#this entire scene is SOOO soothing LET ME IN

[thekinkyleopard]

Souvenir

A Remi x Levi Non-Canon Fic

Snz Fic

⚠️Content Warning⚠️

Contagion risk, Sneeze Fet & Smut

Author’s Notes: Geezie is always throwing really good prompt ideas at me and despite my responsibility to 5000 other drafts I have in the making, I take them. Cause I love her. This prompt was written by @coldshare with a smutty twist 😈 Enjoy! @aller-geez did the cover art and owns Remi and Meeko!

Description:

Levi and Remi walked into the atrium of the mall, standing calmly next to the running fountain. Remi, anxiously searching around for their sisters that were supposed to be with them here shortly. Levi on the other hand cursing himself inwardly as he was realizing, something was quite wrong. His nose was unusually prickly, itchy. His head felt hot, and his body felt cold. Remi glanced over at Levi, noticing he wasn't acting quite like his usual self. The cat was quiet, a bit reserved, and kept rubbing his sleeve against his nose, it was starting to get noticeably red. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on his forehead to check his temperature.

Levi pulled away from his touch swiftly, if there was one person he didn't need knowing he was sick, it was definitely Remi. "I'm fine," he muttered clearing his throat suddenly to flash the wolf a convincing grin amongst his flushed face, though he knew that wasn't entirely true. He could feel the effects of his heat starting to take hold, and he didn't want to ruin this lovely outing they had planned with their sisters.

But Remi wasn't convinced. "You don't look fine," he replied, concern etched on his face. "Maybe we should find somewhere to sit down? Do you need some water maybe?"

Levi nodded reluctantly, not wanting to cause a scene in the middle of the mall. Together, they made their way to a nearby bench, and Levi collapsed onto it, his body feeling weaker by the second.

Remi knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his arm. "What's wrong?" He asked, his voice gentle and soothing.

Levi considered just flat out telling him, but he couldn't because as soon as he went to open his mouth, Meeko and Connie walked up with cheerful faces and brightly lit up eyes.

"Rem! Lee!" the ginger haired girl bounced up to them wrapping her arms around the back of Remi's waist, squeezing him softly. "Im sooo excited we get to spend the day together!" pulling away now and looking over in Levi's direction, noticing him at a much lower decibel than she was used to.

"Hey is everything okay?" she asked gently, her eyes now filled with cautious concern as she looked him over. Levi tried to force a smile but it came out weak and unconvincing. "I'm just feeling a little under the weather," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Meeko's expression softened with empathy. "Oh no, Lee, you should have told us. We could have rescheduled our outing for another day."

Remi chimed in, "Yeah, we could have gone to the movies instead. It's not worth it for you to push through your sickness and ruin the day for yourself."

Levi shook his head. He didn't want to disappoint his sisters or ruin their plans. "It's fine, really. I'll be okay."

But as soon as Levi tried to stand up, his legs wobbled and he felt lightheaded. He clutched onto the bench for support.

Meeko and Connie immediately rushed to his side, helping him sit back down. "We need to get you some help," Meeko insisted. Levi's own sister looking at him with studious look, she'd never gotten to see her brother sick before. She couldn't definitively be sure it was a virus or if he just maybe ate something bad.

Levi shook his head, gathering himself and taking a deep breath, despite the burning ache in his body, and the growing itch in his throat, he was not going to cancel. He would be damned. He stood up now, much more confident, and with a better resolve this time. "Seriously guys, I'm fine...let's just get to browsing! There's lots of shops I want to hit up,"

The sisters looked at each other, before turning to Remi for confirmation. He smiled and gave a small nod. "I think it's alright, as long as Levi is sure he can make it." With that, the four of them decided to put the whole incident aside and continue on with their plans.

The group made their way through the mall, peeking into various shops they passed by and admiring all sorts of items. Meeko was already picking out clothes she wanted while Connie was looking around for any good deals. As they walked along, Levi tried to keep up with everyone else despite his body feeling heavier than usual. He kept suppressing the urge to sneeze every now and then but he did his best not to show it on his face. They had just stepped into a high-end jewelry store when Levi felt his heat coming on full force. His body was now burning up, and he couldn't stop his nose from twitching. He knew he couldn't keep up the facade much longer. He stumbled slightly, grabbing onto Remi's arm for support.

"Something's wrong," he muttered, his voice strained.

Meeko and Connie turned around, noticing Levi's condition had worsened. The leopard stepped into the space with his boyfriend and leaned his weakened face against the wolf's bicep. "H-h...HiH..." he hicked and stuttered, he could feel it building deep inside his nostrils, the forcible tickle that had been taunting him for the last several minutes, it was coming. Remi immediately knew what was happening. He had heard and seen this before and had prepared himself to handle the situation if it ever arose in such a setting. He wrapped an arm around Levi's waist, pulling him close. "It's okay," he whispered into his ear. "Just let it out."

Levi's body shook as he let out a loud sneeze, "Hh'Etshu!" followed by another "eh-TSHU!" and another "Eh'ehTSHU!". Each one echoed through the store, drawing attention from the other shoppers. Meeko and Connie rushed over to them, trying to help in any way they could. Remi trying to hide the evident blush across his face, arousal imminent towards his sickly mate. Feeling his partner blow into the side of his arm, feeling the leopard's sickly nose rub against his t-shirt fabric, it was so much in such little time, something so innocent to others, but so naughty to him. It took the wolf all his strength to keep it together as a small bead of sweat dripped down the side of his temple.

As Levi's sneezing fit finally came to an end, he looked up at Remi with a sheepish expression. "Sobby," he snuffled, pulling back to rub his sleeve across his slightly dripping nose.

Remi just smiled at him, rubbing his back soothingly. "Don't be sorry...you sure you don't want to go home and lay down?" He asked hopeful the man would say yes but the leopard simply shook his head.

"No, serioudly, I'b okay," his heated face looking up at the wolf with such sincerity it almost broke his heart to even try to argue with him. He knew how much time with their sisters meant to him, so he wouldn't push it. No matter how desperately he wanted to get his cat back home and under some real care.

With that, the group quickly exited the store, walking back through the mall as Meeko chatted on and on about the different things she'd seen around them mall. It was almost enough of a distraction, as Levi found himself still suffering with residual tickles. God he just wanted this to end, his nose dripping more as the build increased, the cat desperately rubbing at his nose. Remi sliding his gaze through the side to capture the struggling man, cheeks raising in heat as he witnessed his adorable mate suffer.

Levi's face contorted as he tried to hold back another making its way through his sinuses. But it was no use. His body shook as he let out another soft, wet sneeze. "T'cHiEw!!" he blew, his nose now fully congested and leaking. He sniffled, wiping at his nose with the back of his hand, but it only made it worse. He could feel his nose getting itchier by the second.

Remi's eyes were fixed on Levi's every move, watching him struggle. A part of him was worried about his partner's health, but another part of him couldn't help but feel a twinge of arousal at the sight of his leopard sneezing and sniffling while they walked together so casually in public like this. He tried to push those thoughts aside, focusing on helping Levi instead.

His fingers squeezed around the leopard’s hand reassuring him that he was still right there for him, and that they could go home at any moment he wanted. Levi responded with a softer squeeze, the wolf knowing that this was nothing more than another. 'Im fine' response.

"Bless you!" Meeko looked over at Levi suddenly, with a tender smile. "You sure are having a rough one today, Lee," feeling terrible for her brother in law.

Levi's face turned even redder at his sister's comment. He knew they were all worried about him, but he didn't want to ruin their day any further. "I'll be okay," he assured her, trying to sound convincing.

But he couldn't shake off the feeling of discomfort in his body. His head was pounding, his throat was sore, and his nose was running like a faucet. He sneezed again, to the side this time, "Eh'ehTSHU!!", another one followed by a wet sniffle. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that he was sick.

"Okay, let's at least get the kid some tissues, he's really going off over here," Remi chuckled sheepishly, still fighting off the terribly insistent urge to drag his partner into a nearby bathroom stall and fuck the virus out of his mate's fragile body. No, he had to be sane, stable, selfless. The group stopped at a nearby kiosk, looking over the different items before the wolf scouted a travel size pack of tissues. Levi gratefully took the tissues, immediately blowing his nose into them while Remi took the time to pay. He could feel his whole body trembling with the effort of holding back the sneezes that kept bubbling up within him. His nose was running uncontrollably now, and he blew it again and again, the wet sound echoing in the quiet space.

Remi leaned in close, his lips brushing against Levi's ear. "Do you want to go home now, love?" he asked, his voice low and gentle.

Levi shook his head, not wanting to disappoint the rest of the group. But as soon as they started walking again, he felt another sneeze coming on. This one was more powerful than the others. He could feel it building up deep inside him, growing stronger and more insistent with each passing moment.

He tried to hold it back, but it was no use. He sneezed, his whole body shaking with the force of it. "Ehh'TSHU!" soaking through the tiny tissue, forcing him to pull out yet another to dab and wipe his poor sopping nose.

His eyes watered, and he could feel his face getting hotter as he sneezed again and again, each one harder and more wet than the last. "Hhh'TCHU! Eh'TSHU! H'TSHU!"

Remi's grip on his waist returned and tightened, holding him up as his body shook with every sneeze. Meeko and Connie looked at him with concern, but he could see the amusement in their eyes too. It was embarrassing, but he couldn't help it.

Finally, the sneezing fit came to an end. Levi was panting, his nose completely stuffed up and dripping. "S-so S-sobby guyd.." he whimpered weakly, pulling tissue after tissue out of the pack to try and keep up with the spraying, wet messes his body made.

Despite their concerns and their apprehension to even be around the fitting leopard, they continued to walk through the mall. Levi soaking each tissue through the pack as they continued to wonder. Eventually he found himself on his last, sighing with disappointment that he had already gone through so many. All he had left was what he started with, his rough sleeve or his already germed up hand. None the less, he hated having a wet face and he couldn't walk around looking like an unkempt toddler.

Meeko went back to gabbing on about different topics, trying to keep the momentum alive. "You know, Annie's cinnamon pretzel is actually the best one they have, it's the perfect combination of sweet and salty!" giggling as she wondered aimlessly along side her family.

"I don't know, I'd rather get pizza than a pretzel, no matter the ratio..." the wolf grumbled loosely, still fighting his own demons beside his sickly boyfriend. As Levi was struggling with a much more painful tickle that he had previously, Meeko spotted a rather large photo booth. She grabbed both Connie and Remi by the wrist. "Oh my gosh you guys! We HAVE to go take a photo!" looking back at the group who could only return Meeko's excitement with apprehensive groans and side eyes.

"Oh you insecure lot, you! Stop that! Photos are good memories," The ginger girl giggled dragging her family over, Remi having a tight grip still on his sickly cat. As they approached the large machine, the cat felt his nerves rising to the surface. Oh no. They weren't really going to make him take a photo looking like this, right?!

Levi tried to back out, but Meeko was having none of it. She shoved him into the booth, already selecting the background and props. "Come on, sneezy boy, we need a good family photo!" she teased, holding up a pair of kitten ears for him to wear.

Levi groaned, feeling ridiculous. He was sick, his nose was running as well as terribly red, and he looked like a mess. He didn't want to take a photo like this. The four of them cramped up inside this thing, Levi mushed up in between Remi and Connie, Meeko on the other side of Connie. Before he could protest any further, he watched as the timer on the screen started, it was too late. The best he could do now was try his absolute best to hold in the earth shattering sneeze that was desperate to burst out of him. His small frame trembled, as he stared blankly ahead, almost in a trance as he tried his ever best to keep it in. "H-h.." he started, after the first flash of their photos, oh god...

During the timing of the second Levi took his opportunity to quickly rub his nose in circles, a small light clicking sound echoing the space. Remi's breath hitched and he did his best to pose with a stoic smile, lifeless eyes. Being in such a small space with his little ticking time bomb was almost proving too much to handle. 'Think of sad things....think of gross things....anything....just don't draw any attention to it..' his mind racing to keep his lust at bay.

The leopard quickly pulled his arm down, but the stinging flash of the second photo was proving only to make things ten times worse. Between photos he continued to rub and wipe his consistently wet nostrils, only breaking away long enough to be caught in a hazy gaze by the time the pictures were taken. Four had gone, by and the increase of pressure inside his sinuses only grew exponentially. It was coming out whether he liked it or not. However, he just prayed he could get through this last photo. As the count down started, Levi's breath hitched in his throat, 'Oh please no...' he panicked inwardly.

The symptoms continued, 2...Levi's eyes squinted and his eyebrows raised, 3...his nostrils flared and the leopard started to turn his head to the side. It was no use. The cat pushed forward, his small hands unable to cover his face in time as his nose exploded, a loud, wet, SPLOT sound echoing in the space as he sniffled and shuddered in his seat. FLASH. "Hah- hah- hhAHH - hhd-HAHH'TSCCHhiIIEWW!! HDDT'KTTSCHIiew! hehh... hehh - hEHh - HIIIH'TTTSCHHIIIEEEW!" small particles of sickly salivia floated in the space around them while the pictures slowly developed for printing.

The photo was taken and Levi was left mortified as he rubbed pathetically at his nose. Remi was left wide eyed and with a racing heart rate, his gaze now stuck on the leopard as his cheeks heated up. "J-Jesus..." he whispered in to the awkward silence. Connie and Meeko couldn't help but let out small bursts of nervous laughter.

"Whoa!" the ginger haired girl exclaimed with a breathless chuckle. "I wonder if we caught that on the photo…” pulling the roll out now to hold it back and take a good long look.

"Oh, wow...babe...it's like a live action, slow reenactment," the wolf teased, trying to mask his desire to snatch the photo roll up and run at lightening speed to have some alone time with it. He cleared his throat, as the girls let out a chorus of giggle fits. Levi could feel his own face turning red, partly from embarrassment and partly from the aftermath of the sneezing fit. He knew he looked like a mess, with his nose still dripping and his eyes watery, and he couldn't help but be self-conscious about it. He lifted the edge of his already wet sleeve back to his nose, trying to wipe himself clean, but it was a hopeless task.

As they stepped out of the photo booth, Levi tried to avoid looking at the photos. He didn't want to see himself in that state, and he didn't want anyone else to either. But as Meeko handed him the printout, he had no choice but to glance at it.

The first photo was fine, just the four of them posing with silly props. But the second one...Levi cringed as he saw himself with his hand over his nose, clearly hadn't timed that out too perfectly. And then there was the third one, where he looked absolutely spaced out, slack jawed and hopeless. However the fourth one....oh god the fourth one was his worst nightmare. His face was in full sneeze, you could see particles flying towards the camera, and the genuine reactions of all attending parties was enough to send him to the grave. Remi looked pale, like he had seen a ghost, bright emeralds widened in shock, the only sign of life and color being the bright vermillion blush splashed across his cheeks. Meeko looked surprised, her gaze not at the camera but at her brother in law losing it and slightly horrified, While Connie was totally oblivious and holding up a casual peace sign.

Levi's heart sank as he realized how terrible he looked in the photo. He crumpled it up and handed it back to Meeko. "I don't want this," he muttered, feeling a lump form in his throat. He was already self-conscious about his appearance, and now he had to deal with this embarrassing photo.

Remi noticed Levi's discomfort and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey...I think you look absolutely adorable in those photos.." trying to bring some sort of reassurance and confidence back to his sickly boyfriend.

Levi looked up at Remi, surprised by his words. "Really?" he asked, his voice small and uncertain.

Remi nodded, a gentle smile on his lips. "Really," he said, his hand still resting on Levi's shoulder. "You always look adorable to me, no matter what."

Levi felt his heart swell with warmth at Remi's words. He looked at the crumpled photo in Meeko's hand and then back at Remi. "Okay," he said, nodding. "I'll keep it then."

Meeko grinned. "I knew you'd come around," she said, handing the photo back to Levi. "It's a good memory, even if it's a little embarrassing."

Levi nodded, doing his best to straight it back out before tucking the photo into his pocket. As they walked out towards the exit, still giggling and teasing each other, Levi felt grateful for the support of his family and the love of his boyfriend. Even on days when he really should have just stayed home.

.

.

.

Later That Night

Levi was snuggled up in the bed he shared with his lover Remi, finally fighting off the terrible virus he had for surely come down with. He breathed softly through his open mouth, nose too stuffed up to consider breathing through it. Remi, sitting in the chair across from him, found himself finally alone. His mate had only been asleep for roughly 10 minutes, but it was a sure sign he would more than likely stay asleep, which was good, the wolf needed 'me time'. What better way to accomplish that with a new addition of content in his possession. He pulled out the photo roll from earlier that day, his thumb dancing across the stills of his suffering mate. "So beautiful..." he whispered to himself, flashing those emerald eyes up at the sleeping cat to make sure he wouldn't stir.

He continued to hold the photo at a decent level, really scanning and studying the finer details of his mate's previous fits. Gazing upon that little red tipped nose, those glassy cerulean eyes, adorned with silly but very sexy cat ears…it was feeling too much. That familiar heat from previously, returned back into the pit of his stomach. This time, with a plan in place to take care of it. His thumb slowly slid to the hem of his sweatpants, just barely teasing them downward before they snapped back up into place. He stared at the photo for a moment more, before bringing his hand down to his crotch, touching himself through the fabric. His brain had been in overdrive for quite a while now, his thoughts only on his lover and how his body could be used to please him. It was now the perfect time to do something about it.

Levi was a deep sleeper, which was a good thing, since he didn't stir as Remi cautiously pulled down his sweatpants, exposing his engorged member to the cool air. The wolf's hand quickly found its way to the tip of his dick, then began to slowly work it down from the base, keeping his eyes locked on the pictures and his mind on his goal. In small steps, he found a gentle pattern that suited him, he was just starting to hit his stride, when Levi's nose gave a small sneeze. “T-shu!”

Remi paused, suddenly a little alarmed. "Shh shh sh..." he gasped into the open air while slowly pumping his needy shaft to relish in the surprise treat he was just blessed with, allowing it to fuel him.

The cat let out a slight grunt as he shifted in the bed, his nose still clogged up.

"Shh babe, you'll wake up..." Remi whispered, still working away with his own hand. He was getting close now, mere seconds away from a nice, mind numbing orgasm. He could feel the warmth of it building, but just as he was about to let it out, his mate let out another sneeze, followed by a soft groan.

"Hts'chiew! Whu?" Levi mumbled, his eyelids fluttering gently.

Remi froze, not wanting to alert him, but....shit, that really added some ambience to the situation. He sucked in a sharp gasp, pausing as his cock throbbed for the continued pleasure. Remi wasn't a huge fan of edging, but he also didn't want to explain himself to the leopard should those ceruleans peek back open. His gaze returning to his favorite shot on the whole roll, Levi blowing his face wide open. He grunted through a clenched jaw, his hand moving slowly again, not certain Levi was asleep again, or if he wasnt silently watching him, almost praying for the latter.

The cat was definitely in a deep sleep now, and Remi knew he had a chance to finally climax as he added a few new things into his delicate ritual, sucking in a soft gasp as he heard his mate let out another yawn.

Levi shifted in the bed, his nose still slightly clogged up. "Hmm...?" he murmured, his eyes fluttering open. "Rem?" he asked, hands searching around for comfort, realizing he wasn't in bed with the wolf, but by himself.

"Hm?!" Remi gasped into the air, his left hand firmly wrapped around his pulsing shaft, his right gripped tightly to the photographic roll, his fingers still twitching from the sudden break as they held tightly to it.

"Remi?" Levi repeated, sitting up in the bed. "What are you doing?" rubbing his tired blue eyes, trying his best to adjust to the darkness surrounding them.

Remi glanced down, realizing he was now fully exposed, but still unable to move. "Wh-what are you doing?" he asked trying to redirect the conversation, in hopes that Levi's sight hadn't adjusted enough to see him here with his hand on his cock.

Levi looked around the room, his vision still adjusting to the darkness but finally narrowing in on his mate across the room. "I...I was asleep, and then I woke up and you...you were masturbating?" the leopard's voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

Remi let out a soft sigh, realizing he wasn't going to be able to get out of this, no matter how hard he tried. "I-I...I was just..."

Levi swallowed, though still trembling and suffering with a terrible virus, his body flushed with a sudden jolt of arousal. His wolf was pleasing himself? Right across from him?

"Babe..." Remi started as the leopard's eyes shot up now adjusting fully, waiting for him to continue trying not to make it to obvious that he was definitely ogling over Remi's thick hardened shaft. "You are so gorgeous..." the raven haired man spoke softly, working away at his cock once more catching the other's gaze, his eyes not leaving his mate. "I mean...that picture.." his voice was raspy and breathy, unable to finish the thought.

The leopard's heart fluttered in his chest, his nipples instantly hardened under his pajama top. The picture. The one in his hand. He'd been hating it all day and now Remi was saying...oh god. "Remi.." He gasped out, a nervous shiver suddenly going down his spine. Remi...was hard...because of him? Because he looked at him in that picture?

"God I love hearing you say my name..." he let out a rough exhale of air as his body began to relax again, his emerald greens gazing over Levi's soft features in the moonlight. The cat felt compelled to join... he wanted to help still, despite how terrible he felt. Never breaking their gaze, Levi slowly slid himself out of the bed and carried his body over to the man, immediately falling to his knees in front of him. "B-Baby?" the wolf questioned curiously as his hand never ceased to rub at his aching length.

Levi shuddered in anticipation, his glassy blue eyes still watching the hand on his mate's swollen, throbbing erection. "Neither of us are feeling well...and neither of us can move much...so this is something we'll both enjoy."

Remi gulped hard and he was almost certain he stopped breathing completely. "F-Fuck...you're so good to me.." he whispered with a shaky breath, his picture grasping hand suddenly falling to the side.

The leopard leaned forward, his face now less than an inch away from Remi's twitching cock. "Shh...just relax..." he whispered, his gentle, warm breath brushing Remi's sensitive flesh in a way that made the wolf shiver deeply.

Levi felt like an animal with a taste of blood in his mouth now, he couldn't stop himself as he slowly leaned forward, his eyes locked on that twitching tip begging for his attention. He inched his tongue out, slipping it between his lips. Doing his best to ignore the sudden sting behind his nose. He wouldn't allow his cold to ruin pleasing his partner, that's for sure.

Remi stared with lidded eyes, unable to believe what was happening now. His mate. On his knees. Right in front of him. His tongue licking over his cock. He was utterly speechless as he watched Levi's mouth take in his throbbing, aching dick. He couldn't help himself, his hands flew to the top of the leopard's head, running through his soft hair, fingers twining in it as he let out soft whimpering sounds, his hips thrusting forward gently.

It was a slow process, Levi's tongue lapping at Remi's cock with a gentle rhythm, his saliva dripping as he licked the length of it, unable to take it all in. The wolf gripped Levi's hair tightly, letting out small moans of pleasure.

Levi parted his lips and took the taut head of his lover into his mouth, his tongue rubbing against it as he sucked on the engorged flesh, his eyes staring up at his lover's face twisted in pleasure. It was almost enough of a distraction, but soon the leopard found himself quickly pulling his mouth off Remi's cock, with the forceful urge taking over his entire face, he sneezed. Hard. "H'ehTSHU!!"

Remi's eyes shot wide as he felt a hot spray of droplets explode against his cock, he could feel the heat of it in his mouth, a few of the droplets reaching his chest and he couldn't help but to let out a lustful groan, pulling Levi closer by his hair, his mate’s sore leaking nose rubbing against his twitching length. "You...have no idea...how hot that was.." he said through gritted teeth, his own hand now reaching down to grasp his swelling shaft and slapping it aggressively over Levi's flushed cheeks with an echoing smacking sound.

Levi looked up at Remi with a gentle moan as he melted into the wolf’s actions, his watering eyes now slid up to make contact. "I...I'm sorry..." he sniffled softly, wiping his nose with his sleeve as he looked embarrassed.

"Don't be," the wolf whispered hotly into the air, dragging the leopard's mouth back over to his cock.

Levi couldn't help but blush in pleasure, his wolf being so forceful, and coming undone at the seams over his silly little cold, it was enough to get the little leopard hungry for more. Before he could think, he'd taken Remi's cock back into his mouth, his tongue twirling around the sensitive head slowly, moving the loose skin up and down as he sucked and licked.

Remi let loose a shaky gasp, his bent legs starting to tremble. "Oh fuck...baby...god that mouth..." he said with a raspy voice, thrusting his hips forward sporadically. "I-I-I'm so close.." he whispered, his body tensing as he came closer to climax.

The leopard pulled off Remi's cock again, his tongue twirling around it as he flattened it against Remi's shaft, using his saliva to help him move faster, the tip of his tongue rubbing against the sensitive ridge under the head, whimpering each time he hit the bundle of nerves.

"Oh fuck...yeah.." Remi moaned out, gasping as he used his free hand to stroke Levi's cheek softly. His body was shaking with a need that was begging to be fulfilled. "L-Levi...I-I'm close..." he said, his body trembling with desire as he felt the pressure building up in his balls. The tip of his erection pulsing and throbbing as his need to cum increased.

Levi's ears twitched when he heard the familiar sounds of his lover's lustful noises. He whimpered in response, his tongue moving faster against the head of Remi's cock, his eyes widening in sudden realization, a sneeze coming on. He was determined to hold it in, just long enough....maybe?

"Huh?!" Remi let out a sudden cry of surprise as he felt Levi pull from his cock, continuing to use his hand to pump and stroke the swollen length. However, he wasn't going to be able to hold back the inevitable as the leopard's face twisted and scrunched, he held in a deep breath, but it was no use. His eyes pooling over and his nostrils bringing that damn sting forward to the surface, he blew across Remi's cock once more but at this same moment, the wolf could tell his mate was going to do this. In that time of the cat struggling to keep it all at bay, it was only bringing him closer to the edge.

At the same moment Levi let out a loud, room echoing sneeze "EH-TSHU!" Spraying a mess of saliva across the wolf's groin, Remi too, let loose and a ribbon of cum splashed it's way across the little cat's stuffy and reddened features.

"SHIT..." he said with a forceful gasp, his whole body lurched forward as his orgasm hit him like a freight train, his vision black with little stars. Levi left stunned by the sudden mess that decorated his face sitting back, frozen in place. “Sorry…” Remi cleared his throat nervously, grabbing a tshirt off the ground and immediately helping Levi clean his dirty face.

“D-did you like that?” The smaller bit his lower lip, still gazing up at his boyfriend with those innocent blue orbs.

“Absolutely, fuck…probably the best blowjob ever,” he chuckled breathlessly before trying to peel himself up off the chair. “You go back to bed okay? I’ll join you in a second, I just gotta clean up,” he said sweetly, extending a hand out to help his mate get back on his feet. Taking the helping hand, the leopard yawned loudly, the feeling of exhaustion washing over him once more.

“Okay don’t be too long though…” he said, hesitant to let go of the wolf’s hand.

“Promise,” nodding his head in a matter-of-factly type of way, he kissed the sickly man on his head and quickly made his way to the restroom, making quick work of the clean up so he could return to his incapacitated, but still very naughty kitten.

The end.

Author’s Notes: Toot Toot 🚂 All aboard the Sneezy Express! Hope you guys enjoyed 🫶🏻🥰

[tehtariks]

my life ambition: to be a ghibli cat | The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)

[binniesthighs]

call me babydoll | reader x chan

a/n: cuties!! hehe we’re finally getting...a couple things in this chapter that i’ve been wanting to share sooo bad! i added question marks to some of the tags to make it more of a surprise! i love hearing what ya thought of it! hehe <3 

Five 

Pairing: self insert, (?) x female reader x bang chan 

Genre: action, mystery and suspense, fluff, smut and angst 

Tags: (of this part) bodyguard au, secret agent au, royal au, moderndayprince!chan, secretagent!reader, secretagent!jeongin, secretagent!jisung, collegestudent!seungmin, royal!minho, informantandclubowner!changbin (loll thats so long), (?)!felix, skz side characters, adventure and mystery, action and peril, plot driven, running out of time, slow-ish burn, growing feelings, sexual tension, explicit language, mentions of alcoholic drinks and getting drunk, hehe bit of smut/suggestive content (tags omitted for surprise--nothing crazy to tag tho hehe), maknae line are my sons in this fic, binnie in this fic can fkn take me lol 

CWs: sizable shoot out in public club with several people involved, presumed that people die because of this event, lots blood and other wounds such as gunshot wounds, mentions of drugs (both recreational and hard drugs) mentions of weapons such as knives and guns--the whole scene is violent 

Word count: 8.5k 

Parts 

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE 

“Five years later and I’m still tying your ties, F. Some things never change.” 

Jeongin cracks a smile, simple and cute, much like the man himself even when he has a handgun glued to his hand. 

“It’s still a harder task than some of the stuff that they have us doing. Not gonna lie.” 

You smooth down your partner’s lapels where he’s pinned a small pin of the ticking clock. While others would wear crests, the insignia that bonds you to the younger man is this this small instrument. He’s quiet while he watches you fiddle with his silk blue tie that compliments his snow white hair perfectly. 

“Are you nervous for tonight?” 

