#the captive curse spoilers

[an-american-teen-against-crime]

“I’m the girl in the dress...and you’re the monster, remember?”

I drew this to practice angles and it didn’t really work and also I merged my line art layer and my coloring layer after being like oh shit . I needed the lighting to be darker....

so nancy is lit in heroic lighting and ignore the fact it makes no sense and looks bad shhhhh also I’ve never drawn a background in my life 

[ineedacwtch]

So I am very much an Anja apologist. Girl was totally justified.

Exhibit One:

Girl is, like, super hot. And SHE’S 37! She has aged so well.

She’s also smart af. She speaks 6 languages fluently (German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch) and successfully scams her way into a very prestigious job that she is fully unqualified for experience-wise à la Sue Ellen Crandall in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. Nevertheless she excels at the job, impressing everyone, including ex boyfriend Markus.

It’s hard to believe there was any reason Markus would break up with her and he doesn’t really share any details, just kind of citing irreconcilable  differences. The story we here from Anja tells another story completely.

According to Anja, she supported Markus, probably paying for everything while he “grew his business” or whatever crap finance bros say. Then, the second he made his first big deal, out she goes, replaced by the younger blonder (probably way stupider) model.

“This won’t get him back!” Nancy says, trying to reason with her.

“I don’t want him back. I’m about to end this man’s whole career,” Anja replies.

Does she go a little too far with it? Yeah, sure.

Nancy implies that Anja is going to end up in jail for 20-30 years as a result of her actions. For what? I ask. She didn’t even make it to a point where you could really charge her with attempted murder. Sure she threatens Nancy but she doesn’t even manage to get close enough to touch her so 20-30 years seems steep. Criminal conspiracy maybe but that doesn’t seem like a multi decade kinda crime since she didn’t really do anything beyond running around pretending to be a monster and starting one fire that was contained and easily put out.

Also, how could she get a longer prison term than Dwayne Powers? Dude actively attempted to murder 3 people including planting a functional BOMB and he was put away for such a short period of time he hadn’t aged in the slightest. Even if we take the time between games, it’s only 10 years. How could he possibly get less time than Anja for a significantly greater crime? Is the legal system in Germany so much stricter?

I propose that the real answer is much darker than this. Markus uses his obscene wealth to ensure he gets proper, unjustified revenge upon his ex. Money can buy anything if you have enough of it, after all.

Conclusion: Nancy was partially right when she asks Markus if he’s responsible for the monster “attacks” at the beginning. He both created the “monster” (albeit somewhat accidentally) and is the true villain of the game.

[yanderenightmare]

head cannons for what being Gojo and Get's shared little captive housewife darling would be liked? ples

Gojo Satoru & Geto Suguru

TW: yandere, captive reader

gn reader

They’re both awfully cuddly. Always wrapping their lanky arms around your waist and slugging their bodies against you, tugging on you and swaying you against them in a way it’s hard to keep balance, making it impossible to do anything but stand there and try and hold your weight as well as theirs.

Satoru is the worst of the pair, though – constantly ignoring whatever you’re doing in favor of picking you up and cuddling you on the couch when he feels like it – which is almost always when he’s home. Not that you do much else but humor them. But still, it’s annoying being in the middle of a chapter only for the pages to flap close when Gojo picks the book out of your hands, throwing it aside unceremoniously – his blue eyes pleading at you like a puppy, feeling ignored and pouty – asking you to play with his hair instead. He’s already laying himself against your chest with a smile and giddy laugh before you can as much as try and refuse.

Suguru is more respectful of your hobbies in that aspect. He’s usually the one that procures books and such for you. Always happy to discuss your thoughts. But sometimes, you suspect he gives you tricky reads just for the chance to explain them to you. He’s a little patronizing that way. Smiling while prying for your thoughts, offering a soft chuckle when you fess up and tell him it was a little beyond your abilities. 

Satoru feels left out when the two of you talk about books. He doesn’t read. But just to feel included, he’ll dump a stack of his old comics in your lap. He’s such a spoiler, though, and will tell you the entire plot and ending before you’ve even peeled a page open. He’s more of a movies and shows person. Forever in his childish ways, he’ll dib a character to represent him whenever the three of you are watching something – getting real pouty if the character ends up dying, almost to the point he’s completely disinterested in the rest of the story.

Both are shit cooks with appetites beyond your understanding. You never make enough, and it always ends up with the both of them whining for seconds. They have a bit of a maid kink the two of them. Waiving a pretty little white ruffled apron at you whenever they’re hungry – insisting on helping you tie it around your waist and neck in pretty bows. It always makes you feel a bit ridiculous.

It doesn’t make it any better that when you cook, there’s always one of them supervising. Not helping out, mind you – just watching and waiting, licking their lips when it starts smelling good – asking for taste tests like children. Often with big hands draped over your stomach and a chin either resting in the nook of your neck or atop your head. 

Satoru’s chattier than Suguru, but Suguru is better at asking you about your things. He’s a little more considerate of your feelings, making sure you’re as comfortable as you can be locked inside all day. That being said, he’s the tougher one when it comes to saying no to things as well. For example, you’re better off testing your luck with Satoru if you want to go outside.

You feel, for Satoru, it’s not too much about protecting you. You don’t think the guy knows what fear feels like. It’s more about coveting you. He’s possessive, prone to jealousy, and easily enraged – you remember from when the three of you were a somewhat normal throuple with somewhat normal boundaries. For him, this arrangement is just a whole lot simpler, keeping you away from anything that might inspire him to feel anything he doesn’t like.

Whereas with Suguru, you’re sure he’s actually scared something might happen to you, and that’s why he insists on keeping you inside. You’re only just a small thing, after all, with no cursed energy to talk about. You might become a target for their enemies if they’re not careful enough. Out there, you’re the greatest weapon against them, their greatest weakness. And he fears for the world when he thinks about what he and Satoru would do if they lost you.

Neither of them seems to care that it’s unreasonable.

[twstgarden]

✰ ❝ 𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 ❞

━ yan! octavinelle trio / yan! scarabia duo / yan! pomefiore trio x gn! reader (f/n means first name) (reader can be yuu or an oc) ━ certain friends on campus have started to be a little overbearing. to the point where they won't let you leave their dormitory so easily.

cw: (including but not limited to) yandere themes, unhealthy relationships/obsessions, use of drugs, mentions of drugging/spiking, captivity, kidnapping, mentions of curse/poisoning, love bombing/acts of manipulation

requested by: @mx.lustreless request type: scenarios requester’s message: Not mucy to say, just a bunch of yandere scenarios, I'm not sure if you're still taking requests but i guess you still are? You can get creative :> florist’s note: thank you for the request and for filling out the form!

this work may contain spoilers from chapters 3, 4, and 5, octavinelle, scarabia, and pomefiore's arcs respectively.

do not steal or translate without my permission.

ko-fi here if you want to support me

━ 𝙤𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚 ━

"ah, if it isn't prefect!"

you took a deep breath, exhaling it softly as you gave azul a forced smile the moment he laid eyes on you again. you did not want to return to mostro lounge again due to the uncomfortable vibes you have been getting, but you had no choice as your friend dragged you to have an afternoon snack in this private café.

"hello..." you mumbled in reply, avoiding his gaze with a clear indication that you wanted to leave as soon as possible. however, your friend was already ordering a drink as jade jotted down the orders on a notepad.

his sharp eyes then looked at you with that grin on his face, "and you? dear f/n?" your friend then looked at you with a smile, making you look back at the menu as you replied, "um... i won't order for now."

"are you not hungry?" your friend asked, tilting their head before sighing, "we've been in class all day and i did not see you eat! you should have something..."

then, your friend decided to place an order for you, and jade merely smiled as he wrote down the drinks and/or meals for you both. you breathed a sigh of relief the moment he, his twin, and his boss left your table.

"you seem tense," noted your friend.

"i'm just tired..." you lied, smiling a little at them.

initially, you enjoyed the atmosphere of the mostro lounge and it has always been your go-to spot after class and during the weekends. you have grown used to the trio's presence and considered them as close friends.

however, the longer you kept visiting them, the more you've noticed how odd they've been acting.

they won't let you leave easily, even if it is past the closing time.

azul has been trying to get you to sign a contract, claiming it was harmless and he would never cheat a "friend".

jade has been trying to feed you mushrooms that he found during his hike, claiming that they were safe to eat and he even added special ingredients. only the seven knows what drug or potions he has been pouring into his meals made for you.

floyd was also trying to feed you meals made by him, as well as trying to drag you around wherever he went, disguising it as a form of hang out despite his "threats" on your attempts to leave.

maybe they just want to spend time with me, is what you thought, but day by day, you have been slowly proven wrong with how close they are at times.

you snapped out of your thoughts the moment floyd served your dishes and drinks. your friend was ecstatic as they quickly dug into their meal, while you looked up to see floyd smiling down at you in an innocent way, but there was a hint of something ominous behind that smile.

"here's your food, shrimpy!"

you gulped and mumbled, "thanks..." looking down at your meal, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. it looks exactly as it does on the menu, and the drinks did not have anything suspicious on them — or at least, that's what you think.

your friend was happily enjoying their food. seeing how relaxed they were gave you relief - at least the food or drink wasn't drugged. a soft sigh left your lips as you started to have your meal, enjoying the taste despite the unreadable expression on your face.

you can feel their stares. their eyes watch you with a daunting gaze, and even if they were not in your peripheral vision, you knew they were settled by the bar, watching you like a hawk.

you could have called them out or reported their suspicious behaviour, no? but why? they were your friends. they would never do anything to harm you. you weren't sure if it was some form of coping mechanism or if you still held some trust for them deep down, but all you knew was the guilt that continuously seeped into your mind at the thought of reporting their behaviour to the faculty staff.

you were afraid, but you still trust them. azul always had a way of messing with your psychological thoughts, and the twins were there to back him up and manipulate you into thinking they were only being friendly.

"oh! i left my phone at the campus, i'll be right back!" your friend spoke as they realised their cellular device was not on their person. they quickly stood up and left the lounge, leaving you alone as you tried to reach out to them, "wait-!"

but they were long too gone.

damn it.

you stayed silent for a moment, thoughts swirling in your mind as you looked back at the meal that you have been consuming for the past few minutes now.

your gaze then went to the bar to see them smiling at you. drat. you made eye contact with them and that was more than enough of an invitation to approach you.

"it seems your friend left rather abruptly," noted azul as he sat beside you with that suspicious smile of his. you merely hummed in response as floyd sat on your other side and spoke in a rather enthusiastic voice, "shrimpy! did you like the food?"

"it tastes great..." you replied, avoiding eye contact as you continued to stare at your half-eaten meal. floyd was pleased to hear you say this, making him pat your back before pulling you in for an asphyxiating hug.

you tried to pull away, patting his arm as a signal to let go and that you wanted to breathe. however, he was not letting you off, which made jade sigh as he spoke to his brother, "floyd, you are suffocating the prefect."

"oh no~ oops~!" replied floyd as he released you, but you knew he was not genuine in that little 'oops' of his. as soon as he released you, you started to feel lightheaded. your vision was blurring and doubling, and your head was throbbing in pain as you leaned on the table, unable to keep your eyes open.

the trio merely smiled as azul held you close to him and whispered, "you appear to be tired... it's alright, rest here... this is your home now..."

unable to fight back or stay awake, your eyes fluttered shut and your consciousness started slipping as you fell into a deep state of sleep. the last words you heard gave you a sense of fear, but you were now too powerless to do anything.

"we won't hurt you. we're your friends..."

━ 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙖 ━

"but...!"

"i need to head back to my dorm, kalim..." you spoke once again, wanting to return back to your room to sleep after the energy-consuming party you just had in scarabia mere moments ago.

"we have guest rooms here!" reasoned kalim, not wanting to let you leave.

"as much as i wanted to stay, i can't... sorry..."

there was no way you'd stay in that guest room after the incident. a frown found its way to kalim's lips as jamil sighed, "kalim... we can't force them to stay." with a defeated expression, kalim unwrapped his arms around you as he spoke to you, "will you come back tomorrow?"

relief. that was what you felt the moment you thought you would be back in your room. as much as you loved hanging out with them, you wanted a shut-eye too. "yeah, of course! i'll see you tomorrow," you replied before waving goodbye to the two and leaving their dorm.

the moment you arrived at your dormitory, the first thing you greeted were your pillows. you had quickly fallen asleep and thought of nothing but getting the rest you needed. it was the weekend tomorrow, so you were free to sleep in as much as you wanted.

the next day came by quickly and you were invited for lunch at scarabia. you loved the meals they served and their hospitality has made you feel more at home than you ever felt in this academy.

everything was going splendidly. the meals were fantastic, the drinks were refreshing, and the atmosphere was lively - the perfect scenario for a weekend lunch with friends, no?

you spent hours after lunch with them; studying, reading, sharing stories about school experiences and personal lives, and whatnot. however, you started to feel drowsy around the afternoon, wanting to take a nap to preserve your energy and rest.

you have become drowsy several times lately.

of course, you thought nothing of it. you were just exhausted from all the responsibilities you had to tackle, nothing out of the ordinary. kalim seemed to have noticed your drowsy state and quickly gave you one of the sofa pillows nearby. without another word, you grabbed the pillow and laid your head on it, passing out almost immediately.

minutes turned into hours and you had woken up from your nap - although, sleep was a better term as you had been out for hours now. rubbing the drowsiness from your eyes, you let out a soft yawn and sat up, feeling the soft mattress underneath as you looked at the spot you were lying on in confusion.

'a bed? where am i...?'

you thought you were back at your dorm, but the interior was completely different from your room. that's when it hit you, you were in one of scarabia's dormitory rooms. you quickly got out of bed and ran to the door, trying to open it only to find it unlocked.

"shit..." you muttered under your breath as you looked around the room for its key, but it was nowhere to be found. you quickly banged on the door, hoping someone was outside to hear you, "is anyone there?!"

it was silent for a while until you heard a jingle of keys from the other side of the door, making you sigh in relief as you thought you were about to witness freedom, "oh thank goodness... please open the door!"

the sounds of the keys were giving you a sense of relief, and you thought they were about to unlock the door. however, only silence followed and no other sound was heard. what was going on?

"hello? is anyone there?" you called out once more, banging on the door, "please unlock the door! i don't see the key in here!"

then, a chuckle was heard on the other side of the door, giving you a sense of fear at the thought of someone purposefully locking you in here.

"you should take a rest, prefect."

that was jamil's voice. you knocked on the door again as you pleaded for your freedom, "jamil? please unlock the door!"

"you ought to keep it down. people are sleeping. we wouldn't want to wake them up now, would we?" spoke jamil as he let out a sigh, "you'll be staying in there. this is your new home now... good night."

his footsteps then started to fade as you continued banging on the door, "jamil?! let me out!!! come back!!! kalim! please!" all the relentless knocking and banging on the door were for naught as no one came to your aid.

days have passed and you barely remember much of what had happened, but you had vague memories of wanting to escape this wretched dormitory, then making the sudden decision to stay as if you were being hypnotized. they had fed you, entertained you, and took care of you during your whole stay.

they've been nothing but good to you! why would you want to leave?

why do you feel as if you are being manipulated to stay?

━ 𝙥𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙚 ━

you were frozen in place for a few hours now with only epel in the room as he got himself busy with carving apples. if you hadn't been cursed by vil's unique magic, you would have run out of the door and never looked back at this dormitory.

but alas, you have fallen for his trick and bit into an apple slice that he had cursed without your knowledge. now, you were stuck seated on this couch settled in their lounge.

"epel...?"

you called out, making the first-year pause his carving as he looked at you. how could he still look at you with an innocent gaze after being involved in your captivity?

"mm?"

"how long 'till vil's spell wears off?" you asked, hoping it would be sooner rather than later.

"30 minutes," replied epel before tilting his head, "you are not looking to escape now, are 'ya?" you quickly shook your head in response, giving him a fake enthusiastic smile, "no! no! not at all!"

"lying won't help you, chéri(e)."

you quickly turned quiet at the sound of rook's voice. his footsteps paired with another one gave you a hint that vil was in the room as well, walking towards you before the dormitory head stood before you, leaning down as he held your cheek as if to inspect your face.

rook stood beside vil as he spoke patronisingly, "mon dieu! those tear stains on your face pain my heart. why the tears?" you glared at rook as he knew exactly why you were feeling this way, but he merely smiled at you.

