#use meeks’s coat sir

[lovech1ld]

what was up with Meeks the entire DPS movie talking to Charlie like he wanted to be pushed up against the wall btw

[blurboki]

✩ ≫ GIVING STRAYKIDS HEAD WHILE HE’S LIVE

including. ot8 | pairing. skz x fem! reader | genre. smut - MINORS DNI | warnings. blowjob/handjob (m. rec), mentions of begging, mentions of a breeding kink, voyeurism, nicknames, mentions of using toys, humiliation, cum-eating, facial (f. rec), hair pulling, dubcon, felix cums inside, degradation, overstimulation, gagging, deep-throating, d/s dynamics

authors note. ty for requesting! i hope you don’t mind how wild i got with this.. seungmin’s made me feral (please tell me if i missed anything in the warnings!!)

CHAN :

would be so smiley n cute :((

until you kneel down and the realization hits

you can see his expressive eyes go “oh? oh.” in five second flat

the way you’re looking up at him? he’s twitching in his pants, trying his hardest to pay attention to chan’s room

definitely says something like: “alright! let’s get onto the next song, yeah?” while furiously turning up the volume to drown out his soft huffs of breath, plump lips parted to exhale deeply

the way he utterly shudders when you lick from his shaft all the way up to his leaking head has the dreamiest sigh falling from your mouth

the way you’re testing his patience makes him want to fuck you silly 🙈🙈

plays it off as if he was adjusting in his chair, meek smile giving away none of your naughtiness

once you start taking him into your mouth though, he reaches a hand to your hair, forcing you to down him

squeezes his eyes shut from the feeling of your throat swallowing him alongside the toe-curling whine you whimpered in response

most likely pretended to yawn to conceal his fucked-out face and the obscene sound of you gagging on him, babydoll eyes welling with tears

omg the way he looks down at you after that ?admiring your smudged mascara and the drool coating your lips and chin ?? pls eat me sir

“unfortunately, that’ll be the last song for this live, thank you Stay for joining me today..” he says, nonchalantly thumbing at your bottom lip to wipe the residue sitting there

legs spread and cock flushed against his abdomen, you come to realize rather quickly that you got yourself into something dangerous…

MINHO :

he’d prob be doing a live in the meeting room when you arrive, gazing at you pushing chairs out of the way to make him think you’re planning to sit down

till you settle between his legs and the realization dawns

has the most attractive, challenging stare ever watching you go to town

tbh minho is fucking terrifying with his self control in and outside of the bedroom

like he’d be able to answer questions and act completely normal despite his dick being halfway down your throat

pretends to laugh at a comment when instead he reached a hand under and toyed with your clit, gathering your wetness on two fingers to smear on the side of your lips

what he was laughing at? how pathetic you sounded mewling and dripping with need as if you weren’t the one who decided to give him head rn

would def end the live a tad bit early, finally succumbing to the handjob you provided where he came all over your face with the sluttiest moan

10/10 would bend you over and fuck you on the table after

10/10 would keep your legs out of business for a good five to six days (i stand by my claim)

CHANGBIN :

binnie is so fucking transparent idek if he could hide it

but like, he makes weird noises anyways so tbh stay probably wouldn’t bat an eye

sooo needy

gently grabs your chin while you kitty lick his mushroom tip and gives you most pleading stare

if he could’ve telepathically communicated, he would definitely been begging

funny considering how he basically bred you into the mattress the night before , right?

you resort to kissing his swollen cock, ensuring he’s watching when you collect his beading precum on a finger, bringing it up to your lips

to say he held back a moan doesn’t even cut it, poor baby might’ve bit his tongue off atp from your adorable eye contact and the mere image alone

gets frantic enough he blasts gods menu full volume and “suddenly” gets a text from Hyunjin saying he “needs to go”

a.k.a needs to blow

dude absolutely explodes

his moans are the cutest by far >>>

cums all over your face muttering soft “please please please” over and over while his fat cock basically ropes messy strings

he swore he’s never came harder in his life

andddd that’s how you got introduced to edging changbin!!!

jk, it just fueled your obsession with it further ;)

HYUNJIN :

prob the cutest of them all when you give him head under the table

he just feels so good and loved from your attention and the pleasure

has the dreamiest of smiles the entire time despite the music being obnoxiously loud to hide the sound

stays love this live bc of how cute he looked the entire time

lots conspired that he was drunk or smthn bc of how smiley he was, cheeks dusted pink

pretended to drop something so he could groan under the table, thigh twitching and abs tightening as he approached his orgasm

definitely grabs your head before he came, brows slightly knit and lips parted as he met your eyes

so fucking sweet after he cums, petting your head and running a light hand on your cheek where his cum smears

pops his thumb in your mouth, softly wiping your bottom lip of his essence

he’s literally delighted i cannot make this up

totally nonchalant apart from groaning under the table which he hid from view

expect either the softest or hardest sex afterwards

like you’re going to either be carried because your legs are out of commission or because he’s feeling romantic :((

HAN :

.. stay are prob getting an equally good treat too

and no they don’t know what was going on, they just know how from a certain timestamp in his most recent live his voice got a whole lot more attractive

expect a sudden raspy pitch, clicking his tongue casually as if his partner wasn’t spoiling him

on any other day he’d be stupidly whiny, crying from the pleasure you provided

today, however, he just let himself dissolve in the ecstasy, breathing in the fresh air on cloud 9

there were some speculations from stay watching, but it only got as far as that

scary enough, he doesn’t make a sound, casually carrying out conversation and answering questions like nothing

that is until you get impatient, pressing hot kisses all over and speeding up the movement of your hand as you fist him, pretty eyes fixating on his face

aha. you see him slightly wince, bidding farewell quickly with a few over-exaggerated poses and blown kisses

stifles a groan as he approached his high, tracing the corner of your lips as he grumbles an excessively attractive:

“now stick your tongue out, ‘don’t what you missing a drop.”

then proceeds to cum all over your lips n mouth, thumbing away some of his residue there

“you’re so messy, bunny, ‘have to teach you some manners, hm?”

FELIX :

he gets so cocky

and it’s one of the hottest things on the planet

watches you through half-lidded eyes as you unbutton his jeans, taking him into your mouth

i feel like no matter how hard you try to rile him up, it just makes him cockier and gives him a visible ego boost

like, not a ‘thinking with my dick only’ type of ego boost, more of a ‘why tf aren’t you reacting rn, please fuck me already at this point’ sort of ego boost

this man most likely turn off the music just to play it risky, forcing you down on his dick when you get too loud

reads comments as you literally deep throat him, eyes tearing up with how he keeps bumping the back of your throat

it’s insane

lifts a brow daringly as he reads a particular comment and you swear you would’ve moaned so fucking loud if it weren’t for him cruelly shoving fingers into your mouth as you fisted him with a hand

breathily sighs as you work faster, blinking a bit slower and hesitating with his answers—a telltale sign he’s close

definitely ends the live earlier, quickly taking off your bottoms to pull you onto his lap and paint your cunt white

voices the most guttural groan, adams apple bobbing as he fills you so full of him

he’s convinced there is absolutely nothing he loves more than stuffing your pussy, nothing

SEUNGMIN :

i will sit in the grave believing seungmin is one of the most god-teir men alive when it comes to head

another rbf (resting bitch face) king btw!!

meanest but also nicest ?? i can’t explain take this how you want

prob sings a song while you suck him off i cannot😭😭

you’d most likely be more affected than he is (or you just can’t tell), bc you’ll be a moaning mess from how nonchalantly he’s already shoved two fingers inside your cunt, guiding your head into a steady rhythm with a spare hand

smiles every time you mewl on his cock, hungrily watching your hips stutter while his fingers curl and rub your pussy sooo good

lmao i bet he hits a high note when you cream(and when he cums too), drowning out the desperate cries you sob from his lap

ends the live without even a trace of what happened, pulling your hair roughly so you meet his eyes, tears freely rolling down your cheeks

“you wanted this so don’t act like you didn’t. open.” he instructs, and you obediently open your mouth for him, showing him your tongue and lips painted with his cum

“swallow.”

his face when you swallow oml he loves seeing his baby behave

mumbles quiet “good girl”’s when you take his fingers coated in your juices into your mouth

honestly.. i could see him buzzing your puffy clit w a bullet vibrator afterwards while you sit on his dick, cooing as you fall apart on top of him, telling you it’s a “reward” while you’re overstimulated and sensitive beyond belief

JEONGIN :

kind of like hyunjin with his unpredictability, he’s either stone cold or an innocent baby

today, however, he was definitely needy, looking adorably confused when you sauntered through the doorway

gasps when you slip under the desk, eyes turning into round saucers as you carefully rid him of his pants then boxers

has to pause on multiple occasions to pull himself together, occasionally turning his head away from the camera to express the overwhelming feeling of your tongue

leaks a quiet, oh so quiet whine in the midst of laughing at a comment

poor bub gets an army of comments asking if he’s feeling sick from how flushed he is

cutie can’t admit how amazing you make him feel 🤭

ends the live abruptly, literally only thinking about cumming in your mouth

desperate AF when he starts mumbling, pulling you off of him to stick out your tongue as he frantically fists his dick, beads of pre-cum decorating the swollen tip

“oh god oh god oh god— cumming, ‘gonna cum, in your mouth? baby please please wanna cum in your mouth— yeah just like that, good girl- fuck-“ is just an example of his barely intelligible moaning

trust that he came hard, strings of apologies falling off his pink lips at the mess he made of your face

oml if you keep sucking him off afterwards?? overstimulated innie is the cutest thing ever

expect lots of begging and neediness 😍

blurboki, july 2023 ©

[xstarsmvxz]

man i got my mind fixated on dilf!jake having you sit on his thigh while preparing you for the long night ahead 🤭

warnings → NSFW (minors dni), p in v! unprotected sex, soft!dom jake, squirting, slight size kink, breeding kink obvi (typical Jake).

Word count → 1.3k

Jake has his big arm sprawled across your chest, keeping you in place on his lap. Your back arching against his beautifully toned abs. You could feel every muscle and vein in his arm, every little scar across his chest. He’s got one thigh resting between the both of yours, making you mindlessly grind down. You watch as he drags two of his fingers from your navel down to your clit. Lightly brushing his fingers against it, you whimper. Your eyes screw shut as you feel one of his large fingers trace your needy hole, gathering some of your slick before bringing it up and gently rubbing it on your clit. Letting out a gasp, you begin to buck your hips, searching for more friction. “Uh uh”, Jake moves his hand to now hold your hips down, “I don’t want none of that squirming or nothing, you hear me?” Your lustful eyes meet his stern ones, gently nodding. “Yes sir.”

His two fingers plunge into you repeatedly, dragging you closer to your third orgasm of the night. You’re a moaning mess, grinding yourself down onto his fingers, desperately chasing your release. He gently moves his fingers in a scissor motion, stretching you out. You let out a lewd moan, feeling the tight knot inside you beginning to snap. “You gonna cum for me, pretty girl?” He tilts his head to look down at your hands that are now tightly holding onto his arm, leaving scratch marks and small moon like crescents from having your nails constantly digging into his skin. You open your mouth to answer but no noise comes out as you feel your release suddenly come crashing down on you. Silent tears leave your eyes due to the endless pleasure you’re feeling at the moment. He brings his thumb to rub your clit in fast circles, watching as your body fluids coat his hand.

“Too much! Too much!” You cry out. Sighing once you finally feel his fingers leave your abused cunt. He moves his head to roughly kiss your neck, leaving love bites trailing up from your jaw down to the top of your perky tits. “Jake, wan’ you, wan’ you so bad! Please-”

“Shh shh. I got you baby girl.” He lifts you up by your waist, spinning you around so that you’re now facing him. He keeps one hand tightly gripped onto your waist, using his other hand to gently prod his tip at your tired but desperate hole. “You sure this is what you want? Hm?” You let out a meek “mhm” looking down at his pink tip. You nearly drool at the sight of pre-cum leaking from him. “Words baby. I need words.”

“Yes! Please Jake, I wan’ you so bad. Need you so bad!” You manage to whimper out. He places a rough, calloused hand on your cheek. “Oh kid..” He looks at the fat tears rolling down your face. “You can have me. You can have all of me. No more tears babygirl.” He raises his thumb, using it to wipe your tears away. You softly smile back at him, leaning in so that your foreheads are touching. He moves back before leaning in again and crashing his lips into your own. The kiss was a perfect mix of lust and love, driving you both mad. You reach behind his head, yearning for the beautiful, ethereal connection to be shared between the two of you. Grabbing his queue in one hand, you use the other to grab yours. You look towards his face, silently asking for consent. He gives you a short nod with a small smirk, watching you slowly bring your tswin to connect with his.

Your eyes dialate, leaving one a small rim of yellow around your blown pupils. Feeling an overwhelming amount of emotions shared, your eyes nearly roll to the back of your head at the pleasure. His rough fingers squeeze your plush hips, making you let out a contempt sigh. You bring your uneven breath to match the pace of his, breathing in slowly through your mouth before exhaling. “You ready, kid?” He questions as his thumb gently strokes your upper thigh. “Yeah, yeah I’m ready.”

You burry your face into the crook of his neck as you feel his hand leave your hip to grab his painfully hard cock. Beginning to relieve some of his pain he rubs his length in between your soft thighs, making you even more aroused than before if that’s even possible. You lift your head up, letting out a breathy moan. “Jake.” “I got you, baby. Just relax.” He once again brings his tip to prod at your soaking cunt before starting to push himself in. Now, you’re not a virgin, but the stretch still burns and stings alot. Before you know it he’s got just over half his length inside of you, not moving an inch to give you time to adjust. After a few seconds you ready yourself, “You can move now.” You moan at the feeling of the entirety of his dick filling you up, his tip kissing your cervix perfectly. His hands are gripping firmly on your waist, helping you to grind and bounce on his dick at a slow pace.

“More, Jake I wan’ more!” You beg, eyes looking into his pleadingly. He lets out a grunt, lifting you up by your waist, flipping you around and bending you over so that your face is now pushed into the soft grass below you. You have your ass up in the air, back arching while he holds both your hands behind your back. This is truely a sight for sore eyes, Jake thinks to himself. With his dick still inside of you, he begins thrusting, speeding up his pace until he’s mercilessly pounding himself into you. You cry out, silent tears leaving your eyes yet again. You begin to feel dizzy, having that coil build up inside of you for the fourth time that night.

“You gonna come for me again, girl?” He says, still pounding into you at an unreal pace. “F-fuck, Jake!” You scream out. “Please let me cum, please!” You feel that coil inside of you about to snap. Even if he didn’t grant you permission to cum, your sure you still would, you would be incapable of holding back. “Let go, pretty girl. Cum for me, cum all over this dick.” You let out the loudest moan you ever have, nearly screaming. Your juices spray all over his still moving cock and his lower stomach, making his abs glisten in the moonlight.

The pleasure becomes too much, with his thick cock still thrusting inside you you, your legs shake uncontrollably. “Jake- I.. I can’t.” You start to squirm, trying to wriggle your hands out of his strong grip. “Just a second, mamas. I’m almost there.” He speeds up his pace once again, chasing his own orgasm. “Wanna pump you full of my seed, watch as your belly swells up with my baby, yeah?” You whimper at the thought. He lets out a guttural moan, filling your hole with his warm cum, painting your spongey walls white. You mewl at the feeling of the heat of his load making it’s way into your womb. He slowly pulls himself out of you, feeling his orgasm fade away. He watches as some of his seed drips out of your cunt, using two of his fingers to push it back in and keeping it there. “Don’t wanna waste nun’ of it do we?” You shake your head side to side, “nuh uh.” Your eyes slowly drooping shut.

After a few minutes of making sure none of his load will spill out of you, he pulls his fingers out of your abused pussy and licks them clean, tasting a mix of both your fluids. He brings your limp body into his arms, lying down and resting you on his chest. “You were so good, such a good girl for me. So fuckin’ perfect” He brings his arm to gently stroke your side. You both lay there in silence, listening to each other’s laboured breaths. Your breath starts to even out, slowly falling asleep with your head pressed into his chest, the sound of his heartbeat lulling you into a deep slumber. He notices that you’ve fallen asleep, now letting himself fall into his own slumber.

masterlist

[peachymilkandcream]

Hi can you do a one shot when Evelyn pregnant and she try to get rid of it, but Levi caught her. How do thing he would react to it.

Thanks so much😘😘

Levi x Evelyn -> Body And Soul

(A/N: It'll be nice I'm not going to lie to do more of an angsty one. All of the oneshots thus far have been pretty much just smut. Whereas this one will be strictly angst. Simply because she's pregnant he can't go full on beast mode. So getting to see the more manipulative side of Levi should be fun! [Also we got a lot of Levi in the inbox where's my Afton fans at?])

WARNINGS: noncon, dubcon, manipulation, domestic abuse, yandere themes, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, stockholm syndrome, violence, mind breaking, misogyny, mentions of suicide etc.

=========================================

Fertility had not been going well for Levi and Evelyn, he so desperately wanted a child and she wanted her freedom. In all the stress had resulted in no pregnancies, which led them to a fertility specialist who claimed to be able to help with their issues. Levi disliked the idea of anyone, even a woman examining his wife, but if it meant he could have children sooner it was worth it. All of her questions were answered bluntly, trying to get to the root of the problem as soon as possible to see success sooner.

"Thank you Captain and Mrs. Ackerman, now if you don't mind sir I'd like to speak to Mrs. Ackerman on her own."

Immediately Levi's grip on Evelyn's hand tightened, this was the last thing he wanted. All he needed was for his wife to bitch to someone about their "problems" and then he'd have another person to deal with. "I'd rather not."

"I asked if you didn't mind sir to be polite, this isn't up for debate. I always have the men leave the room for this portion since it isn't proper for the man to hear these things."

She was using his own mindset against him, he knew, but if even part of her was telling the truth he could be labelled "vulgar" and "improper". While he didn't care about his reputation he care about that of his children. If he had a bad reputation then his children wouldn't have all the opportunities he wanted them to have. With a sigh he stands.

"Make it fast, five minutes." He leaves with another huff.

The woman stares at Evelyn's meek posture, her folded hands. This man had broken her down, it was obvious. Poor girl had clearly been used at the hands of this monster, and now he wanted to get her pregnant, but the doctor suspected there was more to the story.

"You're already pregnant, aren't you?" She asks softly.

The hesitation is evident, she's unsure who to trust, clearly this Captain Levi had made sure of that, only letting her rely on him and him alone.

"It's okay, I won't tell him."

Evelyn hesitates for a moment longer. "Yes I'm pregnant."

"Tell me Mrs. Ackerman, why are you afraid of your husband and you having a child?"

"You've seen how he is, how could I in good conscious bring a child into that?"

"Don't worry, I'm not here to judge. In fact I agree with you, which is why I want to help."

"Help? How could you possibly help?"

The doctor stands, going over to a shelf and pulling down a small bottle and sliding it to her. "Here. I give it to all the young women I see who are trapped in abusive marriages. It will get rid of the child so you can escape."

"Why would you want to help me?"

"I've seen too many of my fellow women suffering at the hands of men like that. And if I'm completely honest, he's the worst I've seen to date."

Evelyn looks down, tears escaping her eyes as she nods.

"Don't worry, we'll beat him. You'll get away. You'll get away and be safe."

The smallest hint of a smile lights up her face as she tucks the vial into her coat pocket. "Thank you..."

==========================================

Evelyn grasped the small vial in her shaking hands, birth control was crude and never really worked how it should. However the woman who had sold this to her had promised that it would work, it would be painful, but it would work. Whether she was lying or not was irrelevant, Evelyn was desperate enough to trust her word for it even if it was a waste of money. Levi was becoming suspicious, he kept rigorous track of her cycle, although she had known for a few weeks before hand, now he knew that she was late. Perhaps he already thought she was pregnant, waiting for her to confirm his suspicions. Guilt filled her, she didn't want to do this, but her chances of escape were sliming as time went by. Plus what kind of mother would she be if she brought a child under Levi's oppressive rule?

She re-read the instructions in faded ink, working up the courage to swallow its contents before Levi came home.

==============================================

On his walk home, Levi's thoughts were filled with that of children, according to his very detailed plan of Evelyn's cycles he knew she was late. And not just by a few days either, it had been some time passed since her cycle should have arrived and nothing had happened. Without a doubt she was pregnant, he was giddy on the inside but none of this was a shock either. After the way he had so carefully planned everything there was no way this wouldn't have happened. Although now his days were spent concentrating on the renovations to accommodate the child. He had the space, he'd just have to ensure the nursery built was up to his standards. As well as he'd need to train Evelyn on how to be a good wife.

Optimism coursed through his veins as he unlocked the door to the house. A huge smile was plastered on his face as he hung up his coat, the cockiness had gotten to him. He felt on top of the world, everyone had doubted how far he would come and now here was, living the dream. He was going to be a father.

He stopped himself from calling out to her, determined to surprise her with his presence and rare affection he was willing to offer. With careful and quiet steps he crept up the stairs, taking his time. When she wasn't in the bedroom he noticed the bathroom door open and the water running. The perfect surprise would of course be joining her now as she was bathing. The door creaked open and he saw her with a bottle to her lips, tears down her face.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" Levi slaps the bottle out of her hands.

She jumps and stares at him in wide-eyed fear as the bottle hits the floor with a crash, spilling the contents all over. By her tearful expression Levi had a feeling that he really didn't want to know exactly what was in that bottle, but he had to know.

"What was that." It wasn't voiced as a question, he tried to keep himself in check but the anger was coursing through him, especially when she kept silent. "Fucking answer me!"

It takes only a moment before the facade shatters and she bursts into full sobs. "The doctor- she said- she said to take it, it would get rid of it-"

Disgust and anger filled him, targeted at whoever it was who dared to interfere with his marriage and at his wife for doing something as stupid as following an other advice other than his. His hand was swift and hard across her face.

"You would dare to think about exterminating my child?!"

"I was scared Levi I didn't know what to do-"

"What to do!? All you should have done was tell me so I could teach you how to prepare for motherhood instead of taking drastic measures and being selfish! What if that was actually poison!? You could've been killed because someone told you to disobey your husband! Who was it, I'll see to it their medical license is revoked."

"No Levi don't do that please-"

"Oh I will, you think whoever is giving you this shit advice and these shit solutions is going to get away with it?"

"She was just trying to help me!"

"You act as if you want double the punishment so I won't harm this doctor."

Evelyn pauses, considering her options. "Yes, I'll take it, I'll take it all. Just don't hurt her for my mistakes."

"I'm impressed love, too selfish for your child but selfless to take the pain for someone else."

"I'll do it, it's my fault anyway."

"You're damn right honey, it is your fault." He grabs her by the wrist, dragging her along.

She doesn't fight back until they get to the door leading to the basement. Then she struggles, instead of beating her upside the head like normal he simply picks her up and brings her down the stairs. He couldn't afford to be too rough with her, the baby was above all else his most prized possession. Once there he sets her on that thin and hard bed. This crime was almost unforgivable, but he couldn't let her be too uncomfortable for the baby's sake.

"Keep it up and you'll never see your child once it's born. Be a good wife and mother and I might actually let you raise it." These were his final words as he retreated up the stairs, the key in his hand. He'd leave her there for at least a week to learn what she could not touch, then he'd forgive her.

=======================================

Levi oversaw as the MPs tore apart that "fertility specialist"'s entire practice. He had finally gotten it out of Evelyn who gave her that shit in a bottle. Now she would pay for messing with his family, murder was easier when a person was disgraced first, it always looked like suicide when he was finished with them. She stood in horror as her entire career went up in flames, the MPs stacking all of her records and equipment before lighting them all on fire.

"You monster-" She spat it out.

"You should have thought about that before trying to kill my child."

"You try so hard for the ideal life, you'll never have it. I told her to run and I'm not ashamed. The whole world should know what you are."

Levi pauses before turning, connecting his boot with her face as she bashes her head in with the heel.

When he's finished he nods for a couple of MPs to haul her to jail. She was still alive, that was until Levi went in the cell and rigged everything to look like suicide, no one who committed crimes like this deserved to live.

His eyes glowed orange from the fire, the smoke sending the comforting smell of paper and burnt flesh.

[cookinguptales]

I guess that's as good a segue as any for a post on my experiences at Sleep No More last night.

I get the impression that Fulton was only out temporarily last night (and might have switched performers...?) so Bargarran definitely went off script. I ended up stalking him for the entire back half of the show, though I was not able to follow him down to 3 to see what he got up to down there.

(I uh. Let's just say that I overdid it yesterday and by the end of the show had very low mobility.)

Bargarran... was a lot last night. lmao. Just furious and violent and horny. Just completely unhinged. He couldn't have Fulton fix his coat because Fulton was MIA, so I watched this man wander into Fulton's empty shop, take a needle that was threaded with red thread, and use his tongue to draw it up into his mouth. Like his just wound the thread around his tongue until he had the needle between his teeth. I was kind of in shock for a second lmao. (And uh, from the reactions of A Few Audience Members, I think that some others had an equally visceral reaction to this man eating thread and needles.)

Then he just left his coat and... I think the bird? With a needle in it and a business card propped up against it and flounced off.

(What.)

Fulton did come back later in time for a very horny coat dance (well... horny and violent in the case of Bargarran, it was a very meek Fulton last night so he mostly just looked kind of traumatized by the experience) and I did see the two of them lock horns earlier in the night when the first Fulton was out.

And... I do mean lock horns. They always fight and kind of grab onto each other's shoulders, but Bargarran was different last night. Very animalistic. When he first tore into Fulton's office after him and then attacked him in the street, he launched himself at him, like a bull charging or something. I've never seen a Bargarran quite so intense in his attack before. There was absolutely nothing graceful about it, just lumbering and furious. And when he grabbed arms with Fulton, he really did have his head down and in like they were stags locking horns.

Add this to the fact that his ritual up on 5 was violent, horny, and animalistic (that was............ a lot of hips, sir, a lot of doing back bends and thrusting violently up at the goat king, and he did actually manage to startle me when got on all fours and jumped at us) and I watched him uhhhh make out with a dead elk for a while...

I've been really interested in Bargarran as a sort of Horned God/Green Man figure/devotee lately (yes, yes, I know it's pseudohistory but the allusions remain) and I just. I'm sorry, but I've spent a lot of time at national parks in the fall.

I know an elk in rut when I see one.

Every year the NPS has to put out PSAs like "bro please stop approaching the elks! they're in rut! all they want to do is fight and fuck and if you try to get a selfie with one, you will die!"

and uhhhhh boy were those the vibes I got off Bargarran last night. I watched that man tear around the hotel trying to fight and/or fuck anything that got near him and he even seemed to view Hecate as a very minor and temporary distraction. ONE-TRACK MIND. fighting and fucking.

(I have also never seen a taxidermist so deeply willing to molest the mounts before lmao.)

so uh yeah, watching Bargarran in rut was uhhhhh something, especially when he didn't have Fulton to harass so he decided to take it out on various pieces of taxidermy. :')

good time had by all, though. except Fulton, I guess, but that man's almost never having a good time.

[husbandohunter]

Hello may I request albedo x shy reader where albedo and reader has feelings for each other but reader is too introverted to do anything and albedo doesn't want to tell as he thinks he scares her as reader always gets red and is stuttering when he talks to her. Klee finds out about this and makes it her mission to get albedo and reader together.

Klee gets albedo to play hide and seek with her and invites reader to play together with her. Albedo is counting down while klee and reader hides. Klee and reader hides in a location that klee always hides in so albedo would find them quickly. While they're hiding where albedo is within hearing distance, klee ask reader about whether she has feelings for albedo or not. Reader then admits to having feelings for albedo and makes klee promise not to to tell him. Albedo having heard all this comes behind reader and says why not, proceeds to bring reader to a private location and tells reader his feelings.

If this is too detailed a shy reader x albedo headcanon is enough.

I Found You [Albedo x Shy!Reader]

Synopsis: For someone as meek and reserved as you, love with Albedo was a game of hide and seek...literally!

Genres: Fluff

(A/n): Ahhh what a cute idea, don’t be afraid to be detailed at all! I love hearing people’s ideas. Buuut kinda went overboard with this one since I am in the narrative mood, hope you don’t mind >//< Word count_2.3k

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Albedo wonders if he had done something wrong?