Your partner upkeeps his stoic façade the best he can, but tonight there’s something different about him. His silent answer speaks louder than he could ever admit. On the queen sized bed, Seungmin kicks his perfectly shined shoes while flipping through the channels of the TV with a staticky sounding click. Jeongin lightly brushes his hand over the diamond dangling earrings that twinkle as they are supposed to from your ears--likely they’re crystals, not the more expensive jewel. 

“I’m not nervous,” He finally sighs, but there’s a bit of a crack to his voice. “I trust you. And Two. I’m trying to focus on that.” 

“It’ll be fine.” You assure, “White Rabbit must have his own security that would be at his beck and call. If anyone shoots at us, they’re shooting at him. We’re not alone.” 

The young agent nods, then gives a little slap to the college student on the bed. “Get up. We’re leaving. Remember what I showed you?” 

Jeongin draws from the bedside a small handgun. It’s more decorative than protective, but still fires bullets that could save his life. 

“Keep it in your breast pocket. Make sure that no one sees it. We don’t wanna cause a scene.” 

Seungmin’s eyes widen as he feels its weight in his hand. “Got it. I hope I don’t have to use it.” 

“Me too,” You give the youngster a soothing smile. “And remember, don’t tell anyone your name. When you’re in there, your name is S. Better yet, it’s best not to interact with anyone.” 

He nods, then slides it into the thin fabric of his coat. The young man looks considerably more dapper with The Agency’s clothes: a deep purple velvet two piece with silver cufflinks decorated with white roses--another symbol that you’ve grown familiar with. 

The prince saunters up to the bedroom with a slick tap at the opened door. He oozes with regality; not like you expected any less. The royal has dressed himself magnificently without the aid of his help once more: a pure black silk suit with a smart pressed white button up that’s spotless with not one crinkle. The while shirt itself is adorned with two thin silver chains which stretch across his lower torso. At the neck where the shirt meets its last button, there’s a floral brooch: one more more white rose for good measure. 

“Wow!!” Seungmin respectfully bows. “Your Highness, you look--” 

“--I didn’t fuck up the hair, did I?” 

Chan grins as he brings his fingers through his newly colored hair; its much lighter than his dark locks had been before: now a shade of tawny brown. The change to his appearance had come at the request of the palace who suggested that he try to conceal his identity even further as to not arouse suspicion. 

“Handsome as ever, your Highness.” You sneer out the compliment. 

Since the previous night had turned sour, seeing eye to eye with the prince had become harder to do. It was a wild confliction of feelings when you thought more and more of it. With every glance that he would throw in your direction, along with way that he had stared at you all through breakfast, you couldn’t meet him. You felt as if you had borne a wound for him to see, for him to poke at--the secret kind that was best kept to yourself--and he had dug his finger in; he had laughed. 

The prince tilted his head, and you met his eyes for the first time since then. There was a softness about him when you knew that he was inspecting you. You knew you must’ve been overthinking it--and that was what made it so dangerous. 

“Looking stunning as always, Bee. I knew that you would wear that dress well.” 

You let the words, “Thank you,” leave your tongue before toying with the small handbag provided to you. As always, your thigh holster held steady under your dress. 

Four clicks at the suite door sounded, startling nearly everyone in the room, revealing everyone’s nerves which they had denied. 

“That’ll be Lee Minho.” Chan announced. 

Two answered the door in his own costuming. The two men bowed upon meeting, a usual meeting between strangers. The agent lead him to the room, and the royal buttoned his own suit properly. 

“Good evening. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’m Lee--” 

“--Minho.” Jeongin dryly cut, “We know who you are.” 

Luckily, you and your partner shared the same apprehension. 

“I’m Fox. You’ve met Bee. The young kid is S, he’s a new agent. The quiet one that let you in is Two.” 

Minho bowed politely with a slight blush. “You weren’t kidding when you said that you were well protected, Your Highness.” 

Chan chuckled in response then clapped the other royal by the back. 

“You look amazing,” Minho said to the prince who shooed him away with a humble hand. 

“You as well.” 

Chan sized up the royal who indeed looked like one. His suit was a simplier charcoal grey with pinstripes with a white undershirt that ruffled at the collar. Not typical of the royals that you knew, he also wore dangling silver earrings that would have never passed the royal standard for professionalism. However, it made sense considering that he had been of a lower rank. 

“Now that we’ve got the formalities out of the way, shall we head out?” Chan put a very obvious hand to the lower back of Lee Minho while checking with the rest of the group. “It’s best not to keep him waiting?” 

Your partner nodded and ushered the group out while giving his body one more pat down to ensure that all concealed weapons were in place. Two checked the assortment of knives tucked discreetly into his own jacket. The man had some kind of wicked and unidentifiable grin while he felt the metal against his fingers. You exited at the rear, feeling a hand tug at your arm. 

“--Bee, I’m sorry about what happened...I’m...I hope that you can understand my motivations as to why I said what I did, it didn’t seem like the right time--” 

“--There will never be a right time.” You tore your arm free. “Your Highness, what happened...that was a mistake on my part. I acted out of line. There will never be a right time because...I’m your guard, and you’re my prince. Do you understand?” 

“But Bee--” 

“--End of discussion,” The words burned in your throat seeing the way that he had looked at you just then, and it was clear that he definitely didn’t understand. 

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

You had heard that the White Rabbit had been a prideful man--this was now an indisputable fact once you pulled up to the roaring nightclub set into one of the busiest streets on the avenue in Cairo. Everything about the place was showy and bright and outrageous. It was a miracle that the man hadn’t been caught considering that his home base was as obvious as it was. The entire front of the night club shone with the brilliance of a million stars in a hundred different colors. A giant marquee held the signage with the title of the place, “The Tea Party” coupled with the image of the white rabbit himself--the one from the old movie--a stout little thing with his pocket watch swinging from his paw. His neck was wrapped up in a white ruff, and he wore a frock pattered in red hearts. 

A line stretched from the front entrance for as far as you could see, and clubbers swung their bodies in tune to the muffled sound of the EDM music thumping from inside and throwing cigarette butts to the sidewalk. 

“Do we just walk in?” Seungmin hurriedly asked with nervous hands wrapped around his body. 

“We’re expected, so, yes.” You snaked your arm through Jeongin’s to look even less conspicuous. “Just relax,” You commanded the group lowly. 

From the corner of your eye, you saw the prince slug his arm around Lee Minho who appeared to shrink under the other man’s broad shoulders. 

Two large bouncers stood at the entrance with muscles swelling under their shirts stained pink in areas which you assumed to have been white at some point. 

“Names?” One of them grunted rather than spoke. 

From his pocket, your partner took out his very own pocket watch that had been hidden with the rest of your supplies upon arrival to Cairo. On the opposite side of the watch was engraved the two symbols intertwined: the white rabbit and the the white rose. The two men inspected it, nodded, and opened the door for your small entourage. As soon as you entered the booming central room, you could see Seungmin’s shoulders drop as he relaxed. 

“There should be someone meeting us!” Jeongin yelled over the sound of the white noise leading to the bass drop. Hundreds of clubbers danced with the music, throwing their glasses to the air and howling like animals. You wouldn’t have been surprised if at least half of them had been strung out on the very drugs that the man himself had helped peddle. 

The young agent pulled you closer to him as stumbling bodies passed. 

“They could be here. We have to be on our guard.” 

“Let me watch the prince.” 

Jeongin nodded, letting you recede to the back of the group where Two had tailed. His eye wound hadn’t healed nearly enough, so he opted to wear the sunglasses once more. It was likely that word had spread about the four of you escaped twice--his eye was evidence. From behind the group, you watched the way the the prince’s hand fell down hold Lee Minho by the hip, and the way that his fingers dug in there slightly. As much as you had denied it, seeing them close brought back the very covetous thoughts you tried to keep at bay. 

A slender woman with gorgeous tanned skin pushed her way through the crowd and set her eyes on the white head of your partner. Her dress was even thinner than yours, but she wore it as if it was her second skin. The luxurious red color contrasted perfectly with her dark hair and eyes. 

“Are you Fox?” She asked with a thick accent, and cascaded her hand down the young man’s arm. 

“Y-yes. I am.”

“Bun asked me to bring you to him. I know the way.” 

She let her hand fall into Jeongin’s who whipped his head back to you with dry lips that he wetted immediately. You had expected to have been retrieved by someone a bit stockier than this woman. 

“He’s trying to get our guard down.” Two said suddenly as he reached into his pocket to thumb over his stockpile of metal there. “Don’t you think?” 

The woman took your group near to the corner of the room where bodies didn’t linger for long, but were drawn in the mosh pit in the center. Tables lined these edges which were fashioned into booths with red velvet curtains for privacy to do much more sinister things. The room smelled heavily of pure alcohol spilled by drunk hands and of synthetic fabrics made of cheap plastics. A dozen different fragrances mingled into one dizzying mess: each a scent so different and chemical that it was toxic. 

She walked with a swing to her hips, all the way to a booth that was a bit larger than the others--you could only assume that this must’ve been his booth. The woman gestured for you all to enter before drawing the curtain. At the center of the table, the rabbit’s symbol had been burned into the wood. She wore some kind of thin diamond bracelet which she hovered over the image, causing a winding staircase to pop from the carpeted floor down to a hidden chamber. 

“Take the stairs, and it you’ll see it once you get down there.” 

Your partner have her a curt nod in thanks, then lead the group further down. A soft green and red glow emanated from the space below, also humming with a concealed type of music different from that which was played in the club. From here, it nearly sounded like jazz. 

The corridor under the club was bleak and grey with cement, but wooden crates lined it with stamps on the sides in numerous different languages. Your brain could only fathom where the contents had been before they ended up in this basement. It must have been millions of dollars just sitting undisturbed with enough firepower to blow up the whole building and more. 

“Guns. Military grade and a little more improper,” Minho sighed out. “He must have every model in existence here.” 

“Do you think that he has like...missiles?” Seungmin reached for his small handgun. 

“Ease up S.” You tried to contain your own creeping fear, “Those would be too big to keep down here.” 

“Who says that this is his whole stockpile?” Two deadpanned as he cleaned his glasses. 

At the end of the hall, one more bulky guard stood expressionless with a small sized machine gun ready in his hands. He opened the door without saying much else, letting loose the red and green lights you had seen before, and with it, the putrid smell of expensive drink and marijuana. 

The smaller room was only lit by strobes with multicolored gels, and it was dense with the smoke of many number of drugs and vices. There was a small bar with a bartender with bagged eyes and a swath of women in cocktail dresses and men with ties tugged nearly all the way off their necks with lipstick marks pressed into them. 

A single disco ball spun above their heads, spreading shiny squares all across the room. Even more guards waited in the same uniform, but these ones looked more expensive--likely his own personal detail wearing gaudy chains and wrist watches inlaid with diamonds and crested in real gold. 

“My friends! You were able to make it!” 

The man of the hour spread his legs wide on his leather couch set upon a lion’s coat rug, complete with a head and marble eyes and all. At his sides were two more women more unique than the rest: both of them was breathtakingly gorgeous, one of them jeweled like a queen with a thick gold choker that resembled that which old Egyptian royalty would. Her head was smoothed with no hair at all, but instead intricate and beautiful tattoos decorated her like some kind of otherworldly being. The other woman had a cat-like face with two differently colored eyes; one hazel green and the other icy blue contrasting with her fiery orange hair. 

“Carroll told me that you had a bit of trouble before you got here. I’m glad to see that you were able to get here in one piece. It only seems like things are getting more and more...risky these days. Even for people like us.” 

“We’re not “people like you,” Rabbit.” You pushed to the font of the group. 

The club owner himself was dressed in a purely white fur coat which you presumed to be made of real fur. Considering the material, it must’ve been made from the fur of snow foxes--an interesting choice considering your partner’s persona. The smaller man with a thick and muscled form took off his yellow tinted sunglasses to tuck them into his wildly printed shirt that had tiny buttons doing the work of keeping his chest covered. 

“Babydoll! It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’ve heard all about you. Your reputation precedes you.” He took a rather greedy bite to his lip whilst looking you up and down. The white dress must have been doing it’s job well. 

“Babydoll?” Chan asked with furrowed brows. “What is--who is--?” 

“As does your reputation, Rabbit. I wouldn’t have expected less.” 

The proud man snorted, “I hope this doesn’t mean that you’ve got any...preconceived notions about my lifestyle. Our dear friend Carroll doesn’t seem to.” 

“Of course not.” 

“And you...you must be the Prince of Bulgeun! His Royal Highness Prince Chan of the Crown!” The White Rabbit spread out his arms wide in welcome. “I don’t often get royalty in my club--lots of celebrities and the like.” He leaned over to one of his guards, speaking in Egyptian Arabic and asking for drinks for the group. 

“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.” Chan bowed deep. 

“So respectful!” The White Rabbit chuckled, “You can all call me Bun. We’re all friends here. And you...who might you be?” Bun pointed a finger at Minho who stepped forward. 

“Baron Lee Minho, of Bulgeun as well.” 

“Ah! And a Baron too! How did I get so lucky to have such honorable company?” Cat-face ticked her long nails against the club owner’s hand slung around her. 

“You know what we’re here for, Rabbit. There’s no need for theatrics.” Jeongin huffed his words out with a confident breath. 

“You’re the one that they call Fox? Rumor has it that you and Carroll have a rather...special...connection?” 

The bartender arrived with drinks, each of them looking expensive with flecks of gold leaf floating on the surface of the clear liquid. Seungmin shot an apprehensive glare once the glasses were left on a small side table. As had been discussed previously, none of your group had picked up a glass. 

The woman with beautiful tattoos stretched a hand down one of the White Rabbit’s thighs, reaching dangerously high between them; just enough to make you flinch from the forward action. 

“Baby, I see that you’re playing a dangerous game towing this Price around, so of course I’m willing to help a friend of my friend. You’re lucky that I’ve got just the intel that you need. Some people just don’t know how to shut their mouths, especially when the get a taste of what I’m selling.” 

“Oh? And what have you been hearing?” 

You eyed a leather chair across from him seeing an opportunity. 

“Your Highness.” You motioned for Chan to sit in the chair next to yours, swinging your legs crossed to peek from the thin white silk in full view for the Rabbit to see. After, you dipped your chin into your palm, just for the purpose of letting the front of your dress fall slightly. The prince remained quiet while taking his seat and spreading his legs out strongly. 

“If it’s compensation that you need Rabbit, the Crown is also willing to make offers for added...persuasion.” 

Chan crossed his fingers in his lap leaning forward. His words were slick and domineering--kingly even. 

“Is that so?” The White Rabbit tugged at his lip with his teeth, “I wasn’t aware.” 

“Double what The Agency is offering. If I like what you say.” 

The club owner scoffed with a grin, “Oh, you’ll like what I say.” Cat-face lifted his drink to his lips, then wiped off the excess off with her finger. Both of the body guards appeared to tense before he spoke and tried to be inconspicuous while they reached for their decorated pieces resting in their waistbands. 

“Hell, I’ll even tell you what they call themselves.” 

In your impatience, you leaned forward, “Who are they?” 

“They’re called The Spades. Some kind of new crime syndicate that’s been fucking up my business and making bargains with my customers. Of course, as you know...I work in a very lucrative business.” 

“Naturally.” 

“They’ve been stockpiling shit like crazy: all kinds of weapons, any kind that you can think of outside of fucking nukes. They’ve even tapped into drugs as well to make extra on the side. I don’t know what it is that they’re doing that makes them so appealing, but suddenly I’m missing out on millions because of those fuckers. They’ve got someone masterminding it all too--some crazed bastard. I’ve been trying to find him ever since they popped up.” He resumed his grasp on both of his women who cuddled into him. 

“Mastermind? The one who’s running the whole operation? You know him?” Both you and your partner locked eyes quick enough for the other man to not take notice. 

“No, one of his cronies. He runs the business. He’s illusive and fucking insane. Someone whispered once that he’s psychotic or something like that. You think that I’m bad...” 

“Who?? Who is he? Where can we find him?” 

“Slow your role there doll, I’m just getting to the good part.” The Rabbit nodded for another sip of his drink. “He’s got several names depending on who you’re talking to. Fucking funnily enough, I’ve heard that he goes by “Hatter,” or more commonly “Joker.” He deals in anything: arms, drugs, sex...and he works for The King.” 

“The King?” Chan butted in with the mention of a royal name. 

“Not your silly little king, prince. The King. The one who runs it all. He tells The Spades what to do. They’re everywhere, taking over every sector in every nation. They’re trying to dismantle it all--every political system, monarchy, presidency...everything. It looks like they’re starting with you, prince. The Spades preach about chaos. Every man for himself...but it’s a lie. Why the hell else would they be stockpiling? They’re trying to take it all over.” 

Seungmin gulped audibly as he sunk to the back of the group. 

“When there’s no more control the ones with the most resources always end up on top.” The young student whispered. 

“This King, do you know who he is?” Jeongin spoke over Seungmin to detract attention from him. 

“Nope.” The White Rabbit swung his legs up on the small coffee table with alligator leather shoes. “I’ve been a little focused on taking down the Joker at the moment, for your information.” 

“What’s your intel on him then? He must know how to get to The King.” Minho pushed to the front of the group right to Chan’s side. “We’re not satisfied with your information yet.” 

The Baron’s sudden demand surprised you: he had been timid before--so you had thought. 

The club owner looked to Chan, keeper of his “persuasion” who nodded to prompt him for more. 

“He’s on some island off Greece. Private. Tight security, the kind that could shoot you out of the sky.” 

“Impressive.” You tutted, feigning confidence once more. “What more do you know?” 

The woman with the bangled necklace whispered something in his ear once peeking at a small old-model cellphone in her hand, brushing her lips over his earlobe. Over the sound system, the jazz music turned sultry, and both women moved to join the other intoxicated clubbers in the back to sway around brass poles. 

“There’s the freckled bastard. He’s the grunt--and the one that’s been chasing you I think. Real nuisance isn’t he? He’s the Knave. Had a few run ins with him myself.” 

You thought back to the gas station and the black SUVs. Between all the shards of glass, it had been hard to make anyone out, but you had figured that he had must’ve been one of the men throwing their bodies out of the windows to shoot. 

The Rabbit chuckled out with some kind of hand signal to his guards. “Knowing him, he could be right outside my door for that matter.” 

Jeongin’s eyes flew open, sending you “the look.” Your time was running out. Judging by the way that you hadn’t noticed that the Rabbit’s women had cleared out the other clubbers from the room, they must’ve known something that you didn’t. The club owner stood up with a languid stretch and cracked his knuckles. 

“We probably don’t have much more time before they come in here guns blazing. Best protect your prince, hm?” 

“Rabbit! You must know something about The King?!” You crossed the room to grab at his frim and fuzzy arm. 

He slyly smiled, amused by your grip, “Like I said doll, no one knows much about him. Your Baron has got it right. Start with the Joker. But...” His grin cracked even wider, “Good luck.” 

Seungmin tugged at Two’s dress coat as the two bulky bodyguards took The Rabbit by the arms to escort him. 

“What's going on??” The young man’s voice cracked with urgency. 

“Ready that gun of yours.” Two said lowly with gritted teeth. 

He strode across the room with his fur coat lazily swaying, then raised the golden rings on his fingers to the air as he exited. He threw his yellow tinted glasses back on, before turning back to your stunned group. 

“I estimate that you’ve got...three minutes? --Oh! And one more thing!” 

The white fabric of your dress swept to the side, revealing your thigh holster which you grabbed at quickly. 

“What?!” 

“Every King’s got his Queen? Does he not?” 

The enigmatic club owner slipped into the shadows of his private room, leaving your group with the sound of clambering feet on the floor above, followed by muffled gunshots. 

“They’re here?” Seungmin readied his small handgun as he was told and looked to the ceiling where the lights flickered from the commotion. “They found us?” 

Two twirled two knives in his hands with a silvery glint. Both of the blades were a bit on the shorter side, but you were certain that he knew how to use them. “They’re always following us.” 

“We need to get out of here.” Lee Minho drew out his own gun concealed by his suit. It was custom with a pearl handle. You had seconds to make out the insignia, but you could make out the shape of what looked like a red rose. “The place must be crawling with them. We need to find the exit.” 

Your partner nodded while taking his own gun. “Stay close, Your Highness. Follow me.”

“Bee?” The prince called your name with a worried cross between his brows. “Give me a gun. Hand-to-hand is nothing against these guys. I’ll stay close. I promise.” 

While he held your eyes earnestly, the way that his chest heaved up and down told you something much different. 

“You can handle it?”

“I can.” 

Jeongin passed him a Glock from the holster strapped behind his shoulders. 

You made your way back through halls lit by hissing fluorescent lights with a white burn to them. The crates of weaponry stretched on and on, adding to your unease knowing what could happen if a bullet were to be fired in this hallway. Thick rats skittered in the dank edges of the hall and weaved between boxes labeled in Spanish. 

“Drugs.” Minho gripped his gun tighter. “From the looks of it, cocaine.” 

Above your heads, a giant boom resounded and dust with drywall fell from the lights that flickered harder. 

“Its a fucking maze down here.” Jeongin tapped at his watch in an attempt to find a schematic of the place. 

The college student wetted his lips. “At least we’re not up there with them.” 

“At least the lead worked out. We know more about these...Spades than we did before. It’s a start.” You tailed the back of the group with careful footsteps and the click of your heels against the cement flooring. 

Another resounding boom echoed followed by the shrill screams of clubbers above. It sounded hellish--you could hear the raw fear in their voices. The music thudded on, likely abandoned by someone running for their life. The Prince’s knuckles turned white holding onto his piece of metal near the front of the group. 

“F, you know the way up?” 

“I-I think. We should be approaching some stairs soon, but there’s nottelling who will be on the other side.” 

Two tore off his sunglasses and shoved them into his breast pocket. “We’ll be damn lucky if they haven’t found the hotel yet. If not, we’ve got to run.” 

“My laptop??” Seungmin whimpered. 

“That damn Chromebook? Don’t worry about it, your life is more important.” Jeongin scoffed. “The Agency can set you up with something even better.” 

“I can’t believe that at a time like this all I can think about is my stupid computer.” The young man shook the thought out of his head. 

“Stairs up ahead.” Jeongin pointed. “Get ready.” 

“Chan?” You pulled at the prince’s trim to his coat. 

“I’m fine Bee. Honestly. I trust you.” He attempted a smile. The same smile, that damned charming one that couldn’t get out of your head. 

Minho looked back to the prince too with worry, it had been the most sincere motion that you had seen him do as of yet. He reached out to squeeze the royal’s shoulder with a soft smile. 

“Don’t go dying on us Your Highness. Think about what that would mean for the kingdom?” He chuckled. 

“I’ll try my best,” The prince returned the gesture. 

Jeongin reached for the metal door handle to the teal green door cracking with paint. The sound of machine guns had grown even louder, followed by the sound of the shells hitting the wooden dance floor. The air was thin where it crept under the door and carried with it the horrid smell of smoking guns and spilled alcohol. 

“Two, Bee, form rank around the group, I’ll lead.” 

Two nodded, popping gum into his mouth and blowing large electric blue bubble. “Can do.” Both of his hands tightened around his blades.  

“One...Two...Three!” 

Time slowed the second that the door opened, and your ears rang with the deathly silence. Bodies to the left and right of you became a blur and they fell to the floor in the silence with their limbs twitching until they didn’t move at all. White collars turned red, as did the white tablecloths of the standing tables. The strobes pranced around the room in a multicolored shower that was as blinding and stained your eyes. 

The men in black suits and leather gloves scattered around the room with their red crests glinting. They shouted commands at eachother, but to you, all you could see was the way that their lips curved and cracked. In front of you, your partner leads with a hand gesture that you had memorized from training, and all of your focus was drawn the the back of the group. The trigger of your gun was cold on your finger: you pulled and pulled not even pausing to feel the way that it fought back against your wrist. The men were sprinting with their own guns tight in their hands, but each of them fell before they could get close. 

Two’s mouth was in a flat line as he threw tiny blades from his hands to the chests of men running across the balconies and hiding from behind tables. He appeared to have an infinite amount in his coat and saved the longer and more lethal ones for close connections, subsequently dipping his own fingers in red. 

The young college student trudged on in the center of the group with his head tucked firmly between his two shoulders. Clear streams of tears fell down his eyes, but he wiped at them furiously between each shot that he took with his small handgun. Next to him, the two royals kept their own heads low aiming shots around them to backup you and your partners. 

Their footsteps came echoing behind you, and you walked backwards, taking aim with one eye squinted, while barking out commands from your mouth that you barely even understood. Your heartbeat bumped in your chest nearly in tune with the thudding 808′s of the music that reverberated in your ears. Each of the Spades moved as if they were shadows over the bodies of the fallen, leaping and jumping, nearly floating over dining tables and sweeping off the glassware and silverware with them as they did so. 

“BEE, I’M ALMOST OUT!” Jeongin screamed to you nearly before reaching the front revolving doors. 

Two tossed another magazine in the young agent’s direction, then threw another dagger with startling accuracy. 

For seconds at a time you could see how Minho’s eyes had narrowed with his aim, and he too met every target exactly where he wanted. You figured that the royal must have trained himself well to have that kind of precision. The way that he appeared perfectly calm was startling: his dark eyes squinted and he turned his body swiftly with little effort. 

“Fuck--I’M OUT OF ROUNDS!” The prince bellowed before ducking under Minho’s arm which immediately swung over him. 

You closed in closer to the group, using your body as a shield for the prince’s back. 

Your partner cast aside fallen chairs and tables in his wake, as one of the thugs charged at him. In response, he threw his gun into his waistband, opting to slung the man with a hurried uppercut that sent him spitting blood to the floor before falling, “We’re almost there! Keep pushing!!” 

“SHIT!!!” Seungmin groaned out before dropping his small gun to the ground, he trembled with his leg dragging behind him, then soon his pants soaked with a dark stain to his slacks. 

“BEE LOOK OUT!!” A voice screamed, seconds before you could register it.

Your head whipped back to the chaos of the club, seeing the “freckled bastard” himself point his decorated riffle at you point blank with a wicked grin on his face. He looked purely evil. There was something about the way that his ears poked, or how his eyes upturned that made him look devilish when his pearly white teeth peeked once he took his shot. He had ashy blonde hair that had strung with sweat over his forehead, and blood wetted the tip of his dress shoes. He cocked his head to the side, as he did too with his gun before the deafening shot cracked through the room. 

You were shocked trying to memorize his face, and frozen in your fear from the barrel of the gun facing you right between the eyes. 

An excruciatingly tight grasp at your arm pulled you to the side before you could react, throwing you to the hardwood floors before whoever it was pulled themselves in front of the bullet. Your vision was rocked when you hit the floor, missing the glass revolving door by centimeters. 

“Y/N!” Your partner screamed, waking you from your haze as the room started to piece back together. “You good?!” 

Another hand grabbed you to your feet before shoving you through the door, lightly slinging your arm around his shoulder before taking your gun from your trembling hand to take a few more shots. You realized it was Two this close, and tiny flecks of red splattered at his neck. 

“Fuck--give me that--” You grabbed the gun from his hand to fire every bullet that was left at the freckled bastard until you couldn’t any more, and the cool of the evening stung at your heaving lungs once your group reached the sidewalk. 

Outside of the venue, clubbers scrambled and ran the streets still shrieking in their fear and tripping over their heeled shoes. 

“Chan?? Chan--where-where’s the prince??” The words spilled from your lips in your pure adrenaline. 

Right behind you only a couple paces away, the prince stood pale with Seungmin holding between them a groaning and gasping Minho who barely held on to the two men. A bullet wound soaked his black suit jacket, and the red crept up to his white frilled collar.” The wound made a hole right in his shoulder with a visible circle. 

Jeongin sprinted to the back of the group looking disheveled himself with sleeves hastily pulled up to his elbows. “Shit--shit!!” 

“S-move aside. MOVE!” You commanded the whimpering young man who gave you Minho’s other arm. You wrapped around his wasit and dragged the heavy weight of the man who had just saved your life. 

The prince dryly smacked his lips then scanned the street for more of the Spades in his daze. 

“Y-you okay?” The words dried up your tongue. 

“Yeah...yeah, I’m fine, are you?” His energy had been drained of him, and his knuckles were also cracked, likely from having to throw punches that you haven’t even seen him take. 

Gunshots echoed further down the street followed by the screeching of wheels and more panicked yells. The chirps of cop cars pulled up to the scene and their husky demands rounded up the escapees in rapid-fire Arabic. 

Jeongin sprinted back with his white hair bouncing to a taxi nearest an intersection. He threw the door open apologizing profusely the best he could before pulling the driver out of the driver’s seat and to the cement. He cursed out loudly in response to which Jeongin tossed out some bills haphazardly to his chest. 

“Get in, GET IN!” He called to your group while tapping on the metal side of the vehicle. 

Both you and the pricne guided the injured royal in to the backseat between you. 

“Minho--Minho, hold on--” Your nervous hands held his pale face in your palms. 

The tear of your dress filled the small compartment, prompting the prince to snatch his hand into the other man’s firmly. 

“Minho--you fucking dumb asshole--you had to go and he the hero didn’t you?” Chan smiled hopefully. 