"we fed you, cared for you, gifted you luxurious things, helped you in all your assignments, and so much more. why are you being ungrateful?" spoke vil as he narrowed his gaze at you with a frown. you did not say a word in response, not wanting to raise their irritation and anger towards you.

vil sighed at your lack of response, "stop acting like a spoiled child."

"then set me free."

you demanded freedom, hoping they would grant it to you despite the low chances. they have given you everything, so why can't they give you the freedom you desire?

"you know we can't do that," spoke vil as you felt his hand on your cheek, caressing it with his thumb ever so slightly to give you a sense of comfort, "it's dangerous and there is nothing out there that will satisfy and love you."

"my friends—"

"your friends have long forgotten you, dear," replied vil as he cut you off, "in fact, they are glad that you are no longer interacting with them..."

you did not want to believe him, but the way he spoke to you in such a tone with that comforting caress made you stay quiet. epel and rook then sat beside you while vil gently started playing with your locks, a glint of satisfaction was evident in his eyes but you did not notice them as you were staring at the ground.

'hah! just say the right words and you'll fall into our trap once again... how naive...'

© twstgarden 2024 || please do not steal, translate without my permission, or use this to train a.i.

[strawberrystepmom]

pairing: Kenjaku x F!Reader, past Geto Suguru x F!Reader

word count: 3.6k

about: you become kenjaku's captive to ensure that he will not miss his opportunity to fight the strongest after his return from the prison realm. the temptation of being this close to the last remaining earthly fragment of the man you once loved, suguru, proves too much to resist and you give into your desires despite the hole they're bound to leave.

contents: NSFW - MINORS DNI. DARK CONTENT WARNING, MAJOR MANGA SPOILERS FOR CH 236 AND BEYOND | dubcon, manipulation, violence against reader, asphyxiation, kidnapping | reader is a sorcerer and went to school with geto and they had mutual feelings for one another, mentions of religion and references to god, kenjaku retained some of geto's memories and knows reader through them, reader has breasts and descriptions of vaginal anatomy are given, rough piv sex with little prep, reader is referred to as "girl", major character death (off screen).

notes: i've uh....been going through some things lately LMAO tbh i started this awhile back before thanksgiving but have felt weird about posting it and it very nearly stayed in the "between me and god" folder so i held back but today i said fuck it. if you read, thanks and i hope you enjoy!!!

header art is by jenny holzer and divider is by @/cafekitsune ♡

“The old occupant of this vessel was very fond of you, you know?”

How dare Kenjaku mention Suguru so casually, as if he were a tenant to his own flesh and bone instead of its rightful owner? 

“You know nothing about him,” The words are full of venom, flying from your mouth not unlike the way you spat at the curse user’s face two days prior to now. He chuckled when the fluid hit his cheek, wiping it off without a second thought. “Or me.” 

You felt so guilty for spitting at his face, the face of a man you once believed that you loved, that you wept until you began to dry heave atop the futon mattress in the room that has been designated as yours. It’s the same bed you rest on now, duvet over your knees that are hiked to your chest. It’s a means to protect yourself from any vulnerability but it’s truly no use. If Kenjaku wants to harm you, he will.

He has insisted your accommodations be comfortable since arriving three days ago given you are collateral and not a captive, his own clever wording for the situation, but you’re more than aware that if you were to attempt to escape from the cage that you’d hit the window just as all birds hungry for a taste of freedom do. There are no cuffs, chains, or bars but your freedom is no longer yours. It is a prize to be won pending the defeat of the man standing across from you in the doorway, shoji door open beside him, flowing hair as dark as the midnight sky brushing the backs of his elbows.

For years you wondered what you’d do if faced with Suguru again. Would you strike him, insisting he deserved it for all the hurt left in his wake? Ask him why in a scream so powerful your shoulders would shake with the weight of your fury? Perhaps you’d forgive him, as you’d been taught and encouraged to do your entire life, and those mumbled prayers cast to the God you believe in above you would be true for the first time since they’ve left your treacherous lips. 

“I forgive him, I hope you can, too.” You have begged God aloud and silently since sixteen years old. You have always been devout in your faith despite abandoning most of the tenets that make someone a believer, your lack of devotion not enough to deter you from selfishly asking for absolution for a man who you know deserves none.

God’s answer is clear when faced with the fact that this is not Geto standing in front of you. There is no less mercy a person can be shown than their body being used as a sick prop after their death.

The space where his thoughts and dreams and hopes used to lie is occupied by something far worse than just visions of a world purified through means of violence, a place where people like you could live without the threat of death and sacrifice to keep others safe. Granted, that wasn’t exactly a noble purpose either, but at least it didn’t threaten your life the way that whatever lives inside of his skull does now.

“I know more about both of you than you think.” 

Kenjaku’s words drip with smugness and your stomach flips. The natural responses of your body to a man who looks and sounds just like Suguru make you sick but you cannot focus on fighting them off and keeping yourself protected at the same time, you have to simply make peace with the butterflies in your stomach that feels like something is punching you in the gut over and over again. He dares enter the room and you scoot further up the futon, hitting the wall behind you and leveling a glare in his direction.

Suguru’s body reacts to you, as well, something that Kenjaku planned long ago to use to his advantage. It started with hazy dreams, a face he recognized as yours drifting through them, your thighs and your lips and your skirt. It’s a version of you a little younger, a little warmer - less edgy than you are now. You are sharp and finely tuned to harm while the version of you that lived in Geto’s mind will forever stay soft, a freshly unfurled rose.

“All you’ve done is vandalize him,” you accuse and he shrugs, dressed in a cotton yukata rather than the robes he stole in addition to the body they dressed. It’s easy to imagine another life where this is Suguru and you are you and he’s coming to your shared bedside, kneeling on the ground the same way Kenjaku is now while he invites himself to the only space you currently have as your own.

“You’re a smart girl, don’t play dumb.” Your glance moves from the doorway to him, disgusted by how brave he is getting this close to you. “Perhaps I’m simply using the power this body holds in the way he was too cowardly to attempt.”

Despite your current state of sitting in nothing but a yukata yourself, you are physically strong from spending the last decade of your life as nothing more than a glorified weapon to use in the fight against evil. Even if your Cursed Technique would be unlikely to have any effect on the man, you could be a difficult problem for him if you wanted to be, yet you sit and do nothing but wait and refuse to respond to his words. He chuckles at your stubbornness and reaches across the bed and your body to grab your chin between his thumb and index finger. He shifts your head until you’re staring directly at him and a smile crosses his lips.

You do not fight him off.

“Tell me, sorcerer,” he starts and you swallow, bottom lip quivering. You want to reach out and slap him away, to scream and kick but your body stays still, the only place blood is pooling between your legs and in the heat of your face. “Where are those teeth and claws you were so eager to show me on your first night here?”

He reaches his thumb upward and presses it against your mouth, stopping the shake with a single touch - your body’s natural reaction to a man you are now certain you loved, given it’s the only explanation for your behavior. It’s a form of trust, the muscle memory of a kiss he gave you in your dorm room at the school you once shared. The first night you were spitting and hissing, now you’re so placid.

“Nothing to say for yourself?”

Stubbornly, you shake your head and Kenjaku chuckles again, pulling his thumb away from your lip but maintaining the grip on your chin. You know this is not Suguru, it’s as clear as the stitches across the forehead of the practically empty vessel that further closes in on you. He moves silently until he’s mere inches away from you, his head hovering over your knees that are still pulled against your chest. You watch him with narrowed eyes, tucking against yourself tighter than you ever have as a means of comfort, but it does nothing to stop him from lingering.

“I could just make you speak if I wanted to,” he warns. The power in this situation belongs to him.

“What’s the point of fighting you? You’re going to do whatever you want with me anyway.” You admit, defeated. Whatever fight you had left in you was smothered weeks ago during the attack on Shibuya. Even the release of Gojo is not enough to fill you with hope for the future. It’s pointless to keep fighting when the only outcome is going to be loss.

The shaky sound of your voice makes the curse user move closer to you and you shut your eyes tightly, refusing to look at him lest your body continue with these inexplicable natural responses. Heart pounding against your chest, it’s inexplicably frustrating that it cannot seem to separate what your brain knows is true from what your body wants to believe.

It isn’t him, you scream within the confines of your own mind but it does not prevent your palms from feeling clammy and the squeeze of your inner thighs against each other to provide some relief against the heat in your core.

It isn’t him. It isn’t him. It isn’t him…

Chanting the words internally, you open your eyes and are met with a pair of golden ones staring directly at you. They’re the same that stared at you in a dorm room a decade ago although they’re missing the warmth they had back then, dripping honey sweetness hidden in the irises turned to tar. 

“You’re right, I can.” He nods and dark hair falls over his eyes, catching your eye. Your stomach turns when you spot the stitches across his forehead but your gaze returns to his so quickly you can hardly think about it. “But will it be what I want or is it what this body desires, I wonder?”

This piques your interest and Kenjaku tilts his head to the side inquisitively, dark hair sweeping over your knees and around your body. It feels like a curtain, a veil like the ones you are so used to using to keep people safe and ignorant and outside of your world of sorcery.

“What do you mean?”

A smirk is the response you are granted and he moves closer to you, one of his hands reaching for the duvet you’re using to cover you. Pulling it back gently, your robe covered body coming into view and once again, you make no effort to fight. With this barrier removed, he runs his palm over the outside of your thigh. Muffling your whimper at the touch, you attempt to hide your face in your shoulder but he stops you, still grasping onto your chin and still holding your gaze.

“Interesting.” 

His hand travels from the outside of your thigh to the insides and you gently spread them to allow him access before realizing what he’s searching for. Attempting to cut off his access by closing your legs, he holds your thigh in place and lets his fingers dip lower along the soft skin. You quiver and shake beneath him like a leaf clinging to the branches of a tree in winter, desperate for somewhere to remain, and those fingers inch closer and closer to your core. He stops when he feels the coarse hair covering your mound and dares to dip a single fingertip between your folds, raising his eyebrows when he feels the arousal seeping from you. 

“I knew it,” he whispers so low you wonder if you were even meant to hear it but the way he gazes at you, like that of a man starved, tells you that the words were meant for no one but you.

Your hand shakes as much as the rest of you when you finally lift it from your side, reaching out to him and taking a strand of hair between your fingers. It feels just as you imagined it would, silk between your digits, and a breathy sigh leaves you before you begin to cry. Dropping the small strand, you choose to reach out toward his forehead and use your hand to block the stitches covering it.

“Suguru.”

You babble the name like it is precious, your lip quivering just as it did before, and the evil man shakes his head, capturing your wrist with the hand he just removed from your chin. He lowers your hand enough that you can see the stitches unobscured.

“Kenjaku, actually.” 

He lowers your hand to his lips and kisses your knuckles, amused when you squirm where you sit, practically delirious with lust and confusion. You do not want this, at least that’s what you tell yourself while parting your legs further and panting, chest heaving with every breath.

Wordlessly, he uses his free hand to untie your robe and it falls off of your shoulders, exposing you to him fully before he can blink. This is something he remembers seeing in one of those dreams but you look different than whatever the imagination of a man who was infatuated with you was able to come up with during his loneliest hours. It amuses Kenjaku that he is the one to see you like this, bare and willing. 

Tracing down your belly and lower, he stops between your legs which makes you whimper. You’re so desperate to be touched, to pretend he is someone you’ll never have the opportunity to love as properly as you could have if you’d both lived a different life, that your hips actually arch off of the bed eagerly. It should embarrass you but you are past the point of humiliation, willing to be fucked by evil incarnate just for the sake of a taste of Suguru Geto.

“Pathetic little thing,” he coos and you say nothing in return. You’re well aware of your failings as a sorcerer and a human being as his fingers spread your labia to get a glance at what you have to offer. For a moment, you consider praying for Suguru again; to selfishly beg God to make sense of your own actions but you know that he no longer has mercy for an ill behaved member of his flock. You will simply accept the consequences, whatever they will be.

His thumb brushes your clit and you moan, tipping your head back and toward the ceiling. You wait for the sensation of pleasure to climb through you again but it doesn’t come until you look downward again, eyes fluttering open.

“Eyes on me or you get nothing.”

Too afraid to look away lest it keep you from the only good thing you’ve felt in who knows how long, you keep your eyes glued to Kenjaku’s face while his hand works between your legs, spreading the slick from your cunt toward your clit and back down. If you could just shut your eyes, you could pretend, but they’re open and glued between your legs, watching every feathery stroke of his fingers through your folds.

Kenjaku’s cock hardens against your thigh and for a moment you dare to feel powerful knowing you aren’t the only one surrendering to the most base of your needs. He drops your hand and reaches for the tie of his robe, opening it and giving you the only look you’ve ever been lucky enough to get of Suguru’s bare body.

Scarred, honed, a tool - just like yours. If you weren’t so lost in the moment, the lifetimes you have imagined for years would be playing through your mind.

You gasp and knit your brows together, bucking against the increasing pressure of Kenjaku’s fingers while he brings you back to him and out of your head. Whatever you’re thinking about doesn’t matter when he inserts a finger inside of you, only testing how wet you are with no intention of preparing you for his cock. 

When he’s satisfied with how wet you are, he withdraws his finger and you whine. The sound is the most he has heard from you since the first night and it makes his eyes widen in interest. He shifts until he is standing between your spread knees and the realization that this is really happening hits you at once, your face flaming with desire.

“You’re so impatient.” 

The curse user tuts at you with a roll of his eyes and spreads your legs as wide as they can go to accommodate the width of his body. He’s broad in shoulder and hip and you bite your lower lip when he runs the head of his cock through your folds, following the same pattern of his fingers. You expect the teasing to last longer but it stops abruptly. Before you can take a breath to prepare yourself, his cock is buried to the hilt inside of you, and you gasp with wide eyes, shocked. 

“As good as you imagined?”

Words come to your mind but do not form enough to leave your mouth while he thrusts roughly, your body jerking violently against his. It’s painful, the size of him with little prep in conjunction with how he uses your body as nothing more than a glorified place to take his aggression out, but all of the numbness within you thaws and for the first time since you realized Geto was no longer Geto in Shibuya, you feel. 

It’s hard to name all the emotions you are experiencing because they blur into something barely comprehensible. Pleasure and pain and bone chilling sorrow, the kind that makes tears silently drip down your face while he takes what he wants from you. He doesn’t bother to play with your clit and there is no need to, the joy you’re taking simply from being used by Suguru’s body enough that the knot inside of you is slowly beginning to unravel. 

Skin on skin punctuated by his low grunts and your whines fill the small room and you are so lost, you lift yourself halfway up to meet Kenjaku and consider kissing him. Would it be close enough to kissing Suguru that you could eventually justify it or would it just sully the one good memory you have of him? 

You don’t have long to think about it before you are pushed back down to the bed, one of his hands caging your throat and keeping you pinned to the bed below. A reminder that this is for his pleasure and not yours although you feel yourself coming closer to the edge than you were just moments prior, shutting your eyes tightly. All of the motion inside of you stops, the hard thrusts of his cock ending, and your eyes shoot open.

“Remember what I said. Eyes on me or you get nothing.”

Nodding, you keep them open and he begins again, pace rougher than before. You can do nothing but grunt and struggle to breathe, his cock carving out space inside of you that didn’t exist until he entered you. Every kiss of his tip against your insides knocks the breath out of you and finally you cum in a strangled moan, walls quivering around his length. 

His hand inches further up your throat and squeezes experimentally. As expected, you do not fight back and he takes his indulgence with a grin, choking you with varying degrees of pressure and feeling your cunt spasm around him when he surprises you by tightening his grip. 

You like this. You want this.

He leans forward and shifts his weight to his arm and hand, finally spilling inside of you with a deep moan. Warmth fills every inch of you and you wish that you felt as full in your heart as you do in your cunt but a void remains.

Kenjaku’s other hand slides up your body and wraps around your neck, both of his palms resting on either side of your neck and fingers splaying over your throat. It’s dangerous to let him have this much access to any part of you that he could possibly crush but you do not move, tearfully looking up at him and sniffling. He increases his pressure, not enough to harm you, but enough to make you work hard and you realize how easily he could just…end this.

“Please kill me,” you beg while struggling to breathe, realizing what you’ve done now that the afterglow of orgasm can no longer protect you from the cold hard truth. 