Three weeks, four days, sixteen minutes and twenty five seconds. To this moment he had counted down every tick of the clock since the day you began avoiding him. That's how he sees it at least. You weren't always deliberately doing this on purpose, as Lisa's personal helper, there were times when you were given a chance to converse with the Chief Alchemist after dropping off the books he requested for research purposes. Albedo would ask how your day went, trying to find out if you wanted to take a short break and drink some of the tea Noelle had prepared for him. Your response was a modest one but he didn't mind, he eventually came to enjoy your tranquil prescence after a long day of work. 

But something changed. Those moments where you came in during your free time have gradually faded to nothing more than swift bows and small greets coming from the door. Every attempt he made to invite you for another tea session you left as quickly as you entered. At first he dismissed these moments, thinking that you were probably too busy with no time to stop by. Albedo was a busy person himself, though, that didn't prevent him from noticing your odd behaviour whenever he saw you in the hallway. Just as he was about to call your name, you avert your eyes and take a sharp turn until you were out of sight, leaving him perplexed and alone. The alchemist couldn't help feel neglected. Compared to everyone else, he was the only one you couldn't approach with ease. It bothered him immensely.

Did he accidentally say something to upset you? Albedo was well aware of his straightforward attitude which might have caused a negative affect on your contrasting, rather delicate personality. But he always felt that he had taken great consideration on how to approach you. Or what if it was the time when he happened to eat the last bite of Noelle's shortcakes? Remembering the afternoon you sat in his office, he recalls that there were exactly five instead of four treats left on the plate. Little by little, they began to disappear, you only ate two while he devoured three. Was this the reason why? No, that can't be it. You were the one who offered and refusing would only be impolite. Unless you felt pressured to do so when he told you that he was very fond of sweets….

Albedo heaves his shoulders and lets out a breathly sigh. He became very melancholy since then, staring out the window from the second floor when there were still unread research reports lying on his desk. His mind was so cluttered that he couldn't bring himself to focus these days. How troublesome. If only he were more adept with the ways of socializing, only then he can figure out what triggers you to be so nervous around him, why you tend to shrink when he gazes into your eyes and how is it that he feels so bitter when seeing you act the complete opposite with someone else.

"Big brother?" asked Klee. She hops off her stool before throwing the box of crayons to the side. The young girl prances her way to where Albedo stood and tugs on the hem of his coat, "Is there something wrong? Why are you sad?"

"Klee," Albedo turns his head in reponse. A pair of oversized cherry orbs looks at him with concern while the girl's bangs falls sideways to frame her petite face. He felt the white fabric crinkling within her grip as she signals him to come down. Placing one knee on the floor, Albedo gently smiled, speaking in his soft and brotherly tone, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Have you finished your drawing?"

"Mhm, almost done!" She throws her hands up and cheers, "But can you help me with the backgrounds? Klee doesn't know how to colour them."

"I don't see why not," agreed the alchemist, "Come, I'll teach you."

Just when Albedo was leading Klee back to the little space he set up for her, a knock was heard on the door. He ushers her to stay put and Klee tries to peer over his shoulder to see who the visitor was. When she recognized you standing at the frame, her smile grew wide in excitement.

It's big sister (Y/n)! Did she come here to play with us too? Oh please please please!

"(Y/n), you're here," Albedo couldn't help the apparent surprise on his face, "What brings you? Is there something I can help you with?"

"Ah sorry to bother, I-I have the documents you requested from the library!" You nervously handed him the folder.

Huh? Klee brings a finger to her chin, That's wierd...Why does she look so scared?

"Thank you (Y/n)," Albedo slips them out of your trembling grasp in the same fashion he would handle old relics on the verge of breaking. It was so long since you last visited him and he didn't want to startle you, "I appreciate you for bringing them here."

You shook your head in response, "It's nothing much…"

There it was again. You were avoiding to look at him in the eye. At this rate the next thing to occur would be you taking your leave and he didn't want that. Not when he finally gets the chance to fix his mistakes. Using his calculative mind, Albedo tries to formulate the best approach to soothe your worries. He thought of the first step, something that would make you more comfortable. Perhaps he could try smiling? Yes, that could do it. They always seem to have positive affects.

"(Y/n)."

He calls you. The sound of your name on his lips brings you out of your frenzy state and you subconciously lifted your gaze, daring to take a small peek over his countenance. 

"I'm very glad to see you again, truly."

Oh!

You froze into place. Your brain stops working and the whole world comes to a halt. It was the sight held in front of you that stole every last breath away leaving you with nothing but butterflies fluttering about. They spread their wings, voraciously swarming from the pit of your stomach, desperate to burst along with the pounding of your heart. Never in your life have you witnessed or even fathomed the idea of how Albedo would look if he smiled but here you were, mesmerized and captivated like a butterfly entranced by the flower's glow.  It blooms. So brilliantly that you couldn't stop yourself from being drawn. Eyes you fought so hard to tear away from, sparkled just for you, crinkling from the impact of his evergrowing smile. It was the feeling that made you fall for him. The same feeling that pushes you to run somewhere far far away, knowing if you flew too close, the outcome would risk everything you were trying to protect. 

"(Y/n)?" The alchemist tilts his head in confusion. He noticed the redness seeping into your features and immediately brings a glove hand to press against your forehead, "Your temperature is rising. Are you feeling sick? You should have told me earlier."

"I can't…" 

"Hm? Why not?"

"Ah I just remembered there's something I need to do!" Taking a step back you gave him a stiff bow, "Good luck in your research Sir Albedo!"

Given no chance to reply, Albedo watched you dash away before disappearing around the corners. He could only stare blankly at the empty space in front of him before dropping his arm back to his side, contemplating; where did I go wrong?

"Does that mean (Y/n) doesn't want to play with us?" Klee said dissapointedly.

"…I suppose."

"Big brother?" Upon hearing Albedo sigh, Klee finally figured out what caused him to falter these days. Perhaps not entirely being the small child she was but there were enough clues to let her know that the relationship between you and Albedo was somewhat strained. To Klee, she saw you both as the bestest friends! And it was only natural that friends play together right?

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

"Eh? You want me to play hide and seek?"

The Spark knight nods heavily as she grinned up at you, "Uh huh, and with big brother!"

"Klee, don't force her if she doesn't want to, it'll be fine with just the two of us," Albedo scolded lightly and folds his arms over his chest.

She only returns him a pout, "But it's fun with more people!"

"Klee-"

"It's okay Sir Albedo, I don't mind," you chimed in at last. You were just taking a stroll near Starfell Lake after you finished organizing the bookshelves in Lisa's stead (as always, she naps while you worked away). All of a sudden, Klee waves over from the otherside and proceeds to drag you into a friendly game for little kids. You weren't sure why she seemed so desperate but…

"Yay!" While jumping side to side, the girl did a little mini dance while waving her arms in the air, "You're the best (Y/n)!"

It was hard to refuse someone as cute as Klee.

"So for the first round, big brother is going to be the one who counts to twenty while you and I go hide so he can never ever find us," Klee informs enthusiastically. 

"Alright, that shouldn't be a problem," said Albedo.

You followed suit with a giggle, "But considering it's you Albedo, I don't think twenty seconds is enough."

He quirks an eyebrow, shocked from the way you referred to him.

"Ah, I-"

"Let's go!" Klee interrupts which you were thankful for, "And no peeking!"

Turning to face the Statue of Seven, Albedo counts down monotonously while you and Klee scrambled for an ideal hiding place. This was not the first time you indulged in one of her many activities, in the past it had almost become part of your daily routine to assist the alchemist in entertaining his little sister. Even Klee was capable to be the seeker for several rounds and Albedo would lead you to a spot nearby yet discreet, just the right amount of difficulty for her to handle.

He wouldn't think of this area again, would he?"

"Six...five...four..."

Eeek! Better hide.

You hopped into the crevice formed between the mountain rocks and crouched down, huddling your knees together against your chest to blend with the shadows. You let out a soft sigh, pleased that you were able to make it in time.

"Wow big sis, I didn't know you would be here too."

The screech nearly escapes when you were startled by a pair of ruby eyes gleaming at you innocently. Klee signals you to stay quiet and you nodded, bringing down the hand that you used to cover your mouth. From a distance you spotted the chief alchemist shifting his footsteps against the grass, though he was far enough on the otherside to not notice you and Klee together in the same room. You beamed softly. He was purposely holding back.

"Pssst! Big sis?" Klee whisper-shouted, "Are you angry at big brother?"

You returned a curious glance, slightly taken aback by the outlandish statement she made, "No of course not. How could I?"

(If anything, it was the contrary).

"Then why are you always running away from him? You guys used to be really good friends, Klee misses you and big brother misses you that's why...that's why he's always sad when you're gone.

"Oh...I-I had no idea..." feelings of guilt begin to emerge when you realized what your action seemed from a different prespective. You were so caught up with being cautious that it prevented you from seeing how Albedo would react on the recieving end. Without knowing, your true colours began to reveal themselves as you could no longer stand the thought of making Klee (making him) upset, "I'm sorry, I'm just not good with words."

The little girl cocks her head to the side.

"Ever since I was little, I never found it easy to make friends. Until now when I finally became Lisa's assistance, I still can't approach other people and they tend to shy away from me since I am...difficult to hold a conversation with..."

Hugging your knees even closer, a fond expression graces your features, "But Albedo was kind to me. He was patient when I didn't know what to say. Whenever I made a mistake, he would always be there to teach me the correct steps. I have alot to thank him for."

"Huh...?"

"I think it's also on of the reason why I fell for him too. But I will never have the courage to say it. I don't want to ruin the friendship we have so I chose to keep it to myself. Though, I guess it only made things worse. So promise me that you won't say anything okay? I'll apologize to him later."

Klee did not respond. She only stares past your shoulder and you immediately spun around to see Albedo standing at the entrace with an expression equivalently shocked as yours.

"(Y/n)...."

"I...I-" you stammered. The embarassment was so unbearable to the point that tears began to form at the corner of your eyes.

"Wait, don't cry. There's no need to because-"

You thrusted your way past him before he could finish his sentence, sprinting to the distance while yelling, "I'M SORRRYYYYYYYYYYY!"

"Wait!" The alchemist chases shortly after, "Come back!"

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

You groaned at the pain throbbing against your skull as you pushed yourself upright. A fallen branch, it was. One you didn't catch before tripping over your steps and tumbling down the hill while landing harshly on the sensitive pad of your elbow. The surroundings seemed unfamiliar to your memory since you never travelled too far from Mondstadt, your vision was filled with nothing but the endless columns of trees and bushes nearby. There were no signs of anyone else within the area.

"I'm lost," you announced in a defeated tone. Something cold taps against the tip of your nose and you realized that the clouds have already gathered over your head, violently spilling the rain down to where you sat. You crawled to a dry space where the tree branches were thick enough to keep the water out. You stayed there, waiting. But waiting for what?

"I can't go back," you meekly say, "I can't see him."

The air was cold and you shiver in response. You hated how much of a coward you could be sometimes. You were always so weak, never having the strength to be courageous for once. Albedo was a beautiful man, he was smart and he was popular, he was everything you're not. There's no way that he'd return your feelings.

However...

"I found you."

Why did he come back?

"Thank goodness you're alright. Are you hurt?" Albedo lowers himself to meet your level. Up close you could see the strands sticking from the side of his golden head and the residues that marred his features. Still, he looked beautiful. Your heart soars from the intense gaze he kept on you, drawing lower until he caught the scrape at the side of your arm. Albedo pulls it forward so that he could examine them at nearer proximity, "Hmm this doesn't look so good. We should head back so I can treat your wounds immediately. Can you stand?"

You nodded. 

"Good. Here, take my hand," he offers his gloved fingers and pulls you up to your feet. You could tell that he was trying to be gentle from the way he adjusted his stance so you wouldn't wobble. Kind. He was so kind.

"Why did you come for me?" You started, "I don't understand."

Albedo frowned. There it was again, the expression he hated. The one where you wouldn't look at him in the eye.

"I just don't want to-"

He didn't even bother with what you wanted to tell him. Instead, Albedo removes his coat almost within an instead and threw it around your shoulders. He wraps you gently, making sure that the rain didn't touch your bare shoulders before bring his arms around your figure and trapping you in his embrace. You could feel his fingers raking against the strands of your hair as your vision was blocked by the star on his neck. A little voice thanked the archons for this particular position, for two reasons in fact. The first being that he wouldn't be able to see your expression, knowing you must've looked as if you ate a bowl of raw Juyeun chilis. The second reason, well, you were simply overjoyed. 

"Do you understand now?" 

Closing your eyes, you succumbed to the grasp of your beloved, "Yes, I do."

"You won't run away?"

His tone was almost a plead. You reassured him by moving your head to the crook of his neck, how foolish for you to assume all this time, "I won't, don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

"I promise."

"Good," Albedo's eyes soften in response as he pulls alway to see your face, "I love you too (Y/n)."

Alas the butterfly and the flower finally united as one. Like nectar, he was sweet. How bold of him. It seems that not only was he able to steal your heart but your first kiss as well.

[drakenology]

Game Over 👾 - Kenma Kozume

gamer!kenma x gamer!reader

summary: kenma works at gamestop and this cutie came in to buy a new game. wonder if she’s single..

author’s note: kenma simps come get yall juice 🥵! we love a gamer boy. hope yall like dis. 🥴

warnings: smut (obviously), softdom!kenma, hair pulling, fluffy stuff, shitty rom-coms and kuroo being a hype man.

Slow days at GameStop were the worst. No one comes in anymore; who the hell still buys disks when you can buy all your games digitally now anyways? Still, it was easy money and something to do over the summer other than sit around and binge play League of Legends all day.

Kenma sighed as he pretended to look busy in front of the manager by fixing the poster wall for the eighth time all shift, mundanity floating through the store as three customers left after just leisurely looking around.

As Kenma’s restocking the playstation game wall he feels a tap on his shoulder.

“Um, excuse me do you work here?” A feminine voice asked.

“No. I just wear this fucking uniform shirt because I like it.” Kenma thought to himself before turning his head to face what was possibly the cutest girl he’s ever seen.

Kenma’s not really used to seeing too many girls in the store when he worked so he was a little shocked. But god she was pretty. She was wearing red; one of his favorite colors with these jeans that hugged her legs and thighs so nice he almost choked on his tongue before speaking.

“Uh.. yeah. How can I help you?” He finally responded.

“Hi! Um, I just wanted to know where I can find Fallout 4 for xbox? I’ve been looking everywhere for it and I can’t find it.” She sung. Her voice was like a symphony of everything good in the world. Kenma started to wonder what she’d sound like underneath him while he-

“Yeah. I’ll show you, I had to move them for a while so I could make room for newer games.” Kenma said, leading her towards the wall with all the xbox games were. He reached up high and grabbed the game off rhe top shelf and handed it to her with a meek smile.

“Thanks! I see you’re the only one working so I’ll look around and let you know when I’m ready to checkout.” She said smiling back. Kenma nodded and continued his work slowly so he could stare at her through the shelfs and hangers around the store.

The way she picked up things as she looked at them was adorable; her nose scrunching up as she giggled at the pikachu plushies. Kenma blushed as he watched her look around the store as if it were her first time visiting. She gamed, so it’s not like she’s never been in a gamestop before. But the way she looked at things she liked with fresh eyes was something to ponder on. He had to know her; at least her name.

Anyone who knew Kenma would know he’s not the type to go oogling at some girl and ask for her number, he’s hopelessly shy. But he couldn’t risk not seeing this girl again. As he walked to the counter, he gulped up his reluctance and took a deep breath.

“Hey. Ready when you are.” He said, getting the girl’s attention. She smiled and walked over with her game and a pikachu plushie; of course. She’s so fucking cute.

“Heh. Pikachu?” He teased, hoping he didn’t offend her. She simply laughed and put it on the counter for him to ring up.

“What can I say? I’m 12.” She said, sticking out her tongue with a smirk. Fuck. Kenma gulped again, pathetically blushing right in front of her and hoping she didn’t notice the tint of his cheeks turn bright red. He grabbed her stuff and rang it up, bagging it all nice for her before handing the bag to her.

“Want a receipt?” Kenma asked. She nodded, standing at the counter as she watched him print it out. Shit. The exchange was almost over and he hasn’t even asked her name yet. He had to before it was too late.

“Hey uh.. c-can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” Kenma said, looking down at the screen and not into her gorgeous eyes.

“Yeah? What’s wrong, sir?” She asked. Fuck. Sir? Really? What’s she trying to do?

“What’s your name?”

“Y/N, why?”

“I-I wanted to know if I could have your number? And like maybe take you out- o-only if you want to I’m not-“

She laughed, and wrote her name and number on the back of the receipt and handed it back to him.

“Call me. I’d love to go out with you. You seem cool.” Y/N said. She squinted her eyes a little to read Kenma’s name tag.

“Ken..ma? Right? I’ll see you around, Kenma.”

And so began his helpless fall for her.

“Yo! Kenma, how’s it going with Y/N? Been a couple months now, right?” Kuroo asked over the discord server. Kenma blushed and looked down at his phone to see that you texted him.

“We’re good. She’s actually coming over in a bit so this will be my last game.” He said, smiling a little at your sweet message.

“Hey, Kenny! I’m on my way over. I’m raiding your kitchen btw I’m hungry 🤤 .”

“Ooooh, Kenma’s ‘bout to get some pussssayyy!” Kuroo teased. Kenma cringed and covered his flustered face as if anyone could see him.

“Shut up. Sh-she and I are taking it slow. I dunno if we’ll even go there today. None of your business anyways, perv!” Kenma explained, nervous about you coming over for the first time like ever.

You two had been on a few dates now, he had even met your roommate and your other friends. You two got so close after that day you had met at the GameStop and he was so grateful he came to work that day instead of calling out to binge play videogames. Kuroo erupted in furious laughter and continued his games with Kenma, enthused about him about finally getting some.

“Gotta hand it to you man, you managed to get yourself a hottie. And a gamer at that. I’m jealous.” Kuroo added, Kenma rolling his eyes.

He knew it too though. Kenma wasn’t necessarily a ladies man so it was a mystery what drew you to him. Still, he’s grateful he could spend his time with you even if you guys weren’t set in stone just yet.

Just as the game wrapped up, he received a call from his new favorite person.

“Hey, Kenma. I’m outside! Lemme in!” You giggle into the phone before the front door flung open, Kenma scooping you into his arms.

“Hey, you. Missed you.” He said into your hair. You smile and hug him back, following his lead inside. His little apartment was so cozy, gamer memorabilia all over the place as it screamed “Kenma”. It was so him. You smile and walk into his bedroom, thinking nothing of it as you gawk at his gaming setup.

“Woah. Didn’t know working at gamestop could get you a $1,000 set up!” You exclaim. Kenma laughed.

“Oh, I guess I didn’t tell you. I game professionally. GameStop is just another way for me to be close to videogames. Discounts are nice too.” He explained.

“So you’re a streamer?”

“Yup. You should watch me sometime. I-If you want.” Kenma said flustered. You smile and hook your arms around his neck and give him a peck on the nose.

You two spent most of the day talking about games and the lastest on manga you were both reading. Everytime you talked to him, he gave you something new to read and you’d talk about it next time you talked about it together.

Soon, you two were cuddling and watching shitty rom-coms; making fun of them became your favorite past time. You chuckle as the female protagonist says something completely cheesy about loving her love interest forever and gag at the kissing scene, Kenma covering his face in second hand embarrassment.

Then he took one look at you, snuggled up against him with your ass poking out against his groin. You were the little spoon, his arms around your waist as you look up at him from time to time to make a comment on the movie. Kenma was in love. But he had no idea how to tell you without scaring you off. What if it’s too soon? What if she doesn’t feel the same?

A cheesy sex scene displayed on the T.V causing you to get a little hot. Sure it was pretty lame but the thought of having sex right now; especially cuddled up with a cute boy, wasn’t too bad of an idea. Kenma’s sweating a little too, his dick growing hard as he realized the girl he really liked was laying in bed with him while watching borderline porn together; his face red as tomatos.

“Shit, I hope she doesn’t feel my dick poking against her. Fuck, she’s just so pretty.. I just wanna-“

“K-Kenma..?” You breath out, wet and face full of embarrassment.

“Yeah?” He said.

“I-I uh.. I don’t know how to say this but.. I’m h-horny.” You whisper as if someone else was in the room other than you two.

“A-Are you really?” Kenma asked, his dick growing more at the thought of how wet you were under your sweatpants, how hard and perky your nipples were under your bra. Fuck, he had to have you.

“Yeah.. I don’t know why but this scene is.. kinda turning me on.” You said, turning to face him to see his face bright red and eyes full of lust. You gulp, just as hungry as he is.

“Me too.” He said, staring down at your plump lips.

“Yeah?” You ask with seduction coating your tongue unintentionally, licking your lips as you bit down lightly as you looked up at him.

“Yeah.”

Kenma inched closer to your face, you following his lead as your lips finally met; your first kiss. The kiss was heavy, hands exploring and groping each other as you both moan into the kiss.

Clothes are shed and thrown to the side of the bed, Kenma drinking in the sight of your half naked body and savoring it. He pulled you back into the kiss, his tongue searching your mouth as you received him eagerly. You were making out so heavily, foreplay almost wasn’t even needed with how wet you got from his touch and kiss. You became so needy for him, the spot between your legs aching as your heart skipped eight beats.

“Kenma I-“ you said breaking the kiss, interrupted by a feral Kenma.

“No. I-I wanna take my time with you. Don’t rush.” You nod, Kenma grabbing your chin to pull you up to kiss him again.

You gasp, his hands a little cold as he touched your breasts. He groped and squeezed them, playing with your nipples as your squirm to gain friction in your panties.

You’re whining against Kenma’s mouth, desperate for him to touch you where you needed him most. As Kenma pulled away, he took a brief moment to look down at your body as he climbed on top of you.

“You’re so pretty.” He gushed, causing you to giggle and reach up to move his hair from his face.

“You too. U-Uh I mean, you’re handsome.” You said weakly, aching for something more than just kissing. He smirked at you, like a switch went off in his mind. He wasn’t the sweet and shy Kenma he was a second ago, feral lust changing his demeanor as he took a nipple into his mouth. You moan, your breath shaky as he ghosts his fingers over your panties; him feeling a wet spot on them as he hummed.

“You’re so wet, angel.” He moaned, you surprised at your new nickname. Kenma’s fingers are pulling your panties aside expertly and coating them in your slick in seconds, your moans filling his ears as he prodded them at your entrance. Your breathing becomes uneven as he slids them inside, suckling on your nipple as he looked you in the eyes.

You’re a moaning mess for him, the sounds of the movie playing were drowned out by your pathetic little moans as Kenma fingered you with his slim fingers.

“Hah.. Uuugh, K-Kenmaaa.” You gasp, an orgasm brewing in the pit of your stomach. Kenma chuckled, pulling away from your breast to coax you; talking you through the orgasm about to wash over your body as his fingers hooked to find that spot you like.

“Am I making you feel good, baby?” He asks, you unable to answer as you hold his arm for dear life. “Answer me.”

“Y-Yes! God, Ah! I’m gonna-“

“I know, baby. Cum for me. Cum all over my fucking fingers.” He cooed, rubbing harsh circles into your clit as your legs nearly jolt closed, the pleasure becoming too much as you boil over.

“Yeahhhh baby. Good girl.” He mumbled, rubbing your clit slowly to help ride out your peak, leaving soft kisses on your forehead to soothe you.

You let out a deep sigh, warn out from fingering alone. No one has ever made you feel this good using just his hands. Imagine what he can do to you with his dick.

“Bend over, baby.” Kenma said, motioning for you to turn over on the bed by tapping your outer thigh. You blink dumbly at him, your high still lingering as you flip yourself over on the bed and lay flat.

“Ass up.” He demanded, striking your ass with just enough power to snap you out of your finger-dumb trance. You yelp and arch your back, bringing your ass closer to him as he grabbed your hips.

Kenma stayed still for a while and marveled at your ass bent over for him, rubbing your ass with his big hands and smacking it every so often. He bit his lip, mumbling fuck under his breath as he teased his dick against your already worn out pussy.

You turn to look back at him, lust in your eyes and a face Kenma would never forget.

“F-fuck me. Please Ken, I n-need you.” You beg, tearing up at the feeling of Kenma’s smooth dick brushing up against your sensitive clit.

“Say no more, baby. Gonna fuck you so good.” He hissed, nearly shoving himself inside. You gasp, the feeling of him stretching you so deliciously forcing a guttural moan from your chest.

Kenma started his pace hard yet slow, making sure you felt every inch; every vein of his dick, giving it his all as he ripped your noises from your mouth.

You’re panting, unable to keep up with him as you grip onto the sheets. You shoved your face into his pillows, screams uncontrollably leaving your lips as Kenma started brutally pounding into your poor pussy.

“Uhhnnn! I-I love you Kenma!” You shout, biting down on the pillow as you feel your chest get hot in embarrassment. God, why did you have to say love? Surely he doesn’t feel the same just yet.

“Fuck, I love you too, Y/N. Hah, I wanted to say that to you for so long.” Kenma admits, grabbing a fist full of your hair and yanking you up to him as he hummed sweet praised into your ear as he fucked you stupid. You sob, relieved he felt the same way.

The ultimate exchange of love between two people emerged as he threw you back onto the bed and raised on leg up onto the bed to gain a better angle on that sweet spot of yours causing you to shriek and clench around him as you come close to cumming. Suddenly, the searing hot pleasure stops as Kenma pulled out of you. You whine, your entire body shuddering from the extreme loss.

“Get up. I want you over my desk.” Kenma said, pulling you off the bed by your arm. He was being so rough with you right now you almost thought you were fucking a completely different person; Kenma the shy and awkward gamer boy transformed into the sexiest Dom you’d ever been with.

Your legs wobble as you stood bent over his desk and gaming set up, your naked chest pressed against the cold wood as you wait for him to fuck you again. Kenma prodding himself at your entrance and leaned down close to your ear, sliding himself inside you once more with a grunt.

“You feel so good, you know that? Ugh, I’m gonna ruin you.” He huffed, you answering with a whine. He’s plowing you into his desk before you can respond properly, your hands glued onto the sides of it for dear life. Sooner than late, your orgasm is knocking at your door. Tears bubble in your eyes as you cry out for Kenma.

“C-C-Can I cum now? P-please godd let me cum Ken, ahhah!” You babble, almost unable to hold yourself back for much longer as he pummeled you nice and hard.

“G’head, baby. Cum nice and hard for me.” Kenma granted, giving your ass a hard smack to make you clench around his dick harder as you came. It was amazing. It was like a volcano erupted inside you, loud moans and sobs filling the room as your chest heaved in and out.

Kenma ruts into you one last time and pulls out swiftly, stroking his dick to release himself onto your ass as you sigh from the loss. You both stand still for a while, Kenma staring down at your coating ass cheeks and you at your fucked out reflection of his monitor. You feel him step away, too drunk off your orgasm to even care what he’s doing as he cleans you up and leads you back to bed.

“I dunno where I threw your shirt so I’m just gonna grab one of mine, okay?” Kenma says, rubbing small circles into your back. You nod, eyes closed as you hum into the pillow in comfort.

You tried not to doze off as Kenma dressed you in some clothes of his that you were totally going to steal, his scent coating the fabric of his t-shirt. After a little while, Kenma’s in bed with you lacing his body with yours as he stroked your back to soothe you to sleep.

“Can I sleep over?” You ask cutely. Kenma smiled and kissed your forehead.

“Duh.” He said. You giggle and nuzzle your head into his chest, taking in his scent as you start to doze off.

“Kenma?”

“Hm?”

“Did you mean that? What you said when we were... you know.” You ask, unsure. Kenma grabbed your chin and turned you to face him.

“Of course. I-I uh..” He paused. “I knew loved you the day I met you, Y/N.”

You tear up, pulling him up to kiss you.

“Same.” You say, holding him impossibly closer.

“So does this mean we’re-“ Kenma’s interrupted by the sound of you falling fast asleep, small snores driving Kenma into cuteness overload. He sighs, kissing your forehead as you slept on his chest.

Moments like these are truly ones to cherish.

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[bukojuiice]

farewell, my dark knight. — diluc ragnvindr

ೃ ft. diluc x gender neutral! reader

ೃ 6k words

ೃ tags and warnings: angst. a sweet and lovestruck diluc. reminiscing memories with him. he writes you letters and talks to you about his day. he’s very soft and he’s very much in love with you.

ೃ requested by anon:  “hi! could i request a diluc x reader, in which diluc dies from a mission, and as reader is cleaning out his room, they find letters neatly packed into drawers, and with closer inspection, they are letters diluc wrote to reader every day, so when he isn’t around anymore, reader can read them and not forget about him? sorry i’m a sucker for angst and your writing omg” (thank you for this request! and for making me cry while writing it! <3 i put a lot of work into this, so i hope everyone enjoys!)