“Ar-are you alright?” He coughed, “Your Highness?” 

“Shut up.” Chan ruffled his hair with another adoring smile. “It’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.” 

Although it was silk, you used every inch of your dress tear to tie around the baron’s shoulder tightly in an attempt to add pressure to the open wound. 

“Bee--” Minho started with a lazy glare. 

“--Keep talking Minho, look at me. You’re gonna feel sleepy, stay awake. You did great, thank you so much for doing that to me. Thank you.” You grabbed his opposite hand firmly. “I can’t thank you enough.” 

Lee Minho laughed. “Don’t mention it. And--if you wanted me to keep talking...I wanted to tell you that you’re really stunning Bee. How you handled all th-that. I was really impressed.” 

“Hm, I was impressed too.” In his own way, like this, bloodied and a bit delirious, Lee Minho really was as handsome as he let on. 

The taxi car whipped around another corner with wind whipping in the windows and each of your masses jostled in the car as if bumped over the curb. The hotel wasn’t that far from The Tea Party, and you knew that any moment you would reach it, but each second stretched longer and longer. 

“Fox?! We’re not there?” 

“Fuck--Bee, the whole city is crawling with cops, everywhere I turn, they’re on the hunt, The Spades are everywhere I can’t make it back--no doubt they’re already there...” 

In the front seat, Seungmin clung to Two as if his life depended on it as his whole body shook and Two tore his own jacket sleeve to close off the young man’s wound on his leg. 

“Wha-what are we going to do?? S-shit!! Ouch!!!” The young student gritted his teeth in his pain while his leg shook terribly. He sobbed, “It hurts, really, really bad!!” 

“I planned for this.” Jeongin’s eyes flicked in the review mirror to you in the back. “I asked Carroll to set up for us a secondary place if something went down and we couldn’t make it to the hotel. I figured...if anything happened or if they found us--” 

“--Get us there, fucking drive Fox, Minho needs first aid, right fucking now, he’s bleeding too fucking much.” 

“I know, I know!!” 

“How far is it?!” 

“Not far, I promise, twenty minutes--tops.” 

“Make it ten!!!” 

Jeongin floored it, running lights and becoming a stream under the skyscrapers of Cairo. From the small skylight of the taxi, thin clouds streaked in the evening sky and mixed with the glow of the city. Far, far, above your head, you prayed for the first time in years that you could make it in time. 

Seungmin sobbed with puffy eyes from the front seat and writhed, “Hurry! Hurry!” He begged. 

Minho’s head lulled in the backseat as he bled though the white silk binding him. His head bounced back and forth from you to the prince with glossy marbles for eyes that blinked slowly. The prince rested his hand on the baron’s thigh and rubbed calming little circles into it. 

“Minho, you did so well. Look at me.” Chan coaxed, causing the other to smile adorably grim. 

Minho twitched before rolling his head over to the prince. “Your Highness, i-if I may be so bold...I-I’ve got...I’m crush on you.” He finished his sentence with a wrinkled smile. 

You scoffed out with a laugh while making knowing eye contact with the prince who laughed out lightly too. 

“He sounds like someone I know.” You winked at the royal. 

The taxi made one final turn to an alley filled with potholes that jostled each wheel of the car. 

“This is it! Right here!” The young agent whipped into a one car garage hidden into the alley. The darkness of the garage filled the car, and snuffed out all of the light from the street, and even muffled the faint sirens of police as they whizzed past. The night was still full of gunshots, but at least now they sounded far enough away to be safe. 

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

The safe house was a modest two floored apartment outfitted with the normal security system of The Agency: window locks and cameras in every corner of every room. As expected, each of the rooms was covered in a fine layer of dust, and the old smell hung with flecks of the material stuck on lampshades and wafting in the light. 

Work had been delegated between you and your partners, with the two other men helping treat Seungmin in the second bedroom out of three while you and the prince aided Minho.  

The windows were left open to let in some fresh air, also letting in the faint sounds of the city which still surged with life even late into the night. Still, the smell of the desert came floating into the room with a welcome sense of tranquility. 

The royal lay on the bed with cracked pale lips while you set to work dabbing at his wound gently with gauze, cleaning the area around the bullet wound. Fearful to cause more bleeding, the bullet would stay where it was for a few moments more for another layer of wrapping. The prince remained quiet, passing you materials as needed with hands stained pink from the other man’s blood. 

“How are you feeling?” Chan quietly asked. 

“Hurts like a bitch,” Minho smiled, “You ever been shot before?” 

The prince shook his head. 

“Well, I hope that you never are. Feels like your whole body gets stirred up from the impact and then there’s the sting.” 

Carefully you pulled back the remains of the baron’s shirt while lifting him slightly off the bed. As you swept the fabric from behind him, you noticed the thin red line tracing around his shoulder bade which you figured to be blood at first. 

“What...what’s this?” 

“Oh,” Minho shied, “It’s a tattoo.” 

“You’ve got a tattoo? For a royal?” Chan slicked back Minho’s sweaty locks. “You really are full of surprises.” 

Gently you laid the baron back down to lay with his new wrappings. “What is it?”

He paused, wetting his lips quickly before he spoke. “It’s a red rose. It’s a bit large--I know--not typical for royals. Don’t worry, you’re the only royal that knows that I have it.” 

“Why a red rose?”

 Below you, Minho looked relaxed and calm, beautiful even like this bare-chested under the single lamp-light of the bedroom. 

“Well...you know the significance of symbols and insignias. We’ve all got our own.” He grinned out while playing with the prince’s free hand. 

“I’ve got my white rose, Bee’s got her clock: seems like we’ve all got our own thing.” Chan agreed, watching the way that his fingers interlocked with the other man’s. 

In the opposite bedroom, Seungmin cried out sharply to the tune of Jeongin chuckling out, “I’ve got you, you fucker!” The clink of metal fell into the little bowl they used: the bullet was out of the poor boy. 

You sighed knowing that the damage caused to your group could’ve been much worse, yet you had made a skillful escape. Still, the thought of the bodies littering the floor...the silence that rang in your ears from the pace of it all and how the energy of survival started to wear off...it was truly gruesome. 

“Minho--really, I appreciate you taking a hit for me like that. No one has ever done something like that for me...and you barely know me...” 

The baron smiled, taking your hand in his too. “Like I said, it’s fine. Had I not, you wouldn’t have been able to help us out of there...even if you were dragging my ass for the tail end of it.” 

The breeze flew in with the dusty curtains; just cold enough to make you shiver in your thin dress. 

The prince looked to the both of you, “What happens now?” 

Chan himself was a proper mess: he no longer looked like the perfect vision of regality from the earlier evening. He looked like a man, a regular man, scared, unsure, and confused. His knuckles were cracked...and you had promised that you had never wanted to see him harmed again. 

The prince’s eyes softened, softer than they had been, soft like they had been the evening before when you had broken. 

“We survive. The best we can. We recuperate for a couple days, and ask Carroll what the next steps are. I’d guess it would be Greece then.” 

Minho leaned up with a little grunt to face you. “I’m coming with. I can help. I can be valuable if you need another set of hands on a gun.” 

“I think you mean hand. Your arm is gonna be out of commission for a little while.” 

He smirked, “Still...” 

The sweeping red outline of rose peeked to his shoulder, and you wondered how far it really spread. 

“Bee, I don’t think that I’ve thanked you.” Chan let the words fill earnestly, throwing that same damned smile at you. 

“Chan...you don’t have to thank me. You’re my prince.” 

The royal nodded with a contented little grin that tugged a dimple on the side of his face. You found both men looking at you as such, as if they were waiting, or anticipating the unsaid as you were. 

Somehow, the room turned silent once more: a void quiet enough to hear your heart beating in your ears. 

You bridged the gap, pulling Chan close to you as you pressed your lips against his, using your stained hand to pull his lapel into your body while he melted perfectly into you as he had done before. His mouth tasted slightly like the salt of blood, but that was of no matter to how sweet he was when he gently let himself unfold for you, gasping lightly against you. Chan’s hand reached to your arm to caress the goosebumped skin down, giving you another reason to shiver. You found your own hand tie into his light brown locks and pull deeply at the roots with depths of curiosity and want. Your tongue gently explored his lower lip before teasing right into his mouth which was even warmer than you had imagined it being. 

Your other hand found the torso of Minho: bare and quivering under the touch of your fingertips which traced each muscle there. He let out a drawn out sigh, then drew his own hand down the curve of your body to your hip, finally working it back up over your belly to your breasts thinly protected by the dress. He sat up higher and brought his lips to the fabric, kissing right into your belly with the warmth of his mouth. He paused, giving you moments to crave that same feeling on your lips and prompting you to bow down and indulge yourself in the taste of his mouth too. 

Chan’s hungry hands came tip-toeing over your back as he watched, and slipped one finger under your thin dress strap to pull it down and press kisses to your shoulder. With his other hand, he let it fall down Minho’s back: over the red rose, right to his thigh which he squeezed at firmly: right between the heat of his legs. 

Minho was different from Chan: rougher with his advances, but still addictive in how he would test the corners of your mouth with each kiss more courageous than the last. He ruffled up your torn dress, then let the silk fill up his hands before pulling it in ways to meet your skin with his. Slowly, Chan did the same, edging a hand up to your ass from the frayed bottom of the once-gorgeous dress. 

The bed was just big enough for two, but with this new interlocking of limbs as close as possible, you melded into one. Both you and Chan crept over the man between you, painting the blank canvas of his chest with seething hot lips and biting at the flesh of his skin lightly. Minho’s back arched from the beautiful sensation, causing him to giggle in his euphoria. 

In the middle, you found Chan once more, and held him close, as close as you had wanted for longer than you had admitted. 

“Oh Bee...” He moans into your mouth while releasing all of his glee onto your tongue. 

“Chan, I’m not scared anymore. I don’t even care.” 

The prince shuddered at the thought, and held you back just as tight finding the corners of your dress to pull over your head. 

“Oh my god,” Minho adores you, then reaches out to pull you to his chest. 

This mysterious man, melts for you too, whimpering perfectly between your lips.  Your legs find their way around his thigh to grind at lightly. There's an innocence to his eyes, much like that of the prince: its a kind of blind adoration that you know all too well. His dedication to Chan, and his gesture to you: the thick bandages around his arm: you find your apprehension slipping to nothing. 

Your fingers loop around the white lace of your panties as you kneel above both men, and you swipe your thumb over both of their glistening and trembling lips. 

“Well boys, how about I’ll make both of you mine tonight?” 

~🌹~

Bunch of (Ro)ses! 

@minaamhh @dazzlehoseok @synnocence @jjewibeans @hyunsluvv @unexceptional-h @bobawithchaitea @lechanters @sailorhyunjinz @silencefavarchive @lunarskzzz  @yourdaddychan @bubblelixie @spnobsessedmemes @cherrychngkyn @bowlofblueberries @lmhmins @eunaeiekim

[internalsealpanic]

Better Die Than Doubt

Summary:  You wince knowing he’s already noticed. You feel the tiniest bit more at ease as he approaches your booth but it didn’t stop your eyes from flickering and searching for something off in the environment. The creeping sense of being watched trails up your spine. You’re sure.

A/n: To no one’s shock, this entire fic was unplanned. I was possessed by the urge to make it (translation: I got the urge to write this and one of my enablers said do it).  This story should be treated more or less as a horror story. Nothing is being glorified here except how dorky Jason is. That being said,  PLEASE READ THE WARNINGS. This fic contains quite a few triggering things and I really don’t want you to be blindsided.  Also thanks to @knightfall05x for helping me write this whole thing. Thanks to @batarella (HOE) for action writing tips.

Warnings: graphic violence, stalking, emotional manipulation, unhealthy coping mechanisms, drugging, nongraphic description of rape, and rape aftermath 

masterlist

You press the heels of your palms into your eyes. You could practically feel the oncoming headache the way you could sense someone coming down the hall. This is what happens when you’re running on just 5 hours of restless sleep for the last few days. This headache was also not helped by the fact that this was your fifth coffee in the past 30 minutes. You probably should not be drinking this much caffeine this late but intelligent decisions weren’t exactly your strong suit this week. You rub the sides of your forehead feeling another wave of nausea. 

 You check the time again and groan.  It’s been one-and-a-half hours since your agreed upon time had lapsed and yet one Jason Peter Todd was nowhere to be seen. You curse, nerves edging, and mind fraying.  To be perfectly fair to him, he is a busy guy, vigilante, and all. You understood that fairly well- and this was sudden to say the least. You can’t really fault him for being a bit late but the long wait was ratcheting up your anxiety. Again, the coffee didn’t help but considering it was the only thing you could keep down since last night, you didn’t have much choice. 

 Last night. 

 Your stomach tumbled. You cup your hand over your mouth feeling your coffee traveling back up your esophagus. You let out a long exasperated breath, letting yourself sink into the booth. You look out the window, eyes flickering wildly searching for Jason. Your hands tighten around your mug. The feeling of being watched made you bristle. 

 Jason, well, Jason wasn’t hard to spot. The man was 6 feet 4 inches of pure muscle and leather. Having a handsome face and a ‘fuck you’ look in his eyes also helped.  In short, the man was hard to ignore. You wave weakly to him as he dismounts his bike, a gesture far too small for your usual bombastic self. Jason’s smarmy smile greets you as he returns the gesture with his gloved hand. The motion is slow and cautious, rickety in a way. You wince knowing he’s already noticed. You feel the tiniest bit more at ease as he approaches your booth but it didn’t stop your eyes from flickering and searching for something off in the environment. The creeping sense of being watched trails up your spine. You’re sure. 

 “Jesus, y/n, you look like Timbo” Jason chuckles sliding into the booth his green eyes shining with scrutiny. You look at him flatly not having enough energy to properly respond to his jab. He winces seeing your lack of reaction. “Rough night, huh?” He asks flagging down a waitress, who looked quite pleased to get away from her previous table.  

 You nod weakly, slowly as if the fact that it had been a rough couple of days had just sunk in. “Yeah,” you reply, your voice small and a little threadbare. You drum your fingers against your increasingly cold mug. The waitress sets a couple of warm mugs in front of you. Her soft smile makes you uneasy. You and Jason mutter a thanks as she tells you to wave her over if you need anything else. Her warm brown eyes boring into the stark purple bruise on your face. You shrink and smile sheepishly at her.

 “I’m fi-”

 “I am going to throw these sugar packets at you if you say you’re fine.”

 “Damn, ok, Mr.Kettle,” You laugh. His concern startles a genuine laugh out of you. You’re sincerely surprised how lively the sound that comes out of you is. “You know if you keep sounding like that, Jay, you’re gonna wreck the whole stone-cold badass thing you got going,”

 “Y/n..”

 You huff running your hand through your disheveled hair, trying in vain, to soothe your mind. What was the best way to put it? You swallowed, gathering your lapsing thoughts. “Sooo uh-” The collar of your shirt suddenly felt tight around your neck. “-I-” You breathe. “-I found around 4 or 5 of Blackmask’s boys and Deathstroke-No, I’m not shitting you- in my- my apartment for- well- the third time in the last two months, can I crash at your place? Just ‘til I find a new place. Oh and also how do I get rid of them?”

  He blinks as his brain takes its sweet fucking time digesting what you had just said.  He leans back groaning and running his hands over his face. He looks like he’d like to deck you if he wasn’t too busy being concerned for your welfare. You shrink again, feeling bad for springing it on him. The decision to leave out the gory details of your hectic week suddenly felt like the wisest choice but you had no doubt he’ll get it out of you at some point. 

 “I’ll skip the obvious ‘why did you wait three times before moving’ question because I feel like I’m probably going to get an aneurysm from your answer,”  Your reasoning wasn’t quite that stupid. You were mucking about Sionis’s operation. The fucker decided to branch out his little enterprise into your city and like hell, you were gonna leave well enough alone. After you had set fire to one of his warehouses, you thought that would explain the False Facers. But Deathstroke? Deathstroke was a mystery. You’ve also been mucking about his business but you two have always been civil if not friendly. Frenemies of sorts, you guessed. You’ve been encountering him a lot in the last few days. You had figured that Blackmask had hired him but considering he threw two men out of your apartment window last night, you’re not entirely sure.  You make an affronted noise that Jason elects to ignore. 

 “What did they do?”

 “Aside from necessitating a visit to IKEA?  Nothing.”

 “Did they take anything? Leave a message?”

 “Nope, nothing-” You furrow your brow trying to recall. You shake your head. “-They just made sure I knew they broke in.” You add, shrugging your shoulder. You wince at the movement. Your shoulder still aches from being hit with a bat. Jason’s shoulders shift, moving as if to reach out to you but stops himself. Instead, he continues with his line of questioning. “Sweetheart, there’s gotta be something missing.” 

 You frown, biting your cheek. Jason rests his chin on his hand, green eyes watching you and urging you to think back. It was either the weight of his gaze or the lack of sleep that was making it hard to recall. You close your eyes and catalog your belongings, analyzing the mental picture you have like a crime scene like how he taught you months ago, breaking it down into the smallest pieces of information and bringing it back into a bigger picture.  Still, nothing. Nothing of note was missing. You shake your head and shrug your uninjured shoulder. Jason glares at the immobile one. You shake your head silently telling him it wasn’t from last night which just made him clench his jaw. 

 “Evidence?”

 You shake your head.  He frowns baffled. 

 “Tech?”

 You shake your head again. 

 “Anything personal?” He asks jokingly. 

 “I-” A cold horror washes over you trailed by embarrassment. Your vibrator had been missing and so were a couple of your lingerie sets. You feel your stomach drop to the floor. “Oh god, Jay- I- Please, let me stay with you.” 

 “And have them steal my stuff?” He chuckles. 

 “Please, Jay, like you have anything worth stealing.” Jason frowns at you scrutinizing your face. You level him a glare but it was more in an effort to fight down a blush than anything venomous. Jason’s jaw unclenches and his face breaks into a shit-eating grin. “What color was it?”

 “Wha-”

 “Bzzzzzzzt ” 

 If you weren’t blushing before, you are now. Heat climbs up your spine. Your mouth felt dry. 

 “Well, what color was it, sweetheart?” Jason drawls, his voice dropping an octave. You shiver but bristle just as quickly. You bite your cheek and glare at him. “HA. HA. HA. Funny, Todd.”

 “Was it Red Hood Red?” Jason teases, winking and raising his cup of coffee to his lips. 

 “Nightwing blue” You deadpan. Jason coughed into his drink.  You preen with satisfaction. 

 “Does it make stupid puns while you go at it? ”

 “Yup,” You say, the ‘p’ popping. “That’s part of the appeal.” You joke smiling into your mug.  Jason snorts. “How is that supposed to be sexy?”

 You shrug, a sharper less tired smile cutting across your features. “Dunno man. Nightwing is pretty sexy if you ask me.” You wink.  

 Jason makes a fake gagging noise. Well, it seems fake with how theatrical the gesture is but with bats? You never could tell. You roll your eyes and giggle.  Jason’s shoulders loosen at your bubble of laughter, his face slipping into one of his sheepish smiles. “In all seriousness, y/n, you can stay at my place.”

 You smile at him, your usual fluorescent smile. 

Click

 Click

 Click

 A man from across the street watches you intently through the lens of a camera. 

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

 Slade throws the photos across Roman’s desk, each glossy piece of paper containing a candid photo of you looking increasingly frayed and anxious.  

 Roman marvels at how your usually larger than life figure shrank into your puffy coat, how small and malleable and inexperienced you looked. He notes the panicked look in your eyes in every one of the photos and savors it. He couldn't wait to see it for himself. 

 In one photo, you're looking over your shoulder as you enter your office building. 

 In one, you’re tracing circles on a child’s hand with your thumb,  beaming brightly as you told some wild tale to distract the child. 

 In another, you're slumped in your desk chair as you think over a case looking absolutely exasperated but determined. 

 In yet another one, you're locking lips with a man, his hand trailing up your shirt. Roman made sure to give the man some swimming lessons a few weeks prior.  

 In the photo in Roman’s hand, you're at the emergency room looking like you haven't slept in 2 days. Your face was bruised and your clothes were torn in several places where Slade had managed to land a blow. Your delicate skin marred with cuts and trickling blood. Absolutely gorgeous.   

 He examines it closely. The photo was taken just a few hours ago. You look like you're going to cry but your shoulders and jaw are squared more frustrated than scared. There's a fire in your eyes that threatens to level the city. A thrill rides up his spine at the prospect of extinguishing it. 

 “This is why you wanted to throw my men out the window?”

 Slade hums. He shrugs and the edge of his lips curl into a smile. “It was the only way to convince the kid that we’re both after her-” His eye drifts to your face. Appraising but impassive. “The kid’s scared out of her mind and exhausted at this point.”

 Slade had a point. Roman had to give him that. It wouldn’t be obvious to the casual observer but it would be plain as day to anyone like Roman who had been studying you for a while. You weren’t quite as meticulous with your appearance as Roman thought you should be (He would work on that later) but the dishevelment in your appearance was obvious. The slight dip in your shoulders in place of the prim posture that you usually employed was a blatant indication of your weariness. And the falter in your smile, the flickering in your eyes, and the number of times you let yourself bite your cheek showed the cracks in your fearless image. 

 Who knew weeks upon weeks of chaos could weather Minos City’s own budding hero? 

 In the photo next to Roman’s hand, your laughing face is stark and lively against the drab atmosphere of the diner, bubbling laughter carving life into your exhausted features making you look more like the shining paragon your city has come to rely on. The man sitting in front of you is laughing too. The sharp edges of his grin softened by the fondness in his eyes. It was hard not to recognize him even with such a foreign expression plastered onto his face.  Roman crushes the photo in his hand. 

 “BUT NOW SHE’S WITH THAT SCUMBAG RED HOOD”

 “And she’s now with the Red Hood. In his secluded safe house. Weakened and far from help. Most likely thinking that she’s safe under his protection and blissfully unaware of the tracker I put in her arm.”

 “I see… It seems like you are worth the pay.”

 Slade made no effort in hiding his smug grin.  

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

 “Jay, I really am sorry about this.” You mumble for what seemed like the fifth time in the past half hour. 

 “I sincerely hope you’re apologizing for the fact that you neglected to tell me you had bruised ribs before getting on my bike and not the fact that you’re staying with me because two crazy assholes decided your place needed remodeling.” Jason exasperates, pinching the bridge of his nose. You feel kind of annoyed by the gesture but he did have a point especially with your city’s less than smooth roads. You were also pretty banged up. As it turns out, facing off against a bunch of goons plus a master assassin is not good for your health. You swore viciously under your breath. Now, you weren’t expecting Deathstroke to go easy on you despite your rapport but the guy really didn’t have to throw you around like a rag doll. Even with your power to adjust the odds, it was a miracle that you escaped intact. 

 “Well, Mr.Pot, you ride your bike all the time even with broken ribs.” You bite back. Jason rolls his eyes unaffected by the distilled venom in your voice.

  “Well, one of us is a stone-cold badass- ”

 “And the other is a sasquatch with a stick up his ass.” You sneer snatching the beer bottle from Jason. Your tone was far too fond and playful to have any actual bite. Jason chuckles at you and ruffles your hair before snatching it back and handing you a bottle of water.

 You huff taking the bottle from him and following him to the couch. He sits down on the couch patting the seat beside him. You plopped on to the couch, placing your sock feet on his lap. He grabs your ankles and throws your feet back at you. You just as quickly throw them back on and this time you do it with an absolutely delighted smirk on your face. “Rude,” He mumbles but doesn’t attempt to extricate you again. 

 “So Deathstroke, huh?” Jason starts, side-eyeing you over his beer. You adjust yourself to sit up a little straighter.

 “You mean the asshat who broke my favorite lamp last night?”

 “Who the hell has a favorite lamp?”

 “Me! And get to your point.”

 “Have you two- yanno?” Jason jokes, his eyebrows wiggling and hands gesturing vaguely. Your eyes grow wide and heat creeps up your neck and face. You scowl at Jason throwing a pillow at his face for good measure. He catches it with ease much to your frustration giving you his trademark triumphant grin. You kick at him with no real force. 

 “NO! What kind of soap opera shit is that?” You giggle into your drink. You would be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about it before. The guy was skilled and pretty witty.  You also had eyes and the man was handsome but something always felt strange about taking it further. You were civil but you kept your distance. 

 You pout at Jason again causing him to chuckle. “What? I’m just saying it’ll air out some tension~” He suggests winking. 

 “Oh my actual god, I hate you. I sincerely, truly hate you.” You laugh, kicking at his thigh. Jason makes an obviously fake hurt noise which draws out even more giggles out of you. Some tension in Jason’s shoulders releasing upon hearing the bubbly sounds. 

 “You speaking from experience, Jay?”

 Jason shakes his head and coughs. “Catwoman-” Cough. “Talia Al Ghul-” Cough. “Sorry, sweetheart, seems like I have a really bad cough this week.”  

 And that is how you spend the rest of the night questioning Bruce’s love life. 

“Food is in the fridge,” Jason says pointing to the said fridge which was sorely lacking magnets, sounding like a somewhat tired single parent. 

 “Do I look like I can keep anything down?”

 Jason snatches the water bottle you had abandoned on the side table next to the recliner. “With that big mouth of yours? Sure.” Jason teases lightly booping you on the nose with your water bottle. “Get some rest.”

 “Yes, mother” You sighed, burying yourself into the thick comforter he’d given you, crumpled water bottle in hand. He ruffles your hair. 

 “You know you’re safe here, right? ” The question startles you. You shift uncomfortably, pulling the comforter tightly around your shoulders. You shrug at him, not entirely certain how to answer. You know Jason’s safe house is, well, safe but you also thought your apartment was too. Your stomach twisted. 

 Jason squeezed your shoulder probably sensing the spiral of your thoughts. He smiles down at you, probably. It was hard to tell with the helmet.  

 “If you want, I can-”

 “No, Jay, I’ll be fine here. You can go on patrol. I’ll be fine. Promise.”

 The thing with Jason was that even when he was so big and bulky and hella intimidating, his empathy towards others had a bad habit of always shining through despite the layers of armor and sarcasm. You squeeze his hand, pressing little circles into his palm, and smile up at him. It was forced but it was the best you could do. Jason ruffles your hair again before letting go and making his way to the window. 

 “Get some sleep.”

 “Aye aye cap’n” You yawn settling into a slump on the couch. Jason can’t help but smile fondly at you.  You wave him a sleepy goodby before he sets off. 

You passed out on the couch, an old habit you never grew out of. You always slept on the couch when you felt uneasy. It may have been some sort of way to separate stress from your bedroom. It sure as shit wasn’t for safety reasons. Your equipment was dispersed throughout your apartment but your weapons were usually stowed away in your room. 

 You feel a hand running gently through your hair, smoothing away all your apprehension. 

 “Jay” You grouse, your hand halfheartedly swatting at the hand stroking your hair. You bury yourself further into the warmth of the comforter feeling the need to shrink away from the touch. You feel a soft prick on your neck.  

 Your eyes fly open.  

 Shit.

 The hand tangles in your hair. It throws you to the wall. The air is knocked out of your lungs. Your ribs scream. You scrabble to your feet. Your limbs fail you. They flail uselessly. Your breaths pick up. Your chest feels like it's caving. 

 "JAY" You shriek. “HELP.” A large hand grasps your throat. A rush of adrenaline kicks in. You thrash. You kick. Your hit lands. Another grasps your ankles. You scream. You swear viciously. Another grabs at your wrists. Something rough winds around your wrists and ankles. 

 The world tilts into an odd angle. Your head feels heavy so do your arms and your legs and everything. 

 "Jaaay" You slur, the air in your lungs becoming sluggish like everything else. "Jay" you sob again, knowing he wouldn't come. Not when he was so far away. 

 "Shut up you …..  bitch" You feel a swift kick to your stomach. It barely registers above the haze. 

 "Hey man-"

 "What? The …. man said we …… rough her up."

 "We can?"

 "Yeah, ……, said so"

 Your eyes blink, stupid, and uncomprehending.  Distantly, you hear yourself grunting and whimpering. You can feel their blows but your body is too far away, too inaccessible. It was strange to physically feel yourself drift away. 

.

.

.

 Roman traces the sun shaped scar radiating on your shoulder with a leather-clad hand. The one shot he’d managed to land on you the first time you’d stormed one of his warehouses. You were all cocksure and quick wit and boisterous laughter. You really had the devil’s own luck but it seems to have run out. Not that Roman’s got any complaints. Not when he’s got you laying at his feet,  tied up and vulnerable. 

 He crouches down, hand on his chin.  His eyes roam appreciatively over your sleeping form, appraising you like a premium cut of meat. You look pretty against the black silk sheets he’d chosen.  He sighs content with his prize. He traces the tip of his knife over your cheek, a dark purple bruise maring your features stark against the stainless surface of the blade. Slade really was quite careless when handling you. Not that Roman has any plans on being any gentler.  

 He lets his blade drift down, trailing down your neck down to the flimsy protection of your oversized shirt.  Your steady breaths falter. You keep your eyes shut trying to gather more information but it’s hard not to focus off the tip of the blade cold against your warm skin even as the blade cuts through the thin fabric of your shirt. A large hand grasps your face roughly. 

