#wandering child a hundred percent

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

i need to just make, like, a playlist of songs which If a Character or Ship fits i WILL love them

[saintobio]

sincerely yours. (9)

↳ gojou satoru/reader

when a twist of fate led their marriage to the path of a quintessential tragic romance, two past lovers go through another series of experiences on love, heartbreak, identity, illness, and trauma along the road to a happily ever after. 

genre. heavy angst, amnesia, modern au, 18+ 

tags/warnings. profanity, usage of alcohol, mentions of cheating, implied suicide attempt, toxic relationship, explicit smut

series masterlist -> episode ten

Satoru had a major problem. 

And it was his self-control. His lack of self-control was the reason he had engaged himself in an adulterous relationship back when he was married. His lack of self-control was the reason why you had become the recipient of his unreasonable anger in the early stages of your marriage. His lack of self-control was the reason why, out of all the women in the world, he was now sleeping with a friend of yours. For God’s sake, his lack of self-control was probably the reason why you were also pushed to your limits, choosing to cut your marital ties with him and leaving only the scraps of his role as a parent to Sachiro.

Back when he was attending his weekly therapy sessions, his therapist told him that part of what he needed to learn was to control his impulses, resist temptations, and actively exercise his willpower. They were easier to achieve then than now, since he was the loneliest man at the time with no friends, no wife, no son, and no bustling company to run. His decisions remained untainted, his temptations unchallenged, his emotions uninfluenced—a solitary journey at its finest. He was all by himself. How come? It was because he was sent by his mom to Osaka to temporarily seclude him from his harrowing memories in Tokyo, compelling him to sever ties with the outside world and immerse solely in personal convalescence. Reflecting now, it felt no different than being sent to a psychiatric hospital.

He could say it worked at the time. He learned how to keep his emotions at bay. He learned how to control his thoughts, throwing away the bad and keeping only the good. He was a new man by the time he returned to Tokyo, prepared as ever to take on his role as the Chairman of the Gojou Group, ready to once again try and live a normal life. But the moment news had spread about his ex-wife's marriage to his business rival, all the self-control he had painstakingly cultivated seemed to have evaporated in an instant.

Everything also went downhill after that. 

He wasn’t going to list down all of the things that happened nor the impact it had on him since you yourself were a witness to them. But if he was going to look at the way your return has changed the trajectory of his life 3 years after you first left, he would still at a hundred percent put all the blame on his shoulders. None of this domino effect would end up like this if he had been a faithful and loving husband in the first place. The pressure from his father was not the only root of all this, the branches also extended to his corporate greed which ultimately ruined his chance at a fruitful marriage with you. 

But at least, the chaos should have settled by now. You chose to move forward and he decided to respect your decision by finding his way to another. This should free you both from the emotional torture that had you imprisoned in each other's cage for the longest time. He would still be there for you as the father of your child, but otherwise, he was happy that you had Toji Zen’in by your side to fill in the marital gaps that he had failed to complete. 

A heavy sigh escaped his lips. The warm water fell on his body in rivulets, soaking him completely so early in the morning as he decided to take a long shower. For how long? He couldn’t tell. He could stay there for hours if need be. He had to let his mind wander on its own, with a hand pressed against the wall, and another stroking his white hair back. Despite accepting the fact that Toji now owned your love and affection… well, wasn’t that son of a gun too lucky? Did he even realize that the woman he would marry was once Satoru’s entire universe? 

Ah, but who cares? Satoru scoffed inwardly, leaning his head back to let the water hit his face. He had Akemi, so why did it matter if you had Toji? He wasn’t bitter. He was just trying to reason with himself that you deserved to be with someone you really, truthfully loved. And he deserved that, too. Maybe not now, but at the perfect time, he could relive the life of a married man after learning from his mistakes the hard way. A much better one. A married man who would never in his life betray, hurt, or ruin his partner. A doting husband who would offer his whole life just to make her happy. He promised to himself that Akemi should have that kind of man from him. 