ೃ genshin impact masterlist

ೃ if you want to be a part of my taglist, answer this form! ♡ (please like and most esp. reblog if you enjoyed! it means a lot!)

They say all your senses and your feelings are heightened when you are broken and mourning.

You hear things more clearly like the tenderness of his voice because it’s better than listening to the drum of your heart.

You feel the sun, the air, and his gentle touch on your skin because you are trying to feel things instead of shutting down. 

You smell his perfume and the scent of the pancakes he used to make- everywhere. 

You still feel his fingers as though they are knotted through yours and it makes you cry.

It hurts.

It pains you. 

This is the most tragic day of your life.

“Sir Diluc has.. passed away.” Jean announces, reaching for your hands and squeezing them in support. She pulls you inside a spare and lonely room in the Ragnvindr manor. Lisa is at her side, for extra emotional support, handing you a spare handkerchief as they break the news to you. 

Your heart sank. 

You were not the first to know. But, even if you were… there was no possible way.

 You were a traveling adventurer in search of something that will quell your curiosities; disappearing for days or weeks on end. There were times when Diluc would come with you on your travels and the two of you would just go wherever your heart desires. Staying in Qingce Village and mingling with the elderly townsfolk, Visiting the Adeptus abode, strolling around Springvale or vacationing in the summer islands… there was nothing that could stop the two of you together. 

As two of the heroes of Mondstadt from the Stormterror incident and his status as the esteemed owner of the Dawn Winery, you were famed and loved by all. Though as Diluc was not one for friendliness or casual interactions with others, It was all because of you that he had befriended some particular members of the Adventurer’s guild and the Knights of Favonius. You had even asked them if they could visit the Dark Knight hero at the winery from time to time. 

Well, aside from the regular visits of Venti and Kaeya to satisfy their quench for wine, Jean accompanied by Amber and Lisa to ask for advice, uncommon visitors such as Klee and Albedo had even come by to accompany him now and show him their wonderful new experiments and discoveries….

 You had given him a reason to have hope in the people of Mondstadt once again. His previous faction with the Favonius knights may have been imperfect, but Jean had proved to be amazing enough to rectify all these past mistakes that had eased Diluc’s resentment to the knights.

You continue to count back to all the things that he has done for you. As someone who’s had no home and who’s been traveling all their life, Diluc became your home. He had fallen for you and your wondrous soul. He was your living reminder that you can find home in a person. Someone who you can rely on, someone you will come back to after a long tiring day, someone who will love you for who you are and who will kiss your flaws away.  

And now, he’s gone. Just like that.

You have been gone for three months prior to all of this as you were on a secret commission to fight off a huge group of treasure hoarders in Natlan. Although you were able to travel back to Fontaine shortly after, you had to wait for further instruction from the guild before you could come back to Mondstadt. At the time, the only thoughts to occupy your mind was Diluc who had been waiting for your return and your longing and desire to run into his arms and for him to kiss your tiredness away. 

However, it took two agonizing days before Jean’s letter had arrived. All you could do was weep and worry endlessly at the inside of a quaint inn at the heart of the bustling and picturesque region that was Fontaine. Inside her letter were updated reports of Diluc’s disappearance; he had been missing for three days without telling the maids or any of the inhabitants of the mansion and the winery of his departure. He left without a trace…

As soon as the sun had risen that same day, you quickly left the region and made your way back to Mondstadt. With no knowledge or premonition that at the same day…

Diluc would be found.

On the road to Mondstadt, the staff at the Winery had been going on their merry day to deliver the wine to the city, when they came across a body. Battered and bruised. Upon closer inspection, it was their dearest master; the current head of the Ragvindr family. Further suspicion arose when a hoard of Fatui members had been defeated; lying beside the riverbend not too far from the manor. The Knights of Favonius had quickly deduced that Diluc had crawled all the way back to the outskirts of the Manor but had unfortunately succumbed to his injuries. 

From that day on, the sun had never shined again. 

Your stomach was in knots. You had a feeling that something had happened and yet, you didn’t expect for it to be something like this. You didn’t expect to hear about the state that he was in when he was found.

He’s strong. He’s the Dark Knight Hero, One of the protectors of Mondstadt; Hell, he’s one of the most powerful vision users of the region.

Yet… how did this happen?

A knock on the door had brought you out of your trance. With a simple “Come in.” said by Jean, the guest in question was revealed to be Kaeya who peered out from the door. A forlorn expression plastered upon his face. His head turns and your eyes meet his, “(Y/N)... how are you doing?” His voice gentle and melancholic. 

“N-never been better.” You remark in between sobs. “I-I need time to process this.” Wiping your tears with the handkerchief, you stand up, about to take your leave. “I-I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

“According to the Favonius accords, Sir Diluc must be buried tom-”

“To hell with the Favonius accords!” You snap, still trying to fight back the tears as the three knights stare at you in shock and in empathy. “M-master Jean… p-please. Just one more day. Before I have to say goodbye to him forever… Let me have one day to reminisce about him.”

The Acting Grandmaster hesitates, as if collecting her thoughts first before she speaks. “Very well. We will be arranging the burial and other matters in the near future. For now, please get all the rest and recuperation you need. Thank you for your time, honorary knight. We’ll see you in a few days.” Jean holds your hand and gives it another reassuring squeeze as she and Lisa watch your walking figure make your way out of the room. 

Kaeya, who was still in front of the entryway, moves to the side to give you some space to make your leave. “Before the maids fully clean up his room, why don’t you tune in there for the night? I’m sure Diluc would love that.” 

“He would.” You smile half-heartedly, the indigo-haired man giving you a reassuring pat on the arm. “T-thanks Kaeya. I will.” 

“I’ll be staying in the manor for the rest of Diluc’s memorial if you want t-to… talk about him. See you around.” You nod at him before shuffling down the stairs to enter the manor wing that led to Diluc’s room.

Oh, how you wish you were as calm as Jean and as emotionally mature as Kaeya right now. 

How are they able to hold up so well? How are they able to take this all in and not be on the verge of breakdown like you are? They’ve known Diluc since childhood. Hell, Kaeya was his adopted brother. His brother in arms. How are they able to accept his death just like that? 

Are you just… not as strong as them?

You take a left turn around the manor wing that leads to Diluc’s room to be surprised by Adelinde who greets you in front of Diluc’s door, a torn and bloodied folded paper in her hands. “Honorary knight, we have a letter addressed to you. The staff at the winery found it tucked inside Master Diluc’s pocket. You might want to read it.” She gingerly hands you the folded piece, patting your hand gently once she places it in your palm.

“Thank you, Adelinde.” 

You turn your attention to unlocking the door, fishing for the spare key that he had given you and inserting it into the knob, you hear the head maid speak behind your back. 

“Whilst you were away, there was never a day that Master Diluc had not spoken about you with such love and praise. I hope you know in your heart how much he loves and cherishes you. As there was never another person in his life who he had loved the most after Sir Crepus’ passing.” She recounts, her voice is slow and meek. “Thank you for loving Master Diluc and for showing him what it truly means to be a part of a family again. The entire staff sends our deepest condolences and we will be here for you and Sir Kaeya whenever you need us.” From the side of your eye, you see Adelinde bowing deeply before she subsequently takes her leave and disappears into the hallway.

With a heavy sigh, the door clicks and you enter your beloved’s abode. 

Not one thing has been touched. It still looks and remains the same.

His coat is still hanged on his wardrobe door, his usual button up black dress shirts folded neatly on one of the drawers, books that he’s read to you time and time again are shelved properly, a hearth in front of the bed that reminded you of your endless cuddles in front of the fireplace, his gloves neatly placed on his bedside table, and pictures of the two of you together in the Golden Apple Archipelago taken with the Kamera are hung on clips and strings on his desk.

It was like he never left. 

Like his physical being had just gone off on a long adventure.

Yet, it feels so empty. 

Because his soul and his presence is no longer here with you.

And it hurts. Everything hurts.

You take a seat on his bed. The mattress slightly creaks as you reach for an unusual piece of paper sticking out of his bedside drawer. Opening the cabinet slowly, your suspicion and curiosity heightens when what is revealed to be inside was a wooden box. Engraved were Diluc’s initials and letters that spelled out “Do not touch” 

Curiosity overwhelming you, you gingerly open the wooden box to be surprised with folded letters written by Diluc that were all addressed to you. Along with the date and time it was made. 

He wrote letters every single day. Hoping that once you came home, you could finally read them. Trying your best not to burst into tears, you carefully look through all of them and notice that they were all written during your absence. During those three agonizing months that you were gone. 

Although his daily letters were short and simply written, he never fails to write to you an encompassing message at the end of the week. In each weekly letter, he entailed many things: Like writing to you about his day, how much he misses you, how much time has passed, and discussing particular things he found during his nightly patrols or interesting things about his day. He wrote letters to you as if you were right there with him. His words etched with simplicity yet full of love. He wrote these letters to be whisked away from a minute of his otherwise mundane life. And despite how uneventful they may be, he still shares them with you because he knows you will listen. He knows you will take your time to read everything. As even though the two of you may be thousands of miles apart, your hearts will still beat as one.

You finally find the one that he had written for you the day after your departure, and begin to read it’s contents. Preparing yourself for an overflow of emotions that you were not ready for. 

JANUARY 3RD, 45 BP

As much as I hate to see you go, I realized that life has plans for all people. Even if those plans separate us from the ones we love. For the recent years that have passed, I have seen staff at the winery and maids in the manor come and go. And yet, I still haven’t gotten used to seeing you go off on your adventures. There are times I wish I could just be free of all of these responsibilities and come along with you on your escapades. But alas, I will presume that life is not for me. Always know that no matter where my life takes me or yours takes you, I will love you whether there are 1000 miles between us or none at all.

I miss you already, my love.

May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us.

JANUARY 10TH, 45 BP

A week has come to pass since you left and I’ve been trying my best to keep myself busy. Kaeya has come to visit me and so has Venti, but they have done absolutely nothing to alleviate my boredom. In fact, they’ve all been a pain in the arse. When I tossed them into two of the guest rooms for passing out drunk, I was suddenly reminded of the times that you would wait for me at the Angel’s Share and help me drag Rosaria back to the cathedral, Kaeya back to his residence, and Venti back to the tree in Windrise. Then, we would take a night stroll around the city as the dwindling lights of the shops and houses being the only things illuminating our way. I cannot wait to do all of this with you again. It feels like the universe closes in around us whenever we’re together. But… the moment is so fleeting and you are gone again. The universe is awfully large and I am awfully small,  unable to hold the world with my hands. I just wish you were here to make me feel as if the universe is close enough to reach once more. 

Good night, my love.

May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us.

JANUARY 17TH, 45 BP

It is 9 o’ clock in the evening as I write this. Today, Bennett had visited and asked if I could train him to control his vision. I said yes as I had nothing much better to do. Fischl and Razor were there to accompany him as well. To be quite honest, they’re quite a convivial trio. It’s nice to see them remain free-spirited despite everything that has happened recently. I could not bear to remain as cheerful as they are amidst the constant abyss order and Fatui attacks. After our training, Razor had come up to me and told me that you and I are lupical. I didn’t quite understand at first, but with Fischl’s long and heavy explanation, I had come to understand what it meant: Family.

Perhaps… we can be a family? Have a family of our own?

Oh… wait. I know, it’s too soon. So, please disregard my wishful thinking for now. I’d like to apologize if that may have come out the wrong way.

Thank you for reading today’s letter, my love.

May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us.

JANUARY 24TH, 45 BP

I finished a book I borrowed from the Favonius library today. Lisa said you've been eyeing the tome for a long time. However, since Ella Musk was borrowing it at the time and you had to leave shortly for your trip to Natlan, you never got the chance to. I'd like to apologize for having been able to read it in advance. Perhaps, I can read it to you once you get home? Maybe in front of the fireplace, blankets hugging us for warmth, and cups of hot chocolate in our hands? Anyhow, there was something I found interesting about it.

There are Sumeru philosophers who claim that the past, present, and future all exist at the same time. That there are parallel universes. It had me thinking, in another universe... Would we still be together? Will fate bring us together? Could there be more for us outside of this blue sky we share?

I'm sorry for making you worry. It's probably my insomnia kicking in. These past twenty days have been quite lonely without you.

Goodnight, my love. May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us. 

JANUARY 31ST, 45 BP

I can’t believe that January has finally come to pass. It feels like forever since you left. I know, I know, I sound like I’m sulking. But… the thoughts I had from finishing the book last week still have not left my mind. If only I could close my eyes and find myself in the place wherever you are right now. Kind of like…. What were those called? Waypoints? Yes! Those. Mayhaps, I should pay Sucrose or Albedo a visit and ask if they could make a portable wayfinder for me or a potion that can teleport me anywhere? Well, at least I have something interesting to do tomorrow. 

See you soon, my love. May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us. 

FEBRUARY 7TH, 45 BP

The day you left, I went through all my old journals, frantically looking for the first mention of you. Searching for details I can no longer recall and any morsel of information that may have been lost. It honestly made me laugh at how different I used to think of you back then. You were always a kindred soul and yet, there was an eccentric air around you that I just couldn't quite understand. It was the good kind, of course. I have never thought ill of you since the beginning. Ever since the tragedy that befell my father, I would push everyone away from me. I told myself that if you didn't form close bonds with others, then you wouldn't get attached to them. They would be easier to let go and you could. But... you were the first who went out of your way for me. The first time you entered Angel's Share and challenged me to a game of chess solely because someone from the Adventurers' guild told you so? I knew there was something about you. Something wonderful. I wish to show you these old journals soon. Mayhaps you can get a clearer picture of my thoughts and impressions of others once you read them. 

For now, all I can do is count the days until you are home once more.

 Goodnight my love, may the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us.

FEBRUARY 14, 45 BP

People should fall in love more. Fall in love with how the dandelions blow with the wind, Fall in love with the safe and comforting feeling of being in the middle of a bustling city that is Mondstadt, Fall in love with the stars and the night that shines before us and Fall in love with the idea of being in love or loving someone. Having recently realized these things, I had the most spontaneous idea of wanting to get married in the Winery with you. In the future, of course. I know it’s not much. But I know you’re not the type to want anything fancy, so it’s the perfect area for the most beautiful moment of our lives to take place.

I had gotten a little too into the idea of planning our wedding and I aimlessly listed down those who will be attending. All our closest friends and family. Can you imagine Little Klee as the flower girl? Kaeya as the best man? Jean and Lisa as the maids of honor? Maybe we can even ask Eula to choreograph our wedding dance for us? Most importantly, have the wonderful honor of having the Lord Barbatos to officiate our marriage?

Once again, I hope you can pardon me and my blissful escapism. I can’t wait for the day to arrive where we can plan all of this and make it a perfect wedding.

As always, thank you for reading my constant rambles and inner thoughts, my love.

May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us.

FEBRUARY 21ST, 45 BP

If you were taken away from me, this place called our world, I would cry.

Sighing, wringing my hands, and wondering why.

How can the archons and those up in Celestia dare to take the most precious soul in the universe from me?

But... what if I would be the one who would be taken away from you? Will you feel the same way too?

FEBRUARY 28TH, 45 BP

Please excuse me for everything I said in my message last week. I may have sounded somewhat selfish and I'd like to apologize for making you overthink when you already have so much on your plate. I cannot wait to mail out these letters to you, but the postal office in Monstadt doesn't deliver letters to Natlan, unfortunately. I guess I have to wait until you reach Fontaine. Putting those aside for a moment, something happened today that I wanted to share with you. Whilst I was feeding Noctua, I had realized something. What about the little birds who dream of flight? Those who gaze into the starry night and think that one day... they might be a part of that same sky? To be free, to explore, and to have the feeling of air and light coursing through their wings. Is... this the same feeling you felt before? Is this why you go on adventures?

I'd love to talk to you more about this once you get home. For now, all I can do is write you a letter and bid you goodnight. 

May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us.

March 7TH, 45 BP

Whenever I write a letter addressed to you, I feel a raw ache in my bones when the ink seeps into the paper— for I feel the bittersweet sorrow of wanting you to be right by my side, to have my fingers intertwined with yours, and to be exhumed by you because you have always seen past all my flaws and imperfections. I miss you. So much. At this point, it feels as if I have no right to. Tell me... is it right to feel this way? Am I being selfish for wanting the days to come by? For April to be in our midst? Can I blame the archons for wanting to have you in my arms again? There’s something happening next week, and to be honest, I’m quite excited for it. See you soon, my love.

 May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us.

March 14TH, 45 BP

Today is the first day of the Windblume Festival. How I terribly wish you were in Mondstadt right now. This would have been your first year and I know you would love the events. I remember when Father brought Kaeya and I to the festival for the very first time, and oh how my eyes were filled with wonderment and unshaken innocence. He gifted us a harp that day, and I still play it when I have time. It’s a wonderful keepsake with a lovely name, (The Windblume Ode) and it never fails to remind me of my father. I wonder if… Kaeya still kept his? Nostalgia aside, Venti caught up to me on the way home and told me I should see what he has in store for the second week of the festival. I know that the bard has a lot up his sleeve, but this particular encounter with him filled me with curiosity. What could it be? What does he have in store for me?

Before I end this, I bought you a bouquet of Dandelions and Cecilias today. They have a different color than the usual wreaths and posies, as these ones only bloom during Windblume. I placed them inside the vase on your desk just a few minutes ago. I do not necessarily have green thumbs, so please do not blame me if anything bad happens. I made sure that they’re still in season once you get home and I can’t wait for you to see them.

Goodnight my love, May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us.

MARCH 21ST, 45 BP

Once you get home, please do assist on reprimanding the bard for me. Can you believe he had tricked me into attending his love poem-making classes? Since a lot of the cityfolk have been dying to take writing classes under him and were willing to pay if he did, he had decided to take this opportunity to receive mora and “get rich.” Venti brags to the cityfolk that he will use their compensation for good reasons… but we all know he’ll just spend it wasting away at Angel’s Share. I won't let him pass me when it’s my hour to manage the tavern, of course. But… maybe one drink as a prize for all his hard work wouldn’t be too bad? After all, I did learn a lot of things from him. He was also quite smart for incorporating such an activity with Windblume. As during the festivities,  the people of Mondstadt offer Windblumes to Barbatos and to those they love and adore. 

I spent all day being mentored and trained into creating “the most romantic poem written in Teyvat” I know Venti is bluffing and was just trying to soften me so I wouldn’t get mad at him, yet he was actually genuinely impressed with my poetic skills. I didn’t want anyone else to read it before you did, but he snatched the paper from my hands as soon as I finished so that he may critique it. I… didn’t expect him to shed a tear. 

Here is the poem I wrote for you, my love. I hope you’ll like it.

“I wish one day, I'd be able to lay you down on a bed of roses with

the stars watching over us.

I wish one day we will be able to see the world together, to touch the stars and become planets.

After all, darling, stars, like life, is what you make of it. 

 I wish you knew how much I've loved you for all these years, so quietly, so loudly.

One day these roses will never compare to the redness in your cheeks, the softness of your heart.

 One day you will see kingdoms rise and the sun dance on your eyelids.

 And one day the moon will hang from your fingertips, waiting for you to refract your light and hope onto others.

You are an enigmatic being. A beautiful soul. Sometimes I think that you’re not from this universe.

 You have enraptured my soul; my whole being. You taught me how to love. 

Everything about you is out of this world and I am merely a human amazed by your interstellar presence as if you are written in the stars.”

 MARCH 28TH, 45 BP

I think I’ve gotten the hang of writing poems. I’m quite confident in my lyricism and in my writing now. So, here’s an excerpt of another poem I’m writing for you. 

 “I will love you through all the days and nights we are apart.

I will love you through every day and as the darkness turns to light. 

It is four o’ clock in the afternoon and this is the hardest part.

But this is the way I love you, even if most days we are apart.” 

 That’s all for now. I’m afraid you’ll only see the final draft once you get back. I hope you’re having a wonderful time at Natlan. Take care always, my love.

 May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us.

 APRIL 4TH, 45 BP

I’ve been pondering about something again today. And It’s all because of Kaeya and Jean. They came over and we reminisced all day long about our childhood memories with tea and crumpets to accompany us. It was a nice feeling. To be able to look back on your childhood with such wistfulness. With such warmth. And with that, I realized something soon after: We’re young, but not that young. Some of the folk in Springvale are sixty-five and still feel young. Even Lord Barbatos feels young. Just because we have years ahead of us doesn’t mean our love isn’t going to last a lifetime. But… that’s the thing. We don’t have an entire lifetime to show love and affection towards each other and to others. Which is why we have to make the most of it. Live in the moment. Make the most of every minute that your heart is beating. Love endlessly. Be kind to others. That’s… what you always told me right? Even if we don’t have the rest of our lives to be with each other, I will still love you anyway. Every day, deeply, wholeheartedly, even if we are young and even if we are old. My love for you will be gentle, but fierce and bold.

That is all for now, my love. May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us.

April 11TH, 45 BP

The words are melting in my mouth like snow, and I feel like I'm running on empty, but there are only 5 days until you come home. I have dreamt every night of the morning we are together again. You will be drinking dandelion wine and I will be talking about how the orchard will finally bloom. Then in the next few months, we can do everything we dreamed about. We can go around the winery, have picnics amongst the stars, walk around Mondstadt and go on adventures once more. Soon, you will be home, and I will watch the leaves and patiently wait for time to pass by  until we are together again. 

 But.. since I cannot wait no more, I plan to travel all the way to Fontaine to see you. I will not be telling any of the maids or the staff where I’ll be going. They would worry if I left again. This is all going to be a surprise and this letter will proof of that. I want to be beside you once more and I cannot bear to wait for five more days. I will be leaving at Dawn tomorrow! I’ll treat this as a little vacation. I rightfully deserve it as a treat for my birthday, hoping I can spend it together with you. Maybe… we can take a quick detour and go on a little adventuring? Just the two of us. I know you’ll be weary from your trip, but we can continue to stay at Fontaine but we can go once you’ve fully recovered.

 I cannot wait to feel your warmth and your love in person again. See you soon, my beloved.

 May the stars of Teyvat always shine upon us. 

That was it. That was the last letter stored in the box. 

 You stare into nothingness, unable to find the words to say. 

 Tears began to form in your eyes, your vision blurring and your hands quivering at the thought of him. All these letters he’s written to you all throughout these months and the fact that he was planning to surprise you by meeting with you at Fontaine? It hurts you so much thinking of all the things that could’ve been. Thinking about what could’ve happened if this tragedy did not take place.

 “Diluc…”

 You call out for his name. Hoping there is an answer. 

 But… of course there isn’t. 

 Your hands absentmindedly graze upon the corners of the  bed when you suddenly remember the torn letter Adelinde had given you. 

 You open the letter with slight hesitance, noticing the dark stains that presumably came from Diluc’s torn and dirtied clothes. With a heavy sigh and as you dry your tears, you begin to read the letter. 

APRIL 13TH, 45 BP

Ever since you left, I felt as if we were breaking the whole world's heart. But... all this time, it was always the other way around. It was the world that was slowly breaking us. 

 Even in these last moments, I cannot fathom that I will be disappearing from this world without even seeing you again. It hurts. My body. There are bruises and wounds all over. My hands are trembling in fear and weariness. I can barely move my wrist and I can hardly think of the words I want to say. I feel the end is drawing near. Not for the world, not for you, but for me. Everything is caving in, my senses are slowing, my eyes are falling, and just waiting for the rest of my system to put me into an eternal sleep. 

 Would... time be so kind as to slow? Can the world stop for a minute and listen to my plea? To my call? A miracle to happen that could magically transport you to me? I w-wish we could have spent more time together. All these letters I’ve written for you these past few months… were they an omen? Was I foolish to think I could have a future with you? Is this the price to pay for having been separated from you for so long? Is it… still possible to attain it? The life I’ve always wanted with you?  Maybe in another world, we can. 

We will share every innocent dream and talk about our fears. All your hopes and dreams. I will listen to the sound of your voice and the echoes of your soul. I will kiss your forehead, your knuckles, and your lips. I will stand by you in every new day even when people seem so unkind. I will join up all your insecurities, bundle all your flaws, and make them into a constellation so that I may find them and wish them away. I will do everything to make you feel safe. I will do everything to make you feel loved. There was never a day that I doubted you. You are everything to me, (Y/N). You are a free and wandering soul. I wish I could be behind you to support you wherever you may go, but alas, that fate is not for me. And… I think that’s fine.

 Remain as you are. Continue to love others like you have loved me. Teach them what it means to live. Like you have taught me.

 Please… don’t be sad. This is the momentary sadness to a new beginning, my beloved.

I love you to the stars and back. 

I hope that in another world, our paths may cross again. 

May the stars of Teyvat always shine on you.

A heavy yet comforting feeling fills your heart as tears continue to stream down your cheeks. Folding the letter and putting it into the box amongst all the others, You clutch your hand to your chest, looking up at the ceiling.

 “Diluc, my love… if you are out there. I will love you forever. Through all these months of my absence, you have never left my mind and I wish I could have been there  for you. I wish I could have given you the same amount of love that you have given me. There are so many things I wish I could have done with you. Every letter and every word you’ve ever dedicated to me will forever remain in my heart. These handwritten sentiments will be one of my reminders that you are still with me, no matter where I go. Even if it hurts so much, I will continue to live for you. Honor your memory. I will show the world that I have only loved one man in this lifetime. Thank you for everything.

 You have now become one of the stars that shine down upon me. Soon, we will once again meet in the same sky and there, we will have our happily ever after.

 Farewell, my dark knight.”

ೃ taglist: @ganyuuxs @mignonextte @inlovewithadeptusxiao @duhsies @qimiie @kozu-zumi @volleybloop @latteshinsou @catgirlkomi @reaped-winnower @monaa @dibhachu @sugurus-princess​ @midnightangelfox​ @call-me-moonflower

[dancingazaleas]

miche zacharias | beauty & the beast

this is for @izukine ‘s ‘fairy tale and mythical creatures’ collab! love you so much liyah <333

tagging: @yeagerslut @xenihime @fiaficsxo @mitsuluv @sukunas-lady @onyxoverride @rintarouss (cus ur a miche fucker. sorry for not warning u abt the tag)

edit: this is unedited, i’m so sorry for any typos.

warnings/tags: cursing, eventual smut, smut, nsfw, romantic sex, size kink(i guess if u squint?), fingering, oral sex/cunnilingus, missionary sex, vanilla

miche was always just a little bigger than anyone around him. he stood like a skyscraper at 6’5, towering over all of his peers. he was more broad one would be at the chest, a tailor once said his bust was around 150 centimeters.

miche was seen as an absolute beast because of this. and it didn’t help that miche’s hair was shaggy, stubble coating his upper lip and jaw, and he had a sniffing problem. he thinks the nose is really what sold everyone.

and in effect, miche was feared. feared by the people in his village, and sometimes even by his own friends. the dark and looming castle he lives in was where he forced to, along with his companions that stood up for the meek man that they called a beast.

the village often sent people who they’ve decided to shun to his estate, expecting for the beast to kill them in cold blood.

in reality, he just sent them to the next village over. he didn’t feel like being disturbed.

it was nothing different when he saw you running to him, tears falling from your pretty eyes while consistently looking over your shoulder. behind you, he noticed a crowd with pitchforks along with torches, screaming for you to get back here to burn you at the stake.

“help!” you cry, “help!”

you stumbled over your own feet, hands clamping down onto his clothed biceps and sobbing while looking at him.

“the next village over is—“

“no! sir, no matter where i go,” you shake your head rapidly, “i will be hunted. hunted for reading the books!”

you looked so desperate clinging onto him, eyes flashing when you cry once more, “you’re the only one who can help me!”

he looks back to the crowd that nears the gates of his home, silently wrapping his arm around your shoulder and pulling you to his chest. the crowd skids to a stop, especially when miche steps forward and manages to yank a pitchfork from their hands.

“this girl is with me,” he announces, jabbing at the air to back them up, “leave now or die.”

the crowd gapes at the sight of you gathered to his chest, but backs off nonetheless. there was nothing they could do against the man that they call a beast.

miche leads you into his home, introducing you to friendly faces that were spread across the house.

“what happened?! did you get rid of the—whoa-ho-ho! who’s this beauty, michey,” someone with messy brown hair exclaims, eyepatch covering their left eye.

“hanji! quit being so disrespectful,” a man follows behind them, tugging them by their shoulders from behind.