 “I know you're awake, baby-” You blanch still not opening your eyes. The grip on your jaw tightens. You grin like a madman. “It's rude to keep daddy waiting.” 

 “Sorry, Sionis, I was really hoping not to have to wake up  you’re ugly mug.” You sneer, voice thick and raspy with sleep but still full with your trademark confidence. Roman looks more amused than irritated.  Your body and mind are still at the cusp of sleep. You wriggle and almost cry out with joy when you feel them move. You mind the hand on your jaw and its tight grip. 

 “Baby, I won’t tell you a-” You spit in his face, cracking an eye open to see his reaction. A bloody grin spreads across your face like wildfire when you see the annoyance on his face. 

 “You’re going to regret that” He growls, wiping his face with a torn piece of your shirt. 

 “Oh please-” Something cracks across your jaw. 

 “The next time it’ll be the other end,” It takes a moment for your mind to catch on. You stare at the hilt of the blade for a moment before letting loose another smarmy grin. His violent reaction spurs you on. Yeah, you can definitely see why Jason thinks you’re going to age him twenty years. “Oh please, You like my face too much for that.”

 “You really wanna test that?”

 “Nope,” You say, spitting into his eye and landing a punch square in his face. You cackle like a madwoman when he goes down. You don’t bother hiding the delighted chirps that escape your chest. 

 Being petty, you give him a swift kick to the face before dashing towards the door.  You launch yourself, feeling like you can fly. The copper taste in your tongue almost feels sweet. 

 Your hand grasps the door when a hand tangles itself in your hair. 

 Roman throws you back onto the mattress, the springs digging into your back. You scratch and claw and thrash against the large hand wrapped around your throat. You snarl as Roman leans closer, his body pinning yours against the mattress, his weight immobilizing your fatigued limbs. A sweet-smelling cloth covers your mouth and nose, you gasp in surprise, inhaling the scent. Your mind is already sluggish by the time it catches on. 

 Your vision dims. 

 You feel hollowed out. 

 Your limbs fall away, arms drooping and pliant against the silk-covered mattress. The cloth feels too much against your skin. Vaguely, you feel horror prickling up your spine or maybe it was just the springs again. 

 Roman pulls away. You think you breathe a sigh of relief, feeling the weight of him lifted. He straddles your body, grinning down at you. Your mouth falls open to say something. You want to say that you curse him out or that you threaten him. The sound you make is small. Your tongue feels too heavy.  No, something is pressing it down, you think. 

 Above you, Roman is a towering colossus. You’re vaguely aware of the shifting of his hips. He removes his gloved hand from your mouth and caresses the side of your face with mock gentleness. His movements are sluggish and syrupy.  You make another noise when you realize to some degree of horror that isn’t. Your mind felt heavy and useless. 

 He snaps his fingers. The sound is dull like it's contending with water. A muffled set of steps approaches you. A man, you realize. You don't think you’ve noticed him before. His dark shape is messy and incomprehensible. A red dot flashes stark against his form. The mechanical sounds of a shutter drift in and out of your mind. You turn your head back to Roman at the sound of shifting fabric.

 Above you, Roman, already without his suit jacket, loosens his tie, eyes staring hungrily at you. The pit of your stomach feels painfully cold. You blink at him stupidly. He chuckles, grasping your chin to make sure you’re looking at him. You protest against his touch.

 “Don’t worry, baby, you’ll be the star of our little show like the filthy attention whore you really are. ” He laughs. It rumbles like thunder in your ears. 

 The world falls away. 

Click

Click

Click

.

.

.

.

.

One 

 Two

 .

.

.

.

One

 You feel a prick on your neck. 

 Hot breaths fan against your face. 

 Your body is too warm. 

 You don’t want to know why. 

 Twenty-five, you continue counting. 

 You feel fabric shift against you. 

 Something sharp digs itself into your flesh.  

 One 

 Two

 Three

 .

.

.

 Three?

 Something’s crushing your windpipe.

 Your body is aching. You’re not entirely sure whether it’s from use or disuse and by who. 

 “Good girl”

 Thirty

 .

.

.

 Twelve

 There’s something scraping against your flesh. 

 Is it a knife?

 Hot pants fan against your skin. 

 Teeth 

 Four

.

.

.

.

Fifty-six

 “Boss, I-.... going a …. bit too far?”

 Smack!

 “Do …. You…. to think?” 

 Two sixty-eight

 A hand strikes you. You think your jaw is broken. It hurts but then again everything hurts. All you can do is take it and whimper. 

 Tears sting against your face.  

  “That’s right. Just like that. Like that, you little whore.” 

 Your body is warm again. 

 You still don’t want to know. 

.

.

.

.

Two

 Two

 Two?

 You’ve counted two before. 

 You blink. 

 The haze of your mind lifts. 

 The coldness of the room seeps in your bones. You’re bare. You take stock of yourself, running your hands over your skin. Everything is still there. 

 Everything and a few other things. You let disgust and shame roll over you. A sob tears its way out of your chest. Your breath picks up. You feel your mind slipping. You press the heels of your palms into your eyes, calling your mind back and steadying yourself. 

 You take stock again. This time moving your limbs and jangling your joints.  They were weak but workable. You’re surprised to find yourself unbound aside from the collar around your neck. You suppose Roman’s confident in his drugs. How long have you been here? You press lightly against your neck, feeling the higher than normal pulsing of your artery. You shift yourself waking your legs up. 

 You stiffen, gooseflesh spreading over your skin as light filters into the room through the door. Your eyes snap shut, stinging from the sudden intrusion of light. The pulse beneath your fingers jackrabbits. You think you’ll keel over. 

 “Shhhhhh”

 All the strength in your veins floods out, leaving a feeling of cold horror in its place. You scream or you try.  Your body feels impossibly rigid. Roman stalks towards you, his footfalls slow and deliberate and too loud. Your heart jumps up to your throat with each step. You inch yourself away from him, drawing yourself up to make yourself feel bigger. He coos at how adorable you are, trying to look defiant. The mattress dips under his weight. Your mind begins to slip away from you again. The world falls away from you. You anchor it, digging your nails into your palms. He cups your face, thumb caressing your bottom lip. You glower at him and bite out something witty. He laughs amusement lighting up his features, the sound grates against your ears. 

 “Not gonna fight back?” He taunts, pressing his thumb down on your bottom lip. Your body recoils but then goes slack as he runs his hand up and down your side. Shame blankets you but the fear etched into you keeps you still. 

 Roman loosens his tie. 

 Your mind falls out of your reach. 

 “Such a good little slut.” He murmurs against your lips.

 NO

 You wanted to say. 

 Instead, your mind starts counting again even as you hear the rustle of fabric. 

 .

.

.

. 

 BANG

 A gunshot rings through the thick atmosphere of the room. 

 Roman curses. 

 His men stampede. 

 Another round of shots fire. 

 Something- No, no.  Someone tears Roman off of you. 

 “Deathstroke?” You croak, your voice sounding foreign and absurdly brittle. 

 “Do you know anyone else walking around looking like this, kid?”

 “Ravager” You snark, lips twitching into a smile. He rolls his eyes underneath his mask. The familiarity of the exchange breathes life into your body. Roman’s hand grips your wrist with bruising intensity. Your breath catches. 

 No. No. No.

 The word loops in your head like a constant rat-tat. 

 Slade’s foot makes contact with Roman’s head, the force of it unnecessary but satisfactory. The sounds of bone-cracking fill the air. The man falls uselessly to the grimey floor. He shoots him with a couple of rounds for good measure, each shot instilling a pang of finality in the back of your mind. 

 You scrabble towards Slade, wide-eyed and shallow breathed.  You cling to Slade as he bundles your body in silken sheets.  He hoists you easily into his arms. You bury your face into the junction between his neck and shoulder, closing your eyes, the image of Roman’s bloody body on the floor pressed into your mind. You sob in relief. Your hands clasping onto Slade, white-knuckled and shaking.

  "I've got you, sweetheart," He rumbles, running his hand through your hair soothingly. The tight knots in your body, loosen. You whimper a quiet thank you. “I’ve got you.”

 You lift your head only to see Roman twitch. 

 Your breathing falters. 

 Fear pricks your spine. 

 Your mind falls away from you again. 

 Distantly, you feel Slade’s grip on you tightens. 

 Distantly, you hear him murmur something. 

 Everything is too far away. 

 Your eyes blink sluggishly. The world becomes dimmer with each blink. 

 .

.

.

.

 A warm spray of water drizzles down over your aching skin. Your open wounds sting but the warm water pooling around you soothes the aches of your bruised flesh. Your eyes focus on the soft off-white of the tile on the wall opposite you. You don’t let yourself about the thin, rusty red film swirling in the water. The air in the room is thick with steam and the scent of lavender. 

 The absence of grime on your skin makes you feel lighter and gauzy and immaterial. You felt naked and obscene like you had been taken apart and now someone was examining pieces of you. You almost miss it. 

 “Lean back” Slade grumbles as he lathers your hair with some lavender concoction the hotel provided. Your body follows automatically, eagerly, obediently. You tell yourself you’re just tired. You tell yourself nothing’s wrong with your response. You tell yourself you’re ok. You wince. The warm water around you shifts. You hear it splash against the tile. You flinch at how loud it sounds. You take a deep breath and lean into his touch. He’s handling you delicately as though you would fall apart any second. You might. 

 Blinking away tears, you watch his face, aware that by leaning back, you’d be giving him a good view of the hickies, bite marks, and knife wounds Roman ‘gifted’ you. There’s a slight twitch in the corners of his lips. He must be disgusted with you too. You want to sink into the hot water and let it burn you anew, but you don’t trust yourself not to drown.   

 You close your eyes as another spray of warm water pours over you. You melt into it hoping it’s enough to wash the last few days- weeks?- away. 

.

.

. 

 Your hands grasp his face, pulling him towards you. His hands brace against the tub, keeping him from falling in with you. Your arms loop around his neck, your hot breath fanning against his lips. You press your lips against him, searching and wanting. For what exactly? Comfort? Safety? Stimulation? His lips press lightly against yours, not quite a kiss. Slade actually looks taken aback. 

 The rest of the world floods back in. You peel away, your eyes wide with terror. “Shit- I’m- Fuck! Fuck! Shit, Slade, I- I’m sorry. I- Shit! I didn’t-” Your breathing ratchets up, becoming shallower as the pulsating in your ears grow louder. There’s a tightness growing in your chest that makes you think your ribcage is about to implode. You cover your face with your hands not caring how it didn’t help your shallowing breaths. You can’t look at him. You just can’t. You know you’re disgusting. 

 Your body wants to come apart, dissolve, and if it can, evaporate. You can’t breathe. You curl into yourself, into the water. A hand grabs at your wrist. You flinch. The hand carefully pries your hand away, forcing you to uncurl. Slade’s other hand cups your face gently, guiding you to look him in the eye. The lack of disgust in his face rattles you.

 His thumb brushes against your lips making your stomach twist and your spine curl. He dips his head closer to yours. You kiss him eagerly. He lets out a pleased hum and smiles against your lips. Something cold licks at the bottom of your stomach but it’s overtaken by the need for connection, to fill in what had been hollowed out.   

You press closer to him than strictly necessary as you watch the news, chewing on your cheek.  He pulls you close, shifting you on to his lap. You don’t protest, eyes glued to the TV. 

 “Businessman, Roman Sionis, was found with several gunshot wounds to the stomach in one of his warehouses here in Minos City. He is now in stable condition. Authorities say...”

 Your jaw falls slack in mute horror. Your stomach tumbles to the floor.  You’re hyperventilating. Your teeth are digging into your cheek, you taste copper. Your mind spirals back into the room, back to the dirty mattress, back to Roman. 

 Strong arms wrap around you, stilling your trembling body against a broad chest. Your body relaxes a fraction. You curl into him, the buzz of nervous energy settling into a quieter panic. 

 “You’re safe with me, you know that don’t you, sweetheart?” Slade says tracing circles into your palm. You lean your head into his shoulder. You nod easing against him. “I’ll never let that monster anywhere near you.” He promises, pressing a kiss into your hair. A little sob wrenches free of your imploding chest. 

 Slade keeps his face buried in your hair even as you fall into a lull. It was the only way to hide the triumphant grin spreading across his face. 

 “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll take good care of you.”

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

A/n: Thanks for reading. There’s a follow up to this because I can’t cope with bad endings. I had to promise myself a good second part to make the ending horrifying. 

The writing process for this fic was basically:

Me: I have this horrifying idea!

My brain: Yes but what if we put a little dork Jason in it. 

Me: I guess that wouldn’t hurt. 

Me: Ok I have written nearly 2k of dorky Jason where’s the other parts?

Brain: Uh what other parts?

Me: *sighs and spends the next few days spamming @knightfall05x*

taglist: 

@batarella, @anothertimdrakestan, @lucy-roo, @multifandomgirl-us, @idkmanicantenglish,@birdy-bat-writes,  @americasmarauders , @l-horizon11, @arestorationofbalance , @cloudie-skay, @wunderstell

[shesawriter39049]

|UNWRAP ME|M|

CHEEKY SNEAK PEEK #2

Pairing : Jimin X Reader (Ft a lil Tae)

“There’s a bow on my panties because my ass is a present!”

About- Honestly, you were just trying to prep gift bags for your company’s holiday party! But Jimins stressed, and needs a little brain reset sooo….I guess we’re prepping gift bags later!

Or- The company has quite a few deadlines to hit before you guys close for the holiday! Jimin’s in charge of talent and everybody’s fucking up…but in your line of work it’s a domino affect! So if his crew falls behind ultimately everybody’s behind! Hints Jimin’s stress and frustration....

WC: Sneak peek (1k)

WARNINGS: (FULL THING): Teasing, light edging, dirty talk, top/bottom OC, top/power bottom Jimin, hand restraints, unprotected sex, over stimulation, fingering (F receiving), biting/marking kink, VERY light degration kink (he playfully calls her a “little bitch/slut” once) light come play, light spanking

FINAL NOTE: This is a stand alone smut drabble within my OT7 poly universe called “7 DEEP”. Short AU SUMMARY: Your husband Namjoon and yourself run a successful Adult Film Entertainment Company called “Onyx” with your 5 best friends from college who you also happen to be in an open relationship with! P.S. If you’re new here Kookie joins the party a little later….

*Pierced Jimin/Red haired “Dope” Era Jimin meets 2020 Jimin!?

*Also it should go without being said but Jimin, IS Westernized, he’s from LA in this ffs!

*I’m a perfectionist and re-worked the entire smut scene which is why the post is late, I felt bad and decided to drop this cheeky little sneak peek!

______________________________________________________

“You can do this shit in your sleep, this was just a curveball you weren’t expecting so it knocked you off your square a little. There’s nothing wrong with that, it doesn’t make you any less capable of doing your job!” The words hushed off your lips as you started to leave little butterfly kisses up the side of his neck. Lacing your lips and teeth around the lobe just enough to tease. A sharp breath catches in his chest, as he reclines his neck to give you more room to work while his palm flexed against your ass. Welcoming the much needed distraction “We got this, you just need to step back, breathe...regroup and refocus.”

You watch his mouth open in protest and now it’s your turn to shut him up “So, we’re down two models shit sucks, but dwelling on it won’t suddenly make their test results change! So now what’s our next move? Business strategy 101 baby let’s go!“ There’s a blatant challenge within your delivery!

“But I -“

“Jimin. Park!” The grip you hold on the hair at the nape of his neck tightens until you hear him hiss! Eyes fighting to stay open, mouth parting reflectivity. ”Breath, regroup...and refocus...”

He sighs around a moan, and if you didn’t know any better you’d think he’s annoyed. Realizing it’s a lost cause because he knows damn well this isn’t a game he can win. “Yes, ma’am” There’s a whole lotta crass  laced within that but you’ll take it I guess!

“Thank you!” Responding with the same bitchy little attitude you received! It is the time of year for giving after all! Batting your lashes up in his direction, far too innocent for your attitude! Pressing a couple quick but firm kiss to those pouty lips of his!

“Right, well, in the office, we get various incentives as motivation right? Whether that be gift cards, free dinners, bonuses..” Jimin murmurs right into your mouth, though the topic seems casual his voice is lower, taunting and huskier than usual. “So what’s mine tonight Mrs. Kim Hmm? Breath fanning against your lips, almost able to taste the remnants of liquor and cinnamon on your tongue. “What do I get as an incentive to regroup and refocus?”

Ohhh so now he’s the one challenging you...and your always down to play ....

Reaching over to take a languid sip of your cocktail, finger's trickling down his thighs as you appraise him from over the brim of your glass.

“Well Mr. Park, I'm sure you're very much aware just by looking around the room that one of my main love languages is gifts! Whether that be giving or receiving…..’ Voice dropping down to a purr, and there’s a little smirk playing on your lips that’s speaking volumes, as you shift off his lap....standing between his thighs, placing your drink aside.

“Not to mention it is that time of year after all is it not?” Slowly, tugging the shirt over your head, spine sitting in an exaggerated arch as you do so! Showcasing a matching red bra that’s completely mesh! The faint shadows from your nipples poking through the fabric and Jimin’s breath hitches within his throat! “Time for giving, putting others first, being selfless...the full nine…”

“Yeah” He’s winded already....Tongue darting out to wet his lips, though his throats suddenly what’s feeling painfully dry!

Delicately roaming your hands up your frame. Starting at your waist, slowly venturing up to caress the swell of your breast, dipping over your shoulders. Trickling up the side of your neck, and ending with your fingers tangled within your hair.

“Fucking hell….baby…” He whispers low and thick, almost as if he really wasn’t speaking for you to hear, as if he was just simply enamored!

You hum approvingly, lips curling into a smirk, teasingly trickling your hands down your sides before turning around whipping your hair over your shoulder in the process, swaying towards the obnoxious 10ft tall Christmas tree placed right in front of your wall of windows and Jimin’s mouth runs dry!

“I don’t know if you’ve even noticed all the presents Santa's already left for us this year….I guess we must’ve been exceptionally nice or something!”Pointing to the various wrapped boxes cascaded along the ground and your delivery is far too innocent for the pure chaos your erupting within this room right now!

Jimin’s gaze instantly darkens and it’s straight primal, he wants to unravel you in every sense of the word! Shamelessly he allows himself continue drinking you in from head to toe and god fucking dammit Y/n! Your ass literally looks like it belongs under the tree, the way the lace and ruffles frame the swell of your cheeks, the cute little rhinestone sitting between the exaggerated bow resting right in the center! Let's also not forget the main selling factor again...there crochless..which also means assless.. So in conclusion there's all of like 3 tiny pieces of fabric covering or I guess I should say not covering your ass and It’s just….

Inhaling sharply, biting down on the swell of his lip, soothing a palm up his length which is already straight throbbing beneath his fingers! Idly stroking himself in an attempt to relieve a little tension, which is duly noted because you're already over here doing the most!

Not missing the way you wiggle your ass a little whilst while apparently finding the need to adjust a couple of ornaments. Because of course, that was necessary... “Did your parents ever let you open a gift of two early Jimin?” Peering over your shoulder in feigned curiosity, brow titled in his direction.

“No, which fuckin sucked because I’m really impatient” Jimin already sounds breathless and throaty with pure need, you keep fucking around and he’s going to tackle your ass.

Literally.

A low hum flutters through your chest as you gracefully slide to the floor, right next to said obnoxious tree. Landing on your knees, feet tucked beneath your ass which again looks like a whole ass present at the moment.

Bow and all you're literally sitting right where you belong!

“Come here…” Head lolling to the side, signaling him closer with the flick of a finger “Since you had such a shitty day I’ll let you pick one gift to open early, if I were you’d I’d pick that pick box to the left...I think that’s from yoon.”

Patience is a virtue...one that Jimin does not have.....

[taetaespeaches]

“I’m the lay of your life, huh?”

taehyung x reader (or oc) genre: smut; fluff word count: 3.3K

a/n: Here is the smut scene that takes place right where “I’m pretty sure we just smashed your cowboy hat” leaves off. Sooo it’s Tae and Peaches’ first time. Anyways yeah, it’s literally just sex the entire time so if you don’t like smut, don’t read this... it’s 3.3K words of just sex lmao. For those of you who do like smut, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy :)) 

“Everyone loves a little platonic friendship,” Taehyung smirked as you gasped against his mouth making him let out a breathy chuckle. He met you in a messy kiss, your hand on his bicep squeezing the muscle as your other hand desperately reached down to grab his wrist.

He pulled his lips from yours, resting his forehead against your own as he paused the movement of his hand, looking into your eyes. “You’re sure this is ok?”

Smiling, you craned your neck upward to kiss his lips softly, nodding. Before giving him the verbal answer you knew he wanted, you lifted your hips up against his hand, Taehyung letting out an amused scoff as he kissed you harder.

Stubbornly, however, he refused to move his fingers again. His lips hovering over your own, he nudged your nose with his cutely. “Use your words, Peaches,” he told you in his husky voice.

You groaned in annoyance, squeezing his wrist in your hand trying to get him to do something with it. “Fuck,” you huffed, Taehyung smiling widely. “Yes, Tae, I’m sure.” Kissing you softly, his fingers started circling your clit again, you opening your mouth in pleasure as Tae began kissing your face sweetly.

Grinding your hips against Taehyung’s fingers, he groaned lowly, trailing his lips down your neck, to your collarbone, sucking on your skin. His mouth continued traveling down the center of your chest until he met the lace of your bra. Taking the material between his teeth, he tugged on it, his eyes looking up to lock on your own. He pouted at you, making you giggle as you let go of his wrist before shoving against his chest to direct him to sit up. You followed him, reaching behind your back to unlatch your bra, letting the straps fall off your shoulders, keeping your eyes on Tae’s as he stared at your chest with a hooded gaze. Pulling the bra from your body, you tossed it somewhere in the room, letting out a light moan at just the simple gesture of Tae chewing on his lower lip.

You grabbed his wrist again, bringing his hand to your chest to which he instantly gently squeezed the flesh, your other hand grabbing the back of his neck as you guided him to kiss you. He easily took control, using his weight to push you back to the mattress as he brought his mouth to your chest, wasting no time in attaching his mouth to one of your nipples.

He moved his hand back down to your center, overtop your underwear this time, as he focused most of his attention to your breasts. Your fingers threaded into the hair at the nape of his neck, panting as Tae suddenly scooted down your body, kissing your stomach just above your panties. Reaching underneath the clothing, he slid them down your legs, you bending your knees to assist him.

Taehyung smirked at you from where he sat between your legs, dangling your underwear from a finger, you rolling your eyes in response. You wrapped your legs around his hips, pulling him forward making him stumble atop you, catching himself with his face hovering over your waist. Giggling, he kissed your abdomen a few times before positioning his body lower, laying flat on his stomach with his face overtop your middle.

He took his time as he allowed his eyes to roam freely over your body. Feeling exposed and vulnerable, you tried to shut your legs, but he placed his hands on the insides of your thighs keeping them open as he continued staring.

“Tae,” you whined, your body feeling hot and needy. He smiled amusedly before turning toward your thigh, leaving a lingering kiss to the flesh. You whined again, Taehyung chuckling as he looked back up at you.

“What do you want, Peaches?” He asked, an evil glint in his eyes as you glared at him. “Don’t wanna tell me?” He raised his eyebrows. You stubbornly continued to glare at him without a word, Taehyung staring right back. “That’s fine, I can just hang out down here until you decide to speak up,” he told you as he settled the side of his head against your thigh, using it as a pillow. “The view is nice here.”

Letting out a frustrated sigh mixed with a laugh, you tried to shove him off your leg by jolting it upward, though he just giggled, nuzzling against it even more. “Fuck, Taehyung, just eat me out,” you told him bluntly, Taehyung lifting his head to look at you enthusiastically.

“Of course, Peaches,” he smiled, lowering his mouth to hover over where you need him most. “Whatever you want,” he whispered, his lips barely touching you as he spoke the words, your breath hitching at the sensation. His tongue was suddenly pressing against you, you raising your hips making Tae use one of his arms to hold them down as he continued working you with his tongue.

“Oh my god,” you breathed out, rolling your head to the side, your arms folded over your face. When you continued to fight against his hold, trying to lift your hips, he reached for your ankles, pushing your knees toward your chest, hindering your movements as well as allowing him more access to you.

Every reservation you had about being so exposed to him was throttled when he let out a growling moan against you, sucking and licking with no inhibition. In that moment, you thought this man must have been put on this planet to eat pussy because oh my fucking god.

He released your ankles, placing one hand flat against your abdomen while his other hand snaked down to your core. He looked up at you to catch you staring down at him with your lustful gaze and he had the audacity to smirk just as his finger slid inside you. You took in a breath of air, chewing on your bottom lip as he kept his eyes on yours, leaving a sweet kiss to your clit. With a scoff, you threw your head back against the pillow.

As you started clenching around his finger, he inserted another digit, switching between plunging them in and out of you and folding them forward and back quickly, his tongue staying focused on your clit. There was something sexy about the way his hand just rested upon your stomach as you clenched and breathed in response to his mouth and fingers. You could tell he liked feeling the way your stomach contracted and expanded in response to him.

“Tae,” you whined, Taehyung’s hand on your stomach squeezing as he pushed on the muscles of your abdomen. You placed a hand on his head, lacing your fingers in his hair as your other found his hand on your stomach.

Tugging on his hand, Tae looked up at you. “Come here,” you told him with a blissful smile. The man raised his eyebrows as he smiled happily, crawling up your body. Straddling your waist he looked down at your body.

“You’re stunning,” he admired, his eyes finding yours as he flashed you his gorgeous boxy smile. He reached up to your face, gripping your chin between his fingers and you took his wrist in your hands before folding his fingers down except for the ones that were just inside you. Guiding the fingers into your mouth, you watched Taehyung’s eyes become even heavier with lust as you sucked and swirled your tongue around the digits. “Fuck,” he breathed out, pulling his fingers from your mouth as he unabashedly reached inside his own underwear, pulling himself out and stroking slowly.

You wet your lips at the sight, his golden skin on display for your eyes as you reached down and gripped the back of his thighs. “Get up here,” you told him, guiding him to crawl up your body. His eyes widened in surprise but he eagerly scooted up the bed until his thighs were on either sides of your shoulders. One of your hands left his leg to grip his length, your thumb circling the underside of the head, Tae letting out a sharp breath.

You grinned amusedly as Tae beamed down at you in disbelief. Looking up, you met his hooded gaze and you dropped your jaw, inviting him into your mouth. He let out a breathy chuckle as he moved his hips forward allowing the head of his cock touch the top of your tongue, to which you instantly swirled it.

“Shit,” he stuttered out before pressing his hips gently forward, his length pushing further inside your mouth. He let out a deep groan, louder than you had expected in that moment but the sound had your entire body tingling. The rawness of the groan egged you on, encouraging you to take him further into your mouth. Your movements were limited in the position with him on top of you, but you bobbed your head as much as you could, sucking and moving your tongue around him.

One of his hands found the top of your head, his fingers threading through your hair. He moved his fingers against your scalp in soothing motions as he stared at your lips wrapped around him. Your hand on the back of his thigh squeezed the muscle as you took him particularly deep, Tae jolting forward and catching himself against the headboard.

“Fuck, Peaches, you gotta stop,” he warned with a chuckle.

Releasing him with a pop, you beamed up at him, amused and very turned on by how he stared down at you as if you were a goddess. “Aw, but I’m having fun,” you teased, slowly moving your hand up and down his length.

“This is six years of build up,” he smiled, “And you’re way too fucking good with your mouth.”

You giggled at his compliment, admiring the fondness in his features that was all because of you. “Do you have a condom?” You asked. Taehyung immediately leaned over to pull a box of unopened condoms from the bedside drawer.

“Ok, don’t get me wrong, I’m super relieved you have those, but-”

“Don’t be jealous,” he grinned. “I bought them like two weeks ago.”

“Two weeks- we were messing around by then,” you shot him a glare.

“Yeah, obviously,” he told you, raising his eyebrows with a smirk. Your expression turned to one of confusion when suddenly realization overtook your features, a small embarrassed smile spreading across your lips. “Yeah,” he chuckled. “They’re unopened because this is the first time I’ve had you naked in my bed, so, like, if you’d let me proceed.”

Holding back a smile, you nodded in approval, Taehyung’s tongue swiping over his bottom lip as he let out a low breathy chuckle.  He opened the box quickly, taking one out and carelessly tossing the box, the thud of the box hitting the ground followed by the little packages spilling over the floor echoing in your ears. “Jesus,” you laughed, Taehyung smiling proudly.

Scooting back down your body in less than graceful movements, you laughed as Tae giggled cutely. In that moment, you were reminded how special this man was. Never had you felt so comfortable with anyone in any situation, much less in bed. As he tore the package open and rolled the condom on, you realized how easy it was with him. How easy everything was with him. And suddenly you were filled with worry because, what if this doesn’t work?

When Tae looked back to your face, he easily spotted the stress in your features and his eyebrows pulled together in question. Taking your hand in his, he gently squeezed it. “What’s wrong?” He asked you kindly.