You are a betrayer. You slept with the enemy to sate your own selfish desires and death seems almost too kind to beg for, yet you do.

“Kill me.”

Your face turns in shade and your vision is dotted with darkness, a miserable end to a miserable life you consider, but at least it will be over. The pressure of Kenjaku’s hands around your neck continues to increase until you are certain you are taking your last breath, lungs aching until he abruptly stops. He glances down from where he rests above you, half swollen cock softening and letting his cum leak out around the tip of it that is still inside of you and onto the sheets below. 

“I will not give you the satisfaction of death until you give me the satisfaction of watching you fight for it.” 

Removing his hands from around your throat completely, he glances down at the pressure indentions of his fingers with a smile. Your eyes flutter shut, you’ve passed out from lack of air, and he admires the heap he has left you in, reaching for your robe and wiping the remnants of his release and yours on the corner of it.

Nobody is coming to save you, a secret Kenjaku knows that you are not yet aware of. Satoru Gojo is dead, defeated at the hands of Sukuna. The news broke this morning and he was preparing to come to your room to let you know until this little distraction occurred. He had an inkling you were susceptible to Suguru Geto’s charms even from beyond the grave but he had no idea it would be this easy, your slumped form resting on the futon beside him. He pats your head as one would a treasured dog, long and loving strokes that do not stir you, your bare breasts swaying slightly with every breath you take.

The new world is on the horizon and he may keep you around as a plaything for a little longer than he originally intended.

[tunatoge]

like the branch of a tree – s. geto x reader

contents: canon divergence (suguru lives and is a teacher at jj tech), fluff, ooc, reader is also a teacher at jj tech, not mentioned but insinuated satosugu, insinuated nsfw, brief mentions of third years and possible manga spoilers, title is based off of 'would that i' by hozier, NOT PROOFREAD

a/n: this is my first time posting on tumblr, i'm nervous LMAO sorry for any grammatical errors

shoko is quiet as she sits next to you at a slight angle, her knees bumping into yours as the two of you look at her phone together. the two of you look at the silly selfie satoru had sent her and you frown a little. the picture he’d sent depicted him sitting on a bench in a weirdly rundown part of town, megumi pouting next to him. in the background there’s a copper haired girl peering outside of an old, beat down building with yuuji next to her. you know there’s a curse somewhere on the scene from satoru’s crudely drawn red circle in the air, an equally poorly drawn angry face in the center of it. 

you’re a little envious that satoru gets to hang out with his students. if kinji hakari hadn’t been suspended you’d be with both him and kirara. of course you didn’t have to supervise their missions anymore but you did admittedly miss your students. you were the only teacher on campus that wasn’t teaching–which was debatable seeing as suguru and satoru weren’t really teaching anything either. still, helping your students through some of the basic required educational courses would have been significantly better than the stacks of paperwork on your desk. 

shoko knocks her knee into yours, drawing your attention to her tired (but very pretty) face. she nods her head towards the door of the morgue and you instantly brighten at suguru’s appearance. his hair is completely down and his uniform jacket is draped over his arm. 

“morning,” he greets as he moves to sit next to you and shoko. “‘m guessing you two saw satoru’s selfie.” he nods towards shoko’s still unlocked phone as she hums in agreement and pockets her phone. 

“your hair’s down,” you say in response instead, not having heard his previous statement. 

suguru cocks his head to the side in confusion at your words before letting out a soft ‘ah’ as he laughs bashfully in a somewhat boyish way. “i woke up late,” he admits, “i slept through my alarm and got to the school a little after the morning class.” he smiles somewhat awkwardly (pointedly ignoring shoko’s knowing look, her raised brow seemingly yelling, “i know what you and satoru were doing last night!”) before offering his wrist, “i was gonna put it up when I got here.” his smile turns from awkward to somewhat confident when he finds you blinking up at him, captivated by his long hair.

you look towards his still outstretched hand and eye the black hair tie before shyly looking back up at suguru. when your eyes meet, an unreadable look crosses through his eyes as he swallows. he looks towards shoko behind you as she smoothly pulls her phone out again, an unlit cigarette in between her lips.

“may i?” you ask, drawing his attention back towards you as you gesture towards his hair and he almost immediately agrees. when he offers you his hair tie again you softly shake your head and pull a bright blue one off of your wrist. he pretends to be blind to the tiny little bow on it as he shifts so his back is towards you. 

as you’re doing suguru’s hair, shoko texts satoru an image of you with the tip of your tongue out and your hands threaded through suguru’s long hair. she gets a jealous angry frowny face in response. 

that’s MY hair tie!! >:(

notes: satoru is the first years' teacher, suguru is the second years', and you're the third years'. satoru made you play with his hair after he got back on campus. he said it was only fair because you'd given suguru the hair tie he'd given you. maki made a face when she saw suguru's hair later in the day. she asked if the twins had done it for him.

[faesdreaming]

Yandere Namor Headcanon

an: I’ll work on requests I swear, I’ve just been obsessed with this man

tw: yandere themes, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Spoilers, stalking, overprotective behaviour, kidnapping, captivity, ooc

•Namor, a child without love as he’d been cursed, did not have it within his heart to love another. His love lay with his people. That was until he happened upon you. An inquisitive human who was investigating the legend of K'uk'ulkan. At first, he’d planned to kill you as he did with all others that had come to find him ans Talokan. However, your intentions, unlike the others, was honourable. You only visited out of curiosity, and acted respectfully towards the land and the people of the village. Namor began to observe you. He watched you from afar as you continued to search for him, for any signs for him. He never let you catch on though.

•Frustrated by your fruitless efforts, you decided to leave in resignation. Despite hiding himself from you, Namor wasn’t prepared for you to go. He’d spent so much time watching you that he grew obsessed. He was completely enamoured with you, with your mannerisms, your habits, your laugh, your smile, everything about you. You were a pure being. The cruel surface world was undeserving of you. So, the day you were meant to leave, you visited the beach one last time as a sort of nostalgic end visit. That’s when you saw him, emerging out of the water. You stood there, stunned. Here before you was K'uk'ulkan in all his glory. And he was glorious. He must’ve been the most gorgeous man you’d ever seen. The silence between you two grew as you eyes raked him over, taking him in. Slowly, he moved towards you, then he uttered your name. That single utterance of your name caused your insides to double over, twisting and turning.

“K'uk'ulkan,” you whispered in awe, eyes widened. Smiling, he corrected you, “Namor. You’ve been searching for me.”

Still in awe, you nodded slowly. “You wish to see it, do you not? My home,” asked Namor, outstretching his hand in an unspoken offer. He was inviting you, a mere human, to see his home. Your heart was pounding in your chest as you cautiously took his hand. He pressed a mask to your face and before you could register what was happening, you were being pulled under the water.

•Namor took you to an underwater cave where you didn’t need a mask. This is where you’d be staying, he told you. You didn’t pay any thought towards his ominous tone, too absorbed with the mesmerizing beauty of the cave. Namor then showed you to a high-tech deep-sea diving suit. Once you were suited up, Namor showed you Talokan. The underwater city was ethereal. You marvelled at the sights and the people, all who received you warmly. Namor’s heart swelled watching you interact with his people as if they were your own, well they would be soon.

•You enjoyed your time at Talokan. All your needs and wants were met. You adored spending time with the people, especially the children. However, eventually, the novelty wore off and you grew homesick. You tried to bring it up with Namor but he would either change the course of the conversation or just blow you off entirely. This dodgy behaviour worked up your irritation until it finally spilled over.

“Namor!” you called out. Namor turned around, his face set in an adoring smile. “I need to talk to you.”

“What is it? Is there anything you need?” He asked sweetly.

“I want to leave, and don’t try changing the subject. I love it here in Talokan, but this isn’t my home. I have a home, a life back on the surface that I need to return too,” you said, pleadingly.

Something in Namor’s eyes changed, and he titled his head in confusion. Then, he laughed. “Darling, tell me, what did you expect to happen once you accepted my hand. Did you believe that Talokan has remained hidden for so long through allowing people free range?”

Your heart rate quickened, and you stuttered, trying to formulate a response. You hadn’t thought of the future consequences, lost in the thought of experiencing the myths you’d studied for so long first hand. Chuckling, Namor closed the distance between you two and cupped your face with his hands. “Worry not, beloved. Talokan shall offer you far more than the surface world ever could.”

[oldstateofmind]

nobody else can heal it (but you) [part l]

➜ pairing: miguel o’hara x fem!reader ➜ warnings: spoilers from ATSV, a bit of angst cause i’m human, violence, torture, hanahaki disease but make it nightmares instead. english is not my first language. ➜ words: 4.3k ➜ a/n:  I’ve watched this movie 3 times by now because I’m obsessed with Miguel. His character is so interesting and captivating, he’s so grumpy and sad and that just makes me wanna fix him. Ugh, I have a soft spot for anti-heroes. And being voiced by Oscar Isaac is the icing on the cake. This first part sets the tone because I just can’t jump straight to smut, but I promise I’ll compensate next chapter.

chapter l. bad disease

For too long, you've been yearning for Miguel; only to be trapped in an endless nightmare. While awake, you had to live with the fact that he was out of reach – tearing your soul apart. While sleeping, violence and death had his face – tearing your whole being apart. No matter when or where; you were maimed by the same man.

Ao3

l.

It starts with a hiss; then a shadow moving in the corner of your vision.

In the dark, cold envelops your body; chilling to the bone. It’s awfully quiet besides the continuous dripping of water in the distance, the echoes of each drop remind you of a ticking clock; counting the time you’ve left – for what, however, you’re not really sure.

You rub your arms in an attempt to bring a bit of warmth back to your skin, and as always, it’s useless. It seems like a forever winter inside the place you’ve found yourself in for the past 2 weeks. 

What once started as a nightmare that made you wake up in the middle of the night, now plagues your mind every time you close your eyes. There’s no escape from it, no matter how hard you try. You’re more than tired, it’s exhausting not getting more than 3 hours of sleep when your job requires attention and disposition.

Even the pills Lyla gave you last time you were at the HQ didn’t work – actually, they made it even worse. Because then, your body was completely knocked out while your mind was terribly awake, reliving the scene over and over again. You threw them down the drain once you woke up. Never again.

And even though you already know what happens by now, it is still dreadful to wait for the nightmare to unfound. Your senses are hyper-aware of every single tiny sound, every movement in the dark. 

There’s something poetic in the way you can feel him move even with your eyes closed; the way you could recognize the pattern of his breathing in the distance even when fear creeps into your brain. Your spider-sense tingles as his heavy steps are headed toward you, it screams danger. Goosebumps break out across your body, sending a small, cold shiver through your spine. 

Red is the first thing you see. And also the last.

-

“...to Y/N.” Someone is calling you in the distance, but the hazy feeling of the nightmare still lingers within you. It’s hard to focus when your brain still hasn’t turned off properly for weeks, still trapped in whatever curse this is.

“Earth to Y/N, is anyone there?” There’s a snap in front of your eyes, and you suddenly flinch with the unexpected sound. The touch on your shoulder grounds you a bit.

You blink your eyes, rubbing them in an attempt to brush off the dreadful feeling still creeping into the back of your mind. As your eyes adjust to reality, Gwen’s face is filled with concern.

“I’m sorry, guys.” It’s the only thing you manage to say, how could you possibly begin to explain what’s been happening?

“You’ve lost your cue twice now, what’s happening with you today?” The girl presses, still holding onto your shoulder. And for that, you’re grateful. 

Not getting enough sleep has been causing you to lose grip on reality – and that scares you the most. Not being able to tell if the sounds are coming from your head or from somewhere else. Or worse, having to avoid him because it’s unbearable the feeling that eats you from the inside out; the sense of fight or flight kicking in every time you hear his voice. Not tolerating being in his company as shadows follow you around like a ghost, tormenting you into remembering.

And it’s just not fair. 

“Nothing!” You say, adjusting the bass strap on your shoulder. Hesitating on letting you go, Gwen squeezes your arm before retracting her hand. You try to smile, “I’m good. I…I’m good.”

The smile stretched for too long, awkwardly pulling your face into a grin rather than a genuine beam. The avoidance of looking at the member of the band doesn’t really back you up on your lies. You hear Hobie huff in annoyance, while Gwen’s piercing gaze still hasn’t left your face. You feel slightly guilty about keeping your nightmares a secret, but it’s not like they would understand, would they?

After all, Miguel O’Hara was a difficult subject for you to talk about.

“I know that look, I have seen it in the mirror quite a few times,” The girl admits. And you knew it was true.

When Gwen joined the Spider Society just a few months ago, the melancholy gloom that followed her was palpable. The teary eyes whenever someone asked about her life, the avoidance of returning to her world, always crashing at yours or Hobie’s. Her father was a tough subject on which she never really dwelled, too painful to remember.  

However, even if she could relate to the feeling of losing sleep over someone, she wouldn’t understand how it felt to be torn apart by your own brain, to have precious memories distorted in a sick and twisted nightmare that was a culmination of your worst fears. To know it was coming and having no power to stop it. And all the while having the face of the person you cared about the most in the world, in all universes.

No, no one could begin to understand. 

You bit your lips, signing in defeat, “I’m just tired, that’s all.”

“That’s rubbish. Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?” Hobie chimes in, crossing his arms over his chest. He raises his eyebrow, seeing through your facade without breaking a sweat.

“You’re not even glowing like you usually do!” Pavitr shouts from the audience, waving his hand toward you. Sometimes he would come by to watch the band practice, but today you had not even seen him coming, which was a terrible sign because Pavitr always made an entrance when he stopped by.

“I thought you would be grateful for that.” You scoff.

“Hey, you can’t blame me! My eyes are sensitive.”

The typical headache starts to pound in your head like a thousand bells ringing directly in your ear. It’s disorientating the way your senses feel out of place – like a fish out of the water. Not even having superpowers was helping you stay afloat. 

You took pride in being a Spider Woman, doing your job as best as you could so that at the end of the day, Miguel would see you. Your talent, your dedication. But lately, you feel yourself falling further down in his list. And it hurts.

“It’s just that–” You sigh, rubbing your eyes again, foolishly trying to make the pain go away. The ache in your head was bad, but the one in your heart could bring you to your knees. “I’m not getting much sleep these last few weeks.”

Gwen snaps her fingers excitedly, “You should try one of those pills they hand over at the–” 

“No!” You shout before you can stop yourself; memories flood your troubled mind. The blood, the screams. Talons ripping flesh, pain consuming your body and soul. But the worst of all; his words. Gwen stops in her tracks, caught off guard by your sudden outburst. The guilty eat you away. 

“I mean, I–I’ve tried it,” You whisper, the lump forming in your throat makes it hard to say a single word, “but they… didn’t work for me.” 

The trembling of your hands caught everyone’s attention. And It’s just too much.

“I’m sorry.” Whispering, you turn around to hide your face. You take the bass strap from your shoulder and place the instrument in its case. “Let’s just wrap this up, I don’t want to waste anyone’s time.”

“Oi, Y/N,” Hobie calls for you, but you’re already grabbing your coat and heading toward the door. “We are here to help you, it’s what a band is about, innit?” 

You look over your shoulder at them, heart aching at the thought of leaving them with no explanation – as a frightened animal, cornered with nowhere to run, all bite and no apologies.

“Right,” You agree but vanish in thin air seconds later.

ll.

Time becomes its own entity when you lose track of it. It’s another late hour, probably somewhere between 3 AM, and the coffee you got from your favorite spot in town is hot against your cold fingers. You dangle your feet at the edge of a building, admiring the view of a sleepy neighbor – no matter the time, New York is always full of light. 

It’s been a few days since you left the rehearsal in a hurry, the band has been trying to get in touch with you but you’ve been avoiding taking their calls and answering their texts – you’ve been avoiding a lot of things lately. 

Like swinging in the middle of the traffic, as an example. Something that came naturally, but now it has become too dangerous. The notion of space and distance have been lost days ago together with the full awareness of your surroundings. You’ve been trying to do your job, but it has become almost impossible to pay attention to your movements when the heaviness of your limbs begs for you to slow down.

There’s also Lyla, who you've lost count of how many times she chimed in while you were working, telling you about a meeting that you had missed out on. Not that it was totally required to be there, but if once you counted the days to be in the same room as Miguel, just so you could see him, now you avoided it like the plague. 

