#until i realized some people passing by were making the noise at me LOL

[mysicklove]

𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆

DAY 3: ORAL FIXATION + FACE FUCKING

With: Rin Itoshi

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Sub! Rin, reader is fem coded, gagging, lots of drool and saliva, unrealistic potrayal of oral fixations, cringey dialogue in beginning, tears, reader spits in his mouth, cumming in pants, biting

A/N: this is gross. also, i have a oral fixation and i know this is not how it works, but whatever this is fanFICTION let me live lol

Rin Itoshi has a bad mouth. Sure, his vocabulary is not too full of curse words, but by god he insults people way too much. Whats crazy about it, is he actually believes what he says, and often times you have to cover his mouth before he accidentally picks a fight with someone. He is cool and collected 90% of the time, and because of his aloof attitude, it drives people insane when they hear his rude, blunt words.

You are working on it with him, or at least trying to. Whenever he is rude to someone, you quickly scramble to apologize and reassure that he meant nothing harmful. By the end of it, he always gives you the strangest stares, wondering why you care enough to explain himself to the other person. But you were kind, and he…had other good qualities about him.

He discovered something new about himself during this time as well. You were sitting on his lap, talking to some guests at the two of yours apartment, when one of the guys teased Rin’s cold personality just a tad. Before your lovely boyfriend could bark back a probably way too passive aggressive reply, you covered his mouth with your hand, accidentally slipping one of your fingers into his mouth.

He stared at you in silence while the others gently laughed, and moved away from the conversation. He teasingly licked at the digit, and your smile widened to hide back a shiver, pretending nothing is amiss to the others.  You pulled your hand away a couple seconds later, and he unconsciously followed it, blinking at you when you stared at him in confusion.

And ever since that day, Rin found himself feeling…strange. It didn't affect his day to day life, but he realized that having stuff in his mouth, made him feel strangely calm. After a quick google search, he realized he must have an oral fixation that he has not discovered until now.

He took to lollipops for a week, justifying himself to you by blaming it on his sweetooth (that he doesn't have). Once you teased him about ruining his teeth from all the sugar, and he stopped. He bit his nails for two days, and even if it did help him focus on the task at hand, it made him feel unsanitary and gross. He considered trying smoking, but his career depended on his lungs, so he threw that thought away. 

Toothpicks and gum are his savior currently. With either of the two in his mouth, he finds himself less uptight, and it calmed his day to day nerves. It made him feel better all and all, and it didn't hurt him, so he was fine with his fixation.

But, ever since that day where he felt your finger in his mouth, he has been daydreaming about it. Two, or three of your digits would make his mouth completely occupied, and with them, he probably wouldn't be lost in his thoughts. It was just a passing thought in the beginning, thinking that maybe he nonchalantly ask you to put your (clean, he would specify) fingers into his mouth, but recently, the thoughts have gotten more lewd. 

What would it be like to have your fingers forcefully roam his mouth while he blinks back tears from the roughness? What would it be like for you to gag him when you reach too far in his throat? Would you laugh at the noise, or would you coo at him? What would it be like for you to spit in his mouth? After that thought, he decided to never talk to you about it. He had a pride to withhold.

But you quickly noticed your boyfriends new found stress reducer. He didn't necessarily hide it, but when you ask about it, he always deflects the conversation and then gets cranky when you don't let it go. You know Rin’s ridiculous behavior by heart now, so you know he is hiding something.

So, on the one day off he has from practice, you decided to confront him on whatever the hell was going on. With gifts.

“What the fuck is this?”

You cringe, and let out a breath. You definitely shouldn't have bought that. “Uh…A pacifier?”

Rin raises his eyebrows, peering into the plastic bag with a frown on his face. “Why did you bring home a bunch of gum, butterscotch, toothpicks, are these cigarettes? Really? And a pacifier.”

You probably should have just stuck with the gum. Even the toothpicks would be pushing it. “Suprise..?” You meekishly let out, afraid of the outcome.

“This is for me?” Rin questions, setting the bag down with a sigh, and turning to you with a blank stare.

“Well one of us has an oral fixation, and its not me,” You say, watching the way your boyfriend immediately flushes red, and looks away. 

He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “And where did you get that idea?”

You lean in closer to him, grabbing the bag with a huff. “From the weeks of you constantly having something in your mouth. After the fourth time of you pulling away from me, mid makeout session to spit out your gum, I figured something was up. And the internet is free you know.”

He peers at you, and doesn't say anything. You were right of course, but he was too embarrassed to admit it. Nor the idea of where this innocent fidgeting thing led to. “So you bought me cigarettes and a pacifier?” He accuses, tone harsher than before. It was unexpected how angry he got over something like this.

“I'm just trying to help you. What do you want me to do, stick my fingers in your mouth or something? Fuck, you dont got to be an asshole about it,” You quip back, growing annoyed at his behavior. He was being a brat for no reason, and although you did give him stupid gifts, he didn't have to be rude about it.

He glares at you, taking a step forward toward you. “Yeah? Maybe you should. Stick your fingers in my mouth, like the disgusting pervert you are.”

You bark a laugh at him. “Of course you make this sexual! Maybe I should, shows how desperate you are for a little attention,” You hiss, grabbing at his shirt and pulling you closer to you. You forcefully open his mouth and shove two of your fingers in. He gags, glaring up at  you from under has lashes from the mere forcefulness. 

You press the pads of your fingers to the roof of his mouth, his head tilting upward from the pressure. “Does this fucking help? Maybe I should just do this for….” You trail off, the bite in you dying down when you feel his tongue graze your finger. You begin to pull away, but he grabs onto your wrist, forcing it inside. “You really…Wow, okay,” You mumble, staring at your boyfriends now half lidded eyes.

He glances up at you, cheeks slightly flushed from embarrassment, but he would never admit that to you. Instead, he just mumbles, “Shut up.” which comes out a little garbled, making the complaint just sound cute.

You lead him to the couch, and motion for him to kneel on the carpet below. He glares at you, nipping gently on the tips of your fingers at the idea. “What? Obviously you are enjoying this way too much. So if you want my fingers in your mouth, then you can sit on the floor. You are too tall, I'll grow tired from reaching up,” You reason, fighting back the urge to roll your eyes as he continues to gnaw on your fingers in complaint.

He thinks about it for a second, and finally decides that you are right, so he takes his spot in between your legs, still holding onto your wrist like he is afraid that you are going to pull your fingers away. You pet his head, and finally relax your hand, your fingers falling limp on his tongue.

It doesnt take him long to start gently suckling on them, his tongue gently roaming around the two digits. You watch with amusement as his eyes grow heavy, and the thoughts seem to leave his brain. He looked so content like this, it was fascinating. The usual frown on his face gone, and drool beginning to bead at the corner of his lips.

“Mwove ‘em,” he demands not after long, and you bite back a laugh, knowing that his personality hasnt done a complete shift. But you abide to the command, and drag your fingers over his teeth, pressing them against the wall of his cheek, admiring how cute he looks when his lips are forcefully dragged to the side.

He takes notice to this and bites you again in warning, and this time you do laugh. “So temperamental, Rin. Thought you wanted me to move them around?”

“Dont make fwun of me.”

You hum, and use your hand to brush away his bangs. Then, you continue your exploration in his mouth, accidentally jabbing your fingers too far back, making him gag. You wince, apologizing immediately, but he doesn't say anything, gripping onto your wrists and pulling them deeper into his mouth. “Fuck Rin…This is....Kinda hot,” You murmur, cupping his cheek with one hand and plunging your other fingers deep into his mouth just to watch him gag again.

At your words his blue eyes flicker downward to his pants, and you follow them to see his hard on pressed against the fabric. You let out a breathless laugh, and put your finger to the top of his mouth again, forcing him to look up at you. His eyes are watery from the gagging, but other than that, he looks completely blissful, staring at you with hearts in his eyes. “Aw, this isn't bout your little oral fixation anymore, is it?" You taunt, narrowing your eyes at him. "You just wanna be face fucked, yeah Rin? Want me to abuse your pretty mouth until your throat is all bruised up and you are drooling all over the place?”

He gags again when your fingers travel back deeper in his mouth, but he doesn't say anything. He looks at you again, flushed in the face, and nods once, looking away immediately after. You play with his bottom lip, and grin at him. “God you're so pretty,” You praise, and he gulps, cock twitching in his pants.

Your fingers seem to travel every inch of his mouth, and his tongue follows them around, licking at them, even when you scold him to relax. Then, you begin to move your fingers in and out, and he gags with each thrust, tears dripping down his face as he forces his eyes shut. You listen to the gross sound of his throat being abused, and stare at him, completely fascinated about how hard he is right now. How something as strange as this could turn him on so much.

Suddenly, you grab his tongue and pull it out of his mouth. He winces at the harshness, and stares at you, slightly afraid of what's to come next. He feels vulnerable in this position, which he rarely feels, so he begins to squirm unconsciously. You lean forward, curling yourself over your legs and just above his face, the shadow of your frame darkening his face. “Hey Rin?” You whisper darkly, running your thumb over his tongue teasingly.

“Hmm?” He tries to hum, fists clutching onto your pants. He feels his tongue begin to dry up, and the force of your hold is uncomfortable, but he can't help but be extremely turned on. It was better than he imagined.

“Can I spit in your mouth?”

His eyes widen slightly, and his dick twitches in his pants. He takes a deep breath through his nose, and then tilts his head back, trying to open his mouth wider, but failing considering your hold on his tongue.

You grin at the action and lean forward just above his mouth, letting a glob of saliva fall from your mouth and into his. You release his tongue, and he immediately swallows, shivering at the feeling and the act of this really happening, all the while you coo at him. A couple seconds go by and he opens his mouth again, and you smile, seeing his tongue bare.

He trembles, repeating the scene in his head. Tears drip down his cheek, and drool coats his bottom lip, but he doesnt take notice to it, because all he can think about is how wet he is now.

“Oh Rin, did you soil your pants?” You laugh, and he grinds his teeth together, rushing to cover himself with his hands.

You grab his arms, forcefully pulling them to the side to see the noticeably dark spot directly above his crotch. Sure enough, Rin came from you spitting in his mouth. You feel blood rush to your groin, and you blink at him. “Oh god Rin, you fucking pervert.”

But before he could deny anything, you shove two fingers back into his mouth, and almost instinctually he begins to melt, already forgetting about the warm sticky feeling in his pants.

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[honey-crypt]

elliott that sings his heart out while drunk asf x gn/m farmer? You know the drill :3

also saying that again, ur writing makes me giggle n kick my feet have a great day dude

a/n: i went all out if you couldn’t tell, only the best for the queen of elliott art herself!!! also attaching the drunk singing elliott art she posted for visualization reasons lol. this was a literal blast to write, i had to rewind somethin’ stupid like a hundred times to get the flow right. also follow @fuerrziah cuz her art is the best and she is da best <3 

word count: 2.1k

warnings: alcohol, drunk antics, suggestive ending

summary: you knew elliott got a bit silly and unfiltered when drunk, but you didn’t realize that the man could belt it like the best of them until you witness him sing frank sinatra's somethin’ stupid.

★ sinatra - elliott x farmer ★

The Stardrop Saloon was the heart of Pelican Town, a bar and restaurant full of laughter and chatter every night, as Gus brewed pretty cocktails and Emily bounced from room to room taking and delivering orders. To some, it was a place to unwind after a hard day or to spend time with friends while to others, it was a second home. 

Often, you frequented the saloon to treat yourself to a meal and a drink, and tonight was no different. You were too exhausted from harvesting melons, chasing after chickens, and so on to bother microwaving something, much less cooking an actual meal. With a heavy sigh, you plopped down at your usual spot and waved Emily over with a tired smile, “Hey Em.”

“(Y/N)!” the waitress greeted you with her usual sunshine demeanor, “Good to see you tonight!” she clicked her glitter pen and hovered it over her notebook, “The usual tonight?”

“You know me well,” you chuckled softly. Emily scribbled down a few lines and stated, “Should be ready in fifteen. Can I get you a drink beforehand?”

“Water with lemon,” you answered, your mouth drier than the Calico Desert from the summer heat. Emily nodded and went behind the bar, pouring you a tall glass of ice water with a lemon garnish. She returned to your table and set the drink down on the wooden coaster, “Drink up and have a good night.”

“You as well, Em,” you hummed, watching the blue haired woman disappear into the crowd of bar patrons. The walls of the saloon vibrated from the amount of noise produced in such a small space. You weren’t surprised at the amount of people present at the Stardrop Saloon; after all, it was Friday, the busiest night. At least, Emily and Gus will get some good tips. You down your water without care, as some of the liquid spilled from your lips and down your chin onto your overalls.

“Parched?” a deep but honey-like voice hummed. You looked up and locked eyes with your closest friend, Elliott, hovering next to you. Ink stained his strong calloused hands, presumably a remnant of a hours-long writing session. 

“Absolutely,” you exhaled, “It’s hotter than Hades’ taint.”

Elliott snorted, emerald eyes crinkling up while he smiled down upon you, “I can agree with you on that, my friend. I fear that if it gets any degree warmer, I must forgo my long sleeves.”

You side-eyed Eliott’s sleeved arms, as he borrowed the seat across from you, seeing the outline of toned muscle. You could take your suspenders off, too. you thought to yourself, waving a passing Emily over and requesting another water with lemon, For a beachfront Hemingway, you sure have the physique of a Greek God.

“How did your day on the farm go?” the writer asked, resting his elbows on the table. You plucked your glass off the table and pressed it against your forehead, “I shoulda taken today off, but the mayor just had to request two dozen melons for his outing with the governor,” you grumbled, annoyed at Mayor Lewis but more so at the sweltering heat that suddenly enveloped the room. 

“Rest days are always good,” the redhead let out a low hum of agreement, “Perhaps, you can do so tomorrow?”

“I doubt it. Shane ordered three dozen hot peppers,” you sent daggers to the man in question from across the room, as Shane drank his beer by Gus’s prized wooden bear statue. Elliott’s lips formed a frown, “The life of a farmer, one of never ending labor,” he laughed. 

Emily approached your table and set down another glass of water with lemon for you, “Here’s your usual,” she added before placing a plate of spaghetti by your water, “Want some parmesan?”

“What is this, the Gotoro Empire? Of course, I want some,” you jested. Emily giggled and handed you the shaker of parmesan, “Just let me know if you need more,” she then directed her attention to Elliott, “Hi Elliott! You looking for your usual tonight, too?”

“Yes, please, my dear,” he answered, adjusting his suspenders, “And a pale ale for my friend, as well.”

“Coming right!” the waitress skipped off to the back of the bar. You raised an eyebrow at Elliott while you drowned your spaghetti in heaps and heaps of parmesan, “What’s the occasion?”

“Can I not treat one of my closest friends to a nice drink after a hard day’s work?” the writer clutched his heart, “You wound me, (Y/N).”

“You’re so fucking cheesy,” you rolled your eyes with a playful twinkle in your eyes, “You know I don’t object to anything free, especially a free drink.”

Emily returned with Elliott’s usual, a pint of beer and a crab cake, as well as a pale ale for you, “Enjoy your meals!” she gave the two of you a thumbs up, “Wave me down if you need anything.”

You touched your lips to the cool glass and drank, the hot and ice sensation of alcohol coating your throat, “Shit,” you exhaled, “I needed that, thanks.”

“Of course,” your friend offered you a smile, that stupid smile you often saw on the cover of a romance novel, “How about a toast?” he held his beer up, “To friendship and a hard day’s work?”

“I’ll cheers to that,” you chuckled and clinked glasses together. As the night went on, one glass turned into two, then three, and so on. You tapped out after two glasses, as for Elliott, the Scot in him already finished four glasses of beer. His cheeks were flushed like the color of his hair, his eyes fluttering while he held back a hiccup, “Oh Yoba…” your friend tucked some loose hair behind his pierced ear, “I think… I think I went overboard.”

“You think?” you questioned. Emily returned with Elliott’s fifth glass of the night and you mouthed to her, “Cut him off for tonight,” to which she nodded in agreement. 

“You usually max out at three, is something on your mind?” your ears rang and your head throbbed from the noise of overlapping conversations around the saloon. Elliott finished his fourth glass of beer, a bit of foam smeared on the right corner of his lips, “Oh, (Y/N), I won’t bore you-” he hiccuped, “-with my woes. I’m simply a tortured artist destined to be consumed by my work.”

You grabbed a napkin and leaned down towards Elliott, “Hold still,” you whispered, as you dabbed away the foam from his lips. His face turned to a darker shade of red, “You’re so close,” he whispered back, eyes hazy. You pulled away and set the used napkin aside, “Sorry, you had foam on your face,” you mumbled, averting your gaze.

Behind you, Pam dragged herself towards the jukebox and slammed a quarter in its slot, grumbling to herself about hating the cheerful swing of the current song, “Shit,” you heard her curse, “Wrong button,” the atmosphere of the saloon abruptly switched from chaotic to sombre, as a light guitar riff filled the air. 

“Oh!” Elliott leapt to his feet, “I know,” he covered his mouth to hiccup, “I know this song!” he then approached the jukebox and leaned on it for support, swaying his index finger from side to side to the rhythm of the music. You smiled to yourself and sipped your water, only to choke on it like a Yoba damn fool the moment Elliott began to sing.

“I know I stand in line… Until you think you have the time… To spend an evening with me,” his voice was a neat match to the original singer, a light baritone, “And if we go someplace to dance… I know that there’s a chance you won’t be leaving with me…” 

Elliott unbuttoned a few notches on his sea blue dress shirt, exposing his defined collarbone and a bit of wispy chest hair, “Then afterwards we drop into a quiet place and have a drink or two…” he glazed over your face and body with a drunken smile, “And then I go and spoil it by saying somethin' stupid like I love you…” Elliott untied his ponytail, luscious locks free from their confinement and resting against his shoulders.

Your pupils dilated; no longer was the saloon filled with static chatter and the slamming of glasses, but instead everyone ogled silently at Elliott, his vocals amplified. He pushed himself off the jukebox and stumbled a bit, taking your hands in his, “I see it in your eyes, that you still despise the same old lies you heard the night before…” he touched one of his hands to your cheek and cupped it, “And though it’s just a line to you; for me, it’s true and never so right before…”

“Elliott?” your voice croaked, your blood rushing to your extremities and your heartbeat overwhelmingly rapid. He gave you a lopsided smile and continued to sing, “I practice every day to find some clever lines, to make the meaning come true…” 

No, no. He’s just singing the song. This doesn’t mean anything, you tried to reason with yourself, but it fell short, as Elliott serenaded the next few lyrics, “But then I think I’ll wait until evening gets late and I’m alone with you… The time is right, your perfume fills my head-” he leaned closer to you and inhaled your musk, “-The stars get red and, oh, the night’s so blue… And then I go and spoil it all by saying somethin' stupid like-” you could feel Elliott’s breath against the side of your neck, as he sang in your ear, “I love you…” 

You couldn’t move, you couldn’t breathe. The alcohol in your system, the summer heat, Elliott’s closeness, made your mind go foggy; you were hanging onto every single word that spilled from the redhead’s pretty little lips. Elliott passionately belted out the instrumental pause, trying his best not to laugh, earning a laugh from you, nonetheless. 

He stood back up and pulled you off your feet with him, repeating the chorus, “The time is right, your perfume fills my head,” he twirled you around, “The stars get red, and, oh, the night's so blue… And then I go and spoil it all by saying somethin' stupid like I love you…” even when intoxicated, Elliott was a true Casanova, holding onto you and swaying you side to side to the music.

“I love you…” 

You met his eyes, oh how they shined like gemstones.

“I love you…”

Your knees turned to jelly, you clung to your friend for dear life.

“I love you…”

Your surroundings vanished; no more saloon, no more patrons, just you and Elliott.

“I love you…”

You leaned closer, your chest against his.

“I love you…”

You pressed your lips against Elliott’s, savoring the aftertaste of beer and crab cakes, as the jukebox switched to the next song and the world around you returned to its original state. Elliott kissed you back, you weren’t sure if it was the alcohol in control but Yoba, did he taste divine. Oh, to have the confidence of a drunken fool at all hours of the day, you grabbed at his hair and tugged on the strands, Elliott moaning against your wet lips. 

“Hey, you two!” Pam’s voice snapped you back into reality and broke the kiss, “Get a room!” Her words garnered a few similar statements from other bar patrons.

Through glossy eyes and clouded minds, you leaned your body against Elliott’s and asked, “Well… should we?” to which he pecked you on the lips, “That’s a splendid idea,” you tossed your own wallet on the table to pay for the two of you’s meals and interlocked arms with one another, supporting one another’s uncoordinated bodies. To the door and out you went, as you and Elliott roamed the streets of Pelican Town towards his cabin, exchanging laughs and kisses. 

…

…

…

bonus:

Back in the Stardrop Saloon, Pam plopped her ass back in her seat, relieved that the farmer and Elliott were finally gone. She gestured to Gus for another beer and commented aloud, “About time those two lovebirds figured it out.”

“Indeed,” answered Gus, as he dropped Pam a foamy beer, “They make a cute couple.”

“Oh, dear!” Emily walked up to Gus with the farmer’s wallet in hand, “They left their wallet here, should I run after them?”

Gus chuckled to himself and shook his head, “Put it in lost and found, I don’t think we should disturb those two tonight. 

[lilacmingi]

A QUEST FOR LOVE

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Half-orc!Hongjoong x Elf!fem reader

Word count: 13,960

Note: I did NOT intend for this to be nearly 14K words!?? I just kept writing until the story was finished. This is the longest imagine I’ve ever written. Idk if I’d even consider it an imagine at this point. It’s more like a mini fic lol. Idk how you guys feel about long imagines (I feel like a lot of people don’t really read them) but if you do, I REALLY appreciate it

The noises in the tavern were loud. Conversations of patrons mixed together to a point where you could hardly make out what anyone was saying-not that you were listening. Belly laughs and the clanking of tin steins hitting against one another in celebration of a successful quest filled the space of the establishment. One might find the cacophony of noises bothersome, but you found it comforting. You'd spent many evenings in the tavern to wind down or just have fun. It was a place you frequented often to treat yourself to a nice meal.

Presently, you were sipping on a delicious soup that was doing wonders for you. That day had been particularly chilly and the broth was warming you up nicely from the inside out. At one end of the room a small group of people danced together as a local musical duo performed songs for them.

Your attention was pulled towards the crowd which had grown quieter and was separating as someone squeezed their way by. You craned your neck to see someone with a head of black hair moving through the mass of people, only catching glimpses of whoever it was. For some reason, your gaze stayed glued on the person as they emerged from a particularly dense group of people and went to sit at a table near the edge of the room to meet with a burly man that you knew as the local quest giver. The stranger was a man, and based on his appearance he was half-orc, though he looked a little different from the usual half-orcs that visited the tavern.

Your interest was piqued and you found yourself watching as he exchanged words with the quest giver. Though half-orcs weren't totally uncommon, they were rare around your village and this one looked different from the others. You didn't have the best vantage point, but from what you could see this half-orc had more gentle features. His skin was a pale green hue like that of a normal orc, but his face was nothing like one-at least from what you could see. You were only getting a side view of him, as he was on the opposite side of the tavern. He wore a black leather vest, brown pants, and knee high boots with a baldric strapped across his back that held a silver sword. No matter how much you tried, you couldn't seem to tear your eyes away from him as he spoke to the quest giver.

The half-orc leaned back in his seat, glancing around the interior of the establishment and that's when he locked eyes with you. The entirety of your body froze and you found yourself staring back. His gaze was sharp and almost intimidating as he maintained eye contact.

It was only when the quest giver got his attention that he turned back to the burly man across the table. Ever so slowly, you lifted your eyes and watched the half-orc as he retrieved a scroll from the man and started making his way out of the establishment. Your gaze followed him as he walked out, noticing how the tavern became quieter when he exited. Everyone seemed to be muttering about him.

A vaguely circular object went tumbling across the floor near the doorway just after the eye-catching man left. Having finished your meal, you shot up from your seat and scrambled to retrieve the item, reaching between the people that passed across the wooden floors, snagging it before anyone could step on it. Upon brief examination you saw it was a rock of some sort-a chunk of red ruby. The gasp that left you was one of both awe and realization as you hurried out of the tavern after the gorgeous mystery man. Shallow huffs left your mouth as you jogged down the cobblestone streets of your village, catching sight of the half-orc just a short distance ahead of you.

"Excuse me!" You called out, hurrying after him.

