..

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

For the next few days you did your best to keep your distance from Miguel but your hard-headedness to stay away from him only had him more intrigued and always earned a laugh from him because you always denied his questions whenever he asked one and you denied his help just to make it easier, but it seemed to fail every now and again considering your help to your uncle’s work and with him always having the cowboys with him you only ever saw him everyday..

The next morning came and you decided you’d just avoid Miguel completely and only interact if you just HAD to interact with him thinking that it would be best especially because of the way you made him feel and with the way he had you feeling even if you were just getting to know him better.

Today you dawned a nice summer dress as you were going to help your Aunt in the garden to keep a distance between you and him. You put on a sun hat and followed your Aunt out to the garden to work on the precious marigolds she had planted that were getting swallowed by the pesky weeds.

Dropping down onto your knees and getting to work right away you heard a clatter of tools causing your head to whip around to where it came from, and god fucking dammit you swore nothing was on your side this week, it was miguel, tool belt beside him and a few fence posts as he shot you an apologetic smile. “Sorry bout’ that didn’t mean to startle you act like I’m not here.” you only hummed in response, turning your attention back to the flowers.

Digging into the dirt yanking weed after weed out as the sun began to rise high into the sky above, causing you to start to sweat under the hot rays. You huffed sitting back on your heels as you dusted your hands off of dirt with the exception of some stuck under your nails. Miguel heard your little huff and his eyes happened to wander your way, gazing unapologetically up your figure, your flushed face and slightly pouted lips catching his attention.

He cleared his throat slightly, turning his attention back to the fence, “You doin’ alright Miss?” he asked, tipping his hat back slightly. You just hummed in response earning a small frown from him, “What?” you asked, raising a brow. “How come you keep ignorin’ me, I thought we were making progress?” he said as he looked at you.

“Well, You started it when you came back from the stable that day and completely ignored me.” you shot back as you crossed your arms, “I did not I was just busy,” he said more matter of factly. The way he seemed so hurt by your antics had you feeling bad almost, you eventually sighed dropping your arms to your side. “Alright fine I have been but I ain’t telling you why, BUT I will make a better effort to stop ignoring you I suppose.” You said and you watched as his face brightened slightly.

“Well I think I’d be the happiest cowboy around,” He said with that stupid smile, “You're so weird.” You stated, shaking your head and turning your attention back to the weeds. He only laughed and went right back to his job, that’s what sparked the two of you talking again, you knew deep down you weren’t gonna be able to ignore him even if you tried because that really only made things awkward so you decided it would be best to try and be his friend.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

That is how you spent some of your days, getting to know him and then spilling your feelings to your little diary and then going right back at being friendly, well one fateful day you made the mistake of leaving your diary not entirely under your pillow.

You were helping Miguel lug some hay to the truck and you exhaled, noticing the way your skin was getting a little red, “Damn, Hey Miguel could you go to my room and grab my sunscreen for me? I’ll finish loading up the hay if you do.” You said giving him a little smile and he sighed with a laugh. “Alright alright I’ll go fetch it, Where would I find it?” He asked stopping in his tracks.

“On the nightstand!” You called back as you grabbed another bale, he nodded giving you a little salute before setting off. He headed inside offering a polite ‘hello’ to your aunt before going upstairs finding your room and heading inside. Originally he was just here to grab the sunscreen and go but a little book peeking out from behind your pillow had him curious.

He stopped for a moment before he eventually caved and carefully picked it up in his hands, just a peek, it wouldn’t hurt really. Just a peek turned into reading some pages and skipping others, that was until he stumbled upon some of the more..explicit pages and they seemed to be about him. God he felt his pride swell, the way you thought about him and looked at him.

“Well damn little lady..” Miguel murmured with a slight smile on his face before he shut the journal, having now learned about your developing crush on him and the way you thought about him. He grabbed the sunscreen and headed back down and out with a curt tip of his hat.

You noticed when he was walking back he had a little beat to his steps causing you to smile and raise a brow as you took the sunscreen from him. “What’s got you so happy go lucky?” you asked as you applied some on your face and arms and he just hummed in response. “Eh no particular thing, can’t a man just be happy hm?” He teased you and you playfully swatted at his arm. Once you were all good with the sunscreen you two got back to work, all the moving and feeding and more moving of stuff had you both out till the sun was settling near the mountain tops.

“Hm, Looks like we should start headin’ back Miguel.” You said looking at the way the sun was settling, “Ah right, can’t believe the day slipped away from us that damn quick.” He said as he adjusted his hat to sit back on his head slightly, you couldn’t help but admire his features slightly before snapping yourself out of it. “Miguel, I was wondering if you, I mean if you and any of the cowboys would like to come down to the main house for a lunch of sorts,” Miguel smiled coyly at your little invitation, “Oh? You're inviting little ol’ me huh?” he said his smile went from coy to smug and you rolled your eyes playfully.

“You wish, I’m doing it as a request from my aunt.” You said lying through your teeth, no you were wholeheartedly inviting Miguel, using your aunt as an excuse so he didn’t see right through you. However that was long gone really, he already saw right through you, you and your dirty little thoughts with the way you looked at him and what he learned from your diary. He dramatically put a hand over his heart, “I am truly honored sugar,” he joked causing you to roll your eyes again starting your way back to the main house.

His smile never leaving his face,”See ya tomorrow sweetheart,” he laughed as you turned away from him quickly heading back to the main house to wash up for dinner, he knew damn well what he was going to do tomorrow to get you alone and he couldn’t wait.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

He spent his day counting down the minutes till he could meet you for lunch well you and your family really, when he saw how the time neared closer he had gone back to the guest house to freshen up opting for a nicely pressed shirt, one of his nice belts, and some jeans that he knew you thought looked damn good on him. Grabbing his hat swiftly and the sunflowers he got just for today.

Making sure he didn’t look too eager he toned down his steps and his excitement, knocking on the front door adjusting his grip on the flowers. He heard you call out ‘I got it!’ before your footsteps followed, opening the door you were the picture of summer. Wearing a nice little sundress, hair more loose and free, and a smile creeping its way onto your face. “Howdy little miss.” He said his southern drawl coming out more has he held the flowers out to you.

You accepted them gratefully, “Miguel you really didn’t have to-” “I wanted to sugar, there’s a difference.” He hummed as he walked inside with you greeting your aunt and uncle with his usual polite demeanor and then greeting your cousins with that smile of his. You couldn’t help but grin, going and finding a vase for the flowers. “He’s a real nice boy ain’t he?” your aunt asked, having noticed your grin.

Still subconsciously smiling as you filled the vase with water you shrugged, “Yeah I suppose he is.” She just laughed a bit as she brought the food and drinks to the table with you following behind her setting the beautiful sunflowers as the centerpiece. Calling everyone to the table for lunch, you settled into your seat, Miguel sitting in the seat beside you which was across from your uncle so they could continue whatever conversation they were having.

You all served yourselves and then conversations began, it felt like most lunches with the addition of Miguel, little did you know what he was planning. He knew how the herding dogs were so when your aunt went to grab the pitcher of juice he sneakily tossed a piece of food underneath the table causing all of them to make a run for the food bumping your aunt’s chair, the pitcher of juice ended up splashing all over your sundress causing you to squeal and jump up.

You quickly excused yourself to hurry up stairs to remove the splotches of color that had begun to seep into the fabric more and more. Miguel excused himself as well, saying he had a call to take and it was rather important. Your family thought nothing of it, just hoping you’d be alright. He headed up the stairs with ease as he heard the sink start to run. Inside you had grabbed a cloth and began to rub at the stains without much thought.

Then a knock sounded and you sighed thinking it was your Aunt or cousins you opened it, it was Miguel. “Ah- I’m sorry I’m tryin’ to-” Miguel cut you off, “Don’t worry sweetheart, I know how to get pesky stains out especially ones that ruin such a nice dress.” You blinked the nickname felt less innocent for some reason especially with the way he was looking at you.

You cleared your throat allowing him to come in and shut the door as he kneeled down digging through the cabinets, “Ah here we are,” He said holding some bleach, “This oughta help somewhat.” He hummed as he dabbed a cloth with some leaning forward looking at you for your permission. You nodded slowly and he brought the cloth to one of the stains, wiping gently. His touch so gentle and soft had your stomach erupting in butterflies.

You felt your arousal grow slightly from his little touches and ministrations and the way he always looked to you with those eyes as a way of asking. You couldn’t help but stare at him, analyzing his features and then a chuckle erupted from his chest causing you to snap back to the situation. “Darlin’ If you keep staring at me that way I might just have to do what your little diary says.” the mention of your diary as your cheeks flushing red and your heart speeding up more than it was before. “I beg your pardon?” was all you could manage out.

He chuckled, setting the cloth aside and moving closer, “I didn’t wanna tell you this sugar but I’ve read your little journal and all the thoughts you think bout me.” He whispered softly against your ear causing you to shudder slightly. “Miguel I can explain-” You started, “Shh, Shh no need sweetheart, I know exactly what you need.” He said softly as he leaned closer, his lips hovering just away from yours. “Question is, do you really want this?” He asked wanting to really make sure this wasn’t some wet dream or that it wasn’t you who felt this way. You swallowed hard as you exhaled shakily, nodding, “Words sugar.” He said softly against your lips. “Yes Miguel, Please.” You pleaded slightly and he chuckled, shaking his head. “Goodness little miss your going to be the death of me.” He teased before your lips met.

It started out soft and sweet then grew into something more passionate and rough as his hands rested on your hips, his thumbs tracing patterns on the cloth that covered them. You pulled away for air, your breathing coming out in small pants and huffs. “Look at you..Kiss bitten lips all needy for me.” Miguel said with a slight smug smirk, “I’m not needy.” You shot back at him with a small huff.

His hand went from your hips to your thigh working up to your panty covered clit, a gasp eliciting from your throat. “Not so needy huh?” he teases as he rubs a thumb over your covered clit groaning at the way your arousal has made your panties wet. “Not-Not needy at all,” You managed out as a whine followed your words when his hand moved away.

“Then maybe I shouldn’t,” He started before you sighed, “Please Miguel..” You murmured, earning a smile from him, “Please what?” he said, pushing you on. “I need you.” you whined out earning a satisfactory chuckle, his hands found your waist and he hoisted you up to sit on the counters of the bathroom. His lips immediately find your inner thigh, sucking marks into the soft skin.

His hands wander as you let out small gasps and cries trying to be quiet, as you beg for him, as you beg TO him. God he never really thought his little idea would work but here he was buried in between your thighs, what a dream. His lips inched closer and closer to where you wanted him, he gently pulled your panties down and off. Then he licked a slow stripe up your folds eliciting a moan from you causing you to cover your mouth.

You could practically feel the smile he had on his face, he began eating you out like you were the last meal he’d ever eat. His tongue working your leaking hole then focusing directly on your clit. Humming gently when his lips wrapped around the sensitive bud causing a guttural noise to slip past your hand. His pace is unforgivable with the way he’s eating you.

He acts like he's a starved man eating the most delicious food alive and he just can’t stop, one hand keeping your thighs apart and the other massaging the soft supple skin. The way he alternates between tongue fucking you then sucking at your clit has your head in the cloud feeling like your on cloud nine.

Without warning he shoves two fingers in causing you to gasp at the surprise feeling, his fingers working slowly but surely in a soft pace to give you time until you're practically begging for more and he gives you more. His fingers curl in the right spots as he pumps his fingers in and out of you sloppily kissing and licking at your clit.

All the stimulation has your head reeling as a knot forms in your stomach, he doesn’t stop, he makes direct eye contact with you with that smug smile on his face as the knot snaps. Your velvety walls spasming around his fingers as you orgasm, your eyes shut tight as he laps up all of it slowly letting you down from your high as you exhale sharply when he removes his fingers.

His hands come to make quick work of his belt and jeans bringing his boxers and jeans just low enough for his painfully hard cock to spring out. You can’t help but stare as he works it slightly, your mouth practically hanging open at the sight of it, precum beading at the tip as he works it slightly lining his head up with your entrance.

He looks to you for another affirmation and you nod looking up at him with those pleading eyes again and he can’t say no to you. He nudges his head in before plunging in full force eliciting a loud moan from your lips and groans from his with how tight you are around him. “God..So tight, such a good girl I swear.” he murmurs as he begins thrusting into your cunt, the praise causing your pussy to flutter around him. He acknowledged this with a little smirk.

“You like that huh? You like being my good girl,” He huffs out earning a whine from you, he lands a small slap to your ass causing a yelp to fall from your lips. “I asked you a question.” He said gruffly his change in attitude had your stomach feeling butterflies. “Yes, Yes s’good Miguel!” You cried out as his pace became relentless. His smirk remained at the way you reacted to all of this. His hands have a grip on your hips that’ll most definitely bruise without a doubt.

His face finds itself in the crevice of your neck placing soft kisses and words of praise into your ear, your mind practically melts from all of this as he fucks you with such a pace, the sound of skin slapping and your muffled whines and cries becoming evident as he continues on. Your legs come to wrap around his back slightly as he pulls his face away to watch where you two connect. “Tan condenadamente apretada, tan buena para mí.(So damn tight, so good for me.)” He managed out as your walls fluttered around him, having a vice on his cock.

“That feel good? Hm?” he asked knowing damn well your practically fucked dumb at this point, nodding your eyes fluttering open as he comes to rhythmic pace that’s hitting all the right spots for you. He continues to praise you and kiss up your neck leaving marks occasionally just because he can. With the way your walls clench around him he can tell your close, his free hand comes down to rub circles on your clit making you gasp and your head loll back onto the mirror behind you.”So damn needy for me..Taking all you can get.” he chuckled out.

“I’m not needy,” you managed out best you could as you took his hat from him, He shook his head at your hard-headedness “Eres tan terco…(You are so stubborn..)” He huffed out with a chuckle, quickly taking his hat back from you as you shot him a mischievous smile even in your mind melted state. Rolling your hips eliciting a groan from the cowboy who tossed his head back, his hat covering his face.

He hums slightly, leaning down to plant kisses on your collarbone and shoulder, “That’s how you wanna play huh?” he murmurs into your skin, his pace picking up almost knocking the air out of you, the lewd noises that spill from your lips spur him on, and that familiar knot tightens in your stomach, then the coil snaps and your cunts warm walls restrict around him and he can’t help but groan before he quickly pulls out before he can cum. Causing a small whine from you at the loss of feeling full.

“You wanna play games then we can play games sugar.” He says as he brings you off the counter onto your knees, you swallow thickly as you gently kitten lick the tip of his cock, soft and slowly. Teasing him with it, earning low groans and even slight whines from him. You don’t get very far with your tricky endeavors before he bucks his hips slightly causing you to gag around it. “Sorry bout that darlin’ just can’t help myself.” he says with a slight smile.

You start a steady pace, your hands resting on his thighs as you bob your head back and forth, your nose touching the tip of his pelvis before you pull off of him just to tease him again. He groans out before laughing slightly, his hand coming to find itself behind your head. “God you are just a little tease ain’tcha.” he says before thrusting into your mouth, causing you to gag slightly and pat his thighs. Tears welling in your eyes.