Though, he could ask himself, how far was he from achieving that? He did practice his self-control last night when joined you in the pool—his face, inches away from you. Hand gripping your hip. Eye-to-eye. Skin-to-skin. Your warm breath fanning his cheek. Just another step forward and your lips would touch. But he didn’t let that happen. He mustered all of his power to pull back from the gravity that was drawing him closer to you. Still, he couldn’t deny that you looked absolutely gorgeous last night. As the moonlight illuminated your face, he could swear that the stars also sparkled on your eyes. They must be from the tears you were desperately holding back, but either way, you were still so goddamn beautiful. He almost couldn’t keep his eyes off you last night and had to distract himself from looking at your lips, your collarbone, your chest, your curves…

“Fuck.” 

Talk about self-control. 

Satoru had none of that right now. His body reacted involuntarily to the thought of you last night. The sensual thought of you. The what-ifs.

What if he had wrapped your legs around his waist and enveloped your lips into a passionate kiss? 

He took a deep breath, still holding onto the wall as his other hand traveled to his growing member. 

What if he had carried you all the way into the living room and laid you naked on the couch? 

Closing his eyes, his hand started moving on its own, stroking his hardened cock and feeling every ridge as he pleasured himself. 

What if you had let him devour you? Let him roll his tongue on your entrance and taste your sweet, sweet flesh? 

Gojou let out a moan. A quiet yet desperate moan when he continued to jerk himself off faster and rougher. Damn it. He had to keep it low and he better not be heard committing such a sin in the bathroom. Although, he was confident that you were still sound asleep next to Sachiro in your bedroom, so he didn't think you would hear the noise he was making.

After all, it was shameless to know what was driving his feral thoughts right now. Thoughts of you letting him slide his tip along your entrance. Thoughts of him ramming his cock inside your tight cunt, being squeezed by your soft, velvet walls. Thoughts of your breasts bouncing wildly as he continued to hit your most sensitive spot. Fuck. Faster. He would have taken you on all fours, too. He would have let you ride his hardened shaft. He would have pressed you against the sofa and put your legs above his shoulders, letting you milk his cock with the tightness of your cunt. Satoru would release his warm seed into you in every position. He would shoot every drop of his cum straight to your womb, no doubt impregnating you for the second time around. He would absolutely love that. He would love seeing the residues of his wanton desire for you seeping out of your pussy. He would be at bliss watching your belly grow a few months after that, knowing that he had created yet another beautiful life inside of you. 

“Y/N…” 

Awakened by his senses, Satoru opened his eyes and saw the sticky white mess on his hand and on the wall. What the hell did he just do? More importantly, what the hell was he thinking of? 

No one should know about that. Not you, not even Akemi. He didn’t cheat on her, no. He didn’t do anything with you. That shouldn’t be counted as cheating. He didn’t even touch you. And he wasn't even officially dating Akemi.

No, no… 

Absolutely not.

Drowning into a pool of guilt, the first thing he did after that sinful shower session was to contact his supposed girlfriend not-girlfiend. And to make things even more awkward, you entered the kitchen in silence at the right time, carrying a sleepy Sachiro in your arms, unaware of the dilemma that was sending your ex-lover into a spiral.

“Morning,” he greeted almost inaudibly, clearing his throat and taking a sip of coffee afterwards. He had to think straight. 

“Morning,” was your simple and oblivious reply as you went about your daily morning routine. 

Gojou, on the other hand, was typing on his phone because Akemi wasn’t answering his FaceTime calls. He had completely forgotten to update her all day because he had been a little bit too occupied the moment he landed in America. She must be overthinking why he hadn’t reached out to her until now, and he felt extremely awful and responsible for that, but she couldn’t be fast asleep that early, right? It was 7:00 a.m. in New York, so that meant it was only 9:00 p.m. back home. 

He nervously rang her number once more, mumbling a ‘please answer’ as he watched her caller ID appear on the screen. 

“Dada,” called Sachiro, looking at him as his mother sat him on the high chair to prepare his breakfast. 