He heard your call as he came to a halt and turned around, looking for the source of the summoning. His eyes landed on you as you approached him.

"I think you dropped this in the tavern on your way out." The ruby was presented to him.

"My lucky rock." He plucked it from your palm, wondering how it could've fallen out of his bag.

He examined the small satchel he kept tied to his waist, frowning when he saw a hole in it.

"Thank you." The half-orc clutched the ruby rock in his hand. "I didn't even know it fell out of my bag."

"You're welcome."

Your eyes stayed on him for a few moments, taking in every detail of him now that you were up close. His brown eyes were soft and captivating, his dainty nose was fairylike in the way that it sloped and came to a delicate point. His tapered ears donned many piercings, a double helix on one side with a single lobe piercing, on the other side a single helix and three lobe piercings. An array of jewelry decorated his ears, most being silver hoops, some with charms hanging from them with a couple ruby diamond studs in the mix.

"I bet I made quite the spectacle in the tavern."

His words made you blink yourself back to reality and you realized you'd been staring at him for longer than you intended.

"Oh. Well, new people always grab the attention of locals."

"Yeah." He let out a short huff, he knew they were staring at him for another reason. "I'm Hongjoong, by the way." The half-orc extended his hand.

"Hongjoong." You echoed his name, giving his hand a shake. "I'm Y/n. Are you going on a quest?"

"Oh." Hongjoong glanced at the scroll tucked under his arm. "I am."

You glanced around. "Who's accompanying you on your journey?"

"No one. It's just me."

"That's a bit dangerous, isn't it?"

"Maybe." He shrugged.

"And how are you going to defend yourself?"

"I'm pretty good with a sword. Besides, I couldn't find anyone that wanted to tag along."

"Why?"

"I don't know if it's obvious but I don't exactly look like your typical half-orc."

"I know. You're much prettier." is what you wanted to say, but chose to keep that to yourself.

"And that's why you're going alone?" You inquired. "Because you look different?"

Hongjoong let out a short huff through his nose. "Yes."

You furrowed your brows, but chose not to question him for the time being.

"Have you ever been to this village before?" You asked, the question seeming random to Hongjoong.

"No. I heard this was a place where I could receive quests and it was the nearest location."

"Ah." You nodded. "Well, our bakery is the talk of the town. I'd love to take you there if you're up for it."

"I'd better not. Thank you for the offer though."

"Please. My treat. Besides, you'll need something to eat before your quest."

His eyes met yours and he stared at them for a while before nodding.

"Alright."

A small sense of relief and delight washed over you.

"Right this way." You beckoned the half-orc, heading down the cobblestone street towards the bakery.

You had just eaten a generous portion of soup at the tavern, but you wanted to continue speaking to this Hongjoong fellow, which is why you invited him to the bakery, hoping you'd get the chance to extend your conversation with him.

As soon as the wooden door was pushed open, you and Hongjoong were greeted with the pleasant scent of freshly-baked bread and confections as well as a warm gust of air that contrasted from the chilly outdoors. A cheerful 8 foot tall half-giant whom you knew as Yunho, greeted the both of you when you walked in, asking what he could get you.

"I'll have a square of chocolate fudge please." Hongjoong spoke.

"And I'll have one sweet roll please." You added.

The half-giant nodded, getting to work right away, moving to the display case and pulling out what you'd ordered. About that time, a gremlin came hurrying out of the kitchen carrying a tray of freshly-baked blueberry muffins. He had grayish skin, pointed ears adorned with hoops, black hair, and an apron tied around his waist. Most gremlins were quite ugly, but this guy was the complete opposite.

Yunho's eyes lit up at what the gremlin had brought out. "Oh you made my favorite." His large hand moved towards one of the baked goods only for it to be smacked away.

"Get your giant hands away. These are for customers."

Yunho pouted and you could hear the gremlin whisper in a huffy tone, "If there's any leftover at the end of the day you can have some."

"Thanks, Wooyoung." Yunho smiled before bringing your roll and Hongjoong's fudge over.

As you fished out some coins to pay, you asked the half-giant, "Does he bake everything?"

Yunho spared a glance at the gremlin who was making sure the display looked presentable, slightly nudging over a muffin so it sat in line with the others he'd just set down.

"He does. He's really good at baking, which is surprising since gremlins are so... unpredictable."

You and Hongjoong nodded knowingly. Though you had been to the bakery a handful of times, you'd never seen the owner before, probably because he was always back in the kitchen preparing his culinary creations.

Yunho counted the coins you'd given him, thanking you for your purchase as he dropped the money into a wooden chest under the counter.

You and Hongjoong went to sit at one of the tables. The latter glanced around the establishment, his eyes falling on the handful of patrons sitting about, their gazes on him.

"So, what's your story?" You inquired, pulling off a piece of the roll and popping it into your mouth while simultaneously tearing Hongjoong's attention away from prying eyes.

"My story?"

"Yeah. You're going on this quest but you're going alone."

"I don't really have a choice." He spoke, staring at the small fudge square. "My tribe kicked me out."

"Kicked you out?"

"Because I look different. I'm too short, I'm not strong-looking, and I'm not an asset to the group. I'm a liability."

His words etched a small frown onto your features. It hardly seemed fair that he was kicked out simply for his appearance.

"Well, I personally think you're the perfect height."

He gave a half smile.

"How tall are you, anyway?" You inquired purely out of curiosity.

"5'8." (172cm)

"Can't half-orcs be as short as 5 feet?"

"Yes, but most of my kind are closer to 6 feet tall, so I stick out like a sore thumb around them."

"Height doesn't matter."

"It does if you're an orc."

"Not necessarily. I've seen quite a few powerful half-orcs pass through town. They've shared tales of their adventures and excursions. They're quite successful."

Hongjoong finally took a bite of his fudge, nodding softly at your words as if he were processing them.

"You said your tribe kicked you out. What about your parents?" You asked after a few drawn-out moments of silence.

Hongjoong scoffed. "I'm the product of a raid in a human village. My mother didn't want me and dropped me off with a random group of orcs that raised me... sort of. They more so tolerated me, though they made sure I knew exactly how they felt about me."

The frown returned to your face, deepening at his words as you imagined some of the horrible things the orcs might've said to him as he grew up.

"I wanted to prove myself to my tribe and make them reconsider their decision to kick me out by going on a quest, but everyone laughed. No one thinks I'll be successful." He continued.

There was a part of you that, despite not knowing Hongjoong very well, wanted him to succeed in his quest and show those nasty orcs that he was just as strong and capable as they were, perhaps even more.

"Is this your first quest?"

Your inquiry was followed by a nod from the half-orc seated across the table.

It was his first quest and he was going alone because he couldn't find anyone that wanted to accompany him?

"I'll go with you." The words spilled right out of your mouth without warning.

"What?"

"I said I'll go with you."

Hongjoong leaned to the side in his seat to give your appearance a once-over.

"No offense, but you don't look like someone who goes on quests."

"You're one to talk."

His eyes became wider at your quick quip.

"Sorry. Low blow."

"It's true though." He cracked a small smile, showing off a small set of lower fangs which you hadn't been able to see too well before.

"Look, I know an elf girl like myself doesn't look like much, but I'm quite skilled with a bow and arrow."

Hongjoong nibbled on his fudge in thought, tossing around your offer and taking into consideration that he'd be letting you tag along without knowing the extent of your skills. Then again, you were the only person willing to join him and, though he felt he could handle the quest on his own, there's power in numbers-and two is better than one.

"Alright. You can join me."

"Really?"

He nodded. "I suppose it'll be beneficial to have a second person along for the journey."

"Out of curiosity, what's the quest you received?"

"Retrieving a stolen artifact."

"What information do you have?"

"The quest giver said it's an hourglass called The Cromer. It's said to have the power to allow someone to travel between dimensions according to the moon phases."

"Wow." You had never heard of such a relic. "And does that map tell you where it's located?"

"It's supposed to, yes. Apparently, a dragon has hoarded the relic and a local keeper needs someone to retrieve it so that it can be put away safely. The reward is quite large too."

Your brows raised. "A dragon?"

Hongjoong gave a nod of confirmation. "The map is supposed to lead right to his lair."

The suggestion was then made by you to swing by your place and solidify a plan for your journey as well as pack for what would surely be a few days worth of traveling.

Moss blanketed the roof of your quaint cottage, long tendrils of green ivy and purple morning glories growing up the sides of the structure which was surrounded by a plethora of bushes. Hongjoong noted how fitting your home was for a forest elf such as yourself, smiling softly at its woodsy appearance.

Once inside, Hongjoong spread the map out across your circular dining table, using your salt and pepper shakers to keep it weighed down.

"This leads from the tavern to the dragon's lair." Hongjoong pointed out, dragging his index finger from one point to the other. "The quest giver told me the dragon dwells in a cave in these mountains here."

You nodded, glancing at the map, trying to figure out which way would be the safest and shortest passage for the both of you.

"We should avoid going this way." You called attention to a dark cluster of trees by pointing to them.

"Why?"

"Banshees."

"Ah." Hongjoong nodded, relying on you to tell him where the biggest threats lie since he was unfamiliar with the areas on the map.

After some deliberation and heedful planning, you and Hongjoong had your route decided.

"How soon do you want to head out?" You asked while placing a handful of supplies into your bag.

"The sooner the better."

"Very well." You went off to another room, returning moments later with a bow and a quiver of arrows. "Before we go, you might wanna let me fix that torn bag of yours. We don't want anything important falling out of it."

Hongjoong spared a glance at his satchel. "Oh. Right."

As you rummaged for your sewing kit, the half-orc removed the bag and laid it out on the table. The hole wasn't too big and easily repairable.

Your hands busied themselves by threading the needle that was pinched between your fingers, securing it in place and getting to work. Hongjoong's brown eyes observed your actions, a certain emotion swelling in his chest as he watched you do such a simple task. You were so welcoming and had shown him such kindness—it was nothing like Hongjoong had ever experienced. Others were harsh and judgmental, making assumptions about him before he could even open his mouth. Then there's you: warm, friendly, kind, accepting. You'd even offered to accompany him on this quest despite the fact that you hardly knew anything about him. Who does that?

You. That's who.

"Done."

Your voice pulled Hongjoong from his reverie. He blinked himself back to reality.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure. It's good as new now." You smiled softly, the light shimmer on your cheeks catching in the sun that filtered in through the window.

Hongjoong could feel his heart squeeze a bit at the sight. Were all elves this enchanting? He wondered.

Pushing yourself out of your chair, you scurried about your home, gathering only the absolute necessities for your journey which was food, money, and a first aid kit equipped with herbs and other things to make a salve in case of injury.

You excused yourself to change into some quest-appropriate attire, ditching your forest green dress and chestnut corset for a more comfortable cream-colored button down shirt, dark brown pants and knee high boots.

While you changed, Hongjoong rolled up the map and tucked it into his satchel.

Emerging from your room, you collected your quiver of arrows and slipped the strap across your body. Hongjoong blinked a few times, taking in your new garb. You retrieved your bag and bow, turning to the half-orc who averted his gaze immediately.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes." He stood up, adjusting the leather baldric strapped across him, tossing his satchel over his shoulder.

"We need to make one stop before we set out." You mentioned, stepping out of your house.

"Where to?"

"You'll see."

A brief walk through town brought the both of you to an apothecary.

"Potions?" Hongjoong questioned, gazing up at the wooden sign.

"We don't know what we'll run into on the journey. We may need some." You mentioned, stepping inside the small business.

The bell above the door jingled, signaling your entrance. A man with black hair that flipped out at the ends and curled just under his ear stood behind the front counter, a stunning set of small, green-tinted iridescent wings on his back. He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, tucking a strand of hair behind one of his pointed ears, lifting his head to greet you and Hongjoong.

"Hello." He smiled warmly, his voice deeper than you expected. "I'm Yeosang. What can I help you with today?"

"We're going on a quest and I'm looking to purchase some potions."

The fairy's eyes lit up. "Oh! A quest? What potions are you interested in buying?"

"Defensive potions. Maybe one that can be used as a smoke bomb?"

"Yes, yes." The fairy nodded, turning around to rifle through the shelves along the wall behind the register, pulling two small bottles out, inside was an opaque grayish white liquid. "Throw these on the ground and they'll explode in a mist that'll temporarily disorient your opponent and give you a chance to flee."

"How much?"

"100 gold pieces each."

"Ah. I think I'll just take one." You dug around in your bag, pulling out one of small tied satchels that held your extra money, sliding it across the counter. "There's 100 gold pieces in there."

The fairy opened the bag and poured out the coins, handing you the empty satchel before beginning to count the pieces. "100 exactly. Thank you for your business."

You gave a small nod and took the potion, placing it into the potion holster secured around your waist.

An unexpected muffled boom sounded from somewhere in the shop, causing you, Hongjoong, and Yeosang to flinch. Moments later, a tall man with messy, brown hair and glasses sitting askew on his nose emerged from a back room in the establishment. His face and robes were dusted in a pale blue powder, assumably from the small explosion.

"Yeosang, I messed up."

"Mingi." The fairy sighed before turning back to you and Hongjoong with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I'm training him."

You raised a hand, shaking your head in a dismissive manner. Yeosang turned to Mingi, telling him to start cleaning up whatever mess was made and that he'd come help in a moment.

"Clumsiest mage I've ever met." Yeosang murmured under his breath when Mingi left. "Apologies. Is there anything else I can get you for your quest?"

"The potion should be enough. Thank you." You bid the fairy goodby before heading out.

Your boots crunched under the gravelly dirt path leading out of your village with Hongjoong in tow. The pretty cobblestones that paved the streets had gotten sparse as you exited the village limits and entered the unknown.

"Map please." You held a hand out.

Hongjoong immediately fished the rolled parchment out of his bag, handing it over.

The guide was unrolled and you glanced at it, your eyes following the line of ink that had been drawn along the path you and Hongjoong agreed to follow.

"We just keep going until we get to the blueberry fields." You directed aloud, rolling up the map once more.

"Can't believe that smoke bomb potion was 100 gp." Hongjoong huffed out.

"It's a fair price for something like that." You shrugged, following the gravelly dirt trail.

Your trek was mostly uneventful as you traversed along the path, sticking to the planned route that was discussed earlier. Eventually, the lush grass and sizable trees lining the dirt road thinned out and the vast, wild blueberry fields came into view. Hongjoong pulled out the map, the tip of his index finger gliding along the parchment until he came upon the blueberry fields you both stood by. His eyes drifted from the illustrations on the map to what lied head of you.

"According to the route we decided on, we need to take a left here by the tree." Hongjoong informed you.

"Left by the tree." You repeated, stepping forward and veering off to the trail on the left, the rocks in the dirt crunching under the soles of your boots.

"You seemed familiar with some of the locations on the map. Have you ever been outside of your village?" Hongjoong asked, putting a stop to the silence that had been hanging in the air for the last half hour.

"A couple times. I don't like to wander too far, but I've been to two or three places outside of town. Have you traveled outside your home village?"

"With my tribe, yes. Though I never had the opportunity to really enjoy where we went. Too much commotion."

"Ah." You nodded.

Orcs were known for their brute strength and violence, which led you to believe they were too busy causing a ruckus and raiding. You felt a twinge of pity for Hongjoong knowing he could never fully enjoy any of the places he went with his tribe due to all the trouble they most likely caused.

"Maybe this journey will give you the chance to enjoy new places." You mentioned with a smile.

Your words brought some comfort to Hongjoong and gave him something to look forward to. Perhaps he could try and enjoy himself a bit on this journey. After all, it was the first time he was on his own and he didn't have his tribe causing trouble or teasing him.

Your journey led you through valleys and along a few rocky trails, but nothing either of you couldn't handle. Presently, you and your quest partner were trekking through a dense forest, the foliage on the towering trees so thick it was blocking the sun, giving the woods an eerie atmosphere.

"So, how difficult do you think locating The Cromer will be?" You asked Hongjoong as you stepped over a particularly large tree root. "This dragon that's guarding it has to have it hidden somewhere safe." You added.

"I'm not sure. According to what I heard, it's a powerful artifact so I'm going to go ahead and assume it's gonna be difficult to obtain."

"That's probably our best bet."

"The Cromer, huh?" An unfamiliar baritone voice spoke from somewhere in the trees.

Before either of you could speak, a monstrous troll came thudding out of the dense cluster of trees that surrounded you.

You and Hongjoong both came to a halt, taking a collective step back as the troll looked back and forth between the two of you.

"An elf and a little half-orc." The troll chuckled deeply. "What a pitiful duo."

You took a defensive stance, your heart hammering against your chest as you narrowed your eyes at the big oaf.

"What do you want?" You asked, keeping your voice steady.

"I want the map to The Cromer. I could do a lot with an ancient artifact like that."

"Not a chance." Hongjoong spoke sternly.

The troll let out a bellowing laugh, finding Hongjoong's defiance to be amusing, not taking it seriously.

"I can always just take it from you." The troll spoke, pulling out his spiked wooden club.

Hongjoong shook his head, not giving up so easily, especially not to a stupid troll. He was determined to complete the quest and prove himself to his tribe. In other words, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

The troll grinned, showing off a set of ugly, yellowed teeth as he did so, seeing that he'd have to forcefully take the map.

You and Hongjoong collided with one another while attempting to scramble away from the threat just as the wooden club was smashed into the earth, sending clumps of dirt flying up in the air.

The troll laughed deeply, swinging the club towards you. A yelp escaped your mouth as you ducked, the weapon colliding with the trunk of a nearby tree instead, knocking off chunks of bark. Scrambling for a place to hide, you slipped behind another tree nearby, your trembling hands reaching for an arrow from your quiver.

Hongjoong gathered himself and pulled his sword out, the blade making a resounding shing as it was withdrawn from its sheath. He saw you struggling to slide your arrow into your bow as the troll stomped in your direction. Without thinking, he ran forward and swung the blade, slicing along the troll's lower back. A loud, rough groan reverberated through the air as the troll spun around, no longer focused on you.

"You little weasel!" The troll growled, swinging his club and knocking Hongjoong with immense force, launching him right into a tree trunk. He yelped upon impact, his sword falling from his hand as he dropped to the ground. His body lie crumpled in the dirt and undergrowth as he groaned, his bag having come undone during the fall, the map sticking out. The troll laughed victoriously at the sight and took a step forward.

"There it is."

You gasped, sliding your arrow into place and stepping out from your hiding spot, aiming right at the troll's calf. Though tensions were high and your hands were still trembling, you knew you needed to save your friend. Expelling a long breath, you released the arrow, watching as it went straight into its intended destination.

A loud roar of agony ripped through the air as the troll stumbled a bit, glancing back to look at the arrow lodged in his calf, pulling it out with a hiss. This gave Hongjoong the chance to push himself up from the dirt and grab his sword. He staggered, getting a good grip on the hilt before swinging it with all his might as the blade sliced through the troll's backside. You watched with wide eyes as the troll groaned and dropped to his knees, falling face first into the dirt. Hongjoong rushed over and took hold of your forearm, tugging you away from the collapsed troll.

"Let's get out of here."

You nodded, running by him as the both of you fled the scene.

"This might be a good time to tell you that this is my first quest." You confessed, huffing as you leapt over vines and tree roots.

Hongjoong's expression fell into one of shock. Instead of questioning you, he kept quiet, deciding to focus on getting out of the woods and away from that troll first. He could ask questions later.

Short, labored breaths left your dry lips as you slowed to a jog, the trees around you becoming more sparse, indicating that you were close to getting out of what you presumed was troll territory. Hongjoong huffed out a sharp puff of air, slowing to match your pace.

"Almost there." He announced, his voice sounding strained.

A few brief moments later, you emerged from the woods, no longer in an area that was unsafe. Hongjoong let out a soft grunt, his hand placed over his side as he doubled over.

"Are you alright?" Concern laced your voice.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Just getting a pain in my side from running."

You peered out at the sun that was beginning to drop lower in the sky, taking note of how late it was getting.

"We should find a place to set up camp for the night."

Still catching his breath, Hongjoong merely nodded, forcing himself to stand upright.

"Here." You gestured to a decent-looking terrain just off the trail. There were trees and rocks scattered about the area, which seemed like an ideal place to settle for the evening.

Hongjoong trudged behind, following until you got to your designated camping spot.

"I can gather some firewood." He offered.

"Alright. That'll be good." You nodded.

As he walked off, you noticed the way he kept placing his hand on his side. It caught your attention for only a moment before you brushed it off, deciding to start setting up camp.

Retrieving a small blade from your bag, you used it to cut off a few twiggy branches from nearby trees, using them to lie across the grass as a makeshift bed. It wasn't the best, but the leaves added some cushioning.

Hongjoong returned shortly with an armful of sticks and chunks of wood. He appeared to be in no pain, so you chose not to ask questions about his earlier behavior, merely thanking him for collecting firewood.

"I can go back for more if you need me to. This may not be enough."

"This'll be fine."

"I'm gonna go back and get some more."

"Wait. Are you sure you're alright?" You decided to ask.

"I'm fine. I won't be gone long."

The words of protest that were about to leave your lips died on your tongue as Hongjoong walked off.

The fire crackled softly in front of you, bathing its nearby surroundings in an orange glow. You sat a short distance from your half-orc partner, the both of you leaned back against a sizable boulder. The day was fairly warm, but now that the sun had gone down, the night air was beginning to cool. Thankfully, the fire provided just enough heat to keep you both comfortable.

When Hongjoong returned from collecting wood a second time, he had brought back a few berries wrapped in a leaf for the both of you to share. Presently, the both of you were eating and watching the flames and the embers.

"You're hurt." You stated after noticing Hongjoong shifting uncomfortably for the last few minutes.

"I'm fine."

Scooting closer, you hovered your hands tentatively over his side, not touching him just yet. "May I look at it?"

"I said I'm fine. Really."

"You're not." Your voice took on a firmer tone that made Hongjoong fall silent. "I saw you holding your side earlier today."

His lack of response prompted you to unbutton his leather vest to get a look at the injury. Your wandering eyes momentarily halted, lingering on his exposed figure before they finally trailed down to his right side which he had been nursing for the last hour. A nasty-looking purple splotch blemished his perfect skin right where his ribs were.

Before you could question when this could've occurred, you remembered how he was knocked against a tree earlier during your brief battle with that troll. You winced at the sight of the bruise, knowing just from the sight that the injury wasn't minor.

"How have you been walking around like this?"

Hongjoong shrugged. He wasn't one to show much weakness, especially when it came to injuries.

"How does this feel?" You applied light pressure on his side and he hissed, his face twisting in agony.

"Mmm. I think you might've cracked a rib."

"Feels like it." Hongjoong grunted.

"Stay still."

"What are you doing?"

"Just stay still." You repeated, keeping your palm pressed to the bruise.

Hongjoong watched idly as you closed your eyes and took in a deep breath, slowly releasing it through your nostrils. A soft glow emitted from around your hand, a warmth seeping into his skin. The dull throbbing in his ribs subsided after a few moments. The half-orc's brows furrowed in awe while he watched you focus, the bruise that stained his skin fading ever so slightly.

"There." You sighed out, retracting your hand.

A small part of Hongjoong missed the feeling of your touch, but he pushed those emotions aside in order to assess the damage, or lack thereof.

He tentatively sat up straighter, moving a bit to test out the effects of what you'd just done.

"It... doesn't hurt." He murmured breathlessly.

"I healed it for you. Elf magic." You wiggled your fingers, making Hongjoong crack a tiny smile, amused by the cute display. "You'll still have a bit of a bruise, but you'll be able to continue the quest without any hinderance."

His fingers traced lightly over his side, his skin still tingling a bit from where you palm was.

"Thank you."

You began sifting through your satchel, producing a small canteen and an apple.

"Here." You passed them to Hongjoong. "You should eat something besides berries."

"What about you?"

"I've got another apple. No worries." You proved your point by pulling out a duplicate of the fruit.

Hongjoong nodded, satisfied to see that you had something extra for yourself.

"So," He began after taking a bite of his apple, chewing for a moment. "earlier you said this is your first quest."

"That's right."

"Why didn't you tell me before volunteering to tag along?" His question wasn't laced with malice, but genuine curiosity.

"When you told me why you were going on this quest and what you'd been through, I just couldn't let you go alone. My lack of experience was the last thing on my mind."

He nodded, taking in your words. "You were really good earlier when we fought that troll. If you hadn't distracted him by shooting that arrow, I don't think I would've had the chance to get back on my feet."