“this young maiden was followed by a mob. she read the forbidden books, based off of her words she’s said to me. they planned on hunting her down even if she goes to the next village over,” he leads you past them to a bathroom.

“that’s saddening,” a baritone voice said, the frown evident in his voice, “she's staying with us i’m assuming?”

if his voice wasn’t enough to make you feel small, his looks definitely were. a blond man with bushy eyebrows and a prosthetic arm stood in front of you with something that you can say was a gentle smile. behind him lingered a shorter man, bags hanging from his eyes, one of which had a scar running through it and down to his lip.

“no shit, erwin. miche isn’t heartless,” the crude words make you crack a smile.

miche ignores their comments, “where’s nanaba? she needs a bath and i don’t fully trust her to be alone.”

“what am i needed for,” a feminine person waltzes into the room, a light look on her face.

“this young maiden needs to be bathed with a loose eye on them,” nanaba gently takes your hands into their own.

“what?! why couldn’t i do it?!”

“because you can barely bathe yourself, shitty glasses,” levi grunts and sits on a plush couch in front of the warm fire. you notice he has two prosthetic fingers.

nanaba leads you away before you can hear hanji’s response. you open your mouth to ask a question, but find yourself stuck on what to address nanaba as.

“you can address me as whatever makes you comfortable,” you find that she’s peering at you from over her shoulder.

“oh! i’m so sorry,” you sniffle.

“don’t worry about it, you’re not the first, and you won’t be the last. now, what was on your mind?”

“that man… miche, i think the townspeople called him, he’s really kind. he saved me from being burned,” you murmur loud enough for her to hear, “why?”

nanaba took you into a bathroom room and shut the door behind her, “i can’t say i know. the last person he took in was levi, and it wasn’t exactly his choice, more of erwin’s. i think he smells something in you.”

“that’s right, the townspeople wrote that he had the nose of a dog.”

“he does. he’s usually able to tell if someone is good or not just by their scent,” she turns on the bath, “i think he likes you.”

you deny her statement with a laugh, fanning your hand just before you get undressed. you doubt that a beast such as himself could like someone like you.

————

months passed, and as the days went on you found yourself falling in love with miche. the same man who used ‘beauty’ as a nickname for you would bathe in how you’d give a bashful and swat his arm.

truly, he was more like a bear. big and scary, but also cuddly—as much as a bear could really be—and soft. miche had a heart of gold, that much was obvious when he started to wear it on his sleeve.

he cherished his time with you, even if others were around and he wanted you to himself. he loves the wandering gazes you give when you sit under the wisteria tree in his garden. the look of curiosity that brightens your face, eyes wide and staring at the world he used to think was cruel.

miche tried not to be a sap. he hadn’t ever since he was born, and he didn’t want to start now. but he couldn’t help it.

if the world that shamed him and hurt him was able to create such a kind yet sarcastic beauty, then maybe it wasn’t as bad as he thought.

but he was scared of hurting you. in more ways than one. mentally, miche was a quiet and seemingly unaffectionate person, even with someone he loved. miche also had a tendency to be blunt at times, and it has made you upset on multiple occasions.

physically, however, miche’s terrified of being with you just because of it. as you’ve observed, miche isn’t exactly small..

but you practically make him feel as such.

especially right now as you crack jokes with him and teaching him how to waltz. it doesn’t help that you’re leading the dance and that he was stumbling over your feet.

“miche, step this way with me,” you’re incredibly patient.

“i’m scared i’ll step on your foot,” you give him a stare.

“you already have,” you laugh, “it’s okay if you step on my foot, you’ll get the hang of it.”

eventually, he’s able to synchronize his steps with your’s. you trade off the leadership to him, hands on his shoulders. he fumbles a lot more than before, leading to you fumbling over him as well. your shoe presses into his own, and you wince for him while muttering an apology. he’s about to tell you it’s fine, but before he can, he’s stepped on your dress. you yelp and instinctively cling onto miche as you fall onto miche’s bed, dragging him with you.

his arm is immediately at the small of your back and his other hand manages to hold himself up. you flop back onto the mattress when he takes his arm away, cheeks flushed red as he stared down at you.

you look so pretty under him, hair spread beneath you and hands laying next to your head palms up. your pretty lips are parted and your eyes are wide and fluttering.

when he realizes he’s staring, he starts to get ready to get off of you.

“wait!” you gently hold his biceps, stopping his once abrupt movement.

your arms reluctantly and slowly wrap around his neck, eyes darting continuously to his face and to your arms. miche’s breath gets caught in his chest when you pull his face closer to your’s.

“miche… can i kiss you,” you whisper, breath tickling his skin.

miche’s too afraid to speak, so he nods.

your lips start to tingling whenever they’re connected to miche’s heat embarrassingly shooting through your body and to your tummy.

when he pulls away, you accidentally let out a whimper and rub your thighs together. miche’s face lights up again at how needy you look underneath him.

he kisses you again, intertwining his fingers with yours and leaning his weight onto them. he subtly shimmies your body up the mattress, tongue poking at the inside of your mouth. it elicits a soft moan from you, the noise shooting sparks straight to miche’s cock.

“love you,” he sighs with his lips trailing down your neck, large hands shyly starting to grope at your chest.

“love you too,” you bite your lip, watching him undo the buttons at the front of your shirt.

“is this all okay,” his lips tickle your skin as he drags them across the skin of your collarbones.

“yes… yes,” you mumble, slipping out of the shirt and your bra and throwing it somewhere across miche’s room.

miche nibbles at the skin on your breasts, fingers pinching your nipples. you sigh dreamily, hips wiggling from where they lay on the bed. he kisses down your tummy and slips the skirt you’re wearing off of your body.

you’re wearing plain white panties, embarrassment hitting you like a truck. miche doesn’t seem to care at all though, just slips them down your leg and throws them somewhere in his room.

you put a hand on your chest when he spreads your legs, trying to regulate your almost erratic breathing. you couldn’t believe that this was even happening.

soft pecks tickle your calf, slowly trailing up to your thigh and to the trimmed hair of your labia. breaths grow heavy when his tongue hesitantly prods at clit, fingers digging themselves into the wild sheets of his bed.

after seeing your small flinches, miche closes his lips around the bud. you immediately throw your head back as he starts to suck and lick at it, electricity shooting down to your toes that are curled over his shoulders.

he slips a large finger into you, bending it with caution. you buck your hips with a throaty moan, sealing your eyes closed when miche picked up the velocity of his pace.

unlike with waltzing, miche was getting the hang of it fast. so fast that he’s already slipping a second finger into you, thrusting it at a teasing pace that wouldn’t be able to get you off.

you cry out, the scent of pleasure coating your entire body. it has miche groaning against your clit, a loud and desperate moan being let out in response.

miche’s slipping in a third finger, continuously thrusting in and out whilst curling them.

“miche! miche!” you let a hand get tangled in his hair, gently tugging as if you were trying to rut against his face.

“gonna cum—oh my god! i’m gonna cum,” you whine breathlessly and miche continues at his pace.

you cum seconds later, legs trembling from where they lay over his shoulders. he pulls away and immediately wipes away your juices off of his face with the back of his hand, immediately rewarding you with a sweet and passionate kiss on your lips. you whimper against his rough lips, fingers tugging at the shirt he still had on.

he chuckles when he pulls away, hastily taking off his seemingly elegant clothing and throwing the sheets over your bodies.

miche knew it was going to make you both hot. and miche knew he was paranoid of anyone walking in, even though he knew that everyone wouldn’t bother him. but still, the sheets acted as a shield from the world.

this time was only for the two of you, no one else.

his hand pumps his cock whenever he starts to guide it to your stretched out slit. you don’t exactly realize just how big miche actually is until the head of his cock is pushing into you.

the sting that shoots through your body is immediate, and you immediately cling onto his back. you bite your lip whenever he keeps slipping himself in, pausing when you’ve managed to get a quarter of his cock inside of you.

you pant as tears prick the corner of your eyes, trying to relax your obviously tense body as miche tries to distract you with soft and gentle kisses. he whispers how good you're doing, even rubbing circles into your clit with the pad of his thumb to help loosen the tension.

when you calm down and tell him that you're ready, he continues to slip into you with slowed movements. the stretch is more painful than before and as he slides deeper and deeper into you, you feel like his cock gets bigger with each inch. you stop him again, taking deep breaths and telling yourself that you can do it. you only had a few more inches left, then you would feel good.

when he finally bottoms out, your breath leaves your chest. it feels like he’s in your throat and the intense feeling makes you cry again.

“so full, ‘m so full miche,” you whimper while he wipes away the tears from your face.

“i know, love, it’ll feel good soon,” his voice soothes you.

when you calm down again, the realization at how every part of miche’s cock reaches you comes down upon you.

“m-move, please, move,” carefully wrapping your legs around his waist, you whisper in his ear.

his thrusts start off slowly and deep, moans falling from your lips each time he bottoms out and the tip of his cock hits your cervix. when he realizes that you’re alright, he speeds up his pace.

the way he ruts into you makes you produce a broken scream, scratching at his back and throwing your head back. you’re already starting to feel that certain knot in your tummy again, and you wanted to try to hold it back but the orgasm crashes into you unexpectedly.

you sound so broken underneath him, digging your nails into his skin and squeezing him close to you.

“fuck! thank you, thank you,” you sob, “love you, love your cock.”

he grunts in response, ignoring how your walls suffocate him. he doesn’t help you ride out the orgasm, only speeding up his pace to chase after his own orgasm.

you whine at the sound of his skin slapping against your’s, heat spreading down to your chest. you’re going to come again with the way miche jackhammers into you desperately.

“miche, miche! fuck—please!” your vision whites out as your body thrashes under miche’s hold.

miche can’t ignore how hard your walls grip onto his cock, groans spilling out of his mouth as his orgasm creeps over him.

he orgasms with a breathy grunt, grinding his hips into yours and pumping his cum into you.

when he comes down from the euphoric high, he kisses your lips. your eyelids are heavy after miche pulls his softening cock out of you.

“love you,” he mumbles against your skin after he’s fetched a wet rag and cleaned you up.

you hum in response, too tired and weak to even reciprocate with words. luckily, he knows what you were trying to say. he pulls you into his warm chest, a soft and satisfied hum falling from your lips.

you drift off with his hand rubbing your back. the last thing you remember thinking was that miche was definitely a beast in some aspects.

[babylooneytoonz]

mr. shelby's secretary [CEO AU]

[GIF by @maskingfragility]

— pairing: Modern! Tommy Shelby x Reader

— summary : Prompt request 1) “Can you shut up for once in your life?” 2) “Am I your lockscreen?” “You weren’t supposed to see that.” 3)“You’re insane,” “You love me,” “Not right now I don’t.” 4) "I think you might be my soulmate," as requested by @sighonahurricane and @screechingexpertpruneneck [ Hope you like it. I decided to club both the requests into one as the prompts were almost the same ones.🤍]

— warnings: none

[Masterlist]

You had been an exceptional student, all through school, then all through college and then had begun working for one of the most famous firms in London. Due to unforeseen circumstances, when your father passed away due to a terminal illness, you had to quit your job in London and move to Birmingham to take care of your mother.

Birmingham was an altogether different world, atleast as compared to London, but it was a good change for you. Even luckier for you was the fact that just weeks into moving to Birmingham City, you interviewed for a secretary position for CEO of Shelby Brothers LTD, Thomas Shelby and you had gotten the job.

You had been now working for him for over three months now, but the journey had definitely not been easy. You still remembered how your first day at work had been an absolute disaster. You had arrived on time, at 9 am. You still had an hour to go before Tommy entered his office at 10 am, and there were a few stacks of papers that you had to clear.

Before starting your work, you had decided to get yourself a mug of coffee to boost up your day but while you were at the pantry, sitting and sipping your coffee, your phone beeped. When you looked at the message, colour drained from your face.

Thomas Shelby had a meeting at 10, and thus, he had decided he would come in early, and he hadn't found you in your adjoining cabin, and neither were the papers from his room that he wanted gone were actually gone. The colour drained from your face when you saw his text— in three words did he write— get in here, ASAP.

The hearing that you received from Tommy that day, you doubted if you had retained your job after the first day, but strangely, Tommy didn't fire you. That was the only time you actually made him angry though and things slowly changed after that. Thomas Shelby began relying on you more and more as the days passed. He even took your opinions, or let you select the suits he was going to wear on events, without even expressing any doubt on you.

For Tommy, you were like a breath of fresh air in times he needed it the most. You were exceptionally good at your work, but what he liked secretly about you was the fact that you were good at handling him— be it his anger, that you took almost gracefully, without even bothering to spite him back. You listened to him scream and yell at you, but you never lost your own temper. Or be it the recognition of his tiny needs, like when he was in a dire need of coffee.

Tommy would be lying now if he said that he didn't need you; he was now completely dependant on you. Everyday, when he came to work, the first thing he looked at was your smiling face through the glass panels of your adjoining cabin, before he disappeared into his office, and there lay his mug of piping hot black coffee without sugar, and a sandwich, or pancakes, you knowing well aware that the man came to office on an empty stomach. He would call you into his cabin atleast fifty times in a day.

Few months into you working for Mr. Shelby, you were finally growing to despise the man less and less, and learn to get accustomed to his cold outer exterior, and get warmed up to the minutest reflections of the gentleness he hid inside of him.

Tommy was getting impatient, as he leaned against his mahogany desk, his shirt rolled up by the sleeves up to his elbows as he rested the elbows against the surface of the desk. A lit cigarette rested in his left hand, as he stared at the rain clogged glass window in his office. It was raining heavily, and he wondered if it was the weather that had you actually running almost two hours late when you never were late.

He swiped his palm over his face, worry gnawed at the pit of his stomach. He knew you weren't like that. In fact, you were one of the most punctual person he had actually met. He stood up, dabbing the lit end of the cigarette into his ashtray, before he grabbed his coat and walked out of his office. Mary, one of the employees who were friends with you, was outside, talking to one of the interns.

"Mary? Have you heard from [Y/N]? She isn't in yet," Tommy asked, and the woman turned, her eyes almost widening for Tommy seldom spoke to anyone in the office, unless required.

"Mr. Shelby, uh, sir, I don't know. I haven't seen her in today, I was also wondering—" she began, but before she could complete her sentence, impatient Tommy had cut her off.

"Mary, can you go through the company records and give me her address?"

"Definitely, Mr. Shelby," the woman drawled, as she hunched over her system, her fingers tapping against the keypad as she pulled out your address from the company records. She noted the address down on a slip of paper, and looked up at him, "Mr. Shelby, I can ask someone to check on her if you'd like? Maybe due to the weather, her car broke down."

"It's okay, Mary, I'm already headed out, just hand me the address," he impatiently threw out his palm, and the woman placed the parchment in his hands, knowing well as to not say anything else. Tommy turned around and slowly began walking out of the building towards the elevator and pressed the button.

The rains were not going to die down anytime soon, that was something that Tommy noted as he brought the car to a halt outside the address that Mary had handed him. He squinted his eyes, eyeing the plain looking building that stood in front of him, eyeing the first floor that you occupied. He wondered if you had already left for he couldn't see your car anywhere in sight.

Finally, he pulled out his umbrella from the back seat of the car, and stepped out into the lashing rains, dashing through the puddles towards your apartment where an elderly woman was at the door, shielded from the rains underneath the front porch.

"Can I help you?" The woman said in a kind voice, as she moved out of the way, and let Tommy fix himself underneath the porch to find a shelter from the rains.

"I'm looking for,uh, Miss [Y/N]. She works for me," Tommy muttered, under his breath.

"Oh, dear. You're Thomas Shelby? The CEO of Shelby Brothers LTD?" The woman's eyes began glistening with excitement and Tommy nodded, his eyebrows creasing into a hint of a frown. He wasn't here for a fangirl moment.

"Is she here?" Tommy's impatience was a good enough answer for the woman, who nodded and immediately informed him that you had already left for work over an hour ago.

This did nothing to cease the worry pooling inside of him. If you had already left for work, then why weren't you in office? He pulled out his phone, placing his palm on the screen as though shielding it from the woman's unwanted, prying eyes, hoping you had left him a message but you hadn't.

"Thank you," he finally muttered, as he ran out into the rain again, and this time, he didn't even bother using the umbrella, letting himself get drenched from the porch to the car.

Turning the ignition on, he slowly pulled the car on the road, and he started driving in a slow pace, his eyes on the road in front of him.

As if someone had been listening in on his thoughts secretly and had decided to act on it, Tommy brought the car to an abrupt half, applying the brakes. There you were, right in front of his eyes, and Tommy couldn't help but let himself smile warmly, after ages.

From what he could see, it was clear what had taken you so long. You had your heels in your hands, your body was drenched in the rain, your hair sticking to your face. Your knees had mud on it, but that didn't deter you from running about the muddy road, helping the elderlies out of the bus that had broken down.

He saw, as you took the shopping bags from one of the older men, and gave your arm to him that he took and you helped him step out of the abandoned vehicle, and you helped him cross the muddy road, where the tyres of the bus had gotten stuck.

He watched you for a few minutes, leaning back against the car seat, his hand flying to his wet hair. After a few seconds, he decided to quietly head back to the office, without even letting you know that he had seen you.

About an hour later, you rushed into your office. You had managed to head back home and change into a fresh set of clothing, and put your dead phone on charge. Now you were back, and your heart was strumming inside your chest with fear, you knew Tommy would be mad— very mad.

Slowly, you brought your fisted palm to his door and knocked twice.

"Come in," Tommy called out from the inside; he sounded much calmer than what you had expected him to be, and this made you frown. You had expected him to be snarling. Timidly, you made your way up to his desk, your fingers nervously toying with each other as you looked at him. He had his laptop in front of him, and his fingers skimmed over the keypad. He gave you one glance, and looked back at the screen once again. His ignorance made your heart churn.

"Mr. Shelby?" You asked.

"Yes, [Y/N]?" Tommy looked at you, through his round frames.

"Aren't you angry I'm late?" You blurted, mentally cursing yourself, silently.

He looked at you, amused. Your innocence made his heart flutter but he wasnt going to admit it anytime soon. He noticed your body posture, you were standing like a meek little lamb, afraid of him. He stood up from the leather chair he was sitting on and placed his glasses on his desk, before he moved around his desk to where you were. He then fixed himself directly in front of you and gave you a smile, "Why would I be angry? Go take an off today, [Y/N]. You deserve it."

You were confused by his sudden behaviour but you dared not complain, or question him lest he changed his mind. You gave him a haphazard smile as you dashed out of his office, weirded out by the change in his behaviour.

It was Saturday night, and it meant staying up late with a good Netflix series on, and some good bingewatching and munching on snacks for you. Your mother had already gone to bed, for she was an early sleeper. You had managed to sneak into the kitchen, and heat up the leftovers from lunch; the pasta your mum had prepared for you.

You turned your laptop on, letting it rest against your belly as you began browsing through the newest Netflix collection, trying to settle on a movie, when there was a buzz in your phone. You squinted your eyes when your phone started glowing. Your hand reached out as you grabbed it and began reading the SMS from your boss.

Thomas: be at Richard's at 7 in the eve. Got some really imp clients coming over. will be needing you to take the notes.

You frowned, there went your Sunday weekend plans down the drain; not that you had any solid plans, other than Netflix.

Sunday came by faster than you had imagined it to be, and you were standing in front of your wardrobe, weighing the different outfits that you had to fix a suitable one for the dinner at Richard's. Richard's was one of the posher restaurants, and you wanted to look your best, even if it was just business.

Finally, even though your bedroom looked like a typhoon had occurred inside your room, you were able to pick out a dress. It was just the right amount of professional, and casual. It was navy blue, the neck cut deep enough but yet, it wasn't trashy one bit. Once you had changed into it, you admired your form in the mirror, secretly content by the way it hung across your curves, ecen accentuating your curves. You couldn't help but secretly think of Thomas Shelby's reaction when he saw you in this dress.

You were startled when your phone started ringing, pulling you out of your not so in innocent thoughts about your own boss. When you saw his name flash on your lockscreen, you couldn't help but frown. Reluctantly, you tapped on the talk icon, flinging the phone to your ears, "Yes, Mr. Shelby?"

"Grey or black? Red tie or navy blue? I can't fucking decide what to wear. Why is it the fucking weekend [Y/N]. I don't fucking know what to wear," he sounded exasperated and worked up on the other side of the phone and you couldn't help but chuckle silently, silently enjoying this. You knew this would happen.

"The grey with the blue tie, Mr. Shelby, you can make any girl crazy in the grey tux of yours," you smiled, aimlessly drawing your fingers through your hair. You didn't know how you got that courage to openly flirt with him, but you didn't stop yourself from doing it. What suprised you was the fact that Tommy only let you do it. After a minute of silence, he hummed and you could hear him practically pull his tux off the hanger and he murmured, "the grey one it is then."

You kept the phone to your ear, not wanting to disconnect even though he wasn't speaking to you. Oddly enough, even in the silence that lingered on that call, you felt a sense on intimacy, something that you didn't want to let go off, as you grabbed your lipstick and using your free hand, began applying it delicately to your lips.

"What are you wearing?" Tommy's voice reached your ears, and you couldn't help but bite into the insides of your cheeks, feeling giddy in your chest.

"Navy blue dress I wore at the office party, Mr. Shelby. I can change if you want, it's a little too much, don't you think?" You nervously babbled.

"No, keep it on. It compliments my tie."

You smiled upon listening to his words, and just like that, without a parting, Tommy disconnected, sliding his phone into his pocket, his fingers toying with the fabric of his navy blue tie. Even if he was bent of wearing the red one silently, he was now going to switch to the blue one, just because you were wearing blue.

"Miss, do you have a reservation?" The manager asked you, and you smiled courteously.

"Yes, it should be under a Mr. Thomas Shelby?" You replied, and the man immediately nodded and his eyes began scanning through the contents of the register in front of him.

"Ah, you must be Miss [Y/N]. Please follow me, we are delighted to have you," he slowly turned away from you, and you began following him through the open air restaurant, where archaic white gazebos stood tall, adorned with fairy lights, and inside the gazebos were comfortable tables and dine in facilities.

Tommy was finally in sight. He was at the farthest gazebo that stood directly beside the narrow stream, that shone due to the moonlight falling on it.

It wasn't Tommy that captured your attention though, it was the woman dressed in a beautiful red evening dress, her perfectly toned legs covered in sheer black stockings. Her long black hair fell lusciously over her shoulders as she threw back her head and laughed at something Thomas probably said. What made you a tiny bit of jealous was the fact that the two of them looked like they were long time friends; Tommy rarely smiled, and especially never in the open.

You cleared your throat a little too loudly and Tommy turned towards you, and so did the woman in the red dress. You couldn't help but think how beautiful the woman was.

"Tatiana, this is my secretary [Y/N]. She will be going through the final papers and the other formalities," Tommy blinked, his palm ghosting the low of your back as he guided you into an empty chair and you sat down, smiling at Tatiana.

"[Y/N], this is my friend, and soon to be business partner, Tatiana Petrovna," You watched from the corner of your eye as Tommy leaned towards her and he placed his hand on her thigh. You grabbed the fabric of your dress, awkwardly balling the fabric along your fists, although shielded by the table.

The business meeting lasted for an hour, and by the time the three of you were done, half of the restaurant had gotten empty.

"It was a pleasure meeting you once again, Thomas, and even a greater pleasure doing business with you," she gave Tommy her hand and they shook it. You noted how the handshake lingered for a little longer than it was supposed to. Thomas stood up, but you kept seated, as you watched the woman turn away and began strutting down the garden path, towards a massive black SUV parked by the other side.

After a minute of silence, Tommy sighed and he sat down, his earlier jolly expression having dissipated into thin air. He pulled out a cigarette box from the pocket of his tux and brought it up to his lips, flicking you a quick glance.

"You alright?"

"Me? Oh I am more than alright, Mr. Shelby. It's a lovely night, and I'm sitting at one of the loveliest places in Birmingham, with such a lovely company," you deadpanned, giving him a stare down.

"You don't look happy to be here, love," he brought the lit cigarette to his lips, inhaling smoke from it as he eyed you carefully. One of the waiters stepped forward, clearing his throat and you saw that he had a bottle of wine in his hands. Tommy blinked and motioned to the waiter to fill up the glasses and once he had left, his fingers curled against his glass and he lifted it, taking a sip of it.

"Oh, Mr. Shelby, I am delighted to be here, don't you see that? Can we leave?" You arched forward, letting your elbows rest against the table, your glass of wine laying untouched.

Tommy parted his lips, as though he wanted to say something but before words came out, he pressed his lips shut and stood up, grabbing his coat that hung from the back of his chair, "Alright, I'll drop you home yeah? Come on."

Tommy and you quietly walked back to his car and you got into the passenger's seat as Tommy got into the drivers. He slowly pulled the car off the driveway and began driving towards your apartment.

You were still fuming; raging from the inside as you kept glancing at the silhouettes of the buildings passing you by.

"What is the matter with you, ey?" Tommy suddenly turned towards you, lowering the speed of the car and moving it to the side so he could slowly bring the vehicle to a halt.

"Nothing is. Can we please keep moving, Mr. Shelby? I don't have all night," you hissed venomously at him and he just ran his hand through his hair, exasperated. He didn't know what had gotten into you suddenly.

He suddenly reached for your arm and pulled you forcefully towards him, his eyes gazing into yours, "Will you answer me? What the fuck is the matter with you?"

"Oh, nothing's the matter with me, Mr. Shelby. I don't get why you had me over that wretched little romantic dinner as a third wheel when there weren't even enough notes to make," you blurted out the entire sentence in one go, firing the words at him so fast that it took him a minute to digest them.

"Wait, romantic?" He tilted his head slightly, and his index came to rest on his chin for a second before he sat back against the car seat again, "you think me and Tatiana..?"

"Don't spill your romantic or your sexual endeavours in front of me, Mr. Shelby, Im just a lowly secretary," you fumed, and Tommy couldn't help but feel his lips twitch in amusement at how adorably cute you looked when you were angry and jealous.

"Well, now to think of it, eh, we did have some good fucks a few years back," Tommy muttered, in a low voice. Although he knew this would most probably not end very well, but a devil inside of him was already rising, and your jealousy had given birth to a sudden desire in him to have you spill everything you felt for him to him.

You gasped, your jaw dropping as you turned to him, studying his face. Your hand flew to the car lock, and you unlocked it, immediately stepping out of the vehicle, and Tommy cursed under his breath when he realized that he had probably taken it too far. By the time, he stepped out after you, you had already drawn your phone out, and you were trying to book an Uber when he snatched your phone.

"Get into the fucking car, [Y/N]."

"Give me my phone back, Mr. Shelby, I am not in the mood to do this," you threw out your hand, nudging him to hand you your phone.

He was ready to give you back your phone but before he could, his thumb mistakenly pressed on to the power button, and your phone lit up, your cheeks turning a scarlet red when he saw your lockscreen that had his photo on it.

"Wait, am I your lockscreen?” he looked at you smugly, and you couldn't help but feel embarrassed at the sight of it. Great job done [Y/N].

"You weren't supposed to see that," you whispered, tonguing the insides on your cheeks, flustered.

This time he gave you a smile that was gentler than what he had ever given you. He handed you your phone back, and decided not to tease you about the lockscreen.

"Get into the car, [Y/N], please?" He looked into your eyes, his eyes beckoning yours to listen, and you groaned, nodding. He opened the car door for you once again, and quietly you sat down inside, crossing your arms over your chest.

It was as if he knew that you were in no mood to talk, because he didn't force you to. Quietly, he manoeuvred the vehicle through the cuts and turns and you let your head rest against the windowpane. Within seconds, you were drifting into a light sleep.

About ten minutes later, Tommy pled up on your driveway, but even the car coming to a halt wasn't enough to break your slumber. He slowly turned to look at you, and the sight of you was enough to melt his heart. Reluctantly he brought his shaky palm up to the side of your face as he pushed your hair off the side of it, his fingers gentle against you. You stirred slightly, your eyes fluttering awake as Tommy smiled to himself, whispering, "I think you might be my soulmate, eh, if there is a concept of one. I'd like to believe you're my fucking soulmate." It was so low, you couldn't hear any of it.

"We're here," he announced, louder and clearer this time and you took this as a hint to get the fuck out of his car.

"Thank you, Mr. Shelby, I'll see you at work tomorrow," hurriedly you got out of the car and before Tommy could utter another word, you ran down the side of the apartment towards the side staircase that led to your first floor apartment.