You haven’t heard from him ever since you disappeared – only stopping by the HQ when extremely necessary – so you might not be in that much trouble. However, it definitely did some heavy damage to your heart noticing how O’Hara didn’t really need or wanted to see you in the first place. Not even a call, not even a message.

And that was devastating. 

For too long, you've been yearning for Miguel; only to be trapped in an endless nightmare. While awake, you had to live with the fact that he was out of reach – tearing your soul apart. While sleeping, violence and death had his face – tearing your whole being apart. No matter when or where; you were maimed by the same man.

Blowing out your coffee, you sigh. The lack of sleep has been taking a toll on you. It started off as simply missing the timing from one building to another, and now you can feel the nasty bruise forming on the side of your hip. Actually, your body now looks like it has been painted black and blue with the number of bruises it’s collecting. 

And you still can’t find the answer, nor any clue on how to make them go away. It will kill you eventually, you’re sure of that. It was just a matter of time now. Maybe then you could finally rest.

The bitter taste of the coffee spreads in your tongue and you welcome the caffeine with open arms. You’ve been trying to stay awake for the most part of the day, only hitting the bed when you’re completely and absolutely worn out. It does give you a few more minutes, but as the sun comes down and another moon appears, you can feel yourself slipping away, getting fewer and fewer hours of sleep, and slowly descending to madness as the nightmares start to feel more vivid, clouding your judgment.

Maybe you should ask for help, after all. 

As a result of a very slow mind, it takes you more than it should to sense a new presence on the rooftop with you. Startled, the hair on the back of your neck stands up. You quickly throw away the coffee, lamenting not being able to finish it. 

You pull your mask down; if it was another one of those villains of the week the guy was fucked because you had run out of patience. “Honestly, I’m in a really bad mood today,” You say to whoever is hiding in the shadows, your senses tingling as the figure slowly walks towards you, “No tricks, please. Let’s do this quickly.” 

The movement stops, and you roll your eyes in annoyance. Another guy who thinks that making a scary little entrance will impress you. You’re about to make a joke when the shadow speaks, making your heart stop for a second.

“Y/N.”

The cold creeps in underneath the flesh, freezing your blood and yourself in place. All the hair in your body stands up as your body tenses with trepidation and fear. There it was again, that voice that haunts you night and day. 

No, please. I’m awake, aren't I?”

It was hard to tell, as your surrounding started to blur; the sound of the street and surroundings go silent, as the only focus of your mind is the man in front of you and the way his eyes glow scarlet against the dark of the night. Your heart hammers your chest so furiously you’re afraid it might break free. 

“Y/N.” 

Miguel calls out for you again, his tone nothing more than a whisper. But you have seen this scene before; a hundred times you’ve heard those same words roll out of his tongue as if it disgusted him – as if you didn’t deserve to be mentioned it.

You flinch as he steps forward, memories of talons ripping your skin apart make you fight against the rising panic; the outcome of the nightmare is inevitable, you’ve tried to change it, but the aftermath was always the same; killed by the man you loved the most.

“Stay away from me,” You warned him. It was useless when fate seemed to have your lines already written, with no chance to change the full stop by a coma. “Please, stay away from me.”

Miguel stops, the glowing of his suit hurts your eyes. You can’t see his expression, there’s a dark shadow covering his face, but the red tint gives his demeanor a haunting feeling – another shiver runs down your spine. Your vision starts to blur; the fine line between reality and dreamland crashes together in your mind. Nothing feels real, the foggy state of mind wraps around you, gradually taking over your sanity.

So you flee. Or at least you try. 

Before you could jump from the building, Miguel’s strong hand wraps around your wrist, pulling you directly in his direction. Adrenaline pumps through your veins, and quickly you are able to untangle yourself from his grip, kicking him in the process. 

“Y/N.” You know it’s his voice, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel like it. It’s disconnected from the man you’ve grown to love. Dread gnawed at your insides as the nightmare turns into another torture section. His mouth is moving but you can’t make up the words; every sound gets lost in the loud rush of blood in your ears.

Not that you need it, anyway. You’ve been living the same dialogue over and over again to know like the back of your hand.

“Don’t hurt me again,” You plea, raw panic in your voice. Your mind is erratic, coming up with ideas on how to escape, but your body doesn’t follow the same line of thinking, “Please, I’m so tired.”

But it’s all in vain; the man bolts in your direction like an animal ready to devour its prey. You find yourself half mad with terror – your throat tightens as anxiety eclipsed your thoughts. 

Before Miguel can get to you, you attack. 

It never works as the man is way above your abilities, but you try – anything to be freed from having another slow, painful death. Gathering the last of your strength, you shoot a web that miraculously lands on his foot and it sticks to the ground. Quickly, you jump from one wall to another, landing a kick on his chest. 

It doesn’t do anything more than startle the man, but it gives you enough time to soar across the night sky, landing on another rooftop. The glowing of your watch catches your attention. Usually, you don’t have it with you, nightmares don’t really give you the option to flee. 

But it seems this one does. 

“Y/N!” Miguel roars. In the slip second your eyes had darted toward the gadget, the man had torn apart the single web holding him in place. He huffs, shoulders hunched forward as tension grows between you both. 

Against your better judgment, you shot him a glance. And like magnets, his eyes find yours in mi the sea of lights that only New York could offer.

You press the bottom, eyes fixed on the man coming towards you like a bolt. His talons cut the air in front of your eyes – almost like a kiss – the petrifying realization makes you fall on your back towards the portal. 

Then everything turns black.

lll.

When you open your eyes again, you’re absolutely and awfully exhausted. The weight of your body holds you down against the cold floor, almost as if it didn’t belong to you anymore. You had lost ownership after not taking care of it. Your eyelids are heavy, and for a moment you consider just going back to sleep, finally giving in to the sweet taste of relief. 

But then, the warnings in the back of your mind start to go off, and you remember why you can’t. Grunting, you take off your mask and pick yourself up. There was no rest for you, not until you find out what the hell happened. And if it was all in your mind, of if Miguel was there. 

Because that definitely didn’t feel like a dream. The phantom feeling of his fingers wrapped around your wrist still lingered, and the intensity of his gaze still made you shrink. A chill runs down your spine in trepidation. If he was really there were the nightmares just a premonition of the future?

No. Miguel would never do that. 

Even though he didn’t… like you as you liked him, the man didn’t have a single motive to want you dead. Miguel was many things, but mostly he was righteous. Dedicated to his job in an unhealthy, and obsessive way? Yes. However, he still had kindness hidden underneath his scowl, and even though his heart was mostly painted black by the loss of his old life, it still beat for the new ones the Spider Society protected. Besides, he still had some humor in him; a completely dated and cringe type of humor, but there.

And every time it made an appearance, you would find it adorable. A tiny smile appears on your lips. How could you not treasure every moment with him when it was all so rare? 

“Y/N?” Someone calls for you in the distance. You are still picking yourself up from the floor, the sudden movement makes you dizzy, and nauseous. You’re pretty sure you hit your head. 

“Oh my god! Are you okay?” Margo comes into view, she quickly puts one of your arms around her neck and helps you get up. “You look terrible.”

“You should see the other guy,” You try joking around. And even though the blue avatar softly huffs, her expression of concern is serious. You must look worse than you thought. 

Margo helps you get into a chair, gently holding you until you’re comfortable in your seat. “I’m sorry for barging in, I honestly didn’t know where I was going.”

“Where you running from something?” She jokingly asks. She grabs a tablet, reads something on the screen, and goes back to work.

“Yeah,” You groan, running your hand through your hair, “You could say that.”

The room was as quiet as it always was, the only sound coming from the girl who was softly humming a song. Looking around, you notice there was no one around, only the machines as a company. You wondered if Margo ever feel lonely here; the place was big enough to fit a few dozen Spiders, however, it was always deserted. The truth was that no one actually liked to be around villains after they were captured, and sending them home was a dreadful job. Margo was definitely a viable asset to the team. 

You can feel your senses start to relax, the darkroom was a perfect invitation for a well-deserved rest. But with the sleepiness came the loss of concentration, and the last time you let your guard down, you fled from a very real Miguel. 

Small talk would be, then. “So… who’s next?”

Margo picks up her tablet, tapping a few things before showing you a picture. “She calls herself 'Torment'. But you’re probably familiar with her. After all, you and Hobie caught her a few weeks ago.”

Wait. A few weeks ago? That's exactly the time when the nightmares started to occur.

Suddenly, a flashback hits you like a bullet. A purple and blue cloud, the touch of a finger. The laugh.

“Margo, I need to talk to her,” You demand, getting up from your chair as if you had been electrified. The pieces fall into place and make a clear picture. How could you have let this fly over your head? Of course, the nightmares weren’t something normal! It had to be a product of something, or someone. 

“Y/N, I need to send her ho–”

“It’s urgent,” Holding the girl’s hand in yours, you squeeze them in a silent plea, “Please, Margo. Just give me 5 minutes.”

Margo presses her lips together; you must look desperate because she sighs, defeated. Then nods, “Make it quick.” 

“Thank you.” 

-

The Send Home Machine had come out of its cocoon, and now sat atop a circular base; waiting for the command to start the process of pulling the strings to weave the portal back home. You always thought the whole mechanism was a bit too much, but if it worked, then who were you to complain?

Margo brings Torment in, and she immediately recognizes you. 

“Oh, I knew I would see you again!” The woman’s face lights up like a Christmas tree – that couldn't be a good sign. She claps her hands, bouncing on her feet. “Looking for answers, darling?”

A cold shiver runs down your spine, but it’s not fear that spreads through your veins. It’s anger. “What did you do to me?”

The woman laughs, throwing her head back. You can clearly see she was having too much fun with you. “Now you’re interested in what I’ve to say? You didn’t seem that excited when I first came to you and your little friend.”

Your blood boils. If she wasn’t already locked up and ready to be sent home, you would definitely teach her a lesson or two. Your knuckles go white as the woman stares, the smile on her face is disturbing. How could she find pleasure in tormenting someone like that?

The sound of the engine turning startles you, Margo sends you an apologetic look as the machine descends from its place atop the base. You’re getting out of time.

“What do you want?” You shout, desperate. You can’t imagine going another week, another day haunted like this. “Tell me!”

Torment’s stare is piercing, a shadow crosses her face when the smile fades into a thin line. The silence was agonizing, and with each tread of the web, you felt your sanity slipping away. This was your last chance.

“I’m so fucking tired!” You cry out, hitting the glass so hard it almost cracks. “Do you know how it feels to not get a single hour of sleep because your nightmares are too fucking real? Do you have a single idea of how torturing it is to have him, of all people–” Margo was listening, but you didn’t care. You wanted answers and you would get them. “Why him?”

“Poor little thing. You haven’t figured it out yet?” she hums, furrowing her eyebrows. And you hate the look of pity she has on her face. It was her that did this in the first place! “That must be tough, to keep all of that to yourself.”

No one knew about your feelings for Miguel. Well, you had a slight hunch that maybe Peter B. Parker might have noticed it. But otherwise, you kept all to yourself. Treasuring little moments as precious jewelry.

He was your boss! And besides, he was still too caught up in his late family. He would never open his heart again after the tragedy bestowed upon him. You couldn't blame him; a man forever stuck in the past, reliving each moment when he was happy.

However, sometimes, you would catch him looking. Exchange glances in a crowded room; during meetings. You would spend time with him alone; in a comfortable silence hard to find, or in an easy-going atmosphere that left you smiling like an idiot. 

But that was what they were, fleeting moments. And even though sometimes you dreamed about a future where you could give him all the love he deserved, they were just that; silly dreams. There was no space for you in his life. You had accepted that long ago.

“You see, my abilities are a gift,” Torment simply says, still unphased at your suffering. “They search deep in your soul for what you seek the most. The nightmares are just an incentive to make you finally take the big step.”

“What?” A memory comes to the forefront of your mind; a finger touching your forehead, the slight shock that sent you back a few steps. Miguel’s face appears right after the electric feeling dissipates. “What do you mean?”

“You know very well,” There’s some sort of twisted kindness when her smile appears again, it irks you profoundly, “Take care, darling. You can thank me later.”

The machine finishes threading the web, encapsulating the woman inside a honey-colored web. The last thing you see is her waving at you before disappearing into nothing.

Outraged, you punch the glass again, and again. No, no, no. This can’t be happening! That woman must be lying, there’s no way the cure to this torment is–

“Calm down, Y/N!” Margo holds your wrist before you can land another hit. She’s saying something but you can’t hear it. Anxiety takes over your body as you crouch on the floor, hiding your face in your arms. 

You will have to tell Miguel. 

And that was worse than any other nightmare. 

[animehideout]

A Deal ( Ryomen Sukuna x F.Reader) Part 2.

Read Part 1 here.

part 3

Manga spoiler⚠️

WARNINGS: Sensitive, smut content. Minors and those who don't like this kind of stuff please DO NOT INTERACT 🔞🔞

🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗

6:12 PM

You laid on the soft silky bed. Sukuna departed early in the morning, having taken all he could from you, leaving you completely drained. You were aware of the cost when you got yourself into this for your loved ones; the cost... was you.

Despite the comfort in the room, it couldn't soothe you enough. All you wished for was to be in Satoru's embrace. You understood it might not happen, but at least he was alive now – Sukuna did keep his promise in the end.

You thought about surrendering, running away, abandoning everything even if it led to your death.

"No, I can't abandon Megumi" you whispered to yourself, tears streaming down your cheeks.

Leaving is impossible as long as Sukuna controls Megumi's body.

Yet,perhaps ....perhaps when Sukuna regains his own body, you can leave, when you make sure everyone's safe.

Surely, this deal has got an end.

......

"I see you're still awake," Sukuna remarked, pulling you from your trance. You chose to ignore him; the last thing you desired was to see his face or engage in conversation with him.

"Come now, puppet, don't ignore me," he sighed while settling on the bed's edge.

His hand began to wander across your form, starting from your shoulder, waist, hips, down to your exposed legs. His sharp nails grazed your soft skin, sending shivers down your spine, like being struck by lightning.

You'd had enough of him using your body for his own impure pleasure.

“I have a mission for you” he added.

"What mission?"

"I keep my promises, you know. I need you to find me another body ...of a powerful sorcerer so I can return to my true form."

You smiled, aware that this task wouldn't be simple, but it meant Megumi could finally be free.

"When do I start?"

"Tonight," he smirked.

Determination filled you; after all, you were his servant.

"And after that, Sukuna, stay away from Megumi, Satoru, and all of my loved ones."

He laughed, his red eyes penetrating your soul.

"Don't worry about them. Worry about yourself. Though I do fancy Megumi's body; he's rather handsome, much better than that brat Yuji."

You swallowed hard, the thought of being Sukuna's perpetual captive made your heart sink, a bitter taste of self-disgust settling in.

"You seem uncomfortable. Am I the cause of your nerves, little sorcerer? Or is it because you can't resist the thought of how I make you feel when you repeatedly scream my name?" he inquired, drawing nearer and trapping you between his sturdy shoulders and the bed frame.

"I-I'm not," you stammered.

"I must acknowledge that you, a frail human, have indeed impressed me," he declared.

You remained silent, not trynna say something wrong that would lead him to fucking the attitude out of you.

His hand gripped your chin, forcing you to meet his gaze.

"The power of love led you to sacrifice yourself for those who don't even care about you, Gojo Satoru hah.. Do you truly believe that brat loves you? If he did, he'd be here trying to snatch you away from me. But he's witnessed death and thinks staying alive after dying on my hands is more important than saving you, you.. the one risking it all for him."

He attempted to manipulate you like a puppet, trying to mold you into his likeness. Making you see the flaws in people instead of giving them excuses. Yet, he forgot that you possess a heart that keeps you human rather than a heartless curse.

You're the one who prayed and hoped Gojo wouldn't come to save you, fearing Sukuna might kill him again. Even though you didn't want him around, your heart couldn't shake the slight ache, the idea that what Sukuna said might be true.

"Submit to me, obey me. Let me introduce you to a different kind of love. I can provide pleasure in ways his mind can't comprehend. As the king of curses, I promise you eternal protection."

His lips crashed yours, the strong hand on your waist pulled you closer to him, forcing you to straddle his lap.

You tried to push him away, to turn your head to the other side but he was way stronger than you. Kissing you hungrily, his tongue exploring the inside of your mouth, biting, licking, sucking.. leaving you completely breathless.

“S-submit to me” he whispered against your lips.