"You're the one who delivered the final blow that knocked him down." You pointed out.

"Ah. That's true... but, again, I wouldn't have been able to do that if not for you stepping in."

"Right." You chuckled. "So we have each other to thank then."

A moment of silence passed between the both of you before Hongjoong spoke up again.

"I guess we make a pretty good team."

"Yeah." You smiled fondly, nodding your head. "Yeah, we do."

It wasn't long after that the both of you decided to call it a night, hoping to get an early start the following day.

A relaxed sigh left your nostrils as you gazed sleepily at the stars above, admiring the way they dotted the expanse of the atmosphere. You then turned your head to spare a glance at Hongjoong who was already fast asleep. His pretty lashes rested on his cheeks as small snores left him. A fond smile tugged at your lips when you noticed his lower fangs poking out from his bottom lip as he slept. The sight was incredibly endearing and had your heart swelling with adoration towards the half-orc. With a gentle exhale, you shifted your position on the makeshift bed of leaves and closed your eyes, drifting off to the sound of the crackling fire and distant crickets.

The next morning, you awoke to chirping birds and the quiet shiff of someone's shoes moving through the grass. Raising up a bit, you squinted your eyes to see Hongjoong walking around, looking at the map.

"Oh. You're up." He announced once he heard you stirring, heading over and taking a seat in the grass.

"Yeah." You grunted, sitting upright and rubbing your eyes. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not too bad. You?"

"My back is a little stiff."

"Mine too."

"How's your ribs?" You asked, sliding on your quiver of arrows.

"Much better, thanks to you." Hongjoong gave an appreciative smile.

"Good." Your eyes moved to the map, which he was looking at. "Ah. Looks like we'll be passing through a village today."

"Maybe there'll be someplace to eat."

"You read my mind." You chuckled at Hongjoong's statement. "I'm ready for some good food."

After a journey along some rocky terrain and across a creek, you and your quest partner arrived at the village you were set to pass through on the way to your destination. The town was bigger than yours and had many different businesses from clothing shops, weapon shops, bakeries, and eateries. One in particular was called Mountaintop Tavern.

"How about eating here?" Hongjoong gestured.

"Yeah. Let's check it out."

The both of you stepped inside the establishment, which had a decent crowd. Your eyes roamed around the interior of the tavern as you followed Hongjoong to the bar, taking a seat on the stool. A man, presumably a human, with short, choppily-cut black hair stood behind the counter drying a glass. Once he noticed the presence of customers, he approached and greeted you both with a dimpled smile.

"Hi. I'm San. What can I get you two?"

"We're not sure." Hongjoong spoke.

"We're just passing through." You added.

"Oh! Travelers. Are you exploring or are you on a quest?"

"A quest." Hongjoong responded.

"How fun!" The cheery bartender grinned. "Well, we have soups, freshly-baked bread, meat, ale, juice, beer. Normal tavern stuff."

Hongjoong's eyes lit up at the mention of meat. "If you have any sort of seared beef, I'd love some of that."

"We do. It's served with a baked potato and a roll."

"Perfect."

After mulling over the options San had given, you placed an order for what you usually got at your tavern back home.

"We'll have two silver dragonic ales as well please." Hongjoong added.

"Coming right up." San winked, turning around to prepare drinks first.

Two tin steins were set on the bar top moments later, filled to the brim with a slightly coppery liquid.

"I'll go pass your order on to the cooks." San informed before walking off to the back.

"To a successful quest." Hongjoong held up his mug.

"To a successful quest." You echoed his words, clinking your stein with his, taking a generous sip of the ale, humming in satisfaction afterward.

"Ooh. That's crisp." Hongjoong commented, the coolness of the ale colder than expected.

"It's delicious." You took another sip. "Tastes like cider."

"Made with the finest apples." San's voice rang out as he returned to the counter. "Your food will be ready shortly."

"If the ale is this good, I can't imagine what the food will taste like." Hongjoong said with a grin.

You nodded in agreement.

"Well, thank you. I work hard to keep the patrons coming back." San grinned.

"So, you're the owner?" You asked.

"I am."

"I'm curious about the name of the tavern."

"Ah. My name means mountain, hence the name Mountaintop Tavern."

"Ooh." You and Hongjoong nodded in unison.

A customer approached the bar and San excused himself to go take care of them.

"This place is really nice." You commented, looking around at the different items hanging on the walls: swords, shields, and shelves lined with various trinkets and crystals.

A heavenly voice reached your ears, making you turn your head in the direction of the melodic singing.

On a small stage at the front of the tavern was a man with chestnut hair. He held a small guitar and was belting out the most enchanting notes. San noticed how you and Hongjoong were zoned in on the performance, chuckling to himself.

"That's Jongho. He's a local bard that performs here." He informed, walking back over. "He's pretty good, isn't he?"

"Pretty good is an understatement." You murmured.

"He's incredible." Hongjoong added.

"He's very popular with the customers."

True to San's words, the patrons in the tavern had migrated towards the stage, all of them looking just as captivated as you and Hongjoong.

The both of you were so focused on this Jongho fellow that you sat there watching him perform until your food arrived. The mouthwatering aroma is what drew your attention away from the bard.

As expected, the meal was delicious. It was probably the best tavern food you'd ever eaten—even better than the one back home.

Hongjoong let out a satisfied sigh, having cleaned his plate. He didn't know seared beef could be so tender and flavorful. Back in his tribe, he often ate dried meats or meat grilled over a fire, though it was flavorless and sometimes overcooked. This, however, was so well-cooked it practically melted in his mouth.

San gave you the total for your meals and Hongjoong promptly counted out enough silver pieces to pay for them, giving you no time to pull out your own money. You quietly thanked him for covering the meal, standing up from your seat.

"Everything was phenomenal." Hongjoong praised San.

"It was." You agreed. "It took us a day to get here but I'd almost consider coming back just to eat here again."

A bright and prideful grin spread across San's face at your positive words. "Thank you. Both of you." He gave each of you a nod as you headed out. "Safe travels."

The both of you stepped out into the dirt streets, satisfied after having a decent meal.

"We should hit the road." Hongjoong mentioned, reaching towards his bag to retrieve the map.

"Wait. Let's walk around for a bit and check out the village."

"What about the quest?"

"The quest can wait. You said you never got the chance to explore new places with your tribe, right? Let's just enjoy ourselves for a while."

The half-orc's expression softened, settling into a gentle smile. He couldn't believe you suggested sticking around just so he could explore. It was so... considerate.

The both of you set off through the village, window shopping and waiting for something to grab your attention. Hongjoong's eyes were practically glimmering while passing by each store, taking in everything like it was his first time seeing it. You could only imagine it was the first time he was seeing a town that wasn't in a panic from a raid his tribe started.

"Could we go in here for a minute?" He gestured towards a shop.

You nodded, following him into the small establishment where many garments were being sold. From fine clothing for fancy events to simple travelers clothes—it appeared this shop had it all.

Hongjoong veered over to a rack displaying a variety of satchels which he started perusing. The thought of purchasing a new bag crossed his mind since his current one had ripped, but he paused, glancing down at it and running his finger over the seam where you'd sewn the tear shut. The image of you sitting across from him, quietly mending his bag flashed in his mind, making his heart feel warm. He decided at that moment that he didn't need a new bag.

Abandoning the display of satchels, he headed to the clothing where he briefly scanned the wares, finding simple lace up blouses, neutral tone trousers, leather jackets, and even animal pelts. Just the sight of the furs reminded Hongjoong of his tribe. Many orcs back home wore pieces of armor, tunics made from animal skin, or fur pelts tossed over their shoulder—some only wore a loincloth. Hongjoong shivered at the image. He was the only one who dressed civilly, which was another thing he was made fun of for.

Any thoughts of his life back home were chased away when he laid eyes on a rack of coats, more specifically a long fur coat. It didn't look messy and primitive like some of the animal pelts his tribe members wore, this one was regal and carried an energy of prominence and grace. He didn't have a need for something like that and he wouldn't be able to bring it with him on the remainder of the quest, but it was a wonderful coat. His hands ran over the fur, feeling the soft material before relocating to another area of the shop.

Meanwhile, you were browsing a selection of dresses in an array of colors and styles. Your fingertips brushed over the fabrics, taking in the various designs. One dress in particular caught your eye; it was in your favorite color with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a long, flowing skirt. You quietly marveled at the simplicity of it, liking that it wasn't too frilly. After admiring the dress, you moved to a different section of the store, browsing everything there was to offer, occasionally sparing a glance in Hongjoong's direction to check on him. He was completely engrossed in what he was doing, meandering around the shop with bright eyes. A fond smile tugged at your lips while you watched him, stepping a little closer to admire him. His delicate and stunning features were what first drew you to him. He truly was the prettiest half-orc you'd ever laid eyes on.

Hongjoong lifted his head, making eye contact with you from where he stood a couple racks away. You gave him a small smile before busying yourself by looking at a collection of boots nearby. You tried not to stare at him after that, slightly embarrassed that he happened to look up while you were silently admiring him.

After spending some time in the village and stopping inside different shops, you and Hongjoong got back on the road, following the route drawn on the map.

"So, what did you think?" You asked. "Was it nice to enjoy your time in a village for once?"

"Yes. Even if I didn't buy anything, it was enjoyable to be able to browse in peace."

"I assume your tribe was always raiding places and causing chaos?"

"That's right. I never participated in raids and chose to stay home. Though there were a couple times I was forcibly dragged along. I just stayed back out of the way and watched." He shook his head, visibly reliving the memories. "It was horrible."

A sympathetic expression flashed across your features at Hongjoong's recollection of events.

"It must be difficult being the only half-orc in your tribe."

"It is. They're all so... primitive and boisterous. I'm nothing like that."

"I like that you're not."

Hongjoong's eyes met yours, his fingers playing with the strap of his messenger bag. "You do?"

"Yeah. I like you the way you are."

Your words made a smile spread across his face and a warm feeling blossom in his chest.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about." Hongjoong spoke after a few moments of silence.

"Yes?"

"We never discussed the reward money, but I plan to split it with you."

"What?" Your brows furrowed in perplexmxent. "No, no. That's not necessary."

"It is. You offered to tag along and you're helping retrieve The Cromer so you should get a cut of the reward."

"I only tagged along because I didn't want you going alone."

"And I'm grateful for that, so we're splitting the reward."

Heaving a reluctant sigh, you silently agreed to his proposition. This pleased Hongjoong, as a content smile settled onto his lips and he gave a nod of finality.

The map was retrieved from Hongjoong's bag and he gave a glance at it, locating the village the both of you were headed out of.

"Looks like we'll be at the mountains sometime today." He spoke. "If we don't run into any trouble, that is."

You released a long breath, glancing out at the few cottages dotting the land. "Let's hope for the best."

Things haven't been too bad for the both of you. Yes, you'd run into a troll, but you and Hongjoong both made it out of that situation with your weaponry skills. Not many people had it that easy.

"So, that ruby of yours, is it really lucky?"

"I don't know." Hongjoong shrugged, reaching into the pocket on his bag and pulling out the small rock, turning it between his fingers to watch it shimmer under the sun. "I just keep it with me. Though nothing too terrible has ever happened to me while I've had it on me."

"How'd you acquire this lucky rock?"

"I found it while my tribe was raiding a town. I was stood behind a couple barrels trying to stay out of the way and happened to see it in the dirt right by my feet. There were no crystal or gem shops nearby so I'm not sure where it came from, but it seemed like a special find. It was nice to find something so beautiful and precious while all this chaos was ensuing around me."

You smiled, happy that he was able to find some semblance of positivity while being forced to witness the wrath of his tribe.

"This is it." You commented, staring into the narrow mouth of the cave.

Hongjoong looked up from the map, expelling a sigh. "This is it. The Cromer is in there."

"Here goes nothing." You took in a deep breath and took a step forward.

"Wait." Hongjoong held his arm out to stop you. "Let me go first."

The fact that he wanted to take the lead and go first made your heart flutter just a bit.

He stepped ahead and entered the cave. You allowed him to do so, steeling yourself for what might await.

Trailing behind Hongjoong, you followed him through the narrow and rocky tunnel. It was just big enough for the both of you to walk through it. However, the farther you got, the less light from the outside was able to reach, making it difficult for you to see.

"It's too dark." Hongjoong murmured, feeling along the walls.

"I think I might be able to help. I can't promise it'll work, but it's worth a shot."

Focusing your energy, you held out your palm and steadied your breathing before casting a dancing lights spell. A glowing orb was created, hovering above your open palm. With some light now illuminating the area, you could see Hongjoong's amazed expression.

"I didn't know you knew how to do that."

"I guess you can say I have a few tricks up my sleeve." You grinned. "I wasn't even sure it would work. I only know a limited amount of spells and they're all pretty mundane."

"Well this one seems useful." He gestured to the light. "Come on. Let's keep going."

You continued to keep the ball of light hovering over your palm as you two made your way through the cave, walking over the uneven terrain below your feet. The further you got into the cavern, the more anxious you became. You'd never battled a dragon before. You'd never battled anything except for that troll the other day, which turned out well, but who's to say the battle with this dragon will go the same way?

"You alright?" Asked Hongjoong.

It was almost as if he could sense your nerves.

"I'm okay. Just a little anxious, I guess. There could be a big battle ahead of us."

"Not if we evade the dragon." He paused, glancing back to see your concerned expression, offering you a small but reassuring smile. "We'll be fine, Y/n."

His words brought you some comfort and helped to ease a little of the dread and anxiety you'd been feeling.

A dim glow up ahead let you and Hongjoong know you'd made it to the dragon's lair.

Emerging from the passageway, you were met with the sight of a vast interior area with gold and treasures galore. Large torches lined the rocky cave walls, giving an orangey glow to its surroundings and filling the air with a smoky, sooty scent.

Hongjoong surveyed the area, giving a jerk of his head to signal that the coast was clear to keep moving, so you did. Staying close by, you and the half-orc started tiptoeing past the giant piles of cold coins, jewelry, and other precious objects.

"Where do you think The Cromer is?" You whispered, keeping your voice low.

"Don't know." Hongjoong looked up at one of the higher levels in the cave, noticing an opening. "Maybe up there?"

You nodded in agreement, prompting him to proceed, moving past one of the piles of treasures. His arm immediately shot out to stop you, his unexpected strength making you grunt when your abdomen collided with his forearm. You opened your mouth to ask what the problem was, but promptly snapped it shut  when you saw what had startled Hongjoong.

Lying just a few feet away was a massive black dragon with scales so shiny that they reflected the lights of the torches on the cave walls. The winged creature was curled up, resting on a bed of shiny coins, expelling low snores from its nostrils. Hongjoong held a finger up to his lips, his free hand reaching for yours. The sensation of his hand clasping your own sent a fluttering to your stomach, which you were forced to ignore due to the snoozing threat a few yards away.

Hongjoong started climbing clusters of rocks that led to the higher platform. He kept a firm hold on your hand while he moved up, using his free one to grip the rocky wall and maintain his balance. He huffed, taking one final step to the top where he released your hand.

Hongjoong cautiously tiptoed towards the opening of the elevated cavern with you just behind. Ahead was a much smaller cave filled with more treasure and as you got closer you scanned the pile of precious belongings.

"I don't see any hourglass." You whispered.

"Maybe we have to dig for it. We don't know how long the dragon has been hoarding it."

The both of you began working in tandem, sifting through the pile, pushing aside coins, crowns, and bejeweled items, doing your best to not make a lot of noise in the process.

"What if it's in one of the piles down there?" You jerked a thumb towards where the both of you had just come from.

"We'll know if we don't find what we're looking for up here."

After some more digging, a soft gasp from Hongjoong reached your ears.

"I found it."

Ever so gently, he extracted the bronzy-gold hourglass from the coins and other prized items, holding it up to show he was telling the truth.

"That's The Cromer?"

He nodded.

"We need to be careful with it." You cautioned, remembering what Hongjoong had told you about it.

He nodded once more, rummaging inside his messenger bag to rearrange something before placing The Cromer inside.

"Alright." He sighed, feeling a small sense of relief. "Let's get out of here."

With The Cromer in possession, you and Hongjoong started descending the rocky side of the cliff which you'd climbed up earlier. You kept a tight hold on the side of the raised platform, unable to keep your eyes off the mounds of gold sitting below you on the main floor of the cave. Subconsciously on edge from the startling sight, your grip tightened on the rocks as you took one step at a time back down to the ground.

"This way." Hongjoong gestured, taking your hand and pulling you in the direction of the cave entrance.

You were so focused on getting out, neither of you noticed the absence of the sleeping dragon.

Just as you and your quest partner were about to head that way, a massive, black beast swooped down in front of you.

"Where do you think you're going?" His gravelly voice spoke sharply.

You gasped, stumbling back a bit.

"Hongjoong." You whispered out in a trembling voice.

"Don't worry." The half-orc gave your hand a squeeze before releasing it and withdrawing his sword.

The dragon roared, raising one of his clawed hands and swinging it at Hongjoong who jumped out of the way, grabbing you in the process. This sent both of you tumbling to the ground, landing in the edge of a pile of coins.

The dragon wasted no time in taking another swipe with his razor sharp claws. Hongjoong, with an arm still hooked around your waist, rolled away just as the monster struck the spot you were at.

"You want to take what is mine?" The dragon roared.

At that moment, you and Hongjoong got to your feet and started to run. You fumbled for your bow, sliding it off and loading an arrow into it. There was no time for you to focus on aiming properly as you pointed the weapon in the general direction of the dragon, releasing the arrow which flew through the air, just barely grazing the beast's arm. He growled out at the stinging sensation it caused, lunging forward in retaliation. You and Hongjoong swerved in opposite directions to flee, separating from one another.

The dragon huffed, glancing left and right before deciding to go after you. A scream was ripped from your throat as you ran, pushing your legs as fast as they would go, ducking and dodging, moving around pillars and mounds of hoarded possessions in order to evade any attacks from the dragon. Unable to use your arrows due to the closeness of the dragon, your only option was to run. Any moment of hesitation would get you caught. Rounding one of the many piles of treasures, you found yourself at a dead end. Without thinking, you grabbed onto the rocky wall of the cave and started climbing, sparing a glance over your shoulder to see how close the threat was. Extending a trembling hand, you grabbed hold of a rock only for it to slip out of place and tumble to the ground. A yelp left you as you went sliding down the abrasive rigid side and back to the ground. You didn't get very far before you fell, so the drop was only a few feet, but the jagged rocks really did a number on you. You whimpered, squeezing your eyes shut as you rested against the wall, knowing you were about to meet your demise.

Hongjoong saw you were about to be cornered and knew he had to do something. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, he frantically searched the interior of the large cave, his eyes landing on a boulder sitting on a ledge near the opening. If he could get the dragon closer, he might be able to push the rock onto him. Without wasting another moment, he started climbing up the wall towards the large boulder.

"Y/n!" He shouted.

This grabbed your attention and made you open your eyes. On the opposite side of the cave, you spotted Hongjoong standing on a small ledge with his hands on a boulder the size of his body. Your gaze then darted to the approaching threat that glared at you with golden eyes. Mustering your strength, you pushed yourself to your feet, holding your side as you stood, your fingers brushing the glass bottle secured in the holster on your waist.

The smoke bomb potion.

You'd nearly forgotten about it. Unfastening the button, you pulled the bottle from its confines and smashed it on the ground, the glass shattering upon impact as a plume of smoke clouded the air. You took off, bolting past the disoriented dragon who was growling and roaring in agitation as you fled, dashing towards the exit.

"Come on!" Hongjoong shouted from up on the ledge. "Get him over here!"

You gave him a thumbs up, pushing your legs to go faster.

The dragon gave a flap of his wings, growling when it didn't clear the magical smoke that obstructed his view. With a roar that reverberated inside the cave, he shot up into the air, away from the plume of clouds and began flying directly towards you.

Hongjoong used the boulder to hide from the beast's view, his heart aching as he watched you run. He wished he could be down there but he needed to execute his plan.

Your face twisted at the burning in your side which was no doubt covered in scrapes. The only thing keeping you going was the entrance of the cave coming into view. That sight alone gave you the extra push you needed to close the space between yourself and the cave opening.

Once he knew you were safe, Hongjoong pushed the boulder, his orc strength coming in handy for moving such a large object.

The dragon was moving closer. This was it.

Before he could push it over the ledge, he hesitated, something inside of him unable to follow through with his plan. Clenching his jaw, Hongjoong redirected the boulder to the entrance of the cave, pushing it over the ledge before he started making his way back down. Hongjoong's last-minute plan B was to leap in front of the rolling boulder just before it was lodged against the opening of the cave, thus separating you and him from the dragon.

The half-orc made a beeline for the opening, slipping through just seconds before the rock collided with the mouth of the cavern.

"Hongjoong!" You exclaimed in relief, rushing over to him.

He huffed, leaning against the wall to catch his breath for a moment, his heart beating so violently he could hear it in his ears.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He responded breathlessly. "We should go."

You nodded, preparing to cast another dancing lights spell so you could see to leave, but before you could do so, the boulder blocking the opening started to move. Hongjoong instinctively took hold of your arm and began guiding you away. He'd rather feel his way out in the dark than risk facing the dragon again. With a palm pressed to the wall, he started moving forward, keeping you at his side while making his escape.

"Wait!"

You both stopped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Turning around, you were met with the sight of a dark-haired man with sharp, golden eyes and shiny black scales framing them. His black wings stood proudly behind him and a dragon tail laid on the floor at his feet. Seeing the dragon that had chased you both standing before you in hybrid form was unexpected. What's more, he wasn't trying to attack either of you.

"You could have pushed that boulder onto me and yet you didn't. Why?" His golden gaze was directed at the half-orc beside you.

"I couldn't." Answered Hongjoong. "It didn't seem right."

The dragon stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again. "What are your names?"

"I'm Y/n and this is Hongjoong." You answered.

"Why were you trespassing? What was it you were stealing?"

Hongjoong reached into his bag and pulled out The Cromer.

"An hourglass?" The dragon appeared confused. "Why?"

"We were sent on a quest to retrieve it. It's an ancient and powerful relic that belongs in the hands of a keeper."

"We've no desire to steal any jewels or other possessions." You added.

After a prolonged silence, the dragon nodded knowingly, which took both you and Hongjoong by surprise.

"Very well. You spared my life, so you may keep the hourglass."

"Thank you..." Hongjoong trailed off, not knowing the dragon's name.

"Seonghwa."

"Thank you, Seonghwa."

"I have one condition though." He mentioned.

"What's your condition?" You inquired.

"Living in this cave can be rather lonely. As you can probably imagine, I don't have many guests, unless they're thieves wanting to steal some of my hoard. If you didn't travel too far, would you perhaps be willing to come back sometime?"

"Come back?" You and Hongjoong echoed Seonghwa's words.

"Yes." The dragon had a gentle and almost pleading look in his golden eyes which were now round with something akin to hope.

A brief look was shared with your quest partner to gauge his reaction before you both nodded in agreement to Seonghwa's condition.

"I think we can arrange that." Hongjoong stated.

The round, golden eyes that were full of hope were now sparkling with anticipation.

"Very well. I look forward to your next visit."

After bidding each other goodbye, you and Hongjoong parted ways with Seonghwa, making your way back out of the cave. Once outside, you dropped down on a nearby rock, heaving a drawn-out sigh of exhaustion. Your side still stung from the fall you had earlier.

"Are you alright?" Hongjoong's question gained your attention.

"I got scraped pretty bad when I fell." You responded, reaching into your bag for the first aid items you brought. "I haven't looked at the damage yet."

"Can you heal it like you did with me?"

"I don't really use that magic for scrapes. Besides, it takes a little energy out of me." You tugged your collar out just enough to glance down at the injuries under your shirt. A sharp intake of air was taken in through your teeth at the sight of the discolored scrapes on your ribs and hip.

"Is everything okay? You need me to take care of it?" Hongjoong sounded a bit frantic as he stepped closer to you.

"I think I can bandage it up myself." You grabbed some of the herbs you brought with you, grinding them up in the small bowl, taking some fabric strips and spreading the salve onto it.

You worked to unbutton the bottom buttons of your shirt to reveal some of the scrapes. Hongjoong winced at the sight. He wanted so badly to jump in and bandage your wounds for you, but you insisted you could do it on your own, so he stood by quietly.

You did your best to hold your shirt up and apply the strips of fabric, but the task was proving to be difficult.