“I don’t ever want to live without you,” you confessed openly. There was no point in hiding your worry, he would know if you concealed it. He always knew.

He blinked a few times but you could see he understood what you were saying. Bringing your hand to his lips, he left a kiss to the back of it before he unstraddled your hips and sat on the bed next to you.

“Maybe it’s naïve to say we won’t ever have to live without each other, but I really can’t imagine a scenario where we don’t end up together, Peaches.” The words were spoken so sincerely you found yourself sitting up so your shoulder was rubbing against his own. “There’s not a day I wouldn’t at least fight for you,” he continued as he looked toward you, “fight to be in your life.”

You rested your chin on his shoulder before pressing a kiss to his warm skin, him giving you a soft smile in response. “I’ve fought for you before, I’m not just gonna let you go,” he told you. Looking into his eyes, you knew neither of you could predict the future, but you also knew neither of you was going to give the other up easily. For six years you’d loved all of each other.

Without a word, you gently brought your free hand to the side of his face and ran your thumb overtop his cheek a few times, trying to convey your feelings of surety to him. The way he raised his eyebrows gave him an innocence only Tae could possess. He watched as you sat up on your knees and swung your leg over his own. Before he could even ask if you were sure, you whispered, “I want this. I want you. I have for years, baby.”

His hands found your hips as yours slid into the hair at the nape of his neck, and you kissed him deeply, pouring six years of love and trust into the action. Tae slowly dropped his back to the mattress, you following him, your lips never disconnecting. As your hand left his neck to reach for is length, one of his slid down to hold onto your upper thigh. You pulled away from his lips just enough to look into his eyes.

“You’re my person,” he told you softly.

“And you’re mine,” you confessed as you guided him inside, a gasp leaving your lips just as he kissed you again.

Before you could move, you felt Taehyung’s hands grip your body with strength, his eyes staring into yours, searching. “You’re absolutely certain?” He asked, making sure there wasn’t even a single ounce of doubt.

“I am,” you told him before placing a lingering kiss to his lips. “And you?”

“Of course,” he nodded, kissing you sweetly again.

Smiling into the kiss, you began rolling your hips on top of him, a low groan sounding from Taehyung against your mouth.

“Fuck, baby,” you whimpered against his lips. Taehyung bucked his hips up into you, making you moan louder than you normally would.

Enjoying the affect his action had on you, he smirked as he bent his knees and positioned his feet flat against the mattress. Slamming his hips upwards, you paused your movements allowing him to take over and set the pace.

“God,” he breathed out, his face pulled together in concentration, “you’re so incredible. So beautiful.”

Letting out a whine, you smiled lethargically. “So are you,” you breathed sharply as he pounded up into you. “You’re so pretty,” you moaned.

“Pretty?” He smiled sincerely, you nodding quickly as he fucked you. He let out a breathy chuckle, whispering “pretty” once more before hastily flipping you over, his cock slipping out as he did so making you groan in frustration. He smirked above you as he stood on his knees, his eyes raking over your bare frame. “Unreal,” he sighed, dipping his length inside you before pulling it back out teasingly. He repeated the motion a few times before you whined in annoyance. “What, Peaches?”

“Tae,” you complained.

“What do you want, baby?” He asked with a smirk.

Scoffing with a smile, you shook you head. Tae simply raised his eyebrows expectantly and you chuckled lightly. “I want you,” you whined, topping it off with a pout.

The man cooed above you, lowering his body to yours so he could kiss your pout. “You have me,” he told you sweetly, you kissing him again.

“I want you to fuck me,” you whispered against his mouth, reveling in the way his lips curved upwards at the comment. He pushed back into you, your arms wrapping around his lower back.

“That’s all you had to say,” he teased as he thrusted in and out, slowly but hard and intentional. You smiled, letting out a small laugh just before he confessed, “I’m not gonna last much longer.”

“Me either,” you told him breathily. You knew he must have been closer than you when his hand slipped between your bodies, his fingers working your clit in hopes of bringing you to your high with him.

When his moans got louder, you reached down to his wrist, pulling his hand away and intertwining your fingers with his as you clenched around him, pushing your heels into the backs of his legs, pulling him closer to you.

He locked his eyes on yours and you smiled. He smiled back before squeezing his eyes shut, resting his forehead against your own. His thrusts got quicker and shallower as you placed sweet kisses to his cheek. His hand that wasn’t wrapped up with yours found your waist as he squeezed your dewy flesh. Kissing you hastily, he moaned loudly against your lips. He squeezed your hand and you squeezed back, your hand on his lower back clenching the muscles that were contracting and tensing.

“Come on, baby,” you moaned in his ear, “Fuck, cum for me, Tae,” you continued, the pleasure mounting for the both of you. He let go into the condom with a low drawn out groan against your neck, his hips stalled as he came down from the sensation. Your hand slid out of his so you could thread it through his dampened hair.

“Wow,” he chuckled against your lips before placing a few kisses to them and then trailing them down your chin to your neck where he exhaled against your dampened skin. He caught his breath, his cock still inside you as he chuckled in the crook of your neck. “I promise you’ll cum first next time,” he giggled against your neck, no embarrassment or shame present in his tone, which for some reason was extremely sexy.  

You expected him to stay still against your body for a bit longer, but he surprised you when he started trailing kisses down the valley of your chest. Your eyes followed him as he traveled down, pressing sweet kisses to your abdomen, and when he reached your center, he took no time in burying his face between your legs.

You gasped at the return of his tongue, letting out a breathy, “Tae.” He moaned against you and in another twenty seconds you were crashing into your orgasm full force, Tae smirking as he continued to work you through your high. When you jolted against him, overwhelmed by the sensation, he pulled away, looking up at you with a wide happy smile. “Holy shit,” you breathed out, Taehyung chuckling.  

Crawling back up your body, Tae crash on top of your form, his golden skin glistening in a light sheen of sweat. “You’re phenomenal.”

“You too,” you giggled, the man continuing to laugh with you.

You both stayed like that for a moment, fingers grazing over bare skin, leaving trails of goosebumps in their wake as you drank in the feeling of being joined together like this. However, Taehyung broke the comfortable silence when he popped his head up, resting his chin at the very top of your breast and shot you a goofy smile.

“Don’t think because you just gave me lay of my life that you don’t still owe me a cowboy hat,” he teased, you bursting into laughter at the stupid comment.

“I’m the lay of your life, huh?” You asked through your giggles.

“Definitely,” he beamed.

“Well,” you started as your laughter faded out, leaving behind a stupidly smitten smile. “Yeehaw, baby.”

[rambling-procrastinator]

Hey, so I’m no writer, but RWBY volume 8 was sooo bad, and volume 7 was so good, and I feel like there was a lot of potential that went out the for that I wanted to try my hand at rewriting it. Or rather, just tweaking a few characters so it isn’t so awful. Namely Ruby and Ironwood. I feel like if they only acted slightly different, this would have actually been an ok volume. Not great, but ok.

Let’s start with Ironwood. First change, don’t kill sleet. One complaint I have and have heard a few times is ironwood goes from nice guy to Saturday morning cartoon villain real quick, and shooting a background character really doesn’t help anyone. Instead, sleet and the other council person confront ironwood and accuse him of grossly misusing his political power. Ironwood arrests them and tells them they’re free to take him to court once atlas is safe. This shows that ironwood is actually breaking the law and why martial law is a bad thing. Like, martial law exists so the military can protect as many people as possible during emergencies like an invasion, so while it sounds scary, it’s not necessarily evil. Them accusing ironwood of corruption and him more or less agreeing paints it slightly darker but doesn’t push ironwood into maniacal laugh bad guy territory yet. It also doesn’t make winter and the ace ops look bad for blindly following a murderer. They’re supposed to be redeemed by the end, yeah?

The plot continues as normal until the cane blows up the whale. Rather than ask winter about Team ORJY and smiles at the thought of torture and blackmail, like a crazy person, he instead asks about the bomb and explosion. Learning that Salem is dead and they still have the bomb , he comes up with a plan. Remember how the amity tower plot didn’t matter and nothing came of it? Well instead, ironwood uses it for inspiration. Since they can’t get to the staff, they’ll explode the bomb under atlas to launch it to safety, just like the dust mines and amity tower. Winter or vine or someone points out that mantle is directly below atlas, so ironwood makes his announcement. Rather than give the ultimatum that penny needs to turn herself in or he’ll genocide everyone, he instead uses the announcement as a warning to mantle. It still comes down to “give me penny in an hour or I’ll blow it all up”, but he apologizes to the citizens and says that the fate of the entire human race is more important. Also, Grimm are the ones that take out the schnee rescue vehicles. This makes James look less like a genocidal crazy person and Harriet less like an idiot for going through with the genocide just because. Now she still thinks she’s saving atlas.

Next change comes soon after when marrow defects. Scene starts with winter asking ironwood if there’s any other way. Ironwood responds that Salem is regenerating as they speak and the military already lost, like, 80% of the soldiers or some other big number to hammer in how dire things are, and they need to act NOW with what little time they have. Marrow defects and the Scene plays out the same way, but instead of turning his back on the general, he draws his gun for emphasis. Winter still saves him from being blasted, but ironwood hesitates with his gun still pointed at the boy before letting them go. This highlights how on edge he is and makes winter look better for actually trying to talk James out of it, adding context to the line right before the ambush.

Everything goes the same, except when he kills Jacques it’s a bigger deal since this is the first time he’s killed unprovoked and it’s a character we know and who has a relationship with ironwood. Now he can be the big bad villain that shoots people since we’ve had a volume working up to it. Also, when he fights winter, instead of going “don’t blame me winter, I did all these good things and nobody likes me” and she goes “but you did the embargo, that thing I was cool with for four volumes and ultimately had very little negative consequences”, he goes “winter, Salem decimated our military in a matter of hours. Do you think vacuo can protect the staff? Protect our people?” To which she responds “I don’t know, but I refuse to harm those I was sworn to protect. L” Then he says something like “I swore to protect the world, even if that means killing you and ripping the staff from Ruby’s cold dead hands”. Fight happens the same, but now ironwood declared he will kill ruby and is full villain, but still thinks he’s in the right.

Last change for him would be instead of giving up after hearing checkmate, the scene instead cuts to black with a sound of a gunshot, just so we know that he didn’t give up and have it implied he was executed off screen, taking the ambiguity away from his death.

Ruby is a lot simpler to “fix”. First thing first, have her go with penny to amity tower. Have penny fly her there like Superman and Lois. The shippers will eat that up. Next while there, she and Maria fight of neo. This shows how dangerous neo is and highlights ruby beating her later in the bridge world. Also it makes more sense with the two of them fighting neo, since Maria already claimed back in volume 6 that qrow and team Rwby were better huntresses than she was back in her prime. How’s she do better than JNR? Maybe emerald can get involved this time instead of just standing there, but that’s not important. Things go the same way but ruby has to give the speech live instead of watching it on her iPhone drinking hot chocolate. Final change to that set piece is when penny falls, instead of burning up in the atmosphere(?) Ruby jumps after her. I feel this would fix a lot of plot holes like, how did penny end up at the manor despite falling miles and miles away from the city? Ruby helped guide her with her semblance. Why did Ruby go down so easily against the hound and was aura broken by a short fall? She was already banged up from saving penny. Yeah, we don’t get the Blake and ruby at the generator scene, but that scene sucked.

Final change would be in the bridge dimension. Simple fix, Weiss falls before ruby. This makes it so the team falls in reverse name order, YBWR, but also gives penny’s death more meaning, I feel, and also would soothe the FNDM’s hate for jaune. Either ruby is enraged by cinder stabbing her with her stretchy arm, so she rushes to attack and protect her best friend, or jaune keeps cinder busy so Ruby can be the one who ultimately offs her. Either way, it would be in character for Ruby.

With those small changes, I think it fixes my two biggest issues with the volume. Instead of ironwood being crazy and stupid, his decent into villainy is more gradual and paved with good intentions. And now when you ask “What did Ruby even do this volume?” Instead of the answer being “nothing really? She looked a cool grim” it’s “she saved penny from the fall and was a big part of her death”. Also the amity tower plot isn’t useless.

That’s my two cents anyway. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk

[kelsiersshadow]

i knew i shouldn’t have picked up a conjuring of light again cause now i’m done and the series is over and idk if i should start a new book or just ride this book hangover until i have to go to work tomorrow. so i’m gonna word vomit to no one about it to soothe my emotional wounds and also cause the crooked kingdom still has me feeling very irked on the subject of redemption and trauma. deeefinitely read the duology at the wrong age, cause now i have critical thoughts about healing and morally grey characters. obv spoilers for the whole shades of magic series below the cut.

anyway first off can i just say i am in love with the visuals in this series. it’s bloody!!! it’s so very gruesome and i think she handles the characters that get their free will taken from them in a very...i mean i felt like i was literally choking when i read any holland chapters. not just the ones with the danes but obv the ones with the danes. and rhy’s basically entire experience with pain...his devotion to the crown, even though originally he can be read as flippant and casual about his responsibility to rule but from the first book she does him great justice. he doesn’t have magic. so he learns languages and geography and he sneaks out and hangs with anyone and everyone and he forges admiration and love from his people.

im honestly totally enamored with rhy in general i feel like making the shiny happy charismatic puppy of a boy suffer so much was a direct attack on my emotions. and family! idc where you came from you’re my brother and that’s it. the sweetest parts of this series were any time kell and rhy thought about each other.

on a separate tangent i feel like it’s really hard to write the Badass Knife-Wielding Pirate Lady and give her actual faults. obv her commitment issues are on the top of that list but her recklessness is a very close second! sooo many times (esp when she entered the tournament) i felt kell’s level of exasperation. and not in a omg you’re so crazy uwu go off girlboss way but in a omfg lila stop you’re gonna LITERALLY die just hold on for a damn second way. her stubbornness, while i very much admired it, on occasion got annoying in a palpable way and idk i feel like she turned the badass trope on its head and went ok but did you ever consider they’re dumb adrenaline junkies?? it’s very very well done.

the way alucard unfolded was great. at first i was determined to dislike him cause he’s introduced when all i wanted was to find out that lila made her way back to london. and he takes her under his wing and that’s nice but i was waiting for the ulterior motive to drop. and then he’s fleshed out from rhy’s perspective. and you’re like ok wow so you’re cool but you’re a dick. got it. but you didn’t got it!!! he’s got wells of trauma too! his heart is broken! his actions were not his own when he left and he felt like he had to stay away! because no one wanted more than a passing fuck from him!! very well done development i had a great time.

i guess im gonna finish off by talking about kell and lila. like i knew they were ending up together but the way she played it out was glorious. you wait this whole time for them to just be in the same damn room again and then it’s just “hello” “hello” “dance with me”. asjdjfjdjssnjdjjsshhs the ballroom! she wears a dress and it’s not just performative she’s there cause she wants him to SEE the dress!! and boy does he!!! the second book honestly dragged a bit but not in a boring way just in a she has to build up the drama so it’ll go a little slower way.

and then BAM! end of the second book and it hits warp speed. “whatever i am, let it be enough”. to find him, to get to him, to save him. to stop rhy’s echoes as he dies. the entire ojka fight was one of the best lila scenes. then from the moment they’re back together it’s all nonverbal communication and i’ve got your back and the push and pull, the back and forth...god the whole third book. it’s like she knew she spent so much time keeping them apart and now that they’re together every second it’s tender and intense and they’re not questioning anymore. i reread things i had just read cause i wanted to be there and i wanted them to be there just a little while longer. it’s worth noting that i laughed my ass off during “stop fucking with the ship!” i am so grateful she let them laugh together. on the flip side, pairing kell’s stay with me with holland’s right after was evil and amazing.

i loved this series in so many ways. the whole thing was dark and depressing and so very beautiful. and i heard whispers about movies being made which is great 100% want the tumblr edits but im telling you right now if it’s not rated r for gore it’s gonna be terrible. you can skimp on the magic cgi they bleed to make things go boom and you need that

[chaoticneutralwriter]

Third Act: Patience

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

guardian demon!jimin x reader

genre: fluff, angst, supernatural, romance, comedy, slice of life

word count: 5.1k

Related works: see Masterlist under guardian demon!jimin

Continuation of the events following Jamais Vu + Interlude: Second Best

A/N: SOOO this is surprisingly quite shorter than I had planned because i was actually gonna put together two acts in this chapter but then i thought against it by the end because it would ruin my aesthetic of the story LOL PLUS more to read for these trying times. On that note, i hope you guys enjoy this nevertheless and that you’re all doing well, stay healthy and safe!

Tags! @cherryjiminiee @kokobaekkie @breathebangtan @itsadoozie @thatshylatinagirl @chiminieboi @azulamakesmeblank @sectumsemptae @awkwardwookie @aduky @poisonseashell @shortannoyingginger @caramelmac-chiato @sana-b @jiminstinct @beautifulparisiangirl​

The rest of the night was a blur in your memories. You vaguely remember exiting the arena in a daze, robotically moving with the flow of the crowd and ending up outside. The night air doesn’t shock you as much as it should from being in a stuffy place for so long, the reason being never really did leave your mind and it only makes you worry your bottom lip.

Eventually, Rosa finds you after blowing your phone up with all of her messages that weren’t able to get through from the weak signal; first crushing you into a hug and asking if you were okay, apologizing for having lost you when really, it was your fault and once you assured her that you were, proceeded to squeal with unbridled emotions while shaking you, still crushed against her.

It pulls a small smile out of you, wheezing a laugh before she finally puts you down. You’re happy to hear Rosa chat away so excitedly about the concert, the high of it all has yet to subside. You wish you could share the same enthusiasm as her, but you’re feeling more like you skipped straight into the post-concert depression stage, even though you literally just stepped out of the arena. Or at least, you tell Rosa that when she notices how strained your responses were.

It takes some time, but you make it back to your hotel. You remember trying to push yourself to keep up conversations with Rosa, guilty for raining on her parade a little and at times, you think it works as you two look over the footage she managed to get on her phone. However, unsurprisingly, it was short-lived; whenever you catch sight of Jimin despite knowing that it’s not your guardian, your mind automatically drifts to the fight you had in the back alley and your guilt takes on a completely different form — one much more stifling and overwhelming.

It continues to gnaw at you through the night and to the moment you step on the plane, ready to fly back home. It’s made you develop a habit of checking your phone every other minute, a small part of you hoping to see something, anything that might be from him.

By the time you’re back in your room late in the afternoon, you still hear nothing.

You discard your luggage and bags in a corner without much care before sagging onto your bed. Jaehee wasn’t home when you got in, but the note she’s stuck on your bedroom door told you that she was out doing a grocery run and would be back shortly to welcome you home properly with a home-cooked meal. You smile softly at the thought but it doesn’t stay for long as your attention drifts back to the phone clutched in your hand. You click to unlock it, finding no new messages or calls yet again, the sight further eating away at you.

A heavy sigh leaves you, eyes slipping shut and your head slumps down as you bring the phone up to your temple, hitting against it gently.

Why did you have to be so stubborn? Your mind recalls the memory with clarity; a movie scene being replayed before you and you cringe at how you acted, every word and action reminded you of a spoiled child. Looking back now, you knew he was only trying to look out for you, keep your best health in mind but you were too caught up in your emotions at the time, tunnel visioned so hard you didn’t see the bigger picture until you’ve already walked away.

Now you’re reaping what you sowed.

As if the weight on your shoulders became too much, you allow yourself to fall back onto your bed. Your arm automatically reaches out to the giant plush cat, dragging it until you have it flushed against you, the malleable toy bringing a little sense of comfort. You pull your phone up to your face again, unlocking it once more and unsurprisingly, not finding any new messages. You stare a little longer before almost unconsciously your finger taps onto the text thread and then they hover over the call icon — hesitating.

What would you say? Would he even want to hear from you?

The thought makes your chest ache, but what’s worse than that is never hearing from him again at all and this would be your last memories of each other. No, you don’t want that. So you take a fortifying breath, pushing away all of your self-doubting thoughts and finally —

The phone comes alive in your hand, the vibration and the ringtone combined making you jolt for a second with your hands fumbling the device. Once you get a grip, your eyes scan the screen and your eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets. Without a second thought, you slide to accept the call.

“Hello?” It comes out in a gasp, breathless from how fast you bolt up from your position, ramrod straight and the poor plush cat clutched against you like a lifeline.

“Y/N?”

“Y-Yeah, hey…” Your heart is racing like you’ve ran a marathon, so loud in your ears that you hope by some miracle he doesn’t pick it up through the line because lord knows you’re not doing a good job at hiding how nervous you are.

“…Hey…”

And the sound of his voice is not helping; husky and low, like rich velvet chocolate that has your heart stuttering and melting all at once. He’s so easily emptied your head of all the things you had wanted to say and he’s only said one word.

Wow, you’re really losing it huh?

“Y/N?”

“H-Huh?”

“I asked if you got home okay.”

Your cheeks heat, picking up on the breathy edge of his tone and already imagining the amused quirk of his full lips. “Yeah! I — Yeah, I just got in…. In my room, just… resting for now…”

“That’s good to hear….” You hear him trailing off, trying to keep the conversation light and casual as if there wasn’t a giant pink elephant between you. It does nothing but make you more aware of it, antsy in needing to come forward and own up to your mistake because he, of all people, deserves an apology for how poorly you acted. Swallowing, you take in a breath and just go for it before you can regret it.

“Jimin—“

“Y/N—“

You both pause, an awkward silence filling the space at not anticipating the other speaking the same time. Hurriedly, you try to cover up your social blunder, embarrassed.


“God, sorry you can—“


“Sorry, what were you—“

Again, you speak over each other, which ensues another awkward beat. It’s only broken when you can’t help but let out a short huff of a laugh, completely at a lost. Through the line however, you’re greeted with the pleasant sounds of his own chuckle joining your own and like a spell, you are at ease, the nerves dissipating slowly.

“Now I remember why I can’t do phone calls…” You groan, half-jokingly but also already burying your face halfway into the large toy you have that’s now acting as an emotional support. If only it could swallow you whole…

“It’s okay, I don’t mind — not like I’m doing any better.” He replies and you smile softly, the warmth of his voice so soothing to your ears. Any other time you probably would be satisfied in listening to him talk for hours through the phone, social awkwardness be damn but this is neither here nor there, so you shake yourself before you get too lost into the tempting idea, getting back on the matter at hand.

“How about you go first?”

“No, you go ahead.”

“Seriously, Jimin—“

“I insist, Y/N.” Jimin’s voice is still gentle yet firm, enough for you to sense that there’s no room for argument. “Please.”

So you sigh, giving in. “Okay….” You say that, but it takes you a moment to gather yourself, not knowing where to begin or how to put into words what you feel properly.

But he waits patiently, and the quiet assurance allows for you to take that first step, even if you might stumble.

“I’m sorry,” You blurt out before you catch yourself and think maybe you need a little bit more context. “The concert… When you saved me from passing out by taking me outside, I— I’m really grateful you did that. I think it would’ve been bad if you hadn’t so…. What I said afterwards, and how I acted afterwards, that was really shitty of me…. You were right; I was so careless —“

“Y/N....”

“No! I really wasn’t thinking! And it’s so unfair of me because you helped me and I just—!” You stop abruptly, your voice rising dangerously in pitch with frustration and take in a shaky breath, trying to reign in your emotions. There’s no way you’re going to turn this already mess of an apology into an even bigger mess by actually crying. He might not be able to see you but you still felt the need to walk away with some dignity; composed so that he won’t think you’re some pathetic wreck. After swallowing away the growing lump in your throat, you continue on quietly, “I was just….so mad at myself. Like, after everything I couldn’t even stay for the entire concert — like I completely wasted it all and I took it out on you. So if you’re mad at me, then I get it; just know that I’m really sorry, Jimin.”

You don’t know what to say after that, not sure if there’s anything else left that isn’t ‘I’m sorry’. So you wait with bated breath for him to say something. Forgiveness was a selfish want from you but you would understand if he chooses not to despite the thought of it alone leaves your chest aching. The mere minutes of silence drags on like an eternity for you until finally, you hear him sigh.

“Y/N, I’m not mad at you, I promise.” He says, sincerely. “And I should be the one apologizing; for…freaking out at you like that, it just made things worse. I know….I know how much they mean to you,” There’s a short pause, like there was suddenly something holding him back but he shakes it off just as quickly as it had came, “how much he means to you.”

The statement has you momentarily taken aback, not expecting it at all. For some reason, you didn’t like the way he said that, even when everything about it was true. Before you can think too much on it however, Jimin quickly switches the tone in conversation, redirecting your attention elsewhere. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out but you know your safety is my priority, right?”


“Y-Yeah, I know….” You reply, a little flustered from having your thoughts derailed but pouting at being reminded of your deplorable behaviour, feeling much like a reprimanded child. “I promise I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“That’s my girl.” You grunt in acknowledgement, heated face sinking back into the soft confines of the bean-shaped cat still in your arms. “Listen, I have to go soon, so take care of yourself for me alright? Get something to eat and, please unpack and do your laundry.”

His playful gibe draws out an affronted gasp from you, “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

You only get a peal of laughter in response, making you further pout indignantly.


“I’ll talk to you later okay? Stay safe, cherub.”

“M-Mm, yeah okay. I’ll talk to you later then.”

When you hang up, you’re in a bit of daze. On one hand, you feel relieved that you both managed to resolve the fight that was weighing so heavily on your chest, honestly just glad to hear from your guardian again too but on the other hand, you can’t help also feeling like you’d been bulldozed a little. You want to say you’re simply over analyzing things, but your mind is constantly wandering back to what he said about how much BTS meant to you — more specifically, how much he, BTS’ Jimin, meant to you.

It almost sounded as if….

As if he believed you thought less about him in comparison.

You swear your heart drops to your stomach, frozen in a stunned silence like you can’t process this information, the idea preposterous and so close to outright denying it until you realize that… you never gave any indication otherwise. It really has always been BTS and their Jimin with you but now…

Now there’s Jimin….Your Jimin.

BTS are still important to you but your guardian has become someone irreplaceable to you, and through all the fond memories you can recall, he's there.

He's always been there.

The revelation triggers everything all at once; sweaty palms, palpitating heart, butterflies in the stomach — the whole shebang along with a whole Pandora’s box of emotions: elation, relief, disbelief, giddiness, uncertainty….

And crippling anxiety.

Oh boy, you think as a nervous laugh escapes you, I’m in danger.

-

Fuck.

He curses to himself for the umpteenth time as a particularly harsh wave of pain rolls over him, eyes squeezing shut to try and block it out but he thinks all he’s done successfully is make himself dizzy. It lasts for a second longer before finally it ebbs away and a long exhale escapes past his lips, relieved. The demon remains where he is slouched against the concrete ledge lining the rooftop he’s on a while longer, simply catching his breath and letting the gentle breeze cool his skin. Only once he feels the throbbing against his head die down does he let his eyes slip open again.

He’s greeted with the brilliant sight of the sunset sky, so vibrant it almost seems like he’s looking at a painting. The rich shades of orange bleed like wildfire, lighting the streaks of wispy clouds almost red before blending in to softer pinks and hints of lilacs, the blues deepening into a more indigo shade with the coming of night. The sun sits just a little above the horizon, its glow no more than a haze as it continues to make its descent and he watches on with an almost mocking indifference to the splendour of it all.

Jimin instead, idly thinks he’s gotten a good handle at dealing with the shockwave of pain that comes with completing a deed. He doesn’t feel as winded or sore from the muscle aches it usually leave behind — he wonders if he’ll eventually become numb to it or simply be too tired to care. Dark eyes wander down to his phone still clutched in his hand and the conversation he had not too long ago rushes back.

It went… surprisingly smoother than he had expected, despite the awkward start. When he had decided to call you, Jimin had finally swallowed his pride in that he owes you at least an apology for shouting at you the way he did. It was unnecessary and did more harm than good, evident when he had watched you withdraw in on yourself soon afterwards. He should’ve known better, but in that moment his emotions got in the way; those dark desires he's trying to keep locked away, only for them to become harder and harder to contain the longer time passes. And that’s what Jimin’s afraid of — that despite knowing how much the band and the singer means to you, he’ll disregard it all for petty, selfish reasons. Hell, he couldn’t even acknowledge the fact out loud just now without having to practically force it through his teeth and even then, the bitter aftertaste the words leave behind still lingers.

Like a reminder that all Jimin will ever have with you are fleeting moments, nothing more.

Jimin’s afraid that sooner or later, he’ll end up hurting you because he got too greedy.

A deep sigh leaves him and he runs a hand through his dark tresses out of stress, thoughts racing through his troubled mind until one sticks out above the rest. From the way things are going, Jimin thinks his best course of action would be to distance himself from you a bit more; see you less in person and maybe perhaps get your roommate Jaehee to check in on you every once in a while for him.

It’s not something he wants to do, but with it, it’s killing two birds with one stone — you won’t find out about his weakening condition and he won’t do anything that he’ll regret.

-

Before you know it, the week is nearly over with days passing by with you back on your routine again of going to work and occasionally hanging out with your friends. The world moves on as if nothing were amiss even though for you, it was anything but.