“Shh shh, it’s alright just relax.” He says softly and you try to, finding a steady breathing pace through your nose and relaxing your throat slightly. He begins face fucking your practically, drool coming to spill from the side of your mouth and nose tickling his pelvis as the hums you produced in response to his praises elicited groans and huffs from him.

His pace was rhythmic until it became erratic, his breathing becoming more uneven, “Don’t think I’m gonna last any longer.” Miguel huffs out as his pace becomes more needy. You hum around him and he groans, begging you to do that again and you oblige, humming around his length gagging slightly. The sensations send him over the edge after a few more thrusts his cum spurts down your throat causing you to swallow out of reflex, he slowly pulls out a string of spit connecting him to your kiss bitten drool covered lips. God the sight of alone could have had him going again he leaned forward wiping a thumb over your lip to wipe the drool away as you swallowed.

He planted a small kiss on your temple, “You're just perfect darlin’.” He praises making you smile slightly as he helped you stand up, a hand resting on your hips. “Maybe we should head back down, Wouldn’t want your family to worry too much.” you hummed in response, “I’m gonna change first, you go on down.” you said softly planting a kiss to his cheek as you carefully exited the bathroom to go back to the room.

Could this be the start of something real with this cowboy?

Fin.

[gerec]

Do you have fic recs for cherik exes to lovers?

Saved the best for last, Anon - exes to lovers is my absolute FAVOURITE trope!

These are some of my personal favourites; I hope you enjoy :D :D :D

symphysis by ikeracity

After Charles and Erik broke up four months ago, Charles convinced himself he'd never see Erik again. But life has a funny way of bringing people back together.

it was a yellow umbrella spring by ikeracity (series - read part 1 first!)

Three years after Charles left for Oxford, Erik discovers that Charles is coming back to New York.

Second chances are wonderful things.

Lean On Me by SpiritsFlame

Ten years ago, Charles and Erik split up, dividing their six kids between them. None of them expect them to meet at summer camp. And no one could have predicted the results.

preheat to 350 (just for you remix) by ikeracity

Charles realizes he's in love with Erik. But there's one tiny little problem: he just broke up with Erik.

Repeat Offenses by populuxe

“Prickly bits aside—hell, for the two of them, prickly bits included—it almost felt like a date. Which is stupid on multiple fronts. Grudgingly buying your ex a meal after he grudgingly bails you out of jail is obviously not a date.”

Five times Charles bailed Erik out of jail—and one time he didn’t.

melt your headaches, call it home by joshriku

Two decades later after the last time he saw Charles Xavier, Erik's children lead him right back to him.

Of course, it's never easy to look at the ex love of your life and realize you're not over them, not even in the slightest.

my heart knows your name by borninsideatornado

Once they’ve finally got him in bed, Charles works up the courage to ask if he might stay for a few days, because being rejected can’t be worse than seeing Erik in pain. But Erik only says, “I think that would be good.”

The Way I See You by kianspo

Charles is an FBI agent working white collar crimes, specializing in art theft. Erik is a master forger. It's all well and good, except no one knows that Charles and Erik used to be in love once upon a time. Years later, they meet again.

my heart knows your name by borninsideatornado

Once they’ve finally got him in bed, Charles works up the courage to ask if he might stay for a few days, because being rejected can’t be worse than seeing Erik in pain. But Erik only says, “I think that would be good.”

to put the world between us by populuxe

Erik Lehnsherr is one of the hottest actors in Hollywood: fresh off an Academy Award nomination, he’s about to star in HBO’s most anticipated show of the year. And even though online chatter about his recent string of queer roles keeps getting louder, his personal life remains personal—just as it always has, and just as his manager and publicist continue to advise.

But when he winds up at the same wedding as his college best friend, Charles Xavier—and when they quickly fall into bed together—he’s forced to revisit the past he’s been trying to get away from for years. The pull between them has always been magnetic, but so has the weight of secrecy. Can they keep from repeating the same mistakes, or will the price of the truth be too high?

Walking in a Winter Wonderland by TurtleTotem

Charles hasn't seen Erik since their devastating breakup ten years ago. He's certainly the last person he expects to run into at a Christmas lights display.

Old Flame Burning by TurtleTotem

It's ridiculous for Charles to dread meeting the best man at his sister's wedding, just because he shares a name with Charles's ex. It's not as though it could possibly be the same Erik.

The Edge of What Doesn’t End by populuxe

When a mysterious object appears on the moon, Moira MacTaggert calls in two experts with very specific mutations to investigate.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, after years of breaking up and getting back together again, those two experts have finally broken up for good—and they’re the last people in the world who should be stuck together on a spaceship.

I need sleep like I need oxygen (I'm not admitting to missing you like crazy) by ximeria

Erik needs sleep, but since he and Charles broke up, he's not been able to get a good night's sleep.

December, Take Two by Anonymous

Charles has no problem being in the same room as his ex at Emma's holiday party. They're adults, after all.

We have not touched the stars, nor are we forgiven (the things you love don't last remix) by hllfire

Charles hands Erik the signed divorce papers, but Erik has changed his mind. Too late, it seems. All he can do is go forward with the divorce. A year later, Charles comes back, and Erik can't help but wanting to see him. The only problem is things don't go like Erik had planned.

Spy Games by manic_intent

Prompt: Burn Notice AU, with Erik Lehnsherr as the spy and Charles as the trigger-happy ex boyfriend. Erik is burned for unknown reasons in Mexico and wakes up in New York City. Somehow, he needs to raise $500,000, in order to find out -why-.

Best Ex Ever by 1sttimefeeling

Charles wakes up drunk on the pavement of a gas station, phone dead. He finds a payphone but can only remember one number. Erik Lehnsherr's.

The problem? They broke up two years ago.

Twice in One Lifetime by Gerec

Written for this prompt: Charles and his fiance Steve, are happily waiting for their first baby. What they are not expecting is the baby to arrive almost a month earlier and looking like a miniature copy of Charles' ex-boyfriend Erik.

It takes them a lifetime to get it right.

Years Falling Like Grains Of Sand by clarasteam

Seven years after they met and parted, Charles and Erik meet again in the most unlikely place.

Every Song I Know by clarasteam

“Erik,” Janos says wearily, “you had amazing sex with this guy. He obviously really likes you. You have, what, a month, six weeks left? You can spend it moping and hiding and worrying you're going to run into him. Or you can call him, have a good time, and figure out where you go from there.”

Erik groans. It's what he wants to do, so much it scares him.

Talk, Baby, Talk by lyonet

“Enough,” Erik said furiously. “It’s over. Let it die.”

“Be fair, sugar,” Emma said. “We made good music. It was your choice to wear magenta armour and a cape.”

Carry Me Anew (Frost & Darkholme Remix) by kianspo

While working as a model for Raven and Emma's clothing line, Erik experiences a strong attraction to his shoot partner. These things happen, except Erik has a boyfriend, who does not take this at all well.

+

linger like a tattoo kiss by ikeracity

Six months apart gives Erik a lot of time to think about what he really wants.

An absence which could not be more there by aesc

He prepared to shift another half-step over to the Current Events section (which would, of course, enrage him) when the teaser positioned by the model's left elbow caught his eye: DATING WHILE TELEPATHIC: WHY I DON'T DO IT.

Salem Center Mass by listerinezero

Erik Lehnsherr is a professional hitman and has no intention of attending his ten year high school reunion. But since he happens to have a kill lined up in the same town at the same time, he decides he may as well stop by. After all, his high school sweetheart, Charles Xavier, might be there. And it's not like he's spent the past ten years pining over Charles. Not at all.

Three wheels of cheese and a Great White by ximeria

Charles and Erik were friends with benefits in college.

They went their separate ways and 18 years later, they run into each other in New York.

The sex was never a problem back in college - and sex was all it had been. But now Erik is a divorced father and Charles has admitted to himself he needs more than just sex in a relationship. So in their usual round-about way they try to navigate becoming friends after so many years. The whole quest is aided by Raven, Edie, Wanda and Pietro (and a large number of shark jokes).

[islandofsages]

hello!! I was hoping I could request gn!reader (aka Yuu) who loves dancing (and is actually really good at it, preferably something like contemporary dancing?) but hasn't told anyone in nrc. basically, the boys' reaction to stumbling upon them dancing one day!!

(requesting for cater, lilia, riddle, jamil, malleus, rook and vil!!)

thank youuuu <3

characters: riddle, cater, jamil, vil, rook, malleus and lilia x gn!yuu

tags: relationship not specified, fluff, imagines format; grim mention in riddle's, cater's, malleus' and lilia's. vil mention in cater's. kalim mention in jamil's. vil's is set in book 5

warnings: use of the word "dear" as a term of endearment in lilia's part

author's notes: i tried making them stumble yuu in different places so if they seem random thats why lol also i almost forgot about the "hasn't told anyone at nrc" part i get so carried away sometimes help 😭

Riddle Rosehearts

He has a deep appreciation for dancing and consequently, he respects anyone who is a connoisseur of the art

He would tell you everything he knows about the art and comes to you to inform you on any new things he learns about it

You would tell him that you’re a dancer yourself, especially contemporary dance; the freeing nature of your favorite form has proven to be an effective way to relieve stress and express yourself

…But you’re a bit too shy to admit that to someone as amazing as Riddle - so fate takes the matter into its own hands

You were dancing in Ramshackle’s lounge, all by yourself since Grim is napping, a luxury you don’t get to afford too often

You simply felt like it; you put on some music and suddenly your body grows a mind of its own

You were so absorbed in your performance that you didn’t manage to hear knocks rapping on your door, let alone the sound of footsteps leading up to it

Sensing no answer from you and immediately growing worried, whoever was at the door bursted in to search for you… only to be met with a you in the middle of a dance move

It takes you a few seconds to notice him standing there in awe of your movements. When you do, you instantly ran over to the source of your music and switched it off in embarrassment

He asked you why you did that and would love for you to continue dancing but you only shook your head and tell him you weren’t fully ready to show off your moves yet and that you were simply going with the flow

“I mean, that’s kinda the whole point of contemporary dancing, just going with the flow? But still, I need to choreograph some parts of it to actually look like a form of dance.”

He chuckles at your response and doesn’t push you to resume if you feel uncomfortable. You thank him for respecting your boundaries

Though everything between you goes smoothly after the incident, you’ll never forget the look on his face when he laid his eyes on: the pure wonder in his eyes told everything you needed to know.

Cater Diamond

He thinks dancing is super cool and he sometimes try to demonstrate that - and in your opinion, he’s not half-bad at it despite what Vil would say

You would show off your own moves but you don’t wanna kill his vibes, even if he’d think you’re super good at it

But one day you’ll tell him how much you love contemporary dance and the fact that it can convey every human emotion and experience; and then that day comes, though very unexpectedly you would say

It was late in the evening; the school hallways are mostly empty, save for you and Grim casually having a conversation while walking your way back to your dorm

But one glance outside gives you all the inspiration you need for an impromptu dance session - the sky is bleeding orange, blazing yellow bandaging it

Your movements shift. You are now a tribute to the sunset. Grim stands aside and watches you with a sigh but he holds back his witty comments for after you’re done with your performance

Little did you know you have another person in your audience - Cater also had late evening classes and only now he’s heading back to Heartslabyul

At least, that was his initial plan. Seeing you dancing in the hallway caught him off guard, firstly because who in their right mind would dance in the hallways but secondly (and mainly), the way you move enchanted him

Could it even be called moving? Your limbs bend and flex so smoothly that he thought they turned into water somehow

By the time you’re done, you’re given a standing ovation by both of your spectators - one of whose you jump at in shock

“Yuu, that was like, crazy good! Are you secretly some pro dancer or something?”

You blush a little at the fact that he saw you and at the compliment; after that event, it’s impossible to hide anything from him so you simply tell him everything you know

You’d give him pointers and you’re happy to see his improvement from day to day but most importantly, his shining, genuine smile is something you wouldn’t miss for the world.

Jamil Viper

You know he’s very passionate about dance and you truly admire his skill for it

Although he’d be the perfect dance partner, you feel a little self-conscious sharing your own passion for dancing with him

He seems to sparkle when he shows off his skills and you think you lack that type of shine to your own - he begs to differ though, you’ve come to learn

The two of you were hanging out in his room, music pouring out from his stereo and you drowning in it, your limbs spread out on the floor

Then your room is shaken by some unknown noise, though you can assume it’s Kalim-induced, to which Jamil sighed and excused himself to go check out and possibly fix up

You lay there on your own then, nodding your head to the music, until a song you liked dominates the speakers, taking you by surprise

You don’t know what happened but as soon as the first note hit, you’re on your feet and your body was swaying side to side

Losing your mind and body to the music felt good, but then Jamil entered the room when you were mid-dance. You would’ve stopped if it weren’t for him joining in, but not without a taunt

“What, too scared to dance with me? Come and show me what you’ve got, Yuu.”

You accepted his challenge and continued where you left off - the two of you twisted and turned and ended up on the floor lying on your backs once again, gasping for breath

The two of you laughed breathlessly. He then praised you and your dancing abilities and wondered why you never showed him how skilled you are

You shrugged, thinking it wasn’t a big deal, but then he put a hand on your shoulder and offered to have more dance-offs. You didn’t hesitate to agree

When dancing with him, it feels like the most natural thing in the world, as if you were born to do this. And maybe, just maybe, you were born to meet such a wonderful person too.

Vil Schoenheit

You were a bit let down when you couldn’t actually participate as a dancer for the VDC but at the very least it allowed you to give yourself a bit more time to truly showcase your dancing to others

And hosting a training camp for the actual competitors isn’t too bad if it’s for your dorm and for something you’re passionate about

Ramshackle Dorm is lively, what with everyone there. Conflict was inevitable in this school but it did drive you crazy somewhat

One particular day, everyone was taking a break from Vil’s scrutinous training and you can feel the tension in the air

At some point, everyone left the ballroom. Only you remained seated on the floor, your back to the wall. You stared up at the ceiling and sighed. You couldn’t take this anymore

You got to your feet and simply started dancing, as quietly as you could. No music, nothing - you didn’t want to risk garnering attention by being noisy

It definitely served to alleviate some of your stress. You even smiled to yourself and at some points, fought the urge to laugh out of joy

The ballroom seemed different then. The images of your friends came into your mind - all their smiles, their frowns, the determined looks on their faces. You felt your movements growing more fluid at the thought of them

Once you’re done and panting, bent over your knees gasping for air, a loud clap reverberates in the room. Then another. Then a third. Then a figure emerges, their hands clasped

“What a pleasant surprise. You’re not bad at all. Though it’s a bit too late to recruit you, I surely hope you continue to hone that skill of yours.”

Did… did Vil Schoenheit just praise your dancing skills?

Let’s just say you took his advice to heart - it’s hard not to when it’s Vil Schoenheit himself

You also helped the others with some of your advice after the confidence boost and you’re happy to see their improvement. Seeing Vil satisfied also brought a smile to your face.