Tommy kept watching as you saw you cash up the flight of stairs, struggling to fish out your bunch of house keys from your purse. He watched as you unlocked the front door and stepped in, hurriedly slamming the door shut.

He kept sitting in the car, and finally turned the ignition on.

"Fuck," he cursed as he turned the ignition off, pulled the car keys out and got out of the car. With big steps, he strode towards the side staircase, from where you had just ran up a few seconds back and reached your doorstep, bringing himself to ring the bell. He waited nervously, tapping the wall awkwardly with his fingers until you opened the door.

He pushed himself inside the minute you opened the door, kicking the door shut behind him.

"Why are you here?" You bit back on your words, trembling slightly. He could see that your eyes were red and puffy, and that you had been crying.

"Were you crying love?" He asked, trying to reach for you. He grabbed your wrists, pulling you towards him.

"You're insane," you whispered, your eyes planted to his lips, but you dared not look up and look into his eyes.

Gently, he let go of your wrist, and instead, placed his palm on the low of your back to hold you steady in his arms, "You love me." He rasped, in a low voice that caused your lips to part.

"Not right now I don't, Mr. Shelby," you spat at him, feeling your eyes start getting cloudy again. To be fair, you were feeling stupid, and embarassed at yourself, for reacting this way, showing him how weak and vulnerable you were, but you couldn't help it. You couldn't stop thinking of Tatiana and Tommy, and the more you did, the more angrier you got. You looked away.

"Look at me, love," Tommy chastised you, placing his hand on the base of your chin as he tried lifting your face up, but you dodged his hand and glared at him,"You're not my boss in here, Mr. Shelby. This is my house."

He gave you a tight lipped smile, and his palm reached out to cup your face, his fingers tracing the outline of your lips. He parted his lips, and fluttered his eyes close, letting an exhale out, before fluttering his blues open again, "this fire within you will be the fucking death of me someday, woman." You curled your lips slightly, licking the insides of your mouth and your nostrils flared, "Shouldn't you be with your business partner? Shagging the fuck out of her? You seem to be at the wrong apartment."

Tommy growled, pushing you to the wall; his knee coming to press against the wall, between the space of your legs. His hands fixed on either side of your head, barring you from escaping.

"Can you shut up for once in your life? I did not fuck Tatiana, ever, yeah?" He looked down into your eyes, and you glared into his, wondering if he was lying.

"You.. didn't?"

"I didn't. And I don't intend to, in the future," he said, in his low husky voice. You fluttered your eyes shut and slowly, like a doe, lifted your face so your lips were now in line with his. You parted your lips, waiting for him to kiss you. He took the hint, a ghost of a smirk forming against his lips as he brought the distance to a close, his plump lips pressing against yours as he kissed you by the wall, "now let's not talk of her now yeah? I would rather spend my night in your bed than stand out here, talking about a woman that doesn't interest me."

"then what interests you?" You smirked.

"You do. You interest me, love."

Your cheeks hurt and your eyes leaked water; tears of happiness flew openly from your eyes. You were dressed in a beautiful black evening gown and your son, Charlie, held your palm, his eyes everywhere but on his father as he walked up to the podium to where the microphone was.

You knelt down gracefully, tickling your son lightly on his Adam's apple, and murmured, "Look, Charlie, your daddy is up there, would you look?"

"Dada!" Charlie babbled, and you hoisted him up and fixed him on your hip as your eyes met Tommy's and he gave you a nod, his eyes twinkling.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you all for coming. You see tonight, eh, is a very special night for me. And I am pleased to announce my endeavours first with you—" He found your eyes again, and you smiled at him, wondering what he was referring to. Ever since you found out you were pregnant with Charlie, two years back, you had decided to quit your job.

"I am pleased to announce [Y/N] and Charles Shelby Center for senior citizens," Tommy turned slightly so he could move out of the way and a huge projector began showing the architectural designs of a massive modern looking building on the screen.

Your heart swelled with pride as you watched your husband gracefully walk down the stairs. People came and greeted him, shaking hands with him, and he stopped momentarily to greet them back. You tickled Charlie's belly as you began striding towards where he was.

Tommy threw out his hand towards you and you gladly accepted, as he pulled you to his side, planting a quick kiss on Charlie's forehead. You lifted your neck up high and you and Tommy posed for a few pictures, and soon the cameras left you alone with him. He leaned closer to you and smiled, "Did you like it, love? I've been planning it since I saw you that day, four years back, helping out in the rain. You were beautiful. "

"You saw that, Tommy? Is that why you didn't even scold me for being late?" You gasped, and he smirked, nodding.

"No wonder I kept thinking that something was wrong with you, Mr. Shelby."

He suddenly turned around and his right arm came to rest on the low of your back as he pulled you to him. On one hip, you adjusted your son, who was now struggling to get into his daddy's arms; you placed your free hand on Tommy's chest and patted it before grabbing his tie, "If there was something bloody wrong with me, why would you still choose me as your husband and then gift me with a lovely boy?"

"Well, because, Mr. Shelby, I love you, and wouldn't trade our family for anything."

[aotxfan]

Snakes in the Garden (Porco)

Summary: Unnamed female character is a spy sent to Marley by the Scouts. Her mission is to extract information from the Jaw Titan. Rated: M (Suggestive themes but nothing explicit)

Long Post under cut.

Nestled away in a quiet business district with the lights turned low and the music a soft hum in the night, she almost believed she had entered the wrong place before she had a chance to look around. The bar was not the kind of establishment she was used to back in Paradis. Unlike the bars back in her island with their loud music and slurring strangers, the Eldian bar in Marley was quiet.

A low song was playing from a live band and the people inside were each speaking quietly to their neighbor. A lifetime of secrecy in a country that despised the blood in their veins had taught each Eldian to be as meek as a dormouse. The Eldians at the bar were painfully aware of the guards stationed nearby and desperately sought to fly under the radar to escape notice.

Her frame lingered by the bar a second longer as her eyes scanned every which way.

This late in the evening, with the moon peeking behind the clouds, there were very few souls around. Most Eldians had retreated inside their homes by now leaving the bar mostly empty. Asides from a few stragglers still trying to squeeze out some last few moments from the night, the place was quiet.

Sliding into a stool at the bar, she bit the inside of her cheek.

Zeke had told her he would be here. According to the Eldian defector, Porco Galliard frequented the place more often than not. Zeke was convinced she would find him here nursing a pint of something at the bar with his head down and his walls firmly up.

Thus far, she couldn’t find him anywhere. She had memorized his photograph before leaving Paradis, had studied him and the other Warriors fervently before making the long voyage, but had, had little luck finding any of them.

The Mid-East War had just ended and most soldiers had returned. Zeke had told her Galliard had returned along with the other Warriors, but she had, had no luck finding him. He hadn’t dropped by his family home yet and his favorite haunts were devoid of his presence.

This bar was the last place she could think of scoping out before giving up. Hopefully he’d show up here and end her one way game of cat and mouse.

Motioning for a bartender, she drummed her nails against the wooden countertop. Being this exposed in Marley made her nervous. The hairs at the back of her neck were almost standing up as she bristled with every stare.

Since she had come to Marley on a spying mission from Paradis, she had been utterly careful on who she talked to and where she went. She never lingered in one area of Liberio for too long and was always sure to keep her head down whenever the Marleyan soldiers walked past.

Being at a bar in plain view and not tucked away in some alleyway was a change she wasn’t sure she liked.

Still, she was growing desperate.

Her orders back in Paradis had been very clear. She was to find the Warriors and approach them. The intel they offered could be valuable and a chance to learn more about their abilities could easily sway things in Paradis’ favor.

The bartender startled her out of her reverie when he appeared and asked for her order. She had no idea what names they used for alcohol here and hesitated as she tried to think of something.

Thankfully, she was spared a chance to answer.

A lone figure slid into the stool next to her and asked for a cocktail she had never heard of in a bored tone. The bartender accepted his order, and she asked for the same in response.

As he left to prepare their drinks, she eyed the stranger next to her.

The young man was tall with blonde hair and an aloof expression on his face. He slumped against his chair as if tired and yawned into his hand. When he moved his arm, she caught sight of a red armband against his black jacket.

Her breath hitched just slightly and she was glad he was facing away from her and paid her little mind.

She had studied each Warrior’s photograph and knew exactly who he was. Porco Galliard. Her target.

Well, I’ll be damned.

She quietly took stock of him as he waited for his drink. He had yet to notice her presence and was preoccupied with picking a piece of lint off his pants. He seemed to have no weapons on him and made no indication of being with a partner or friend for the night. That was good. If he was alone, she would only have to worry about chatting him up and not an acquaintance.

When the bartender returned with their drinks, she saw her opening.

Reaching for hers, she let her hand move just slightly. ‘Accidentally’ knocking into his glass, she jerked her hand to the side and sent it tumbling off the bar counter. His drink splashed all over his pants and sent ice cubes rolling down onto the floor.

He jerked up with a curse, and she jumped up too with napkins in hand.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” She offered him a napkin and widened her eyes just slightly to seem nervous.

“-uck, that’s cold!” He tore the napkins out of her grip and scrubbed them against the front of his pants. Whatever drink had been in the glass had stained the white fabric, and the napkin only made things worse.

Irritated, he jerked his head towards her and she was met with his cold gaze.

“Nice going!” He growled out the words and bit back whatever other insult was forming on his mouth when he saw her shrink back.

She bowed her head and made sure to let him see how her hands shook when she extended another napkin his way.

“I’m so, so sorry sir! I didn’t mean to,” she offered another apology.

Sending a pointed look at his red armband, she made herself shrink in. Stepping into the role of her character, she led the charade fall into place all around her.

In this moment, she was a quiet Eldian girl who was terrified of being reprimanded. Having just spilled her drink on the lap of an Honorary Marleyan, she could only imagine the fall out. Her eyes were wide with fright and her hands shook as more apologies spilled out of her lips.

When his eyes softened at the display, she hid her smirk. It seemed the acting classes she had taken as a child in Paradis had served a purpose after all.

He accepted her apology and waved her away when she offered to give him her drink.

“Ok, I get it. It was an accident,” he sat back down and threw the used napkins away in a nearby bin, “Did you get any on you?”

His voice was still rough when he spoke to her, but her earlier display had gotten through to him. His eyes were no longer cold and she could tell she was chipping away at his walls. If she played her cards right, she could knock them right down the way the Colossal had knocked down Wall Maria in her childhood.

“I’m fine,” she offered him her drink again, “Here. An amend. I really didn’t mean to.”

Setting the glass in front of him, she didn’t give him a chance to reject her again.

Galliard opened his mouth to disagree then shrugged and accepted the piece offering.

“I haven’t seen you before,” he eyed, “Is this your first time here?”

She bit her lip the way she had seen other girls do when they were timid.

“It is, I usually don’t drink.”

He drained his glass in one gulp and motioned for the bartender to give him a refill. Without asking, he also purchased a new glass for her. She accepted him with a thank you.

“What made you come here of all places? This isn’t exactly a place where I would expect someone like you,” Porco asked. He motioned towards the bar to highlight his point.

By now, the live band had stopped playing and started packing their instruments. The last few stragglers were older men with white armbands on their coats looking for some last few moments of peace before returning home to their families.

Zeke had mentioned this bar was mainly for soldiers and men who needed a quiet place to wind down after a long deployment. It really wasn’t the kind of place a young girl like her would frequent.

“I wanted to try this place out. My dad spent a lot of time here before he-”

She cut herself off then and bit her lip again. The silence grew as she hesitated and he seemed to understand the hidden meaning. Her fingers tightened on her glass.

“The Mid-East War?” He eyed her out of the corner of his eye.

She nodded. “Yeah, we got the letter last month.”

His jaw tightened and he set his second empty glass down on the counter top. “Shit. Sorry.”

A gruff sympathy but still a sympathy. She looked away to hide the satisfaction burning in her eyes.

In preparation for the voyage, Zeke and Yelena had offered plenty about Marley and the Warriors. They had each taken the time to teach her about how to act and what to say to cruise under the radar.

It was Zeke who had stressed how to behave with the Warriors to her. He had spoken about each person at length and given her firm instructions as to how to proceed. She could almost hear his voice inside her head now repeating one of his many lessons.

“Galliard is a tough one, but he’s not impossible. He’s prickly like a cactus-huh, guess you don’t know what that is but whatever-it just means he has a harsh exterior. He’s going to be closed off when you meet and will probably not let you in easily if you just approach him. He’s naturally selective with who he surrounds himself with and suspicion comes to him second nature. If you flirt with him or try to get too close right off the bat, he’ll back off from you and assume you’re just another Eldian desperate to marry into Marleyan citizenship. Instead, you have to use his weaknesses against him. He’s still mourning the loss of Marcel. The wound is fresh, and he’ll be more likely to sympathize with someone who he thinks lost family to war too...”

So far, it seemed he had been right.

She let her shoulders droop and thought about her own father. Her real father was buried somewhere under the rubble of Shinganshina. He had died years ago when the Colossal had knocked down the wall and led all the Titans in. She had seen him and her mother get swallowed before running away.

Sorrow filled her and she clenched her teeth together. Beneath the pain there was anger. She let the rage steel her in her mission and reminded herself of why she was doing this.

Marley had destroyed her home and killed her family. She promised she would do the same to it. If Porco was her way to fight back, then she would play him like a song and wield him like a knife.

“Did you return from your deployment?”

She allowed herself to ask him a question. He had been swirling the last few drops of his liquor around in his glass and the ice made a melody as it thumped against the sides.

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “Came back some time ago. I was stationed in Fort Slava.”

She let some surprise register on her face although she had known that already. She knew a lot of things about him.

“Then you helped in the victory. I should be the one buying you drinks,” she offered him a soft smile.

Under the dim light, she thought she saw the faintest hint of color on his cheeks.

Unsure if it was her or the alcohol, she slid her second untouched glass his way. When he raised an eyebrow, she offered him a light smile.

“I’m not one for alcohol. Take it.”

He accepted the glass and took a long sip. She hoped the alcohol would make him buzzed. Maybe some liquid courage would help her loosen his lips.

The Jaw Titan had to have some intel she could gather. Compared to the others, his rank was lower since he was still brand new in inheriting his abilities, but he could be useful. Maybe she could use him as an in. Growing close to him might just let her have access to the Cart Titan and the others.

“You’re not going to ask?” His eyes met hers over the rim of his glass.

“Ask?” She tilted her head to the side inquisitively. Yelena had told her the action made her seem more innocent and less deceitful.

It worked. Some of the remaining tension in his shoulders receded and he wiped at his mouth with his sleeve.

“About the battle. All everyone wants to ask about is how the battle played out and what happened. I’m like a personal history book to these people.”

His tone was dry and he glared at the far wall. She stared at her hands.

”Galliard is bitter about Marley and the war efforts. He’s not obedient like other soldiers and will complain and bad mouth the efforts when he thinks no one will hear him. Don’t let that shock you. Just let him vent and make yourself a sympathetic ear, but don’t add anything to the fire. He’s likely to grow even more suspicious if he finds an ally in you so quickly.”

Zeke’s counsel replayed in her mind and she let the silence linger just a second longer than necessary. Feigning a wince, she tapped her knuckles nervously against the counter.

“To be honest, I’m sick of hearing about the war. All of the soldiers that fought with my dad keep writing about the battles he fought in and how brave he was. I could do with a different topic.”

He glanced at her and some of the ire melted away out of his gaze. He grunted under his breath something that sounded like a “good” and shook his head.

“I just realized I never got your name,” he eyed her.

The fake name Yelena had come up for her spilled past her lips easily. It was a common Eldian name that wasn’t likely to raise any suspicions. He accepted it without much thought.

“Porco,” he mumbled in turn.

The last few customers at the bar made their way out the door. She glanced out the window and realized it was almost pitch black. One glance at the bartender, and she realized he was just waiting on them to close up.

“I should probably get going, I start my job tomorrow.”

Porco stood up too and threw some Marleyan bills at the counter. She noticed he had paid for her too.

“You don’t have to-”

“I drank them, you didn’t touch them,” he shoved his hands into his pockets and waited.

She realized he was waiting for her to lead the way, and she finished buttoning up her coat.

“I’ll walk you home, yeah? Liberio isn’t exactly safe for a girl all alone at night,” He didn’t wait for her this time and left out the door in front of her.

She was glad his back was turned. It meant he missed the small smirk that played on her lips.

- - -

Despite the alcohol he had consumed, his steps were measured and easy. She apologized to him for being such a bother and making him walk so far.

He shrugged his shoulders and cut her off.

“I’m headed this way anyway,” he looked away.

He was definitely not headed that way. His family home was a good fifteen minute walk from where they were, but she didn’t say anything. Perhaps it was the liquor on his breath, but the tips of his ears had reddened just slightly.

Some confidence filled her and she ‘accidentally’ bumped their hands together. Withdrawing them with an apology, she caught the way his breath hitched.

Yelena had told her she was beautiful, and that she could use that to suit her mission. Galliard was a man same like any other. He had his weaknesses and a pretty face would help her.

The streets were dark which made her next move easy.

Pretending to trip on an uneven piece of the sidewalk, she let herself collide with his back. He managed to catch her before she could fall face first and his arm wrapped around her waist in surprise. She felt more than saw the way his face burned at the realization that she was now in his grasp.

Feigning embarrassment, she pressed her hand to her mouth and widened her eyes. “I’m so sorry! First I spill my drink and then I almost knock you over!”

She looked away and made her eyes water on command the way she had been taught in acting classes all those years ago. It was her experience that men tended to melt when they saw a woman prepared to cry. Some tears and a quiet sniffle got them to lower their guard down every time.

Porco was no different.

He shook his head and looked away. “It’s okay, you’re fine. Did you hurt your ankle?”

He seemed concerned as he traced his hand down her leg. It was an excuse to touch her, and she was grateful he hadn’t seen the way her eyes lit up in success.

She had him. Hook, line, and sinker.

Still, she couldn’t rush her hand. Zeke had warned her about seeming too eager to get close to the Warriors. They were a close, private bunch and wouldn’t let an outsider in too easily. She had to play her cards close to the chest.

She thanked him for his concern and placed her hand over his. His skin was hot to the touch and his arm tensed in surprise at the contact. He wasn’t used to being touched, yet he didn’t move his arm.

“My house is over there,” she pointed to a random neighborhood, “You can just leave me here. I don’t want you to have to walk all this way.”

He seemed like he didn’t want to leave, and she was smug. She really did have him in her web. Just a little more and he would fall in head first.

“Are you sure?”

He seemed like he wanted her to ask him to stay. Perhaps he was hoping to score her for the night. Maybe he had some pent up stress and figured a pretty girl was a nice way to relax.

But that wasn’t her mission. Her mission was much deeper than just a quick night.

She released his hand and moved away from him letting some formality fall between them. Her smile was polite as she shook her head and waved him off.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry,” she turned away.

She feigned taking a step away from him before stopping. Moving fast, she leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek. It was a coy move she had learned worked well on men. It was innocent enough to be dismissed as a platitude, but the way her lips lingered on his skin just slightly could be easily interpreted as interest.

He made a sound at the back of his throat and burned bright red. She moved her head away and offered him a quiet thank you for walking all this way.

As she turned away from him, he called her name.

“Wait. Can I see you again?”

He sounded awestruck and she was glad she had managed to trick him into drinking all that alcohol. His walls had lowered enough for her to sneak her way in like a Trojan Horse.

Lowering her head in a meek and shy way, she gave a polite smile. “Maybe.”

Then, purposefully leaving him wanting, she walked away.

- - -

After that first introduction, it was easy to continue playing him. Working her magic, she played him like an instrument.

The next day after that she arrived at the hospital to check on the returning soldiers. Zeke had forged some paperwork and gotten her a job as a civilian nurse. She assumed it was easy for him to do so since his grandfather had once been a doctor.

She had arrived to her first shift the next day-

Coincidentally when the Warriors were due for their checkup. Porco had frozen in shock at the door when he had walked in and seen her. He had hesitated and asked her what she was doing before she had feigned her own surprise and told her she was a nurse.

The entire time she worked alongside the doctor performing his physical, she had been aware of the looks he threw her. It seemed her little kiss last night was still on his mind. His cheeks were almost a permanent red, and the doctor had to ask him if he had a fever which only made them further redden.

After the check up, he had followed her out into the hallway and asked her to wait for him. He had struck up a conversation and a persona had slipped into place. Now he seemed much more confident than before, and he boldly asked her to get a coffee with him.

She turned him down.

The look on his face was priceless when she expressed her regret that it was unprofessional. After all, she was a nurse and he was a patient. She could get in trouble and lose the job she had just started.

Her rejection was a clever ploy. Just as Yelena had said, some men liked the challenge. He was one of them.

After her rejection, he further fell in to her trap. He continued to seek her out and ask her again and again. He always found some excuse to go to the hospital. He would walk in for the smallest of accidents, a cut he sustained during training or an ankle he swore was swollen despite being able to walk just fine. The doctors and other nurses seemed exasperated when they reminded him that he was a Titan and could heal on his own, but she always made sure to show up for every one of his visits rewarding his efforts.

Finally, when she was confident she had made him wait enough, she accepted his offer.

“One coffee, just one, and you don’t tell my boss, yeah?” She tried to hide her embarrassed smile behind her medical charts.

Triumphant he grinned. “Sure, just one.”

- - -

It wasn’t just one. They both knew it although each of them had their own reasons for thinking there would be more than one date.

One coffee turned into two which then gave way to three until they made it a regular habit to meet at the coffee shop after her shift. She was a pleasant person on their dates and they clicked well. Pretty soon, he was falling fast and she could tell.

It was like magic the way they clicked. They had the same tastes, the same hobbies, the same feeling about the war and Marley. They fit together like a puzzle and clicked so well that she could tell he was falling hard with every date.

Of course, none of it was luck. She knew him like the back of her hand. Zeke had made sure that she knew everything there was to know about him before she had left Paradis. She had studied him as if he were material for a major exam and had memorized everything.

She was his dream girl thanks to repeated efforts to mold herself to his tastes.

Finally, after maybe a month of dates, he bit the bullet. Blushing and showing up to one date with a bouquet of flowers she was certain Pieck had chosen for him, he asked her to be his girlfriend.

Making her eyes water on command, she had thrown her arms around his neck in reply and that was that.

- - -

Once she had managed to reel him in, she scored big.

Having a Warrior at her side was just the thing she needed to collect intel on Marley. Porco trusted her implicitly and thought nothing about telling her about his job. He made offhanded comments about some of the things he did for the military and thought nothing of the questions she asked. In his mind, she was just his loving girlfriend eager to learn more about his day.

She catalogued everything he said and kept a journal of information tucked underneath her bed. When he would leave after a long day together, she’d scribble down new secrets gained and walk towards the rendezvous location.

There, she would bump into a mysterious man on accident and slip the piece of paper from the notebook into his jacket as she apologized. The man, Jean, would pretend not to recognize her as he accepted the intel and would move aside.

Then, she would go about her day as if nothing had happened and be back at her home when Porco had returned from a long day of military training.

Exhausted, he would spill more secrets into her ear and ignore the way she always seemed a little too eager for him to share. Confident in his trust of her, his guard was down and he never put two and two together.

It was a shame really, his trust would only prove his undoing.

- - -

She hit the major jackpot when he forgot his lunch for the day. He had spent the night over and had woken up late. Forgetting to grab something to take with him, he had dashed out the door and left for his military training before she could remind him.

She had waited for him to return for something yet was relieved when she realized he hadn’t remembered. That gave her the perfect opening.

Preparing his favorite dish, the one Yelena had made Niccolo teach her over and over again back in Paradis to make sure she got the flavor just right, she had made her way to the military headquarters.

As a nurse, none of the stationed soldiers gave her a second glance as she walked inside the compound. When she asked to enter the wing where the Warriors trained, the men seemed more hesitant however. Still, a soft smile and some batted eyelashes worked their charm.

It is the weakness of men to consider women weak. They underestimated her ability and let her in easily. Her charm had managed to lower their guards.

They pointed her towards the area where the Warriors trained and let her freely walk there.

Zeke met her at the door. Sweat covered his brow as he panted from the workout he had just finished. He walked right past her as if he didn’t knew her and she pretended not to know him too.

To an outsider, it would have looked just like two complete strangers walking past each other to different destinations. A coincidental meet with nothing out of the ordinary.

However, the outsider would have missed the way Zeke’s hand had pointed to the left behind his back. Without glancing back, he had indicated where she could find Porco to help her in her quest.

She followed his directions down a corridor to the left and was rewarded with Porco.

His back to her, he was talking to some kids with yellow armbands. Warrior candidates.

She recognized them from the files she had memorized in Paradis.

Colt and Falco Grice.

At the sight of her, the eldest, Colt, frowned. “Nurse?”

He tilted his head wondering who had gotten injured and Porco turned. Surprise registered in his gaze for half a second before he extended a hand towards her. Affection replaced the shock and he nodded at her.

“What are you doing here?” He took the offered lunch from her hands, and she saw that he looked like he had been sweating. His face was flushed and he was wearing what looked like a combat uniform. It seemed like they had just wrapped up practice because the two candidates behind him were just as tired.

“You forgot your lunch, so I figured I’d bring you one,” she looked past Porco to the two boys still staring dumbfounded, “There’s plenty for you too, guys. I know how hard you all are working.”

The eldest one stumbled out a thank you as his cheeks flush. His younger brother thanked her with a charming smile.

Porco opened the bag and saw his favorite. His eyes lit up, but he cleared the emotion from his expression when he realized he was still in public. He handed the two boys their share of what was in a clear container then motioned for her to follow him alone down another corridor.

The room he led her to seemed like a break room. There were water bottles set up for the candidates and some tables. He plopped down and motioned for her to join him.

“How’d you know this was my favorite?” He popped a piece of the food in his mouth.

She smiled.

“Lucky guess.”

She was grateful Yelena had made her repeat the recipe until she could do it with her eyes closed. It seemed she had nailed the taste and Porco’s guard had fallen. He’d been letting her in more and more. If she had to guess, he’d become putty in her hands.

“You look tired,” she brushed some of his hair that had gotten stuck to his forehead, “No rest for the wicked? I thought they’d let you all take a break after the war.”

He hummed irritated.

“Nope. The candidates are back to competing. Colt, the oldest kid back there, has his spot set for the Beast Titan, but the other Titans are up in the air. I think Gabi Braun might become the Armored if she keeps it up.”

Gabi Braun.

She let the name flit around her head until she attached information to it. Zeke had mentioned that Reiner might be passing on his titan to his cousin.

Her lips pressed together. She was never close with Reiner back when he and the others were in Paradis. She was friends with Jean and Sasha, but the rest of their friends never truly became hers. That’s why Zeke had selected her for the mission. She was someone the others trusted, but not someone that would be recognized by Reiner the moment he laid eyes on her.

Still, none of this is the information she needed. She tried to think of another way to ask Porco for more intel. There had to be something he knew that Zeke didn’t. Something that can give some insight into what Marley had planned-

The door opened behind them. For a moment, she stilled panicked that it’s Reiner. Her hair color has been changed and cut and her eyes are a different color through the help of contact lenses, but she wasn’t sure the disguise would hold up. He might just recognize her at a glance-

“Pieck?” Porco raised an eyebrow at the new person.

A young woman supporting herself on a crutch hobbled inside the room. She offered Porco a smile of greeting then her eyes settled on her.

Pieck Finger, she realized. She knew a lot about her too. Zeke’s words replayed in her mind.

“Pieck Finger. She’s the current holder of the Cart Titan. Be careful with her. She seems friendly and polite when you meet her, but she’s clever and quick on her feet. She’ll smile at you in greeting all while suspecting you. Don’t be too over excited to be her friend. Just let her naturally come to trust you.”

Pieck’s eyes lit up and the smile that graced her face is rehearsed. Even as the girl grinned and joined them, she could sense that she was being picked apart. Clever as she was, Pieck had already started suspecting her.

“Is this the girl you’ve been going on about?” Pieck called her name and extended her hand.

She introduced herself and gave Pieck a polite smile. She hoped she seemed shy and awestruck. After all, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a regular Eldian to be nervous when meeting a Warrior.

Porco ate the last of the food and introduced the two of them. He explained a little bit about how they met and Pieck paid rapt attention. A little too much attention.

She tried not to appear nervous as she felt her gaze. Hopefully she would be able to throw Pieck off her trail. Zeke had offered to help out if she gave the word.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she offered Pieck a warm smile.