His mouth started trailing open-mouthed kisses down your jaw, neck and collarbone, moistening the soft skin of yours with his saliva.

While his hands roamed your waist, finally resting on your hips pushing you down on his clothed crotch.

Each touch setting you on fire

You hated this, with each cell in your body.. but you couldn't help the wetness building up between your thighs..

He drove you crazy from the intense pleasure, of how his mouth worked, even though he didn't touch you...yet.. it was just a kiss.

The harshness of the kisses, made you lower lip bleed..

“ohh I see I made it bleed..” he smirked, proud of what he did to you.

He opened his mouth again, his tongue licking off the blood off of your lip.. Savouring your taste, humming.

Finally breaking the kiss, letting you breathe.

Choosing to submit means being stuck with him forever, while refusing means your death. That little heart of yours, desires life but not this one. You dream of a life with Satoru and your friends, not on Sukuna's side��alive for his desires, doing his dirty work, while he's robbing you of freedom and your will to live.

"If I do, if I submit, can I see them one last time? Will you allow me to give them a proper goodbye?"

Tags:

@wifenanami

@certainduckanchor

[anianurst]

Dreams Do Come True

Summary: days go by, and Yuji's dreams stop. restless by your absence, Yuji decides to confide in his teacher

A/n: the final part of this mini-series :( im happy that it's received so much love <3 thank youuuuu

Warning(s): mentions of death, puke, mental breakdown, spoilers for jjk season two (episode 17)

It's quiet without you. Not a peaceful quiet but an unsettling one. One that fills your lungs and sits and you struggle to breathe. You hadn't appeared since Yuji was awakened from his last dream with you. Night after night, he goes to bed with bated breaths, hoping you'll appear and he can again relish in your devoted love.

But that doesn't happen. A day goes by, then another, and before he knows it, two weeks pass by with no appearance of you. It's noticeable to everyone that something has been irking Yuji. He smiled a little less and always responded with short answers.

The more noticeable change was the absence of the curse within him. Now that he thinks about it, Yuji doesn't remember Sukuna appearing or talking to him ever since you had appeared in his dreams. The king of curses had been quiet and seemingly lurking in the depths of his soul.

There was one moment that Yuji remembers (more like his body remembers). The moment that you had left with Uraume, he remembered a deep pull from the bottom of his soul. A rough tug that told him he needed to go to you now. The sharp pull then fizzled out as his body turned the opposite way.

"So, what's bothering you, Yuji?" Satoru asks, his bright blue eyes filled with curiosity hidden behind his trademark blindfold. Yuji jolts from the sudden question as he looks up from his phone. An unsure feeling fills his stomach before he sighs and confides in his teacher.

"There's this girl."

"Oh?" There's a teasing tone as Satoru smirks. Yuji's cheeks flare up as he quickly shakes his head.

"It's not how you think it is," he says. "I don't know her." Okay, now Yuji's just talking nonsense, Satoru thinks. "She started showing up in my dreams a while ago, but she hasn't appeared in a like long time."

"Oh?" Satoru says, and it's different this time. He's intrigued by Yuji's confession.

"It's like I know her, but I don't at the same time," Yuji adds. Satoru hums and runs a hand through his snow-like hair. A second passes before he snaps his fingers and makes finger guns at his student.

"You don't know her, but someone else does," Satoru concludes, and Yuji's eyebrows furrow. Why is his teacher always speaking in a metaphorical way? It isn't until Yuji feels something shift on his cheek. A single eye surfaces underneath the teen's left cheek and glares at the white-haired male, warning him not to dig any deeper.

23:14, Dogenzaka, In Front of Shibuya 109

Your lips are parted in awe as you stare at the crater of destruction before you. Even now, in modern times, Sukuna's destruction has always left you breathless, in awe of the beautiful chaos left behind.

A gust of wind comes from behind you, and you turn to look. 'He looks different,' you think, your eyes meeting four ruby-red ones that have always sent warmth through your body.

As he steps towards you, a smirk makes its way to Sukuna's face. A single hand (he has two arms instead of four. a fact that makes you question if you like this change) caresses your face, and you snuggle into the warmth of your lover's hand.

"Be sure to savor this, brat," is all Sukuna mutters as his red eyes give way to brown ones. His hand falls from your cheek, and Yuji's eyes are wide in horror.

He takes in your captivating form, smiling at him and the mass destruction behind you. His hands come up to clutch at his face as shaky breaths leave his lips. Memories of Sukuna's destruction fill his mind, and he falls to his knees.

A groan leaves him as he empties his stomach onto the ground before him. Tears start falling from his eyes as he screams his lungs out. Chants of 'die' and 'only me' fill the air as you continue smiling at him.

His cries die down in volume while you kneel down, your traditional, thin kimono becoming stained with his puke. Your welcoming arms wrap around his shoulders as you pull his figure into yours, your neck becoming damp with his tears.

"Welcome home, my love."

taglist: @aish777 @chuuberrysworld @reigenation @shegetsburned @destroyer-of-za-warudo @darkcowboypirate @cunisna @reverrieee @hotpossumjam @nnasv @sunshinesetsstuff @smolgojo

[emjayewrites]

PASTRY PASSIONS (4/?) (Luca x blackfemoc!)

PAIRING: Luca x Symone (black!original character)

SUMMARY: When Symone secures a coveted position as the social media manager at Noma, the renowned Michelin-starred restaurant, she is thrilled to be part of a team that pushes boundaries and captures gastronomic excellence. As Symone immerses herself in the vibrant atmosphere of Noma, she catches the eye of Luca, a talented and career-focused pastry chef within the same establishment. Luca is captivated by her presence, however, with his desire to maintain a clear boundary between work and personal life, he resists the growing attraction he feels toward her. Despite their shared passion for the culinary world, Symone and Luca find themselves entangled in a delicate dance between friendship, ambition, and unspoken desires. As the duo collaborates on various projects, from showcasing exquisite pastries to capturing behind-the-scenes glimpses of culinary artistry, they face numerous challenges that test their resolve. Amidst the intense pressures of Noma’s demanding environment and the weight of their individual aspirations, Symone and Luca must navigate their relationship in a career-driven world, where the line between personal and professional blurs, and decisions made can shape not only one’s heart but also their future in the industry.  

WARNINGS: slow burn romance, drama, angst, grueling work conditions/not-so-glamorous life of the culinary world, cursing, slight age gap, sexual content. RATED M (18+)

TAGLIST: @cinewhore @kdoxkeic @wakandamama @afro-hispwriter @nolita-fairytale @lovebittenbyevans @blowmymbackout @superhoeva @barefoothighlander @ihyperfixateoncharacters @soufcakmistress @celestianstars @vlvtkyssis @fadingbelieverexpert @arctvrvs @scottlangswife @lilyed777 @suckthatskittlebiiitch @write-fromthe-start @pantherxrogers @penny44224 @roxyfan14-blog @aieshawilliams2001 @cillianmirphy @sarcasticmrfox @zeeader​ @eddiemunsonreader​ @geekyfer @retrouvailles-film @stargirlfics @mauvecherie-writes @spellbinding10 @blckgrl-sunflower @beahil @stnexus @iamcurlycubana @motivation-idontknowher ​@shar74nett @blackpearlbutterfly @virgosapphire79 @a-lumos-in-the-nox @creativitybewarebeware @becauseimher @crispysublimecupcake @wordswithoppar @mintbong420

AUTHOR NOTE: This is my first fic for FX’s The Bear. This contains spoilers from Season 2, so please don’t read it if you haven’t watched it. In “Honeydew”, Luca mentions that he’s been working as a pastry chef/chef for 14 years, so he has to be in his early/mid-30s (32-34-ish?) and there will be a small age gap between him and Symone. Also, Chapters 1-3 are set a month and a half before Marcus’ stage trip in January. Please DM me if you want to be added to the tag list. Enjoy reading!

CHAPTER IV: Bain-Marie

BAIN-MARIE: A water bath that prevents delicate desserts from curdling, cracking, or overcooking as they bake.

As the days rolled by at Noma, the tension between Luca and Symone lingered like a silent storm. Despite their brief yet intense connection in Oslo, their interactions were now cloaked in an uneasy atmosphere. Both danced around each other, caught in a web of unspoken emotions and unresolved feelings.

Symone tried to bury her emotions beneath a façade of professionalism. She threw herself into her work, channeling her energy into creating social media content for Noma. Yet, every time she glanced in Luca's direction, her heart fluttered, reminding her of the bond they shared during their time away.

Meanwhile, Luca wrestled with his own internal conflict. He found solace in the familiar chaos of the kitchen, throwing himself into refining pastries and mentoring Marcus. However, thoughts of Symone were a constant distraction, leaving him grappling with the unspoken tension that lingered between them.

One afternoon, amidst the controlled chaos of the kitchen, an unexpected lull provided a fleeting moment of respite. Luca stole a glance across the bustling room and found Symone engrossed in her work at an empty table, typing away on her laptop.

Summoning his courage, Luca navigated the sea of busy chefs and made his way toward her. With each step, his heartbeat quickened, nerves coiling in his stomach.

"Hey," he greeted softly as he approached Symone.

Symone looked up, surprised at the interruption. "Oh, hey Luca," she responded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Mind if I... we talk for a sec?" Luca asked, his voice tinged with a touch of uncertainty.

"Sure, what's up?" Symone replied, setting aside her work to give him her full attention.

They faced each other, the air thick with unspoken words. Luca hesitated, searching for the right words to articulate the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside him.

"I know things have been weird between us lately," Luca began, his gaze earnest as he met Symone's eyes. "And I just wanted to say... I don't want it to be like this."

Symone nodded in understanding, her expression softening. "Me neither. It's just... complicated."

"Yeah," Luca agreed, a rueful smile crossing his face. "But maybe it doesn't have to be."

Their eyes held a silent conversation, a myriad of emotions passing between them. For a moment, the chaos of the kitchen faded into the background, leaving only the palpable tension between Luca and Symone.

"So...what're you suggesting?" Symone wondered as her eyebrows furrowed. She inched closer to him, causing her delightful scent of vanilla and cherries to waft through his nostrils. Her smell beckoned him and it took all of Luca's willpower to not kiss her right then and there.

He's been trying to be on his best behavior since they came back from Oslo, giving her time and distance to process what happened between them, yet Marcus' advice kept echoing in his mind: he needed to uncomplicate it.

Was he scared shitless? Of course; he didn't want to be in yet another office situationship, however, Symone was proving to be too hard to forget and Luca was willing to risk it at least one more time. Call him reckless, yet he'll be an idiot to try to keep playing this platonic bullshit with her, especially after the weekend they had.

"I dunno," he shrugged, "but I don't want to be here at work feeling awkward as hell, y'know? Symone, we...had fun in Oslo, alright? Why can't we continue to have fun here?"

Her annoyed eye roll tempted him to chuckle, yet somehow he managed to keep it together. Luca enjoyed watching her reactions; she was such an open book.

Symone crossed her arms over her chest, which emphasized her breasts even more, much to Luca's chagrin. "I thought we agreed to leave it in Oslo?"

"I know, I know," Luca admitted, trying to diffuse the tension with a half-hearted grin. "But can't we at least be civil? Working like this is driving me crazy."

Symone sighed, her frustration evident. "It's not that easy, Luca. Things are different here, and we have our responsibilities."

"Yeah, responsibilities," Luca echoed, a tinge of disappointment in his voice. "I get it, but does that mean we can't even talk without it being weird?"

She hesitated, looking away for a moment before meeting his gaze. "It's not about being weird. It's about keeping things professional."

"Professional," Luca repeated, the word feeling like a barricade between them. "I guess I just miss how things were."

Symone's expression softened, a flicker of nostalgia crossing her features. "I miss it too, believe me. But we can't go back."

"Can't or won't?" Luca challenged, a hint of defiance in his tone.

"Luca...don't do this." Symone's gaze softened briefly before she regained her composure. "This isn't the time or place for... this."

An awkward silence settled between them, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavy in the air. Luca ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident.

"Alright, then," he said finally, trying to sound nonchalant despite the ache in his chest. "I'll leave it alone."

Symone's gaze softened, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes. "Luca, I..."

But before she could finish, Luca gave her a small, understanding nod. "It's fine, really." With a heavy heart, Luca pivoted on his heel to turn away and get back to his work, but something – someone –stopped him.

"Luca," she stated in a harsh whisper, her fingers lightly gripping his wrist, halting his departure. Her eyes pleaded with him, conflicted emotions swirling within them. "Please."

He turned back around, caught off guard by the sudden contact, and met her gaze, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. "Yes, Symone?"

"I didn't mean for it to be like this," she murmured, her voice barely audible over the kitchen's clamor. "It's just... it's complicated. Can we talk about this later? Just you and me?"

He searched her eyes for a moment, seeing a mix of regret and longing. "Sure," he said. "Where?"

Symone's grip on his wrist loosened, her hand falling back to her side. "My apartment. I can make us dinner."

"Trying to bribe me with food, huh?" Luca let out a low whistle, shaking his head in mock displeasure. "That's cold, Symone."

Symone managed a small, rueful smile, a glint of warmth in her eyes. "Hey, it's the least I can do."

Luca chuckled softly, the tension in the air easing just a fraction. "Alright, fine, but I can't promise that I'll enjoy it as much as I want to."

"Liar," Symone quipped. "You know damn well you've been itching to try my cooking."

"We shall see, Symone." He glanced over at his workstation. "I have to finish up my work, but I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," was her response.

Symone silently watched as Luca headed back to his tasks.

______________________________________________________________

The hours passed slowly for Luca, his mind occupied with a mix of anticipation and uncertainty about the upcoming evening. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, he found solace in the familiarity of his work, channeling his restless energy into perfecting the desserts for the evening service.

As the day wound down, Luca glanced at the clock, realizing it was time to leave. With a sense of both apprehension and excitement, he made his way to Symone's apartment, the thoughts of their impending conversation swirling in his mind.

Upon arrival, Symone greeted him with a warm smile, the aroma of a homemade meal filling the cozy space. They exchanged a few light-hearted remarks about their day, attempting to mask the unspoken tension that lingered between them.

Dinner progressed smoothly, the conversation flowing more easily than expected. Symone's culinary skills surpassed his expectations, and Luca couldn't help but admit how much he enjoyed the meal. They laughed and reminisced about shared experiences, momentarily letting go of the weight that rested between them.

As they finished their meal, Luca sensed Symone's demeanor shifting, her expression becoming more earnest.

"Luca," Symone began, her tone tinged with a mix of hesitation and resolve. "I've been distant, and I want to apologize for that."

A reassuring smile appeared on his lips. "I understand. I'm sure it can be weird coming back after all the things we've done in Oslo." He added a sultry wink at the end and Symone kissed her teeth at his antics. "I'm not sure about you, but after something like that, fucking you like that, I can't just be friends, Symone. Don't you miss that? Don't you miss how we felt together?"

"I do miss it," she confessed, her eyes meeting his with a twinge of vulnerability. She wouldn't lie to herself to say anything else; it took so long to admit it. Since that weekend in Oslo, all she could dream about was Luca's big, calloused hands on her smooth skin. Symone was unable to shake off the feeling of Luca inside of her, fucking her relentlessly. Call her touch starved, a sex feign, whatever; yet it was no denying how wonderful it felt to be with him, even for a brief moment.

Luca's heart skipped a beat at her honesty. "I miss it too, more than you know."

The air between them crackled with unspoken emotions, but there was an unspoken agreement, a silent understanding that they both yearned for more than just professionalism between them.

"I want to find a way to balance this," Symone said, her voice soft but resolute. "But I don't even know where to start. I mean—fuck!" She used both hands to cover her face and mumbled out a few incoherent sentences. Exhaling a deep breath, she finally removed her hands from her face. "Sorry, I can be a bit melodramatic. Obviously, what we had was fun..."

"Yes," smiled Luca, "it was really fun. I'm down to keep going if you are, Symone. Just say the words."

If it all was that simple, she thought. But it could be...

As soon as that intrusive musing popped up in her mind, she quickly forbade it, pushing it to the deep depths of her consciousness. Symone felt a mix of emotions swirl within her, a whirlwind of hesitation, desire, and caution. Luca's proposal sounded both appealing and daunting at the same time.

"It's not that simple," she murmured, her gaze lingering on Luca, feeling a tug-of-war between her longing to reconnect and the fear of the repercussions. "Listen, this is hard for me to navigate, okay? I have a career to worry about. I mean, we both have careers. What if someone finds out?"