Rook Hunt

After the VDC, you found yourself more exhausted than usual by the events that occurred and you begged for a break from whatever deity is there in Twisted Wonderland. Dancing was the last thing on your mind

And for a while, that’s what you got - you were able to simply attend classes and watch your friends bicker with each other like a normal student. It was a well-needed break for everyone

Sometimes you’d chat for a bit with any familiar faces you run into and these days, you found yourself chilling by yourself in the courtyard

One day, you suddenly felt a longing to dance once more. And luckily for you, you had the courtyard all to yourself

It went from being some regular courtyard to your stage and the sun was your spotlight; you shone and you twinkled. You were like a star

And that was what you were told by the end of your performance, accompanied by applause from a singular person

“Très bien, Yuu… your performance has moved me to tears!”

Rook exclaims as he makes his way over to you; that certainly wasn’t your intention. You didn’t even think it was worth watching

But then Rook continues to comment on certain aspects of your performance, elaborating in very vivid detail. You’ve never felt so seen before

He would shower you with compliments, as if to say that you shouldn’t have a single doubt in your mind

And you hardly ever do after that since he very much threatened you to be kind to yourself or else

He would tell everyone about your wonderful skill (with your consent, of course), as if you’re his child who he’s been watching grow up over the years

He may be a bit loud about you at times but when you look over at him and see how proud he is of you, you only sigh fondly and hold back a chuckle.

Malleus Draconia

He doesn’t know a lot about the subject but he appreciates it as a form of art and expression of the people

And so you would tell him all about it while being careful to not let on that you’re one yourself which is surprisingly easier than you thought, considering how oblivious he is sometimes

He merely sees you as some sort of dance scholar and as if he doesn’t respect you a lot already, he definitely holds you in higher regard now

And somehow, that elevates to an even higher level when he suddenly finds you out

He was on his routinely walk around Ramshackle; it was a windy night, weather as pleasant as his conversations with you

Coincidentally, whilst his thoughts were on you, he spotted you in the backyard of your dorm with the ghosts and… hm? It’s brightly lit for once

Curious and wanting confirmation, he changed his route to suspiciously festive-looking Ramshackle instead

Meanwhile, you and Grim were dancing to some music the ghosts were playing for you. You all were having a simple party to forget your worries

The ghosts would comment on how you should stop outshining Grim so much, just to mess with Grim. But they had a point; you had a certain glimmer to you when you dance

Malleus saw that much when he reached your party. He stood within the frame of the backdoor, watching your every movement, entranced

After a few minutes did you notice him there, unmoving. Your steps trace their way to him instead. You extend a hand to him

“May I have this dance?”

And you may - the two of you danced, him slipping in flatteries in between moves. Maybe it was just you, but the party seemed to feel much more lively with him. No, not just the party; the whole world was.

Lilia Vanrouge

He knows a thing or two about dancing from all his adventures and he’d love to show you proof of it

So he does - he's definitely got the moves and you definitely want to show him some of your own… someday

You feel a little self-conscious about your own skills after his show but that doesn't stop you from working on your dancing. You're determined to make your skills worthy of Lilia’s attention!

Little did you know. It's futile to really hide anything from this sneaky bastard (affectionate)

You were on your way to class from Ramshackle with Grim and unfortunately for you, you had a little earworm stuck in your head that day

It started off as a skip, then two skips. By five skips, it turned into a full on dance. You felt alive, like you were a main character in a musical

Grim was making fun of you at first but then he started linking his arm with lampposts and swinging himself alongside you

Lilia was watching this all happen from afar, as one does. A student dancing their way to class is no everyday spectacle after all. And it's you too! All the more reason to play peeping tom

Just when you're about to reach the main building did he finally give you the jumpscare of a lifetime

“Why, you didn’t tell me what a wonderful dancer you are, my dear Yuu! I must admit, I feel quite offended.”

He was jesting of course - he was merely glad that he got to witness such a sight. And you’re glad that you’re not as unskilled as you thought you were

He tries his best not to boast your skills to others but you know he can never keep such hidden talent, well, hidden from his beloved Diasomnia family

You got the Diasomnia stamp of approval - not only that, but you’ve definitely impressed someone you hold dear.

[oldsoul007]

don’t dream it’s over

nicholas chavez x reader

summary: nicholas and reader are sworn enemies, what happens when they end up being counselors as the same summer camp…

I had been a camp counselor at Camp Pinewood for the past two summers, and of course Nicholas too, but we couldn't stand each other. Nicholas, with his pollos, easygoing charm some would say and knack for breaking rules, clashed constantly with my strict adherence to the camp's guidelines and my no-nonsense attitude. Our arguments were legendary among the campers and staff, often ending with one of us storming off in frustration, usually me.

When I got there the first day, few days before campers showed up, of course he was late with a smug look on his face. This summer, however, something was different. The camp director had paired us together to lead the same group of campers, hoping we combined strengths would create a balanced team. From the start, it was clear we would have to find a way to work together, despite our differences.

After trying to fight our camp director on putting us together, I finally gave up and went to get stuff for my cabin. I was taking my luggage out of my car when someone clears their throat. I roll my eyes guessing who it was. “Not even gonna say hi to me princess” “what did I tell you about calling me that” “mmm I think you like it.”

Once I grabbed all my stuff I continued walking toward my cabin. Nicholas following behind. “Do you need something.” I ask irritated. “Well I thought since we’ll be working together all summer we might as well get along.” I stop in my tracks to twist around and look at him. “You gotta be fucking with me” I almost laugh.

“You know, whatever, i guess I thought maybe you’d grow up for once” I rolled my eyes as he said that. Turning on my heel, walking toward my cabin. I still hear him behind me. “Why are you still following me” I groan.

“My cabins right here too, guess we’re neighbors.” He said closing the door to the cabin across from mine. Great now I have to hear him all summer nonstop.

At camp, the tension between me and Nicholas was palpable. As camp counselors, we were forced to work together, despite our mutual dislike. Every morning started with us exchanging curt nods and avoiding eye contact.

A typical day at camp involved organizing activities for the kids. Me and Nicholas had to coordinate everything from arts and crafts to outdoor games. Our disagreements were frequent, and the campers could sense the friction between us.

One day, we were assigned to lead a team-building exercise. As we explained the rules to the campers, our bickering became more intense. "You're doing it wrong," Nicholas snapped. "This isn't how it's supposed to go."

I shot back, "Maybe if you actually listened for once, you'd understand the plan."

The campers looked on, wide-eyed, as the two continued to argue. Eventually, one of the kids timidly suggested, "Maybe you guys could work together like you're asking us to?"

The comment hit home, and both me and Nicholas paused. We realized that our behavior was setting a poor example. Taking a deep breath, I said, "Okay, let's try to get through this without fighting."

Nicholas nodded, and we managed to put aside our differences for the rest of the activity. By the end of the day, we were both exhausted but felt a small sense of accomplishment. We had managed to work together, even if it was just for a short while.

As the sun set, Nicholas found me by the campfire. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. We need to figure out a way to get along for the kids' sake."

I sighed, "Yeah, you're right. Let's try to make this work, at least for the rest of camp."

It wasn't a resolution, but it was a start. And as we sat by the fire, both of us couldn't help but feel that maybe, just maybe, there was more to our animosity than we realized.

At the camp counselors' late-night party, the atmosphere was buzzing with laughter and music. Me and Nicholas arrived with our mutual friend Cooper, who was determined to get them to relax and have a good time. Despite our recent truce, the tension between me and Nicholas was still palpable.

As we mingled, Nicholas accidentally bumped into me, spilling his drink all over me. "Seriously, Nicholas?" I exclaimed, my frustration bubbling up once again.

"It was an accident, princess! You don't have to make such a big deal out of it," Nicholas retorted, his own irritation showing. The nickname pissing me off more.

Cooper, seeing the brewing argument, stepped in. "Hey, you two need to chill out. This party is supposed to be fun, not another battleground for you guys."

I sighed, trying to wipe the drink off my clothes. "It's just... we can't seem to go a day without fighting."

Cooper raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Maybe you two need to let off some steam together. How about you guys just hook up?" He said, half joking half not.

Nicholas looked at me, a reluctant smile forming. "You know what? That actually sounds like a good idea."

I hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright, you're such a dick. Fuck you" “You wish” he teases.

By the end of the night, the tension between me and Nicholas had raised significantly.

Our days were filled with activities and responsibilities, from leading nature hikes to organizing campfire sing-alongs. At first, our interactions were tense and filled with sarcastic remarks.

But as the days went by, they started to notice things about each other that they hadn't before. Nicholas saw how passionate y/n was about making sure the kids had a great time, and y/n couldn't help but admire Nicholas's ability to make everyone laugh and feel included.

One evening, after a particularly challenging day, we found ourselves alone by the lake. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the water. I was skipping stones, trying to unwind, when Nicholas approached me. "You know, you're not as bad as I thought," he said, breaking the silence. I looked up, surprised. "Coming from you, that's almost a compliment," I replied with a small smile.

We talked for hours, sharing stories and secrets we had never told anyone else. The more we talked, the more we realized how much we had in common. Our walls began to crumble, and the thin line between hate and love started to blur.

Over the past few days, something had shifted. we had been paired together for various activities, and slowly, I found myself warming up to Nicholas. I began to see a different side of him, one that was kind and considerate.

The next day, I was heading back to my cabin when I thought I heard Nicholas talking to someone. I paused, listening intently. My heart sank as I caught bits and pieces of the conversation, convinced he was revealing my secret. Hurt and betrayal washed over me.

When Nicholas noticed me standing there, he immediately saw the look on my face. "Y/n, what's wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"I heard you," I said, my voice trembling. "I heard you telling someone something I told you in confidence."

Nicholas's eyes widened in shock. "Y/n, I would never do that. I promise you, I didn't say anything to anyone."

But I couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal. "Why should I trust you?" I asked, my voice cold and distant. "You’ve always been against me."

Nicholas stepped closer, his voice earnest. "Because I care about you, y/n. I would never betray your trust. Please, believe me."

But I shook my head, anger and hurt clouding my judgment. "I can't believe I ever thought you could change," I said, turning away from him.

Nicholas watched her walk away, his heart heavy with regret. He knew he hadn't betrayed her, but convincing her of that now seemed impossible.

As I walked back to the cabin alone, I felt a familiar bitterness returning, the fragile trust we had built shattered in an instant. Ending up right back where we started at the beginning of the summer.

As captains for the camp games, we were supposed to lead by example, but our bickering overshadowed everything else. The campers, fed up with the tension, devised a plan to get us lost in the woods together, hoping it would force us to work things out.

It was Nicholas’s fault we ended up lost. He had insisted on taking a shortcut during one of our competitive scavenger hunts. I had argued against it, but Nicholas was stubborn. "Trust me, I know this forest like the back of my hand," he had said confidently.

But as the sun began to set and the familiar trails disappeared, it became clear that Nicholas had no idea where we were. "Great job, Captain," I muttered sarcastically, crossing my arms as we stood in the middle of nowhere.

Nicholas sighed, frustration evident on his face. "I thought this was the right way. Let's just keep moving; we’ll find our way back."

Hours passed, and the forest seemed to grow denser. We argued about which direction to take, each step leading us further into unfamiliar territory. The campers' plan was not working.

Our bickering is a constant source of tension. Our friends often joked about our rivalry, but neither of us found it amusing. One evening, the argument between us reached a boiling point in the middle of the woods. Where Nicholas got us lost during the camp games.

"You never listen to me!" I shouted, my frustration evident. Nicholas, equally exasperated, fired back, "And you always think you're right!"

My face flushed with anger, and in the heat of the moment, I blurted out, "I hate you, Nicholas!"

Nicholas stood there, stunned. The words hit him harder than any insult ever had. Instead of retaliating, he felt a deep pain in his chest. “Nice one” he says pushing past me continuing walking into the woods. I’m surprised, he usually would reply with some snarky comeback.

Then I realized I never actually said that to him before. Confused I follow after him. “Nic, wait why are you so mad?” He took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke. "do you really mean that?" he asked quietly.

My anger began to waver as I saw the hurt in his eyes. I had expected him to yell back, not to look so wounded. "I... I don't know," I stammered, suddenly unsure of myself.

The tension between us was palpable, each word laced with frustration and unspoken emotions. I finally came back to reality remembering that’s he’s an asshole.

"Yes I do, I hate you, Nicholas! You drive me fucking insane!" I shouted, my eyes blazing with anger.

Nicholas took a step closer, his jaw clenched. "You think I don't feel the same way? You're always in my head, y/n. I can't get you out, and it's maddening!"

Our faces were inches apart, the intensity of our emotions creating a charged atmosphere. Suddenly, without thinking, Nicholas grabbed me and pulled me into a fierce kiss. All the anger, frustration, and hidden feelings poured into that moment, our lips crashing together in a passionate embrace.

My hands found their way to Nicholas's hair, pulling him closer as I kissed him back with equal fervor. The world around us seemed to disappear, leaving just the two of us, lost in the intensity of our connection.

When we finally pulled apart, both of us breathless, our eyes locked. "I hate how much I want you," Nicholas whispered, his voice raw with emotion.

My heart pounded in my chest as I looked at him. "Me too," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "But maybe we don't have to fight it anymore."

In that moment, everything changed. The walls we built between us came crashing down, leaving us vulnerable and open to the possibility of something more. The fight had revealed the truth we had both been hiding, and as we stood there, surrounded by trees, we realized that our relationship was about to change forever.

After many more minutes of wandering through the dense forest, me and Nicholas finally found our way out. The tension between us had been palpable throughout our ordeal, but now, as we emerged from the woods and saw my cabin in the distance, a sense of relief washed over us. Everyone seemed to have gone to bed after the games.

We hurried towards the cabin, our steps quickening as they got closer. Once inside, I closed the door behind them, and we both stood there, catching our breath. The adrenaline from our adventure still coursed through our veins.

Nicholas looked at me, his eyes intense. "We made it," he said softly, stepping closer to me.

I nodded, my heart racing for a different reason now. "Yeah, we did."

Without another word, Nicholas closed the distance between us, his lips capturing mine in a heated kiss. I responded eagerly, my hands tangling in his hair as I pulled him closer. The kiss deepened, filled with all the emotions we had been holding back.

Nicholas moved us towards the bed, never breaking the kiss. My hands roamed over Nicholas's back, feeling the strength of his muscles beneath his shirt. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me onto his lap as we continued to kiss passionately.

The cabin was filled with the sounds of our heavy breathing and the soft rustle of clothes as we lost ourselves in each other. In that moment, nothing else mattered but the connection we felt, the heat between us undeniable.

As we finally pulled back, both breathless and flushed, we looked into each other's eyes, knowing that this was just the beginning of something deeper.

[justwonder113]

Showering Bang Chan with affection

Lee Know ; Changbin; Hyunjin; Han; Felix; Seungmin; IN;

Warning: gender neutral reader, Kinda suggestive but nothing is implied. Reader is Whipped but no worries so is Channie.

A/N- this is the first ever fic I've ever written about Stray kids so I'm really excited. I really hope you'll like it. Feel free to share your thoughts with me. Requests are open if you're interested. Sorry if the grammar is bad English isn't my first language. Word count- 750

You two laid on the bed, with you carefully watching your boyfriend with literal heart eyes and him playing on his phone. You finally managed and convinced the Bang Christopher Chan to take a day off and just rest. And now he was all snuggled up in his favorite hoodie his curly hair cutely messed up, skin glowing all nicely from the skincare evening you held and now he was immersed in his game.