Still holding his phone, Satoru walked to his son and placed a gentle kiss on his tiny forehead. “Morning, Sachi. Did you sleep well?” 

The toddler nodded at him, drinking milk from the baby bottle that he was holding with both hands. His eyes were wide and blue—quite the same hues of blue that would remind you of a clear sky. Satoru couldn’t help but pinch his adorable son’s cheeks. 

And while you were busy picking out food from the pantry, Akemi finally answered his call after the fourth attempt and showed her beautiful, soft features on the screen. His eyes immediately lit up at the sight of her. “Hey, how are you?” 

He could tell she was still a bit distant and upset because of what happened two weeks ago, when she claimed to have heard him say your name during his sleep. He already made an excuse for it as he also didn’t know why he even did it in the first place, but Akemi was still understandably hurt. He couldn’t blame her. 

“I’m fine, how are you?” she tiredly asked, seemingly heading towards her bed. “I just got home from work, that's why I wasn’t answering.” 

He could see, in the corner of his eyes, that you were glancing at him but he didn’t return it. All of his focus was on Akemi, feeling bad that he hadn’t exactly been a good partner for her lately. Especially after the shit he just did in the shower this morning, but that was a secret that was meant to be buried. “Alright, did you have dinner already? It’s morning here so I’m having breakfast.”

She offered a small smile albeit the visible exhaustion on her eyes. “I did. How’s Sachiro doing?” 

“You wanna see him?” He walked closer to his son, showing him on the screen as his big blue eyes stared at the woman on the other end of the line. “Sachi, say hi to Auntie ‘Kemi.” 

“Hiii~” Sachiro happily greeted Akemi, while the latter cooed at the sight of his son. She spoke to him with a gentle and motherly tone, weaving warmth and love into her words. It made his heart full knowing that Akemi would wholeheartedly treat his child as her own, because if there was a slight possibility that she wouldn’t, she knew that Satoru would rather let her go. His child was still more important than any other woman. And so if his future partner couldn’t accept the fact that he had a child with his ex-wife, then they shouldn’t be in his life after all. The case was different with Akemi because she was already your friend and she had the chance to see Sachiro grow up before Gojou even knew his son existed at all. It was a bit complicated, but things turned out to be easier on the part of acceptance. 

The only problem was you. 

Because by the time the call ended, Satoru could tell that you weren’t in the best mood as you ate breakfast next to Sachiro in complete silence. Your eyebrows were curled into annoyance, and yet your eyes held sadness in them, an expression that had become difficult for him to fathom. Were you jealous of Akemi? He assumed you would say no, but your expressions showed otherwise. 

“Y/N,” he called for your attention, hoping that you would look into his eyes for a little bit. Yet, not a chance did you do. “What’s our agenda for today?” 

You seemed irritated, if anything. You refused to look at him as you gave a curt reply. “I communicated everything you needed to know via email. You should have checked it instead of letting Miwa do everything for you.”

Jeez. You were definitely angry. “Okay.” He cleared his throat once more. “I just asked in case there was a last minute change.” 

“There isn’t. I would have said so if there is.” 

“Right.”

Satoru didn’t know how to act in front of his ex-wife anymore. Now that he had seemed to ignite your pique, he chose not to say anything else further as you two finished your meals and cleaned up after yourselves. The only time he spoke again was when he offered to bathe Sachiro so that you could focus on yourself. 

You agreed. 

And he did his part. 

It was simple give-and-take. A transactional relationship, if you must. Nothing else would blossom from that except your responsibilities as parents for Sachiro. 

——

The New York trip was already as awkward as it was. And it only just started. 

To be fair, it wouldn’t have been as uncomfortable if only Gojou had not decided to make it so. He was the one that made the atmosphere unpleasant by trying to savor every inch of closeness he could get to your skin, only to pull away as if nothing happened. As if he didn’t care about how it made you feel. He even had the audacity to lecture you on how to go about being good parents and setting a good example to Sachiro. Then suddenly, the next morning, he would act like such a loyal and caring partner to Akemi. 