Pieck returned it and leaned against her crutch. She seemed exhausted, more so than the others, and she recalled what Zeke and Yelena had informed her. Pieck’s titan moved on four feet. Because she was so used to spending months on end in titan form, returning to walking on two feet was always taxing.

Remembering that her cover was a nurse, she stood. “Are you in pain? I can get some ice.”

Pieck waved her away and eased herself into a chair. Her leg stretched out and she rubbed at her knee. “Getting used to walking on two legs, that’s all. If I had it my way, I’d just crawl everywhere.”

“She would,” Porco scoffed, “She scared the shit out of me the other day. I caught her crawling across the floor. For a second I thought she was an overgrown bug.”

“Ha, ha.”

Pieck turned away from Porco with a roll of her eyes and trained her gaze on her. The little spark of suspicion was there again. Zeke wasn’t kidding when he had said she was clever.

“I didn’t know you were a nurse. You look a little young to have completed the training already.”

The question was innocent and her voice casual. Still, she noted the inquiring tone there.

Porco isn’t someone who let others in easily. If he had suddenly brought in a girl into his life and let her in to the military headquarters, it’d be bound to raise some eyebrows. Pieck seemed suspicious although she wasn’t sure if it was because the girl was naturally slow to trust or if maybe her cover had already been found out.

“My mother was a nurse,” she answered finally, “She taught me some things. I managed to pass my certification with her help a year ago.”

“Was?” Pieck tilted her head and her gaze was now sympathetic.

She’d read Pieck’s file. Pieck had a sick father who she was supporting through the Warrior program. She was partial to those who knew what that was like to lose a parent.

She lowered her gaze to the table and feigned some sadness. “Was. She passed last year. An illness. The doctors refused to treat an Eldian.”

Quiet.

Porco bit his lip and anger burned in his gaze. Pieck had been reminded of her own father and the suspicion that had previously lurked disappeared replaced by empathy.

“I’m so sorry. I know what that feels like,” she closed her eyes, “My dad is ill too. I became a Warrior to help him.”

She nodded her head and pretended to brush away a tear. There came more quiet where no one knew what to say.

Suddenly, from outside, they heard two voices. The first she recognized as Zeke. The next made her tense.

That voice. It had been years, but she could recognize it anywhere. Reiner.

Nervousness clawed at the pit of her stomach. Her disguise was good, but it woud not have held up on closer examination. Reiner may not have been all that close with her all those years ago, but he would have been able to recognize her.

Porco glanced at the clock and groaned. “Looks like we have to get back to training. Do you want me to walk you back to the hospital?”

She shook her head just as Pieck stood up. “No, it’s fine.”

The voices grew closer. She could imagine Zeke trying to lead Reiner away, surely Colt and Falco had told them that the three of them were in there. However, she wasn’t sure she’d be out in time.

An idea sparked in her and she turned to Pieck.

“Sorry, Pieck, is there a bathroom nearby?”

Pieck glanced at her. “Sure, I’ll take you.”

She waved goodbye to Porco and followed Pieck as she limped down the hallway. They passed by a smaller set of rooms where she could see the back of Reiner’s head.

A sigh of relief left her when she realized she hadn’t been spotted by them. Pieck nodded to a door at the end of the corridor and offered her a friendly smile.

“There you go.”

She waved her hand and went back to where the other Warriors were. That time, her movements had been genuine. Whatever suspicion she had, had earlier had been erased. It seemed the little lie about her mother had earned her enough sympathy points to overcome whatever alarm bells had been ringing in her mind.

For some reason, a prickle of guilt had filled her as she bypassed the bathroom and left out a side door.

- - -

Some few days later, Porco had been in bed next to her. His hand had run through his hair and he’d tried to fight off sleep. He had been exhausted, they both were, and he slumped against her frame.

“Staying here again?” She lifted the blanket higher on his torso.

He glanced out the window and saw the dark outside. “Too dark to walk. That’s okay, right?”

She gave him a kiss in response and he smirked into it. He almost looked like he could go for another round, but ultimately his exhaustion won out. Reaching over, he flicked the lamp off and darkness filled the room.

“Goodnight,” she told him. She heard him whisper it back although his voice was muffled through the blanket.

The good thing about exhausting Porco was that he went out like a light afterwords. He fell asleep easily once he’d been tired out and became dead to the world.

She only had to wait a few minutes until his soft snores had filled the room.

She counted to 100 in her mind then stood up. While the information he had relayed to her had still been fresh in her mind, she scribbled it down on her journal. Then, she glanced back to verify that he was still asleep before slipping out into the night.

- - -

Jean waited for her at the usual place. His form overlooked the pier, and he accepted the journal page from her. He he slipped it into his pocket as she leaned over the rail.

“You’re doing okay, right? No one has suspected a thing?” He examined her out of the corner of his eye.

She ran a hand through her disheveled hair and hoped the love bites Porco left on her neck weren’t too obvious. A part of her always filled with guilt whenever she saw them in the morning although she was never sure why.

If he could tell what she had been up to, he did her the favor of not mentioning it.

“He’s not giving me anything really. He knows what Zeke knows and that’s it. Marley isn’t dividing up intel between the Warriors. They’re all briefed on the same thing,” she sighed.

Jean huffed and shoved his hands in his pocket. “You’re telling me. I’m not getting anywhere either. I can’t find the little suicidal maniac anywhere, and I’m sick of following random soldiers around. Maybe there isn’t much intel to be gained here.”

They grew quiet, and she bit her lip. Frustration gnawed at her coupled with something else. It pricked her and filled her with a sense of exhaustion.

It had been weeks and she’d gotten nowhere. Porco had completely fallen for her, he spent every waking moment with her, and Pieck teased him about how much he mentioned her in conversation. However, she hadn’t getting anything out of it. He hadn’t known anything more than what Paradis already knew, and she hadn’t been close enough to Pieck to question her.

It almost felt like all the scheming and lying was for nothing. The thought made her stomach turn.

There’s been a change in her, she knew. She’d been more hesitant to lie. When Porco asked about her mother, wanting to know about how a sick nurse could have been rejected by a doctor, she had felt the lie weigh on her. A mad thought had filled her, and she had almost broken down crying. For some reason, using him just didn’t feel like some exciting secret anymore.

Luckily, he thought her tears were a result of grief for her fictional mother and dropped the matter. Still, that had been close. For a second she had worried she would break character.

“I’m tired, Jean,” she closed her eyes, “Should I just go back to Paradis? It doesn’t feel like it’s worth it.”

Jean examined her and his jaw clenched. “What’s not worth it?”

Being away from home, having to watch every word she said in case she accidentally blew her cover, lying to Porco.

“I just want to go home. Don’t you get homesick?”

Jean sighed and closed his eyes. “I get what you mean. Hang in there, though. You’re doing great so far. You may not have a lot of top secrets to report, but Hange says your information has been really beneficial. They know how many fleets are in the military and where they’re kept. Galliard may not have Zeke’s top secret clearance, but he knows enough. Hopefully he’ll unlock Marcel’s memories soon and give us more.”

She bit her cheek. Porco had only unlocked Ymir’s memories so far, and those hadn’t been useful. He learned some things about Paradis and it’s military, but it wasn’t anything that put them at a disadvantage.

Thankfully, she had never been close to Ymir, so Porco never recognized her from the memories. Her identity remained a secret.

She glanced at the skyline. The stars had been bright and she realized she’d been out too long.

“Gotta go,” she shoved her hands in her pockets, “Before Pock wakes up.”

Jean froze and turns to look at her. “Pock?”

She stopped too. The nickname had just fallen out of her mouth. She could only imagine it was Pieck rubbing off on her.

“Must’ve slipped,” she rubbed her lip.

“Don’t,” Jean’s gaze was a warning in itself, “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

She knew the answer. It was written plainly on his face. His arms crossed and his jaw tightened. She felt like she was being scolded.

“Don’t get too close. You’re a spy not a lover. Don’t forget your place. Once this whole place gets attacked, he’ll try to kill you. If you get too close, you just might hesitate on defending yourself.”

- - -

She realized too late that she should have listened to Jean. After that night, her cover became harder and harder to keep. It seemed like every time she had to lie, the words got caught in her throat. Maintaining her cover became more difficult.

A few days after that conversation, she made her first mistake.

Or, as Zeke would call it, strike one.

It had been nighttime and sleep wouldn’t grace her. She’d stared up at the ceiling running over every interaction between her and the others. Her teeth had clamped on her bottom lip as she realized that she’d let them get too close.

By then, she’d befriended some of the Warrior Candidates. The kids were adorable when they teased Porco about his girlfriend, and she had found herself wanting to make them some sweets as she had watched them train. The idea hadn’t come out of a desire to get intel. It had just sprung up suddenly without cause or motivation.

The thought that maybe she was in too deep filled her with fear. Jean was right to scold her. She felt herself getting too close to the abyss.

Now she wasn’t quite sure if Porco had fallen into her web, or if she’d been caught in his.

Still, she had no time to dwell on it. Suddenly, Porco had jerked up next to her. A harsh gasp left his throat and he clutched at it. Panic rolled off him in waves and he swung himself out of bed.

A nightmare. He’d get those a lot. He often woke up screaming and bathed in sweat.

He bent over the bed as he caught his breath. She flicked the lamp on and called his name.

Wearily, he recovered. His breathing was harsh and some sweat ran down his forehead, but he ambled back into bed. He’d left a water glass for himself on the nightstand and downed it in one gulp.

“A nightmare?”

She ran her hand down his back without thinking about it. The movement had been performed as an instinct. It wasn’t a part of some grand scheme to manipulate him or keep her cover.

The thought worried her, but she shoved it aside.

Porco ran a hand through his face. She knew he hated being seen like this, but he’d learned to trust her. He eased into her touch and groaned.

“My brother. I saw that girl’s memories again. She ate him. I can’t get it out of my head,” he clutched at his temples.

Ymir. He was referring to Ymir’s memories. Ymir had been the Titan to consume Marcel all those years ago. It must have been torture for him to have to relive it over and over again.

“Want to talk about it?”

She knew the answer was no. He would much rather pretend it never happened and curl back into bed. Still, she asked him automatically.

As she predicted, he shook his head.

“Nah, sorry to wake you,” he raised the blanket back over himself and closed his eyes.

“Try to think of the good memories with Marcel instead, yeah?”

She didn’t realize she’d said anything wrong until she felt Porco tense next to her. She blinked for a moment before the color drained from her face.

Marcel

Porco had never once told her his name before. He always referred to him as his brother, but had never given a name.

She supposed maybe she could get him to believe that the names of the Warriors were well known to everyone, but she had already lied before that she didn’t know the other Warriors. She had feigned not knowing who Reiner and Zeke were before in a conversation earlier, so she doubted he would believe she now knew the names of the Warriors from town gossip.

“How did you know he was named Marcel?”

Porco’s eyes scanned her. For a second, there’d been a spark of something suspicious. It looked like he’d been tensing up, and she imagined his natural inclination to be weary of people was rising.

She feigned being nonchalant as she lifted the blanket to her chin. Faking sleepiness, she yawned.

“You call his name in your sleep a lot. Whenever you have nightmares, you scream it.”

She was glad her voice sounded normal because her heart was pounding in her chest. If he didn’t buy that, her cover might be blown.

She could feel him staring at her. The gears were working in his head, and she could imagine the internal battle. He didn’t sleep talk, years of sleeping in the barracks would have given it away if he did, but he wanted to believe her.

Guilt gnawed at her as she realized that he really did want to believe her. He trusted her, cared for her, and told himself that she was credible.

The suspicion faded from his eyes as the love in him won out against the warning signs. He eased back into bed and curled an arm around her waist. Nuzzling into her, he closed his eyes.

“Sorry, I didn’t know I talk in my sleep. I hope I don’t wake you.”

She didn’t relax until after his breathing against her neck had evened out. Once he’d slipped into the realm of sleep, she squeezed her eyes shut.

She’d messed up, and the thought filled her with dread. She would have never made a mistake like that before, so why now? Why was it suddenly growing harder to keep the charade going?

She slumped against his form and squeezed her hands into a fist. She needed to be more careful from now on.

- - -

Strike two happened some days later. She and Porco had gone to the pier to watch the kids train. Pieck had been waiting for them when they arrived.

Gabi was competing with Falco for the lead while Udo and Zofia hung back. Pieck laughed quietly to herself as Porco leaned against the rail.

“Think she’ll win?” Pieck asked.

“Doesn’t she always?” Porco responded.

He yawned into his hand. Lately, his nightmares had been troubling him more and more. Between Ymir’s memories and the stress of having lived through the Mid-East War, there was always some vision that tormented him.

“I’m way too tired. I should go get some coffee,” he groaned.

“Get me one too?” Pieck blinked up at him.

“I didn’t offer to buy you one-”

“Buy us some, Pock? Please?” She helped Pieck beg.

Stuck between the two of them, Porco groaned. He fished around for his wallet, made sure he had enough, and scoffed.

“Fine. I’ll buy YOU one, but Pieck has to pay me back later for hers.”

Pieck laughed quietly and called him mean. He offered her a rude gesture as he walked away in search for a coffee place.

Once he was gone, Pieck was quiet once more. The kids had finished and Gabi had pulled through again. Falco dropped down and panted as Zofia and Udo joined him.

“She’s good. I think she’ll inherit her cousin’s titan eventually. The Brauns are really proud,” she leaned against the rail.

“I can’t imagine it’s easy though. Knowing that your daughter or niece is going to take over her cousin. It must be hard,” she rested her chin on her hand.

Pieck sighed quietly. “It is, but being an Honorary Marleyan is worth it. I’m surprised you never joined the Warrior Program. I’ve seen you run and carry heavy boxes. You’re strong and could have made it far.”

She ground her teeth and hoped that Pieck hadn’t caught on to the fact that she had military training. She wasn’t a war nurse, so she wouldn’t be able to excuse why she was strong. Maybe she’d have to let Porco carry a few heavy things in the future. She should let herself appear weaker.

“My parents didn’t want me to.”

Pieck raised an eyebrow. “Your parents missed out on a chance to get citizenship? Why’s that?”

Without thinking, she sighed. “My mother would have hated the idea of me joining the military. She only ever wanted me to be safe. She was squeamish about blood and would have hated imagining me covered in it had she been alive to see it.”

She thought back to her real mother. The woman that died in Shinganshina would have hated that her daughter became a soldier for the Corps. All she ever wanted was for her to daughter to live a peaceful life as a seamstress just like she had been. If she could see her daughter now, she’d be appalled.

Pieck was quiet for a second and a frown crossed her features. She realized too late her mistake and stilled her movements.

“Blood made her squeamish? I thought she was a nurse?” She turned to her and the suspicion that had previously been erased sparked back to life. “And you talked about her in the past tense when you would have been offered to be a Warrior as a kid. I thought she died last year?”

“I-”

Her brain stopped working and she tried to come up with some excuse. She needed lie that would make the suspicion die down. Her thoughts were in disarray and she panicked.

In the end, she never got a chance. Porco returned with three coffees and grumbled about how he was sure the barista over charged him. He passed them out to the two of them and eyed them.

Pieck was still looking at her with weariness, and she’d tried not to let her fear show.

“Did something happen?” Porco gazed at her with concern.

It was Pieck who recovered first. She raised her coffee to her lips and looked away towards where the kids had started running again. She dropped the matter although she was sure she hadn’t forgotten her little slip up.

“Nothing, but I should head back. Don’t forget we have a meeting.”

She waved goodbye and left.

She watched her go and felt dread pool at her stomach. Zeke had warned her to be careful near Pieck. She was clever and would pick up on stuff if she wasn’t careful.

Strike two.

- - -

Strike three came two weeks later. Porto dropped something and searched underneath her bed for it. His hands groped blindly for the item when he suddenly stopped.

Her heart froze in her chest when he pulls out her journal.

He raised an eyebrow and got cocky grin. “What is this? Your diary or something?”

Before she could stop him, he cracked it open.

She dove for it, but he snatched it up and raised it over his head. He was taller than her and he laughed as she jumped. She tried to get to it, but he would only bring it up higher the more she struggled.

“Are you that embarrassed to let me read it? What, is it full of your fantasies?” He laughed.

Panic filled her and she turned on him.

“Give it back!”

Her voice came out harsher than she intended. The fear in her stomach had turned to lead, and her tone sounded cold.

Porco stopped and realized that she was serious. He lowered his hand and handed her the journal back. “Woah, I was kidding. I wouldn’t really invade your privacy like that. You okay?”

She huffed and shoved the journal back under the bed. Her ears burned and she felt like crying from the residual panic.

She had been so close to getting her cover blown. She hadn’t had time to rendezvous with Jean yet, so the previous few notes she’d collected were still tucked inside. If he had read them-

She shivered and turned to him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell,” she let a tear slip down and was grateful when she saw him soften at the sight, “It’s just that I’ve had my journals read before and it’s a violation of privacy.”

She sniffed again and he wiped the tear away. He wasn’t one to openly show affection, but she knew that her tears were a good way to get him to soften. It felt awful to manipulate him in that way, but everything about the mission had felt awful for a while.

“I wouldn’t have actually read it,” he looked away, “I was just messing around.”

She nodded and decided to let the matter drop. Turning away, she offered to make them both dinner.

He accepted the change in conversation and went back to his search for his missing item.

As she left the room, she missed when he calls her name. One of the loose sheets of paper had fallen out of the journal in the kerfuffle. He picked it up to hand it back to her, but she was already gone.

Sighing, he intended to shove it under the bed with the journal when he spotted his name on it. Confused, he unrolled it and glanced at its contents. Inside was a collection of notes regarding troop placements.

Confusion and something cold filled him and he shoved it into his pocket intending to look at it more closely later.

From the kitchen, she missed the way his eyes seemed to darken.

Strike three. You’re out.

- - -

She met with Jean that day and decided to give him the entire journal. The fear of almost being found out had left a bad taste in her mouth. To make matters worse, Porco had been acting off all afternoon. Rather than spending the night like he usually did, he had left mumbling something about a late night meeting with the other Warriors. She hadn’t been sure if he had forgiven her for yelling yet.

Jean took the journal with a raised eyebrow.

“All of it? You don’t want to keep writing notes?” He slipped it into the inside of his coat.

She rubbed at her arms and shook her head. “He almost read it, Jean. I managed to take it in time, but what if he had read it? Our cover would have been blown. I’ve never been that scared before.”

Jean hissed under his breath. He pinched the bridge of his nose and his voice grew cold.

“Be more fucking careful next time! If he had read it, all of this would have been over. You have any idea what they’ll do to you if they find out? What he’ll do to you?”

“He wouldn’t hurt me,” she spilled it out without thinking.

Jean openly gaped at her and she paled.

“I mean-”

“Fuck, listen to yourself. Are you sure you’re not the one wrapped around his finger?” Jean kicked at the pier in frustration, “This is getting too bad. You almost got caught and now you’re in over your head. The last thing we need is you turning coats because you caught feelings.”

“I didn’t!” She hissed it at him and hit him in the arm hard.

She wasn’t sure why she lashed out, but the pent up anger and fear from before suddenly rushed out. She hit him again and hissed into his ear. “Stop doubting me. I’m a soldier same as you. Don’t underestimate me.”

He shoved her arms to the side and pinned them down. His arms held her steady and she was suddenly pinned into his embrace. His gaze burned with rage and a warning.

“Yeah, well act like a soldier. Stop letting him get too close and stop forgetting what you’re here for. Get the intel and that’s it. No more dates or fantasizing. Don’t forget why we’re here and be more fucking careful next time.”

He let her go and she rubbed at her arms in anxiety. “I’m sorry for hitting you.”

“Whatever,” he shrugged off her apology, “Just don’t lose your head. Your life is on the line. Paradis is on the line. Don’t forget that. Don’t let your feelings cloud your judgement.”

She stared after him as he left. Her eyes burned and she felt some tears run down her face. He was right and she knew it.

She was on a mission. This wasn’t a game. Her life was on the line, and her home would pay the price if she failed. This wasn’t some romance novel. If her cover was blown, she was sure Porco wouldn’t hesitate to turn her in.

Her hands covered her eyes and she leaned against the railing of the pier. The wind blew her hair back. She stayed there thinking about everything and how it was all going wrong-

And she never noticed the girl staring from yards away with pursed lips.

- - -

A hand suddenly yanked her into a room, and she almost screamed. The only thing that kept her from shrieking was the hand that clamped her mouth shut.

Someone made a ‘shushing’ sound. Their finger pressed to their lips and she blinked.

Zeke.

She shoved him off shocked. “The hell are you doing? What if someone saw?”

They were in the military headquarters. She came to meet Porco for lunch when suddenly she was abducted.

Zeke had yanked her into some sort office. He shook his head and locked the door. His face was tense.

“We had a meeting earlier in my office. I left afterwords to deliver some paperwork and heard talking when I got back. It was Pieck and Porco. Something happened.”

Dread filled her.

“What?” She breathed out the word and knew what he was going to say before he said it.

“Pieck saw you last night with a man. She told Porco he had you in an embrace. She’s concerned you haven’t been honest with them,” he plopped down on a chair, “Something about your mother too?”

Grinding her teeth, she felt a sense of dread.

Jean. Pieck had seen her with Jean. She felt lightheaded as she realized that. Did she overhear their conversation too or just spot them from a distance? Either way, this was really bad.

“And what did Porco say?”

“He told her she was wrong. Sounded like he was trying to convince himself though. I couldn’t hear more than that because Colt called my name and gave my presence away. Once they heard I was back, they stopped talking. I don’t know what else they know, but I think you’re cover is breaking.”

He seemed irritated as he pushed his glasses up.

“I thought you were more careful? We trained you for months. What happened?”

She ran a hand through her hair. She knew exactly what had been happening and it frightened her. Jean had been right this entire time. This mission had been messing with her head in ways she never imagined. She needed to get out of Marley as soon as possible.

Ignoring Zeke, she opened the door to the office. Taking a step forward, she spotted Porco stalking angrily through the halls. His face was flushed in irritation and he clenched his fists in his pockets.

“Pock?” She called out to him and closed the door behind her. Hopefully, Zeke would get the message and know to stay inside. They shouldn’t be seen together considering they hadn’t formally met before.

Porco stopped at her voice and spun around. Something passed through his eyes, something cold, and she tensed. A fight or flight instinct rose in her. If he’d caught on to things already, this was really bad.

But the moment passed quickly, and his arm draped around her shoulder.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“Came to invite you to lunch,” she replied.

She tried to steer him away from the room. He glanced behind the door in thought.

A ball of fear sank in her stomach. She’d had no idea that he was outside the hall when she stepped out. Hopefully he hadn’t seen what room she emerged from.

She found herself talking in order to fill the silence. “There’s a restaurant you like around the corner right? We should eat there?”

He blinked slowly. “Yeah, how’d you know? Have I ever taken you there?”

“Pieck told me,” she lied. She didn’t wait for him, she took his hand and tugged him behind her. Her thoughts were buzzing in her head, and she clamped her teeth down on her tongue.

Zeke had been right. She was trained for this mission, so why did she keep making stupid mistakes? At what point did she stop being the confident spy?

As they left, she heard the door open behind them. Zeke emerged fixing the collar of his shirt.

Behind her, she saw Porco turn around. When his eyes landed on Zeke’s retreating figure, he tensed. She and Zeke hadn’t been introduced yet. There was no reason for the two of them to have been in the same room together.

She waited for him to ask, to question, but he never did. Instead, he turned back around and moved in front of her. He let her lead him away to that favorite restaurant of his that she had no way of knowing about. His gaze the entire time was full of distrust, but he never voiced it out.

Still, she felt the widening distance between them and held back her wince. Jean and Zeke were right. Her cover was cracking.

- - -

She waited for Porco to initiate a conversation. The entire day she’d felt the gap between them widening. He felt tense and kept glancing at her almost as if he wanted to gear himself up to ask her something.

But the confrontation never came. Instead, he let her ramble about her day and responded with small snippets of conversation. In the end, they returned to her home and he let her lead him to her room.

When they made love, something felt off. His thoughts were a million miles away from her, and he seemed distracted. His movements felt robotic, and she couldn’t help but notice the walls he’d slowly brought up.

The conversation with Pieck had done a number on him. She knew he was desperate to ask about the mysterious man she had embraced. He also probably wondered about a million other things that didn’t fit, mistakes she’d made that would give anyone pause, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak them out loud. Perhaps he thought that, if he said something, it would make everything more real.

She almost wished he would say something. Even if it meant that her cover was exposed and she had to flee, she figured anything was better than this uncomfortable chasm that had widened between them.

Still, he never said anything. He slept with her the way he had in the past and only ever said her name in the heights of pleasure. Even though he couldn’t bring himself to look at her in the eyes, he kept his mouth shut.

The only time that night that he spoke was when he reached his limit. Groaning as he finished, he presses a harsh kiss to her lips. Then he sounded out something that made her blood freeze.

“I love you.”

Three little words and her world fell apart. He’d never said it before. She never imagined he’d be the type to say it.

As he started to drift off exhausted, she ran a hand through her hair. Her heart was racing, and there was an awful pain somewhere in her chest. She felt like crying but fought it off.

After he’d fallen asleep, she put her head in her hands.

“I love you too, Pock.”

With growing horror, she realized she was telling the truth.

- - -

He didn’t bring it back up again. She wondered if he even remembered saying it. Maybe it had slipped out in a moment of pleasure, and he didn’t really mean it.

She wasn’t sure which alternative she preferred. The one where Porco loved her or the one where he had just said it on instinct in the middle of sex. Both made her feel sick.

The festival came faster than it should. The kids laughed and had fun as they raced from stall to stall.

The Warriors had separated into groups. She and Porco had joined Pieck to walk along the displays while Reiner had gone with the kids. She was glad that Porco in his possessiveness had not wanted them to meet. She wasn’t sure whether Reiner would recognize her or not, and she couldn’t risk it with Pieck around.

Pieck had grown distant. Gone was the friendly girl who smiled and laughed. After seeing her with Jean that night she had been openly suspicious.

The thought made her nervous. Best case scenario, Pieck just thought she was unfaithful. Worse case scenario, however, she knew she was lying about who she was. Still, both options were awful.

“Wanna try those foods over there?” Porco nodded at the booth selling something that smelt spicy and exotic. The name of it was in some language she didn’t know.

“Sure, we can eat them by the music area,” Pieck hummed.

Porco offered to go buy them some of it and left. Left alone with Pieck, she shifted uncomfortably.

Pieck eyed another stand nearby selling some dessert. It was covered in chocolate and strawberries. It looked good and was within their price range.

“We should get some of that too. It isn’t every day Liberio has a festival,” Pieck motioned for her to join.

“Anything catch your eye?” She asked Pieck. The booth had individually wrapped each sweet and had a flavor tag in front displaying the various kinds. There were berries and nuts and a bunch of other little toppings that they could choose from.

“What do you think Pock would like? Does he have any allergies?” Pieck glanced at her.

She thought back to the file that she read in Paradis.

“Nuts, I think.”

Pieck hummed and grabbed the one with nuts anyway. When she gave her a questioning glance, she realized Pieck’s eyes had turned cold. She’d failed some type of test, and she realized it too late.

“Really? Because I saw him eat some walnuts the other day. Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure he outgrew that allergy years ago. I don’t know why he would mention it to you now.”

She froze.

The file Zeke gave her must not have been up to date. Some kids outgrew allergies as they grew older. The stupid Marleyan record keepers must not have known to update Porco‘s file once he was an adult.

“Really? I thought he mentioned it earlier,” she tried to sound nonchalant.

It did nothing to help her. This time, Pieck had completely turned cold. Her eyes were harsh and she took a step forward.

“How did your mother really die? Your file at the hospital doesn’t make sense. The name listed under her doesn’t exist-”

“You looked through my file?” Her voice sounded faraway.

Pieck glanced to the side. Porco was returning with the food. Her cold gaze disappeared replaced by something that looked friendly yet false.

“We should join Pock before he eats our share too,” she replied. She slipped a hand around her shoulder and led her away.

She didn’t miss the quiet little whisper Pieck offered her way as they walked. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

“Don’t be mad at me for looking through your file. After all, you looked through mine.”

- - -

She found Jean at the rendezvous location that night. She grabbed onto his arm in panic. He startled and his eyes widened.

“What happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

“My cover’s blown. The Cart Titan is smarter than we thought. She’s guessed I’m lying. I need to leave Marley before she tells the military.”

Jean swore.

“Ok, ok, I can send a letter to the Scouts. We can send you back in a few days from now. Just wait until Tybur’s speech. Eren sent a letter and told us he plans to attack Liberio then. Just wait for the zeppelin to pass by. I’ll get someone to send you some ODM gear and you can use it to shoot yourself up. Just play everything normal.”