Sure, in the grand scheme of things (i.e. the universe), your problem is pretty minuscule and there’s no doubt that if your friends were clued in on everything, they would probably smack you, call you a dumb-dumb and tell you to quote, ‘get that ass!’ but it just had to be so much more complicated than that.

First and foremost, you were four days old when you found out that you’ve caught feelings for a demon who also happens to be your supernatural entity guardian.

That sentence alone is already chock full of all sorts of sacrilegious implications (not that you really cared but you can only imagine how it would sound like to an outsider).

Secondly, you don’t know if he feels the same way or if he just sees you as something else; a tolerable human being that’s entertaining? A friend you would hope at least. Or…. Simply an obligation.

That last one stung a little.

Worse is you haven’t forgotten that your guardian was only meant to stay temporarily, something that had already been troubling you in the back of your mind and though you had pushed it away continuously, you learn that all it did was grow until it began manifesting itself in ways you hadn’t realized. Both a good and a bad thing because in doing so, some things make much more sense now. But with you being aware of your feelings, the question of how or should you even let them be known becomes the cherry on top of this rapidly melting sundae.

You think you’ve worked through every possible scenario, dissecting them every way you can like a mad scientist, but the results all end up the same either way — things wouldn’t work out and you’ll just end up being heart broken.

An exasperated groan leaves you and your forehead nearly connects with the table below you before you caught yourself midway, thinking better because you don’t know what’s been on it. You don’t get time to continue your brooding however as a radio static voice cuts through the lunchroom.

“Hey Y/N, you back from your break yet?”

Glancing down at your phone, you note the time and inwardly curse, reaching up to press down on the mic reluctantly, “Yeah, I’m on my way out.”

“Okay, cool. Once you’re back up on cash, Stephanie can take her break then.”

You slouch back on your seat, intent on taking your time to get up (not like there was anyone here to clock you on your punctuality). You have two hours left on your shift but already you feel drained, both physically and mentally. Eventually, you muster the strength and willpower to finally get up and begin making your way back to the store floor, despite your mind being far from keeping the queue line clean and customers happy.

You sigh, hoping weakly that by some miracle, the remaining work would be enough to distract you from your troubling thoughts, if only for a short while.

When the two hours were done, it felt like you had been holding your breath the entire time and when you finally clocked out did you let yourself breathe. The weight of your thoughts stayed, but at least now you’re finally free to wallow in it once again without any interruptions. Probably not the greatest thing since it nearly made you miss your stop. You get through the door, catching Jaehee just as she’s making her way to the kitchen, changed in her lounge wear, fresh from a shower with her hair still damp and a towel draped around her shoulders.

“Jaehee, you’re home… kinda early?” You remark, taking a glance down at your phone to confirm that usually she wouldn’t be home for another hour and a half.

“Oh yeah, I asked to clock out early; wasn’t feeling too well.” She answers wryly with a half-hearted shrug. You blink at that, brows pinching a little in worry.

“Coming down with something?”

“Nah, nothing serious. Promise.” Jaehee smiles, assuring. “I’m gonna make lasagna tonight, sounds good?”

You nod, feeling your stomach rumble with anticipation. After washing up, you head out of your room, comfy in your pjs and already smelling the cheesy goodness of the lasagna baking. Peering into the kitchen, you see Jaehee busy with cutting up lettuce, most likely for a salad on the side for you to share.

“So how was your day?” Jaehee asks as you step in to take out some plates and utensils.

You respond with a noise; a straining, drawn out groan that borderlines on a mental breakdown but never quite reaches. It’s a response your roommate is familiar with, so much that any further context isn’t necessary for her to understand that work has been same old, same old; irritating but you do it for the money.

“Any dumb customers?” She laughs.

You pause to think but then answer, “Thankfully, no. Like, God decided to take pity on me for once. What about you? Has your manager been acting up lately, Ethan?”

At the mention, Jaehee lets out her own groan, shoulders dropping for a second as if the very thought’s weight had suddenly pushed down on her. You offer a sympathetic pat before slipping on oven mits to grab the now ready lasagna. Jaehee worked at an office in a junior position as a recruiter of sorts, a job she managed to get a little bit before graduating and thus, quitting her old retail job. What the company does specifically you’re still a little unsure of to this day but from what you’ve been hearing through Jaehee, you think that’s not the biggest issue to worry about.

Most of the stories Jaehee chooses to share with you were more or less what you would call ‘office horror stories’ — two-faced co-workers, that one guy who doesn’t know what personal space is, after work get togethers that, although is a nice idea, were often times far too forced to feel anything remotely ‘team bonding’, some handful shady department practices and of course, the unstable manager. Needless to say, it’s left you feeling concerned over the environment Jaehee has chosen to work in and although she expresses the same opinions as you whenever she vents, she’s always left feeling uncertain on what to do and then just brushes it off.

You don’t push on it further after that, only offering suggestions she could possibly consider but ultimately, leave it for her to decide whether she would actually take them or not. This is Jaehee’s job, not yours and you respect and trust Jaehee as a person who can make the right choices about her life.

And so dinner passes by in that same manner, the subject shifting quickly onto more casual things. Once or twice Jaehee would sneakily ask how things are going on with Jimin (or Julien as she knows him) of which like talks about her workplace, you skitter around on — as if you can explain your dilemma to her when you don’t even know where to begin yourself!

By the time you wash up and crash land onto your bed, you’re back to square one, caught up in your internal whirlwind of emotions with no hopes of trying to sort any of the mess out. Like Dorothy trapped in her little house that’s been sucked into the tornado, except you don’t even have a little dog to be your emotional support. You toss and you turn for a while, kept up by those thoughts until your self-promises of trying to go to sleep early is abandoned in favour of scrolling endlessly through your social media feeds. So much for trying to fix your awful sleep schedule.

You swear you blink once and it’s well past two in the morning already. You put your phone down with a sigh, bringing up a hand to rub your eyes and relieve them momentarily from the harsh glare of the screen. The thought that maybe you should give it a rest and attempt to sleep, even if it means just closing your eyes and hoping you lull off at some point crosses your mind but right when you’re about to part with your phone, a low buzz erupts from it along with a small chime. The vibration sends a shock from your chest before you lift up the device, the screen lit with a new incoming notification. When your eyes adjust to the brightness once more, you freeze.

Speak of the demon.

“Hey cherub,

I know it’s pretty late (though something tells me you’re still awake anyways)

But I just wanted to check up on you and see how you’re doing.”

You inwardly groan to yourself; it’s like the Lord is testing you right now. All the mixed feelings you’ve been having has you seeing things through new lenses. It’s annoying on every aspect — you hate how it has made you second guess yourself on everything that you’ll do or say, like you’re walking on eggshells while being smothered at the same time. But you can’t deny that your caution isn’t without reason. When it comes to matters of the heart, your approach is comparatively much more skeptical than to most people you know. Hence, you suppose, it would explain your sparse and short-lived dating history.

You weren’t a big risk taker or trusting enough to leave your heart in someone else’s hands; you feel like you have so much more to lose than to gain and you’d rather save the heartache for something a little bit more worthwhile. So to even think about shooting your shot with someone when the odds are so against you like this….

You chew on your lip, heart pounding and fingers hovering over the keyboard in limbo, caught between listening to your head or your heart. But Jimin…. Your dear guardian Jimin, always had this inexplicable effect on you. You don’t know whether it’s from his nature as a demon or something else, but it has only grown stronger over the time you’ve spent with him that you think no matter how hard you try to stay away, you’ll find yourself unconsciously searching for him again, like a moth drawn to a flame.

And so you find yourself tentatively typing out your response, backspacing when the doubt creeps in but ultimately, you reason, as long as you don’t give anything away, he can’t see through you… yet.

You hit send before you think too deeply on that.

“I don’t appreciate being called out like that >:(

But if you must know, I’m well (despite, you know, possibly losing out on precious sleep right now due to a certain demon).”

The bated breath you let out could be mistaken for accomplishing something excruciatingly nerve wracking, like skydiving for the first time. It’s comical really, if you weren’t the one going through it. Your head flops to the side momentarily in a defeated manner; why did you have to get smacked in the face with feelings when you can barely get a handle of what you want for dinner the following day? Maybe you shouldn’t have replied, but then you’d feel bad because Jimin hasn’t done anything to get ghosted. Oh god, maybe you should’ve just replied in the morning instead, why did you have to be so — ! A rumble pulls you out of your mental panicking and with jittery hands you bring up your phone again, hastily reading the reply.

“Don’t pout cherub, I’m just messing with you ~

I actually didn’t think you would reply but anyways, I’m glad to hear you’re doing okay at least so you should try to get some of that sleep.

I won’t keep you then.”

But you do pout regardless. In spite of sounding like you wanted to desperately hide away from ever talking to Jimin again in fear of acting like a fool, you can’t help feeling a little disappointed at how short the conversation was. Your fingers move on their own, typing out the first thoughts that comes to mind, only to erase them. It goes on like that until you finally stop on the sixth try, deflating as if all the night’s tumultuous emotions have finally worn you out to a sullen calm. What are you even trying to do? You feel like for the past minutes, you’ve done nothing but be so indecisive with yourself that you fear you don’t know what you want anymore. Perhaps this is your divine intervention that you should sleep on this, at least for tonight.

With a resigned sigh, you send off a short and simple message, not really expecting a reply as you finally place your phone down on your nightstand.

“I’ll go to sleep soon.

I hope you’re doing well too, staying out of trouble and such.

I can’t exactly guarantee you that I’ll be of much help if you do, so….don’t do it!

And thanks… for checking up on me.”

You go to settle down into your sheets when the familiar chime and rumble once again snags your attention and you can’t resist, reaching over. You read over his words, a smile tugging at your lips.

“I’m fine, don’t worry your pretty little head over me.

I won’t do anything that’ll stress you out….too much ;)

(the prick, always gotta keep you on your toes somehow but you suppose that’s why there’s never a dull moment with him)

It’s not a problem darling, so rest easy and …. sweet dreams.”

The smile lingers on your lips long after you drift off to a surprisingly peaceful slumber, mind put more at ease. You’ll figure this out, one way or another.

[isabellitah]

🤍 HARGREEVES FAMILY

————————————————-

Title : new normal

Pairing : none- this focuses on Five 🤍

Warning : none

Note : this is based on @klaus-is-the-real-number-1 ’s soft post apocalypse fluff ahh thank you so much for giving me permission to do this ! I love your work alskjdl oh! And you guys can read the HC here 🤍

Also I didn’t know if she/they’d be okay w me adding Number Eight sooo 👀 this contains no Number Eight or reader insert. And- I added my own tweaks to it. I hope you still enjoy tho 🤍

————————————————-

so…

the apocalypse is permanently over

everything-

everything’s… normal

so-

now what?

majority of Five’s life was dedicated in stopping the apocalypse

and now that he accomplished that and lived

he doesn’t know what to do

his siblings can go back to their everyday lives

but him?

he has to start from scratch

he has no formal education

or hobby

or job

i mean-

his whole life was the apocalypse

either that or killing

but neither are on option he wants in his future

so what is he to do?

what’s the new normal for the Hargreeves Siblings?

It was Klaus and Allison’s idea, really. For the entire family to move into their childhood home- permanently. To quote the excuse Allison used, “well we did the impossible with stopping the end of the world- why not make new and happy memories where most of our nightmares occured?” and just like that, the Hargreeves siblings were all under one roof once more.

Now- Five is technically older than every single one of them but does that stop them from treating him like the child he looks like? HA! nO-

But they do respect him because c’mon-

The boy guy is willing to go through puberty twice just to make sure they live a long ass life- of course they’d respect him. Not to mention that as their sibling- they love him- even if they show it in their own odd ways.

As a man that looks like a child, Allison basically mothers him- not really the smothering type of mother but rather the type that makes sure he eats healthily, sleeps enough, and overall just takes care of himself. And Five lets her because he knows that aside from showing she cares, it’s her way of coping that she still isn’t allowed to see her daughter. And let’s be real here- all the Hargreeves siblings long for positive and loving attention aimed towards them so you bet that no matter how much Five grumbles about Allison’s mothering, he secretly loves it- he loves that someone cares enough to look after him- actually show him that he still matters and is still a part of the family.

And another thing- due to the numerous traumas bestowed on him by both being in the apocalypse and in the commission, Five hates sleeping alone. In the apocalypse, he always fell asleep hoping that it was all a nightmare- that when he wakes up it’ll be to the bright morning light streaming into his room from the window. While working for the commission, he fell asleep with thoughts of how to travel back in time to stop the apocalypse- only to wake up due to the nightmares varying from seeing his siblings’ dead bodies or hearing siblings’ blame him for their deaths- that he couldn’t save them. And so, because of the fear that he’ll wake up and everyone will be gone or he’ll be back in the apocalypse or the commission, he developed a habit of sneaking into his any of his siblings’ rooms armed with a blanket and a pillow at night and proceed to sleep on the floor only to disappear minutes before they wake up. This worked well until Luther tripped over him one night and screamed like a lil girl shouted like a man. Luckily Five didn't wake up as it was one of those rare times that he was in a deep sleep. Upon noticing that it was his older younger brother, he lifted Five up and placed him on his bed before turning around to give him space. Not even two steps later, he felt a hand around his wrist before he heard Five mutter, “please don’t leave me alone…”.

Yeah- during breakfast that day, Luther told everyone, much to Five’s dismay but hey- at least Five never sleeps alone again- and he rarely has nightmares nowadays, and when he does- his siblings are there for him to comfort him and remind him that he’s home now and that he's safe with them.

And another thing- after finding out everything Five’s done for the family, you bet that they all became softer and more protective of him. But Diego? Oh Diego went to the next level- he literally became Five’s bodyguard slash guard dog. The man literally barked at some kid when he made fun of Five’s uniform I- the kid ran away crying. Diego looked pleased while Five just facepalmed- but he had a smirk on his face. It was amusing and worrying, to say the least, for passer-bys that day to see a grown man in all black looking like a full-blown assassin barking at a grade schooler.

Next scene- Klaus’ drug problem- they all band together to help him- don’t try to convince me otherwise- this is canon to me. And they struggled with it at first what with Klaus being stubborn but his siblings combined are even more so- but what actually made him start to put in more effort to be clean was when he heard Five mutter that he didn’t want to loose him again. You bet that that night, Klaus cuddled Five in Five’s own room.

Every Thursday night they always make time to all sit down on the floor in front of Vanya who stood in front of the fireplace. No matter how busy their schedule was that day- no matter how tired they are- hearing Vanya playing the violin always eased all their muscles enough to make the, all fall asleep then and there. After about three pieces, Vanya joins in on them- cuddling in between Five and Allison- right at the center of their cuddle pile. Between Allison and Luther is Diego, while Klaus is between Ben and Five. i refuse to have Ben dead fight me

Speaking of Ben- he’s a famous poet now! His most famous book of poetry is, as you guessed it, about his love for his family. And of course it was dedicated to said family. Five was the first one who bought it- Ben didn’t know that Five stayed up late to get the book because let’s be real here- some die hard fans probs stayed up late to try to get the first copy too. It was rumored that the first copy always had a polaroid copy from Ben’s personal album- none of the previous first buyers ever confirmed or denied it nor have they ever shared the picture- it was between them and Ben only. Anyway- when Five got it, it actually had a personal and handwritten note from the author, thanking him for being the first buyer of that book- and the two polaroids attached to it was one of his family, and one of him with Klaus and Five. In the polaroid of him, Klaus, and Ben, Ben was smiling widely at the camera while Klaus and Five jokingly kissed his cheeks. And underneath that polaroid was written, “nice try, Five- I saw the address and immediately knew it was you. Thanks though and I love you -Ben 🤍”

A new development- that everyone loves- is playing with Five’s hair. Even just brushing their hand through it can somehow feel so soothing to the siblings. Five would just be sat in his chair in the kitchens drinking his coffee or on the couch eating the sandwich Allison made him- and someone will just walk past and run their hand through his hair or actually sit next to him on the couch and just play with his hair. They’d never get any complaints. Heck- he once laid his head on Ben’s lap right after finishing his sandwich and whined when Ben teasingly stopped his petting then actually let out a purr when Ben continued the motion of combing his hand through his hair. In conclusion, Five acts like a cat sometimes.

A way to end the week right is to have a slumber party with your siblings. With that said- every Saturday night, to celebrate another successful week finished, they all have a slumber party where they have a movie marathon, pig out on takeaway, snack on various junk foods, and talk about nearly anything and everything under the sun all night long until they all fall sleep in one big pile. If one sibling is unable to make it- you bet that Five would jump to wherever they are so that they won’t miss their weekly slumber party. He’ll just jump them back in the morning if they had a meeting or something important to go to- he prefers them all to be complete under one roof so that he can make sure that they’re all safe.

So-

What is the new normal for the Hargreeves Siblings?

Well- therefore I conclude, that the Hargreeves Siblings turned from a chaotically stressful and dysfunctional family into a chaotically and stressfully loving and somewhat functional family.

And that, is their new normal.

[charmingmarchioness]

Vow of Everlasting Love - PART 2

Violet is smiling charmingly while smelling the bouquet of violet flowers in her hands. The Army, Navy, and the royal guards who were tasked to watch over the entire Cathedral can't help but glance over the giggling bride. It was truly hard to believe that the one standing there is the former cold hearted assassin doll of Laidenschaftlic.

"Are you happy, little violet?" She looked at the President and smiled cheerfully.

"Yes, I am very happy. It is also because I got to spend this wonderful day with everyone"

Hodgins smiled happily at Violet and gently pat her smooth and fluffy hair and guide her hand in his arm as the door finally opened. The song that was currently playing made her eyes moist because it was the same song that Gilbert sang for her when he proposed marriage to Violet. Ah, yes. That day is too memorable for her.

As she walked together with the person who became her parent for a short while, Violet cannot help but shed tears because she still has doubts whether she deserves all of these wonderful things after she killed so many in the past. That undesirable feeling vanished when she glanced over her beloved man. Her hold over Hodgin's arm became tighter because of what she is witnessing right now. They are looking at each other's shimmering eyes while conveying their honest love in a whisper.

She also starts to feels embarrassed because of the continuous stares that she keeps on getting from everyone. After all, it was Queen Charlotte who gave her the glamorous wedding gown as a token of gratitude and appreciation while the three Bougainvillea sisters are the ones who fixed her hair beautifully and told Violet that they adored her so much. The golden crown with real flower crystals were given by the Evergarden couple, her foster parents. Thousands of questions run through her mind but all of those questions are not left unanswered. It only concludes that...

'Violet Evergarden is simply loved by the people around her'

She finally arrives in front of Gilbert and her heart began to beat so loudly that it became unbearable for her. Hodgins gave Violet's hand to his best friend, Gilbert. He took it and kissed Violet's prosthetic hand affectionately that made her face blushed even more. With that, the president started to cry because he cannot believe this day would actually come. His greatest wish for the both of them came true. He tried to suppress his tears and said,

"Gilbert, I trust you. Please take care of Violet" Ah. It was the same exact line when Gilbert entrusted his most precious loved one to Hodgins. It was a beautiful irony.

"I promise you."

Gilbert and Hodgins shared a brotherly hug. Right now, It was Hodgins who was entrusting Violet to Gilbert. Just like what a father will do in the special day of his beloved daughter.

Gilbert once again took Violet's hand and stops in front of Dietfried who was watching them a moment ago. Dietfried hugs both of them tightly which brought shock to the groom and bride. Nevertheless, the both of them reciprocated his hug but to their surprise, Dietfried was silently crying while burying his head on their shoulders. The guests cannot comprehend what's going on because they are too shock from being able to witness a rare sight every time.

"Please be happy, Gilbert. Please be happy, Violet. Please live...a happy life." After Dietfried said those words, he finally let go of them while still shedding some tears. "We will, Brother."

"Thank you. Thank you very much, Lord Dietfried." While saying those words to him, he wipes the single tear in his eyes and smiled childishly. Dietfried laughed at pat their heads playfully.

Gilbert shove away his brother's hands and hugged violet lovingly while she caress the face of her loved one. Dietfried was horrified of what he is currently witnessing "Gil! Violet! Stop flirting in front of us! It's creeping me out! Get your ass over there and get married already!" Silence enveloped the whole Cathedral until..

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" The guests started to laugh loudly. Ah, the ever tsundere Bougainvillea is stating the obvious. After all, It was pretty amusing to watch something sooo awkward. Violet and Gilbert blushed furiously because of the tremendous embarassment. Because of their fondness for each other, they totally forgot their surroundings. Gilbert puts his hand on Violet's waist and gently escorted her to the Altar and the long awaited ceremony has begun. The priest conveys the words of spirituality wisdom, blessed their union and a lot more. Until...

"You may now say your vows."

With that, the two began to tremble in nervousness. Conveying your feelings for one another is not a problem but having to say it in front of those people is not that easy. Gilbert took Violet hands with his and looks into her deep enchanting eyes.

"Violet, My beautiful flower. Do you know how much I love you? My heart only beats for you. My eyes chase after and search for you. I am always happy whenever you called out to me and all I can hear is your sweet pleasing voice. If someone would ask what I am fond about you, I wouldn't be able to properly express it words. My lips always feel like they will blurt out "I love you" and my chest is pounding with immutable devotion whenever I see you. After acknowledging that I loved you, I ceased attempting to drag you into war because I wanted to protect you so badly. I love you, Violet. I should have told you that in numerous times before. The many gestures you would show, the way your blue eyes would widen whenever you discovered something new, I enjoyed watching you like that. Ever since you came to my side, I 've found meaning for a living other than aiming for the top of pyramid. Violet, you have become my...everything. Everything. Unrelated to the Bougainvillea. Just...everything to the man named Gilbert. At first, I was afraid of you. Yet at the same time, I believed I wanted to protect you. Even though you had sinned without realizing. I still wished for you to live. Your wrongdoings were my wrongdoings. I loved that mutual sinning. Violet...It's only you. I wanted to love you more, more, more and more. You are most important treasure. My love for you would not run out, no matter what you are or what form you take. I will always cherish you. From the bottom of my heart, I love you...Violet Evergarden." He said those words in a tear drenched face while trembling.

The words that he honestly conveyed made Violet cry harder. They've been through a lot ups and down. They met, break apart, and meet again and with that, they held onto each other so tight, not wanting to let go and cherished the new found love together. She caress Gilberts face gently and brush away the painful tears in his eye. She kissed his cheeks shyly and conveyed her vow to him.

"Major...Colonel...Gilbert-sama, no matter what I call you, you would always give me a bright smile. At first, I still dreaded the possibility that there might come a time where you'll start hating me. Forgive me for not being able to understand your feelings before and I did not even realize that you are already suffering because of me. Gilbert...I love you more than you think. The more I love you, the more I wanted to pursue you. Is this really a 'heart of person? It's too fragile but I like it. I am deeply in love with you, Major. This loud throbbing in my chest, this ecstasy, the fact that I always end up being swayed by your every actions. I wanted to be by your side and asked you not to leave me anymore. I became able to somewhat feel through the people that I have met and write letters to. I tried my very best to understand the word "I love you" and my mind and heart always yearns for you and for your love. Once the "like" and the "love" fell and piled up like snow, and I became unable to melt them down, I had wanted you to know that I wished the same to be valid for you. I am...really happy that I am dearly loved by Gilbert Bougainvillea, A man who gave 'everything' to the beast who had 'nothing'. I...who was once a weapon was cherished by someone like you. Major, I love you. For the rest of my life, I will not leave your side. I, too will protect you as long as I live, not as a tool but a woman who loves you dearly. I love you most, Gilbert Bougainvillea." She said those words while crying with so much happiness and sorrow.

After conveying her deepest love for the man who became her everything, Gilbert hug her so tight and soothe her crying figure. No, she wasn't the only one crying. Gilbert is already shedding unstoppable tears as soon as she started to speak. The guests are already emotional. Some of them are crying nonestop. Some are tearing up with a smile on their faces and some are trying to suppress their tears because of the touching scene. All of the people who are gathered here together have witnessed the life of those two lovers. They smiled joyfully because of how it turns out.

"Do you, Colonel Gilbert Bougainvillea, take Lady Violet Evergarden, as your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." He answered in a determined tone while squeezing the hand of violet.

"Do you, Lady Violet Evergarden, take Colonel Gilbert Bougainvillea, as your lawfully wedded husband."

"I do." She answered with no hint of hesitation while smiling gleefuly at Gilbert.

They exchanged rings while conveying their promises to one another. Violet was enthralled to the shining golden rings. There was a beautiful tiny gem-like crystal that combines the color of their eyes. It was a lovely emerald and deep aquamarine ring. It was the proof of their everlasting love with each other.

"You may now kiss the bride." The face of the two is deep red like a tomato.

Gilbert was fascinated vividly with Violet's bewitching beauty, once he lifts up her veil up to her head.

"Time, Stand still. You are beautiful." He murmured fondly. It was the same exact line that she heard from him when they reunited once agin at transcontinental train.

Gilbert kissed her hand like a noble gentleman. He kissed her forehead as a symbol of respect then he kissed both of her cheek with so much affection until his warm lips made it to Violet's sweet thin lips. It was just a light touch at first until it deepened. Violet responded to kisses with the same desire and passion. Gilbert lifts up her body and held onto her tightly while Violet hugs Gilberts neck.

The guests who are deeply touched by the series of events gave a round of applause to the husband and wife. However, it didn't faze the two who are currently inside their own world. They are still kissing with so much intensity and that made a lot of people blushed with so much embarassment. They totally forgot that they are not alone right now. Some guests are already covering their faces. Some are cheering, some watched them with so much interest, and some cried gleefully like Claudia Hodgins.

"Hey Old man! Stop eating my little sister! She ain't a food ya'know! Damn it! Ya' Pervert!"

The whole Cathedral was enveloped with a joyful laughter when the golden haired man named Benedict blue shouted those words with so much frustration.

Violet and Gilbert finally broke away from their long kiss. When they opened their eyes. The first thing they saw is the disappearance of the thin thread of saliva that connects their swollen lips. They were too breathless and flushed that they weren't able to speak with one another. All they knew is that, they are too happy and too in love to care what's happening to their surroundings.

Gilbert and Violet hugs each other and conveyed the words of love once again. They finally faced the sea of audience who are smiling at them with wide smiles and a little bit of tears. They too, reciprocated that smile with a brighter one.

Ah, Finally! Just like a happy ending from the stories of fairy tales. The Husband and Wife feels like they're finally getting their happy ending.

The beast who became a weapon The heartless weapon who changed into a person until... She changed into an awkward girl who was able to understand the feelings of people That awkward girl became a woman in love who is emotionally rich It was Gilbert who changes Violet into a person. No, more like, they changed each other in a good way...After all, they are destined to be together. They complete each other. It was also with the help of the people who she met along the way because they molded her to become a better person.

It all started with "I LOVE YOU." That I Love You became her motivation, that made her of what she is right now. Not a murder doll of the army, Not also as a robotic auto-memories doll but as a Human Being.

Let us look back in the past once again.

[beyond-the-mirror]

Nocturnal Encounters - An Incubus! V x Reader story

So now that I’m home once again, I managed to finish this new chapter. It feels nice to go back to writing after being away from my laptop for sooo long!

Anyways, hope you enjoy this new chapter and if you want to be tagged in this fic just let me know.

Warnings: None. There’s a scene with nudity but there’s nothing too detailed or descriptive.

…………

Seventh Night: In The Name

“Wait WHAT?! Are you serious?!”

I slowly nodded as I tried my best to hide my blush behind my warm cup of coffee.

“Aaaah!” Much to your dismay, she started squealing loudly and making pretty much everyone in the coffee shop direct their gazes at you both. You immediately reached out to try and shush her before you could get any more unwanted attention.

“Could you keep it quiet?! Are you trying to get us kicked out?”

“Sorry sorry!” She giggled joyfully before continuing, now in a lower volume. “But how can I not be happy after what you told me?” My best friend finally has a boyfriend!”

“I-I’m not sure if I should call it my boyfriend yet, I mean we’ve only dated a few times and that’s pretty much it.” Once again you turned to your warm beverage as you were starting to consider inviting your best friend for a nice brunch together a terrible idea.

You and Amelie grew up together in the same town and were basically sisters by now, and much like sisters, there was nothing you wouldn’t do for each other. The reason you invited her was because you needed someone to talk to, and Amelie was the most reliable person you knew, you could trust her with any issue you had.

It had been some time since you started dating V, and even though your relationship has now evolved into something ‘more intimate’, you couldn’t help but wonder about its future. You weren’t exactly sure what you two were exactly, and most importantly, you still didn’t know much about him. He had shared you a few stories about the places he had been to and about incubi in general, but nothing too specific about him except that he loved poetry, particularly the works of William Blake.

Which is why you decided to open up to Amelie, only for you to end with an overly excited best friend and the unwanted attention of a full coffee shop.

“Okay then, no official boyfriend yet, buuut you can’t know for sure if he’s aiming for something serious anytime soon.” After taking a bite of her omelet, she placed down everything and focused her entire attention on you. “Now spill. What’s his name? What does he look like? Is he handsome? What about his profession? Can you imagine how awesome it would be if he were rich?”