"Here." Hongjoong decided to intervene and offer his assistance. "Let me do it."

With a soundless sigh, you surrendered and allowed him to take over, holding your shirt up just below your chest. Hongjoong took one of the strips of fabric with the salve spread along it, placing it on one section of the scrapes that littered your side. You hissed softly when the fabric made contact with the wound.

"Sorry." He murmured. "I'm trying to be careful."

You watched as Hongjoong secured the bandage around you, his fingers gently brushing along your skin every so often, making you suppress a shiver and sending warmth to your cheeks. He worked meticulously, applying the salve you mixed up onto the strips of fabric before delicately wrapping them around your midsection.

"There."

You glanced down at your bandaged body, assessing the work he'd done. "Thanks."

"Will you be good to walk?" Hongjoong asked while standing up and offering his arm.

You grabbed hold and got to your feet. "I think I'll be alright. Now, what do we do with The Cromer?"

"We take it to The Keeper. His location is on the map I was given." Hongjoong pulled out the parchment, unrolling it so you could see. "That structure right there is where he resides." He pointed.

"That's not too far from here. We might be able to make it there today."

"Then we should get going."

With a nod of agreement, the both of you set off for your final destination, traversing through the wooded area surrounding the mountain.

You kept a hold on Hongjoong's forearm as you walked. The stinging in your side had subsided thanks to the salve, but you continued using your quest partner as a support so you wouldn't strain yourself too much.

"The idea to roll that boulder into the cave opening was a smart idea." You told Hongjoong.

"Oh. Thanks." His cheeks were dusted with pink at your praise. "Using that smoke bomb potion was pretty clever too. I hated that I wasn't there to help, but it seems like you had everything under control."

"I did." You nodded with a small smile.

The sound of distant voices reached the ears of you and Hongjoong. Assuming it was other travelers passing through the area, you paid no mind to it and continued on. It wasn't until you caught a glimpse of a small group of men through the trees that something didn't feel right. They were all dressed in black and had bandanas tied around their faces, concealing their noses and mouths. Hongjoong seemed uneasy at the sight as well, his instincts telling him this group was bad news.

"We should go." He whispered to you.

You gave a nod before he tugged you further into the trees. The area you were traveling through had a mix of evergreens and rocks as well as some clustered boulder formations, which gave you a few options for a place to hide.

"In here." Hongjoong guided you inside a small cave he spotted nearby, pulling you further into the darkness where he took a seat on the rocky floor. "We should be safe here."

The both of you were far enough away from the cave opening that the group of potential bandits wouldn't be able to see you if they were to pass by the area—at least, you hoped they wouldn't.

You grunted softly as you lowered yourself to take a seat next to Hongjoong on the ground, trying not to bend your body a certain way to prevent any stinging from the bandaged scrapes.

"Well, looks like we're gonna be staying here for a while."

"That's fine." You sighed out, resting your head against the rocky cave wall. "I'd rather stay here until it's safe than risk running into bandits and having The Cromer stolen."

Hongjoong hummed in agreement.

You closed your eyes for a moment, leaning your head back a bit while soaking up the silence. When you opened your eyes again, you noticed glowing specks on the cave ceiling.

"Hey, what's that?"

"Where?"

"Up."

Hongjoong glanced up, taking in the array of spots that looked like stars. "Woah. Looks like some sort of bioluminescent fungus or something."

"It's so... pretty."

"Yeah. I've never seen anything like it."

You slowly got to your feet, cautiously taking a couple steps forward while navigating the dark, your curiosity getting the best of you.

"I wonder if there's more."

Wanting to stick close by and also keep an eye on you, Hongjoong stood up and followed behind as you moved further into the small cavern, his eyes wandering along the ceiling that slowly started to get more speckled. Up ahead there was more fungi growing on the walls and even between some of the crevices in the rocky floor.

"Woah." You breathed out in awe as the cave was now coated in a pale blue glow that emanated from the bioluminescent fungus.

Turning to Hongjoong with a bright smile that radiated pure exuberance, you let out a laugh of elation. The half-orc could've sworn his heart beat right out of his chest at that moment, his breath hitching softly. You looked so beautiful and so happy—the picture of perfection. The way your eyes glimmered and reflected the glowing clusters as you admired the fungi made Hongjoong feel like he was going to melt into a puddle.

"Y/n?"

Hearing him call out your name so softly made your turn to look at him, the faint blue glow from the fungi highlighting his face beautifully.

"There's something I wanted to tell you."

His tone was serious, though it carried a hint of nervousness, which made you focus all your attention on him.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to thank you for volunteering to join me on this quest. I can't imagine what it would've been like for me if I'd gone alone like I originally planned."

"You're welcome. I've actually enjoyed this little journey, despite the battles... and injuries." You chortled.

"Me too." Hongjoong returned your grin. "I wanted to also thank you for being so kind. Rejection is all I've ever known, growing up in a tribe of orcs who looked down on me and belittled me for being only half of what they were. When I met you, you didn't look at me differently. You treated me just like anyone else."

"Well, if I'm being honest, you're not like anyone else."

Hongjoong blinked a couple times, puzzled.

"You're unique. There've been half-orcs pass through my village, some even live there, but none have been as handsome as you."

"You think I'm handsome?" His words were uttered in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I do. And I think people stare because of that. I personally couldn't take my eyes off you when we first met."

Your words were setting Hongjoong's cheeks aflame. He was preparing to confess his feelings to you and here you were doing exactly what he was planning to do.

"Well," He began, gathering his nerves that were slowly fading thanks to your positive words towards him. "as long as we're being honest, I've never seen an elf as ethereal as you."

Now it was your turn to be flustered. Your mouth opened to say something, but you uttered no words and ended up snapping it shut. Hongjoong was amused by that, chuckling as he took a step closer to you. He hoped he was reading things correctly and that this moment was heading where he hoped it was.

Your eyes met his, the natural shimmer on your cheeks catching in the bioluminescent glow from the fungi. The gap between your bodies was slowly closing as each of you moved on your own volition towards one another.

Hongjoong's hand was warm as it cupped your cheek gingerly, his touch leaving faint tingles in its wake. Your breathing was shallow and anticipatory as he inched closer at an agonizingly slow pace.

The tip of his dainty nose brushed against yours, the sensation making your eyelids flutter. Then, finally, his soft lips made contact with yours and you melted instantaneously. Your hands rested on his chest as you leaned into him, though your palms didn't stay there for long and slowly migrated to his shoulders where your arms slid around his neck. In turn, Hongjoong's free hand came to rest on your waist, slowly gliding up your side to feel the shape of your body. A shaky exhale left your nostrils at his gentle caresses. He was being so slow and deliberate as if to commit every dip and curve to memory. His lips moved just as leisurely as his hands, dragging over your own in a passionate kiss that was making your knees weak and your stomach explode with butterflies.

A small hum from you vibrated against Hongjoong's lips as you pressed your face closer to his, deepening the kiss. This caused his hold on you to tighten, the hand that was cupping your cheek moving to the nape of your neck to keep you locked in place. Hongjoong's other hand that was exploring your waist slid around to your lower back, guiding you forward until you were flush against him. The closeness sent a wave of heat throughout your body, another low hum left you. There were so many sensations being experienced you could hardly focus, your mind clouded with thoughts of the man holding you. Heavy exhales, soft hums, and kissing sounds were all that could be heard inside the cave.

After what felt like forever and yet not long enough, Hongjoong parted ways, pulling his lips from yours. His thumb gently dragged along your bottom lip as he licked his own.

"So beautiful." He murmured, his voice hoarse from the heated moment.

You suppressed a shiver, your half-lidded eyes looking into Hongjoong's with pure affection, and an undertone of desire to kiss him again, but there was a quest to complete.

"We should head to The Keeper." He spoke once more.

You nodded at his suggestion, knowing The Cromer needed to be taken somewhere safe as soon as possible.

You and Hongjoong stood at the entrance of a large structure made of gray brick; it wasn't a castle nor a temple, but something in between. With a push on the door, the both of you started making your way inside to meet with The Keeper.

You entered a small room with plinths lining the walls, each one with an item displayed on the top. Striding about the room was an elderly man with a gray beard, his dark robes dragging behind him. His attention was drawn towards the presence of you and Hongjoong.

"What brings two young travelers to my preservatory?" The man's left eye was covered with a patch that had a crescent moon embroidered on it.

"Are you The Keeper?" You asked.

"I am."

"We're here to bring you an ancient artifact." Hongjoong responded, approaching the man.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the hourglass the both of you had retrieved from the dragon's—Seonghwa's lair.

"The Cromer." The Keeper spoke in awe. "I've been waiting for brave travelers to bring this to me." He carefully took the hourglass from Hongjoong's hands. "You two are the only ones to succeed. Thank you. I can assure you, your hard work will not go unnoticed."

You and Hongjoong watched as The Keeper walked away, muttering, "Follow me." as he shuffled across the marble floors.

The elderly man led you into a separate room with a singular pedestal situated at the far end. He placed The Cromer on the plinth and held his hands out, a pale green glow emitting from them as a glass case materialized around the artifact, sealing it away. You and Hongjoong were in awe at the impressive display of magic.

"Now," The Keeper strode to a chest on a shelf, murmuring some words as it unlocked and opened. "I believe you two have earned this."

A large bag of coins was removed from the wooden box and placed into Hongjoong's awaiting hands, it's weight taking him by surprise.

"The Cromer is now in its rightful place thanks to the two of you."

With the quest now completed, you left the preservatory and began the journey back the way you both came.

Hongjoong couldn't believe it. He did it. He completed his first quest. His tribe would certainly accept him now.

The thought of his tribe made the half-orc pause his train of thought for a moment, his expression falling ever so slightly. This entire time, his plan was to complete the quest and prove to those who made fun of him that he was capable. His eyes turned to you who was gazing up at the trees that towered over the trail. Hongjoong's heart softened at the sight and he began to realize that going back to his tribe didn't sound as appealing as he once thought. After spending time with you, he'd been shown kindness and had experienced acceptance and appreciation, which he wasn't used to, but he really liked it. He liked the way it made him feel warm inside and filled him with happiness. For the first time in his whole life he felt like he was enough—and it was all because of you.

"Don't go back to your tribe."

Your sudden vocalization caught Hongjoong by surprise, especially because it aligned with what he was currently thinking.

"What?"

You turned your head to look at him. "I said don't go back to your tribe. You don't need them. Stay with me instead."

He blinked a couple times.

"You said you were going on this quest to prove yourself to your tribe, but you don't have to prove anything to anyone. Besides, I can't stand the thought of you going back to a group of nasty orcs that treated you so poorly. They were terrible to you and they don't deserve to have you as a part of their group."

A soft smile of amusement slowly spread across Hongjoong's features.

"I have no plans to go back... not anymore." He responded. "Besides, I can't abandon my new girlfriend, can I?"

A small gasp left you, your eyes widening momentarily at the title. "Girlfriend?"

"We kissed, didn't we?"

"Well, yes," Your cheeks warmed as you recalled the memory. "but we never really made it official. You never asked me to be your girlfriend."

"Well, do you?"

Pressing your lips together to hold back a smile, you nodded. "Yes."

Hongjoong grinned at your acceptance.

"Oh. That reminds me, I have something for you." He reached for his bag.

"You do?"

"I couldn't figure out when to give it to you, but now seems like a good time."

You both slowed to a stop as Hongjoong rummaged for a moment before pulling out a messily-folded wad of fabric. He held it up and you watched as it unfurled itself, your breath catching in your throat at the reveal. It was the dress you were looking at in the clothing shop earlier that day.

"I saw you looking at it and I couldn't stop imaging what you'd look like in it." Hongjoong confessed, his pointed ears dusted pink.

You stepped forward and trailed your fingers along the soft fabric.

"I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"I was hoping you'd wear it on a date with me." Hongjoong's words were quiet, almost unsure as he uttered them. It was as if he expected you to say no.

"I would love that." You gleamed, clutching the dress.

The smile that overtook Hongjoong's features was so large it made his eyes crinkle up into crescent shapes.

Your dress was folded and placed back into his bag for safe keeping and your journey home continued, this time with Hongjoong's hand linked with yours.

"So, if I'm staying, does that mean I get to live with you?" He asked with a smirk as the two of you headed down the trail.

"Of course it does. You're stuck with me now."

"Hm. I like the sound of that."

Hongjoong started this journey with one mission in mind and that was to prove his worth to a tribe of orcs that saw him as nothing. Now, he's ended with a girlfriend, newfound confidence, reward money, and a new place to live where he would begin his own happily ever after.

Masterlist ᝰ — enjoyed this imagine? reblogs & comments are very much appreciated!

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

🏷 @h3arteyes4mingi @weird-bookworm @poppy2007 @parkjennykim @evidive @mxlly143 @lizzymizzy-blogg @minhanbyeol @dinossaurz @laylasbunbunny @iammeandmeisiam @delulu18

[snarlesofthesewers]

a taste of poison

snarles x reader part 1 - if there's enough demand maybe ill make a part 2 lol idk i hate writing so it would probably take just as long as this one

a while after landing on this strange planet, finding yourself in the dark and haunting forest known as Subcon a spirit known as snatcher steals your soul and forces you to do his bidding unfortunately for you while working to complete one of snatcher's tasks you end up far deeper in the forest then you should have been and end up in someone else's hunting grounds

after searching for nearly two hours you find yourself running into a small clearing leaves rustling and twigs snapping underfoot as you ran towards the rare flower snatcher had asked you to gather for a certain potion he needed to make what kind of potion? you had no idea but what you did know is that snatcher would probably kill you if you came back empty handed you should have been paying better attention to your surroundings while running you weren't exactly paying attention to anything other then the flower leading to you tripping over a fallen tree and planting your face directly in the cold and wet soil of the forest which definitely woke you up but when you realized just how much noise you had made on the way here you could feel nothing but dread something probably heard you no.. something definitely heard you you quickly wipe the mud from your face and come to your knees scanning the tree line and tuning in your hearing as you slowly get up but you see and hear... nothing nothing but the sound of wind howling between the cracks of broken trees the coast is clear and you are alone so you begin to stand and reproach the flower pulling it from the ground with the roots intact and stashing it somewhere safe for the journey back to snatcher's house but just as you pick it up the smell of something absolutely awful fills your nose its hard to stop yourself from puking and you probably would have if you weren't already so used to the constant smell of death that lays thick in Subcon's air... but this wasn't the usual smell of old decaying bodies this smelled far more ripe where the hell was that smell even coming from? "right behind you that's where~" a small crack and snap can be heard in the treetops above with the faint sound of hissing that transitioned into a shrill and wet sounding cackle that followed soon after you run but you didn't get far before you are promptly pinned to the ground by something far larger then yourself with its claws digging into your shoulders causing fresh blood to trickle down the side of your back and onto the cold wet ground and it was at this very moment that you realized YOU BLEW IT YOU TOTALLY SCREWED YOURSELF!~ you feel the smooth and slimy skin of whatever creature had you pressed against the ground began to coil itself around you like a snake ready to suffocate its prey your mind and body had already started to go numb but before you could pass out you were quickly snapped out of it by a voice... and maybe also the claws still stuck in your shoulders like knives but mostly just the voice

"finally.. fresh meat its been days with not a single soul... I was starting to worry that people had finally gotten smart and started to avoid this wrenched forest~"

"...now then.. how about we get started my lost little mouse~ it would be a real shame if I let fresh meat like you go to waste"

you struggle and struggle and struggle some more attempting to worm your way out of its firm grasp but its no use but if you were going to die you at least wanted to get a good look at whatever was about to kill you so you continued to struggle until you could get a good look at its face even if that meant completely exhausting yourself you catch a glimpse of its soulless yellow eyes flickering

"oh how cute the prey thinks it can escape~? you keep making this easier for me I almost feel bad... maybe the hunger is finally starting to get to me or maybe its just that scent.... wait hold on that scent" they lean in close to your face and just stare at you for what felt like an eternity before uncoiling you and towering above your sore body "is... this some kind of cruel joke?" they hissed in frustration before grabbing you by the leg and pulling you close to their face "no this cant be the case... did his previous contractor kick the bucket already? its only been a week there's no way he's dead already" they drool at the thought of eating the remains of snatchers previous victim even if there's no guarantee he was even dead...yet "well well well~ ...might you be snatcher's newest pet? oh ...don't worry about trying to speak.. I have other ways of finding out~" "my little mouse"

[faerybones3]

Which Witch

Fìli x witch!reader

tags: flirty banter, witchcraft, stab wound, palm reading, fili is a flirt, the dwarves get very drunk lol, thorin is an asshole

word count: 2.8k

previous part | series masterlist

Chapter Two

The man facing you was beautiful and ethereal. You had never seen beauty like his before. You could have looked upon his face forever. 

You called to him, “Who are you?”

He did not answer. He turned from you and began walking away. 

“Wait, stop!”

You tried to follow him, but you felt as though you were walking underwater. He was getting further and further away, but you knew you must reach him. You ran with all your might, trying desperately to catch up to him. He finally stopped, and when you reached him, you grabbed his arm, turning him around to face you again. You needed to look upon his face, just once more. 

But as he turned, you saw that his face was gone. In its place was a gaping, black void. 

You screamed and released him. Was that laughter? He was laughing at you. The noise seeped into you and you could feel it under your skin, crawling like thousands of spiders. You continued to scream as the laughter grew louder, threatening to consume you. 

You woke with a jolt, head pounding. Your surroundings were unfamiliar at first. You saw a straw floor, and great wooden beams. It appeared that you were in a building meant for a giant, making you feel very small. 

It wasn’t until you saw the huge honey bees and goats on the other side of the great room you were in that you realized where you were. You were in Beorn’s great hall. You had met him many times, and he was a good friend to your people. 

You stood on wobbly feet and wondered to yourself how long you had been asleep. The events leading up to you passing out were a blur of swords and goblins. Your throat burned and it was tremendously hard to swallow; you knew you must have horrible bruising there. Raising your shirt, you saw that the wound in your abdomen had been cleaned and well-bandaged, though you noticed that it would need new wrappings soon. You quickly gave the rest of your body a once-over, noting the various scratches and bruises. 

Suddenly, you heard laughter coming from the end of the hall, and your head shot up, remembering your dream. The dwarves were all sitting at a large table, talking boisterously amongst each other. When they noticed you slowly walking over, they all stopped speaking and looked at you. One of them, with two large twisting braids in his gray beard and holding an ear trumpet, rose and walked to you. 

“Right, I’ll be needin’ to see to that then,” he said, gesturing to your soiled bandages. 

You let him lead you to a bench next to their table. He introduced himself to you as ‘Òin’ and you gave him your name as well. You winced as you raised your shirt and he started to re-do your wound dressings, but you were grateful that he had a gentle hand. As he was working, the rest of the dwarves went around and gave you their names. You learned that the blond dwarf you had stolen the sword from was named Fìli. The last of them, and the leader if you had to guess, did not introduce himself. He instead walked to you and eyed you skeptically. You eyed him right back, holding your ground. When he spoke, he was stern. 

“How did you come to be in the company of goblins?”

“I was traveling solo through the Misty Mountains when I was ambushed and taken. They kept me prisoner for three days.” Your voice came out as a rasp. 

“Why did you help us?”

“Would you rather I hadn’t?” You asked with a wry smile. Some of the dwarves exchanged looks, but the leader simply narrowed his eyes. 

You sighed. “It’s just what any decent person would do.”

The leader seemed unfazed, “What are you, some elf half-breed?”

You raised an eyebrow. “If you would use your eyes, master dwarf, you would see that I am no elf.”

“A witch, then?”

Òin had completed his work by this point, and you gently pushed his hands away and thanked him. All of them watched you with expectant looks, some curious and a bit wary. You had heard of the skepticism of Dwarves, and you knew that it most likely extended to the magical arts. 

Throwing caution to the wind, you nodded. A few of them broke into whispers. 

“I’m not going to try and curse any of you, if that’s what you’re so worried about,” you said quickly. They didn’t seem convinced, especially the leader. 

“I would not expect any of you to understand, closed minded as all you lot are,” you said. You were getting annoyed at their prodding questions and the pain in your side was making you irritable. 

They became quite offended at this. 

“We saved you, did we not?” said the one who had introduced himself as Kìli. 

You locked eyes with him. You saw an endearing kind of innocence that comes with youth in his eyes. A certain desperation to prove himself. The dwarf sitting beside him, Fìli, had to be his brother, not just because their names were so similar, but they had the same tilted mouth, the same mischievous glint in their eyes. Fìli was definitely older, more hardened and learned in the ways of the world, his beard longer and braided, unlike his younger brothers. With the slightest flush, you realized that this was the face you had reached for in your semi-conscious state before you had passed out. His face had been haloed with the rising light of the sun and he had looked almost angelic, like one of the Valar sent from Valinor itself to heal you. 

“I do believe Gandalf is to thank for our saving,” piped up the halfling, Bilbo, breaking you from your thoughts. You had never met a hobbit before. He had a kind nature about him and you immediately liked him the best out of the bunch. It also helped that he seemed to think your criticism of the dwarves was quite amusing. 

“Speaking of,” you said, standing from the bench. “Where is he?”

“The garden I believe,” said Bilbo. 

You made your way over to the large oak front doors of Beorn’s hall, the dwarves watching you silently, their expressions poorly concealing their obvious mistrust. 

Wrenching open the doors, you breathed in the fresh outside air and turned back around to face the dwarves, who were still watching you intently. 

“Thank you,” you said to them, before turning and marching out to look for the wizard, not bothering to shut the doors behind you.

—

The warm summer sun had just set over the tops of the mountains, leaving the sky an inky blue color and making you shiver a bit in your spot on the ground, where you sat comfortably watching the dwarves dance and sing around the fire, in their usual merry mood. The hot mug of tea in your hands did much, however, to fend off the chill of the evening as it was three times the size of your head and gave off the same amount of warmth that a small campfire might. 

It had been four days since your arrival at Beorn’s hall, and you were surprised at how much the dwarves had warmed up to you in so little time. Once they knew for sure that you were not going to put a spell on them or kill them in their sleep, they decided it was alright to look you in the eyes and once they learned that Gandalf had decided to more or less trust you, they became downright friendly and had all but welcomed you into their little troop. Even the leader, whose name you found out to be Thorin, had stopped glowering whenever you came near him. 

A baby goat had made its way over to where you were sitting, looking up at you with big curious eyes, his ears covered in fuzz. You couldn’t help the smile that touched your lips. Reaching out your hand, you patted him gently between his eyes. Looking quite timid, he seemed to come to a decision about something, and then plopped down right next to you, laying his head on one of your legs that was stretched out on the straw-covered floor. Your smile grew as you looked down at him, this innocent little creature. 

You heard a chuckle nearby and whipped your head around at the sound. 

“Hello, there,” said Fìli, coming to sit with you, a large mug in his hand as well, but you knew that his was filled with something much stronger than tea.

You nodded at him politely. He shifted to sit with his legs crossed and one of his knees brushed your thigh, but he didn’t seem to notice. You both sat in silence, watching the other dwarves and listening to their drunken singing and shouting. Dwalin was sitting at the massive table in the middle of the hall, arm wrestling Glóin who had his face scrunched up in concentration. Thorin and Balin stood a little to the side of the group, laughing loudly at all the others as they danced around Bofur, who was currently very drunk and singing at the top of his lungs in what was probably meant to be the common tongue but sounded more like animated babbling. 

You laughed heartily at the scene and turned to Fìli. “Are they always like this?”

“You’ve no idea,” he replied with a smile. 

Ori had just pulled Nori to him and was attempting a two-man jig, which made you and Fíli laugh even harder. 

Several minutes went by like that, with you and him laughing together at the ridiculous things the dwarves were currently doing. You found that you didn’t need to fill the space between you with pointless chatter, as he had an easy air about him and the small silences between your laughter were not awkward. 

But it was then that you remembered something. 

“I’m sorry for taking your sword,” you said, a bit of your composure lost. “I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“Hm? Oh, it’s alright,” he said. “Just don’t do it again.”

You turned your head to look at him, but he had a smirk on his face. Relieved, you smiled back. 

He continued, “What did you do to it? Those words you were speaking?”

“It was just a spell,” you said, shaking your head a little. “For my aim to be true and for protection.”

He gave you a skeptical look and raised one thick eyebrow. 

“Cynical, are you? I thought you were traveling with a wizard.”

“Yes, well . . . “ he trailed off. 

“Well, what?”