You two were set on just chilling and having a lazy day content in each other's presence. You were reading your book and were set on finishing it but you got distracted by your boyfriend's grumbling. He mumbled something about someone cheating his pouty lips cutely jutted out. This adorable sight was enough to distract you from your book. Admiring your boyfriend felt more interesting anyways.

You had no idea how much time has passed since but still it didn't feel enough , he was so immersed in his game he didn't even notice your eyes on him. You didn't want to seem like a creep but you couldn't take your eyes off of him. He was literal perfection in your eyes, it felt like watching art piece at a museum. The way he had his eyebrows drawn in concentration, his happy giggles whenever something went his way or the way he pouted his pretty lips when it didn't, it had your heart jumping in your ribcage.

In fact he was pouting right bow and mumbling about something you didn't really catch on and also didn't really paid any mind to it. Now you had different goal you wanted to achieve. Your mind was occupied with only one thing, which was to kiss him senseless and that's what you were set on doing.

You set aside your book and slowly crawled to him, carefully getting in his lap to not disturb his game. His hands immediately wrapped around you and he quickly kissed your temple. It was cute how even when he was distracted he never failed to give you your much needed affection. It was little things like this that made you fall for him more and more every day, make you feel like a teenager experiencing love for the first time ever.

You felt kinda bad that you were distracting him but as soon as his warmth engulfed you, the second you felt his familiar comforting scent surround you you were a goner and all plans to stay put were gone.

At first you started leaving slow soft kisses on his neck, amused at the shivers that run down his whole body. You felt his grip on your waist tighten, he even muttered something you didn't quite catch on. The main thing was he was not opposed to your sudden affection so you gave yourself a green light. You kissed the spot on his neck that you knew was his weak spot and you couldn't help but smile when he giggled at the tickling feeling.

In a matter of seconds your self control was thrown out the window and you kept leaving kisses wherever you could reach, his neck, his jaw, his cheeks, his forehead, his nose, his squishy lips. You were so immersed you didn't even realize when he put his phone away, he put his arms around you, caging you against him now willing to let go even for a second. He watched you with eyes filled with so much love and passion, shining so brightly any star would be jealous, you were taken back for a second at the intensity of his gaze. God, you were so in love with this man. You sometimes even wondered if he could feel it. You were expressive with your feelings but you were not sure if you were fully expressing it, making him realize just how much he meant to you. Loving him was part of your being now, part of your existence. And you hated how there were not words that could be used to express your feelings.

Channie looked at you with knowing eyes, as always fully aware of what were you feeling and thinking. " I know love, I adore you more." He softly muttered against your cheek leaving a soft kiss there, sending shivers down your spine.

You huffed out a laugh while shaking your head, "Not possible love."

He playfully rolled his eyes, mischief glimmering on his beautiful face. "Let me prove it to you then" he whispered against your lips before sealing your them together.

[thequietkid-moonie]

I saw that you haven't written for Honkai star rail yet and was hoping you could write for Yandere Kafka, Silver Wolf, Yukong and Jingliu with a shy darling

Shy Darling

[ YANDERE HEADCANONS ] [ Kafka, Silver Wolf ]

[ Honkai Star Rail ]

⚠️ Yandere, I don't support nor try to romanticize this toxic behaivor, is just for entretaiment

Please read the characther list before requesting next time, I don't write for Yukong nor Jingliu

Still, I liked writing this! an interesting first time writing for the Stellaron Hunters!

Kafka

After becoming part of the Stellaron Hunters Kafka has travel all around the universe as Elio asked her, aside from that she doesn't do much more so is probably that it was in one of those missions were she end up meeting you, and, honestly, as long as Kafka stays loyal to Elio and doesn't go against the scrip she can do pretty much all she want, so taking a small break to walk towards you won't represent much problems (and there is the chance that you two meeting was something Elio already knew it would happen)

Kafka takes the first chance she has to get to met you and doesn't even bother on hidding her interest on you (not even that she is a criminal, for her it doesn't matter), as well there are high chances that she notices your shy behavior even before muttering the first word but she just find it rather cute

Kafka likes to admire the beauty, she is well know about the fine arts and, for her, meeting her darling is like finding a beautiful art piece that she has never seen before, one that she must add to her collection, no matter at what cost. Before she finish with her mision and has to leave that planet she will make sure to take you with her

Kafka is actually caring and loving towards her darling, wanting to treat you as the priceless piece of art you are for her, so she take the time to introduce herself and win your trust, even if she were in the middle of a battlefield she has the time to glance at her darling and dedicate them a smile

Kafka is really smart and skilled (in and outside of the battlefield) and for her winning her darling trust is like a game, and her plan to win your trust and heart is just a dance where she has leadership, smothly guiding you around the dance floor with elegance and grace, her eyes never leave yours, honestly Kafka is so smooth and charismatic that it is just matter of time to win your blind trust

Kafka doesn't even lie to her darling, she is sincere with how much she likes you and how beautiful you are in her eyes, your shyness makes you just adorable and she is more than willing to let you hide behind her back as she takes care of anything that you are afraid of or bothers you, and honestly she takes advantage of your shyness to make you depend on her, to make you want her around to be able to protect you

It doesn't take much time before Kafka manage to make her darling depend and needy, make you want her around at all times, even if she has to put you on risky situations just to came and save you she is willing to do so, she isn't afraid on losing you since she knows she is more than capable to protect you

Also, Kafka loves showing off with you more than she likes to admit, be due her skills in battle or her bast aknowledge in fine arts and treasures, all the beautiful peaces of art she own, her skills on music, everything she is and has is now yours too if you accept to be with her

One of the things she likes the most is dressing you up, putting on you the most fine and elegant outfits because it brings her two diferent benefits, it let her see the beauty of her beloved darling at its fullest and can see you all flustered and shy, specially when she just doesn't stop giving you compliments

She doesn't mind if you become friends with the rest of the Stellaron Hunters (that give her more chances to see you being all shy and maybe even a little scare, wich she loves and give her the chance to comfort you, so is just a win win for her), she knows that none of them will be idiotic enough to try to steal you from her (but if you start liking them more than her then it will be a problem), but if you prefer to just relate to her and don't interact with others is fine for her too

Silver Wolf

Catching Silver Wolf's attention will depend in how interesting she finds you, so for her obsession for her darling is going to grow slowly, fisrt by catching her attention enough for her to decided to do a little more research about you. No matter if the first time she have met you is in person or online, the only thing that matter is that now that you are her new target and nothing will stop her

Honestly, it doesn't take her much time before being able to find out everything she can about you, Silver Wolf is the best hacker and nothing will stop her, she can even hack your own accounts and devices just to get more information about you, but she will do it once her obsession have grown to the point that she just can't stop

The more Silver Wolf gets to know about you the more obsessed she gets, it brings her so much joy that she start seeing this hunt of her darling like some kind of game, a game that she will not lose no matter what it cost her. Traveling across the infinite amount of information she had of you to the point when she is even able to use an hologram to appear right where you are, leading her to her next step, getting her price

There is no other way for it to happen, after getting to know so much of you and how much joy you bring her is just natural for her wanting to have you only for herself, so she wont really waste much time before kidnapting you, but even when she is so excited and even in a rush of adrenaline Silver Wolf takes the time to make the perfect plan to win her price

Silver Wolf knows you are shy from the start, it was one of the things she found out while messing around your information, and yet, there are chances that she just forgot about it for being too concentrate in her plan, having you by her side is already a win so now she is she can take things slower and will take the time to win the trust and heart of her darling

Silver Wolf finds your shyness quite hilarious because of how easy was for her to get all the information about you, still she does respect your shyness and most of the time she just leave you be, she is happy with just having you around and having a one-side conversation while playing videogames until you adjust to your new life with her (it bothers her but she is willing to wait until you feel comfortable)

Despite your shyness and despite kidnapting you, Silver Wolf is really kind and friendly with you, no matter how you react she always acts as if you two were happy together, clingy and caring, sharing her snacks and videogames with you; even if you seem reclulant to open up with her Silver Wolf lets you have your own phone and even some freedom, she can easily track you down and know what you are doing so she isn't really scare, but is her behavior what can easily make you fall for her charismatic trick and put your trust on her

Silver Wolf is a little bothered by your shyness just because it holds you back from doing fun things, however she does finds quite funny to tease you and make you flustered or teasing you to convince you to do what she wants to do. She constantly take advantage of your shyness to gets what she wants and has no shame on doing it, she constantly use it whenever she has to go out for a mission or to see Elio, she kinda threats you about how she won't be there to help you if you end up meeting someone else if you decide to left the safety of your room, always emphasizing the fact that now you live close to the Stellaron Hunters and how dangerous they can be

Despite the threaten Silver Wolf let you interact with the other Stellaron Hunters if you want, she won't mind and finds quite funny seeing you scare or shy when the others are around, but also has little patient when it comes to the others and her darling, she leave others interact with you for a certain amount of time or just having a tolerance about how close they get to you before getting tired or even feeling possessive and dragging you away to your shared to room to play videogames together

[ghostboneswrites2]

A Mess || Reader Walsh X Daryl || Part 1

New account! @ghostbones was banned! Transferring everything here, beginning with this series since it was the most popular!

Summary: You grow tired of sneaking suspicions of Lori and your husband sneaking off together. When you finally catch them in the act, a grumpy redneck happens to be the one to help you through it in his own, unconventional way.

18+ MDNI || WARNINGS: profanity, nongraphic depictions of sex, TWD typical violence

        You were so sick of him. The way he stood with his hands on his hip, squinting in the Georgia sun as he watched over the camp -- or, more specifically -- watched over Lori. 

        You respected it at first, when Rick didn't wake up and he told you, "We gotta go get Lori and Carol, (Y/N). We just got to. I gotta do right by him."

        You didn't say anything when you were all stopped on the highway, watching the planes drop bombs on the city that was supposed to welcome you into safe refugee centers, and his first instinct was to hold Lori instead of you. You thought she had to be terrified, to lose her man and have to keep their son safe in such trying, unpredictable times. She probably needed that hug more than you, his own wife.

        You were young when you married Shane. A drunken night led to one thing, one thing led to a baby, a baby led to another thing; a ring. But, you had a miscarriage after the wedding, and as we all know that doesn't nullify a marriage. Regardless, it wasn't a bad marriage. The relationship was mostly solid. You had suspicions, like when he'd come home from a night out with the other guys on the force with what you could have sworn were faded lipstick stains that he couldn't wipe off well enough, or smelling faintly of perfume and cigarettes. Still, he took good care of you, and you had a fair bit of freedom. He financed your art supplies, bought you records, helped you get back into school.

        Your parents never had a good marriage so in comparison, you were doing well for yourself. Better than your mom, who lived on wine and Xanax, or your dad, who worked his fingers to the bone in that office, hunched over a computer, addicted to porn and cigars.

        You often wondered if they had survived the initial outbreak, or if they were stumbling around King County somewhere with no heartbeat.

        You shook the thought away, eyeing Shane from atop the RV where you were supposed to be watching for walkers. His skin was shiny with sweat. You wondered how long it'd be before he disappeared into the wood again. Funny how Lori always seemed to disappear at the same time, no doubt leaving Dale or Carol to keep an eye on Carl. Funny how since you'd all set up camp there by the quarry, Lori hadn't been able to make eye contact with you. Funny how he had been short with you, yet somehow managed to remain controlling  as ever. You weren't allowed out of his sight unless he was already out of yours. You couldn't talk to men like Ed or Merle and his brother. You couldn't touch the guns, not until he showed you how to use one properly. You couldn't go wash up in the quarry unless he was there to escort you at night, which he conveniently never was. You couldn't--

        "You alright up here?" Dale asked.

        "Oh. Yeah." You shook your head clean of the whirlwind of suspicion.

        "Don't seem too focused." He observed.

        "Yeah, you're right. Sorry." You said, holding the binoculars to your eyes and turning your attention to the trees.

        "Why don't you go on and take a break. I'll keep an eye out for now." He offered.

        "Actually, you know what? That would be really great. Thanks Dale." You smiled and passed his binoculars to him. You wanted to protest. Watch duty was your favorite, and just about the only thing you could do to make yourself useful aside from washing other people's dirty underwear.

        You climbed down from the roof, expecting to walk over to your husband, but he wasn't where he stood just moments prior.

        You turned to Amy, who was sitting on the steps of the RV, fanning herself. It was a particularly hot day.

        "Hey. Did you see where Shane went? I just saw him over there." You asked, her pointing to where he once stood.

        "I think he went to check the perimeter." She said, holding her hand over her eyes to look up at you without being blinded. It was probably just about noon now with the sun high in the sky.

        "Right." You nodded. You scanned the campers around you. "What about Lori?"

        She shook her head.

        "No, haven't seen her in a while. Carl's over there with Carol. She might know."

        You sighed, thanking Amy as you made your way to Carol.

        "Hey. Seen Lori?"

        "Yeah. She asked me to watch Carl for a bit. Not sure where she went, though."

        You felt a heat in your chest. Exactly as you suspected.

        You jogged back to Amy. "Hey, which way did Shane go?"

        She pointed over to the tree line on your left.

        "Thanks, again." You smiled in a thin line as you marched to the woods. You were determined to put an end to this shit, one way or another.

        You knew they couldn't have gone far. You had just seen him not five minutes ago. You were sure you could catch up. If the Dixons were around, you'd be half tempted to approach one and ask them to track for you. Probably the younger one. That Merle would probably ask you what you were willing to give in return, and you had a feeling he wouldn't be looking for payment in the material sense. You heard quiet rustling and heavy breaths. You ducked down and made slow, quiet steps, glancing down at the ground periodically to avoid any snapping twigs or overly crunchy leaves. You came to some thicker bushes and brush, crooning you neck to peer over the leaves and thorns. 

        Your stomach dropped. There it was. His sweat stained white tee, panting over her navy blue tank top that fit rather loosely with all the weight loss. Her jeans and underwear in a little pile off to the side, his gun set right on top. You clenched your jaw. You wanted to storm over and yell obscenities, to kick them both into the dirt. You were stuck, though. You couldn't move. You were so angry that you were cemented in place. Most of all, you were hurt. You were younger than Shane, and younger than Rick and Lori, but somehow, some way you thought Lori was a friend to you. You watched Carl when she and Rick took date nights from time to time, you two grabbed coffee together, went back to school shopping for Carl just to get you out of the house.

        It would have been one thing had she not known you, had she been a complete stranger, but she was supposed to be a friend, and Shane, he was your husband. Tears stung at your eyes as your pulse became noticeable under your skin.

        That's when you saw something else, a human shape walking up behind them. Could it be? A walker coming to exact your revenge for you? No, you could never be so lucky. It was the Dixon, the young one. His boots were heavy against the forest floor, drawing the attention of Shane and Lori. They both scrambled, Shane standing and buttoning his pants back up as Lori sat and pulled her jeans over her lap to cover herself. 

        "Hey, man -- I -- We can explain --" Shane stuttered, Lori looking mortified.