“Amy stop! One question at a time.” She quickly ceased her barrage of questions and relaxed on her chair.

“So to answer your first question: His name is V.”

Amelie raised an eyebrow in confusion. “V? That’s an odd name, unless it’s like an alias or something. Anyways, what does he look like?”

You fished your phone out of your purse and showed her a selfie you took with V during your date at the botanical garden.

You watched amused as her jaw dropped. “That’s him?!” The blush on your cheeks and your head nodding confirmed her inquiry. “Woman, you need to tell me where exactly did you acquire that fine piece of a man right now!”

“Amy!” You couldn’t help but laugh at her antics. “… But I agree with you, he really is handsome.” Your blush deepened. It was true that V was a very gorgeous man, then again, he was an incubus after all.

“Alright next question. What about his profession?”

At that you remained silent. Letting out a sigh, you answered “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What is it (Y/N)? Is something wrong?”

“It’s just…” you struggled a little with the right words. “V has always been an amazing person with me. Even though it’s been not too long since I met him, somehow I feel really safe and comfortable when I’m around him. But… the truth is I still don’t know about him other than his name, his travels and a few of his likes, and the fact that ‘V’ surely isn’t his real name doesn’t help at all.”

Amelie looked at you with concern in her eyes, her jolly attitude now gone and replaced with a very serious expression.

“I’ve tried asking him a couple times but he evaded my questions and I really don’t want to pressure him into anything. So to conclude, I don’t know what we exactly are and V still remains a huge mystery to me.” I looked down at my half-empty mug, worry and doubt filling my mind.

“Oh (Y/N)…” She calmly took hold of your hand in a reassuring way. “If you are asking my opinion, I think the reason he’s avoiding telling you is because maybe he’s worried his past will affect you both. Maybe there’s something he deeply regrets or that’s too hard for him to share with someone.”

I looked up to her again and she gave me a warm empathetic smile. “Give him time sweets. I’m sure the time for him to open up to you will arrive sooner than you think.”

Her words brought you the reassurance you needed and you felt as if a burden had been lifted from your shoulders. “Thanks Amy. You’re the best.”

“Anything for my little sis.” She smiled brightly once she saw my relieve. “Now, changing to a better topic, is he good in bed?”

“AMY!” Yes, he is.

…………

Another hard day of work gone, but the soreness of your shoulders stayed. As you let yourself fall back onto your comfortable mattress you let out a long sigh of contentment. Too much work had accumulated at the library and there was so little time to properly rest, the only thing you wanted right now was to take a long bubble bath and simply relax, but you were so exhausted that you couldn’t even stand up from your bed.

As your head turned to your right, you noticed your purse had toppled on the bed, a few of your belongings sliding out of the still open zipper, including the book you had carried with you to read during your commute. Your eyes spotted the black feather that peeked out from between the pages, and before you knew it, you were reaching for it and taking it between your fingers, not caring about losing the page where you left.

Sitting up, you let the tips of your fingers trace along the feather, focusing on it’s softness and it’s texture. It felt… soothing. As if it were giving out a calming aura that engulfed your body and helped it relax. You were so lost in the trance that you almost missed how a pair of thin arms circled your waist, a breath ghosting over the back of your neck and sending delicious shivers all over your body.

“O Rose thou art sick. The invisible worm that flies in the night, in the howling storm, has found out thy bed.” A familiar silken voice entered your ears, making a crimson blush appear on your cheekbones.

“My sweet rose, please forgive me for entering your home unannounced, but I’ve felt tension lingering on your body, and uncertainty staining your heart.”

His hands guided you to turn to him, your eyes now fixed on his mesmerizing green ones. He was wearing only a pair of tight-fitting trousers, leaving his ink covered torso completely exposed to the cold night.

The sight left you speechless.

“Do you need me, little one?” Both his expression and his voice were filled with concern, “Tell me what can I do for you.”

You remembered your talk with Amelie last weekend. “Give him time sweets. I’m sure the time for him to open up to you will arrive sooner than you think.” Her words still lingered in your mind.

She was right. You had to trust V, if he wasn’t telling you anything about his past may be because he doesn’t feel ready yet. It would be unfair to force answers out of him if that was case.

“I’m sorry for making you worry V, but it’s been an intensely busy week at work and I think it’s put a huge strain on me. You didn’t have to come all the way here, I’m sure it will go away once I’ve rested enough.”

V hummed thoughtfully, his eyes staring deeply into yours. At that moment it felt as if he could read your mind, as if he were telling you ‘there’s no escape for you, no place where you can hide your secrets from me.’ For an instant your eyes flicker to side before returning to his, if he hadn’t realized you were hiding something, now he surely did without a doubt.

And yet he simply pulled you towards his warm body, turning you so that you were now sitting on his lap with your back against his torso and your head resting on his chest right beneath his neck. You could feel the way his chest rose and lowered with each intake of air, as well as a faint but steady heartbeat that soothed all your worries away.

“Please don’t apologize my little one, there’s no need for you to. It is only fair I worry for your well-being and take time to make you feel better.” V carefully ran his long fingers through your hair, sometimes stopping to lightly massage your scalp or to place a kiss on the top of your head.

At his ministrations, you couldn’t help but start feeling drowsy. Everything felt almost dreamlike, the soothing heat provided by V’s body, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, his delectable earthy scent that reminded you of a rainy forest at night… It truly felt like a peaceful dream.

But you couldn’t fall asleep just yet. First, you needed a bath.

You tilted your head back. Without the need of words, he understood you wanted to tell him something. His eyes turned to yours, giving you his full attention.

“I was thinking about having a bath.” The words came out of your mouth before you knew.

A tender smile grazed his lips. “Anything you want, I shall give to you. I am all yours to do as you please.”

…………

For an unknown reason, undressing in your bathroom right in front of V felt a little awkward considering he had already seen you naked. V had already opened the tap and was now leaning against the tiled wall next to the tub waiting for it to finish filling up with water. Maybe it was the fact that he remained with his pants on, or maybe it was his eyes who stared at your nude figure, as if he were tracing each and every curve with his eyes before committing them to memory.

After noticing the tub was already filled with the right amount of warm water, V turned the tap off and poured a small amount of scented bubble bath soap. He stepped in and gave your lips a chaste kiss before helping you step into the bathtub.

The warm water felt wonderful against your skin as you laid down and gave a long sigh of relief, the light scent of Vanilla and Roses filled your nostrils and the bubbles gave a nice texture for you to relax.

V sat down next to your head and took hold of your shampoo bottle. Pouring a generous amount on his palm, he set to wash your hair, carefully massaging your scalp and taking care of any knot in your hair. For you this seemed quite similar to one of the first dreams he gave you, the one where he took you to a luxurious tub filled with petals and candles decorating the bathroom. At the memory, a soft smile appeared on your face as you closed your eyes and let V do as he pleased.

He was rinsing your hair when you decided to ask him a particular request, something you were wanting to try for quite some time now.

“Join me, please?” V looked at you, his stare intense and full of untold emotions. He flashed you a content smile before standing up and proceeding to take off his pants. The sound of his belt buckle and his zipper enticing you and filling you with excitement. With a slight push, his pants fell swiftly to the floor, leaving him in all of his naked glory before your eyes and blushing expression, a reaction that always pried a smirk out of him.

You scooted forward to grant him some space as he stepped into the bathtub, sitting down right behind you and then pulling your body flush against him and resting your head on his chest. It was an intimate moment, suddenly nobody and nothing else existed besides you two, but unlike other times with him, it wasn’t sexual despite your nude state.

“Something on your mind, little one?” V’s deep voice broke the comfortable silence between you two. You were about to answer that there was nothing, until a question popped in your mind. You hesitated a little before finally voicing it.

“I was wondering… about your real name. I know it’s not V.”

Silence. Perhaps you shouldn’t have asked yet.

V let out a hum before answering. “My real name is in an ancient, long-forgotten language.” He made a short pause, his gaze distant and centered on an unknown point in front of him. “My kin, the incubi and the succubi, is the last and only demon clan that continues speaking it. As our traditions state, after being born we are granted a name in our native language to keep preserving it for generations to come. My real name is very long by human standards, that’s why I’d rather be called V.”

The fact that he actually answered took you by surprise. A fuzzy sensation fluttered in your chest knowing that he trusted you enough to share something more about him.

“Were you born in hell? And if so, how did you cross over to the human world?”

He gave a deep chuckle. “Feeling curious, aren’t we? Such a curious detective.” He booped the tip of your nose and gave another chuckle at the blush that intensified on your face, a rather cute reaction for him.

“Actually, I was born in the human world. Long ago, several members of our species sided with Lord Sparda and fought by his side against Mundus and his army. Since the clan needed the humans to feed and survive, some actually developed something akin to empathy for them. Let’s say they could… ‘understand’ them, in a way or another. They stayed here after Lord Sparda sealed the gate that separated our worlds. I am one of their descendants.”

You listened to his tale with utmost attention. At the same time his hands started rubbing your shoulders, giving you a nice massage and working out all the knots he could find. Little, almost inaudible moans escaped your lips, but you remained focused on his words.

Now that he was being open and honest with you, you pondered if you could try and get more answers from him. “And what about your life here in Red Grave? What do you normally do during the day?”

“Now where are all these sudden questions coming from?” He asked playfully, his plump lips pulled into a smile so bright and charming that made you giggle.

“It’s just that I’ve come to the realization that there is so much more I don’t know about you yet. I sometimes wonder if you live a rather normal and human life just like me, or if there is some daily demonic business you do on the regular, I don’t know.” You finished with a shrug.

“I see. Well to satiate your curiosity,” he moved his hands to your arms and rubbed up and down “my clan did have to adapt to this world and learn to keep  a low profile, which meant adopting a human lifestyle and customs. And in case you are wondering, I do have a job just like anybody else. After all, you need money to survive in this world.”

Your eyes widened and you turned to him “A demon working a full-time job? Well that’s new.” You both laughed at the absurdity of the idea, but it did make sense considering what he revealed to you. “And what is your job exactly?”

At that his expression turned to a more serious one, he seemed to be searching for the right words. You tilted your head at this reaction, was he hiding something rather sensitive?

You were about to clarify that he didn’t have to answer when he lifted his gaze towards you once again. “Let’s just say I’m an ‘consultant’ of sorts. Knowledge is power, so I offer it to whoever needs it for a fee. I have established many business deals that way, and as time passed, I managed to build a fortune for myself. In fewer words, I simply know how to play my cards well.”

He actually gave you an answer surprisingly. A rather vague one, but an answer nonetheless. So you instinctively wrapped your arms around his torso and hugged him, burying your face in his shoulder.

“Thank you.” You whispered against his soft skin.

At first he seemed surprise at your sudden action, but then he returned your hug with a chuckle. “What for exactly?” he whispered into your ear.

“For trusting me… I was scared of intimacy with a complete stranger, worried you didn’t trust me because you wouldn’t tell me anything. So thank you for opening up and granting me your trust, I promise I will treasure it.”

At your declaration, V was actually lost for words. The fact that a human had such great interest in him was an odd occurrence, especially since normally he doesn’t reveal his true nature to his lovers. But you knew he was demon, an incubus, and yet you were still interested in him. Curious.

He kissed the top of your head repetitively. “Sorry for making you worry that way little one. I can’t promise to tell you everything, but I’ll do my best to clear all the doubts in your mind and heart.”

You understood. Amelie was right, it was a matter of time.

His hands then guided you so that your back rested against his torso like before. “Now lay back and relax. I believe a massage is in order right now.”

As you let your eyes close and your lips pull into a gentle smile, you let yourself get carried away.

…………

After finishing your delightful bath, V carried you to your bed and changed you into a comfortable pair of pajamas. You insisted you could do it yourself, but it felt nice to have him take care of since your day had been exceptionally exhausting.

You both climbed onto your mattress, V pulling the covers over you to tuck yourselves in and cuddling you in his arms, your head on his chest listening to his alluring heartbeat. You were already in a drowsy state, so it shouldn’t take too long before finally giving yourself to a deep slumber.

“Vahlar.”

Your eyes fluttered open, finding V’s glistening ones in the dark of your bedroom. “Huh?”

“My real name, first name actually, is Vahlar.”

As you processed his words, you felt your heart skip a beat in your chest and a huge smile form on your face.

“Vahlar…” the way your tongue rolled over his name as if savoring a simple of the most delicious nectar the world had to offer. Your eyes closed softly “What a beautiful name…” And with those words, sleep took over you completely.

…………

The soul entwined in his hands shone so warm and bright, a tiny star that floated full of joy and beauty.

“This is… curious…” V muttered to himself. After all the time you spend together, all the pleasure he gave you, the marks he left on your skin… the nights he defiled your body both in dreams and in reality… and your soul still remained innocent, untainted and pure, it even glowed brighter than ever.

A rather peculiar case, he thought.

What the demon in your bed didn’t understand was that, unlike other people, you didn’t believe sex was a bad thing. Carnal pleasures were considered sinful by many, but for you it was different, and there was no way you weren’t the only one who thought like this. For you it was like establishing a bond, a natural and intimate moment between two people. And because you didn’t consider it bad, your soul remained untainted.

The incubus hummed in fascination, glancing briefly at your sleeping form before returning to the projection of your soul floating by his hand.

His eyes glinted in the darkness, full of wonder and… maybe something more? “Quite curious indeed…”

[prismatic-cannon]

uhm sis (or bro or whatever u prefer i just call everyone sis) pls reblog more fics like i need some good ones and pieces was hella good

Ahhh i’m really glad you like Pieces!!! It deserves more love for sure and the feels are only going to get better I can promise you that hoho \o/ (and I’m good with both sis/bro, I don’t mind either or it’s cool)

So far I’ve been blindly going through the AO3 tags for jojo fics so I’m not sure if my fic recs would entirely appeal to you … but if you’re interested you could definitely take a look at some of these faves! (Do mind the fics’ tags if you’re sensitive to certain tropes) Most of these are going to be heavily skewed towards part 4 and 7 (absolutely no one is surprised), but there’s other parts under the cut too!

Part 2

see you again by efthemia (6k oneshot with background Part 7 ship) - A Caejose reincarnation fic! This is set in a modern day au where Joseph and Caesar meet in another life … by crashing vehicles into each other lol

Can You Ever Go Home Again? by alexclusive (4k oneshot, contains Part 4 spoilers but is mostly centred around Part 2 and 3 characters) - I don’t want to spoil too much for this fic so I’m just going to copy paste the fic’s original summary here: “A few months after his adventure in Morioh, Jotaro goes on another personal errand at the request of his grandfather, and ends up discovering yet another lingering ghost.” A lowkey fix-it with feels!

Part 3

Torture Me by Xyloto (nsfw 2k oneshot) - The SDC gang walks in on jotakak inappropriately using their stands lmaooo enough said

Young Flame by greenteafiend (nsfw 7k multichaptered) - More Jotakak! Takes place during the Devil-Yellow Temperance part of SDC where Jotaro and Kak share that hotel room in Singapore lol

Kiss With A Fist by nevermordor (nsfw 6k oneshot) - Tempers and egos flare between Jotaro and Kakyoin as they make the long tenuous journey to Egypt – Fistfights inevitably happen. I really like how much of a cold hardass bastard Kakyoin gets in this lol

time after time by dimolto (11k oneshot) - TIME LOOP TIME LOOP TIME LOOP!!!! God time loops are one of my favourite tropes of all time, I don’t think I could get sick of it. SDC canon compliant (kinda) – Jotaro is the only person that’s aware of the loop and has to work his way out of it somehow. It’s jotakak too!! Highly rec this fic

Part 4

No place where we can’t go by tjesje (4k oneshot) - Josuyasu! Two dudes slowly fall in love over the course of their summer break. OP really nails the friendship between Josuke and Okuyasu – the banter flows so easily you can’t help but get caught up in how close and in sync they are with each other. Also, the summer vibes are super strong in this fic! Always a big plus with duwang content lmao

electric word life by Fluffifullness (8k oneshot) - More Josuyasu mutual pining + confessions, suuuuper sappy and sweet with some light post DiU angst.

Just Let Me Know, How Do You Feel? by hushroom (6k multichaptered) - Post DiU – Set during their college years, Okuyasu meets up with Josuke for the first time in a while, and they work towards overcoming emotional distance caused by the strain of long distance relationships and misunderstandings. Aged up Josuyasu content is always such a treat and this one doesn’t let down!

Bosozoku Boys by VulpesVulpes (nsfw 4k oneshot) - Takes place a few years after DiU. One night during a sleepover Josuke accidentally stumbles upon a porn mag under Oku’s bed – midnight confessions and feels ensue. This fic always has a soft spot in my heart just because of how vulnerable Josuke gets, argh my heart it aches

Crashing Waves by chamomilekai (7k multichaptered) - Post DiU – Josuke and Okuyasu deal with the lingering effects from the final Kira fight. It’s a slow burn romance with heavy feels where both bros find comfort and support in each other, very delicious part 4 h/c sob x10000

Part 5

the passenger by havisham (nsfw 5k oneshot, contains Part 6 endgame spoilers) - A Brugio fix-it …. of sorts. Ten years after Vento Aureo ends, mob boss Giorno somehow finds himself sent back in time with the opportunity to save Bruno and the others. I really like how desperate and jaded Giorno is in trying to save everyone, and how despite everything things still don’t go entirely the way he wants them to …

DIOmestic by writers_haven (4k oneshot) - Yep, it’s modern au mudad lmao. Some JonaDio here and there but the focus is mostly on Dio+Gio father-son fluff. It’s stupidly cute and there are little nods to canon material that I love to bits, like Hamon being reimagined as a fancy form of new age yoga ahahaha

Part 7

Riches and Wonders by etymology playground (8k oneshot) - A lighthearted gyjo fic that takes place during canon events – Two weeks after Sugar Mountain, Johnny and Gyro spend some R&R at a stand-powered onsen lmao. This was one of the first few fics I read right after finishing part 7, and it really helped to soothe the post SBR pain … not that I’m completely over it yet but then again would anyone ever be lol

Laundry by Petronia (2k oneshot) - Another lighthearted canon gyjo fic with lowkey ust lol – Johnny and Gyro take time between travels to do laundry. Idk, there’s something about gyjo domestic downtime that’s so comforting sob

i’ll see your face again by queenieofaces (2k oneshot, Part 7 endgame spoilers) - Oh boy this one … It’s a reincarnation au where Gyro experiences deja vu and misplaced memories from Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency during the events of SBR. 10/10 lots of feels bc reincarnation aus pair so incredibly well with gyjo gosh

nowhere to go; I’m already inside by librisdedita (31k multichaptered, major Part 7 spoilers all around) - A canon compliant gyjo fic – Johnny’s perspective on life is especially bleak in this one. OP tore my heart asunder by the end of this fic but oh man I wouldn’t have it any other way lmao

Cowboys Ain’t Easy To Love by jotarosgirl17 (36k multichaptered, Part 7 spoilers) - A series of interconnected slowburn gyjo canon compliant fics, suuuper heavy on angst and period-typical homophobia and internalised homophobia. Very good for a cry … or ten lmao

see you when the sun sets east by mourn (nsfw 2k oneshot) - Two cowboys sit five feet apart from each other not talking about their repressed feelings yeehaw. Jokes aside this is a quick but intimately tender glimpse into the beginning of Johnny and Gyro’s relationship

Spin This! by polyphenols (17k multichaptered) - A modern day office au where Diego works at a new tech startup named Steel Ball Run. Honestly, I don’t think I could ever properly articulate how much I love this fic – It’s full of sooo many nods and easter eggs to all the bizarre eccentricities that happen in part 7′s canon, and I think nearly every major/minor character gets featured one way or another, if not all (everyone works in the same horrifyingly open air office space after all). The witty banter and dialogue between characters are so snappy and succinct you can’t help but smile or laugh while reading along. Diego in particular stars as the long suffering Straight Man and audience surrogate into the madness that is SBR, with a lowkey crush on HP that slowly builds as the fic progresses (there’s background gyjo too!). While there’s more of a central focus on Part 7 at first, characters from other parts also make an appearance and gradually become more involved as well. I can’t rec this fic enough!!!

Diamond Ball Run by polyphenols (15k multichaptered, Part 7 endgame spoilers) - A gyjo fix-it of sorts … Johnny takes up Funny Valentine’s offer and asks for an Alternate Universe Gyro. The fic is mostly told from Alt Gyro’s perspective in the later half, and argh this makes my heart ache in so many ways I didn’t know were possible god help me –

happy new year, johnny by 3kanite (7k oneshot, Part 7 endgame spoilers) - Aaaah I just read this one today lmao – The fic is written from Johnny’s POV over the course of several new year celebrations – pre-race and during SBR canon. It really nails Johnny’s characterisations and personality shifts down nicely and makes the last year spent with Gyro that much more bittersweet and heartbreaking oh why won’t these part 7 feels stop coming for me

desperado by 3kanite (35k multichaptered) - Features missing scenes that take place during the events of SBR – Admittedly I’ve only read the first two chapters so far and haven’t fully processed things yet but I’m already so caught up in these pre-slash gyjo feels that I can’t help but rec this one catch me crying behind Owson’s @ 3am bc it’s just that good urgh I need an adult Could possibly be nsfw but I haven’t gotten that far in yet obvs

Aaaand that’s about it for now! Hopefully some of these interested you haha. Go show these wonderful OPs some love because they deserve it!!!

[serenewrites]

A Masterlist of Instrumental Music for DnD and Fantasy Writing

So! I play dnd (play in 2 weekly campaigns and I’m worldbuilding for my steampunk homebrew). It’s no secret that I’m a GIGANTIC nerd. For a while now, I have had a ton of playlists that I use for various aspects of my (and my cousin’s) homebrew world. I also have a few playlists for writing that I use.

For dnd players, have at it! Add them to your lists if you like them. Play them during your games to add that extra layer of immersion to your RPing experience!

For writers, I find that I write better when I listen to music that has to do with the mood or theme of my topic! And it seems that there are a ton of fantasy writeblrs out there, so I mean, a lot of these playlists are high fantasy-esque!

Anyways, why keep them all to myself; I want to share them with you! Today, I spent a bit of time (a lot, i got carried away) on each playlist to ensure that each have an appropriate title, description, and are roughly an hour long each! Some are harder to make longer, but that’s okay.

So without further ado, below the cut, I have added links to all my Spotify playlists with the Title and information for each!

Writing

Jazzy Tunes - Chill, jazzy tunes - 7 songs, 27 mins

Thoughtful - A really small playlist of super chill music that is mostly just to get me into a relaxed mental zone. - 7 songs, 29 mins

Nerdy Classical - Mostly orchestral versions of video game music - 47 songs, 2h 31m

Atmospheric - Literally just the entire The Last of Us soundtrack, which the environment of my novel is highly inspired by ( in other words, a very self indulgent playlist). - 56 songs, 1h 57m

DnD

By Location (in the homebrew world)

Cities of Chladný - Music inspired by Russian folk songs - 12 songs, 51 mins

Cities of Félgra - Music with Celtic and Irish themes - 19 songs, 57 mins

Cities of Ghaan - A playlist inspired by India’s culture - 10 songs, 56 mins

Cities of Hjarta - A playlist of music with Nordic themes - 17 songs, 1h 14m

Cities of Sokoku - Music inspired by East Asian cultures - 19 songs, 1h 16m

Cities of Vielejhüegel - A playlist for Vielejhugel, a country with German folk themes. - 18 songs, 1h 10m

the Feywild - Strings and flutes and adventuring through the mystical Feywild. - 10 songs, 44 mins

The Forsaken Mountains - Peaceful music for daytime exploration of the Forsaken Mountains. - 9 songs, 33 mins

The Foggy Felgran Moors - The mist brings with it strange things... Eerie celtic music for eerie Felgra. - 9 songs, 29 mins

The Underdark, the Abyss, and Beyond - Creepy, eerie music for the Underdark, the Abyss, and other creepy asf places. - 17 songs, 1h 3m

Tengoku Temple - Music for Tengoku, the sacred city in the clouds. - 9 songs, 30 mins

Places

Campfires and Long Rests - Relaxing music for when the party takes a long rest or during chill RP moments. - 20 songs, 1h 35m

Ruins - Creepy, eerie music for exploring abandoned ruins and creepy caves. - 21 songs, 1h 11m

Town

Taverns and Pubs - An upbeat playlist with songs featuring lots of strings and flutes (or woodwinds or something i don't know instruments). Perfect for taverns, inns, and pubs. - 24 songs, 57 mins

Town & Shoppe - Music for exploring and shopping in small towns - 23 songs, 52 mins

Town, Creepy - For haunted, abandoned, or generally creepy places! - 34 songs, 1h 51m

General Adventuring - Chill, calming music for when your party is adventuring through rolling hills and other magical shit. - 25 songs, 1h 29m

Temples

Temple, Creepy (Low) - Temple and sacred music with elements of Alto/Bass (i googled that) choirs and creepy vibes. - 14 songs, 1h 37m

Temple, Elegant (High) - Temple or sacred sounding music with elements of Soprano/Tenor (i googled that, too) choirs. - 17 songs, 1h 1m

Temple Combat - Combat music that is fast paced with some songs that have elements of hymns and choirs. - 22 songs, 1h 15m

Sailing

Underwater, Chill/Eerie - A collection of whale sounds and underwater noises for underwater exploration - 11 songs, 30 mins

Sailing, Chill - Relaxed music for sailing - 9 songs, 30 mins

Eerie Waters - Literally just one really long weird whale song. - 1 song, 31 mins

I’m on a BOAT! General Ship Ambiance - General ship/sea music- flutes and piratey stuff! - 21 songs, 1h 2m

FASTER! - Sailing Chase - A playlist for all those chase scenes at sea! - 26 songs, 1h 14m

Ship Combat - A playlist full of upbeat combat music for fighting at sea! - 16 songs, 41 mins

Sea Shanties, Yo! - A collection of sea shanties for all your shantying needs. - 14 songs, 36 mins

Forests

Enchanted Forest - Ambient soothing music with natural sounds like chirping, wind, and water. - 10 songs, 58 mins

Creepy Forest - Creepy instrumental music for forests, hauntey houses, and so on. - 21 songs, 1h 15m

Combat

RUN FASTER! Chase Scenes - A short playlist for chase scenes. - 4 songs, 14 mins

Combat with the Forsaken - Combat for creepy ruins and haunted houses! - 11 songs, 37 mins

Combat, General - Fast, aggressive combat music. - 1h 2m

Combat, Boss Fight - Super heavy combat music for fighting bosses and other BBEGs. - 15 songs, 43 mins

Emotions (i’ll probs add more later)

Death of a Party Member - A short playlist of solemn music for deaths, grief and other sad shit. - 5 songs, 13 mins

.... that’s it for the playlists (for now). Here are some additional notes about the playlists.

So, I have playlists named based off cities in my cousin’s homebrew world so the titles are our fictional countries. My cousin used my Spotify to create the country playlists- each country has a cultural theme, which is in the description!

It should be noted, none of this music is supposed to represent anything other than the fact that she wanted music that has pays homage to the cultures that she has included in her homebrew worlds. She spent a lot of time researching cultures as a way to diversifiy her homebrew world. It’s not meant to actually represent an entire culture or anything of that sort.

Another note, in Spotify I literally have a writing folder, and then a dnd folder, but I use both pretty interchangeably. It’s mostly so that I don’t have to see all 500 of the nerd playlists that I have clogging up my sidebar with my other random playlists.

You may be thinking, “Where’s all the amazing Skyrim music?” (You might not, and good on you). Yes, we all know Skyrim and the other Elder Scrolls games have fantastic soundtracks, but I think a lot of the Elder Scrolls game’s soundtracks are sooo easily identifiable. And when RPing, it really takes me out of the moment when I’m trying to pay attention to another party member and a song comes on and I’m like, yeah I remember STUPID LYDIA dying for the 50th time to this song. So I try not to include them in my dnd playlists. There are so many other great soundtracks out there to choose from anyways, so why not pick them!

Anyways, I love making playlists and I’ll be adding more soon when I start creating my personal homebrew world. That will be more Victorian and Steampunk, so I’ll probably add ton more and reblog this with more down the road (if people find it useful anyways).