She pressed her hands to her face.

“Pieck found out. I fucked up. She was already starting to trust me, but then I opened my mouth. I bet she’s already told the others.”

Jean glanced around them. The pier looked empty, but they shouldn’t hang around too often.

“Just relax, alright? As long as the Marleyan soldiers don’t pound down your door, you’ll be fine. Just a few more days. In the meantime, just avoid her.”

He shoved his hands in his pocket and turned to leave.

She watched him go and felt like vomiting. Her mission had fallen apart, and she was terrified of what was coming. Either she would be dragged out by soldiers in the morning, or she would have to wait for an attack that would kill many civilians.

Frightened, she realized Porco would fight in that attack too. As a Warrior, he would be there when his people were killed. Would he realize then that Pieck was right? Realize that she had been a spy this whole time? Would it hurt him the way it was hurting her?

Once upon a time, she wanted to break him and the other Eldians just like they had broken through Wall Maria. She wanted them to hurt as much as she had hurt when her family had been killed in Shinganshina.

But now, with the rage fading to a dull roar and a searing pain in her chest taking its place, she couldn’t help but feel like the only thing she had managed to break was her own heart.

- - -

He was awake when she returned to her home. The lamp light was turned on as she entered the room. He blinked sleepily at her and cleared his throat to rid his vocal chords of sleep.

“Where were you? I woke up from a nightmare and you were gone. You didn’t answer when I called your name,” he eyed her.

She kicked off her shoes under the bed.

“I was getting some water downstairs. Sorry, I didn’t hear you,” she replied.

He didn’t believe her. She knew it when she looked at him. Her hair was disheveled from the wind, her shoes had sand from the pier, and her skin smelt like saltwater. He didn’t believe her-

But he wanted to.

She saw how he closed his eyes and let himself believe her. Every instinct of his warned him that she was lying, surely Pieck had warned him a thousand times too, but his heart triumphed over his brain. He accepted the lie from her and let it cloud his judgement.

Easing himself back into bed, he let out a soft sigh that sounded defeated and pained. Her heart gave a lurch.

“Yeah, yeah, maybe I was wrong.”

As he fell back asleep, she knew he didn’t just mean about her whereabouts.

- - -

Tybur’s speech came before she realized it. Jean had warned her not to stay for it. A day earlier, Yelena had stopped by dressed as a Marleyan soldier and provided her a black uniform and ODM gear. Everything was in place for her escape and Liberio’s attack.

The Warriors had been invited to the speech. It was a grand affair with many dignitaries from foreign nations joining. Porco grumbled as he put on his uniform claiming that he felt like Willy Tybur’s little circus monkey. It was obvious he meant to parade the big and terrifying Eldian Warriors for all the world to see.

She wasn’t allowed to sit with him at the speech which was a relief. The Warriors had their own section separate with the military. As a civilian nurse, her row of seats was far away from his.

They arrived to the locale as more people had started to sit down. There was chatter and buzz as people arrived.

Porco stopped halfway to the Warrior section and ran a hand through his hair. She glimpsed past him and saw the other Warriors already there. Zeke lounged in his seat looking bored while Pieck played with Zofia and the other candidates.

“I’ll see you after the speech, right?”

His voice was quiet, unusual for him, and she wondered if maybe he had a feeling things weren’t what they seemed.

Pieck had pulled him aside yesterday too. Zeke had warned her that they were whispering to each other again. Her cover had been blown wide open. Pieck was sure she was a spy, but hadn’t made a move.

She’s waited for days for the Marley soldiers to come and drag her out kicking and screaming, but no one had shown up. Jean theorized that Pieck was being held at bay by Porco. Maybe he wanted to handle things first before they called in the cavalry.

Still, Porco never confronted her. He just blindly accepted her lies although it looked like his eyes grew more and more suspicious. The way he quietly observed her spoke volumes as to how his trust in her had dwindled.

That hurt more than she would like to admit, and she scolded herself for being such an awful spy.

“Yeah, I’ll see you,” she responded.

She turned to leave, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“I mean it,” his face was serious, “We have to talk. I need to speak to you. It’s really important.”

She swallowed. Those four little words were never good for any relationship. She supposed a fake one wasn’t any different.

“Yeah, okay.”

Suddenly the black uniform she wore under her large overcoat felt like it was suffocating her. With any luck, she’d be gone before he had a chance to realize she was a spy. She didn’t think she could stomach the look of betrayal that would be on his face when he realized it.

“See you then,” he kept searching her eyes for something but let her go.

“Goodbye,” she responded, “I love you, Pock.”

She meant it as she said it, and her own heart broke into a million pieces. He paused as he walked away and she saw his entire body tense. A look of agony flickered in his eyes for half a second before it was cleared away.

He knew now this was the last time they’d ever see each other. She saw him realize it. All of a sudden, his eyes were opened to the truth. Every warning Pieck had given him had just now hit home.

“I love you too,” he closed his eyes and wished it wasn’t true when he said it, “Goodbye.”

- - -

Yelena’s plan failed. She was supposed to lock Pieck and Porco in a trapdoor to keep them from the battle. However, despite all of her warnings about Pieck being clever, she underestimated her.

Pieck caught on to her and suspected her from the beginning. She warned the Panzer squad right before being led into a trap. Her team was able to rescue them both, and they joined the fight.

Still, it was not her problem anymore. She discarded her overcoat somewhere else and her uniform was exposed. The wings of freedom proudly winked in the night light.

She was a scout, a citizen of Paradis, and she had bigger things to worry about. She buried her emotions down somewhere deep inside and readied her ODM gear.

The zeppelin arrived just as Jean had predicted. She took one final look as Liberio burned and steeled herself.

Her hooks shot up and landed on the blimp. She rose into the air.

As she made her ascent, she caught sight of two Titans at the far end of the area. One was a Titan on four legs with tanks on its back. The other was a Titan with streaming hair and a wide jaw.

They both rose their heads as the Scouts zipped along the sky firing thunder spears in their wake. They saw her lifting herself up on the blimp.

Sasha appeared at the entrance and offered her hand. She took it and let herself get pulled up. As she stood, she turned back down to see the two Titans below.

The Cart Titan was glaring openly, her suspicions confirmed. The Jaw Titan was frozen as his world fell apart around him.

She apologized to him in her head and gave him her back. The rest of the Scouts surged to her and asked her if she was okay. She wasn’t, and tears ran down her face much to their shock.

Behind her, she could hear the Jaw Titan’s agonized roar.

[seacottons]

sir kiss me ; — c. san x reader

pairing: choi san x reader

wc: 4.7k

synopsis: if only you knew how much of a monster your soulmate was, you would've never went out of your way to look for him.

notes: circus!au, soulmate!au, magician!san, supernatural beings, violence, drugging, kidnapping, brief unconsented touching.

Nobody knows why or how, but everyone is born with an intangible red string tied around one of their fingers. It's said that the string is connected to one's heart, a figurative extension of the aorta. No one can see any other thread but their own.

It stretches for a few yards and suddenly cuts off, fading away into nothingness.

On the other end of every string is a person's soulmate, and only when the two meet, the other half of the red thread becomes visible.

The red string symbolizes the unification of two intertwined destinies; it is a force so powerful that no one can comprehend the mechanisms of it.

 Every one in this world will meet their soulmate eventually, and when they do, their string becomes as taut as guitar strings, and they have a longing tug in their hearts towards their partner.

You've noticed lately that your red string doesn't dangle in the air as much as it used to before, nor does it pool into a mess when you sit idle. It's become a bit stiff, and you have no idea why. 

You've been living alone in this fairly large town for years, and never has your string come this close to being taut and rigid. 

Not much has changed. Life took its usual mundane path.

The wind undressed all the trees of their gold and red leaves. Wagons in the town's markets were filled with heavy goards and pumpkins, and the scent of fresh bread and roasting chestnuts continued to fill the air.

For that reason, you had a small assumption that maybe it had to do with the sudden, traveling circus appearing in town. Their steam train was parked behind the eastern part of town, the colorful logo of Circus Wonderland standing out amongst the earthy terrain. Advertisements were plastered onto the town's stucco buildings, and no one could miss the the immensely large chapiteau the workers have been setting up for days now. 

You were quick to snag a pass, knowing they'd run out quick with how much the townsfolk craved amusement and entertainment. The opening night was flocked with a large and impressive crowd, but thankfully, you arrived in time to have a seat right up front. 

With the influx of people around and lack of breeze, you felt yourself heating up quite uncomfortably. A whisper of autumn's breeze danced your way with every flap of the tent's curtains as new spectators walked in.

Swallowing nervously, you peered down to your lap, gaze trained on the taut, red string tied around your finger. Your instincts had been right after all. A sudden feeling of uneasiness washed over you.

You hadn't mentally prepared yourself to meet your soulmate. What will you tell them? Will they like you? What if they end up not wanting to be with you? What if you end up not even finding your soulmate in the first place?

A round of applause and cheers filling the arena ripped you from your thoughts. You perked up to see a young ringmaster welcoming the crowd with a charming smile and sweet words, a few strands of blue hair framing his face. 

His voice blared over the microphone in his hand, introducing himself and announcing the next few acts to come, the very first being equestrian demonstrations.

A wave of gasps rushed from the spectators as a sudden herd of horses rushed in from the back of large big top, their braided and bejeweled manes bouncing in the process. Colorful headdresses, bridles, and feather plumes adorned each horse as they all trotted in a uniformed circle around the ring curb with such precision, it left everyone in awe. 

The equestrian master, Mingi- if you recalled the ringmaster's words, stepped onto the center of the ring, beaming quite proudly at all of the horses who bowed their heads to the crowds. He tipped his leather hat at the band in the back to signal the start of his performance, and the dozens of horses instantly snapped into motion. Some galloped with the beat of the drums, while others performed tricks and posed for the starstruck spectators.

The performance came to an end too quickly for your liking, and you subconsciously found yourself clapping enthusiastically at the bowing master and his horses, your jaw slack with wonder and amusement.

Uniformists rushed out to clear the ring of the props and prepare for the next act. You quite enjoyed the ringmaster's charming ways of exciting the crowd. Despite his small stature and pretty face, you can practically feel the waves of authority he exuded. One sharp look to the band and they cease their music instantly. One snap of his fingers and the uniformists quicken their pace even more so.

The circus was filled with amazing entertainers and performers. Clowns and elephants were a light-hearted, comedic act, but the ventriloquests, jugglers, escape artists, and contortionists were just as entertaining. A few performers that stood out were the death-defying, trio acrobats who went by the name YunWooSang. 

The white safety netting proved useless as the three seemed to fly in the air as they jumped excitedly onto the trampolines and swung from trapeze to trapeze. One of them even daringly made it across the tightrope whilst blindfolded. 

The red haired man with inhumane strength was also one of the highlights of the show. Metal, wood, and cement bent to his will and strength. For comedic relief, the ringmaster gave the unamused man a sack of freshly waxed apples, whispering in his ear and gesturing to the crowd. The other merely rolled his eyes and nodded, turning his attention to the red fruit. The crowd cheered as the ringmaster bought the microphone to the man's stoic face as he belted out graceful notes, all the while snapping the defenseless fruit in half and throwing the pieces into the frenzied audience.

The tall, black haired tiger tamer bowed to the applauding crowd before exiting the arena after others quickly moved the three large felines to the back. The crowd grew deafly silent as the white suit-tailed ringmaster made his way towards the illuminated center. With just a shot of his hand in the air, the music ceased abruptly. Even through the dark, you can make out the uniformists rushing to settle new props around the ring's perimeter.

"Did you all enjoy Seonghwa's act?" He threw a smirk to the restless crowd, shaking his head in amusement at the wave of enthusiastic cries, "Alright, then. We saved our best and biggest act for last," a roaring drum roll suddenly erupted from the band in the back, and the lights dimmed considerably, "For the grand finale tonight, ladies and gentlemen- please give a warm welcome to our very own illusionist and magician, San!"

Within an instant, after the lights above illuminated the entire arena, your breath caught into your throat. The deafening applause now suddenly seemed miles away and underwater, your own heartbeat dominating every audible sound around you. 

The past performances were so entertaining, that you completely forgot about the initial reason you came here in the first place. 

Raising your hand up ever so slightly, your eyes trained onto the taut string tied to your finger. It had become as stiff as a guitar's and no longer sagged like power lines. Your eyes roamed from past the metal bars, onto the arena, and finally stopping to the man in all red attire standing proudly in the center ring. He raised his hand in greeting, the string between the two of your forms rising with every movement of his hands. Behind him stood several of his assistants.

You suddenly shrunk into your seat, stuffing your hand into your coat's pockets and holding your breath. You couldn't even decipher the words escaping his mouth, the gears in your mind suddenly reeling to a halt. All you knew was that he had the smoothest voice you've ever heard, and your stomach flipped just as much as the acrobats did.

If he noticed the completed string stretching into the crowd, he didn't show it, instead going on with the show. He performed several jaw-dropping acts with the help of his assistants. 

You were too mesmerized by the acts that you failed to notice the magician's red eyes lingering on your form.

The crowd laughed light-heartedly when the magician gave one spectator a scare with one of his tricks. He smiled and tipped his head down apologetically.

"For the next act, I'd like to have one of the spectators come down and volunteer," San's rich voice boomed within the arena. Several hands shot out in excitement, the majority wanting to jump at the opportunity to witness the illusionist's tricks first hand. 

San's eyes flickered onto numerous spectators, before his traveling eyes stop at your form. Your heart rate spikes instantly, breath ceasing in your throat at the smile he shoots you. A red gloved hand reaches out to point at you, and you notice it's the same finger with your string tied onto it. The excited shouts slowly come to a dying halt, and San waits patiently for the crowd to cease their talking.

"You," he drawls out, making you sink a little further in your seat. Was it possible he was pointing to the person behind you?

"The one with the red string," his words only affirmed your suspicions, "Please come down here."

The people shuffle in their seats, hushed murmurs traveling like waves within the crowd. Many wide eyes ogle at your form, while a few people from the crowd congratulated you in regards to your completed red string. 

You gulped thickly, quickly shaking your head at the magician, who in turn rolled his eyes at your meek reaction. With a snap of his fingers, you're engulfed in a puff of smoke before finding yourself standing in front of him in the center arena. Your stomach lurched at the sudden change of gravity, knees wobbling and arms desperately reaching out to grab at the man's velvet coat to stop yourself from falling. You swallowed down the sensation of wanting to vomit your innards and took a deep breath before the magician helped stabilize your form upright with a light-hearted laugh, "I apologize for that, my dear."

"How did you do that?" you ask weakly. He gives you a look of amusement.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," he murmurs as he gazes down at you speculatively, brow quirking up as he takes ahold of your hand, where the string barely stretched an inch between the two of you now. He was so much more handsome up close. You felt the tips of your ears warm at the sudden realization of the close proximity between your frames. A feeling of self-consciousness washed over you, and you could only wish such a moment like this occurred without hundreds of eyes watching you, "If I had known I were to meet my soulmate today, I would've put on a much better show for you."

He spoke into his microphone headpiece, voice echoing within the arena. You hadn't noticed the way the ringmaster's gaze darkened from the back of the arena, eyes suddenly watching your form quizzically. A few heads popped from the back curtain, and hasty whispers were exchanged between the other performers and the ringmaster. The scattered applause around you startled you, and you smiled in embarrassment at the magician, who in return brushed a strand of your hair behind your ear, "Your name, beautiful?"

"Y/n," you shoot him a small smile, eyeing the red and black triangles painted onto his eyelids.

He grips your wrist, pulling your arm upwards before announcing to the crowd that you'll be a part of the final act of the show. He maneuvers the microphone from his face to lean down and whisper into your ear, "How well do you do with heights?"

You drew in a fortifying breath in an attempt to calm your erratic heartbeat, "Not so well, actu-"

He brings a cup to your lips, and you wonder where on earth he had managed to obtain it seemingly out of the blue, "Here. This'll help with the nausea in case." You eye the liquid contents warily, and he notices with a simple quirk of his brow, "Don't worry. It's just some of our liquid magic. A befitting name, right? Nothing harmful."

You down the liquid and wince at the burning sensation in your throat, and you assume that it's only some type of alcohol. You listen intently to the magician's instructions, eyes trained onto his red eyes that shined like rubies. You feel his breath ghost your face as he points up towards the thin tightrope up above. You hardly concentrate on his words, too preoccupied with dazing at his chiseled face. He was absolutely breathtaking with wide shoulders and black tresses framing his face.

"Is there a word I can say if things get too overwhelming?" 

He casts you a look of amusement, lips quirking up, "A word?"

He gives it some thought, before snapping his fingers, "I've got it. Three words actually. Say them anytime, and I'll stop the act," a glint of mischief flashes within his eyes as he faintly brushes the pad of his thumb across your lower lip, "The magic words are: Sir Kiss Me."

You want to smile at the play on words, but your nerve-wrecking thoughts left no room for humor.

He gives a simple nod to the band and they begin playing.

 Two of the three acrobats suddenly joined the two of you, the men running into the arena with nothing but tight fitting trapeze pants, their broad shoulders and chiseled muscles on full display. One of them eyes your form up and down with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"San, you're one lucky bastard if that's your soulmate," the raven haired male shoots you a flirtatious wink, ignoring the daggers the other shot at him.

"Shut up and get to it, Woo," San ushered one of the acrobats to begin performing their previous act. The black haired trapeze artist ran a hand through his long, inky locks, throwing the magician a mischievous grin. While jumping from the trampoline up to the trapeze, the sound of a loud bang startled you and the spectators. A puff of smoke erupted around the acrobat, and when it cleared, he was nowhere to be seen. 

The magician snapped his red leathered fingers once more, another bang following afterwards. The lights suddenly directed towards the back, where the very same artist waved enthusiastically to the crowd. 

The crowd grew silent when another bang sounded from up above. The drums and suspenseful music filled the arena as a puff of smoke caught everyone's attention, and from it emerged the third acrobat standing gracefully still on the tightrope above. Your eyes widened considerably. The male literally appeared out of thin air. San's head suddenly snapped to peer at you, and before you had the chance to blink, you were suddenly engulfed in another plume of smoke, before finding yourself in the arms of the blonde acrobat meters above the ground. 

Your frame tensed considerably, arms hastily wrapping around the male's neck with a loud cry of fear. You didn't dare look down, your eyes scrunching shut in fear. Laughing at your frightened expression, he clicked his tongue in dismay, arms reaching to unwrap your limbs from his frame before tipping you down the tightrope, "Don't give me that look. You're in good hands."

Before your frame succumbed to gravity, you felt your heart drop almost immediately. A silent scream caught into your throat as you plummeted down to the safety net. Just before you reached it, two hands shot out and grabbed at your frame, gripping your frightened form with so much precision and care. You were met with the sight of the tallest of the three acrobats swinging onto the trapeze with the back of knees. Your trembling pupils took in the sight of his lips quirking up mischievously as he suddenly threw your frame like a rag doll towards the raven haired man, who in return held you in his arms whilst standing as still as a statue on the swinging trapeze bar. Within the entirety of it, your eyes had remained squeezed shut tightly.

"Don't be afraid, sweetheart," he cooed mockingly, lips outstretched into a coy smile, "Wooyoung's got ya."

The fast paced performance left no room or time for anyone to observe exactly how it was done, and even the most rational spectator experienced a moment of doubt when watching the act.

With a wave of the magician's hands, four more bangs and puffs of smoke followed suit, and the three acrobats found themselves standing in front of San, their hands intertwined as they bowed gracefully to the cheering crowd. You jolted upon realizing you were held in the magician's awaiting arms, your frame scrambling to stand. San placed a hand onto the small of your back, urging you to bow along with him towards the cheering crowd. 

"You never did say the words, hm? I knew you could do it." Regardless of the many eyes watching you attentively, he turns to you, hand cupping the side of your face whilst thumbing the apple of your cheek with a small smile, "Stay after the show. We have a lot to talk about."

You can only nod faintly, head light from the adrenaline coursing through your veins. A man came to escort you back to your seat, and your turned back to glance at San's retreating figure. You hasten your pace as a wolf-whistle and degrading comment thrown your way reached your ears, and you gave the spectator a quick glare before making yourself to your seat. 

A few minutes tick by, and you notice your vision grows a tad bit blurry. The blue haired ringmaster enters the center once more, large grin plastered onto his face. He tips his head in gratitude at the cheering audience, before raising the mic to his face, "Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Circus Wonderland, we want to thank you all for your splendid patronage and love you've given us tonight. We hope we've scared the life out of you."

You noticed his eyes flash in your direction momentarily, but you dismiss the thought.

"Unforeseen circumstances beyond my control have taken place tonight. Unfortunately, we will not be able to give you another night of performances."

His words seemed to blend together, and you furrowed your brows, shaking your head in an attempt to clear your head. Just what did that magician really have in that concoction to make you this dazed?

A sudden wicked smile taking over his features made your heart stop for a second. The ringmaster's dark orbs illuminated a bright red as he chuckled at the confused spectators, "You will all go back home and forget the events of today," a gloved hand reached up to point a finger at you and ruby eyes trained on your confused expression, "except you."

You watched in bewilderment as the crowd quietly made themselves down the platform and out of the tent. The spectators all shared the same empty, mindless gaze as they trudged robotically back home. Blue wisps of light swayed around their bodies like halos and stretched into the ringmaster's waiting palm, and the overhead lights began flickering repeatedly.

"Inform the others that I want everything loaded into the train this instant," the man snapped to an assistant to his right, "Leave no sign we were here, or I will personally tie you to the train tracks."

 Voices from the back sounded out, and you noticed the abandoned tickets on the floor burned, the ashes dancing  into the air as nothing more than dust. Your head snapped back to give the ringmaster a wary look, body instinctively jolting up to blend in with the crowd. A sudden wave of dizziness hit you like a tidal wave, and your knees wobbled whilst you attempted to regain your footing. 

"Where do you think you're going?" an amused chuckle rang from the blue haired male as he suddenly vanished from the center arena and beside you. Before you had the chance to jump from his prying hands, he leaned in close, eyes glowing like rubies in sunlight, "It's a shame we can't have your life-source like everyone else here. After all, you've cost us a whole 'nother night of regaining our energy from you humans."

Fear yelled at you to escape, hide, run away; hell, to even fight back, but your drugged state made it impossible for your body to cooperate properly. You didn't want anything to do with your soulmate anymore. You made a pathetic attempt to crawl away, only to have the ringmaster grip you by the back of your coat. You clawed at his arm harshly, desperately wanting to escape his claws.

"Shouldn't you be in the back making sure everyone's packing," a familiar voice called from thin air. The blue-haired male's annoyed face vanished as a puff of smoke enshrouded your figure. You found yourself on the dirt ground behind the curtains of the arena, stomach flipping at the shift in gravity.

Peering up dazedly, you give the magician a confused glance, your figure stumbling to stand up to walk away. The sound of a few thuds caught your attention, and your breath suddenly came to a halt upon noticing the very same man from the crowd tied onto the wooden frame the knife thrower previously used. A thick ribbon gagged his mouth, and his wild, tear-filled eyes shot at you desperately for help when another knife was flung carelessly above his head, lodging into the wood. Splinters flew out upon impact, and the man quivered in fright, tears streaming down his face. The harsh winds of autumn nipped at your face, and you shrunk into yourself to find some warmth. Your surroundings spun and you began seeing double.

"Ah, Y/n. Nice of you to join us back here," San drawled simply, ignoring the rushing uniformists and other artists in the back, "Care to help me gut this man like the animal he is?"

This man was a monster.

The set of gleaming knives floated dangerously above his head, their sharp tips pointing into the direction of the constricted male. You shook your head as quickly as you could, instantly regretting it as you felt the onslaught of a mind-splitting headache. You desperately attempted to form words, wanting to ask what was going on, what he was, and to let the traumatized man go, but everything felt too heavy, and you couldn't properly think or hold your weight upright. No, you didn't care about any of that. You only wanted to flee from this nightmare.

"No worries, sweetheart," his sweet voice chimed like bells, juxtaposed by the ravenous, menacing look in his dark eyes, "I wouldn't want to soil you with this filth's blood anyway."

You turn your head away, a voice in your mind telling you the next scenes will plague your thoughts far beyond many sleepless nights.

To San, there was something so oddly satisfying about seeing the man's limbs outstretched and cuffed, awaiting the knives threatening to rip him into shreds. With a shrug of his shoulders and a flick of his finger, the knives surged forward, lodging into the man's chest and joints. He cried out in anguish, veins on his neck prominent as he struggled in his confines, desperate to flee the monster in front of him, "Oh, don't worry. You'll have the privilege of forgetting this night like the others," his brows shot up as a condescending smile crossed his features, "and you're also going to forget how it feels to speak as well."

Without an ounce of hesitation or empathy, San ripped the scarf from the man's mouth, and watched in amusement as one of the floating knives reached down harshly to rip past the seam of the man's lips, only to carve out his tongue. The muscle dangled limply by a thread of tissue, and San drank in the sounds of the man's clear cries of agony, his frame convulsing in pain.

"Mm, I guess our bloodsuckers can clean this mess up," he hummed lowly to himself, eyes watching as streams of blood dripped down the man's chin, patches of blood blooming on his other wounds as well, "Jongho! Seonghwa, he's all yours now. I think I might've killed him."

He peered down at your slumped figure onto the floor, chuckling to himself at your blown pupils and unfocused, dazed look overtaking your features, "Go to sleep now, y/n. It's going to be a long ride."

His mouth moved to form more words, but it was as if the audio somehow became distorted and disconnected from reality. A dark mist fogged your vision, the glowing red of his eyes and satisfied smile blurring and melting with all of the other colors around you, and you felt as light as a feather. You were aware of the sensation of falling. 

You were falling.

And then, nothing.

You awoke in a progression of steps that seemed to take an onslaught of hours. It felt like you had awoken from a drunken stupor. Your arms and legs felt much heavier than usual, and you had no energy to lift your head up, as if your neck could hardly sustain the weight. Disoriented thoughts filled your mind to the brim. A strange taste lingered at the back of your throat, and your mind drew blank as you attempted to process the events of last night. Was it last night? You had trouble recalling the sense of time.

As the thick fog of sleep slowly seeped away, you realize there's an odd, cold sensation around your wrists, and upon shifting them slightly, you realize they're bound with metal. A feeling of dread and fear overtook your expression. Despite the racing thoughts plaguing your mind, your body just felt too heavy and disconnected from your mind. 

Lolling your head to the side, you make out a small bedroom and a few windows. Trees and greenery rushed past the windows, the moon shining brightly in the night sky. You listen to the sound of a train moving steadily on railway tracks. Slowly, you come to the realization the events you thought were a dream were indeed reality, and this must've been one of the sleeping cars of the steam train.

Panic struck you like lightning, and you struggled to rip your confined wrists from the metallic headboard. The clanging of metal caught the other person's attention, and a chill travelled down your spine at sound of footsteps, before catching the sight of the magician looming over your frame with a smile playing on his lips.

The moonlight casts a silver glow around his dark silhouette, and his ruby eyes darkened with a predatory gleam as you gave him a wary and confused look, body stiffening in fear. You attempted to scoot away when the mattress dipped as the man settled beside you, hand reaching forward to cup your face. From your peripheral vision, you can see the crimson thread tying the two of you together. Your head snapped away from his touch with a soft whimper of fear, making him chuckle to himself.

"Where are you taking me?" you slurred, thrashing when he made another attempt to touch you. Unshed tears pooled like diamonds in your eyes, and among the melting colors of your vision, you still could clearly make out the glowing red of his orbs. You wanted to ask a million more questions, but your tongue felt too heavy and mind too slow.

"Wherever I'm going, my dear. You're mine whether you like it or not. You're going to spend the rest of your life with me, whether you want to or not, " his eyes glinted red as he leaned in to nuzzle the junction of your jaw, hand gripping a fistful of your hair to keep you in place as his lips pressed tender kisses against the column of your neck, "Welcome to Circus Wonderland."

[old-congratzams]

endeavor x fem reader with a Kitty Cheshire quirk (neko with ability to teleport) plot: reader super low Grade villain that love to start trouble and teleport away but endeavor catches her she can’t teleport away and endeavor teaches her a lesson nsfw 😺

aaa, i hope this is good! i feel like it’s a lil bit rushed but maybe it’s just my self criticism kicking in asdhaskfhsf thanks so much for requestingggg

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐰. 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: mentions of blood, size difference, smutty smut, blowjob, cum eating, cat girl idk how to tag this one hadhsdhf

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐒 𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓. I can’t control what you guys choose to read or not but I’d be way more comfortable if minors stayed away from my works. <3

Enji was annoyed. Doing rounds on a night market was always so monotonous because the presence of the number one hero quickly scared the villains and criminals away. But during that night in particular, things escalated quickly and Enji rushed towards the commotion.