        "Ain't me ya gotta explain to." Daryl shrugged, glancing over Shane's shoulder at you as you slowly stood to your feet from behind the bushes.

        "Look, man. You say anything --" Shane hissed, no doubt gearing up for some halfhearted threat, but Daryl cut him off again.

        "Won't have to." He told Shane, throwing another look at you, this time prolonging eye contact.

        Shane and Lori followed his gaze and landed on you.

        "(Y/N)" Lori breathed.

        You tore your eyes from the huntsman, shooting visual daggers at your unfaithful husband and his backstabbing mistress.

        Shane took a deep breath, rubbing his hand over his face. You said nothing. There was nothing to say. You just looked at Daryl one more time before you turned around.

        "(Y/N), come on!" Shane called after you. "Let's talk about this."

        You didn't want to. You just stomped your way back to camp, ignoring the curious eyes as you pulled all your things from your shared tent with Shane. You really only had your backpack and a blanket. The two of you shared the sleeping bag and a single pillow, but you didn't want that. It would smell of Shane, and at that moment the thought of him made you nauseous. You took your bag and your blanket, and made your way down to the quarry. Surely that would be the most peaceful place to sleep, by the water, under the stars, away from everyone else. 

        "(Y/N.)" Shane said from behind you after he likely followed you back. "What the hell are you doin'?" He asked, referring to your backpack and blanket in arms.

        "Fuck you." You grumbled.

        "C'mon, what are you doin'?" He asked again. You spun on your heel, seething.

        "No, Shane. What the hell are you doing?!" You shouted, drawing eyes from all around. You didn't care. In fact, you saw it as an opportunity. "Sneaking off?! Getting your dick wet?!"

         "Don't do this here." He said quietly, glancing over his shoulder to where Carol sat with Carl and Sophia. They were all staring in shock, the whole camp. He reached his hands out to grab your shoulders but you stepped back, chest heaving with rage.

        "Oh, why? So your girlfriend's kid doesn't know she's getting down and dirty with you in the leaves out there?" You spat back, only loud enough for him to hear. "You haven't touched me in weeks. Not since the night we left home, but you can't keep it in your pants around your dead best friend's wife?"

        You shoved his chest with both hands, dropping the blanket to the ground in the process. His eyes grew dark, that pleading expression turning cold.

        "I don't give a fuck how sorry you are or aren't. I don't give a good god damn how guilty she feels. I hate you, and I hate her." You added, just to drive the knife in deeper. If they could stab you in the back, you'd stab them in the chest. 

        "Don't be stupid." He growled.

        "Stupid is having unprotected sex in the middle of the woods when your wife is sitting on top of an RV with binoculars. Stupid is fucking your best friend's wife. Stupid is--"

        He grabbed your arm with force, dragging you far away from the others. He lened in close to your face, eyes wide with fury.

        "You need to stop." He warned.

        "I am stopping. I'm stopping all of it. Congratulations, Shane. You don't have to hide your affair anymore. Because you no longer have a wife to cheat on. Oh, and by the way, you suck at hiding it. You both do. The whole fucking camp can see you two disappearing at the same time, every single day. We all see how you look at her, how you play house with her and Carl like your wife isn't sitting ten feet away. Is that what it is? You like making me look like a fool?"

        "I'm only gonna tell you once." He hissed, scowling down at you like you were the one who betrayed him. "Keep your mouth shut."

        "No problem." You sneered. "I'll keep my mouth shut, and you'll keep your distance."

----

        It was dark out. Despite the blazing heat in the daytime, the nights could get pretty chilly, especially down by the water. You didn't mind. You set against the cliff, back rested against your bag, blanket wrapped over you nice and snug. You enjoyed all the stars above. They were hard to see back home, but now, without all the light pollution, they were beautiful.

        "Shouldn't be out here alone." A husky voice rasped. You looked down past your feet to see the shadow of an archer, the very one who happened to catch Shane and Lori when you did.

        "Nah. If any of those freaks stumble through here, they'll be drawn to the fire and the lanterns. I'm safer than ever over here in the dark."

        "Mm." He hummed. "Y'alright? After--"

        "After I caught my husband fucking another woman? Yeah. All things considered, I'm better than ever." You scoffed.

        "Bein' mad don't mean ya gotta be stupid. Can't stay out here." He insisted.

        "Well, my tent is Shane's tent, and the RV is full." You sighed.

        "Jus' take mine." He offered.

        "Yours." You repeated. "And you're gonna sleep where?"

        "Outside. Prefer it that way anyway." He shrugged.

        "Yeah, no. I'm not kicking you out of your own tent."

        "Ain't kickin' me out if I offer." 

        "Well, thanks, but I'll be declining that offer."

        "Suit yourself." He said as he walked back to camp. Daryl wasn't the type to go out of his way for someone else. In fact, it was rather annoying that you couldn't accept his kindness when he felt obliged to offer it. He saw how you looked when you caught them, the sickening blend of grief and rage. You hadn't done anything to deserve that, at least to his knowledge, yet you were the one with nowhere to sleep. It didn't sit right with him.

        He remembered something, though. A bottle of whiskey he had stashed away in his tent. If he couldn't convince you to sleep somewhere warmer and safer than on the bed of red clay by the water, maybe you'd accept something to take your mind off it all.

        He ducked into his tent and grabbed his bottle, paying no mind to his fellow survivors all huddled around the fire making small talk. Lori and Shane sat near each other, Carl in between them talking to Shane about his favorite heroes, Shane telling him stories about his dad.

        Shane's eye caught Daryl as he made his way down the quarry with a bottle of liquor, no doubt on his way to you. He felt a heat in his chest, the same kind you felt when you found him rolling in the dirt with Lori. She noticed his sudden tension and followed his gaze. She looked back to Shane with worry, attempting to calm him with her eyes.

        Daryl found you laying on your side, backpack under your cheek like a pillow.

        "Ya sleep?" He asked.

        "No." You said, monotone and irritable.

        "Ya like whiskey?"

        You sat up. Of course you liked whiskey, this is the south.

        "You have some?" You inquired. He held the bottle out to you and you took it, twisting off the cap and taking a large swig. "Thanks."

        "Ain't a gift." He clarified. "But ya look like you could use a drink."

        He sat down a foot away from you, facing the water. You passed the bottle back to him.

        "Well, thanks for sharing."

        "Mhm."

        "What would you do?" You asked him.

        "Huh?"

        "I mean if you had a wife out here and you caught her fucking someone else."

        "Kick her outta my tent." He said.

        "And if it was her tent?"

        "Too bad. Shouldn't've been sleepin' around." He shrugged, swigging the bottle and passing it to you.

        "Uhuh." You nodded, sipping. "What else?"

        "You askin' me for advice or somethin'?" 

        "Something like that." You guessed.

        "Well I'd probably kick his ass for fuckin' my wife knowin' I was right there."

        "Mm. I'd love to but I can't exactly whoop someone who still has to look out for a kid."

        "Guess ya just gotta ignore 'em." He suggested, taking the bottle as you handed it over.

        "How? I live with them."

        "Want me to kill 'em?" He joked. You chuckled.

        "Kinda." You admitted.

        "Mm. Too easy. I'd tie 'em up outside the city and leave 'em to the walkers." 

        "Oh, you've put thought into this?" You asked. He tipped the bottle bac and took a gulp.

        "Nah. If I did I'd have somethin' more creative."

        "The hell's this?" Shane asked, suddenly looming over the two of you.

        Daryl stood up. "Just havin' a drink." He said, eyeing Shane.

        "With my wife?" Shane stepped forward, so Daryl did too.

        "Looks single to me." Daryl shrugged. He didn't come over with the intentions of making a move on you. Really he hadn't noticed you around at all. He, however, also wasn't one to back down from a fight, and he already had a distaste for the ex-fed, self proclaimed leader.

        "What?" Shane asked through gritted teeth, swaying as he grew more antsy to take a swing. 

        "You're a real piece of work, you know that Shane?" You sighed, standing up. You weren't phased by his sudden intrusion, you knew him too well to be surprised.

        "Yeah, why don't ya go back to sleepin' with the widow?" Daryl added. That was enough for Shane. He threw the first punch, but Daryl recovered quickly, getting a good knock to the ribs in before you inserted yourself between them, one hand to each man's chest.

        "Can we chill with the dick-measuring contest? He brought me a drink because he felt bad for me. Nothing else, because unlike you," you said to Shane, "some men are capable of keeping their willies tucked away."

        "Yeah, right, like he wasn't just waitin' for you to get drunk and start feelin' vengeful." Shane spat.

        "I don't fuck drunk girls, asshole." Daryl spoke up. "That's for cops and losers."

        "Man, you think you can take me? You want a piece of this?" Shane started to raise his voice now.

        "Yeah, c'mon then, prick." Daryl said, throwing his arms up. The two men stepped in circles around you as you tried to keep a barrier between them.

        "Yeah, come on then, pussy!" Shane shouted.

        "Pussy? Nah, man. You're the coward, slidin' your dick in some vulnerable window when ya had a tight piece o' ass right here waitin' for ya every night!" Daryl yelled back.

        "What is goin' on here?" Lori came in, eyes blazing between the three of you.

        "Wha'd'ya waitin' for, man? There's your side piece, go on and get her!" Daryl said.

        Shane lunged forward and you gripped around his torso tight, banking on the hope that he wouldn't hurt you to get past you, at least nit in front of her.

        "Don't fuckin' talk about here like that!" Shane seethed.

        "Yeah well ya sure didn't care 'bout me callin' your wife a tight piece of ass! I see where your priorities lie!"

        You couldn't afford to get distracted with the details as you put all your focus and strength into holding on to Shane to prevent anyone from getting hurt. However, the Dixon made some valid points.

        "Stop it, you two!" Lori begged.

        "Hate to say it," you strained against Shane's strength, digging your feet into the dirt as his strong frame fought against you. "But I'm with Lori."

        "Y'all need to calm down before--"

        "Is everything okay?" Dale's voice sounded from behind Lori, cutting her off. Amy, Andrea, and Morales stood with him. Lori sighed and put her hand over her forehead.

        Shane finally relented and you gratefully let go of him, turning to face the crowd of onlookers.

        "What happened here?" Dale inquired.

        "He was makin' a move on my wife." Shane panted, still coming down from the surge of adrenaline and rage.

        You scoffed, gawking at his audacity. You glared at Lori for a moment, running your tongue over your teeth before you shook your head and chuckled.

        "No, he brought me a drink because he felt bad for me, sleeping out here alone." You corrected.

        "Why are you sleeping all the way out here?" Andrea asked, shaking her head with confusion.

        "Yeah, it's really not safe. You should be up there with us." Amy added.

        "Yeah, Shane, Lori." You cocked your head to the side, crossing your arms as you looked between the two of them. "Why am I sleeping all the way out here? Hm?"

        Lori looked at you with wide, anxious eyes as Shane just shot daggers at you and Daryl. Lori looked back to everyone else, who seemed to be confused, except for Dale who had a knack for picking up on things.

        "Maybe we should head back to camp. It's getting late." Dale suggested.

        "I'm good." You rolled your eyes. "Thanks for ruining yet another peaceful moment." You said to Shane.

        "I'm confused." Andrea spoke up. 

        "Oh, allow me to clarify." You smiled, sickeningly sweet. Lori shook her head at you, but you ignored her. "Shane, my husband, and Lori, have been keeping a secret from us. Care to share with the class?"

        "(Y/N), man, come on. Why you gotta start problems?" Shane let out an exasperated sigh.

        "No? Okay, allow me to speak on your behalf, then. My husband has been fucking Lori, who, if you guys weren't aware, is married to Shane's best friend, who he claims is dead." You said.

        God, did that feel good.

        Everyone looked stunned, save for Lori who just looked humiliated and mortified, and Shane, who was more pissed than anything else.

        "Some leader, huh? A real honest guy." You added, just to add insult to injury. Salt in the open wound, if you will.

        "Oh...kay... Why don't we just.." Dale was at a loss for words.

        "Maybe (Y/N) can stay in the RV with us." Amy suggested.

        "Yeah, I think that'd be just fine." Dale agreed.

        "No need." You looked to Shane, smirking. "Daryl here has offered his tent."

        Daryl shot you a look. He had no intentions of being your pawn in some twisted revenge scheme.

        "You did?" Andrea asked.

        Daryl nodded. "Yeah, told her she could have it 'til she figures somethin' else out."

        "And you're gonna sleep... Where?" She wondered.

        "Outside." He shrugged.

        Shane scoffed and shook his head, hands rested on his hips in that police stance you had grown to hate. Your nostrils flared at him in disgust. 

----

        "Why'd ya do that?" Daryl asked.  You were all back at camp now. He was grabbing some essentials from his tent to make room for you. "Make it like it was somethin' it ain't?"

        "What do you mean? I told the truth. You offered your tent."

        "Nah, you wanted to get under his skin." He shook his head at you as you stood with your bag over your shoulder and your dusty blanket balled up in your arms.

        "I mean, yeah, but--"

        "But nothin'. I ain't gon' be part of your revenge and I damn sure ain't gonna be no rebound dick to ride 'til ya feel better." He cut you off before he stormed away.

Taglist || Masterlist

[fallenhunnyapple]

So the Poll said you guys were interested in the Human Priest!Adam AU which was a bit of a surprise honestly. But I'm very happy to talk about it~

I shared this art before for the AU. I gave a very basic description at the time, so let me get more detailed about it!

It hasn't gone unnoticed that Adam has gotten... Rather vice-ful in Heaven. One might even say sinful. And as such a public figure, that's no good. So they come up with a plan. Reincarnate Adam as a Human and let him live out a life and Prove that he's worthy of his place in Heaven. Of course, they'll take his memories and put him in a religious setting so he'll follow the proper path and prove himself.

He's sent to earth as a younger version of himself, old enough to take care of himself but still rather young, with the excuse of having been in an accident for why he has no memories (it removes the hassle of having to fabricate memories) and gets taken in by the church. He becomes the priest for this small town church. He's rather popular, his attitude, though not typical of a priest, being refreshing after their previous priest. He's made a bit uncomfortable about how adamantly homophobic some of his parish is as a closeted gay man, but he plays it off and over all he's doing well enough for himself at his church. Kinda lonely since its his Parish and not real companionship, he doesn't have any other friends or family. Not to mention he's actually been Good about not being sinful or acting on vices. Life is kinda hard.

Lucifer heard about this whole experiment. It doesn't really matter how, but since he knows, of course he needs to interfere. He... Hasn't actually gone to Earth before. He's sort of Shackled to Hell, its part of his punishment. But he finds some sort of Loop hole, using an Asmodean Crystal and some of his own cunning, he manages to make it there. Of course, he finds he still has his limits, he can't really interfere with most Humans, but Adam is a special case because while he is very much Human, he's still holy beyond any other human currently on Earth, and that gives him the chance to get close. His plan is honestly just to get him to Sin, enough to damn his soul so that Heaven would lose him when he died. He wasn't really planning on getting too Directly involved, but more nudging him in viceful and sinful directions.

And then Lucifer entered the church to meet him. Hallowed ground doesn't Actually affect him, he was an Angel once, he still has Angelic Powers and Abilities. The worst would be a vague tingling.