"Then we figure it out, Symone," Luca said all too calmly. "This isn't my first go-around for something like this and I can understand your concern, your worry, but...how 'bout we put a timeframe on it, okay? Let's say until Noma officially closes its Copenhagen restaurant? Until then, we're friends with benefits, a couple, whatever you want to describe it."

Wow, he has all the answers, doesn't he?

A sense of frustration flickered within her, the conflict evident on her face. "And at work?" she wondered, rolling her eyes at the uncomfortable ease he had towards this. It sounded ludicrous and she hated the idea of sneaking around. It made her feel all too reminiscent of her younger, teenage self hiding her boyfriend from her nosy, overprotective father.

Been there, done that, and still remember the punishment of that entire ordeal.

Luca shrugged nonchalantly. "Work is work, but alone time is just us."

"And then what? What happens after Noma closes?"

His demeanor remained composed, a hint of determination in his eyes. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Symone pondered his proposition; it stirred a sense of reluctance, yet there was an undeniable pull toward Luca, a chance to rekindle something they had lost, which was something she so desperately craved. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," he agreed. "Whether it's at your place or mine, we can be whatever you desire, and at work, we are strictly professional. How does that sound, baby?"

"Baby?" Symone scoffed. "So we're jumping right in with the affection, huh?"

"Fuck yeah," he said as his eyes twinkled with mischief. He eased out of his chair to saunter over to her. Despite his innate desire to erase any specific timeline from their connection, he recognized the necessity of gently rekindling their relationship.

He towered above her, the gravitational pull between them was undeniable, a magnetic force that seemed to transcend the boundaries of logic and rationality.

As he stood there, close yet not touching, Luca grappled with the conflicting desires within him. He prided himself on patience and adhering to rules, but Symone had a way of dismantling his resolve, sparking an urgency that tugged at his restraint.

"Symone," he began, his voice softer, a deep timbre, and he reached out tentatively to caress her cheek. "We'll do whatever you what, okay?"

The touch sent a jolt through both of them, a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken connection that lingered between them. Luca felt the familiar tug of attraction and the urge to unravel the intricacies of their bond, and as much as he tried to exercise restraint, reminding himself of the importance of patience and understanding, his fervor for her managed to overtake his entire existence.

Cupping her chin, he leaned down to kiss her. Their lips met in a passionate embrace, igniting a fire within them that burned hotter with each passing second. Time seemed to stand still as they lost themselves in the intoxicating taste of each other's lips, their bodies pressed together in a desperate need for closeness. The world around them faded away, leaving only the electrifying sensation of their kiss. It was a moment of pure bliss, where desire and longing merged into one unforgettable experience.

Their embrace deepened, and a low, passionate moan escaped Symone's lips, echoing the intensity of their connection. Her fingers tangled in Luca's hair, gently massaging his scalp, heightening the pleasure of their intimate exchange.

Luca pulled at her clothing, and Symone quickly got the hint, separating briefly to remove her t-shirt. Her breasts were covered by her bra yet Luca still growled at the sight of her — she was still as gorgeous as he remembered.

"C'mere," he said as his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her back to him. Symone melted into him, her body responding instinctively to his commanding presence. Their lips moved once again in sync, a dance of passion and longing, as Luca's hands trailed up her back, tracing the delicate curve of her spine. With a surge of courage, he unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor, and exposing her breasts to his hungry gaze.

Luca's eyes darkened with desire as he hungrily took in the sight before him. He leaned down, capturing one of her hardened nipples with his lips, teasing it with his tongue. Symone gasped at the sensation, arching into his touch, craving more.

Sensing her need, Luca gently lifted her off her feet and carried her towards the bedroom. Symone's heart raced with anticipation as they entered the room, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting a warm ambiance over the space. She could feel the heat radiating off Luca's body, a tangible reminder of their growing desire.

As he laid her down on the bed, she reached up to pull him down on top of her. Symone's hands roamed over his muscular back, feeling every inch of his sculpted form as they continued to explore each other.

Breaking away from their embrace, Luca looked into Symone's eyes with a mixture of tenderness and urgency. "I want you so fuckin' much, Symone," he whispered hoarsely. "Do you want me too, baby?"

She nodded in silent agreement and with practiced ease, Luca removed her lounge pants and panties before discarding his own clothing. They were both naked now, their bodies entwined in an embrace that left no room for doubt or hesitation.

Luca gazed at Symone with reverence before claiming her lips again in a passionate kiss. His hands roamed over her body, refamiliarizing himself with every curve and dip before settling between her thighs.

Symone moaned as he began to explore her most intimate parts with skilled fingers, eliciting waves of pleasure that coursed through her body. She clung to him tightly as they moved together in perfect harmony, lost in sheer ecstasy. Her back arched into a bow and her hips moved in tandem with his ministrations.

"That's right, baby, let me know how much you need this," he crooned. "Do you want to cum?"

"Yes." Symone could feel the waves of pleasure building within her. She moaned his name, her body surrendering to his touch.

Luca's lips trailed down her neck, nipping and kissing at the sensitive skin before making his way down to her breasts. He took one nipple into his mouth, sucking and flicking it with his tongue while his fingers continued their rhythmic movements.

Symone could hardly think or speak, completely consumed by the sensations coursing through her body.

With a wicked grin, Luca slid down her body until he was positioned between her legs. His tongue replaced his fingers, sending a jolt of pleasure through Symone's entire being. She cried out as he expertly circled and flicked at her clit with a teasing touch before plunging it deep inside of her.

Symone's hips bucked uncontrollably as Luca continued to tease her with his skilled tongue. She felt herself getting closer and closer to the edge, ready to topple over into pure pleasure.

But just as she was on the brink of release, Luca stopped and moved back up to kiss her deeply. Symone groaned in frustration and pulled him closer, craving more of his touch.

"I want you inside me," she whispered against his lips.

Without hesitation, Luca positioned himself between her thighs and slowly pushed himself inside of her. They both moaned at the feeling of being joined together again after so long apart.

Their pace quickened as they moved together in perfect sync, each thrust taking them higher and higher towards their climax. Symone dug her nails into Luca's back as he drove into her with a new intensity. The room was filled with their moans and the sound of skin slapping against skin. They were both lost in the moment, consumed by their desire for each other.

"Harder," Symone gasped, her eyes locking onto Luca's.

He obliged, picking up the pace and thrusting deeper into her. She felt his hands grip her hips tightly, his movements growing more urgent. Symone could feel herself getting closer to the edge once again, the pleasure building inside of her like a fire that was about to explode.

With a guttural groan, Luca leaned down and captured her lips in a searing kiss as he reached his own climax. Symone followed soon after, crying out his name as she rode out the waves of pleasure coursing through her body.

They collapsed onto the bed in a tangle of limbs, both breathing heavily and basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

"I missed you," Luca said softly, stroking Symone's hair as they lay there together.

Symone felt the soft, gentle touch of Luca's fingers as they combed through her braids, soothing and comforting her. "I missed you too," she replied, turning to face him with a smile. "I can't believe we finally did this again."

Luca chuckled. "Me neither. But it was definitely worth the wait."

______________________________________________________________

The sun filtered through the sheer curtains as Luca and Symone lay tangled in each other's embrace. Symone traced lazy circles on Luca's chest, her fingertips gliding along the contours of his toned muscles and the outlines of his tattoos. Each touch sent a shiver down his spine, igniting a dormant fire within him. He reveled in the weight of her body against his, the softness of her skin against his own.

Luca let out a contented sigh, savoring the feeling of her being in his arms. It had been too long since he had held her like this, since they had been together in this way. He couldn't believe how much he had missed her.

"How 'bout I make us some breakfast?" he said and Symone let out a chuckle. "What? Aren't you hungry?"

"I can eat," she replies, "but I figured you'd want to...enjoy each other's company for a little while longer."

"Ah..." Luca smiled at the revelation of her words. "I mean, I'm a good multitasker. I could always cook something and fuck you at the same time."

"Bullshit," she scoffed, giving him a playful nudge.

He tilted her chin upwards so that they were at eye level. "Do you wanna take that bet, love?"

Symone's eyes sparkled with mischief as she considered his proposition. The thought of Luca managing to cook breakfast while simultaneously pleasuring her seemed both impossible and enticing. She couldn't deny that the idea excited her.

"Alright," she finally conceded, an impish grin spreading across her face. "I'll take that bet."

Luca's eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of excitement glinting within them. He never backed down from a challenge, and this was no exception.

He led Symone towards the kitchen and instructed her to take a seat on one of the barstools before donning an apron, washing his hands, and getting to work.

As he moved around the kitchen with fluid motions, Symone watched intently. Luca put on a fresh pot of coffee and then set off to gather supplies for waffles.

"Do you have any bacon?" he asked as he examined the refrigerator.

"Nope," she quipped, "but there's prosciutto."

"Interesting," he mumbled to himself. "Alright, prosciutto it is." He started the batter for the waffles, and he gazed at Symone as he whisked the ingredients together. "Spread your legs."

The unexpected command intrigued her, and she did as she was told, spreading her legs as wide as she could. She was ready dripping with arousal and it was no way of hiding it.

Luca licked his lips in anticipation. "Fuckin' hell, you're soaking already. I am always amazed by how quickly you become wet for me."

"I mean it helps when you're easy on the eyes."

"Charmer," Luca goaded as he carefully poured the batter into the waffle iron. He set the timer and then turned his attention back to Symone. "Play with your pussy."

Symone felt a rush of excitement at the command, but she tried to keep her composure as she reached between her legs and began to tease herself. She let out a soft moan as she circled her clit with her fingers, feeling the familiar tingling sensation begin to build within her.

Luca watched her studiously, his eyes darkening with desire. He could see how ready she was for him, and it only fueled his own arousal. Symone couldn't help but squirm under Luca's fiery gaze as she pleasured herself in front of him. She focused on her pleasure, rubbing her clit and occasionally dipping a finger inside herself. She let out another soft moan, imagining it was Luca's fingers bringing her to the brink of ecstasy.

He couldn't resist any longer and stepped forward, placing a hand on her thigh as he bent down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss.

Symone eagerly responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss. She could feel his hard length pressing against her through his apron, and it only made her want him more.

Breaking the kiss, Luca pulled back slightly to look into Symone's eyes. "I couldn't wait any longer," he whispered huskily.

Symone nodded in agreement before leaning back on the barstool and spreading her legs wider for him. Luca wasted no time in positioning himself at her entrance.

He slowly pushed inside of her, savoring the feeling of being surrounded by her warmth. They both let out a simultaneous moan as he began to move within her, their bodies moving together with ease.

The sound of the timer going off distracted them from their intimate connection, causing them both to chuckle. Luca pulled out and helped Symone off the barstool. He then turned off the waffle iron and skillfully plated their meal.

"C'mon," he ordered, gesturing for Symone to follow him to the dining table. He set their plates down, but instead of sitting down as she expected, Luca pushed her gently against the table, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"Hands on the table," he instructed, his voice low and deep.

Symone shivered at his dominance and complied without hesitation. She braced herself against the table as Luca moved closer behind her, pressing himself against her back and running his hands up her sides.

"You like being told what to do?" he whispered into her ear before nipping at her earlobe.

"Yes," Symone breathed out in response, feeling a surge of pleasure shoot through her body at his touch.

"Good girl," Luca praised as his hands lingered on her ass. He slapped the right buttock harshly and Symone hissed at the sting. "Fuck, Symone, you have no idea what you do to me. Can I have like this, baby? Can I bend you over the table and fuck you?"

Holy shit, she thought. She nodded her head hurriedly.

"Use your words, baby," he told her as he sent another slap to her ass. "Tell me what you want."

"Yes, yes," was her response. "Please fuck me, Luca."

Luca's deep chuckle was like honey to her ears and Symone's entire being went abuzz with exhilaration. She felt his pierced penis head brush against her entrance before slowly pushing inside of her once more. Symone moaned loudly as Luca filled her, feeling every inch of him as he began to move within her. He set a steady pace, his hands roaming all over her body as he kissed and nipped at her skin.

With each thrust, Symone's pleasure intensified until she was overwhelmed by it. She could feel the heat building in the pit of her stomach, signaling her impending release.

"Luca," she gasped out, gripping onto the edge of the table for support.

"I know, baby," he grunted in response, picking up his pace. "Me too."

Symone felt as if she were on fire, her body consumed by the pleasure Luca was giving her. Her mind was hazy with desire and she could only focus on the sensations coursing through her.

Luca's hands moved from her hips to cup her breasts, kneading them gently as he continued to thrust into her.

His movements became more frantic and desperate as they both chased their climax. Symone could feel herself getting closer and closer until finally, they both reached their peak together.

They collapsed onto the table in a heap of sweaty limbs and heavy breathing. They stayed there for a few moments, catching their breaths and basking in the afterglow of their passionate encounter. Luca pressed kisses to Symone's neck before slowly pulling out of her and helping her stand upright again.

He turned her around to face him and pulled her into a tight hug. "Best waffles I've ever had," she joked breathlessly, causing Luca to chuckle again.

"You can have them every morning if you want," he replied with a smirk.

After a few minutes of standing there in each other's embrace, they separated and cleaned up the kitchen together. It was a comfortable silence between them now, filled with stolen glances and shy smiles.

As they sat down at the dining table to finally eat their waffles, Symone couldn't help but think about how perfect this moment felt. Even though she knew that this wouldn't last forever, she felt content with just being with him, and she wanted to revel in this feeling as long as she possibly could.

______________________________________________________________

A couple of days later, Luca woke up with a newfound pep in his step. The previous night, after a long and mentally draining distance, he had made up with Symone.

As he made his way to Noma, Luca couldn't help but smile at the memory of their passionate encounter. It felt like a turning point in their relationship, a moment of understanding and connection that they hadn't experienced before. And as he entered the chaotic kitchen of Noma, Luca's heart was still filled with that exhilarating energy.

Luca walked into the bustling kitchen of Noma, and he spotted Marcus, the stagiaire he had been working with lately, and motioned for him to join him at the workstation.

"Today, we're going to tackle the shiso gelee," Luca said, his voice filled with confidence.

"Yes, Chef," Marcus nodded eagerly, ready to learn from the master.

"So just watch me. When you're comfortable, jump in. Don't try to be a hero and then fuck it up."

"Yes, Chef," affirmed Marcus as he focused on Luca's movements. Marcus watched as Luca carefully demonstrated each step of the plating process to Marcus, explaining the importance of precision and attention to detail. "It's like Operation," commented Marcus.

"Bzz," joked Luca as he placed the final layer, a caramel cracker, on top. "Alright, there you go." Luca wiped his hands on the towel that was strategically placed in his apron's pocket. "Go 'head and try that out for me."

Marcus grabbed a nearby fork and dug right in, chewing delightfully. "Whoa. It kind of tastes like a, um..."

"Minty Snickers bar?" interrupted Luca.

"A minty Snickers bar," laughed Marcus. "That's crazy. Yeah."

A small smile appeared on Luca's face. "Symone said the same thing when she tried it. I want you to think of a name for it, if you're up for the task, that is. I don't think Minty Snickers bar will gel well with our customers."

"Yeah, of course, no problem," Marcus grinned. "Thanks for teaching me."

"It's my pleasure," Luca replied before turning his attention back to the other tasks at hand. Amidst all this chaos and creativity, there was one person who continued to linger in his mind – Symone.

He wondered what she was doing at that very moment; if she was thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her. He yearned to see her again and wanted to have another recap of their last time together.

As lunch service came to an end and preparations began for dinner service later on, Luca decided to take a smoke break. The fresh air would do him good after being cooped up in a hot kitchen all day.

Luca stepped out of Noma's kitchen and into the cool Copenhagen air. The chill in the air was refreshing after being holed up in such a high-intensity environment for hours on end. He lit a cigarette and took a long drag, savoring the taste and feeling of the smoke filling his lungs.

As he exhaled, Luca's mind wandered back to Symone once again. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered that night, and early morning, together. But as much as he wanted to see her again, Luca knew that work came first. And with dinner service about to begin, he needed to focus on that.

"Chef?" called Marcus, snapping Luca out of his thoughts.

"Yeah? What's up?" wondered Luca as he finished his cigarette and flicked it onto the ground.