He met your eyes reluctantly, looking you up and down in the process. “You just don’t really look the part, is all.”

You scoffed. “Just because I’m not old and wizened doesn’t mean I can’t possess magic.”

He nodded, his mouth forming a little ‘o’ as he turned back to watch the dwarves again, but you could tell he didn’t really believe you. You reached your hand out to him. He looked at it, confused for a moment, before you made a beckoning motion with your fingers. He still didn’t understand.

“Hand,” you said simply.

Reluctantly, he put his rough and calloused hand into yours. You took a moment to gently trace the lines in his palm with your fingertips, almost caressing his hand. 

“You’re the eldest of two.”

“Anyone here could have told you that,” he said matter-of-factly. 

You shot him a look and he shut his mouth with a smirk. 

“You worry for your mother at home. You have since your father died. You also worry for your brother. He’s reckless and easily gets into trouble.”

You paused to look up at him, and this time, you had his full attention.

“You’re on a journey to a home that you have never seen before,” you said, tracing the line that wrapped around his thumb. “It looks like you’ve had quite the adventure already, more than you bargained for. And this one here-” your fingertips brushed his hand right below the base of his fingers. “-is called your heart line. See how yours is kind of coarse and splits there? That means you are passionate and very intuitive when it comes to those you love. You also always put others before yourself, but you suppress a lot of your true feelings, especially when it comes to romantic relationships.”

His face had flushed pink when you looked up at him again. You looked back down and continued. 

“You have much anxiety; more than you let on. On the surface, you are very well put together, you were raised to be of course, but much like a river you are raging underneath it all. You put on a facade to appease everyone around you, but you are constantly sick with worry. You are always trying to prove yourself, most of all to your uncle, because one day, everything will fall upon your shoulders and no one can know that you are scared to death.”

You looked up at him. He was watching you with rapt attention, a look of complete shock on his face. You cleared your throat. 

“Should I-”

He didn’t answer; it didn’t look like he could quite form words at the moment, but he shook his head. You nodded and dropped his hand. 

“Sorry,” you said awkwardly, your hands fisted in your lap. 

He seemed to have found his voice again. “No, no, it’s alright. Just a bit jarring, that’s all.”

“Well, at least now you know that I’m not a fraud,” you said with a smirk, attempting to put him at ease a bit. He smiled and nodded his head in agreement. 

After several minutes of slightly uneasy silence, he spoke again. 

“So, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Well, you know all my secrets now. Only fair if I know some of yours,” he said with a wink.

You rolled your eyes, but smiled at him as you said, “There’s not much to tell. My life is not half as interesting as yours. I grew up just south of here actually, in a village bordering the Anduin. Mother and father were merchants who traded frequently with the elves of Mirkwood.”

“How did you become a witch then? The elves?”

“I actually don’t know. Just woke up one day with everything in my head.”

He definitely did not believe this, but thankfully didn’t press the matter. Instead, he asked, “What’s your family like?”

“They’re wonderful. My younger sister and I used to beg our parents to let us go with them on their travels to the Woodland Realm. We were never allowed to, though, until we were older. I know that dwarves don’t really get on with the elves, but my people were quite close with them.”

You paused for a moment, and your voice became heavy with emotion, almost regretful, at your next words. “My family was everything to me.”

“Was?” asked Fìli.

“I left my village almost three years ago.”

Again, he didn’t press you for more answers, sensing that it was not something you were keen on talking about. Instead, he stretched his arms and sprawled out on the floor, leaning his weight on his elbows. 

“You’re right,” he said playfully. “My life is much more interesting than yours.”

You laughed and smacked him lightly on the shoulder. 

The baby goat, who had been snoozing on your leg all this time, woke up just then and gave you a contemptuous look, as if you had woken him up on purpose. He got up and sauntered off, probably to go and find his mother. 

“So tell me about this adventure you’re on,” you said, turning to him again, yawning, and then cupping your chin in your hand. 

Fìli laughed. “Ah, well, where do I start?”

He then launched into the tale of his and the dwarves’ journey, talking animatedly and sparing no details. You heard about their arrival in Bag End and the recruitment of their fourteenth member, Bilbo. He told you all about how they had been captured by trolls and would have been eaten if not for Bilbo’s quick thinking. Then they had found themselves in Rivendell at the behest of Gandalf and stayed there for two weeks. After their stay in Rivendell, they were traveling through the Misty Mountains when they had been captured by goblins, and you knew the rest. Towards the end of his story, you had grown very sleepy, and by the time he was finished, you had laid down and were half asleep, trying desperately to stay awake. When he had finished and noticed that you were falling asleep, he chuckled to himself. You heard him say ‘goodnight’ to you and you just barely felt a blanket being pulled over your body before you fell into a peaceful sleep.

[navstuffs]

Sprained Ankle

Pairing: Ezio x GN!Reader

Summary: You fall during a chase, hurting your ankle. Ezio ensures he will bring you to safety.

Warnings: this fanfic could have happened during the end of ac 2 or during brotherhood (you choose your ezio lol), protective/worried/comforting ezio, mention of injury, established romance, my own self-indulgent fanfic, curses in italian using a translator

Author's Note: hii! this idea came to me during an unfortunate event in my real life: i sprained my ankle. since im a sucker for protective/comforting tropes, i decided to do a fanfic about it with ezio auditore. i hope you all enjoy!

It was supposed to be an easy job. A simple kill under Ezio's observant eyes. He lets you do it alone for once, watching closely from the top of a building. The mission was easy: use bombs, kill the target, and get away as fast as possible. Everything went well until three lute players appeared out of nowhere, singing at the top of their lungs. Unfortunately, that also attracted the attention of the guards.

Ezio watched hopelessly as you climbed up the building, making your way toward him. You barely have any time to say anything, following Ezio's lead. The guards didn't seem to give up quickly as you two ran away, jumping from building to building. You two had to be incredibly careful since it had rained the whole morning, and the roofs were slippery. After five minutes of fleeing and not hearing any more noises behind you, you look over your shoulder.

"I think we lost them-"

Your foot loses balance, and before Ezio can react, you slip from the four-floor building, and Ezio can hear your body falling to the ground. With his blood turning cold in his veins, Ezio quickly looks for you, not letting any despair fill his mind. You attract some surprised people's looks, but you seem awake. Ezio wastes no time going down the building as fast as he can, his hands trying not to shake. You are alive, he tells himself as a prayer. When he joins you, you seem to struggle to get up, your hands on your ankle.

"Are you fine, tesoro?" Ezio asks, concerned, kneeling at your side. He scans you rapidly as you shake your head.

"My ankle hurts."

Ezio helps you lift your body. As you try to get in two feet, you hiss, the pain in your heel unbearable. You don't say anything, not looking at Ezio.

"Can you walk?"

You nod as Ezio holds you by your hips. On instinct, you pass your arm over his shoulder. You try to give one step and bite your lips, trying not to groan. The pain is too much, but you deny saying anything to Ezio. He realizes that.

"Tesoro, I don't think you can walk."

"I can do this, Ezio," You argue back, cursing inside your mind. And to make matters worse, not far away from there, you start hearing guard's voices looking for you. Those bastardi never gave up?

"There is no time for this. I have to carry you to safety. We need to find you a doctor away from here."

You want to argue more, trying to put more weight into your bad leg and groaning in terrible pain. The guards seem to be getting closer now. You roll your eyes, embarrassed, and agree, not looking directly at Ezio anymore.

"Hold tight," Ezio whispers after he lifts you. You hold onto his neck, trying to decide if you are angry, ashamed, or flustered to let your boyfriend carry you like this "Let's try not to call attention to ourselves."

Maneuvering between the sea of people, you look behind Ezio's back, noticing the guards are close. Ezio feels you tense up and immediately reacts, turning into the first corner. He holds you against his chest, ignoring the curious looks. He can only stop into a doctor once you are out of danger.

Ezio follows through the streets, deep down, wanting to fight those guards. He knows he can't risk with you like this. You don't say anything, breathing on Ezio's neck to calm down.

"You will be alright, amore mio. Nothing will hurt you. I promise you."

You roll your eyes, almost smiling. Only Ezio to say the cheekiest things while you were being pursued. And to make you feel all fuzzy and warm in your chest.

When you are finally away from danger, you tap Ezio's shoulder, telling him he could put you down. Ezio gives you a half-smile and shakes his head.

"Not until the doctor, tesoro."

You try to discuss, but now that the adrenaline is passing, your ankle starts hurting really bad. Finally, Ezio finds a doctor, placing you carefully on the floor. The doctor checks you under Ezio's close supervision.

The doctor affirms you were lucky you only broke your ankle. He covers it with bandages, recommending you rest for a few weeks. You want to protest, but Ezio pays the man, carrying you back to safety.

-x-

When Ezio finally arrives at the safe spot, he places you into bed gently. You aren't pleased; he can see it as you cross your arms, snorting. Ezio takes his hood down, sitting by the bed.

"You look so charming when angry."

"Vai a farti fottere, Ezio," You complain, frustrated at yourself. How could you let this happen? Ezio needed your help. You didn't like it before you met him when he used to do missions alone, but now you were a team.

"Tesoro-" Ezio tries to touch your face. You block him, knowing you are acting childish, but you are so furious with yourself.

Ezio sighs, rubbing your body. He could finally breathe now. Since you fell from the top of that building, all he had on his mind was to bring you to safety. Now that you were there, safe and medicated, he knew he would have to deal with your stubbornness. He knew how you were feeling: you had nurtured him when he got hurt by Savonarola.

Ezio couldn't support even the thought of losing you. He had already passed this with Cristina, and it was so painful.

When he fell in love with you, and you chose the same path as he did to help him with his vengeance, Ezio almost thought of breaking up. The thought of you hurting or dying because of him was too much. He chose to be selfish and keep you close. He knew it was wrong, but the pain of having you away from him was much, much worse. That's why he was training you to be the best Assassin you could be. Luckily you were turning into a cautious, ruthless, and silent Assassin.

He just needed to keep an eye on you until you got better. It was hard for him not to go there and kill those pezzi di merda who dared to hurt you. Or just intermediate. No, he knew you had to do it alone.

"Okay, tesoro. I understand you are hurt. I know you feel this is a step back but look. At least we are alright. You will be back in a couple of weeks, now, how about-" Ezio suddenly changes his tone of voice, which he uses to seduce you. He rubs your upper tights up to your stomach and your arms. He kisses the side of your neck, whispering, "I strip you from those dirty clothes, give you a warm bath, get us a warm soup, and rest together. What do you think, mhm?"

You don't think, simply letting your body reaction answer to him. It was ridiculous, with chills all over your body. Any trace of anger leaves as you melt in his arms. He notices your expression softens and smiles victorious, giving a small bite to your neck, his beard rasping against your skin.

"Fine, fine, you win, Ezio. Take care of me as you want."

"Come si desidera."

Pezzi de Merda = Pieces of Shit Vai a farti fottere = Go fuck yourself Come si desidera = As you wish

MASTERLIST | EZIO'S MASTERLIST

[pokidot]

cani pls have a one shot with heizou @ the soulja boy concert

ANON PLEASE IM SCREAMING

wc: 1,359 note: this is my first time writing a kiss with my stories on here lol

You were having the time of your life, even though you had no clue where your date, Heizou had gone.

Granted, you tried looking for him as soon as you realized, but the crowd had packed you in and forced you to stay there within the seat. You were subjected to just letting someone else take Heizou's seat, since they were struggling to find their own.

Even with the discrepancies of him suddenly disappearing, out of sight out of mind, you felt a sense of pure elation even being at the concert. The stage ablaze with lights and pyrotechnics, dazzling display that reflects the fervor of the arena's compassion, it was making you dizzy.

The experience was electrifying; the music pulsates through the air with a final song. An old classic you knew too well to let go in memory, reverberating through the audience's bodies and igniting especially you with amour and excitement.

You almost didn't want to leave.

The final verses, and a dance break from the team that came out from stage left had the crowd hyped on adrenaline. The last song came to an end quick before the crowd had began to dissipate.

You left out the door to the auditorium halls with an indelible impression on just how fun a Soulja Boy concert could be.

But even as you had so much fun, you were confused on where you date was during the whole concert. Did he really just pay for two tickets to a concert that reached it's crescendo and then ditched you before the actual act can start? What a way to put breadsticks in your purse and run.

Your sense of gratitude and appreciation fizzled out on your tongue, leaving you with slight irritation and faint confusion. The feeling of trepidation creeped in your heart as you walked around aimless; not too sure where Heizou could be, but staying vigilant in your search.

You passed the merchandise, and the food court, and even the little Soulja Boy keychains you desperately wanted to buy because of how ridiculous it looked. You looked nook and cranny for him, desperately hoping to reunite. Because if not...you definitely were going to block him after this.

Despite your best efforts, you remained elusive right up until you saw a crowd at the end of the hallway. You blinked out of your transfixed state, walking towards the noise, only to see your very own date swiftly roundhouse kick someone with a mop in the face.

"Please! Get that psycho away from me!" The cleaner had shouted, their eyes almost blazing with fury, one that echoed even throughout the halls and bared attention from the people exiting the auditorium still.

"Playing innocent again, huh." Heizou squinted, his fingers curled and twisted under his other hand, the joints of them creaking within his control. "That's fine, the police are coming anyway. What are you really cleaning? Huh? The money you got from child exploitation?!"

"What...are you even talking about?!" The cleaner's face raged on, his voice growing stronger with his question.

"Yeah, man. This is a little..." The exhilaration still had some of the concert goers confused, because they had no idea how to even respond to this. "I mean...I personally wouldn't assume he's..."

"Do you even know who he is and what he's done? He is Mr. Satoshi Ueno. Slimy bastard had his hands on Watatsumi Island stocks at one point! He's a pimp under the scene!"

"I'm not! I'm just a cleaner with laundry to do after my shift!" The cleaner cried out.

"Still, even if he's charged for something, it's not ethical to fight with the janitor at a concert."

"You don't think I know that? I was helping Soulja Boy, this is the last thing I want to be doing on my day off. While he was cranking that, I was cranking necks." Heizou whistled. "I think I deserve some gratitude."

You tried processing the gravity of the situation, but your mind was struggling. Heizou...was interrogating the cleaner. Cool.

With a sudden fierce determination in your eyes that was as fiery as your lack of substance from tonight, you drew quickly near to the fight and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"

You seethed with anger. How dare he even waste your time? The date was literally over, and you hadn't seen him for the majority of it. Was he even thinking about you at all?

But...as Heizou looked down at you with his emerald eyes that sparkled and shimmered regardless under the dull lights, his lip slowly curling once he realized who it was into a charming and disarmed smile, your anger smoothened. It faltered harder than Soulja Boy's new songs. "Oh! Hey, (Y/N)!"

His voice was pure, honeyed sweetness against your ears. It was like dulcet liquid gold was pouring from his lips.

You became overwhelmed, buffeted on all sides of emotional waves that threatened to engulf you if you didn't get out of this situation with him. "Haha.." Your tense arm relaxed against his hands, intertwining them with his and waving at the audience, a faux smile planted on your lips. "Sorry, guys! He didn't take his meds today...you know how it is! Dementia and all...heh...bye."

Disgruntled that you were forced to bear witness to a merciless scrap while the police enter the room, you looked at your date with a complex stare.

You were almost convinced that he did this to himself out of sadistic pleasure. "What in the actual hell, Shika."

His hand rose up to scratch the back of his head, fingers fumbling nervously through his burgundy strands while he watched the police help the poor cleaner up from afar. "Heh," His eyes darted away, "To be fair, I really did think it was Satoshi Ueno."

The tenderness of your heart clouded your vision. Just enough for the wind to be knocked out of your lungs, but not enough to assess the situation as you cleared your throat. "You missed the Soulja Boy concert to assault some rando."

"Hey, hey! Not assault! Defense!" Heizou lifted his hands up, unwavering in his look towards you. "He had a clear reason why he thought that he was being attacked, and I have a clear reason as to why I think he's a dirty piece of garbage and he should be locked up. It's an equal bargain."

"An equal bargain?" Your eyebrows furrowed. "You did martial arts for five years and had no lead. He was a loser with laundry, what equity was there?"

Heizou couldn't help but give you a goofy grin. "Everyone gets a happy ending. He gets to go home and possibly get 3 days off from injury! And I," He paused to place his arm over you, a sense of warmth emitting against the chill you felt from the outside, "Get to prolong our date."

And even in this situation, with absolutely no concern for him kicking a guy in the face with the most ridiculous rhyme and reason to exist, your heart swelled at his words. "Did the date even start..? I went to a Soulja Boy concert all by myself."

But you couldn't be mad at him, because he got closer to you, leaning closer to meet eye level with you. "How ever can I make it up to you, (Y/N)? Dinner?"

You were struck by the sheer bond you had to his actions, a sense of wonder crashing over you. You practically had hearts in your eyes. "Italian."

Heizou's lips curled into an even wider grin, effervescent with delight as he suffused his triumph with a press to your lips. His touch against you was soft, gentle enough that it pricked at your heart like needles. The palpable love exuded from the two of you, and once he pulled away, you had practically melted.

"Let's go, then. You can tell me what songs Soulja Boy played." Heizou locked his hands with you tighter, as you two walked out of the building.

"Are you sure? You don't even know what the songs are." You smiled.

"Yeeeah. I can't name a single Soulja Boy song."

"Uncultured."

[spadeselfshipcorner]

SPADE x HUNTER Chronicles

The Hunter Exam Pt. 5

In case you don't come from the main post, hi. This is my attempt to fully insert my HxH S/I in the main story! Gotta thank my friends whose feedback has kept me motivated to continue writing and finally posting this work, because my original plan was to keep it to myself lol

January 11th OST: It'll Surely Be Fun 09:20 AM Two days had gone by, the time had almost run out, and still no sign of my group.  Chatlog:

– [Spade]: “Time’s almost up…”

[Hanzo]: “Ugh… yep! I can’t wait to finally get outta here! Say… I haven’t seen the clique you stuck around with the first couple days arrive yet… Do you think they made it?”

[Spade]: “I really hope so… I'm honestly so worried, I don’t want to imagine what sort of crazy things they must’ve gone through, maybe they’re injured…”

[Hanzo]: “Maybe they just got lost, they could still be alive… wait, what’s that noise?” –

At the last minute, I saw Gon, Killua and Kurapika arrive down a sort of slide, and at the very last second, I saw Leorio come down too along with… Tonpa?! That explains everything, that man probably made them lose a bunch of time by tricking them. Regardless, I looked at Hazo with happiness and he nodded, and I ran up to my group. Chatlog:

– [Spade]: "You guys!!"

[Leorio]: "Spade! Woah that’s a tight hug! Are you alright? How are you? Oh, how I'm glad to see you!"

[Spade]: "I'm okay! What about you? You took so long... is everyone all in one piece? I was so worried!!"

[Leorio]: "Ah, don't worry, we're all fine! I was worried that I lost you too, I was scared that you were still stuck in Trick Tower. Don't cry, Spade! We're all alright, and we didn't leave you behind. There's no need to panic anymore, alright?"

[Spade]: "I-I'm not crying!"

[Leorio]: "Ah, you are crying… Well, I'm certainly glad that you're safe, Spade. I really am.”

[Spade]: “I’m glad you’re all okay too.  With how much time you were taking, I feared that you might've..."

[Leorio]: "Oh, we just ran into some problems during our trials. We had to find our way out, and it took a bit longer than we had originally thought. But rest assured, we're all fine. I could say the same for you, Spade. You really had us worried too."

[Spade]: "I-I wouldn't die so easily... My challenge was mostly just frustrating. Still... I'm glad we're all together again!"

[Leorio]: "So am I... I'm glad we're all still a team in the end. Speaking of, what was your path like?”

[Spade]: “Well… I had to solve puzzles with… that guy over there-”

[Leorio]: “#301?! You must have nerves of steel if you only felt frustrated being stuck with that guy on your own!”

[Spade]: “Haha, it wasn’t… too bad- oh! The door’s opening!” –

I finally let go of my friend and soon noticed Killua making a disgusted face, not much for seeing people being affectionate, huh? In the end, 27 people passed, one of which died shortly after.

OST: Mosadomo no Heigei

09:40 AM

We were all led out of trick tower, and finally met the evil bastard that locked me in a “Couple Puzzles” journey with flipping Pinhead.

Lippo really didn’t look intimidating at all, but I’ve slowly learned that not every strong person needs to look big and scary. Still hate him though, for separating me from my buddies.

He brought a box for us, and we had to draw cards from it. Whoever we picked was our next target in the following phase. My target was… 198! It took me a bit to remember who that was, but then I realized he was one of the Amori brothers, the one wearing a light blue shirt. I sneaked a look at him and saved his appearance in my head. He noticed me looking, but instead of looking scared or anything, he just grins smugly and points finger-guns at me.

I hid my number tag inside a secret pocket in my backpack.

10:00 AM

We departed for Zevil Island. During the 2 hour ride I hung out with Kurapika and Leorio again, who were just resting up and chatting with each other, until I came around, and Leorio started to talk about their part of the third phase. 

Chatlog:

–

[Spade]: “So… I’m curious, what was your path like?”

[Kurapika]: “It was called ‘Majority Rule’, the five of us had to vote every time we needed to make a choice… we hit a few bumps along the road, but as you can see we came out of it just fine”

[Spade]: “Ah… must’ve been tough though, it took you guys the whole 72 hours to complete it! How come?”

[Leorio]: "Uh… that’s not important! Right, Kurapika?”

[Kurapika]: “*sigh*, yeah, just some tough choices”

[Spade]: "Oookay? Does it have to do with Tonpa? I told you guys that man was trouble-”

[Kurapika]: “He wasn’t too much of a problem, honestly… but the rumors you heard the first day were right, he’s a very deceitful man, and he’s still in the race, so we should be wary of him”

[Spade]: “I knew it-”

[Leorio]: “... Oh yeah! There’s another thing that happened- you know that… boy Gon befriended?”

[Spade]: “Hm? Oh yeah, Killua?”

[Leorio]: “Yeah, he’s- absurdly strong! He killed the most feared serial killer in Zaban City history with ONE hand!”

[Spade]: “S-seriously?”

[Kurapika]: “Gon knew this already, but apparently he’s the son of a world famous assassin family, and after what I saw him do… I believe him”

[Spade]: “That’s crazy… Well, good thing he’s on our side, right?”

[Leorio]: “Yeah… heh”

[Spade]: “... I also wanted to know, given the nature of our next trial, I’m not your target, right?”

[Kurapika]: “What’s your tag number?”

[Spade]: “#378”

[Kurapika]: “Nope, not my target. Leorio?”

[Leorio]: “You’re not mine either- is either of us your target?!”

[Spade]: “Heh, no no, don’t worry. My target is #198, he’ll be a tough one to hunt, if anything because he always travels with his two brothers”

[Leorio]: “Damn… you sure you can handle that on your own?”

[Spade]: “Of course I can! I’ll just have to strike at the perfect moment”

–

12:30 PM

We finally got to Zevil Island, which meant things were soon going to get serious. I not only had to look for my target, but also look out for whoever was hunting me. I was confident in my ability to make quick work of whoever was hunting me.

We were sent out onto the island in 2 minute intervals between each other, so Hisoka was the first to go, then Gittarackur, then me etc.

I used this advantage to go and find a good hiding spot from which I could watch people leave, so that I could immediately begin tracking Imori’s movements, but apparently I’m not the only one who got that idea, so I’m forced to move elsewhere to avoid being found.

We had seven days to hunt down our prey anyway, and also needed to survive for that amount of time, so I decided to take my time for once, and explore the island’s grounds a bit instead. That and hunting for food is how I spent my first day. I set up a small camp near the river and chose to sleep inside a tree to hide myself.

January 12th

OST: Master of Curses

When I woke up the following day, I found that my sleeping spot had been trapped by examinee #36. Unable to avoid triggering any traps, I decided to just walk through them and get caught up inside a net, while 36 came out of his hiding spot, gloating about catching me so easily. I didn’t really panic, trying to break the nets using my knife, but it didn't cut it, it was made of a very resistant material or something… The man attempted to get a hold of my backpack, but I slashed his hand while still trapped in the net. I needed to get out of there fast, so I coated my knife in Shu making it much more powerful and capable of cutting through anything if I believed in it hard enough. The man was shocked at how my knife cut through his net like butter, but before he could say anything else, I swiftly knocked him out and tied him up with his own net, before plopping him inside the spot I’d used to sleep in previously. Well, that took care of my hunter… now to track down my prey…

That was until I saw Killua on the other side of the river. I waved at him and he quickly jumped over it to reach me.