"Endeavor, you're here! Do something!"

Chasing a delinquent that stole fish from a nearby stand was nowhere near the number one's ideal job. However, people gathering around and expecting him to do something so simple like going after a low criminal added enough fuel to his irritation and shook his ego.

"Watch this."

He followed the scent of raw fish down the streets and the trail ended in a dark alley. Enji thought he'd seen someone with cat ears and tail but didn't find anyone there, it was like they'd just disappeared right under his nose. And speaking of nose, the scent was back and it was-- behind him!

Enji was quick to grab the criminal by the arm — the first thing his gloved hand could reach. The criminal let out a squeal while in mid-air, a pair of strong hands holding her own behind her back.

"I see. A teleportation quirk, huh?"

Her cat ears twitched by the sound of his deep, dangerous voice. She tried to struggle her way out, free from the arms of the pro hero.

"There's no use, you won't be able to--"

She frenetically fluttered her tail, squirming as anxiety build up in her tummy. It was unfair that a low criminal as her would be caught by the number one himself.

"Tch."

The wiggling tail seemed to annoy Enji even further. Holding the tiny arms in one hand, the other reached for the tail in a firm grasp. The action caused the criminal to inhale deeply and freeze.

Tears gathered on the corner of her dolly eyes and red flushed her cheeks. The hero was oblivious to the fact her tail was very sensitive and any form of rough touch would send waves of warmth to her womb.

"L-Let me go..." Her voice sounded meek and bearing distress. "I'll pay for it-- I promise!!"

The grip on her tail tightened, the incoherent actions increasing Enji's suspicions. "What do you think you’re doing?!"

She gasped when Enji tugged on her tail by accident, instinctively rolling her hips and searching for friction while low moans left her mouth.

The sinful sounds put the hero in alert, his hand securing her arms now reaching for her mouth and his voice now low and threatening. "Do you want people to hear?"

The criminal shook her head even though her mind was clouded with sexual needs. Her nipples were hard as pebbles as seen from her vest.

"S-sir, it's that you're t-touching my tail..."

"Tch. I can't risk you running away."

She breathed heavily, pressed against his chest and her tail still on his hand. A sudden wave of pleasure hit the cat girl, sending shivers all over her body and a loud moan escaping her lips.

Enji pressed the girl against the wall, holding her by her face and squeezing her cheeks. "Are you insane?!? I told you to keep quiet--"

The look of pure lust, gaze lost in heaven and drool dripping from her chin made Enji realize what she meant before. It was impossible for him, a healthy man, to not go hard knowing that he caused that, even if accidentally.

Her tail fluttered, exposing the euphoria she was feeling. Although very embarassed by the situation and quite ashamed, the hero weighted his course of action.

"I'll give you what you want and then you'll turn yourself in," Enji proposed, grabbing the tail and putting it over the line of his cock, stroking both over his hero suit.

The way her eyes rolled to the back of the head and her sharp teeth drew blood from her lips encouraged Enji to continue taking advantage of the criminal. He licked her lips clean from the blood and then pushed his tongue into her small mouth, the size difference adding fuel to the fire.

"Lick it." He pressed the tip of her tail against her lips, to which she complied. "Now touch yourself with it while you suck me off."

She did everything she was told. The wetness from her previous orgasm coated her tail and both her tail and clit were very sensitive to any touch, which sent electrical shocks through her body every time she fluttered it against her small hardened bud.

While she moaned, Enji freed his cock from the suit, pushing it into her mouth. "Watch out for the teeth."

His cock was too big for her mouth so she had to open big and wide to accommodate it. Enji slowly fucked her mouth, not allowing any further than the tip to pass her lips. Her tongue worked hard around it, fluttering against the vein underneath his cock and giving it special attention.

"You probably like milk..." Enji pondered. "If you're a good girl until the end I might reward you with it."

By that suggestion, she licked and sucked eagerly. The tip of her tail fluttered faster on her clit, both sensitive from the filthy pleasure Enji was putting her through. Her tiny hands switched from massaging the base of his cock to toying with his sack.

A disappointed cry left the girl's mouth once Enji pulled his cock out of it. Precum glistened the tip and the girl probably had drunk loads of it. Enji's cock felt sensitive and was ready to shoot cum all over her face but he had other plans for her. It felt decades since he last fucked and the filthy, embarassing situation didn't help at all.

"On your hands and knees, girl."

Her legs were shaking from the heavy stimulus, the ending of her tail covered in her own wetness, but she promptly obeyed the command.

His hand grabbed the tail forcefully, getting it out of his way. The roughness he handled the tail caused the girl's pussy to tighten and dampen the suit even more. Weren't for the piece of clothing, she would be dripping on the alley like she had just wetted herself.

Enji gave each her butt cheeks a light slap, making them jiggle with the impact. He pushed aside the sopping fabric, sighing by the view of her dripping cunt and resisting the urge to plunge in one finger. Instead, he lined up his fat cock against her entrance, responding with a guttural moan by the feeling of her warm velvety pussy sucking him in.

Needless to say, his cock stretched her with ease, the wetness aiding the intrusion. She felt so full while his cock pressed just the right spots, she felt like bursting, she felt--

Enji thrusted in one rapid motion, burying his cock deep into her as soon as he felt her convulsing around him, groaning at how tight she are. He lost control the minute he felt her coming around him, even though he was only halfway through.

Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes and she spilled all over the hero. Thankfully, his suit was impermeable but the concrete underneath their knees was not.

A hand grabbed her hair while the other remained at the base of her tail, holding her in place while he thrusted into the girl. She couldn't discern if she was so high in ecstasy that his violent thrusts didn't hurt her at all or if Enji was taking such a good care of her that it's not even supposed to hurt. Either way, she knew for sure she'd be sore in the morning — in jail, perhaps.

But she didn't want to think about it while being fucked by the number one himself. His girth and length were massive, and opened her whole. The way he thrusted into her got more erratic and she could feel he was holding back.

“N-no, don't... don't hold back--!!" she pleaded, tail fluttering in agitation and her body ready to be ruined.

He let go of her hair and fisted her tail, giving it a harsh tug. Her hips were pulled back in the mean time, the new angle allowing the tip of his cock to line up perfectly with her cervix and she screamed from the sudden burn.

Enji was close to his limit, his voice cracking from pleasure and the threats that left his lips seemed empty. "If... If you keep screaming, I'll have to shut-- shut you up."

She was drenching, losing any focus she regained after coming while Enji played with her tail, but her body reached its limits and started descending from the previous high.

"E-Endeavor-san, I don't think I can come anymore..." she murmured.

He groaned, taking his cock out of her abused hole. It felt heavy, the cum ready to burst any minute. "Come 'ere, open your mouth."

His hand stroked his cock a couple times before he gushed cum all over her tongue. She let some of it spill on the ground, not able to gulp it all down. Enji looked just as wasted as the girl in front of him.

He breathed heavily as if he just won a fight, having used all of his power to win. The criminal waited patiently for him to say anything after the haze dissipated.

"You... You were a very good kitten," he praised after adjusting his suit. "But you still owe the owner some apologies after stealing from him."

She agreed, obediently following Enji from the dark alley back to the food stands. Once there, she bowed apologetically to the owner while Enji kept his arms crossed in front of his chest, trying to look the usual but his eyes betraying the fatigue and indifference towards the present moment.

After everything was settled, Enji ended up paying for the damage she had caused. He grabbed the cat girl by the neck and guided her through the streets, only one thing in his mind.

"Disobedient girls like you should have someone to discipline them. How about that, hm?"

Something in her guts was telling her that she was stuck with the number one for some time — not that she was complaining, though.

[renee-writer]

My Soul Cries to You Chapter 5

AO3

Claire wakes with her son clinging to her, crying brokenly. Standing over them both was a Redcoat, looking concerned. “Madam, are you alright?”

“I am. Who are you?” He stands straight offering his hand to help her stand.

“Captain Jeremy Forrest from Fort William. May I inquire why a woman and child are traveling alone in the middle of the Highlands? An English woman at that?”

Claire sooths her frighten son. “Shh mo mhac. Tha Sinn a’ dol a lorg do dha.” He stills placing his head on her chest but, like his mam, not being meek or mild, he exams the stranger. “Not sir, that it is any of your business, but we are on the way to Castle Leoch where I have been hired as a healer. My son and I have came from France, returning here as my husband is a Laird here. I am waiting at the crossroads for my escort to the war chief of Clan Mackenzie. I fear you and your red coat frightened off my horse with my and my son’s belongings. As well as shooting at my escort for no reason. So, you tell me, Lieutenant Forrest, why are you here?” She holds her chin junted out, her arms tight around her child.

“Looking for cattle rustlers madam. My intention wasn’t to scare women and children. The war chief Mackenzie is been robbing other clans. We didn’t realize he was your escort. I offer my services as an escort to the crossroads so you can meet with Clan Mackenzie.”

Claire can’t have that. She is earlier in time then she meet to be, that was obvious. She needs to figure it out without the complication of a bloody Redcoat. Even if he isn’t Randall. “Thank you sir, but there is no reason for you to escort me. I will make my way there once I have given my child a drink. You may leave my presence now.”

Lieutenant Forrest bows to her, remounts his horse and is off.

Claire removes her son from the child carrier sling and sits him on the ground. He runs to the stream and bends over it to scope water into his mouth, like Jamie drank it. Oh Jamie! Where are you, when are they? The stream, the waiting Redcoat, the hunt for rustlers, she gasp when she realizes she is back at the beginning, in 1743, the year she first meet Jamie. She will have to play this off as she doesn’t know him at all. This is the time Murtagh found her. Will she have to play a widow again. A sigh as she stretches her back.

“Alex,” He looks over at her, his blue slanted eyes, so like Jamie’s. “There is going to be your Godfather meeting us in a bit. When he speaks to us, you must let mama talk, okay?”

“A bheil sinn a’ dol a choinneachadh dha?”

“Yes mo mac, we are.”

She goes to the stream, washes her hands and face, before taken a drink herself. She fills up her canteen, knowing it is going to be a long walk to Inverness. As they walk along, she identities the different plants and herbs to Alex. She has taught him about them as he will be growing up all around them and gardening like his mam. As they come out of the forest, a huge horse stands in the path. She recognizes it right away. “Donas!” She cries out before looking to the rider. She almost faints again at seeing Jamie.

They both look at each other. Jamie knows her! “Sassaanch, what are you doing her?”

“I am not sure. I meant to come out in 1750 not 1743. It seems we have been given a second change to put things right.” Alex stares at the stranger that has his face with wide eyes. “Jamie, I would like to introduce you to your son. “Alexander Brian James Fraser. Alex, mo mac, this is your da, James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser.” Jamie jumps off the horse and walks up to the lad. From his red curls to his slanted blue eyes, he is him. His son. He kneels down to his level as his eyes fill with tears. He has a son. He knew he was having a child now to see him, his child, a four year old son! It is overwhelming. He opens his arms and Alex runs into them. He holds him tight, peppering his hair, his forehead and, face with kisses. He stands, with Alex in his arms. He then places his free arm around his wife, pulls her towards him and, fiercely kisses her on the mouth.

“Jamie, how did you end up here, knowing me?” She asks, laughter and joy in her voice.

“In truth Sassanach, I am not sure. I touched the stone, in 1750. I was seeking to bring ye, I think. We must have touched at the same time. I now ken what you mean by the noise.” He shudders.” Weel, the next thing I know I am on my back with Donas licking my face. The strange thing is that I have not seen Murtagh, my uncle, any of the people that should be here. Either, we landed in a different time or we changed history.”

“We must have Jamie, for when I arrived at the stream, Randall wasn’t there, it was a different Redcoat, a Lieutenant Forrest.” He frowns.

“He wasn’t there?”

“No. Curiouser and curiouser sir. Well, since you don’t seem to be under the protection of your uncle’s anymore, where shall we go. To Castle Leoch or Lallybroch?”

Alex listens to his parents, recognizing both names from the stories his mama had told him. “Lallybroch, I want to see Auntie Jenny, Uncle Ian, and my cousin’s.” He requests. His da looks down at him.

“You know of them mo mac?”

“Aye da, mama told me all about you and my family.”

“Sassanach.” His voice is full of tears.

“He will know you and his family, that was my promise. I started talking to him about you when he was in the womb.”

“Thank you.” He shakes his head. “As for your question, let’s head to the cabin first, the one at the base of hill. If it is empty, we shall head to Inverness and get a wagon. To carry all of you and our son’s things to Lallybroch. How does that sound son?”

“Glè mhath da.” His dad’s eyes get round.

“He ken’s Gaelic?”

“Aye, and French. I wanted him to know how to speak to his da and brother.” They both still. “Fergus!”

“We will figure it out Sassanach.”

The head to the cabin. When they open the door, Master Raymond stands there. Jamie places his hand on his dirk, in case the man that had changed all there lives was dangerous. He backs up, hands in the air to show he has no weapons. “Calm yourself sir, calm yourself. I am here to give you information on how you have changed history.”

“So we have?” Claire asks.

“Yes Madonna. By coming back to 1743, you have been given a second chance. First, Jamie you were never taken to Fort William, never scarred. Black Jack Randall died in childbirth, never to enter this timeline. Your father still is alive, though unfortunately, not you mother or brother. Jenny and Ian and, Wee Jamie are at Lallybroch, with Brian.

Claire, your money is safely at a bank in Edinburg, under Claire and Jamie Fraser. It was deposited in 1742. Here is the paperwork.” He hands it to her. “Here is your marriage contract with the dates changed to reflect a marriage five years earlier. Young master Alexander is legitimate. You may tell anyone anything you want. It would be easier to say you are returning from France as the lad knows the language.

One warning. You are not to go near the stones, none of you or your offspring or theirs. Understand that it is forbidden. A few other things. Stay away from your uncles and Leoch, the Jacobites will still exist but you are not to fight for them, nor your tenants.

Behind the cabin is a wagon with supplies. There is space to place Claire’s items. I procured some seeds and herbs you didn’t bring. As far as the rings you brought, sell them slowly, if you need them. But you shouldn’t. In this timeframe, you have plenty of money. Now go, my loves. I will not see you again in this lifetime. I love you all. Stay away from the stones!”

Claire hugs him, tears dripping down her face. “My darling, Master Raymond, I will miss you most of all.” He hugs her close.

“Devenir fort et bon. Prends soin de maman.” He instructs Alex.

“Oui Monsieur Raymond.”

“Jamie, I know you are a good man and will take care of them.”

“Aye, thank you for all you have done for my family.”

“My pleasure.” He walks away and they don’t see him again.

Jamie walks around to the back of the cabin. There is a wagon and sawhorse. It looks familiar. With a chuckle, he recognizes it as the horse he bought for Claire after their wedding. “He didn’t miss a trick..” he thinks. The wagon is full of supplies. Flour and sugar, things from Paris, things from his store, herbs and seeds you can’t get in Scotland and that Claire will need for healing. The day is getting late.

When he walks back in, he sees Alex asleep on his mama’s lap. His wife, who had laid the burden of her knapsack and bag down, and sits by the fire, is as beautiful as he recalls, no, more beautiful with their child asleep on her. Lord, had he missed her!

He walks over and sits behind her, placing her arms around her waist, pulling her close. With his head on her shoulder, he whispers in her ear, “I love you and have missed you so very much, may I kiss you?”

She laughs. “Since when do you need permission,” she half turns, placing the arm not holding their son around his neck. “Yes please Jamie kiss me or in the next four seconds I will be kissing you.”

With a groan he takes her lips. The kilt can’t hide his reaction to the kiss. Both their blood boils as their lips meet in the heat of four long years alone. He comes up for air and looks at his son. He still sleeps with a strange toy, a stuffed bunny in his arms. Meeting his wife’s eyes, they communicate without words. He takes him and lays him down on his tartan. Then they move to the other side of the cabin.

Slow tender love is made. Quiet due to Alex. She cries in his mouth when she finds her pleasure. “Sassanach, promise you will never leave me again.”

“Never again. You are the love of my life, I am yours forever.” With that, they both fall asleep.

[justplainwhump]

A Lesson

31: watch my muse collapse and do nothing

Thank you so much for the prompt, Khal! @whump-ventures!

@what-a-whump allowed me to use her wonderful characters Ridley and B for this prompt fill - thank you so much, moose, it was an absolute delight and honor writing them.

Content / warnings: captivity, lady whump, conditioning, stress position, references to pet whump, dubcon kiss, creepy whumper (with a Daddy kink, no idea how to tag that, honestly)

This post is sfw to my own surprise. Most of Dany's story, however, is not, so proceed with caution.

[Dany masterpost]

[Prompt list (still open for them!)]

-

"Daddy's home!" Ridley's voice rings through the penthouse, cheerful and happy, and I hear soft movements as he casts off his coat and shoes by the door.

I can't even lift my head. My hands and feet are tied, where I lay curled on cold metal, iron bars pressing into my skin. He has left me in the cage this morning, as a punishment for speaking up, and I can't even remember against what. I said no, to something he wanted, to something we both knew I'd end up doing anyway.

Sometimes, rarely, I still feel the urge to fight back, try and refuse what he asks of me, if only to be able to lie to myself later, tell myself that I'm not his entirely.

It's never worth it.

My eyes search for him, as he enters the room, followed by B. The bars around me hide most of his face, but I know every detail of it by heart anyway. I've never been so close to someone. I've never hated anyone so much.

"Oh, baby girl, this must've been painful for you." He taps against the bars, and the noise makes me recoil. "Are you going to be good for Daddy tonight? Make up for your disobedience from before?"

Fuck you, I think, and the hatred behind it feels raging and empty at the same time.

"Yes", I reply, appalled by my own voice, raspy and meek. "I will be a good girl, I promise."

He goes to his knees to look at my through the bars, that smug, content smile dancing on his lips, that tells me he is not yet done at all. "Yes, baby girl, you will", he hums, before he gets up sharply and crosses the length of the large room towards the bar. I can hear the distinct clinging of him pouring himself a drink.

"Let her out, B", he commands, as he settles into an armchair and takes a sip.

B kneels down dutifully, unlocks the cage door, and reaches for my hands to untie my wrists. There's this little break before he does it, like a silent question for my permission, that makes me nauseous. My permission doesn't matter. Not to Ridley, not to B, as long as Ridley wants things differently. I hate how B does this, how it makes me feel even more powerless.

I nod with clenched teeth, and B unties my wrists and ankles, as efficiently as he tied them up this morning. With a groan I roll my shoulders and flex my wrists.

"Come over here, princess, and show me how sorry you are", Ridley purrs.

B's arms slide under me, to lift me up and carry me over, but Ridley stops him with a sharp click of his tongue. "Not you, stupid. I asked her to come."

"Sorry, Sir", B mutters and steps back. He looks at me, something like an apology in his eyes, before he trots over to Ridley's side.

I prop myself on my arms, ignore the burning strain in my muscles that have forgotten how to move, as I gingerly clamber out of the cage.

Ridley is sitting in his armchair with his drink, grinning at me expectantly. From the far end of the room. My legs feel like rubber, numb and unusable. And I understand. Of course.

On my hands and knees, I begin crawling over, but am stopped in my tracks by the angry frown on his face.

"What do you think you are?", he asks. "The dog? Please. No, princess, you walk over here for me."

I freeze. I can't. Not like this, not minutes after I've been laying tied up on the ground in a fucking cage for hours. But of course, he knows that.

I grab my thigh with my still tingling hand, dig my fingers into the muscles, hoping to be able to feel something. I don't. It hurts, superficially, but that's it.

"I...", I whisper, looking up at him, but his smile says that he knows, he's aware of it, and he wants it anyway.

"Now, come on, princess", he says. "Daddy's in a good mood. Might even forgive you, if you come here and ask nicely."

I clench my jaw as I turn back and reach for the bars of the cage. With trembling arms I pull myself to a stand. I can't feel my legs. Where they should be, there is nothing but a dull, distant pain.

Ridley is just at the other end of the room, but it's far, too far.

I take a tiny step towards him, my other hand still resting on the cage to steady me. A prickle runs down my leg, and I almost topple over.

Ridley tips back his head and smiles contently. B has gone to his knees next to the armchair and Ridley is patting his head with his free hand while he's watching me struggle.

I'm an athlete. I have been. I must be able to do this, my body is used to performing under strain. Under strain, not under torture. I ignore the voices, take another step, without my hand on the metal. It works, somehow. I don't fall.

Another step. One more. I'm almost by the coffee table, in the middle of the room.

My ankle twists, and I realize it too late. I yelp, as I stumble over my own useless feet and collapse to the floor.

B winces, twitching as if with the urge to jump up, but he doesn't. Ridley pats him. "Good boy", he murmurs. "Let the stubborn girl learn her lesson herself."

Hot, angry tears are welling up in my eyes and I fight a sob as I scramble back on all fours. There's fresh pain in the numbness, exploding from my ankle.

Ridley seems to love what he sees. "Aw, but you were so energetic this morning, sweetheart", he croons. "What happened to all that fight?"

"I sprained my ankle", I press through clenched teeth. "Please."

"Fight through it, baby girl", he replies smoothly. "Or Daddy will be very disappointed."

I hiss in pain as I get up on the other leg. The feeling is slowly returning, stinging and prickling and aching. Fight through it, I think. Not for him. For myself.

I limp forward, my hand running over the side of the couch to support me. He allows it. It shouldn't relieve me as much as it does.

Still, every other step sends new jolts of pain across my body.

As I finally approach him, my face is covered in tears. Ridley puts down his glass and opens his arms. "Good girl", he hums. "Being strong for Daddy."

I all but collapse into his embrace, as he pulls me onto his lap. Gently, his fingers stroke the tears off my cheeks. "Is there something you want to tell me about this morning?"

I rest my head to his chest, exhausted. "I'm sorry", I whisper. "I'm sorry for speaking up."

"You should be", he assures me. "But I forgive you, baby girl, this once." His fingers are under my chin, lightly tilting my face upward. "Good?" His eyes are sparking with enjoyment.

I nod weakly. "Thank you, Daddy."

"Show it", he whispers. His breath is warm on my skin, the smell of scotch thick in it.

I lean into his touch and let him pull me into a deep, passionate kiss.

[kaalamarii]

Settle Down (DiaLuci)

Heyyy long time no write.

Wanted to try something a little different, so hope it’s good. I’m a bit rusty. Might expand on this a bit more in the future.

I have been listening to nothing but The 1975, so this is loosely based on one of their songs. Check it out if you have the time!

No warnings!

Diavolo’s eyes flickered quickly over to Lucifer, who was focused on what he was working on. It had been a long day and an even longer night and though their meeting was over, they still had a lot of paperwork to go through and plans to make official, so Lucifer had stuck around. 

The demon lord didn’t fail to notice how tired Lucifer looked. Not just now, but always, and he felt a pang of guilt and wondered to himself if he worked the other demon too hard. Lucifer’s eyes drooped and his head fell forward slightly before jolting back. He rubbed his eyes and furrowed his brow, an attempt to stay awake and focus. Lucifer’s hair hung in his face, the only time Diavolo had ever seen it out of place. He couldn’t help but smile.

“Lucifer, we can finish this tomorrow.”

“No, no,” Lucifer said, brushing the stubborn hair out of his eyes and looking up to look at Diavolo. “I mean, if you don’t mind, Lord, I have a busy day tomorrow so if we can just get this done now, that’d be appreciated.”

Diavolo let out a chuckle. “You’re always so busy. When do you sleep?”

“I don’t,” Lucifer answered and Diavolo couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not. He assumed not, as Lucifer wasn’t usually one for jokes. 

“Why don’t you stay the night here?” Diavolo offered, and instantly Lucifer tensed up. 

“That’s probably not a good idea.”

Diavolo stared at Lucifer, unsure of what to say. 

“Uh, my brothers...need me.”

Diavolo nodded. “Oh.”

“I appreciate the offer though,” Lucifer added, careful as always not to offend the demon lord. 

“It’s no problem. You’re always welcome here, Lucifer.”

He didn’t catch the small, subtle tug at the corner of Lucifer’s lips.

They sat in silence as they both continued to work on their own things, each of them taking turns glancing up at the other, unbeknownst to the other. 

Lucifer stopped for a moment as he heard Diavolo softly snoring. He looked over to find the other demon slouched in his chair, a peaceful look on his face, his fingers laced and hands resting neatly on his stomach. Lucifer grinned. He admired Diavolo, for sure. Not to mention, he was completely and utterly grateful for what he did for him and his family all those centuries ago. He had to admit to himself that he actually enjoyed Diavolo’s company for the most part, even if he did find working with him a bit demanding at times.

Lucifer finished his paperwork, finding an odd sense of comfort in Diavolo’s sleepy sighs and snores. He got up, smoothing down the wrinkles in his shirt, and made his way over to Diavolo, lightly shaking him awake. 

“My Lord.”

Diavolo yawned and stretched.

“I’m going to head home.”

“Oh,” Diavolo said with a slight frown, standing up to be face to face with Lucifer. “You sure you don’t want to stay? You might get more sleep. I worry about you not getting enough rest.”

Though Diavolo had never said it, Barbatos had before alluded to the fact that the demon lord was lonely. It didn’t surprise Lucifer at all. He picked up on the small hints that Diavolo gave off; frowning when he had to go, coming up with excuses for Lucifer and his brothers, and sometimes even the angels and the humans to stay longer. But he especially seemed to love the times spent with Lucifer. And Lucifer felt the same, honestly. They had become close enough to consider each other friends.  

But there was something else there, it often seemed. His brothers definitely seemed to pick up on it, cracking jokes and making fun of him. Even Barbatos and Simeon occasionally flashed him knowing looks when Diavolo and Lucifer shared a friendly moment. Lucifer didn’t know what it was. Simply a friendship with an odd power dynamic, he figured. 

“My apologies, Lord, but my brothers…”

“Your brothers will be fine,” Diavolo promised. “They have MC after all.”

Lucifer let a rare laugh escape his lips. 

“Can I ask you something?” Diavolo asked. 

“What is it?”

“You and the human...you have...a bond?”

Lucifer stared at Diavolo, not knowing why this question or how to feel about it. As well, not really knowing the answer. “A bond?”

“I hope this isn’t crossing any sort of line. I’m only curious.”

Lucifer thought hard before answering. “I suppose I do feel a sort of closeness with MC.”

“That’s good.”

“Is it?”

Diavolo shrugged. He sighed, hesitating, before asking his next question. “Would you say you and I have a closeness as well?”

The question caught Lucifer off guard and he coughed. “Sir?”

“It’s just us, Lucifer. You can call me Diavolo.” 

For possibly the first time, Lucifer noticed how much taller Diavolo was than him. He knew he was taller, of course, but right now, he seemed almost intimidatingly tall, the shadows from a lamp behind him enveloping Lucifer.

“You and I are friends, aren’t we?” Diavolo questioned again, his voice, for once soft and meek. 

“Of course.”

Diavolo stared into Lucifer’s eyes, seemingly wanting to say something else, or perhaps waiting for Lucifer to speak. Lucifer noticed but didn’t mention that the two were somehow slowly inching closer and closer. Diavolo reached a trembling hand over Lucifer’s and leaned in, until Lucifer could feel Diavolo’s breath on his face. 

“At least let me walk you home,” Diavolo muttered.

Lucifer nodded slowly before moving away, afraid of what would happen if he stayed still a second longer. He grabbed his coat and spun to face the door, and before Diavolo could say anything, the other demon was gone. 

Their walk home was quiet. Lucifer kept his gaze forward, eyes narrowed and focused a bit too hard on the scenery. Diavolo looked down at the ground beneath him, occasionally looking up at Lucifer. 

They paused as they reached the front door to the House of Lamentation, Lucifer hovering over the keyhole with the key ready. He looked back at Diavolo, who was standing, still looking at the ground. He had never seen Diavolo like this, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty. Plus, he understood how lonely it can be to be in charge. 

“So, I’ll be over tomorrow to sign the rest of the documents?”

One of the corners of Diavolo’s mouth lifted into a small smile. “Yep.”

“And we can go out to Ristorante Six, if you want?”

“I’d like that.”

“It’s a date.”

😈🖤😈

Obey Me Masterlist