"Making sure you're good, that's all," said Marcus with a shrug. "You seem...cool now. I figured you spoke to Symone?"

"Yeah," nodded Luca, "We cleared the air. Thanks, Marcus."

"So, it won't be awkward between y'all no more?"

"Nah," chuckled Luca. "No more awkwardness. Let's go back inside and get ready for dinner service."

As he re-entered the kitchen, Luca immediately got back into chef mode, checking on all of his team's stations and making sure everything was running smoothly. The air in the kitchen was filled with a symphony of sizzling pans, clinking utensils, and the rhythmic chopping of vegetables. Luca's team moved with well-rehearsed precision, each member focused on their designated tasks.

Maria, Luca's trusted sous chef, was delicately crafting miniature chocolate tarts. Her nimble fingers danced across the counter, gracefully shaping each tart shell and filling them with a luscious ganache that tasted like pure decadence. Not too far away from her, Theo and Marcus worked together on the bread, kneading and separating the dough, getting it ready to use as tonight's dinner rolls.

The dinner service entered its peak hours, and Luca's mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of Symone. He couldn't wait to see her again and make up for all the lost time they had spent apart.

But just as he was about to sneak off for another smoke break, the door swung open and Symone stepped in, followed by James and Rene.

"Thank you for coming to Hart Bageri despite such short notice, Symone," said Rene with a warm smile. "James and I can't wait for your plan to come to fruition."

"It's my pleasure, as always," replied Symone with a charming smile. "And thank you for the pastries."

Luca couldn't help but be intrigued as he watched James and Rene warmly speak with Symone. He was aware of their previous collaborations but wondered what specific project required her to be at Hart Bageri. As much as he wanted to talk to Symone to figure out what was going on, work always came first, and he needed a small reprieve before jumping back in.

The kitchen was finally starting to wind down after a successful dinner service. The last of the customers had left, and the staff was busy cleaning up and prepping for the next day's service, Luca finally had a chance to approach Symone. He took a moment to swing by her office.

"Hey," Luca said, catching Symone's attention as she finished up some paperwork at her desk. "I saw you earlier with James and Rene. What's this project you're working on together?"

Symone looked up, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Ah, Luca," she said, smirking. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

Luca leaned against the edge of her desk, a playful smirk mirroring hers. "Well, surprises can be quite exciting, don't you think?" he teased.

She chuckled softly, her gaze never leaving his face. "True, true. But I think we both know that other things can be equally exciting."

His heart raced at the implication in her words. Memories of their passionate encounters flooded his mind, and he felt the familiar heat of desire igniting within him. Despite the professional façade they had to maintain during work hours, there had always been something simmering just beneath the surface. It was a delicate dance they performed, balancing their insatiable lust with the need to maintain a certain level of professionalism in the workplace. But now, with Symone's suggestive comment hanging in the air, Luca couldn't resist the magnetic pull between them any longer.

With a coy smile, she leaned back in her chair, and Luca took a seat at the corner of her desk.

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" he asked, his voice low and seductive.

Symone felt a shiver run down her spine at the sound of his voice. "Just you," she replied, matching his tone. "But I do have some work to finish up here first."

Luca gave her a playful pout. "Can't it wait?"

She couldn't help but laugh at his impatience. "As much as I would love to jump into your arms right now, I have some important paperwork to take care of before we can have any fun."

He rolled his eyes in mock annoyance but nodded understandingly. "Alright then, I'll leave you to it. But don't take too long," he said with a wink before getting up from the desk. "If you want, I figure we head over to my place if that's alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine," she smiled. "I'll be ready in an hour."

"Sounds good."

Symone watched him walk out of her office, feeling a sense of longing and excitement building within her. She quickly finished up her work and made arrangements for the next day before grabbing her belongings and meeting up with Luca for their evening together.

That night, as soon as they arrived at Luca's apartment, he pulled her into a passionate kiss as soon as they stepped inside. Symone caught quick glimpses of his space: most of the walls were painted a deep burgundy, the color contrasting nicely with the exposed brick. The apartment was very much bachelor pad with an industrial feel complete with abstract paintings and a mixture of wood and leather furniture. It smelled exactly like him, sandalwood and the musk from his cologne.

His hands roamed over her body, igniting sparks of desire that coursed through her veins. They fell onto the couch, their lips still locked in a fierce embrace. Symone felt Luca's hands unbuttoning her blouse, and she eagerly reciprocated by pulling his t-shirt over his head. They both knew what they wanted, and there was no use wasting any time.

As they continued to explore each other's bodies with eager hands and lips, Symone felt the familiar heat building within her. She moaned softly as Luca trailed kisses down her neck and across her collarbone, sending shivers of pleasure through her body. Symone couldn't believe how naturally they fit together, their bodies moving in perfect synchronization. She couldn't help but let out soft moans as Luca worshipped every inch of her skin. Symone felt like she could get lost in Luca forever, drowning in the overwhelming rush of feelings he ignited within her.

"I could never get enough of you," he said as he removed her last article of clothing. "God, Symone, you don't understand what you do to me."

Luca bent down to take one of her nipples in his mouth and sucked on it gently, eliciting a gasp of pleasure from Symone. His hands continued their exploration, caressing her thighs and slipping between her legs to find her already wet with desire.

All mine, he thought as their bodies eventually connected again. And I'm never letting you go.

And from the one sentiment, he knew that this could never be something casual, especially when it came to her.

TO BE CONTINUED....

[hoippu]

ZoLu Fanfic Masterlist

(Guide for people who want to avoid anime spoilers)

it's in chronological order of the anime arcs but the first several ones are the AU fics

EDIT: check out the google doc for more updates on the list

Ephemerality by greatduwangs

http://archiveofourown.org/works/37446706

Alternate Universe – Demon AU

Don’t need to be caught up to One Piece tbh but still have a good amount of knowledge on some early introduced characters. If you’ve at least gotten to Baratie I think that’s good enough.

Read Roses Mean Friendship by Aki133

http://archiveofourown.org/works/44277967

Alternate Universe – Flower Shop AU

You don’t have to be caught up to One Piece either.

There’s a few characters here tho that get introduced in the anime in Thriller Bark and in Dressrossa.

Tomatoes, Spanish class and roommates by bunnylover101

http://archiveofourown.org/works/38490631

Alternate Universe – Modern College AU

Unrelated to the main story of One Piece but it contains characters from Dressrossa, post-marineford and I think Water 7.

Eternity would be a Curse (Without You By My Side) by Puppypaws54672

http://archiveofourown.org/works/47262166  

Alternate Universe – Gods & Goddesses

No actual spoilers but theres a lot of characters from like the whole series lol

Splendid fanfic

Part 1 of a series

Eternity Had Cursed Me (To Be Without You By My Side) by Puppypaws54672

Part 2 of Eternity would be a Curse (Without You By My Side)

Alternate Universe – Gods & Goddesses, Reincarnation, Modern

No actual spoilers but theres characters from the whole series

The Story of Us by Mugiwat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48543286

Alternate Universe – Modern AU

No actual spoilers but theres lots of characters again.

Warning: youre gonna hate Law In this fic lmao

catching butterflies by aquietdin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48133825

(pre-timeskip) Takes place sometime between Skypiea arc but before Long Island arc.

You should also watch the G-8 filler arc because I think it’s referenced, but it’s okay cuz it is honestly the best and only filler arc worth watching.

Ode to an ocean by novks (thychesters)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/46906945

(pre-timeskip) Takes place right before water 7.

Chimes by drcalvin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/451483

(pre-timeskip) Contains spoilers from Water 7/ Post-Enies Lobby.

Takes place after shortly after marineford I think. Maybe wait until the timeskip begins before reading this one just in case.

Unable Are the Loved to Die by BasicallyACat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/24785554

(pre-timeskip) post Enies Lobby

Is a series

You are all I see by Anonymous

http://archiveofourown.org/works/47441071

Alternate Universe – Modern AU

Do not read until you’ve finished Marineford arc

One of my favorites

The Dawn that Rises Bloody by BasicallyACat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/27556822

a sequel to Unable Are the Loved to Die

(post-timeskip) I don’t recall reading this one yet so I cant really say up until where you should watch the anime. But definitely post timeskip

Feelings, what a mess! by drcalvin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/371473.

(post-timeskip) Very early into the timeskip. I’d say you can read when they’re on the way to fishman island.

Heliotrope by LostInClouds

http://archiveofourown.org/works/44929768

(post-timeskip) As long as you reach the timeskip and have made it more or less to when theyre sailing to Fishman Island, you should be fine.

The Things we do for Love by LostInClouds

http://archiveofourown.org/works/46912906

(post-timeskip) It’s recommended that you reach the timeskip for this one too and probably before fishman island is also good enough.

Of First Mates and Duty by Whatev3rs

http://archiveofourown.org/works/40266276

(post-timeskip) takes place in an indefinite point in the timeskip after return to sabaody arc.

Probably my favorite zolu oneshot fr

His Captain, Captivating by jirachi

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48769138             

(post-timeskip) Try to read after Wholecake arc or at least Punk Hazard. There aren’t any major spoilers for Wholecake but there’s a new crewmate there that doesn’t join until then.

Kizuna by YokoHogawa

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4452800

(post-timeskip) after fishman island

The Five Times Luffy Kissed Zoro, and the One Time Zoro Kissed Luffy by EclecticIsMyMiddleName

http://archiveofourown.org/works/18994144

This one takes place throughout the story up until the end of Wano arc.

It’s preferable that you’re fully caught up because it’s so good you might wanna binge it.

However if you absolutely must here’s the time period for each chapter:

Chapter 1 (pre-timeskip) right after Arlong Park

Chapter 2 (pre-timeskip) takes place in episode 223 (I think that’s a filler arc but its short and not too bad to watch)

Chapter 3 (pre-timeskip) between Enies Lobby arc and post-Enies Lobby arc episodes 312 and 313 (don’t read the chapter summary cuz it has spoilers)

Chapter 4 (pre-timeskip) At the end of thriller bark episodes 377 and 378

Chapter 5 (post-timeskip) from the beginning of timeskip until Wano

Chapter 6 (post-timeskip) end of wano

[another-lost-mc]

black & white

humans live in a world of black and white until they meet their soulmate.

pairing: solomon x gn!reader

sfw | soulmates au | angst with a happy ending

cw: jealousy, story spoilers for s3 + s4, events that take place in alternate/future timelines (including: violence, solomon and mc raising a child together, implied character injury/death)

Solomon lives in a world of black and white.

When he was a human king trying to satiate his lust for power, he expected one of his many spouses would turn out to be his soulmate and his world would burst with colour -  but it never happened. By the time his spouses reached triple-digit figures, he only felt resigned acceptance that he may never meet his soulmate.

He pretends not to be disappointed by that truth, but he is.

He collects demons and harnesses their strength, building his wealth and influence beyond measure, but none of his earthly and otherworldly gains are able to fully soothe the emptiness he feels. When he stumbles upon his own immortality, he has no expectation now that he’ll ever meet his soulmate - he considers it a punishment for the life he’s lived.

He creates a potion that simulates the illusion of colour, and a small rune on the inside of his wrist warns him when the potion’s effect is fading. There are times when he sees the colours blurring to nothing at the edge of his vision, the rune etched on his skin slowly disappearing.

Some mornings he wakes up, filled with unmeasurable loneliness when the world has returned to a landscape of grey. When he stumbles into his alchemy lab, he grasps the small vial of potion in his hand - and in a fit of frustration, he flings it against the wall. He does this more than he cares to admit, stupefied by the one obstacle he has yet to overcome, but he slumps into his chair and reforms the vial with a muttered incantation. Eventually he stops letting the potion’s effect fade at all, drinking it like clockwork to avoid waking up to the dull, grey reality that plagues his dreams.

The centuries pass by and he studies magical anomalies in the world, testing the limits of his own power and brilliance. Sometimes it’s easier to associate with demons and angels than other humans - their races aren’t impacted by the curse of soulmates, and they don’t pity him the way human witches or sorcerers sometimes do. The Devildom in particular is a rich, vibrant world he can lose himself in, indulging in his sins without shame and exploring his magic without limitations.

When he meets you during the Devildom exchange program, it feels like the first genuine human friendship he’s had in a very long time. You captivate him in ways he can’t articulate, but he watches the demons and angels around you slowly succumb to your charms and enthusiasm. He hates to admit that you’ve lured him in as easily as the others, but he decides he’s simply one of many and thinks nothing of it, shoving unrequited feelings for you deep down where he can pretend they don’t exist.

Sometimes his heart betrays him and he thinks about you - romantic thoughts, desperate thoughts - but he’s used to ignoring the pang of longing that makes his heart clench. The truth he tells himself is that you’re already lost to him, destined to find your perfect soulmate one day while he hopes he never has to witness it.

He tries to keep his distance from you but it’s a challenge, especially after you’ve become a fully-fledged sorcerer and you travel freely between the Devildom and human world at will. After so many lifetimes of doing things alone, he can’t resist the temptation to invite you along while he carries out his duties as the human world’s would-be guardian. More and more often these days, you seek him out, wanting his wisdom or expertise - or sometimes you just want his company - and he is too selfish to say no.

One morning Solomon wakes up and it seems like a typical day - it’s only later that afternoon he happens to glance at his wrist and sees that one of his runes is missing. The fact that the world is still colourful and vibrant as ever makes him panic even more than if he had woken up to a world of black and white. Now that he thinks about it, he can’t remember the last time he drank that potion.

Solomon makes a list of all the hypothetical scenarios that can explain what happened, but he keeps drawing the same conclusion: he met his soulmate and didn’t realize it. It’s difficult to pinpoint when he stopped drinking the potion and almost impossible to narrow down the list of potential soulmates he met before that time.

He knows Barbatos doesn’t use his powers freely at Diavolo’s request, but having a pact with him does come in handy for situations like this. Barbatos hesitates when Solomon nearly begs him to take him back into the past. Barbatos finally obliges, having been granted Diavolo’s permission just this once; Solomon’s not sure what Barbatos did to persuade him, but he knows better than to ask.

Barbatos leads Solomon to his private chambers and through a portal so that they can watch his life zoom by in reverse. Barbatos’s ability isn’t impacted by the effects of Solomon’s potion so identifying the moment his world shifts from greyscale to colour is his only clue. Solomon sees the day - nearly two weeks ago - when he last drank the potion, but the colour lingers as Barbatos searches long before that, months of time passing by without any signs of change.

At last the world seems to darken for a moment, and Barbatos pauses his spell when Solomon’s vision suddenly reverts to black and white. Solomon stares at the scene before him: having just introduced himself to you at RAD, you shake his hand while a glimmer of curiosity shines in both your eyes. Colour bleeds into the world when your hands touch.

Barbatos glances at Solomon who’s grown silent, apparently oblivious to the grin on his face and the tears falling from the corners of his eyes. Solomon chuckles, feeling close to bursting with the same happiness he only ever feels when he’s with you.

It suddenly makes sense: all those times when he felt drawn to you even though you seemed so ordinary; his suspicions that turned to fear when he realized your powers were wreaking havoc on the three realms, threatening to kill you both; your eager acceptance to become his apprentice, and his unmatched pride when you succeeded.

He doesn’t want to think about all those times he watched your other friends - demon and angel alike - crowd you for your attention, their unsuccessful bids to win your heart for their own, the way you accepted their casual touches and how much Solomon despised every moment of it—

Solomon turns to Barbatos who has conjured a portal to return them both to his room in the Demon Lord’s castle. “Why didn’t they say anything?” Solomon asks out loud, but mostly to himself. But then he remembers something you said a long time ago, one of the only times you spoke together about the human phenomenon of soulmates:

“I’ve always been able to see colour,  but I couldn’t figure out why. People thought it was strange, so it was easier to pretend I couldn't,” you said with a shrug. “Simeon thinks it’s because I’m an angel’s descendent since they don’t have soulmate colour blindness the way humans do. I hope when I meet my soulmate, they’ll be able to tell me.”

Solomon can’t help but ask Barbatos before he leaves, “Did you know?”

Barbatos meets his curious gaze with a guarded expression of his own; he thinks back to a time long ago when he debated entering a pact with Solomon. He wanted to judge the sorcerer first, and like so many times before, he used his power to glimpse into Solomon’s future, one that was murky with endless possibilities due to the nature of his immortality.