Chatlog:

–

[Spade]: “Hey! Is… this guy your target?”

[Killua]: “Hm? Let me check… #36? Ugh, no… you’re that old man’s friend, right?”

[Spade]: “O-Old man? You mean Leorio?”

[Killua]: “Oh, so that’s his name, yeah… you’re not my target either”

[Spade]: “Lucky! So… why were you looking at me earlier?”

[Killua]: “Hm? I was just curious to see if you could handle that, though… I didn’t have a lot of doubts.”

[Spade]: “And why is that?”

[Killua]: “Gon told me you held your ground against Hisoka pretty well, and managed to land a good hit on him.”

[Spade]: “Oh… well yeah, though part of me feels like he let me hit him on purpose to gauge my strength”

[Killua]: “Huh… well okay then, I’m off, I still gotta find my target, see you in a week!”

[Spade]: “Wait! Who… who’s your target?”

[Killua]: “#199”

[Spade]: “Oh! Mine’s #198, that means you gotta look for one of the Amori brothers too!”

[Killua]: “Eh? You know who they are?”

[Spade]: “Yeah! Say, wanna team up until we find our targets?”

[Killua]: “What a pain… *sigh* okay, fine… let’s find them quickly then”

–

We could both sense that someone was following us, probably the one who was hunting down Killua.

January 13th

OST: The Gatekeepers

Killua got tired of being chased so sloppily and threatened his hunter to come out, and it turns out it’s MY TARGET! And it’s along with his two brothers too, which means Killua’s target is there too. Lucky! We made quick work of the three brothers, and Killua also threw away the tag he thought we didn’t need… too bad he “accidentally” threw away the tag I needed instead, so I had to scramble and go fetch it before it literally became unfindable.

I have no idea if he did it on purpose… UGH. I still held onto #197’s tag because that was still one extra point.

I started chasing the number tag turned frisbee, until a shadow snatched it away. FUCK who took my target’s tag??

Chatlog:

– [Spade]: “Hanzo?!”

[Hanzo]: “Aah! Oh… it’s you- wait! Don’t come any closer…”

[Spade]: “Huh?”

[Hanzo]: “I know we’re friends, but that doesn’t mean I’ll lower my guard…”

[Spade]: “Oh! Dude no, you’re not my target… here, look. This is the card I picked outside of trick Tower”

[Hanzo]: “Number 198, huh? Alright… then what business do you have with me?”

[Spade]: “I was chasing the number tag you caught! It’s actually mine-”

[Hanzo]: “No way! This was my target’s tag, I’m sure of it! Look, it says… 198?! WHAT?!”

[Spade]: “I told you…”

[Hanzo]: “But- but then- that kid tricked me! Oh no… where could the tag be now?!”

[Spade]: “Uhm… What was your target’s number?”

[Hanzo]: “197…”

[Spade]: “Oh- well, that’s the tag Killua gave to me!”

[Hanzo]: “SERIOUSLY?! Did… he do that on purpose?”

[Spade]: “I dunno, maybe… I guess he wanted me off his back or something, haha”

[Hanzo]: “Sneaky kid… Do you think he noticed me too?”

[Spade]: “He might have- his perception is extremely good. Anyway uh… since we have each other’s tags, how about a trade?”

[Hanzo]: “Ah, sorry, I must decline, my code forbids me from accepting things from others. I can give you your tag, but… I can’t accept #197’s from you”

[Spade]: “Seriously? But then you’ll have to hunt down three other people-”

[Hanzo]: “Haha, that’s okay, I can handle it! Here’s tag #198 for now”

[Spade]: “T-thank you… oh, wait! I have an idea!”

[Hanzo]: “Huh?”

[Spade]: “Your code forbids you from accepting help, but you can take things with force, right? So how about a small game? If you can steal the tag from me, you’d be able to keep it, right?”

[Hanzo]: “That’s… actually a genius idea, Spade! Alright, I accept the challenge! But you’d better take it seriously, if you don’t… I’ll forfeit immediately.” –

We started sparring, and of course I played seriously. Hanzo may look like a happy-go-lucky guy, but when it comes to serious matters, he can be extremely stoic and calculative. I felt like we were similar in that sense.

After a bit he managed to take the tag from me, admitting he actually had to put in a little bit of effort to accomplish that. Hearing that made me kind of happy, but also had me wonder what Hanzo’s full power would be like.

Before I could ask him if he wanted to stick around, however, he was already gone, and I was alone once more, but at least I had all my six points!

January 14th

OST: Meimou

I felt a horrible bloodlust coming from the forest, so no way was I going there until that was gone. I already had my six points so I just wanted to stay out of trouble. I spent the rest of the day hunting for food outside of the forest.

January 15th

OST: Kijustushi no Baire

The bloodlust was finally gone from the forest, but I still decided to stay out of it, in the outskirts, thinking I’d be safer there… nope, ran straight into Hisoka, he was holding a man’s head- I was as good as dead!

Chatlog:

– [Hisoka]: “Spade… it’s been a while”

[Spade]: “H-Hisoka… heyyyy, nice head you got there!”

[Hisoka]: “Hmm isn’t it? It belonged to my target, that puts me to six points. So… how’s this phase been going for you?”

[Spade]: “I’m all good, got my six points too. Wait… if you have six points then- where’s your number tag? Did you take it off or something?”

[Hisoka]: “Oh… no, no… Gon took it from me~…”

[Spade]: “He- woah… but also- never say it like that again, please”

[Hisoka]: “Like what?”

[Spade]: “... Nevermind”

[Hisoka]: “More importantly… you said you also have your six points, didn’t you?”

[Spade]: “Yes, why? Oh…”

[Hisoka]: “Hm, yes… that fight we agreed on, you’re not going to break a promise, are you?”

[Spade]: “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t…”

[Hisoka]: “Good… because I’ve been eagerly waiting for this moment. Show me what you can really do… Spade” –

We started fighting, but he had more tricks up his sleeve, aside from his cards. I used Gyo on my eyes to see his aura and it had this weird rubbery consistency, oh great, a Transmuter.

It didn’t take long to understand that he totally outmatched me. Strength-wise and in Nen too. He was a master in his Hatsu, and I’d never really trained for something like that, sticking to the basics, because I couldn’t settle on a Hatsu that fit me. Nonetheless I held my ground, managing to punch him and kick him on multiple occasions, leaving bruises on his body.

It was a very silent fight, but I could tell he was studying me in some way, and soon enough, he managed to break my guard and started landing hit after hit.

The air was knocked out of my lungs. I recovered and tried to fight back, but he could now control my movements partially with his Bungee Gum, and everything became much more difficult. At that point it was clear I was still far from matching his strength level. He enjoyed beating me up for what was worth, and left me with deep cuts from his cards, a swollen face and a sore feeling all over my body.

Chatlog:

– [Hisoka]: “Hm… it seems like you still need to mature a little bit… before you can fully satisfy me”

[Spade]: “Ngh…”

[Hisoka]: “But don’t get me wrong… This fight wasn’t disappointing. I just can’t wait to see what abilities you’ll have in the future” –

After roughly patching myself up, I passed out for the rest of the day, but not before I could think about working on an ability; if I wanted to grow stronger, I’d have to do that.

Part 4

Master Post

Proship/Comship & Kink blogs DNI

[theluckyr]

So! As Isaid I am OBSESSED with your idea, and I was wondering. What if the reader was taking care of them? Like yk, really good a cooking, checking up on them, etc. Like how would they react? If its not too much, which it probably is, it would be nice with everyone :) but if it is, which it probably is, just Yoru, Sage, Fade, Jett and Sova.

(Also please dont make it too romantic, just kinda like nice siblings :))

Sorry if its too long lol 💀

My very first request?! What a joy!

Comfort

Yoru

When y/n found out that his diet consisted of instant spicy ramen and energy drinks, they immediately hopped on the net searching for some recipe ideas.

So right when he enjoyed his usual meal, they quickly swapped his meal with their home cooked meal.

He was about to get angry until he noticed some piles of pots and pans on the kitchen sink (so you did make this yourself) , he decide to calmed down and grabbed the spoon to take a few bites.

His stoic expression doesn’t tell much but (y/n) was anxious for a feedback.

“So, how is it?”

“It’s good. You can have my ramen”

As you took a bite of the ramen that he made, you immediately went on a coughing fit. Turns out he put more chillies in his ramen. He had a good laugh for a few minutes before handing (y/n) some water.

Jett

Found herself bored all day, no work. Just stay in HQ all day. As she laying on the couch, y/n while take their apron off asks.

“What’s up with you, Jett?”

“Just bored, nothing else to do y’know. Ugh…..”

“I know something that could cheer you up”

“What?”

(y/n) head back to the kitchen and bring a plate of fresh hand rolled kimbap for her. Jett was surprised, she didn’t know that (y/n) could make some Korean food.

"It's not much, but i hope you like it" then (y/n) handed her a pair of chopsticks. When she tasted the kimbap, she quickly pulled (y/n) for a hug.

"It's fucking good, i want more!"

"I put the rest of them on a fridge and there’s kimchi as well"

“THERE’S KIMCHI TOO?!?!!??”

She thanked the universe for letting her not to work on that day.

Fade

Prowler is a manifestation from her own mind and not a lot of people greeted her other than to talk about work. It was no brainer that she needs a company.

So game night it is!

Or manicure

Or watching some movies while bundled up in a blankets

Or making a henna designs for (y/n)'s hands.

Basically every night is a fun night for these two

At first, she was very skeptical with (y/n)’s sudden attention and only to find out that one of their nightmares was seeing fade as a mere tool. To witness it first hand really made her realize that (y/n) genuinely cares about her.

So there are times that Fade would give her own ideas as well. It would be no surprise to see (y/n) and her playing a lot of card games or teaching (y/n) how to make people lose their composure in poker games.

On the good side, you have a coffee buddy every morning.

Sova

Sometimes he really missed having dinner with his family and some light conversations instead of having his casual dinner in solitude.

But right after he got back from practice, he heard some noise in the kitchen. He saw everyone were hand in hand helping (y/n) with dinner.

“Can somebody pass the salt?”

“Got you, Y/n”

“Brim, We need more bowls”

“Do we have enough utensils for this?”

“Is it too much seasoning?”

“It’s pretty balanced to me”

“Where’s the bread? You said it’s in the oven”

“Um…..I'm scraping the burnt parts on the bread?”

“What’s the perfect wine to pair with the food? Red or white?”

“Red and Get out of the kitchen, Chamber!”

When Sova asked what’s going, Sage while untying her apron she explained when (y/n) was trying some recipe but turns out the recipe is for 20 people. So Brim decided to hold a dinner party. Forced everyone to help (y/n) or no bonus pay. Sova was delighted and chimed in to help out as well.

After a few minutes of chaos, all of them finally sat down including (y/n). Brim thanked everyoe for making this happen and enjoyed the feast. Everyone really enjoyed the food that (y/n) made including Sova. To enjoy this warm atmosphere once again, was something he held dear to his heart and he really thanked (y/n) for this to happen.

Even someone warned (y/n) to be more careful next time which they replied "At least there's enough for everyone right?" Which made everyone laugh in glee. That night was beautiful.

[catboyebooks]

"chapter 0" is just the one scene so i'll summarize it in just the one post.

it's pretty obvious we're on a boat from the start of the chapter — i mean, the chapter title is "heading to the school trip," there are timber creaking noises, and kamukura's narration opens by describing how the room he's in is rocking violently back and forth. (we aren't told it's kamukura ofc, we don't get a name or face for our narrator, obviously i know who this is though.) kamukura reflects on how the unpredictability of the situation he's in actually feels exciting, although he can predict what's going to happen after they get to their destination and it's going to be boring.

he seems not to register that komaeda is in the room with him until komaeda asks the question about liking boats, and that's when it also becomes clear that kamukura didn't realize they were on a boat until komaeda brought it up. i take it he has been totally zoning out brooding the entire time and has paid zero attention to his surroundings? anyway, komaeda asks if they can chat to pass the time, he's bored of the silence. oh boy! now they can both talk about how bored they are

kamukura's narration comes across rather disdainful as he sizes komaeda up here; he thinks that beneath the "overfamiliar attitude" (he just asked if they could chat..) and the friendly mannerisms, there's something wrong with this guy. the way he describes it is essentially that komaeda has the scent of death on him. he does compare it to a smell and i'm not sure whether to interpret that metaphorically or literally; it kinda reads metaphorical but also sick people do tend to smell off and komaeda has a corpse's hand attached to his left arm.

(sidenote: the fanslation i read made a mistake translating here and made this passage read as though kamukura can sense that komaeda is a liar, not that he's dying. i don't totally blame them for this, they were working off a korean translation that might have made the same error, but it was a recurring pattern in this particular fanslation and contributed to the early Fandom Discourse surrounding komaeda. some people would cite this scene as proof he's a pathological liar, when actually it's confirmation that he was being honest when he told hinata he's terminally ill)

anyway, komaeda doesn't wait for a response, introduces himself, and starts talking about how he's lucky they get to share a room. kamukura is like, oh, you're lucky? that's your talent? boring. komaeda agrees, but points out that it's rather blunt of kamukura to say so, and kamukura reiterates that luck is a boring talent and says he has that one too. at this point komaeda gets quite excited; he asks who kamukura is, saying that he must be from hope's peak too but it's weird that they've never met. why is kamukura here? kamukura doesn't reply at first but then declares this to be boring. komaeda starts apologizing for his conversational skills before kamukura says it's not about him, this entire world is full of boring untalented people, who outnumber, oppress, and fail to acknowledge their talented superiors, seeking instead to drag them down to their level. it's because of "these bastards" that the world has stopped evolving. again, boring.

komaeda responds better than most people would to this speech and says, well, it makes sense that the world would be shaped by the untalented majority, and that's why they're in their current predicament. he then tries to pry a little more and asks if that has anything to do with why kamukura is here. kamukura ignores the question and continues explaining how boring people contribute nothing whatsoever to the world and according to what his teachers taught him in school, "a certain degree of selection must be performed." komaeda's like, oh, they had high expectations for you? not me lol. anyway, what are your plans now that you're in this situation (he doesn't clarify exactly what he's referring to), is there anything you can do? kamukura tells komaeda to listen carefully: using people is also a talent, and he's going to use "that person" just like they used him in the past. komaeda's like, you mean shsl despair? and alludes to how junko is already dead. kamukura tells komaeda that the "contribution" that person left him is in his pocket. komaeda says he doesn't know what hinata's talking about, but it seems like he has a hunch, because he asks if this means he'll get to see her again. the person he hates with every fiber of his being. will he be able to kill her this time? and when he says all this, he stands and we can see that where his left hand ought to be, instead there's junko's.

kamukura's basically like, oh, you hate her? explain what's up with the hand, then. komaeda laughs extensively about this and says it's amazing, of course he's unable to move the hand as it isn't his but even now it still hasn't rotted! maybe it's becoming one with him, and he's successfully fused himself with his sworn enemy, shsl despair. kamukura goes, i see, you salvaged the body. boring of you. komaeda says he doesn't want kamukura to misunderstand, he thinks of junko solely as his enemy, and that's why he took her power, and... halfway through, he seems confused and questions aloud if he does hate her. then he looks out the window and notices they've almost arrived. jabberwock island is coming into view. (there's no recognizable landmarks visible in the view we get from the window.)

komaeda seems excited about their impending arrival and wonders aloud what will happen. kamukura replies that he can already predict what will happen, because he's so talented, but it's not of any concern to him because he won't be able to participate. komaeda expresses disappointment that they'll be parting ways as he thinks they get along well, and he asks if they can see each other again. kamukura says there would be no reason for them to meet again because komaeda is boring. everything about him — his talent, his thoughts, his entire existence — is boring. komaeda is quiet for a second before saying "you really don't play along, do you?" aaand scene

[alexotls]

cosplayed doppio today with my little sister as trish!!

[strawberriebunn]

What a cute little thing

w.c: 1.9k

lolol I’m sorry I went crazy on this one lol, but consider it a welcome back gift mwah!! also this may count as my first fic, so yay!!

Warnings: nothing really, unless cervix kissing and sex on the first date makes you iffy.

Boxer Ushijima who is a mountain of a man, made out of pure muscle and standing at a towering 6'4, walking out into the ring with the audience screaming their heads off, waiting to see him demolish his next opponent. 

It won't be hard, he was one of the top boxers in the nation, only a select few could face him head-on, and fewer had actually beat him. 

You were there with your friend, them having an extra ticket, although you weren't in the front row, you still had a good view of the ring and the contenders. Your eyes widening when you saw Ushijima walkout, cause holy shit he was hot. He had was scanning the crowd, liking how they were cheering him on, when his eyes landed on you, "what a cute little thing" he thought to himself, throwing a small smirk your way. You could see his face and immediately tried to squash the idea that that smirk was for you, considering there were plenty of people behind you. 

And he only got hotter the more you saw him fight, throwing punch after punch, you almost felt bad for the other guy, but the way Ushijima was destroying him was insanely attractive. When he inevitably emerged the winner you found yourself cheering along with the crowd and your friend, heart racing, it was as if you had just won the fight that had finished. 

Wanting to avoid traffic and the rush of people leaving you and your friend decided to linger and walk around, talking about the fight. But it seemed as if the universe was on your side tonight because as soon as you had started talking about how attractive Ushijima was, he just so happened to be walking out of his dressing room freshly showered, in a t-shirt and sweats. 

"I just think that Ushijima should crush me with those arms, like cmon! And don't even get me started on his face, I would pass out if he even glanced my way!" you had gushed to your friend, unaware the object of your conversation was right behind you, not until he spoke. 

"You're not so bad yourself, although you haven't passed out yet." Freezing, you turn around only to be greeted by the very person you were just gushing about. Spluttering, you tried to save some face, only to find him chuckling down at you, telling you he was merely teasing. 

"I was serious about it though," he starts "I do think you're quite pretty and would love to see more of you, are you free tonight perchance?” Gawking up at him speechless, your friend takes this opportunity to agree for you saying you would love to go with him, and that you'd better call them when you got home.

Ushi leads you into his dressing room, which happens to be attached to the green room, through a separate door. He tells you it'd be safer for you to stay here with him since he gets swarmed with fans and paps when he goes out and he would hate for it to happen to you. You were thankful that he was so considerate and thoughtful of you, squeaking out a quick thanks as you followed him into his room.

It was spacious, with an attached bathroom and a couch with a tv, you guessed it was to keep him entertained before his fights. While you were gazing around the room, he was gazing at you, he thought you were just the cutest thing, your outfit complimented you perfectly, although he couldn't help but imagine what you'd look like under. He wondered what kind of noises you'd make under him, would you whimper? scream? or simply gasp once he entered you? 

He shoves those thoughts aside in favor of actually getting to know you, he didn't want you to think he was a sex-crazed brute. Contrary to popular belief, Ushi was a lot more shy and polite than when he was in the ring, you could say it was a way to channel out the other sides of his personality. Realizing he's zoned out, he regains focus only to find you staring up at him.

"Did you hear what I said, Ushijima?"

 "It's Wakatoshi," he said to you, he wanted you to call him by his real name.

 "Hmm, can I call you 'Toshi then?" Amazed that you had given him a nickname so quickly he lets out a quiet "yes that's fine." before leading you to the food so you could eat. You had eaten a little before his match so you weren't terribly hungry, still, you ate some, making small talk with him while he ate his fill. Talking about any and everything it felt as if you were two old friends catching up with each other.

Once you finish eating, he asks if you want to watch a movie before you leave, agreeing it's how you find yourself curled up with him on the couch, under the guise of it being chilly in the room. You're tucked under his arms face smooshed against his broad chest, when you feel his hand softly rest against your thigh, slowly rubbing. 

He's quick to apologize, saying he was moving subconsciously when you timidly tell him that you don't mind and that he could continue if he wanted. Eyes widening, he begins to purposefully caress your thigh, the movie quickly being forgotten, as your face flushes, creating a nice contrast to the blue light of the TV screen. You go to press your face into his chest only for you to feel yourself in the air before landing onto him. 

Looking at him, you can see how his pupils have blown out, that's all you can see before he's mumbling to you, "Y/N, can I kiss you? If I do I might not be able to stop myself from going further..." You're breathing out a yes before you can stop yourself, practically begging for it. He's surging forward to capture your lips, slotting them against yours, his tasting like the fruit smoothie he had earlier, you could taste the fruit in it like he was trying to make you taste the whole smoothie.

 It seems you were both so hungry for each other the tension bubbling over, as you're now licking into each other's mouths, his hands wandering all over at the same time, going from your thighs to massaging your tits, and now resting back on your hips, gripping them with bruising force. You're basically whimpering into his mouth now, whines of " 'Toshi! " 'Toshi, want you so bad." 

That was his last straw, quickly maneuvering you to his liking onto the couch, laying on your back with your legs in his huge calloused ones, his forehead close to yours as you both pant into each other. It's when you start tugging on his shirt does he realize that he wouldn't get very far if you didn't remove some clothes, which prompts him to tug his shirt over his head, as well as yours. He's dragging down your bottoms and undies with swiftness, eager to get to that spot between your legs.

You're sopping wet at this point, you're body readying itself to take him, only for you to gasp when he takes off his boxers, he was huge! 

His cock could easily be mistaken for a third leg and then some, your brain went fuzzy just thinking about him trying to fit it all in you, it's not until you feel prodding at your entrance does it clear somewhat. He's slipping one finger into you with ease, the thick digit reaching further than yours ever have. You moan out at feeling, getting accustomed just as he adds a second digit making a scissoring motion with them. 

But then he's swiping them in a come hither motion, nailing one of your spongey spots head-on, causing you to let out a loud mewl, clutching onto him, as he keeps hitting that spot, noting it for later. He pulls them out before you can cum, making you whine at the loss, your embarrassment slipping away along with your brain. 

Bending towards his pocket, he grabs a condom from his wallet, rolling it on, before lifting your legs, one in each hand, and bending them to your chest. He begins to try and slide in when he hears you start to whimper out to him "it won't fit 'Toshi, won't fit!" as you cling onto him. "It will, it will." he calmly drawled into your ear, before sliding all the way home with a wet schlurp, now hip to hip. You let out a loud wanton moan, clawing at whatever you could reach from the feeling of his cock stretching you out and kissing your cervix already.

He was kind enough to let you adjust to him, knowing it was a feat just to take him halfway, let alone to the hilt. When he heard your meek whimper of "go ahead.", he's drawing back before slamming back into you with a loud groan. God, he doesn't think he's ever felt anything better, it's like he could cum just from this and he's barely one thrust in. He's pulling back and thrusting deep back into you, gradually getting faster and faster, the moans and screams you let out spurring him on even more to where he's drilling you into the couch cushions. 

You were a wreck, with your legs bent into the perfect angle for him to knock right against your cervix repeatedly, you were already so close to cumming, letting Ushi know with a quick shout. It's as if that made him go all that much harder, now pounding into that soft spongey spot just before your cervix, making that coil snap in your tummy.  

You're convulsing and writhing under him, completely caught up in your orgasm, the world going blank for a second. Only to be dragged back down at the feeling of Ushijima still plowing into you deeply and with purpose, mumbling profuse apologies, saying he had to cum, and if you could last longer for him. Babbling and nodding yes's, wanting to feel him twitch inside of you when he came.

He came with a loud moan, spilling into the condom, and releasing your legs, before flopping down onto you. Both of you panting and regaining breath, you on the brink of sleep before you felt him slowly rise to his feet. 

"Bet you didn't think this would happen on the first date huh?" you tried to quip, causing him to chuckle and shake his head a quick no.

Pulling off the condom, he throws it away before making his way back to you, lifting you into his arms to carry you to the adjacent bathroom, running you a bath, and letting you freshen up a bit. He gives you one of his hoodies to slip on and some of his way too big sweats, still the gesture was very sweet. He helps you move around on your trembling legs, leading you out the building, to his car. He wanted to make sure you got home safe, so he drops you off at home, with a number, a kiss, and a promise to see you again.

You would have thought it was all a dream had you not woken up to "Goodmorning, hope you slept well, how are your legs feeling?”. 

[shorkbrian]

Creep

Prelude - bitch hold on what about mean brother Shigs being an absolute creep? Inspired by me playing a boss in AC Odyssey and my controller vibrated so hard I almost dropped it, and I couldn’t beat this dude and it was so freaking frustrating!!!!!! 