(take rp snippets. I'm Lucifer and Adam is @fallenguitarhero)

The AU as a whole, though it's definitely full of sexual tension and smut, because of course it is, it's also... Weirdly wholesome?

Adam didn't really have a Chance to make real friends or feel like anyone truly cared about him, he lost his 'childhood' and then was raised by the church and no one from his past ever tried to reenter his life. Aside from the setting though, he doesn't have the long hard life he lived in his memories, so he's basically like Eden Adam all over again, childish in a more playful way, not as bitter or vindictive, not as cruel. And Lucifer is there trying to gain his trust, and having this Adam act so much like the one he befriended back in the Garden, well. Lucifer sees him as sort of a friend too. And its the first time Adam's really felt companionship like that in this life. Sure, Lucifer is the Devil, but he acts like he cares more about him on a personal level than anyone else ever has.

Does that make him more susceptible to falling to Sin? Sure. But he doesn't find himself minding when the Devil makes him Feel Things, from romantic and sexual attraction to true fondness and friendship.

And for Lucifer's part, he's decided he no longer wants to tempt Adam to Sin just to fuck with Heaven. No, he wants Adam to join him in Hell because he was Adam To Join Him In Hell.

⚠️🔞 And since I mentioned the sexual tension and smut-

Essentially, as soon as Lucifer noticed that Adam was showing interest in him from their first meeting, he knew he had to have him Carnally. It wouldn't be enough to simply convince him to sin in other ways, no. He wanted to fuck him because there's no quicker way to Damnation than having sex with the Devil himself, right? Especially as a closeted gay priest. And Lucifer has the very specific goal in mind of getting Adam to let him fuck him in the confessional.

Lucifer doesn't start out pushing sex or anything. He wants to build trust with Adam first. But it's really not that hard to get under Adam's skin, he hardly has to do anything! Adam is a sexually frustrated man who has an inexplicable draw to the Devil and it doesn't take him long to start getting off to the very thought of him, of what Lucifer would do to him. And of course, Lucifer knows. And it only takes a little more poking and prodding and nudging before he can get Adam to agree to indulge in his fantasies and make them real!

And then there's just a fun scenario in my head about them being nasty in the confessional (like Lucifer wanted) and someone entering the other side and so Adam has to do his Job while Lucifer has him fully hilted and seated on his lap with a prehensile tentacle dick that's moving around on its own while Adam has to try Really Hard to not let himself make any suspicious sounds while taking confession-

[aspiringtrashpanda]

A conversation about ship names with @shootingstarrfish inspired me to write this silly little fic featuring my favorite OC ever, Starr's MC Sidra!

Characters: Belphegor x Sidra (MC, he/they), Leviathan Ridiculous discussions in ship names, Belphie is still bad at art. No warnings apply

“You want to… what?” 

Belphie wasn’t sure he had heard correctly. There was always that stretch of time where he laid in limbo, somewhere between sleep and the waking world. Everything felt a bit like a lucid dream, like the voices around him fed him prompts and he could do with them what he wished. 

He was sure Sidra had spoken. The subtle vibration had lanced through their thighs where Belphie rested his head. Then, he had heard his own voice. Had he meant to speak aloud? Ah, whatever. It wouldn’t be the first time he spoke in his half-sleep. 

Another rumble through the pillow he had made of Sidra. “Come up with our ship name.”

Alright. So, he had heard correctly. It took him a while, maybe so long that Sidra had forgotten what they were even talking about, but Belphie managed to pull himself upright, to rub his tired eyes as they adjusted to the dim firelight of the living room. Sidra hadn’t moved an inch since Belphie had curled up for a nap, his nose still buried in his D.D.D. as he played some sort of rhythm game. Levi had probably introduced them to it. At least he looked comfortable, lounging on the plush couch before the crackling hearth.

Belphie peered at his partner, eyes a sliver of violet as he processed the words, hoping that the more time he took would equate to knowledge magically filling his head. He didn’t like not knowing. Maybe that’s why he got along well with Satan. Well, aside from other shared interests…

Belphie sighed, giving up. “And what’s that?”

“It’s…uh…” Sidra balked, and it wasn’t lost on Belphie how he exited out of his game mid-song. That wasn’t a good sign. 

“Did I hear ship discourse happening over here?” A familiar voice, overly enthusiastic about something Belphie was sure to find uninteresting, interrupted. Leviathan appeared like a sonic boom, heard before seen. Arms teeming with snacks and beverages, Belphie was certain Levi had been on route to a gaming session in his room. A second later and he wouldn’t have heard anything. Terrible timing, really. 

Yet, Sidra indulged him, a lazy shrug accompanied by a breezy, “kind of, sort of.”

Belphegor was lost. In a feeble attempt to understand what his partner could possibly have to discuss with Leviathan, he asked, “Are you flooding the Devildom again? Is that what’s happening?”

Ships. Water. Flood. It checked out, okay?

Alas, Levi laughed. It was that haughty laugh that irritated Belphie to his wit’s end. The one that said I know something you don’t know. So annoying.

Satan would understand. 

And despite the pity in his orange eyes stoking the defiant fire in Belphie’s gut, Levi confessed, “No, Sidra isn’t referring to a literal ship. He’s referring to you.”

Belphie blinked. “What about me?”

“No, you.” Levi went to gesture, but then seemed to remember his hands were full. He settled for jerking his head from Belphie to Sidra and back to Belphie. A violent blush bloomed to life as he stuttered, “As a…c-c-couple.”

Still, the whole concept was lost on Belphie, for he was too busy internally criticizing Levi’s inability to speak of romance without turning as bright as a screaming hell tomato. “I still don’t get it.”

“When two characters have romantic potential,” Sidra, clearly done with whatever threeway foxtrot was happening around the subject, decided to throw Belphie a bone. He chose his words carefully, pushing the sentence along with his hands. “It’s called a ship. Like a relationship.” 

His D.D.D. had fallen into his lap. Belphie liked when Sidra talked with their hands. He was so cute. 

But then, Levi had to go and ruin Belphie’s quiet moment of admiring his partner with an obnoxious but actually, “It was coined way back in an online forum where fans of a series about aliens and mysteries believed the two protagonists would get together. They called themselves “relationshippers”, and then it was shortened to “shippers” and bam! Ships.” 

The fire crackled in the hearth. For a moment, Belphie considered resting his head in Sidra’s lap and going back to sleep. Maybe he could pretend this was all a dream. 

Unfortunately, Sidra was looking at him with this expectation glittering in his eyes. Classic Sidra. Always afraid to ask for what he really wanted. But that’s why they were with someone like Belphie, right? Belphie smirked. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. 

“Okay,” He feigned nonchalance, flopping backwards against the arm of the couch. “So, what’s our ship name?”

“Well,” Sidra chewed the inside of his cheek. His warm brown eyes darted to the log in the fireplace, bark peeling away in bleached strips as the flames ate away at the wood. “Typically, the two character names are mashed together. Like, um…”

Levi’s grin brightened. This time, a bag of gummy salamanders fell to the ground with a thud! “Taizuki is the name for the romantic pairing of Taichi-san and Azuki-tan!” 

Sidra snickered, “And Lucifer and Diavolo would be Dialuci.”

Belphie lit up. Well, wasn’t that useful information. Cataloging such a name in the back of his mind, he considered his own pairing. “So we’d be… Belphdra?”

Levi snorted. Sidra frowned.

Belphie pursed his lips, “What?”

‘’Why does that sound like a monster?” Levi completely abandoned any pretense of leaving, dropping his trove of snacks on the coffee table as he chuckled, “Oh, like Lotan but with Belphie’s various expressions for each head.”

With a gasp, Sidra’s entire body lurched forward, their hair flopping with the movement. They searched the drawers of the end table, cheering when they found an old notepad Mammon had left lying around after this last round of monthly budgeting. “Wait hold on, I want to draw this.”

The silence that enveloped the sitting room was unnerving. The glint in Sidra’s eyes warned of something that Belphie wasn’t necessarily going to like, their pencil scrawling across the compressed pad with an irritating scratch. 

Sure enough, when Sidra presented his masterpiece, a flare of indignation roared to life in Belphie’s chest.

Pictured was a rather magnificent looking dragon, if Belphie did say so himself, but each of its three heads wore a displeased expression, all furrowed brows and bared teeth. Certainly a rather unflattering representation of himself. He wasn’t that grouchy, was he? Sure, maybe when he was woken in the middle of a good dream, but that wasn’t always. 

Biting his tongue, Belphie settled for scoffing, “That is not what a Belphdra would look like.”

“Then you show us,” Sidra volleyed back with ease. There was no bite to their words, only curiosity burning in the stretch of his smile and the light of his eyes. 

For a moment, Belphie forgot about Levi, forgot about the doodle, forgot about the challenge. Lost in the radiant glow of his partner’s amusement, in their dimples and their little moles and the happy blush that seeped across tan skin, Belphie considered tossing the conversation aside in favor of carrying Sidra away to the attic. There, he could kiss the creases in the corners of Sidra’s hazelnut eyes. There, he could show him exactly what a Belphdra looked like. 

But then Leviathan was clicking his tongue impatiently, and Sidra was pushing the pad of paper into Belphie’s hands. 

With a roll of his eyes, Belphie got to work. Tip of his tongue peeking out between his lips, he pressed the dull point of the pencil to the paper again and again. A curved line here, a straight line there. A little squiggle for a mouth. 

When he was done, he revealed his work to… complete confusion. Sidra and Levi stared, mouths flapping around words they couldn’t quite say. Their gazes traced the slope of the seven necks, but they didn’t seem to acknowledge the tiny circle that represented the body. They glanced from the pointed tail, to the goofy tongue, to the fancy hat upon the third head, and still, they failed to provide any sort of praise.

“It’s…” Levi started.

Sidra put him out of his misery, “Unique?”

Before Belphie could make some sort of snarky remark, his partner patted him on the shoulder. With a sympathetic smile, Sidra waved away the disappointment with a cheery, “It doesn’t matter, anyway. Our ship name isn’t Belphdra.”

Levi cocked his head. “No?”

“It’s Sidphie,” Sidra asserted, bold smile booming with certainty. At this, Levi’s expression changed rapidly. Something akin to indifference morphed into shock, into horror, into a mix of resigned yet impressed acceptance. 

Belphie was lost. Stifling a yawn, he looked between Levi and Sidra for some sort of explanation, asking, “Wait, why?”

There was a beat of silence, a mischievous smirk from Sidra the only warning Belphie received before Levi laughed, “The character who tops is usually named first.”

He was kicked out of the room via pillow thrown at light speed. 

*・゜・*:.。.*.。.:*・☆・゜・*:.。.*.。.:*・☆・゜

MY REQUESTS ARE OPEN! I've finished the first round, please give me more! This is a fun little writing exercise for me! Find out more HERE.

[skrrts]

flowers & kisses (drabble)

✧ gn!reader x wooyoung ✧ genre: non idol, slice of life, fluff, dating ✧ word count: 852

Wooyoung & you relax together in a field of wildflowers

a/n: i'm practicing drabbles because writing under 1k words is always hard. anon suggested "wooyoung & flowers"

The flower field had a light, sweet fragrance that mixed with the fresh scent of grass, creating a calm and inviting atmosphere. The sun was kind today, no longer burning and forcing you to find shelter in the shadows of a tree. Instead, sitting in the middle of the field of flowers was something you always wanted to do but never quite found the confidence to do on your own. Your boyfriend easily changed that.

Wooyoung was busy picking some of the wildflowers, the bouquet in his hands kept growing and you couldn’t entirely hold back a chuckle every time he pouted a little when it would not stay in place the way he wanted it to.

“Here, try it with this,” you opened your bag and pulled out one of the hairbands you always carried with you ever since the two of you started dating.

When Wooyoung decided to grow out his hair, scenarios where he forgot to bring one but wanted to tie it up became frequent. A smile spread on his lips as he leaned in to accept it.

“That’s a perfect idea!”

You watched as he carefully tied it around the flower stems and looked at his piece of art, seemingly satisfied.

“Now, I am almost a little jealous that your mom gets such a pretty gift but at the same time, I’m quite proud that I have such a thoughtful boyfriend.”

The moment Wooyoung turned around to say something, you managed to capture the stunning view in a polaroid. It would be one of those snapshots where the surprise was painted beautifully against a background that seemed like a movie.

“Hey! That’s cheating!” he called out, placing the flower bouquet aside and grinning at you.

“I hope you know this means revenge, yes?” As he was moving closer, you were only playfully leaning back.

“Is that so?” Your voice tried to be challenging but you were just soft; he did that to you but there was no regret about it.

Wooyoung was by your side, his arms curled around your waist and he forced you to fall down onto the blanket together with him, causing you to laugh softly as he pulled you closer.

“Caught you! Now you are mine!” He did not hesitate to shower you with dozens of tiny kisses all over your cheeks, nose, and forehead.

Wooyoung always had been so expressive with his affection, not only with loved ones but also with friends. Maybe that was why it took you a little while to realize he liked you more than a friend but for that, dating felt so natural. You never had to wonder about his emotions, he’d always show them to you just like that.

“I do not want to disappoint you, but I already was yours, Woo,” you looked up at him and could see the affection in his eyes.

His hand wandered up to brush strands of hair out of your face: “That is true. Ah, everyone said that one should put lots of effort into asking the person of your dreams out but you said yes before I even finished my question. So impatient.”

“Makes two of us,” you teased and he laughed.

“True, good for me! That way, I can just drag you to our little adventures.”

There was a happy sigh escaping his lips as he nuzzled his pretty face into your hair, pressing a kiss on top of it.

“I am not sure if taking a break in the middle of a field of flowers counts as such but even if not, I am content. Please continue to carry me away.”

You looked up at him, now being the one to pout. It caused him to chuckle but eventually, Wooyoung leaned down and kissed you. The kiss was sweet and soft, you enjoyed it when the two of you spent time just like that: easy and simple. Nights were exciting enough.

“I love you, y/n. Thanks for coming with me here today.”

The way his hair fell over his face and his eyes were so attentive, the smile soft yet always seemingly waiting like he was afraid you would not return it.

His fear would forever be unfounded.

“I love you too, Wooyoung.”

You leaned in for another kiss and while you could feel him lean in, after just a moment, your boyfriend forced your lips apart.

“If we keep kissing, I can’t promise I will be able to stop doing so and then we probably won’t make it back to mom’s infamous citrus cake.”

Wooyoung pulled you up without letting go of you, placing you comfortably onto his lap and he reached out for the bouquet, handing it to you before taking the camera.

“Capture time! Show me your cutest face!”

You wanted to complain about how sudden it was, your hair a mess but Wooyoung already pressed his lips on your cheek and you chuckled as the moment was frozen in time in a polaroid.

A photo you gladly added to the walls of precious memories you shared with Wooyoung back in your room.

[blueskittlesart]

Hello, I finished oot and loved it and so I started majora’s mask today, I’m not that far into it but I’m on the second day and it feels like I’m almost on the third but I don’t know and i feel like I wasted all my time wondering around getting myself acquainted with clock town and I am following a guide and it’s fun but I’m a little anxious about playing it since I’m bad at time management and hate being under a time limit, do you have any tips? And also if you fail to do something within 3 days in game, does your progress save or do you have to start all over again from scratch?