The thought of his loyalty made you scoff on the inside. He should be the absolute last one to be saying that. He should be the last one to profess how much of a loyal man he was trying to be to his new girl. 

Besides, even before this trip was arranged, you had already made it clear on your mind that the sole purpose of going to New York was for Sachiro's sake. Any interaction outside the need to be there for your son would be unnecessary. He wasn’t someone you still needed in your own personal life nor did he need you in his. Your past relationship no longer mattered in this situation and all that was left was for it to be forgotten. But even with your resistance to be anything more than a parent to your son, Satoru still respected you. He still showed, even in little ways, that he cared about your comfort throughout the trip. 

Five days had gone by, and everything you did in New York had been smooth sailing, all thanks to his grand number of connections across the USA. In a short amount of time, Sachiro’s surname had been legally changed, and everything else concerning his birth certificate had been corrected. The only issue left to address was your son’s nationality since Japan doesn’t permit dual citizenship and Sachiro would have to carry a Japanese citizenship and the Gojou name to be able to inherit his father’s assets and multinational conglomerate. You would leave that one up for Satoru to deal with, but everything else had been settled on your end. 

Although this trip wasn’t exactly a vacation, Gojou insisted that you two still take Sachiro out to explore the city he grew up in. And you did so by going to Central Park, telling your ex-husband stories of how you used to bring Sachiro there in a stroller when he was still a little baby and that plenty of strangers, both locals or tourists, would coo at him the minute they took a peek at his adorable face. You also took him to the Empire State Building to get the best view of the entire New York City, and Satoru being Satoru couldn’t leave without taking a family photo with you and your son, capturing the beautiful urban cityscape behind you. You could see it in his eyes that even though he was happy to be there, he was also melancholic at the same time. Almost three years of his son’s life were spent in this famous city, without him, and it was as though the bitter memories of those three years for him were haunting him back. Sadness was reflecting off of his crystal blue eyes as he took a minute staring at the view of the city, reminding you that you were the reason why he had missed out on his baby’s first memories. 

If guilt could literally eat you alive, you would have been devoured. 

“Ready to go, Sachi?” Satoru asked your son, tucking his phone away after having (seemingly) sent Akemi a text message, probably updating her of where he was and what he was doing. In fact, he had been texting and calling her every now and then, as if he was doing his best to reassure her that he wasn’t doing any funny business with you. Has Akemi always been a possessive partner? Even with your years of friendship with her, she had never acted that way in her past relationship. So, was she only like that to Satoru specifically? You wondered if she would go nuts had she heard Satoru tell you how badly he wanted to make more babies with you on your first night here. 

Sachiro nodded, clinging to your hand while reaching for his father’s. “Dada, hand pwease!” 

Satoru did offer his hand, but mirrored the surprise on your face when your son tried to link your fingers together, urging you to hold each other's hands like a couple. You didn’t want to get too offended by it, but your ex-husband was the first one to pull away. “I, uh, made a reservation for us in Carbone,” he said, unable to exchange eye-contact, “Yuuta will meet us there.” 

“Oh, he’s in New York?” you asked, pretending you didn’t notice how he acted allergic to your touch and redirected your attention to your son. “Did you hear that, Sachi? Uncle Yuuta will come and see you.” 

Your little one was oblivious to the world, too distracted by the throng of people surrounding the place that he didn’t even notice how his parents were uneasy with each other. To say that you didn’t feel bad for your son was a lie, because it actually broke your heart. Even if you and Satoru were working on co-parenting and making sure Sachiro wouldn’t feel the gravity of a broken household, you knew that when he reached the right age, all of this would still have an effect on him. One day, he would still be asking questions about his parents. Questions about why you separated, why your marriage failed, and why you had to move to New York while his father stayed behind. It hurt. Deep inside, it hurt so much to know that your only son wasn’t given the chance to have a complete family and it felt like a failure on your part as his parent. 