If you don’t have the time and would like me to make some fun playlists for types of themes or stuff that I may have missed or don’t have in our worlds, hit me up! Let me know your ideas and I’d be more than happy to give it a shot! I hope you all enjoy the playlists!

oh god i hope all these links work because i spent a ridiculous amount of time adding them in and it’ll be a real bitch to do again but i wasnt about to test them all. so let me know if they dont work.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #263

laptop is still broken, nvm. :’)

Do you have a favorite song by The Cure? "Sweet Soul Sister." (': Are there things you've never told for fear that others would judge you? Yep. Can sex ever be casual? I personally don't support it, but ultimately, so long it's consensual, protected, and both parties understand what's going on, you do you. Would you like to go on television to receive a make-over? Not on TV, no. It'd be awesome to see myself after a professional makeup, but I ain't going on TV to show my ugly face. What will no one ever see you do? Smoking. Are you quick to anger? Rarely. Are you slow to forgive? Not really. Usually. What do you need help with? Being an adult, lmao. Do you take the easy way out of things? More often than I'd like... What is your favorite fabric to wear? *shrugs* I don't pay attention to the fabric I wear, really. Do you still make a wish when you blow out your birthday candles? C'mon dude, you've got to! I don't believe in wishes increasing your odds of anything, but it's a must anyway! Do you look for four leaf clovers? Just casually when I'm walking or sitting outside. What are you the guardian of? My pets! Are you for or against censoring child pornography? I've seen many stupid questions in surveys. But this is the absolute dumbest. What the fuck is wrong with you. Are naked child images in paintings more acceptable than photographs of naked children? GENERALLY, yes, but it really depends on the artistic portrayal. None should be sexualized. Now that we can create such lifelike digital images, do you think it should be allowed for digital child pornography to exist (as in there were no children involved in the porn, it is all digitally made, the kids aren't real, they just look real)? Absofuckinglutely not. The concept is absolutely repulsive. Enough with these fucking questions. Do you like Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy better? Wheel of Fortune, ig. Jeopardy is pretty boring to me. What is your favorite tarot deck? I don’t know enough about tarots to comment. How do you feel about Wicca and Paganism? IT'S SUPER SUPER INTERESTING AND COOL AND I LOVE LEARNING ABOUT IT!!!! I relate most to Neo-Paganism anyway, so I obviously don't mind them. Wicca especially is a very, very misconstrued religion that has just been horribly abused by the media. Do you believe that people who practise the above religions are able to accomplish magic? No, I don't. If you were given the opportunity to lead a creative writing program for a small group of students in a high school with a low budget in generally poor neighborhood, would you do it? No, but only because I could never been a teacher. Sounds fun otherwise. Should high school cafeterias stop serving twinkies and other fatty foods? BIIIIITCH whose HS sells Twinkies????? I need to know?????? Anyway, no, but I believe there must be mostly actually nutritional options. Let kids have the chance to have a little snack during a boring 'ole school day. What band is so romantic that anyone who listens to them must be romantic at heart? BOY Josh Groban. Have your gods and idols let you down? The Christian god did. What do you waste? Whew... time... time. When was the last time that you were neither going to school or working for a month or more? Currently. Ugh. What is your light at the end of the tunnel? The potential of a beautiful future. Speaking of the light, is the light that people see when they die the random firing of electrons or is it something more? Good question. I lean towards it being a natural phenomenon as everything shuts down, BUT I find the reincarnation/birth canal theory to be quite interesting. I don't really believe it, but hey, who the hell am I to decide if it is or not. If you were going to have a mural painted in your bed room what would you want it to be of? A scene of meerkats probably. Is sex more about fulfilling a need or giving yourself? Giving yourself. Do you like your belly? FUCK NO. Do you think more or act more? Think, sadly. Should there be a mandatory retirement age? Of course not. You work all you want boo. What's the craziest thing you've ever done on impulse that worked out well? This is gonna sound... very bad, but my suicide attempt. It made things abundantly clear I needed serious help. It led to my partial hospitalization program. Do you have any exercise tapes or DVDs? No but OH MY GOD this made me remember my lil sister used to a Barbie one that we followed lmaoooo. Does the sound of crickets bother you? No, I quite enjoy it actually. Is the sound of a fan on at night soothing? Yessss. How do you feel you will likely die? I really don't know, but probably cancer-related. Recent events have made it abundantly clear it does in fact run in our family, and genetic testing because of Mom's cancer revealed that at least through her, my sisters and I are susceptible to pancreatic, breast, and ovarian cancer. Once this virus passes over, we're all getting tested for free to get an understanding of what hell Dad gave us lmao. Have you ever been slapped in the face? No. How about punched? Yeesh, no. That was something unique about you as a child? I was CRAZY about dinos for the average little girl. Have you ever come up with a memorable quote? Not really. What is something interesting about where you live? The town is like, really, really old. Downtown looks right out of an old movie. Were you breastfed as a baby? Yeah. If you’ve lost your virginity, what was your first time like? I don't remember it because it didn't really register what we were doing was sex. I still don't know today if you could call it sex since it was really dry humping through thin clothes, but it sounds close enough. What do you think about masturbation? You do you boo. Is it sometimes better than the real thing? I don't think so, though I only had a brief episode where I did it when I was put on a new birth control that made my hormones like so, so far beyond control. I stopped that shit sooo fast. I got almost nothing out of it, honestly. Intimacy is a two-person job for me. Who do you think about most? Jason, whether I want to or not. Favorite way to pamper yourself? Go to bed early lol. What's your most expensive piece of clothing? I don't have a clue. I don't really have expensive stuff. What was your last big achievement? Ugh... I'm not the person to ask. I haven't made any big ones even semi-recently. Have you ever had a "false alarm" moment, what was it about? Oh sure. The first time that comes to mind was when I thought Venus was dying once when she had a series of horrible coughing/gagging fits a long time ago. We took her to the vet with the risk of a respiratory infection, but she was clear, thankfully. I think she had early signs, though. Do you know how to ride a bike? Ye. If you were in the hospital who are the two people you'd want by your side? Mom of course, and it'd be nice if Sara was there if she was at all capable of that, but I'm fine w/ just Mom. If you could ever take a street sign, what sign do you want? Well, I wouldn't, but probably "stop" bc that applies to a lot in my life, lmao. Have you ever not returned something you borrowed and if so what was it? I don't think so? When you pack your lunch, what's your favorite packed lunch? Usually just a good 'ole pb&j. :') What was the one most important thing you learned from your parents? Take care of your goddamn relationship. Talk shit out instead of yelling. Work together. Never neglect the reason you're with each other. Have you done something you worry could come back to haunt you, what? No, because I don't believe in karma. If you had to build a small ark, what 7 animals would you save? Those with the biggest ecological impact, like bees and spiders, for example. I wouldn't be very happy with all my choices while all other animals perished, but you've gotta think of what comes next. Out of just selfishness I'd obviously have to spare a spot for meerkats, aha. They'd help with the bug control, though! I don't know about the other four, though; I'd have to think real hard on 'em. What is something your parents love that you actually love too? Classic rock and metal. Has anyone ever said "I love you" and you couldn't say it back? I firmly remember this is how I ended that childish shit with Joel. He said it and I couldn't. Have you ever ridden a camel? No. What's been the hardest loss you've had to take? Jason. What emotion is your least favorite and the one you are not in touch with? Fear, of course. No one likes being afraid. I'm not all that in touch with greed at all. Do you think facial moles or freckles are cute? I don’t mind 'em. Sometimes they're super-duper cute. Would you ever pick up a hitchhiker? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I don't trust strangers for shit. If you're searching for a relationship, where is your go-to place to look? I don't really "look" anywhere. What book have you read multiple times? I lost count of how many times I've read Meerkat Manor: Flower of the Kalahari. Granted, in subsequent reads, I would skip over the HUGE tangent chunks that were entirely unrelated to meerkats. I seriously remember one long-ass section was like a goddamn essay on why smaller animals tend to have unnaturally large testicles like I don't fucking care talk about Flower again. I think I only decided to read it in full two times, but maybe not even that. Do you keep a budget? I don't have the income to do so. Have you ever test driven a car you knew you weren't going to buy? No, never test-drove anything. What do you have a hard time visualizing? There's a number of things, but this one thing is weird shit: I can't picture my old therapist. Even when I saw her every month, I could almost NEVER visualize her in my head. She's a fucking cryptid or something, paranormal shenanigans is going on here. She's the only person I know where I have that problem. What makes you feel uncomfortable in group settings? I worry I'll make myself look stupid in front of everyone. What was your worst date ever? I don't feel like I've really had a bad one. I've had one that did nooooot go according to plan and I know the average girl would've been annoyed, but I'm actually an understanding human being who found the adventure fun in the end. Basically a flat tire, a sketchy tire place, and a lot of walking happened lmao. Tyler felt fucking awful, felt bad for him. Have you ever gotten in a bidding war on Ebay, if so for what item? HAHA yeah, though it was technically Mom, but she had me keep an eye on it. I remember Parasite Eve took some battling to get. I think maybe a Legend of Spyro game, too? Are you supportive of your friends even if you don't agree with them? So long it's not literally insane or stupid, usually. It really does depend. What did you think was stupid until you tried it? Hm. I'm not sure. What subject do you and your parents never see eye to eye on? Religion. I keep most of my beliefs to myself now. Where do you see yourself in 1 year's time? Honestly, I don't want to ponder and picture this. What is your favorite type of seafood? I only like shrimp. What triggers your inner shopaholic? HA, do tattoos count? See cool ones, and then I'm planning (more than only always...) tons of new ones I want and will just be DYING (ALSO more than always lakdjfwe) to go to the parlor. What public figure do you disagree with the most? I really can't say considering I'm just not educated enough here. What is your opinion on rats as pets? They are absolutely wonderful! Smart, sweet, and very clean despite their stigma. I've had quite a few. What is something you're afraid to try? Sky diving, the Tower of Terror ride. ;___; That kinda stuff. What song makes you dance uncontrollably? None. Do you like nachos, if so what topping is a MUST have? Cheese is all I really need for nachos. Do you have any subscriptions? Yes, to Adobe Creative Cloud. Which is better, Mario or Sonic? Mario games are cute, Sonic's make me cringe - I've watched enough Game Grumps to know lmao. I hate hate hate cringe culture, like let people enjoy whatever, but I absolutely cannot stop my cringe reaction to some shit. I don't judge the people that enjoy whatever it is, though. THAT pisses me off. Who is the most creative person you know? I've known Sara and Connie much too long to not say them. They have such vast imaginations. Besides a pickle, what is your favorite thing pickled? I've actually never tried anything pickled, I think... no wait. Aren't jalapenos? Well there, jalapenos. What did you do for your 21st birthday? If not, 21 what are your plans? I had my normal therapy sessions in the mental hospital lmfao. It's unfortunate, but I do have fond memories of the day. Everyone was so damn sweet, and the friend I made there even got in touch with one of the lunch ladies, who literally went to go buy me a slice of cake. She and the other employees in the kitchen brought it out at dinner, and everyone sang happy birthday. I think I remember tearing up just because it was so goddamn sweet, but also bittersweet in that I was in a fucking mental institution for my BIGGEST birthday. When I got out, Colleen bought me a red velvet cake to "make up for it," ha ha. I miss her every now and then alsdkjf;wae. Are you a role model for anyone in your life? Oh, I doubt it. Do you think you need to slow down and enjoy life more? I don't need to go any fucking slower in my life. Can you impersonate anyone famous? I don't believe so. Never really tried anyone. What is your favorite salty snack? Spicy Cheetos mmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM What is your favorite restaurant? Olive Garden for sit-down, Sonic for fast food. Have you ever been in a play for school? In elementary school. I never had a big roll, though. Do you wish you had more friends? Very much. What is the main character’s name in the book you’re reading? Aunt Lydia. Which famous author would you like to meet? I'm not particularly interested in any. Which artist would you like to meet? Hey hey hey. Mark's brother is a comic artist. Meet him, one step closer to meeting God Himself. (ง ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)ง Which singer would you like to meet? OZZY sobs What celebrity do you have a crush on? Anyone who's even heard about a hint of my Markiplier obsession knows I would fuck him into oblivion. When you were in middle school, were you in love with someone you never talked to? No, I didn't romantically love anyone. Do you believe that there is an unseen spirit realm? I do. Martini, margarita, or sangria? YO STOP I'm weak with these things. I can't pick. Do you feel you are extremely gifted but no one appreciates you? No. I honestly feel like people have more faith in what I'm capable of than deserved. What Lisa Frank character is your favourite? The angel cat, probably. Or tiger. Do you know how to use Braille? No. When you use stairs, do you usually hold the rail? Currently, I have to because of my muscle atrophy. I need help to stay steady. Have you ever worn a veil? No. Have you ever planted a tree? We actually did plant an apple tree in our front yard at my childhood home. Never grew much. Have you ever made anything with clay? A number of things from art classes. Has today been a good day? No, honestly. Have you ever fed a horse hay? Yes. Are you more likely to text "Okay", "OK" or just "K"? "'Okay.' The other two are restricted for when I am in a mood and want someone to know I am in a mood." <<<< HA HA SAME. Do you like the taste of lime? Sure. Have you ever seen a mime (in real life)? Not to my recollection. Have you ever seen a deer (in real life)? Plenty of times; whitetails are common here. Right now, what can you hear? "Game Over" by Falling In Reverse. Have you ever seen a bear (in real life)? In the zoo, yes. I think there's a possibility I have in the wild, but only from a distance? Have you ever eaten glue? No. Do you tend to buy clothes used or new? New. If you have Netflix, how many items are in your queue? N/A

[crazyzaika]

Prophecy Unguided - Chapter 3

Sooo, it took a long time. I'm really sorry about that, but that's how it is when you have a writer's block. In itself I know where to go and I have already finished writing some scenes. I hope, however, that you will still be happy about this chapter.

And don't worry, this story will definitely end, no matter how long it takes. And for everyone who was looking forward to Jerza, here you definitely get Jerza

.

Greets Z <3

.

.

.

Chapter 3

.

.

.

Thousands of colourful ribbons decorated the garlands and columns on the large square covered with marble slabs. The corridor between the stone benches was festively decorated with flowers, music filled the warm air and the humming of the conversations and the chirping of the birds of the forest around the temple complex were still audible despite the music. The high witch priestess stood together with the bridesmaids and the witnesses under a magic canopy. Flowers formed a magical dome, butterflies fluttered from blossom to blossom, bees and bumble bees also tumbled around and literally played through the numerous blossoms.

Erza was nervous. And at the same time she was incredibly looking forward to this day. Her day. Finally they would connect, tie the bond of souls, start a family. She stepped out of the shade of the temple building into the sunlight onto the large festival square. The music changed and the conversations of the guests stopped. A tremble ran through her hands, but she closed her eyes for a moment, breathed in deeply. Her shoulders relaxed, she rolled them and the broad radiance on her features grew even wider. Her heartbeat began to race, accelerating with every step she took. Since her parents had fallen more than 200 years ago in the last great battle against the dark god Hades, she would walk this walk to the altar alone. And as much as it hurt her that her two circle sisters Levy and Lucy weren't here, she was happy that they finally held this ceremony. She had so longed for it. Jellal had always been hesitant, uncertain. He had already done many bad things in his life and it had taken her a lot of time and effort to take the old guilt from him. She walked safely along the long corridor decorated with flowers, birds escorting her, flying behind her and carrying the delicate veil of lace.

Her gaze glided over her mate. Her big love. He wore a floor-length white robe whose hem was embroidered with golden, blue and red tendrils, flowers and trees. His fingertips were dyed red, while hers had been dyed blue. Love shimmered in his dark soul mirrors and she stepped beside him, grabbing her dress so as not to stumble over the small stone step. Jellal took her hands as they stood in front of each other. The music finally fell silent and silence lay over the present witch society. Erza and looked up radiantly at Jellal, who returned the broad smile on her face. Then they looked at the high witch priestess who would marry them. She looked at them and waited patiently until she had her attention. She wore a black, floor-length robe, the hem of which was embroidered with countless silver tendrils. The wide trumpet sleeves reached down to the floor. Her skin shimmered golden and radiated pure magic. The white-blond hair and the bright turquoise irides also shimmered with magic.

"We have gathered here today to unite these two witch children, these two soul mates in the holy covenant of soul bonding before the ancient gods. If anyone knows a reason why these two should not be bound to each other, let them speak now, or be silent forever," she began. She held a thick book in her hands, but never looked down on the pages. Silence was spreading over the guests. No one raised any objections and the priestess nodded.

"Well then, since no one wants to separate these two, we'll start with -"

"HELP! HELP! HELP US," an elemental spirit rushed to the square and interrupted the priestess words. Erza's head whirled around, her eyes directed at the spirit that was disturbing the ceremony. Anger was boiling in her. How dare it be? Whispering rose among the guests. But when she saw which elemental spirit had just burst into the bonding ceremony and in what condition it was, she became ice-cold. A tremor ran through her body. A weakly shimmering fox stood trembling and with bleeding fur on the square. Golden and red blood dripped onto the marble plates and the smell of dark, impure magic, death, smoke and burnt flesh rose from his fur. The beast's eyes were wide open in panic and fear. This elemental spirit belonged to the northern temple. The temple where Lucy and Levy lived and practiced. She rushed, without hesitation, to the Elemental Spirit, feeling tears rising in her eyes. Fear crept up in her as she passed the meters to the trembling creature in seconds. With trembling hands, she sat down next to him on the floor, began to weave spells, channel her magic, and stroked through the bloody fur. Wordlessly, she cast healing spells. She was more versed in offensive magic and less in healing magic, so it took her a while and she needed more magic to heal his wounds.

"What Happened", Jellal knelt beside her on the ground, drawing healing runes in the air to support her. The fox sniffed, tears formed in his golden eyes, dripping on the stone floor.

"They ... gods have attacked us," he whimpered and you could see the fear in him. It surrounded him in a slightly black glimmer. Fearful and confused scraps of words penetrated Erza's ears and she felt her throat closing. Her heart beat anxiously against her ribs. If these assholes had done anything to their sisters!

"And then what? How many dead, wounded?" asked Jellal and Erza pressed her lips tightly together. She tried to soothe the spirit by stroking its fur, but her hands trembled even more than before.

"I ... Half of the witches in the temple are dead, the other half kidnapped," he said and his ears sank even deeper. Erza flinched sharply and a deep rumble rolled up Jellal's throat. He knew exactly what that meant and she could feel his magic boil up furiously inside him.

"Please tell me ... Levy and Lucy ... they are ...", her voice failed and the heart beat her painfully fast against the ribs. Fear clasped her heart, her soul, her magic. The elemental spirit leaned against Erza.

"They were alive, they were kidnapped and since Mistress Lucy had just finished meditating, she could not defend herself properly," he said and lowered the gaze shamefully to the floor. Erza understood why. Her fingers dug into his fur and she leaned her forehead against his.

"Shhh. It's not your fault. You rushed here knowing that you would get help here," she said and swallowed easily. A whimpering escaped the creature before it began to cry. Erza felt the fear in her release and was replaced by anger. Anger at the damage done to her family in the north, anger at the injury to this beautiful creature, and anger at the interruption of her marriage ceremony. This also explained why Lucy and Levy hadn't arrived yet. She carefully detached herself from the fox, rose. Her hands clenched to fists. Her gaze glided over the witches and sorcerers present. Silence lay over the company. There were about 500 war witches here. Erza whirled around and marched with rapid steps to the pedestal, where they had stood just a few minutes ago and actually wanted to be connected in love. Magic enveloped her and the floor-length white dress slowly disintegrated. The sweeping wide skirt disappeared. Erza summoned up her armor. A silver armour, which covered almost her entire body, offered ultimate protection, but was as light as a feather due to the numerous spells in the metal.

"My brothers and sisters! Again gods have dared to attack ours! So far we have always remained silent, either because we were too late or because they were outnumbered. But this time they have gone too far! They have Lucy from the house Heartfilia! They have stolen our blessed ones, our chosen ones! They have killed sisters and brothers in the north," she called and with every word the aura of her power continued to grow. The other warriors present rose and magic unfolded. Little by little they summoned up their war armour and rage filled the air. Jellal had also exchanged his festive robe for a deep black armour. Anger and murder were clearly written on his face.

" THEY SHOULD EXPERIENCE WHAT IT MEANS, TO MESS WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE WITCHES," she yelled, pulling out her sword from the scabbard. The air was filled with approving shouts and the sound of war horns. The ground vibrated under the thundering roar of the horns.

"THONA WHAHAR," she shouted and her call to war was answered by hundreds of voices.

Birds rose from the trees in shock. Erza set herself in motion, Jellal at her side. The witches of the south would go to war!

.

.

.

Lucy leaned against the stone balustrade. Her gaze glided over the wide inner courtyard, over the roughly hewn walls. The roar of low voices as well as the clang from colliding metals. The men of the southern dragon clan trained together. Either directly in close combat, or with weapons and light armour. Wind came up and despite the fact that it was a warm climate in which the dragons lived, cold shivers crept over her skin.

She was now at her dragon's castle for a good three days. Wind plucked her hair and her fingers cramped as she thought of Natsu. Her heartbeat accelerated and she bit her lower lip. Lucy felt her flaming redness creeping into her cheeks. She would lie if she said she didn't find him attractive. Quite the contrary. His nature, his smell, his warmth, these beautiful eyes. Everything attracted her magically. And yet she could not give in to him. Lost in thought she touched her lips and closed her eyes. Heat crept through her body like liquid lava. She sensed how heat clenched in her stomach, felt how everything in her seemed to contract. Feel the treacherous tingling between her thighs.

She swallowed slightly and bit her lower lip, shaking her head as she remembered her mate's hunger and longing for her. She knew perfectly well that dragons were very possessive, caring lovers. But she also knew what her mission was. Lucy wasn't stupid, she knew that Natsu would die if she gave in to him. If she would let her enter into the bond of souls with him. Only very few survived the death of their bonded soul mate. Her father had not recovered from her mother's death and had died of a broken heart. She did not want that for Natsu. And she wanted to spare herself the illusion of a love she was not allowed to have. Even if she longed to get closer to him. Her heart hurt at the thought and she could feel the whimpering of her soul. Lucy took a trembling breath and she felt the treacherous burning of unweeping tears in her eyes.

"Are you feeling all right?" A deep voice penetrated her ears and she jerked up, looking to the side. Ignia stood in the corridor, looking at her with a frowned forehead. Like most of the people here, he wore the typical clothes of the country. Pluder pants, fur-trimmed belts. Natsu often wore a vest, which was open. Ignia simply left that out. Countless magical tattoos adorned his skin. She lowered her eyes again to the warriors in the inner courtyard.

"It's all right," she said. She would certainly not cry in front of another dragon. She didn't even cry in front of Natsu.

"Well ... I smell that you're about to cry," Natsus's older brother grumbled and she stiffend convulsively. She somehow didn't like him. There was something intimidating about him and it always seemed like he was treating her like a little child. Or don't take her very seriously. She didn't know why. Silence spread between the two of them. Under no circumstances would she answer him to his last words.

"Do you still want anything from me, Prince Ignia? Or are you just here to make me feel tiny small?" she asked after a while when she couldn't stand this mood. The silence between them was oppressive, heavy. The smell of hot spices and smoke hung in the air. A smell that clearly came from Natsu's brother. She forced herself to look at him and stared with narrowed eyes at this dragon, which towered over her by a good two heads. Which was no wonder. All the dragons loosely towered over her by at least one head. Natsu was no exception. Even Ignias mate was no exception. Even if the slender, beautiful dragon only exceeded her by half a head.

His deep red soul mirrors lay on her and his eyes narrowed as a threatening growl rolled up his throat. His gaze became gloomy, the air between them seemed to charge with magic. Lucy became even more tense, but she didn't step back from him. He was about to say something, as two narrow arms snaked around his shoulders and two long, slender legs around his waist.

"Igy-chan, my darling", Miyuki, Ignias mate had apparently sneaked up on him again and jumped at him from behind. Lucy had already seen that several times that the dragoness liked to do such a thing. She had braided the long pastel pink hair to several narrow braids and finally tied them together to a high pony. Golden pearls and metal rings shimmered in the sunlight. The ruby red eyes shimmered full of love for Ignia. Lucy's lips twitched slightly as she suppressed the laughter that threatened to roll over her lips.

"What is it, woman?" he asked and his features became a little less threatening. It was always amazing how Miyuki worked on Ignia, or generally how a mate worked on her dragon. Because the dragon warriors here were rough, brutal. If you couldn't avoid them fast enough, you would get hurt. But in the face of their own mate, raging dragon warriors became tender, gentle lambs.

"You know you shouldn't get on Lucy's back. Leave her alone or you will sleep on the floor. Or in the barn by the horses, choose it", Miyuki seemed strict while she looked at her husband and Ignia sighed annoyed, put his head to his neck.

"My goodness, you're all annoying. Women," he growled and Miyuki laughed quietly. And then Lucy felt it. A wave of magic rolled through the land. Her eyes widened and her head jerked in the direction of the source. Her heartbeat speeded up, agitation and restlessness filled her senses. The narrow brows contracted. Could that be? Her breathing accelerated, cold shivers crept over her skin. She closed her eyes and concentrated, blinding the squabbling couple next to her out. She hummed a tone, laid her palms flat on the stone of the balustrade and sucked the air around her deep into her lungs. Magic flared up and she checked every presence within a 10 kilometre radius. Sweat beads stepped on her forehead and for a moment she was confused. She knew the people approaching them.

However, she also knew the kind of beings they were riding on. And they had only been bred for war purposes. Her eyes widdend in panic and Lucy stared in that direction. She swallowed. Erza was approaching. She loved her witch sister, but why was she prepared for war? She bit her lower lip and her gaze glided over the training warriors, over the servants doing their job, over a group of children playing with dogs and cats. She didn't know why Erza was moving equipped to war here, because the time had not yet come. But she knew one thing, if she came here with war intentions, then even the strong dragons would not be able to defend themselves against her. She had felt the anger of Erzas.

"Damned, dirty shit ...", she interrupted herself and anger flared up in her. She could not allow anything to happen to these people here and summoned up a light armour.

"Woa what ...", Ignia and Miyuki seemed startled by her sudden action. Lucy cast a floating spell and rose into the air, flew over to the outermost castle wall. Her heart was beating up to her neck. She knew that she was stronger in herself than Erza but in a long run? She stretched her arms to the side and activated a spell that she had woven into the walls while here. A protective barrier that would stop every spell, every curse. Magic filled the air, she felt how the dragons in the inner courtyard had stopped fighting and looked at her. Magic symbols filled the air and the magic of the barrier made it shimmer golden, forming a truly glowing dome over the castle. Wind came up and swirled her long hair. She could already see the army of the southern temple. And then the thundering roar of Erzas behemoth filled the air. The earth trembled, she heard the fearful screams of the children, the panic screams of the horses in the stables. Warriors rushed to the castle wall, armed, ready to fight.

"Who is that, Lucy?" Natsu's voice reached her ears, but she didn't look at him.

"This is Erza from the house of Belserion," she said. Her witch sister's army was now a good half a kilometre outside the gates of the Dragon Castle. With Erza at her head. She could feel the hatred and anger of the other witches and swallowed lightly. Her sister in spirit sat on a behemoth. A mighty creature that exceeded the 30 meter high castle wall by another 20 meters. It had a thick, hard shell of black scales. Sharp claws, which she estimated to be about 5 meters long. Huge fangs shimmered in the sunlight. Erza stood on the head of her war animal. And although this monster had huge, long horns, she didn't drown in her armour. Two horns bent around behemoth's head to protect it, reaching up to his mouth. Four more protruded backward and bent backward in varying lengths.

"GIVE US OUR CHOSEN ONE BACK, YOUR DEFORMED LIZARDS," Erza yelled.

"What the hell ..." Natsu began and blinked. Lucy scrutinized him out of the corner of his eye. She could feel the dragons around her getting angry at this insult. Dragons were proud persons. Warning growls filled the air as the warriors pulled out their weapons. She had no choice but to act.

"ERZA YOU STUPID TOAD! WHAT THE FUCKING HELL?" Lucy yelled back and silence sank over the impending battle. She floated a little higher, put her hands on her hips and looked at her witch sister.

"Lucy", Erza was confused, you could see her when she recognized her beloved witch sister.

"WHAT THE FUCK? DID ALL OF YOU GONE INSANE, OR WHAT?" Lucy yelled angrily. She summoned up a little ball of light and threw it to the bewildered Erza's head. Which didn't even fight back, got the energy ball to her head and fell on her butt.

"But you ...", began the still very confused Erza.

"WE HAVE AN ALLIANCE WITH THE DRAGONS, YOU STUPID IDIOTS! HOW DO YOU PLEASE COME TO THIS ABSOLUT IDIOTIC IDEA, TO MARCH HERE?" she shouted and her voice became louder and louder through magic.

Erza began "Uh...the gods have," but was immediately interrupted by Lucy.

"AH, THE GODS, YES? OFF YOU SADDLE YOUR IDIOTIC MORONS! EVERYONE, OR YOU LEARN TO KNOW ME FROM AN OTHER SIDE," Lucy screamed and magic pulsated around her. With astonishment all the dragon warriors watched as this small but impressive army of witches and magicians saddled off and how little children stared shamefaced on the ground while a raging Lucy floated in the air. Even the behemoth pressed himself to the ground. He had put his huge paws over his head and trembled slightly.

.

.

.

Natsu just watched the whole thing confused. He had clearly not expected that. Apart from the potential attack of the witches. Nobody had expected that either. But the fact that his mate, who was destined for him, just put the whole pack down and ended it with words was unbelievable. He felt his brother Zeref step beside him.

"And this is the one for you?" he asked quietly and Natsu nodded, looked to the side. His brother seemed amused and his mouth corners twitched slightly.

"Well then have fun, brother," he laughed and Natsu snorted slightly.

"Yes, thank you, asshole," he growled back. He was filled with admiration and awe as he watched Lucy fold the angry witches together. It was as if she was an angry mother who was scolding children's. That's what she looked like. An amused grin covered his lips.