Also sorry for sending some of these, I know your not a guide and it may be a little weird, since your a art blog, sorry

hey! so first of all the point of the first 3-day cycle in majora's mask is that you can't really get anything done. you sort of need to "waste" that first cycle wandering around waiting for certain things to happen, so don't worry if you don't feel productive just yet!

in terms of being worried about the time limit, i understand it being anxiety-inducing but honestly in practice it's actually significantly MORE time than you need. also, after the first cycle you should be able to get a song (iirc it's from the scarecrow in the observatory? but i could be wrong) that will allow you to either slow down or speed up time, and slowing the timer every time you reset makes the rest of the game much easier! usually when I do that i end up with extra time at the end of my cycles.

as for what happens if you miss the time limit, yeah it's going to reset your progress. assume that basically anything you do in terms of dungeons or quests is going to be reset at the end of 3 days. Most of the dungeons are fairly easy to complete within the 3-day timer, but i recommend setting aside one full cycle for each dungeon and not trying to do anything else during that cycle, just in case. you also don't have to wait until the end of the 3 days to reset, you can play the song of time at any time, so if you mess up and feel like you'd rather just start over from the beginning of the cycle don't be afraid to do that! you also don't lose most of your inventory when you reset; you keep your masks and most other items, and you can keep your rupees if you use the bank.

[nonasuch]

so I went to New York this weekend!

I tagged along with some friends who were going to the Five Points Toy Festival in Brooklyn, and convinced them to come see Sleep No More with me on Thursday night, since it’s allegedly closing at some point and I’ve always wanted to go.

And since they had to head back to DC a day before me, I decided to get another ticket for the Sunday matinee on my own.

Unfortunately my cards were a 6 and a 7, so I missed a few things right at the beginning, but I’m still really happy with my experience. My first show I spent a bunch of time following the Tailor, which I really enjoyed — he had a duet with the Taxidermist in his shop where they played tug-of-war with his measuring tape, and another with the speakeasy bartender. I saw Hecate eat her dinner and sing “Is That All There Is” in the 4th floor bar, and the Porter try to save Lady Macduff from the poisoned milk and then do an amazing dance in the bag check room. Plus a bunch more small lovely moments that I caught in passing as I explored.

My second show I had my bearings a little bit more. I got to chat with “Benji” (who I now know was actually Will Boyajian!) in the Manderly before my card was called, which was really fun!

Before this trip, I did do some advance reading, so I’d have a general sense of what to expect and wouldn’t be totally lost. This also gave me an idea for a little art project: I made a set of papier-mâché eggs (using a trashed copy of Macbeth for the paper) with thematically appropriate prizes inside, sealed with a wax seal and a red ribbon you could pull to open them. Basically fancier versions of the mystery eggs I have at the shop. I made eight, because that was all I could fit in my dress pockets. The prizes were:

a glass jar of vintage mother-of-pearl buttons

a glass vial with a dried flower inside, sealed with wax

another sealed vial with a fossil shark’s tooth

a tiny bell jar with mini (fake) butterflies on pins

a brooch made from a vintage medal ribbon and vintage keys

a tiny glass bird

a little bag of vintage game pieces

a wooden acorn with more tiny treasures inside it

I ended up giving “Benji” the shark tooth egg, which turned out to be perfect because he said he collects shark teeth! The others I saved until I got inside; I wanted to be careful about making sure I could give them out without interrupting anything.

I was super lucky to have some time entirely alone with the Tailor while he sewed up the Taxidermist’s coat, so I just set his egg (the buttons) on the corner of his desk and stepped back, and he tucked it into his jacket pocket when he was done.

I watched the Taxidermist make his bone sculpture assemblage and then smash it in frustration, so I hid an egg under one of the skulls after he left. I did get to see him find it when he came back. Same with Hecate, when I left an egg under her fan on her table at the wrecked bar.

The speakeasy bartender invited me to play a card game with him. I lost, but I gave him an egg as a thank-you.

I watched the Porter make a paper boat and blow it off the edge of the counter towards me. I caught it, and tried to give it back with his egg. He took the egg, but gave me back the boat. And I caught the witch in the green dress in a quiet moment in the lobby, and handed her an egg across the counter.

I realized I’d accidentally given the Taxidermist the wrong egg, but I managed to catch him at the last possible second, before he disappeared after the walkouts, gave him the right one, and told him I’d given him Malcolm’s egg by mistake. (Some of them were labeled, but the lighting is so low and my labels were tiny).

Aside from my self-imposed side quest, I got to see a bunch of scenes I’d missed last time. I caught the rave, I followed Agnes for a while, I saw a lovely waltz between Duncan and Mrs. Danvers in the ballroom. I kind of forgot the fifth floor existed, oops.

Afterwards, I was totally exhausted and must have looked it, because someone let me into the reserved section so I could sit until the crowd thinned out and I felt a little less wiped. I have some really cool souvenirs — my mask, and the paper boat, and I bought a poster too.

If they extend it into the fall, I’ll totally go again.

[floralfractals]

hi! :3 do you happen to know of any application/cross-discipline work (if that is the right term) between fiber arts (incl manuals, etc) like knitting and knot theory? it seems like there's an obvious bridge, but i dont really know enough abt either to go digging myself

Oo nice one, I admit I haven't thought about that myself.

For the uninitiated: knot theory is about knots in strings which have connected ends, and about when they are "equivalent" (i.e. whether you can form one into the other without using scissors or passing the string through itself).

When you're knitting, there's all of these different stitches you can do. You could see that as some kind of code (and those knitting guides really look like complicated code to me (I don't knit) (this post is a collab between me and my mom) (everyone say hi to my mom)) where every codeword/stitch gives the material different properties like stretch, rigidity or thickness.

Apparently, researches around the world are working on understanding those stitches using knot theory. Because if they manage to understand knitting, that will both lead to a mega-breakthrough in pure mathematics, and they might be able to use it for micro-materials! That's pretty cool I think :)

As an aside, since knitting consists of only a few actions you can do in different orders, and since every action is reversable, you get some sort of algebraic structure out of it :3 which is also pretty neat.

[xuchiya]

princess charm school [k.yeosang]

mentions of: murdered, killed, semi-corruption(?),

i know some of you are like, "Oh its must be similar to barbie?" yes, it is but i'm adding a little reality to it.

barbie m.list || k.hongjoong || p.seonghwa || j.yunho || k.yeosang || c.san || s.mingi || j.wooyoung || c.jongho

Kang Yeosang, he doesn’t know where or what happened, but to him— if fate does it then it might be for him. Yeosang always had a strong belief in fate. He had thought that maybe moments weren’t for him or maybe it is for him but not today, tomorrow or whatever day it would be as long as it sits on the perfect time.

That is until he found himself questioning fate—”Me?”

Why would he find, in a position he would not think of– not even close to being part of some family drama? He stood in the middle of a feud that has nothing to do with him yet it all seems like he is the centre of the problem. Yeosang mentions living in an apartment with his two other friends from his old school– Wooyoung and San– who were studying the art of dancing which to his relief, he was also accepted in the said school until he was invited to a prestigious school— The Starlight Academy.

His aunt who raised him in the academy, eventually pulled him out after an incident and raised him in the urban areas of Aurora— no one knows why but he grew up to be a nice kid and well mannered one too. It was around the age of 14 when he was invited to the academy. He walks in not knowing anything about royalties or tea parties— he knows how to pour himself 4 cups of coffee in a day or swear every time he plays Valorant with Yunho or eats with a simple tableware not with multiple ones.

That is until his Aunt, who has worked in the academy since the beginning, spoke to him about his invitation and his purpose.

“I’m the King’s—?”

“..–princess?” The grand gates of Starlight Academy loomed ahead, a majestic symphony of marble and swirling vines. My heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs. Unlike the other students, all exuding an air of practiced poise, I felt like a fish thrust onto land. Coming from a normal family in the city of Aurora, I find my situation quite interesting and downright unbelievable. 

If this moment were to be witnessed by my sister, she would be laughing at how ridiculous this is and how a person like me— a baker in a small city of Aurora— trade my ripped jeans and dirty apron and worn-out sneakers for a sparkling tiara and a frilly dress. 

The letter. This started with a letter, a mysterious yet embossed with a silver star as seal for the letter. Apparently, my “hidden potential” was shined in the lights of Aurora and it is worthy of attending the Starlight Academy, the most prestigious finishing school for princesses of different parts of the country. Intrigued with the future held in my days of becoming a “princess” and slightly terrified of having zero experience and knowledge— aside from curt bows if that would be acceptable— I packed a meager bag and boarded the silver royal Mercedes that whisked me towards the palace of Aurora. 

I looked down on the invitation letter, “How did I manage to get myself an invitation–” It was like nature heard when a text from my sister came in.

    “You’re still young pabo so I put you into this school to learn not only to be a princess but to learn how to sit like a gad damn woman!

Anyways, mom says goodluck and she loves you.” 

I shake my head, a smile on my face.

Now, here I stood, feeling like a misplaced comma in a perfectly punctuated sentence. The other girls—royalties apparently— all with their perfectly coiffed hair and confident smiles, seemed to belong here in this enormous palace. They glided through the academy with practised ease in their steps, mannered laughs tinkling like windchimes. 

In other words, I felt like a total stranger, desperately trying to fit in this circle. I shake my head, come to my senses and push the thought that not many lucky students like me got to be invited to become a student in this prestigious academy for royalties. I sigh, “I can do this.” As I breathe in and out sharply, taking my first step when I was tackled down by a big fur.

“Ack!” Wet glands were smeared all over my face, the sensation was ticklish as I chuckled softly and pushed the big fur away, “Hey hey stop pabo stop!” 

“Oh dear, Charlie stop boy!” As the voice commands the dog, they listen and barks at the owner of the voice. I wiped the remaining saliva off with the back of my hand but a white handkerchief was replaced instead, my heart jumped as a male figure was in my view and wiping off Charlie's saliva. 

“I’m sorry about his behaviour. It is rare for him to act this way. My deepest apologies, my lady.” My eyes gaze at his soft golden hair. As if it came out in the movies, his aura was reflected by the golden sun creating a soft radiant halo behind him as his porcelain skin shines on the bright sun of Saturday. His soft skin is so tender and smooth and the way he handles the situation has my heart in his hands already.

    “Here let me help you up.” His veiny and big hands wrapped on my small ones and pulled me ever so softly— yet it caused me to stumble on my feet and had me crashing on his chest. I closed my eyes in embarrassment and at the same time, I couldn't help but feel like I’m in cloud nine to feel close contact aside from my sister. And maybe I have developed a tiniest crush on this man.

“My lady?” My heart pounded from his voice, going back to my thoughts, I did not come here to flirt and if this is a test then I have absolutely failed so abruptly, I pulled away, laughing awkwardly, “Sorry about .. that. I should get going. Bye!” With an awkward and stiff curt bow, I scurried towards the entrance of the academy leaving the man alone with Charlie, who is looking at his owner with his tongue out.

“Arf.” 

“I know Charlie, she seems … familiar.” The man, Prince Sebastian, sighs, looking across the academy where the Starlight Palace is seen at the back, “I hope she is who we think she is.”

After days, weeks and months of being a student of Starlight Academy, I must say this is amazing. Being able to come out of my shell within weeks, the head minister— Madame Kim was a strict and graceful adviser yet at the same time, an easy going person. She has been giving me advice and lessons to improve. Sebastian has been a great mentor and friend at the same time as I continue practicing my walks, etiquettes and much more. His patients never wavers from the long hours of learning the history of each royalty and whatabouts of their hierarchy and laws.

Sebastian's presence had become an anchor in this whirlwind of transformation. He wasn't just a mentor, patiently drilling me on royal walks and etiquette. He was a friend, a confidante, who shared knowing smiles when I mastered a particularly tricky curtsy and offered gentle encouragement when frustration threatened to bubble over.

His dedication went beyond social graces. We spent countless hours delving into the kingdom's history. He unravelled the intricate tapestry of past rulers, their triumphs and failures, their impact on the ever-evolving hierarchy and labyrinthine laws. His lessons weren't dry recitations of dates and names.

Until Madame Kim encouraged another student that she proudly spoke to, to tutor me since Sebastian and I’s schedule were different so and here I thought we would get along but spoke too soon when he suddenly blurted out.

“You’re not a princess, so stop acting like one.” Kang Yeosang spoke nonchalantly. My mouth drops when I straighten my back after doing a curtsy before dancing, I watch him walk away— leaving me alone in the ballroom. My face was a shade of red hue from the embarrassment and shame.

   And ever since then, I had hated his guts for technically criticizing everything I do, even by just closing a book, “A princess needs to close the book silently. You close it like it's an encyclopedia.”

“... and then he proceeds just criticizing my every move. Madame Kim told me that I’m improving and you’re telling me that I’m improving. So I don’t know what his problem is.” I rant to Sebastian as we strolled down the hallway. He chuckles, hands behind his back as we make our way towards the library, “Don’t take it down to heart dear, he is just like that. You’ll get used to it.”

I scoff, rolling my eyes, “His panties get twisted all the time.”

Sebastian has been accompanying me since the very beginning of my princess life—after he apologies about George’s sudden attack but even so, Sebsatian had made my adjustment to my new life better and I have been thankful for this beautiful angel saving me from what could lead me to my last string of sanity.

From speaking fluently in the accent of Aurora’s language, he praised me for immediately picking up the language as if it had been programmed in me to speak that language. Then to let me read at least (a size of my hand) books each week and summarize them towards dancing waltz for 2 hours. 

“A princess never rolls her eyes and tame that tongue of yours.” I yelp, jumping to the side as Yeosang’s deep voice echoes the library. Sebastian chuckling, patting my hand that was gripping his biceps, I apologized to Sebastian before moving away. I look at Yeosang, scoffing, “A prince should know speaking nonchalantly makes him less handsome.”

Yeosang glanced by the corner of his eyes, “I am speaking in a truthful manner.”

  He had a book in one hand while the other tucked in his pockets, uniform neat and well-ironed and his blonde hair pushed softly in his reading glasses, giving an accessible view of his forehead. His aura gives off a simple yet elegant look that makes my heart leap at how perfect he looks. My eyes widen slightly before moving past him, looking for the book of Aurora. “I can talk as I can and I will roll my eyes as much as I want even if I become a queen.”

Yeosang said, “I hope this queen you highly speak for yourself can see a brain up there.” which I yelp, embarrassed, “Shut up!” 

Sebastian watches the scene unfold and laughs silently, “I must remind both of you that you have Etiquette later at 3 pm sharp.”

Yeosang closed the book with one hand, looking at Sebastian, “Thank you but no need to remind me, I’m on my way actually.” With that he walks off, bumping his shoulder to Sebastian. I felt that bump a little too personal, looking at Sebastian, “You okay?”

Sebastian stood firmly after the bump–being a little personal— before sighing gently, “Yeah.”

I stood at Etiquette class with a nervous vibe radiating off my body as I heard Madame Kim would not be able to attend and sent off a different adviser, Lady Choi. She is the sister of the late Queen Choi of Aurora, who apparently died in an accident along with her husband and their first born baby.