Pairing - Shigaraki X Reader

Warnings - - INCEST, NSFW, innocence kink, do not read if those squick you out bro!!! Seriously! abuse of trust, dubcon, noncon, literally nothing about this situation is good, or healthy, or nice. Disgusting behavior is exhibited by Shigs.

Music - (does anyone actually like when I provide music? I like getting music vibes while I read through fics but ik that my music taste is a bit wacky lol anyways). https://open.spotify.com/track/0ODyahnUlK9G5bT4dA5NCI?si=10R9ggoJS1inYidrMeWrHA

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He offers to let you play his Xbox game, you keep annoying him by pouting for his attention and he gives up with trying to ignore you.

Stipulation - you gotta sit on his lap while you play, you’re such a stupid little girl that he forces his hands over yours, showing you how to use the Xbox controller while sneering at how dumb you are.

You’re too focused on the game to pay attention to how one of his hands has dropped from the controller, is creeping up your thigh, thumbing at the hem of your shorts. You don't realize that he’s plastered against your back, breath picking up in your ear as he hunches over your shoulder, thinking of all the dirty things he wants to do to you, how you’re too absent-minded to realize how much of a perverted creep he is. 

“Shit!” You curse, breaking Shigaraki out of his thoughts as you bounce your leg in frustration. He feels the slight vibration of the controller - you’re getting attacked in the game, enemies surrounding you and hacking at your player. Shigaraki is too entranced by how he can watch your jiggling breasts over your shoulder, jostling around as you jerk your arms, trying to not die in the game.

“Nii-san help me, ‘m gonna die!” You shriek, whole body getting into the gaming experience, jerking around in his lap as you struggle to press the right buttons. Shigaraki tries not to groan - he can feel the space between your thighs as you move around, hot and doughy and he wants to touch so bad.

Yeah, he’s always been a bit of a creep, but he’s never actually done anything to you.

The most he does is fantasize, thinking about how you’d feel clamping down on him, how’d you’d taste if he made you ride his face. What you’d look like if he forced his cock into you with barely any prep - you’d squeeze your eyes shut so tight, let out little whimpers and clench your fists because “Hurts, hurts! Go slow Nii-san, don’t want this!”

But he wouldn’t have to listen, you’re just a naive little girl who doesn’t know that Shigaraki would be trying to make you feel good too, that it would feel good soon.

“Stop wiggling, you’re gonna fall off.” He rasps back at you, taking his other hand off the controller to grab your waist, barely saving you from keeling over and onto the floor. You’re left to fend for yourself now, button-mashing, groaning when you finally succumb to your enemies and die a violent, gory death.

“I died! Why didn’t you help, you’re right here?!” the accusatory tone of your voice is ignored as you revert to the last save, huffing in frustration as you’re forced to start over.

“You’re never gonna learn if I’m holding your hands like that.”

Shigaraki’s glad you’ve stilled again - if you’d kept up your wiggling, he’d have to figure out a way to explain what the hard thing poking into the side of your plush little rear.

God, you had the most perfect ass.

Maybe he’s a freak, a disgusting man with fucked up morals, but Shigaraki’s always been a social outcast, seen as weird and wrong and criticized for every little thing he did.

What’s wrong with settling into the role other people were so quick to offer him?

Surely you’ve noticed his odd behavior by now, the behavior that’s picked up in the last few years. How he stares at you a little more than he should, how sometimes he slips into bed with you, murmuring some lame excuse about not being able to sleep.

The way he freezes when you give him an affectionate hug, clenching his fists by his side as your breasts are squished up against his body.

You had to have caught on to his uncharacteristic softness with you. He’s still mean and coarse and rude, but there's an underlying affection underneath the way he mocks your outfits, when he says you look like the gross character out of a manga he’s reading, how he tugs on your hair sometimes when he passes by you, wheezing out a laugh if you turn around and try to slap at him in irritation.

If you didn’t want him to be weird, you could’ve said something by now. You should’ve said something by now.

So really, it’s your own fault that he feels so comfortable being a sicko.

“Don’t tickle, I gotta focus.” You tell him, squirming away when he runs a hand experimentally over your stomach. You’re so cute, and dumb, he wants to bully you until you’re crying, say mean things and hurt your feelings only so he can kiss it better. 

But he doesn’t, because he’s a good brother.

His hand travels further up, rests right underneath your breast, almost cupping it. Still, you don’t say anything, attention on the game.

Do you want this? Are you just stupid? His affection is so obviously not normal for siblings, and yet you act like it’s fine. Maybe you’re a virgin, untainted with the knowledge of how sexual touches feel like.

The hand on your waist begins to slip under your shorts, his cold fingers quickly warmed by your skin. “Nii-san, stop that, it’s weird.”

Ah, there’s the common sense.

“I though you wanted to play the game? Don’t be a bitch.” He doesn’t really care whether you want him willingly now or not, he’s getting excited by the heat of your body, your weight on his lap.

You pause the game when his hand creeps lower into your shorts, when his fingers skim low over your tummy, too close to a private place that brothers shouldn't touch.

“Stop touching me, I don’t like that.”

“It’s not like you wouldn’t enjoy it.” He mumbles, and you stiffen in his lap, but he quickly takes his hand out of your shorts, stops cupping your soft breast.

The game gets unpaused, and you resume playing, although your attention is divided now, nervous about sitting in your brother’s lap.

Has it finally clicked? Are you thinking about what he could do to you, how he could make you feel?

“You suck at this.” Shigaraki observes, the controller shaking almost violently as you’re attacked again, overwhelmed by enemies.

“Well, maybe if you taught me how to play instead of being weird, I wouldn’t be.” You snarked, frustrated with the game, uneasy with your brother holding your hips like that.

Shigaraki rolls his eyes. You’re so dramatic, and although you have a valid point, he’s always been weird. This is nothing new, you’ve just been too thick-skulled to realize it before, which isn’t his fault.

A few more tries, and you still can’t get past the one group of enemies, dying after a few minutes every single time. You’re going to waste the batteries like that, controller jumping in your hands. 

“I can’t-” You whine, coming across the enemies after your latest death, already knowing what’s going to happen.

Shigaraki stays silent, red eyes finally flickering away from your body and up to the screen of the TV. 

You’re at one of the hardest parts of the game, facing a section that took Shigaraki two days to beat (not that he’ll tell you that). He grins as you throw yourself into the fight, immediately getting decked.

The noises you’re letting out are cute, frustrated groans on each hit landed on your player, muttered curses and triumphant scoffs whenever you manage to strike an enemy, which isn’t often.

The controller’s still shaking like crazy, and you’re moving around in his lap again, and Shigaraki is done. He can’t take this anymore, you’re being a tease.

He snatches the Xbox controller out of your hands, ignoring your little “Hey! What’re you doing, I was playing!”

“You call this playing?” The shuddering of the controller surprises him, gives him an idea.

There hadn’t been a plan, he had just been acting on instinct, hands itching to push you off his lap and to the floor, just to see the way you’d look up at him after. 

Like that, you’d be in the perfect position to suck his cock.

But he wants to go in a different direction now.

“Stay still, you’re so annoying.” He’s spreading his legs out, sinking back further in his chair to get a better angle, your legs hooked over his.

There’s no time for you to protest. Like this, you’re spread out nicely, exposed, even though your shorts cover your intimate place.

Without any further preamble, Shigaraki shoves the vibrating controller up against your clothed cunt.

“NIi-san!” You shriek, immediately writhing in his hold. But Shigaraki has an arm locked around your chest, keeping you pinned to his chest. “Don’t, think sins’t-this isn't-! Stop this, stop! Don’t touch me!”

He can bet it feels good, that you’re struggling to tell him to stop. He begins rubbing the controller against you, snickering at the way you jolt and writher on each pass of the hard, curved plastic against your protected clit. He can’t even imagine how good it would feel if your stupid shorts weren’t in the way.

“Stop, stop! Stop it! Stop!” You sound like a broken record.

“Shut up, you can’t even play the game right. Feel that?” the controller gets rubbed harder against you, and you writhe. “That’s how bad you are. So pathetic, can’t even fend off a couple of bad guys.”

Can’t even fend off one, Shigaraki thinks to himself. You could be trying harder to get out of his hold, could be screaming and yelling and scratching and kicking.

Well, you are scratching and kicking, moving around so much that he’s having a hard time keeping you still. And you making a lot of noise, but there’s no one else home.

He’s fully hard, and every movement you make struggling rubs him right up against the meat of your ass, and he sucks in a stuttered breath, biting his lip.

“No, no, no, no, don’t want this Nii-san, stop it-” Your panicked pleas are ignored, Shigaraki shoving your hands away as you try to pull the controller off of your cunt, get the vibrations to stop.

On screen, the player is still getting attacked, each new hit making the controller vibrate even harder.

“Ow, ow! It hurts, make it stop! Nii-san-”

“I’ll gag you if you don’t stop complaining.” Shigaraki seethes, feeling irritation creep up. “It hurts because you’ve never felt this good before, idiot.”

He remembers the first time he’d used something on his dick. It was your toothbrush, unsurprisingly, the one that vibrated with three different speeds and made you so proud of your pearly whites.

It had been so overwhelming, he couldn’t even touch the back of the head to his cock. At times, it felt so good it had hurt, had completely blinded his senses and leave him in a puddle of his own cum and sweat, panting.

So Shigaraki understood what you were trying to say - your inexperienced body needed him to slow down, ease up a little. But your gross, nasty brother wanted to ruin you.

Your character on screen died, resulting in one last heavy vibration that made you sob, thighs struggling to snap shut, hands desperately pushing at Shigaraki.

He felt you convulse in his grip, could practically feel the way your little hole was clenching as you gushed all over yourself, whining and moaning at the pleasure.

Your character was sent back to the last save, the game on a loading screen.

But Shigaraki wasn’t done.

He was still hard against your back, rubbing himself off as best he could, but he was finding his own pleasure in watching you writhe on his lap.

The controller was tossed to the side, nimble fingers sliding over your shorts, Shigaraki laughing at what he found.

“You’re so wet, holy fuck. That’s disgusting, wow.” You were drenched, the fabric of your shorts completely soaked with your juices. You only sobbed out a pitiful noise, maybe trying to deny it, but Shigaraki wasn’t listening. He was too busy rubbing over the wet spot, gleefully feeling you up. It was easy for his fingers to find a comfortable, mind-numbing rhythm, so used to playing games and deftly pushing buttons, using sticks and joysticks, directional pads and the like.

You were rocking against his hand unconcsiously, body unable and unwilling to decided whether to pull away or push closer - you had just cum, but that didn’t negate the vicious, heady sensation that his fingers brought.

Shigaraki quickly grew bored of this though, unable to ignore his dripping erection. He had never been a patient man, quickly removing the hand stimulating your swollen pussy so he could pull his cock out of his sweatpants.

With a quick movement, your shorts were tugged down, your brother completely pushing past your refusal to lift your hips, burning your skin with how forcefully the fabric was ripped down.

“Nii-san, what are you doing-you can’t, you can’t!” You cried, renewing your struggle when you felt skin against skin, his cock hot and velvety as it rested against your cheeks. “I don’t wanna do this, don’t make me do this-”

“I don’t care. I’ve tried to be good, and it’s like you don’t even care.” The man ground out, beginning to rut his hips against your ass. It was dry, and it didn’t feel great, but it was more than enough to satisfy Shigaraki. “I barely touch you, I keep my hands to myself-”

Which was a lie. Late at night, when he was sure you were fast asleep, he’d touch, just a little. Rubbing your nipples, feeling them peak under his touch. Feeling the curve of your waist, skin soft against his dry palms.

“-I wouldn’t stare either, but you wear those stupid shirts-” The deep cut ones, the ones that showed off your cleavage and allowed him weeks of jerk-off material.

“So annoying, just a stupid little imoto that follows me around, you just want attention.”

He knows you don’t do it on purpose. You aren’t trying to make him see you in a sexual light. But maybe that’s what makes it all the more appealing, how naive and innocent you are.

Fuck, he’s getting close just thinking about your purity, how much you don’t know, how much he could teach you.

He doesn’t know a ton, but Shigaraki knows enough about what feels good for him, and you probably wouldn’t want to learn, but he deserved something nice every once in a while, didn’t he?

The drag of his cock between your ass cheeks was making him loose his mind, the slide too rough, but it felt delicious and stimulated him just right, pulling at his foreskin and spreading his precum into a sticky mess on your skin.

“Fuck, stay still, lemme feel good-” His voice was choked up, still holding it’s usual nasal resonance. 

You sobbed in his hold, his fingers still playing over your shorts, exploring, keeping you occupied and frozen with sensation while he got himself off with your body.

And then he was breaking, splurting his seed all over your lower back, watching it come out of his cock in shaky squirts, painting your skin a cloudy white.

Shigaraki groaned, eyes transfixed to the sight before him. It was hard to keep them open, body shaking with little snaps of pleasure in his veins, in his stomach.

On the bed next to his thigh, the controller started shaking again. Panting, Shigaraki raised his eyes to the TV screen as you slumped against him, softly crying.

Your character was getting attacked again.

“Let’s keep playing.”

And the vibrating controller was pressed to your bare cunt, making you scream.

He’d have to wash it after this, but he figured it was worth it in the grand scheme of things

[angelicyoongie]

Christmas in abundance

— pairing: hybrid bts x human f!reader — genre: fluff! — word count: 4.5K — summary: If the boys wanted to play Secret Santa, who were you to deny them? Though maybe, just maybe, you should’ve thought twice before adding a penalty to the mix. — a/n: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! I hope you’ve all had a good and safe time. This Abundance christmas special does not have anything to do with the original story, so nothing that happens here will affect it. This is a little rough, ngl, but that’s what I get for not writing for a month lol. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!! 

"I'm home!" You shake off the lingering cold with a shiver, the warmth in the house wrapping around you pleasantly as you shrug off your coat. You barely have time to slip out of your boots before a body crashes into yours, a pair of strong arms pulling your body flush against a firm chest.

"You're late," Hoseok whines. The dog hybrid tucks his face into your neck with a huff, nose skimming against your throat as he works to cover the myriad of scents on your skin with his own.

"Sorry, I got held up a work," You sigh. "The office wants to do Secret Santa this year, so we had to figure out who would gift who.”

“Secret Santa?” A puzzled expression crosses Hoseok’s face as he pulls back.

“Oh, it’s a pretty simple game many people like to play during the holidays! You draw a random name, buy that person a gift, and then try your best to keep it a secret that it’s you,” You say, a smile tugging at your lips at how adorably confused the dog hybrid looks. The golden tail behind his back halts its quick movement; Hoseok’s head tilting slightly as he takes in your explanation. His eyebrows furrow as he thinks, an emotion you can’t quite place flickering in his eyes before he suddenly breaks out into a big grin, “Can we do it too? It sounds like fun!”

“Of course!” You say. “Just ask the others if they want to do it to? It won’t be much of a game if it’s just us two.” You reach up to gently ruffle his hair, the dog hybrid nearly falling over himself as he tries to lean into your touch.

“I need to go freshen up, I’ll see you guys for dinner?” You let out a soft laugh as Hoseok nods into your palm, a pout forming on his lips as you pull away.

“I’ll go ask them,” He gives you a bright smile before you turn to hurry up the stairs, more than ready to get into some comfortable clothes. Hoseok watches you leave, his smile falling into a frown as you round the corner.

He quickly walks down the hallway, mouth set in firm line as he turns into the kitchen and says, “We have to be secretive Santa’s.” The room grows quiet as six pairs of eyes find Hoseok’s form in the doorway, their stares a mixture of apprehension and bewilderment at the sudden declaration from the dog hybrid.

“What?” Namjoon sputters.

“Are you okay, hyung?” Taehyung rushes forward to place his hand against Hoseok’s cheek, his fox ears pinned to his head in worry.

“Did you hit your head?” Yoongi leans against the counter with a faint smirk, his dark tail swishing playfully behind his back as Namjoon shoots him a sour look. Hoseok only gives Yoongi a huff in response before he gently removes Taehyung’s hands from his face, pressing a soft peck against his palm at the worried expression on his packmate’s face.

“I’m fine Tae,” Hoseok assures him. “Y/n told me about a game humans play during the holidays. They draw a random person and have to gift them something, and since she’s playing it with her co-workers, we obviously have to play it too. We have to give her the best gift.” Looks of understanding flashes across the other hybrids’ faces, and Namjoon lets out a hum of approval at his packmate’s quick thinking. They can’t have their courting be upstaged by a human.

“But it has to be a secret,” Hoseok’s words are met by a displeased hiss, Jimin narrowing his eyes at the dog hybrid. Yoongi places his hand at the back of Jimin's neck, giving him a comforting squeeze as he says, “Well, it doesn’t really matter who gives her the present, right? As long as whatever we give is better than what the human gives her.” Jimin looks like he wants to protest, but a quirk of Yoongi’s brow in his direction settles him quickly, the younger cat hybrid leaning against his alpha with a defeated pout.

“What about the rest of the presents?” Jeongguk’s soft voice takes them all by surprise, the bunny hybrid hardly ever speaking up when they’re all together in one room. Jeongguk keeps his eyes trained on Hoseok, trying his best to ignore how his body grows more and more tense for each second as the attention shifts to him.

“Uh, I guess the rest will just gift each other something?” Hoseok clears his throat, heat creeping up the back of his neck as he finds himself pinned under the bunny hybrid’s big questioning eyes.

“Boring,” Jimin mutters. As Yoongi’s gaze narrows at his packmate, Seokjin hurriedly adds, ”If it’ll make Y/n happy, then I’m in.”

“Me too,” Jeongguk murmurs.

“Me three!” Taehyung grins.

“Sure, we’re in too,” Yoongi waves them off, his hand still tight on the younger cat hybrid’s neck.

“Fine,” Jimin sighs. Namjoon rolls his eyes with a faint smile as Jimin’s tail betrays his indifference, the younger cat hybrid obviously excited at the prospect of receiving a gift judging by the excited flick the end of his tabby tail does. “So we’re all in then,” Namjoon says.

“Great!” Hoseok beams, “I’ll go tell Y/n.”  

❅ 

You grab another box, wobbling slightly as you take your first step down the ladder. You can’t believe it’s almost Christmas already. The last weeks have passed by in a blur of important court cases, and aside from greeting the boys when you leave and come back home from work; you haven’t had any spare time to spend with them. You feel bad. Not only because you miss them, and you know they miss your company too, but also because this is your first Christmas together, and you had wanted to make December as magical as possible. But, thanks to all the late nights you pulled at the office earlier in the year, you’ve earned yourself some extra days off. So, while you might not have been able to make all of December an adventure for them, you’re going to try your hardest to make the next three days leading up to Christmas Eve as fun as possible.

“Hey Namjoon, can you help me with this?” You call out over the boxes stacked in your arms, gritting your teeth as you try to make it down the attic ladder in one piece. Maybe you only should’ve done one at the time, but where’s the fun in that? There’s nothing quite like the idea of falling and breaking a bone to really get the Christmas spirit pumping through your veins.

You let out a sigh of relief as heavy box on top is removed, but the sight that greets you over the cardboard wasn’t one you were ready for. The wolf hybrid has a sweet smile on his face, dimples on full display as he easily hefts the box under his arm. It’s just so domestic that it makes your heart skip a traitorous beat; almost making you miss the last step as you stumble down into the hallway.

“You okay?” Namjoon takes a step closer as he looks you up and down, his free hand reaching for your arm in case you feel unsteady on your feet.

“I’m fine!” You wince inwardly at the high pitch of your voice, plastering on a strained smile as you try to get a better grip at the decorations in your arms. 

“Just, you know .. excited for Christmas!” You barrel past him before he can see the flush creeping up your neck. As you hurry down the stairs, you can’t help but mentally curse yourself for how just seeing Namjoon holding a box and looking cute manages to short-circuit your brain. How the hell are you supposed to survive seeing the rest of the boys decorating the whole house?

❅

“Yoongi, that’s not ..” You bite back a laugh as the cat hybrid ignores you, practically folding himself in half to make sure he fits inside the empty cardboard box. You watch as Yoongi gets up and sits back down, folding his limbs this way and that way until he’s happy with his position.

“What?” He glares in your direction when he notices your amused stare, his tail puffing up defensively as you shake your head.

“Nothing. It’s cute,” You giggle. You turn before you can see the faint flush in Yoongi’s cheeks, the cat hybrid sinking down lower in the box to hide how pleased he is at your comment. You open another box, pulling out the rather tiny assortment of tinsel and garlands you’ve saved over the last years. It might have taken up a lot of room in your old apartment, but you doubt it’ll be enough to decorate past the first floor in this house. You do have time to run to the store and get some more, but even just imagining the crowds doing all their last minute shopping makes you want to shudder. It’ll just have to do this year.

“Hyung, I need those,” You hear a soft grumble from the couch as Jeongguk pushes Seokjin away from the nearly empty popcorn bowl, the hamster hybrid making a discontent noise as it’s moved away from him. The popcorn and cranberry string is looking a little short considering how much you gave them earlier, but you quickly realize the problem when Seokjin turns in your direction. He’s storing his snacks.

The hamster hybrid’s cheeks are so puffed out you’re honestly surprised he can even close his mouth. You stifle your laughter as you turn your attention back to the tinsel, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable. It’s honestly adorable, but you know the boys can get embarrassed over instincts they can’t control, so if it’s something as harmless as eating popcorn and taking up residence in a box, you’re more than happy to pretend you haven’t seen anything.

“Hobi, can you help me with this?” You call over the dog hybrid, gesturing to the tinsel. You’re sure it’ll go much faster putting it all on the tree if you’re two people doing it.

“Sure!” Hoseok grins.

“If you go stand on the other side of the tree, we can just pass it back and fourth,” The dog hybrid easily follows your instructions, and you’ve already gotten the tinsel wrapped around the tree a few times before it abruptly stops. You frown, giving it a few tugs in case it got caught on the wrong branch, but it’s not moving. You peak around the tree, confused as to why it’s stuck when you have so much length left, but the reason becomes apparent when you find Hoseok’s hand tightly wrapped around the glittery garland.

“Hobi?” You give it a small tug, and the dog hybrid only smiles sheepishly in response as he immediately tugs back.

“Sorry,” Hoseok whines as he pulls his hand back again, the golden ears on top of his head drooping. “I didn’t let go of the tinsel before you pulled and ..” Ah. You let the garland go slack in your hands, and the dog hybrid only stares at the glitter for a few seconds before his grip loosens as well. His instincts thought you were playing tug of war. “Sorry,” He repeats.

“Hobi, it’s fine! I really don’t mind. Maybe we can play some actual tug of war later if you want to shift?” You offer.

“Really?” You can see the uncertainty still lingering in Hoseok’s eyes, but the tail behind his back can’t help but do a few excited wags.

“Of course. We can go outside the moment we finish decorating,” You grin. Hoseok’s face lights up, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration as he gently nudges you out of the way, taking the tinsel out of your hands. You don’t think you’ve ever seen someone decorate a tree that fast, the dog hybrid practically vibrating with excitement as he shoves a container of ornaments into Jimin and Taehyung’s hands.

“Hurry, hurry,” Hoseok mutters as he throws a look at Namjoon, confirming that the alpha is stringing lights above the window like he's supposed to.

“Right,” You smile, grabbing the closest ornaments to hang them on the tree. You let your eyes drift around the room as you place the first ornament, your chest almost feeling like it’s going to burst with fondness as you see all the hybrids look so focused on their different tasks. It’s moments like this where it’s easy to forget all the arguments and nasty behaviours that have transpired between the packs. You’re not gullible enough to believe that it’ll just be smooth sailing from here on out, but can you always hope. That’s what Christmas is for, after all.  

❅

“Okay! Is everyone ready?” You say, taking your place on the floor in front of the pile of Secret Santa gifts. You honestly feel like you’re going to roll away on the floor if you happen to topple over, your belly full and sated with all the delicious Christmas foods you’ve eaten over the last hours. Jeongguk and Jimin are the first ones to reach your side, each taking up the space next to you as the others settle down in a circle. You’ve been collecting gifts from all over the house, trying your best to keep the whole game as anonymous as possible. You’re about to reach out for the first gift when you remember something you used to do with friends when you were younger, something that make the game a little more exciting.

“Boys, how do you feel about adding a punishment to the game?” Jimin and Hoseok both sit up a little straighter at your words, all the hybrids snapping to attention. The three alphas all share a look, a weird glint in them you haven’t seen before.