Among those possibilities were visions of a sorcerer burdened by grief:

Solomon walking away from your wedding, the celebration of your marriage to someone that’s not him, dropping the forced smile from his face when he turns his back and disappears like a shadow into the darkness Engaged in battle in defense of the three realms, Solomon catches fleeting glimpses of you weaving defensive spells to protect your allies, but you don’t notice the enemy assassin approaching you from behind until it’s too late– Solomon standing beside your grave, his eyes dull and his world grown desolate once more in your absence Solomon, who raises his glass in a fake toast, sipping his drink and smiling bitterly before the reaper in front of him cleaves the soul from his body at last—

Despite the memories that served as a warning to him, Barbatos also remembers the other possibilities with more clarity than any others, a sorcerer filled with happiness and purpose and love:

Solomon dancing with you, holding your hands in his own, both of you dressed in the finest wedding attire, and the demons and angels around you cheering Solomon feeding a baby some foul concoction he made himself, oblivious to your horrified expression when the baby giggles happily at the taste Solomon holding a toddler on his lap while he reads, explaining rudimentary summoning circles to the small child as he bounces them on his knee Solomon is standing by your side, both of you watching in disbelief as your child rides Cerberus around like an oversized horse; the demon brothers give chase and take pictures while Lucifer supervises with an amused twinkle in his eyes The child you and Solomon raised, grown up and a fully fledged sorcerer too, grinning when they introduce their own soulmate to their parents for the first time

“I know many things,” is the demon's cryptic response, and his dangerous smile warns Solomon not to pry any further. Their business concluded, Barbatos disappears back to his master's side, leaving Solomon to contemplate his next move in peace.

Solomon wastes no more time, pulling out his DDD as he walks out of the castle and he sends you a message: “Care to join me for dinner tonight?” Barely a minute passes before his DDD pings with your enthusiastic reply.

For the first time in a long time, Solomon lets himself feel hope.

read more: solomon masterlist | obey me! masterlist

[rottenpumpkin13]

Queen’s Blood And How Its Lore Reflects/Possibly Affects The Plot

Warning: This contains spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

“My name is Lidrehl Balmon…and I am the creator of the game Queen’s Blood. Which means that…this nightmare is of my own making. I didn’t know. How could I? You hear her too? Time’s running out. She’s made me her prisoner. Her accursed card my shackle. The end is nigh. Or perhaps…this is only the beginning. The Shadowblood Queen is…”

• After Cloud experiences this strange vision, the NPC who he was playing against accounts how skilled players have been experiencing visions lately. To quote: “Visions in which one is visited by the ghost of the game’s creator, who speaks of portentous events. To add another wrinkle…some of the world’s very best have recently met with unnaturally violent deaths. People are calling this the Curse of Lidrehl.”

• Another strange recount from an NPC:

“After he started selling cards, he spoke of hearing a strange voice. He then withdrew from the public eye and became a recluse. No one saw him until after his death. There’s no shortage of people who’ve had their lives turned upside down by the cards. Just goes to show what a deep and captivating game it is.”

• According to Lidrehl Balmon himself, the lore behind Queen’s Blood is as follows:

“Once, there lived a queen of peerless beauty and compassion. She loved her people, and they in turn loved her. But one day, a change came over the queen. In the blink of an eye, her love turned to hate—her compassion to cruelty. Fair and beauteous though she remained, her heart became black as pitch. Conquest was now her cause, her subjects mere fodder to feed her boundless ambition. And so her kingdom grew as her people perished.

Until, that is, a ray of hope appeared—a sorceress who would be their salvation. The Emerald Witch they called her. And with her arcane powers, she led the people in rebellion, captured the queen, and put her to death. Yet from the tyrant’s body spilled blood as dark as shadow. And from this wicked ichor, the myriad fiends of the world were born.

And that... is the story of the Shadowblood Queen. Some call it a parable. A myth. A fairy tale. And I wish it were! But she is as real as you and I! And she is coming. Her resurrection is nigh. You know what must be done. She cannot be allowed to return. She must not reclaim her throne! I pray you will succeed…where I so miserably failed. You are our last hope…Cloud.”

• It’s easy to dismiss this as a story to give the card game depth, but according to Lidrehl, who’s been essentially cursed because of QB, this story is very real to the game’s world and he feels major guilt over what he’s created, blaming himself for bringing about this curse to the world.

• We later find out that this curse is very real and it turns out that Regina the QB champion has actually been possessed by the Shadowblood Queen card, but we’ll get to that later.

• When you look at the lore you can interpret it in two ways to fit both the alleged “affecting the real world” —their world, what’s happening in the game’s world—and VII’s plot.

We’ll look at the first interpretation: That the Story of the battle between the Shadowblood Queen and the Emerald Witch is referencing Jenova vs. The Cetra.

“Once, there lived a queen of peerless beauty and compassion. She loved her people, and in turn they loved her. But one day, a change came over the queen. In the blink of an eye, her love turned to hate—her compassion to cruelty. Fair and beauteous though she remained, her heart became black as pitch. Conquest was now her cause, her subjects mere fodder to feed her boundless ambition. And so her kingdom grew as her subjects perished.”

We can discern that the Shadowblood Queen was the unnamed Cetra girl who Jenova took as a host. Not to say that this character was a high-ranking person, but definitely someone who was loved and led a normal life until Jenova took over her body and began her “conquest” so to speak.

“Until that is, a ray of hope appeared—a sorceress who would be their salvation. The Emerald Witch they called her. And with her arcane powers, she led the people into rebellion, captured the queen, and put her to death.”

The Emerald Witch here would be The Cetra as a whole who sealed Jenova in the crater. There’s also a possibility that The Shadowblood Queen/The Emerald Witch could be The Planet/Jenova, but since The Cetra were the ones to defeat Jenova and The Panet’s weapons weren’t used then, we’re gonna go with The Cetra.

“Yet from the tyrant’s body spilled blood as dark as shadow. And from this wicked ichor, the myriad fiends of the world were born.”

This is likely talking about The Jenova Project that gave birth to the “fiends of the world” meaning Sephiroth (and Angeal and Genesis) which is how Jenova later comes back to nuke the planet again.

The second interpretation is that the Shadowblood Queen and The Emerald Witch are parallels to Sephiroth and Cloud.

“Once, there lived a queen of peerless beauty and compassion. She loved her people, and in turn they loved her. But one day, a change came over the queen. In a blink of an eye, her love turned to hate—her compassion to cruelty.”

This is talking about Sephiroth, who went from hero to villain, good to evil, compassion to cruelty, after the events of Nibelheim.

“Fair and beauteous though she remained, her heart became black as pitch. Conquest was now her cause, her subjects mere fodder to feed her boundless ambition. And so her kingdom grew as her subjects perished.”

This alludes to Sephiroth’s goals, to become a god, the reunion of worlds and the multiverse mindfuck he’s cooking now in the trilogy.

“Until that is, a ray of hope appeared—a sorceress who would be their salvation. The Emerald Witch they called her. And with her arcane powers, she led the people into rebellion, captured the queen, and put her to death.”

The Emerald Witch in this case is Cloud/ Cloud + the rest of the gang.

“Yet from the tyrant’s body spilled blood as dark as shadow. And from this wicked ichor, the myriad fiends of the world were born.”

Since the trilogy is leading to the events of Advent Children, this could be talking about the remnants and geostigma, basically other ways Jenova manifests as a pain in the ass.

• And NOW let’s talk about the part where Cloud defeats the actual Shadowblood Queen because I think that’s all but a confirmation that Queen’s Blood mirrors real life.

Lidrehl: “Through the card, she feeds on the wielder’s life force, claiming their strength, that she may one day be reborn. Countless players have succumbed to this vile curse. And now one more death is all she requires to return. Cloud…find the sorceress. She who rallied the people, she who deposed the queen—The Emerald Witch. Her card sleeps in Nibelheim, with a monster of chaos.”

• When Cloud meets a weakened Regina [the Queen’s Blood champion] again, it’s revealed that the cards really do possess the players, and that Regina is possessed by none other than the Shadowblood Queen herself who’s been sealed in the card. Regina alleges that the card’s been speaking to her and urging her to give herself to it [the card].

• While she explains this to Cloud, The Shadowblood Queen takes over Regina’s body, and her dialogue reeks of Jenova:

“I remember well this land, for it was once mine. Until that witch rallied the unwashed and put me to the sword. Well, little puppet. What do you say? A match against your queen. For you, human, have a blood debt to pay in full.”

• After Cloud defeats her in a QB match, the Emerald Witch card in Cloud’s possession flies at and stabs The Shadowblood Queen. And then The Queen almost manages to defeat Cloud and uses some more Jenova/Sephiroth-coded dialogue— “Be still, little puppet. You belong to me now!” (seriously, what is it with people trying to possess Cloud??)

• But then Vincent shows up to help and they manage to seal the queen back in the card, setting Regina free.

• I can’t help but notice how similar Regina being possessed by the card is to Cloud being controlled by Sephiroth—I mean even the queen called him a puppet. This could be another tiny hint at how the Queen’s Blood story and the story happening in the game’s plot are either connected—albeit in a smaller, subplot scale—or Lidrehl Balmon was right on the mark when he alluded to the game reflecting real life.

This isn’t a theory so much as it’s another really cool detail about Rebirth that I hope more people talk about. The use of Queen’s Blood as a parallel to Sephiroth/Cloud (and/Or Jenova/ The Cetra) is interesting since we see Cloud defeat the real Shadowblood Queen, which means Sephiroth is going to have his ass handed to him in part three lmao.

[miraclesabound]

Spoiler-Heavy Review/Thoughts on "The Last Voyage of the Demeter"

The crowd at the theater grew to about 15, so still pretty quiet.

Short version is that I enjoyed this movie thoroughly, but it is truly gruesome. The entry will start below the cut with spoilery warnings, because even having read the book, there were some things that caught me off guard.

Warnings for this film include:

trafficking of a young woman as a blood bag/bride for Dracula

Use of racial slurs against both a Black and a Romani character

deaths of all animals on board, including livestock and a young boy's beloved dog - shown with full gore

death of three crew members by burning in the sun after vampiric possession, including the young boy (the captain's grandson)

One of those three choosing sunlight as their method of suicide rather than allowing themselves to fully turn into a beat.

In fact, no one dies peacefully - this version of Dracula is emphasized as truly beastly, relishing the fear of his victims.

I know we've all been rooting for the Captain (named Captain Elliot in this version), but the true protagonist is Mr. Clemens, played by Corey Hawkins. We never get his first name, but we learn that he's a Black English doctor making his way home from Bulgaria/Romania, and he offers his services to Captain Elliot when a previously hired hand refuses to touch anything marked with Dracula's symbol - the stamp of a black dragon.

Other characters include: Captain Elliot and his young grandson Toby, Anna, the young woman given to Dracula as a captive by her village, and the men of the crew, all of whom have sailed with Captain Elliot before.

Then of course, there's Dracula himself. I saw some reviews saying he's shown far too early in the movie - but it worked for me. We find out that Anna was locked in his coffin with him and was meant to sustain him for the whole voyage - so when we see Dracula, he's weak and wracked with hunger for losing his food supply when Clemens finds Anna and starts treating her. Since we see him like that early, there's room for him to grow to almost full power as he burns through the animals and then the crew.

I enjoyed just about every performance in the film, but Corey Hawkins (Clemens), Javier Botet (Dracula), and Woody Norman (Toby) were particular highlights. Clemens is your classic cynical scientist with a heart of gold, Dracula speaks less than you would expect but still has that taunting air, and Toby doesn't read as older than he's supposed to be.

As story beats go, I think I appreciated Anna's the most. I've said in my reread of Dracula that I wish modern adaptations did more with the people of Transylvania hating Dracula, and this version presented that in Anna's character. She's lived under Dracula's shadow as long as she can remember, even before her village elders handed her over, and once she's freed and recovered some of her strength, she's finally able to fight back. I'm a sucker for a character who knows they're doomed but still tries to do the right thing, and Anna is that in spades.

THE LIGHTING IN THIS MOVIE WAS ACTUALLY EFFECTIVE!!!! The daytime scenes were vibrant, and all the nights scenes are lit by an enormous full moon and several stars. It makes the shadow work less muddied than you might see in a more modern-style horror movie.

The movie ends with Clemens technically surviving, but still deeply traumatized and literally scarred - he and Anna scuttle the ship and jump overboard, but not until after Dracula has drunk enough from Anna to curse her and he's badly hurt Clemens' neck. Anna gives herself over to the sun so that Clemens can get to shore, and the closing scene is clearly a sequel hook as he hunts for Dracula in London - or perhaps the Count has already realized that Clemens is on his tail. This worked for me because the film stuck with Clemens. I kept expecting him to run into one of the core Dracula characters, and I'm not sure I would have liked that.

This is all a very long-winded way of saying that this was a film I truly enjoyed, and it is a LOVE LETTER to the book's thesis - the supernatural may have come out of hiding, but if we band together, evil may be halted - even for a little while.

Rating: 8.5/10

[kit-foley]

Nancy Drew Games are 50% off on Steam right now so here are some shitty descriptions of the games for newbies or partners (not in order, also spoilers)

Secrets can kill: dickface high schooler was pushed down a flight of stairs, find out who did it

The Silent Spy: Nancy has mommy issues and cosplays as a spy in Scotland

Sea of Darkness: all of the characters have trauma around a ship. featuring the only canonically queer character.

Deadly Device: tech bro gets electrocuted, who did it oh noooo. Feat: women in stem

Midnight in Salem: Glitch-wise, this is the fandom-equivalent of the first release of FNAF Security Breach but doesn’t nearly slay as hard and they didn’t patch any of the bugs. Haven’t played it but the fandom is 50/50 on it, maybe 80/20 against

Shattered Medallion: off brand amazing race goes wrong, feat. A recurring character who you’re supposed to know

Alibi in Ashes: Nancy didn’t commit arson (this time) so who the fuck did? See also, “I can commit major theft and prod you about your dead mom, but I draw the line at arson.”

The Captive Curse: monster and intergenerational trauma, beautifully told story. Plus lederhosen.

Shadow at the Waters Edge: ghosts and intergenerational trauma, beautifully told story. Plus kawaii

Ghost of Thornton hall; ghosts and intergenerational trauma, beautifully told story. Plus southern people.

The Final Scene: nancys friend who we’ve never met gets kidnapped. Plus magic tricks/Houdini. Plus old man.

The Haunted Carousel: Dead mom plus the most annoying daughter you’ll ever encounter and her emotional support robot. Also you’re supposed to fix a theme park

Danger by Design: Parisian fashion designer with anger issues and also might deny that nazis happened during wwii

Curse of blackmoor manor: British girl says oh no my stepmom is turning into a werewolf

Warnings at Waverly Academy; the trailer for this one said something like “I hang out with teenage girls in this one, it could be my scariest case yet”, basically be prepared to do other students homework. Also immaculate dark academia/fall vibes tho

Phantom of Venice: white boy of the month shows you his seven hour tesserae slideshow and you single-handedly bring down a crime ring while wearing stupid outfits

Trail of the Twister: someone is sabotaging a storm chasing team but Nancy cares more about asking the local general store owner about his dead wife

Secret of the Old Clock: It’s magically 1930 again, this game feels so far off brand from pretty much all of the other ones imo but the music goes HARD and there’s def some homoerotic tensions between a dead old man and his live-in psychic

Legend of the Crystal Skull: make a curio shop owner sneeze, collect glass eyeballs, watch a Gerard Way look-alike cry, and maybe get buried alive

Haunting of Castle Malloy: banshees and letterpress and a pub that conveniently only serves juice. Terrible Irish accents. Try to find a missing groom for a wedding but also enjoy a walking sim that walked so Stardew Valley could run

Creature of Kapu Cave: get stuck in a tourist trap resort by a guy who calls himself Big Island Mike, then get stuck in a forest with an entomologist who makes you do her work for her, then get stuck in a research facility with an angry white guy who makes you do his work and then falls asleep. Music slaps but no idea what the plot of the game is supposed to be. Also do a “freaky friday” style switch with the Hardy Boys every time you call them on your cell phone.

Last train to Blue Moon canyon: picture Paris Hilton inviting you on a train and then she goes missing. Also on the train with you: the worst police detective, Zak Bagans impersonator, and Colleen Hoover-vibes.

White Wolf of Icicle Creek: “I fired. And I missed. I missed again. I got sad. I had a popsicle.”