Lady Choi is the definition of perfection and that made me more nervous. Unfortunately, Sebastian is not in this class and he will be taking this one tomorrow and another unfortunate thing is I shared this class with Yeosang.

Then, a hand landed on my shoulder, startling me. It was Yeosang, his usual stoicism replaced by a hint of concern. "Feeling overwhelmed?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.

"A little," I admitted sheepishly, my heart not being able to register the fact that he is in fact not nonchalant, for once. "Everyone else seems to know exactly what to do."

Yeosang offered a rare smile. "They've probably been prepping for this their entire lives. We'll learn the ropes together." His words held a reassuring weight, and I straightened my spine, a spark of determination replacing the nervous flutter.

Her voice could curdle milk, and her icy gaze made even the most confident students squirm. Lady Choi launched into a lecture on proper posture, teacup holding, and the art of polite conversation. It was all incredibly intricate, the rules seemingly endless.

During a tea demonstration, I fumbled the delicate porcelain cup, sending it clattering to the ground. A wave of mortification washed over me, my cheeks burning. But before Lady Choi could unleash her icy stare, Yeosang stepped forward.

"Excuse me, Madame," he said, his voice calm and polite. "May I demonstrate the proper way to retrieve a fallen cup?"

Lady Choi raised an eyebrow, but acquiesced with a curt nod. Yeosang knelt gracefully, retrieved the broken shards with a practiced ease, and even managed to offer a rueful smile.

"Accidents happen," he said, his gaze meeting mine briefly. "The key is to recover with composure."  He returned to his seat, leaving a stunned silence in his wake. A flicker of a smile played on Lady Choi's lips, something that could have been mistaken for… approval?

The rest of the class passed in a blur of curtsies, napkin folds, and cutlery etiquette. Yeosang, surprisingly, proved to be a natural. He moved with a quiet grace, memorizing the lessons quickly. It’s as if he had grown up here in the academy to be a prince or was he really born to be a prince or is he …

During a break, I found myself next to him in the rose garden. Sebastian texted me that he will be off his study in the next hour. "Thank you," I said, unable to contain my admiration.

He shrugs. "You must act calmly in any situation."

"How long have you been here?" Suddenly my words came out before I could even think about it. I was about to apologize but Yeosang had already said, “Been here since I was a kid but I was pulled out and came back again at age of 14. ”

I nodded, my feet swinging slightly, “That explains why you know so much about being a .. royalty.”

“Because I am.”I look at him. Hearing my silence, he looked over at me with an unreadable face. The sudden turn of the topic was giving me slight curiosity as to what kind of Royalty drama this is. “So you’re a prince..?”

“I am a prince based on what my aunt told me— I came from the line of Kang’s but an accident happened the same as the late royalties .. “ He pauses then looks around before turning to you, “But from what I heard the daughter is alive.”  The word hung in the air, and Yeosang's expression turned serious. My eyes widened, so the rumors or the article that I read a few days ago about the history of the Choi family tree were true. 

The late King and Queen died in an accident after the coronation of the King’s brother— which a month later the King was also found dead and the Queen was accused of murder. It was concluded an accident even though there were multiple signs that it was planned but it was debunked by Lady Choi saying that there was a spy during the night of the coronation party of the King’s brother. 

  The Queen was in a hospital or facility after going berserk finding out of her husband’s death. And adding more to the overlapping accusation towards her and what snapped from her last string of sanity is her baby missing or from what she heard—was also killed.

   It was gruesome and heartbreaking. The Kingdom of Mist— the King’s brother’s kingdom was left in the dust and not so many citizens stayed before fleeing to different parts of the kingdom. 

Kang Yeosang, he doesn’t know where or what happened, but to him— if fate does it then it might be for him. Yeosang always had a strong belief in fate. He had thought that maybe moments weren’t for him or maybe it is for him but not today, tomorrow or whatever day it would be as long as it sits on the perfect time.

That is until he found himself questioning fate—”Me?”

Why would he find, in a position he would not think of– not even close to being part of some family drama? He stood in the middle of a feud that has nothing to do with him. Yeosang mentions living in an apartment with his two other friends from his old school– Wooyoung and San– who were studying the art of dancing which to his relief, he was also accepted in the said school until he was invited to a prestigious school— The Starlight Academy.

His aunt who raised him in the academy, eventually pulled him out after an incident and raised him in the urban areas of Aurora. It was around the age of his early 20’s when he was invited to the academy.

“I’m the King’s descendant?!” Yeosang exclaimed.

“Huh?!” Sebastian looked at me with a ‘wtf’ look. I shrug.

After staring at the photograph of Queen Amelia and King Raphael with their first born baby girl— Anastasia and their royal dog, ���George!” Sebastian and I pointed at the same time at the similar golden retriever dog that never left my side when I first stepped inside the palace. Yeosang glance at the picture to the side, the King and his father stood side by side. His fingers grazed gently on his father’s face then towards the names,

King Choi Raphael & King Kang Yeo-saHis eyebrows frowned, his mind was slightly jumbled on the names. Choi and Kang? Weren’t brothers supposed to share the same last name? And it is a tradition for the female spouse to take the last name of the husband. So why were their last names different? 

   “We have to stop Lady Choi …” Suddenly a dawn of realization washed over me. I look over my shoulders, “Lady Choi might have been behind this fiasco that happened 21 years ago. If I am the princess of Aurora then I am the rightful heir of that throne. I cannot let my parents be thrown off that throne just like that.”

Yeosang, for once, saw a different side when he glanced at you. He saw the fiery determination to bring justice to your parents. 

"The crown," Sebastian explained, his gaze fixed on me. "It's shrouded in legend. Some say it could bring ruin upon the kingdom, a fate worse than anything we've known. But there's a chance. If the rightful heir is revealed and claims their birthright as Queen, Aurora might be spared."

Yeosang took my wrist, “Let’s go.” I nodded. The royalty of Aurora and my parents who were the city’s late King and Queen made me the princess of Aurora. The day that I was found in the urban areas of Aurora was the day my mother tried to save the Queen— my real mother—from losing too much blood but in the end…

“Anastasia must be kept safe until she becomes the rightful Queen.” Taking her last breath after giving me to mom.

 As we reached the coronation room, Yeosang and Sebastian opened the oak double doors, “Stop!” The silence was deafening, the mic of the higher head gave terrible feedback before it dissipated. I walk in— a sudden boost of confidence runs down my veins— after all this has become a rightful path for Aurora and my parents.

“What is this nonsense?! Madame Kim, discipline your students!” Madame Kim looks between me and Lady Choi with a confused look before signaling me to stop yet I carried on.

The booming voice echoed throughout the room, momentarily silencing the stunned crowd. A bead of sweat trickled down my temple, but the knowledge that coursed through me like a newly awakened river pushed back the tide of fear. I straightened my spine, “I, Anastasia Amelia Renaldi, Princess of Aurora, ordered you and the rightful heir of this throne to step down and discontinue this coronation!”

   The crowd grew with murmurs and the media were strained by the drama unfolding. I walk, step by step, forward towards the platform, “You, Lady Penelope Hudgens Choi, are arrested for the murder of my parents— the late King Raphael and Queen Amelia and also the death of King Kang Yeo-sa and Queen Joan.”

Lady Choi scoffed, grabbing a handful of her gown and marched towards me with a furious look, “Stop this nonsense child! Just because you were chosen to be a student here in Starlight Academy doesn’t mean you have to delusion yourself to be the “missing” princess. And what do you mean by the death of Kang Yeo-sa, he is alive and well!”

Yeosang steps in, showing a vial of powdered potion, “This cost not only the life of my parents but the entire kingdom of Mist.” 

Sebastian soon steps in throwing a bunch of photographs, “The bougainvillea— it may seem unharmful but this one has very ornamental vines and thorns used to create numbing pain but with unmount usage of this can cause heart attacks of clog of esophagus due to the thickness and irritation of the powder by inhaling.”

  I stop walking, a victory smile on my lips, arching an eyebrow, “We have more than what you are seeing right now.”

Her face fell, face drained from the realization. I step forward again, “You have been manipulating and giving false information on the media for the past 21 years. You have murdered not mine but Yeosang as well—- the Prince of Mist Kingdom.”

As the truth slowly unfolds in the media, Yeosang and I were able to handle them. From the afternoon sun towards the moonlight of my 22nd birthday, the words keep going around– the crown is still not yet to be given until the investigation is finalized and I am indeed the lost princess of the late King and Queen. That is until the ministry and the courtiers were able to drop down every process and the investigation was concluded after 3 months and the coronation was tonight.

 I looked at the big wall mirror of my new room as I spun to look at the coronation dress given to me by Madame Kim. Everything was overwhelming and I have much been drained this past weeks from the constant meetings and law cases against Lady Choi. 

Until the big day arrived, and Yeosang visited me. 

 “The Kings are not brothers?” He nodded. Yeosang sigh, “They were not related to one another. Many people thought they were one because of how it naturally comes out of them to treat like brothers. I met the late king’s mother; they were never blood related.”

I nodded, “So you’re still a prince?” He chuckles, pushing me slightly making me laugh at him, “Of course your majesty.” Mockingly bowed down. I took a handful of my dress and kicked him on his claves playfully. He laughs gently, making my heart fly with his cuteness. It was just last week we were against each other's throats and now, it's as if fate made a different path for us.

The grand hall of Aurora Palace shimmered in the soft glow of countless candles, casting an ethereal ambiance over the scene. Golden banners bearing the emblem of the kingdom fluttered gently in the breeze, while the air buzzed with anticipation. It was the day of my coronation, a momentous occasion that was supposed to mark the beginning of a new era of prosperity and peace for the kingdom of Aurora.

As I, dressed in resplendent robes befitting my station, made my way to the dais where the crown awaited me, a hush fell over the assembled nobles and courtiers. The weight of responsibility lay heavy upon my shoulders, but I stood tall and proud, chin up, ready to accept my new destiny.

However, just as the whole coronation soon to end where I am about to claim the crown, a commotion erupted at the back of the hall. Gasps and whispers spread like wildfire as Lady Choi, a formidable figure known for her insatiable thirst for power, strode forward with a determined gleam in her eyes. My eyes widened in shock, her figure hunching and dirty— probably escaping the prison and finding multiple ways to get here.

"Stop!" Lady Choi's voice cut through the silence like a knife. "I will not stand by and watch as this kingdom falls into the hands of an inexperienced child." Yeosang, who has been on the side, immediately came to me with a protective arm out.

My heart hammered inside my chest as I watched in disbelief. She was able to escape prison with limited resources yet those were able to let her break free and be here to take the throne, she still has the power and that scared me.

“Tough up princess.” Yeosang whispered. I look at him, gulping down the nervousness down my throat, “I’m trying.”

   With a swift motion, Lady Choi ran towards the stand to snatch the crown from its velvet cushion but Yeosang was faster. He grabbed her arms, Lady Choi grunting trying to pull away from Yeosang’s grip  whilst I stood, hands shaking, “Guards!” I spoke. They immediately took her but— of course she wouldn’t come without backup. 

Multiple men came in and surrounded the securities around the throne room and took Yeosang in their hold. Leaving me defenseless, Lady Choi chuckles darkly, looking at me with her evil eyes, “I will lead Aurora in its finest and majestic era so step down child!”

I shake my head, even with my heart pounding so loudly in my chest and up to my ears, I stood tall, “No.”

  Her lips curled in a nasty smirk, “Such a stubborn child … just like her father.” In impulsive thoughts, she pulled the sword that was attached to Yeosang’s hip and swung it at me. My eyes widen, feet glued to the ground as the silver weapon nears me, “NO! DO NOT TOUCH HER—” Yeosang screamed.

  Lady Choi’s eyes were maniac, “Goodbye princess.”

  “Not on my watch.” A sound of metals clashing and a presence on the left side. I turn to see a female dressed in a musketeer's uniform, the emblem of Diamond Kingdom on her right arm sleeve, “Stand down Lady Choi. You are not to interfere with the coronation of Princess of Aurora, your men are arrested for the crime of trespassing.”

The musketeer kicked Lady Choi on her stomach before standing in front of me, Lady Choi huffs looking up at the musketeer with a sinister smile, “Idiots, protected the wrong treasure!” 

One of her men managed to grab the crown while we were distracted by her and tossed it to her. Catching with one hand, Lady Choi rose up on her feet. My breath hitches as the thought of Aurora’s doomed in just a minute, how I already failed as the new leader of the Kingdom, “No don’t do this please!” The musketeer held me back as we watched Lady Choi raise it high above her head, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as though the crown would indeed settle upon her brow, sealing her claim to power.

But then, something extraordinary happened. As if guided by an unseen force, the crown veered off course, bypassing Lady Choi altogether and descending gracefully towards me. Time seemed to stand still as the crown hovered inches above my head, its golden light bathing her in a radiant glow.

“The crown doesn’t need to be protected, it protects it’s rightful heir.” Said the musketeer as she moves to the side. Lady Choi looking in disbelief, her head shaking uncontrollably as she stumbles towards me, “No no no— After I work hard to claim the thrown, I am not letting a child ruin me!”

  In a blur, Yeosang broke free from the men, taking his rightful sword and stood with the tip of the sword deathly on her throat, his eyes were slit with anger, “You have killed so many people, the people of my kingdom and my parents. I am not letting you do the same thing again.”

   Back in the moment, I felt a surge of power unlike anything I had ever known. It was as if the very essence of Aurora itself had chosen me as its champion, affirming my rightful place as its princess. With a steady hand, I reached up and gently took hold of the crown, allowing it to settle upon my head with a soft click. Instantly, a wave of energy washed over me, filling me with a sense of purpose and resolve.

  Lady Choi's face contorted with rage and frustration, but she could do nothing as I ascended towards the throne, every step imbued with grace and dignity. 

“Grace on to the Princess of Aurora!” The musketeer cheered, bowing down on one knee. Soon whoever, along with the men, inside the room all did the same. Yeosang smirks, bowing down too.

“On her grace!”

“Well … that took a huge turn.” I look beside me to see Yeosang, smiling. “I mean we both deserve justice.” I chuckle, looking over the horizon. The beach of Aurora was beautiful with the sun kissing the glimmering water and the salty smell of it sends shivers down my spine. I look down to see a few people surfing and cheering, celebrating their annual competition.

“You know in a few years time, you’ll be crowned as queen right?” I nodded, “I’m still preparing myself Yeo, this whole princess-coronation thing is already overwhelming and all the drama is happening.” Yeosang understood that if I took more of the responsibility, I would have wished I never intervened with all the clues of the missing princess and Lady Choi’s plans.

  Yeosang looked over, taking my hands in his big ones, “And that is why I’m here. I’ll be crowned as Prince in a few months and maybe, together we can make this kingdom a better place for our people.” 

I smile, squeezing his hand and at the same time bumping my hips to his, “Such charming prince.”

As I stood before my people, I knew that my journey was just beginning. With the crown upon my head and the support of my kingdom behind me, friends to push me to keep fighting and Yeosang to stand by me, I am ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead, secure in the knowledge that I was destined to rule as the true princess of Aurora.