You were sure that was what Yuuta thought, too. As you met with him at a fancy restaurant in the city, you could see how his face lightened up seeing his nephew bonding with his parents as if it were a family vacation. He must have known what it was like to have a broken household. In fact, he had lived in a toxic one before, but he still grew up to be a mature and dignified young man who never let the horrors of his family’s actions affect his rational thinking. So if there was anyone in the world who would sympathize the most with Sachiro, it would be Yuuta.

“Sachi,” he spoke to your son fondly, wiping the sauce on the toddler’s chin. Yuuta chuckled as he watched the little boy's grimace after being given a small piece of broccoli. “You don’t like vegetables?” 

You fixed the bib on your son’s neck. “He does, but he’s very picky with it,” you tell Yuuta, glancing at Satoru who was busy speaking on the phone with Nanami about what appeared to be matters concerning the company. “Wonder where he got it from.” 

“Right.” Yuuta’s eyes turned into moon crescents as he smiled. “I remember nii-san being a little picky.” 

“You hear that Sachi?” you teased your son, who looked at you with his cute puppy eyes. You knew that if you had the ability to peak through his toddler mind, it would actually be full of fried chicken. The thought made you laugh. “Don’t be like daddy, okay? Sachi needs to have his veggies so he’ll be strong when he grows up.” 

“But…” Sachiro pointed to his father. “Dada is stwong.” 

Satoru chimed in at the conversation after having finished the call, “That’s right, Dada’s strong. Mommy could barely even handle me.” 

“Do you even know what we’re talking about?” You rolled your eyes, while Yuuta wanted to giggle, but chose to hold it back seeing the awkwardness of the situation.

Satoru shrugged and sat on his chair, eyeing the scrumptious dishes that were served to your table. He was acting like he hadn't been served more expensive meals before. “Have you tried the spicy rigatoni before? I heard it’s famous here.” 

You casually answered. “Yes. Toji used to bring me here every time he visited.” 

Look, you didn’t mean to overshare nor did you mean to make things even more awkward. You also didn’t mean to slap it in his face about how you were spending your years in New York with Toji. But Satoru, with his pride, took it resentfully. 

“Oh, really?” His words were the opposite of his voice. He was mirthless and full of unenthusiasm before changing the topic, redirecting his attention to his step-brother instead. “How’s Harvard?”

Yuuta eased the tension by making small talk, sharing details about his university life, and making sure he didn’t contribute to the growing tension. “I’m really just trying to survive this semester so I can go back home as soon as I graduate.” After taking a sip of his Cabernet Blend, he continued, “Like I promised, I’ll help you with the company.” 

You were happy, at least, to know that Satoru and Yuuta had fixed their relationship as step-brothers even after the whole incident with Nana, Eula, and their father. What used to be a relationship full of envy and competition finally became one that was full of mutual trust and support. Yuuta deserved that since he never once wished for his brother’s downfall, while Satoru also deserved to have a family member that had his back and helped him with the business without constantly fighting about inheritance. Because technically, Satoru was the sole heir of the Gojou family, and his dad only made it seem as though he would give it to Yuuta to make his own son comply with his orders. Satoru’s dad was controlling in that sense, and that was what led to all of this. 

But the present was more important. Things have changed and mistakes have been learned. It was all up to you on how you were going to manage your new life moving forward. 

Only, if only things were a little bit different on his side.

——

You had raised your son all by yourself for the last 3 years, so the presence of his father wasn’t really something you were used to for the longest time. How Sachiro acted around other people was solely a reflection of your teachings, discipline, and guidance as his mother. He didn’t really have a paternal figure up until now, and even if Toji was there to support your journey to motherhood, he never fully meddled with your mother-son relationship nor did he act like a replacement to Sachiro’s biological father. He loved him like his own, but respected the fact that the spot was reserved for Satoru. He knew that. He understood that, because he himself experienced raising a child alone without the presence of a mother. And if you asked him, he, too, would not want Megumi to replace the very love that he was supposed to have for his biological mom. Sure, Megumi could love and respect you, but Toji would still want him to save an unnegotiable spot for his mother in his heart. After all, she had birthed him. And in that same way, you had birthed Sachiro and created him with Satoru during your marriage. If there was anyone Sachiro should look up to, it had to be his father. 