“Punishment?” Jeongguk stiffens as the air in the room grows heavier. Maybe that was a poor choice of words.

“Oh no, I meant like a .. penalty? Like if the receiver can figure out who their gift is from, then the giver has to do a penalty?” You say, placing a comforting hand on the bunny hybrid’s knee.

“A penalty is fine,” Jeongguk says, beginning to relax under your touch, “but what would it be?”

“How about the receiver decide the punishment?” Taehyung offers, a lazy smirk on his face as he leans back on his hands, “Wouldn’t that be fair?” You know the fox hybrid always tries to win by whatever means necessary, and that it usually spells trouble for you, but it’s Christmas Eve, so if there was ever a day to indulge Taehyung, this would be it.

“Sure. I don’t mind if the others are okay with it,” You shrug. There’s immediately a small chorus of agreement, and you take that as the go to give out the first present.

“First one is .. Seokjin!” The hamster hybrid takes the present from your hands cautiously, the room falling silent as he unwraps it. Hoseok snorts as he sees the item, the furrow between Seokjin’s eyes disappearing as soon as it shows up.

“Shampoo,” He announces.

“Well?” You prompt when the hamster hybrid places the item behind his back and out of sight, “Who do you think it’s from?” You swear you see the quick flicker of Seokjin’s gaze to Jimin, but it happens so fast you can’t be sure. The cat hybrid still has an easy smile on his face, and there’s nothing in his face that gives him away if he was the one behind Seokjin’s gift.

“I have no idea,” Seokjin shakes his head. “Let’s move on to the next one?”

“Sure,” You try to shake off weird feeling in your gut as you pick up the next gift. There’s no reason for them to pretend they don’t know who gifted them their presents, you must still be stressed after the intense week of work you had before your days off.

“Let’s see .. Namjoon!” The wolf hybrid gives you a bright smile as he takes his present, the grin never leaving his face as he rips through the paper. You notice the bunny hybrid stiffening next to you as Namjoon sees his present, his gray ears twitching slightly.

“A comb,” Namjoon waves it in the air quickly, the motion almost a blur as you only pick up the dark colour before he places it between his crossed legs. The wolf hybrid’s gaze scans quickly around the group before he shrugs, “No clue who it’s from though.”

Jeongguk lets out a small breath of air next to you, and when you think about it, didn’t that blur look similar to the comb the bunny hybrid uses for his ears? Before you can open your mouth to ask, Jimin hands you the next present with a sweet smile. Normally, that would put your worries at ease, but the lazy swishes of the tabby hybrid’s tail just makes you more suspicious. They’re definitely up to something.

The feeling only grows as you work through the presents. The boys casually hide their gifts before you can get a good look at them, and they somehow never know who the giver is, despite it being glaringly obvious whom it’s from with how the other hybrid perks up when their gift is unwrapped. You can’t figure out who gifted you the customized ink pen either, although Namjoon looked particularly proud when you couldn’t wipe the shocked smile off your face.

“This is just what I wanted!” You say. You think you might have mentioned it in passing a while back, but you never expected someone to actually remember it.

“Is it a better Secret Santa gift than the one you got at work?” Hoseok asks. The dog hybrid looks a little anxious, his canines digging into the soft flesh of his lips as his gaze shifts between your face and the gift in your hands.

“Of course it is! Soo-hyun got me an ugly Christmas mug she knew I would hate,” You snort, “There’s no way it could beat this!” You look down at the pen again, just missing the shared expression of relief that crosses the boys’ faces as you admire the sleek black and silver design.

“Anyway, let’s move on to the next gift!” You say. “It’s for .. Yoongi!” You hand the second to last gift to the cat hybrid, Yoongi’s sharp nails slicing through the paper with no trouble.

“A book, wonderful,” He smirks before he places it behind his back. You frown as you see the cover that is all too familiar, is that the book your aunt gifted you those years ago? The heavy atmosphere is back in the room as eight pairs of eyes shift to the last present on the floor. You swallow thickly, trying your best to school your features into something neutral. It’s your gift. And there’s no way you’re going to let him figure out it’s you, not when you were the one to come up with the penalty in the first place.

“Me!” Taehyung exclaims with a boxy grin as he picks up the last gift, his slender fingers carefully opening the paper. The fox hybrid lets out a delighted gasp as he uncovers the console games, his tail swishing wildly behind his back in excitement.

“Thank you Y/n!” Taehyung’s eyes sparkle as he meets your gaze, and the “You’re welcome!” tumbles out before you can stop it. You wince as something mischievous settles in Taehyung’s handsome features, the fox hybrid looking pleased with himself that you managed to slip up.

“How did you know it was me?” You groan.

“You have a tell,” Taehyung says.

You have? .. Crap. “What is it?”

“It’s a secret,” The fox hybrid smirks. Secret Santa was definitely not a hybrid game – the boys had come to realize that as soon as the first gift was handed out. The presents reek of the giver, but of course, that’s not something your human nose would be able to pick up.

“Fine,” You pout, tracing your finger over the pen in your lap, “What’s my penalty?”

The fox hybrid’s face grows serious as his gaze shifts around the room, searching for something to use as your punishment. You can’t help the way your stomach flips with nerves – or is it maybe excitement? – as you wait for him to figure it out. If it’s one thing you’ve come to learn, it’s that these boys are never predictable. Taehyung’s orange ears perk up as his eyes suddenly catch on an item, and Yoongi lets out a low hiss as he follows the fox hybrid’s line of sight. You barely have time to blink before Taehyung springs to his feet to grab your hand, dragging you along with him over to the living room entrance. You suck in a surprised breath as you find yourself standing directly underneath the mistletoe, Taehyung’s hand warm around yours as he gently pulls you a step closer.

“Only if you want to,” He says. Taehyung’s low murmur soothes the nerves prickling under your skin, the obvious fondness on his face easing your fears. The problem isn’t that you don’t want to, it’s that you do. And not just with Taehyung, but with all seven of them.

“It’s okay,” You hesitantly place your hand on Taehyung’s shoulder, the fox hybrid’s muscles jumping under your touch. You spare a glance back the rest of the boys when you notice just how silent the room has become, a flush creeping up your cheeks as you find all six of them staring at the both of you with an intensity you haven’t seen before. You quickly turn your attention back to Taehyung, the fox hybrid’s eyes fluttering shut as you begin to rise up at the tip of your toes.

You ground yourself in Taehyung’s firm grip around your hand, the fox hybrid’s warm breath spilling across your mouth as you lean in closer. Your aim is a little off, the lush dark lashes across Taehyung’s cheekbones distracting you enough that the kiss that was meant for his cheek, ends up at the corner of his mouth instead. When you pull back, you find Taehyung’s wide sparkling eyes already trained on your face, the fox hybrid gazing at your reverently for a few seconds before he dives down to bury his face in your neck.

“This is the best Christmas ever,” You let out a choked giggle at Taehyung’s words, stroking his back affectionately as he tries his best to rub your shared scent back on your skin.

“Me next,” You nearly jump out of your skin as you find Hoseok standing next to you, the rest of the boys lined up behind him with sheepish smiles.

“I thought this was supposed to be a penalty?” You quirk a brow, gently untangling yourself from Taehyung as the dog hybrid begins to move impatiently in place.

“Kissing Taehyung is just nice, it’s not a penalty unless you do it to all of us,” Hoseok whines. You catch Jeongguk nodding his head behind Yoongi’s shoulders, his long ears flopping from the force. Well, you think, what’s the harm?

“Fine,” You usher Taehyung over to the couch, turning back around to face Hoseok. “One mistletoe kiss coming right up.” The dog hybrid practically vibrates out of his skin when your lips touch his cheek, and he doesn’t waste any time mixing his scent like Taehyung had once you pull back.

You can see Namjoon’s silver tail wag behind his back as you place both hands on his shoulders, needing a little extra boost to reach his cheek. A dimple blooms where you delivered a soft peck, and Namjoon briefly touches his cheek against the top of your head before he joins his pack on the couch.

Jimin steps up next, placing his hands behind his back as he offers his cheek with a playful grin. “One penalty please,” He says.

“Of course,” You place your hand on Jimin’s jaw, holding him in place as you kiss his cheek. You catch the slight disappointment in the cat hybrid’s eyes as you pull back, but the gentle touch of your fingertips tracing his jaw is enough to wash it away. Taehyung might be the fox, but Jimin is by far the slyest when it comes to getting what he wants.

“Not yet,” You murmur, taking a step back. Jimin nods, his eyes filled with warm understanding as gently rubs his cheek against your shoulder before he lets Yoongi take his place. The alpha regards you with hooded eyes as you peck his cheek, a faint purr spilling from his chest as he rubs your mixed scent against the opposite shoulder. The soft fur on his ears tickle your throat, and the cat hybrid offers you a low thank you before he steps away.

“You okay?” Jeongguk’s cheeks are bright red as he takes Yoongi's place, but the bunny hybrid hurriedly nods in response. You can almost feel the jittery energy coursing through his body as you step closer, Jeongguk inhaling sharply as your lips make contact with his skin. The bunny hybrid shyly takes your hand in his, bringing it up to rub your wrist against his freshly kissed cheek. Jeongguk hurries off before you can say anything, his tail twitching rapidly behind his back as he joins the rest.

Seokjin has a fond look in his eyes as he steps closer. The hamster hybrid leans down slightly, just enough that his mouth graces you ear as he murmurs, ”You took your punishment well.” You feel plush lips against your cheek before Seokjin pulls back, a knowing smile spreading across his face as your fingers trace the spot he kissed. You stand there a little stunned as Seokjin joins Jeongguk on one of the couches, praying that the hamster hybrid didn’t notice the shiver that bolted down your spine at his words.

You awkwardly clear your throat as you realize they’re all waiting for you to join them, gesturing over to the TV as you say, “Do you want to watch a Christmas movie?” 

You let the boys argue over which movie to watch, quickly putting on your old copy of Home Alone once they’ve decided. You squeeze into the spot between Yoongi and Namjoon on the couch, the two alphas shifting closer the moment you’re settled; their sides flush with yours as you press play on the movie.

As the minutes begin to trickle by, you catch yourself watching the boys more than the colourful screen, a pleasant and comforting warmth spreading through your body as they laugh and giggle at the funny moments. Truthfully, the seven hybrids fill a space you hadn’t even realized was empty. And now – sitting here in your cozy living room with lights twinkling all around, you don’t think there’s anything else you could ever want.

You already have it all right here.

[marvelandsuchstuff]

Sleepless Nights and Golden Sunlight (Corpse husband x reader)

A/N: helllllooooo everyone, I think like most of the internet I have been obsessing over this man for the past week and couldn’t help myself. I would however like to take this time to say that I will fully respect this man and if he ever does want this taken down - I will do so :). Anyways I wrote this shit in 12 hours and it’s now 2:45 am lol but I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: None, unless I can kill you with softness

It was well past 6 am when the sun had crept through the sheer curtains of the room (y/n) lay asleep in. The golden light streamed on to the grey bed in which she was peacefully in her own world. She was curled up around one of the pillows, with a small smile cracking through her soft lips.

In one of the other rooms, a man sat at a desk trying to record a video for the third time in the past four hours. He was growing increasingly furious with the script in front of him, no longer wanting to attempt reading it out. Put it down to the lack of sleeping for more than three hours or the fact that he was pushing himself too hard again with the rapid rate of growth over these past couples of weeks. But what he did know is that he needed to finish this video, however, no matter what he did, he just couldn’t seem to do it.

That’s when he finally gave up and slammed his hands down on the desk in front of him, not noticing how loud it had been. He sighed and looked at the time on the side of the screen and starred as the minutes passed. Great. Another sleepless night had passed him by without a shutter of a thought. That’s when he heard a sleepy girl’s voice from the doorway.  

(y/n) awoke from her peaceful state when she suddenly heard a forceful thump from down the hall. She hurriedly pulled herself up, dazed and confused and still half asleep, slowly gathering her surroundings. The golden sun bursting into the room now blinded her eyes as she tried to look around at where she was. (y/n) put her hand up blocking it from her line of sight and sighed with relief as she realized she was at corpses' house, in his bed. Safe.  

Although this fact comforted her, she still was mildly distressed at the sound she heard moments before. Almost immediately she noticed how she was alone in the king bed, which wasn’t surprising, in fact, it was normal for her. She knew corpses’ sleeping habits often kept him awake until ludicrous hours in the morning and often he would only end up getting a few hours sleep before returning to reality. Often she would have to drag him to bed, only for him to leave once she had fallen asleep in his arms and he made sure she wasn’t worried about him. So, she decided to go find out what was happening and where her boyfriend had gotten to.

She put her hand down and slowly swung herself out of the warm covers onto the cold hardwood floors. She pushed herself off the mattress, steadily gaining her balance and then slowly walking to the door, still very tired from not having enough sleep. She then opened one of the bedroom’s double doors while leaning on it for a bit of support. (y/n) roamed down the hallway, her feet cold from the wood under them, searching for her boyfriend.

She noticed the dark purple glow coming out of his gaming room, which only could mean he was in there. As soon as this realisation occurred, she felt her legs growing even weaker and used her last source of strength to get over to the door frame. She quickly lent herself against it to support herself before she entirely collapsed onto the floor.

Once (y/n) had gathered herself again, she glanced over toward the computer monitor and lo and behold saw corpse staring at something on the screen. He seemed like he was in a different world, taking no notice of the small girl behind him. After about a minute (y/n) built up enough energy to let out a small and soft “hi”.

The chair swivelled around to face her, and a weak smile crept onto corpses’ face, “hey baby”,

However, he soon realised the state (y/n) was in and quickly dashed over to her before she completely fell to the floor.

“Princess, what are you doing awake?” he asked with concern as she sank deep into his chest for some stability.

“Hmmm, I’m ok”

“You sure, because right now you're clinging onto me as if gravity didn’t exist” he chuckled lightly.

“Yeah,” she whispered and giggled a bit, “Anyways I heard a loud noise and wanted to make sure no one had come to kidnap you,”

He laughed again, “Well I’m standing here are I? So I must be fine unless I’ve been given some drug to make me hallucinate the most beautiful person in the world. Which in that case I want to be on this forever.”

(y/n) laughed and smiled into his chest. They both just stood like this for a moment taking in the silence and the warmth of each other. Their breaths aligned creating a bliss in which the earth itself shattered away and nothing else mattered. Two souls becoming more intertwined with each second passing by. Heaven.

Corpse was the one to finally break the silence, softly asking, “Do you want to go back to bed?”

(y/n) nodded into him, “mhm, can you come with me?”

“Of course princess, I wasn’t planning on leaving you anytime soon” he mumbled.

Then suddenly he manoeuvred around her, still making sure she had balance. He carefully picked the girl up bridal style and moved over to turn the lights off. At first, (y/n) was a bit taken aback by this but quickly adjusted to his body and curled into him. She closed her eyes softly caving into the darkness but wanting to stay awake until they got into the bed.

Corpse carried the girl in his arms down the hall, no longer concerned about the video he left or the lack of sleep he had. All that mattered was his wonderful and sweet little girlfriend who kept him sane at the worst of times. He looked down at her and he wondered how she ended up with him.

“Why’d you choose me?” he whispered, not sure if she heard him.

This made (y/n) open her eyes, now full of concern. “Because I love you, I knew it then and I know it now”

They both recounted the night they met. It wasn’t much, the met when poki had invited (y/n) to play a couple of games of among us and he was there. (y/n) remembers instantly feeling overwhelmed by even the few amount of people there. Corpse realised this a couple of rounds into the game after poki kept asking why she was so quiet compared to normal. He had seen her talk in poki’s videos a few times and was wondering the same because she was often more vocal in those videos. So he decided to message her to see if she was ok, seeing the same signs as he does with himself. For some reason (y/n) decided to tell him what was going on in hopes that he could help, knowing that he also struggled with these things.

After that, they immediately became really close and both were happy that they finally found someone who fully understood one another. The rest became history and now they were here, together.

“I love you too. So much,” Corpse said, smiling as he pushed the second of the double doors open. He then walked over to the opposite side of the bed and then carefully laid the girl down on the mattress. He moved the pillow she had been curled up against to make sure her head was supported.

After he put her down he went to the wall with the control panel and lowered the blackout blinds so they wouldn’t be disturbed by the already light sky outside. Then, he went back around to the other side of the bed and climbed on top of the grey sheets. He pulled the covers over both of them and tucked them into (y/n) side to keep her even warmer. Then snaking one hand over her torso and leaving one to play with her hair, he pulled closer to her body

“Are you going to tell me what was that noise I heard now?” (y/n) quietly asked,

“It was nothing, I just got mad at a video I was trying to film”

With this, (y/n) turned over to face him, searching for the emotions on his face. A strange look of sadness and anger and hatred she knew all too well. Very often this was corpses’ permanent emotional state where it is for something like a video or mean tweet, or more often himself. Every time she sees this side of him, it breaks her heart because he, of all the people in the world, definitely doesn’t deserve to feel like this.

The worst part is, however, often she feels as though there is nothing she can do to help. The best way she has found is to be there for him, whenever and whatever he needs because she knows he would do the same for her.

“Can I do anything?”

However, what she didn’t realize was how much she already does to help, just by being there. Because often if she’s happy and doing ok, he would always come back to her. His own personal light in the dark.

“Get some sleep for me baby. That’s all that I want you to do,” He replied, running his hand through her hair.

“Ok, but please stay with me?” she asked as she fell back into her own little world of dreams.

“Of course princess, I wasn’t planning on leaving you anytime soon”

[fallout-drabbles-n-stuff]

abshwvshsh imagine Paladin Danse with Baby Fever.

Got alittle drabble?

*I got like an idea where Paladin Danse and Alex(fallout oc) go on a mission and end up finding an orphan baby and as Alex is taking care of it, Paladin Danse is like 😍😍🤩🤩. So yea lol.*

(I totally deviated from the prompt but I was hoping this would be satisfactory as well? 😅 if not, I'm more than happy to write for the original prompt, just send me another ask)

Perhaps this feeling was simply a product of the desertion he felt after exile.

You were so very kind to him. You were there for him when he had hit the lowest point fathomable, when his life as he knew it was ripped away from him and left him with this deep melancholic emptiness. It took time, of course, but like always- you were patient with him, truly there for him.

If asked, Danse wouldn't know exactly how you did it, but piece after piece you managed to put back together what he once felt was broken beyond repair. Maybe it was the way you valiantly fought to reassure his life's value, maybe it was the long days you spent at his side so he may not feel lonesome, but most likely it was the love you professed that let him know that if someone as wonderful as you could have such profound feelings for something like him...then yes, maybe he was truly worth more than he believed.

Nonetheless, there were still some times that Danse would sit in your cozy little home, a far off look in his eyes as he thought deeply about something you just couldn't quite put your finger on. Once, you would've been able to just look at him and know what troubled him- a trait he didn't care for in the slightest- but lately...he wasn't quite as easy to read.

His identity would forever be something he struggled with no matter how much progress the two of you made, this you knew and understood, but whatever was on his mind as of recent didn't seem to have the same effect. For instance, these moments you'd catch him in..he wouldn't look nearly as tense, which may be a fruitless observation to note- but hey, every little detail meant something with Danse. In addition to this, the proud ex-paladin would usually seek your comfort if his mind raced to such dark places and now he would only sit in silence.

Instead you were left puzzled, watching the man you love sit and continue on with his mental strife- only moving every so often to fidget with the glistening metallic band on his left ring finger.

You never would've guessed that the reason he was so deep in though stemmed from the child sitting on your kitchen counter, eating one of Danse's prized snack cakes with Shaun. The child happened to be one of the settler's kids, a little girl around six years of age- so far too young to help out in the farm, and too young to leave unattended..so naturally, with you being the bleeding heart you are, you agreed to help out the girl's parents and watch her every so often while they worked. Besides, after your marriage to Danse..and Shaun coming home, there wasn't very much adventuring going on anymore. It wasn't a big deal though, Shaun rather liked having company (even if he preferred hanging out with Duncan more) and having a younger child around didn't bother you in the slightest.

Unbeknownst to you, watching the way you cared for the two children really struck a nerve within Danse. It was almost enchanting to watch you fuss after them, leading his mind to wander off to the most fantastical places.

"Okay, Shaun, do you think you can handle taking her back home? Her ma and pa should be finished working out in the field by now. I'll send Dogmeat with you." You spoke, receiving a rather exasperated expression from your little boy as he gracelessly slid off the counter, feet landing with a soft *thud*.

He proceeded to hold a hand out to his much shorter, younger friend to help her down. "No problem mom..." He all but grumbled as he began to lead her out the side door. A blur of brown and black fur at your feet let you know your faithful companion was at attention and ready to escort the two children- a happy bark followed by the closing of the door eased your mind shortly thereafter.

Had it been anywhere else, you probably wouldn't have let Shaun leave without you or Danse..but given that the girl's parents lived two doors down- you didn't really worry. However, you DID worry about the ex-paladin.

With a casual sigh, you sauntered your way into the living room- only a little surprised when you realized your entrance hadn't done much to catch his attention. Regardless, you pushed on and decided to sit right beside him- smiling just the slightest bit whenever his gaze finally shifted away from his wedding band and to you instead.

"Alright." You began, making no qualms about scotching closer over to him until he instinctively wrapped an arm around your shoulder. "What's eating at you?" You simply prodded, head resting on his chest.

Danse visibly stiffened, as though under the impression that his silence went unnoticed. He couldn't have been more wrong- he knew better than to think anything would get passed you. Even if it had, the thrumming of his synthetic heart against your ear surely gave him away.

Before he dignified your question with a response, he shifted around so that he could properly face you- still holding you yet able to move his head in such a way that he might be able to see the way you'd react completely to what his next words were going to be. And…maybe to get your attention away from the heavy beating in his chest.

That's really when you noticed it. The fleeting look in his eyes, the unsteadiness of his breath, the slight pink shade decorating his nose and cheeks..Danse was nervous.

"This..I apologize but this going to seem completely out of the blue.." He finally spoke, sighing as he closed his eyes just for a brief moment- trying to collect himself so that his nerves might not get the best of him. This is a matter that he had been wrestling with for some time now, the last thing he wanted was to get so anxious that he couldn't speak.

Alas, calming down seemed to only get harder for him. True, it had only been a few seconds since he spoke but the way you looked at him, so concerned and so..sweet, made time slow down and his damned heart incomprehensibly race.

"Whatever it is Danse, I've got you.." Great- now that concern he picked up on was lacing your voice as well.

Was it truly necessary for him to complicate things to such extremes? It's not like the topic was completely alien to either one of you..and damnit, you're the one person he felt he could speak his mind freely to..so why wasn't this any easier?

Then came the words you never, ever, ever, would've expected to hear from his mouth.

With his eyes soft, and his voice even more so, Danse spoke. "I know we have Shaun, and don't get me wrong- I truly do love the boy as a son, my son...but have you ever considered what having a child of our own would be like?" It was in that instant that Danse realized how abrupt his words may have came out, that tender gaze of his slowly retreating to look anywhere but you. "Forgive me, it's um..it's selfish of me to anticipate you being ready for such a thing, especially considering what we have both went through this past year.."

Unable to focus on much else but the drumming noise inside your head from the profound beat of your heart, your trembling hands grabbed at his and squeezed.

"You know..you have a bad habit of cutting me off before I can tell you what I think, sir." You laughed, trying to distract from the tears threatening to well up. Sure, it may have been a slight over reaction but..with Danse wanting a family..it was one hell of a step in a good direction. "What happened in the past..well, it should stay there. The two of us have something most people never get, we have the ability to start anew and leave our troubles behind us, Danse. So...god, I don't think much else would make me happier than having a baby with you.."

Once the ex-Paladin got over the initial shock of your words, he all but mauled you in a breath-stealing kiss- his arms wrapping tightly around you to the point of making the promise of breath a distant memory. Nonetheless, you couldn't help but enthusiastically kiss the man back...at least until-

"MOM! Gross!!" Shaun shrieked, having opened the door at quite possibly the least opportune time. Great.

Danse pulled back with a shameful blush on his face, averting his eyes from the young boy who was now fake gagging as he walked off to his room.

“Guess we oughta see if Mac is up for letting Shaun stay over with Duncan..hm? You know, just to get a head start..” to this, the ex-paladin’s adorable blush deepened tenfold.

Fantastic....or rather...outstanding.