And quite frankly, the father himself was doing an excellent job. 

But then again, remembering how hands-on Satoru was to you during your pregnancy, you never doubted that he would be a good parent. He may not be a perfect husband, but he loved his child with all of his heart and soul, and he would risk it all just to keep him happy. 

It was new to you how, throughout the trip, you didn’t have to take care of Sachiro alone. You and Satoru helped each other harmoniously, attending to your toddler’s needs and making sure he was being prioritized. You were glad. Truly. You were grateful to see that he wasn’t an absent father and that his words weren’t empty when he promised you that he would be a responsible dad to him. 

Though, at the back of your mind, you couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he welcomed another child in this world? A child that didn’t come from you? Deep inside, it hurt you to imagine him neglecting Sachiro on the side the minute he welcomed a new baby with Akemi. The reality was, the father would always prioritize the child of the current wife, not the child of the ex-wife. He would still support him, sure. But would he still pay the same level of attention that he was giving Sachiro now? You would probably break in half if Sachiro was thrown to the agonizing realm of feeling like an outsider in his own family because no child deserved that. If Satoru had that experience first-hand, he should not subject his own son to that same feeling.

You would be selfish to say this, but you wanted to seize the opportunity while Sachiro was still his only son. Hiding him from his father was your fault—you had gone through that a million times and you weren’t shy at holding yourself accountable through that mistake. However, you were already doing your best to make amends and make up for the years Sachiro had missed around his father. He was Satoru’s first and only child, and therefore he should never fight for his father’s affection. You weren’t sure what Satoru’s long term plans with Akemi were, but if they were considering having their own children someday, you would never allow your son to be pushed back at the bottom of the family tree.

Sachiro was the true first-born son of Satoru. He should never have to fight for his position in his father's eyes.

And so on the night of your flight back to Japan, when Satoru asked if he could take Sachiro with him for the rest of the week, you had no problems in saying yes. Your only wish right now was for them to spend as much time together as possible.

“Where are you taking him?” you did ask in spite of your leniency to send your son away, waiting inside the car as the pilot and crew prepared the private jet. “Please send me the full address. I need to know where he’s gonna stay and—”

“You’ll get the details from Miwa,” he casually said, rubbing Sachiro’s back as the little boy slept on his chest. He didn’t bother meeting your eyes as he talked. “I’m just taking him to my vacation home in Osaka.”

Osaka…

That was where his mother isolated him from the rest of the world when he was having terrible episodes. Episodes that worsened after he had found out that you ‘terminated’ his child and abandoned him for good. Shoko once said that they felt like Gojou disappeared from their lives while he was there, because nobody else could reach out to him. They couldn’t visit him nor could they contact him for a year or so until he was mentally ready to come back to Tokyo. 

You didn’t want to pry on matters that were sensitive to him, so you chose not to say anything concerning his decision to take Sachiro to Osaka. He must have wanted to reflect on his past experiences, allowing him to heal from them as it brought him to the incommutable life he had now—life knowing that Sachiro actually existed after everything that he was made to believe. 

“Please take good care of him, okay?” It was only a reminder, nothing else.

Satoru kept a straight face, nodding before he planted a kiss on his son’s forehead. “I got it from here.” 

After a minute of silence, you both got out of the car and you watched him carry the peaceful Sachiro in his arms. You left the sleeping toddler a tender kiss on the cheek before parting ways. “I love you, my baby.” Stroking his hair, you kissed his tiny nose. “Mommy will see you soon.” 

Satoru knew that you were staying behind. You had informed him of your plans before you even came here to the airport with him, explaining that Toji would be in Miami and that you had made arrangements to meet with your fiancé there. Satoru didn’t say anything much about it either, simply nodding his head at your decision and telling you to ‘do whatever’ because he was no longer a husband you should report your plans to. There was no hint of jealousy in his stance, but you couldn't miss the flicker of bitterness that did appear on his eyes for a millisecond. 

You didn’t even say goodbye to each other as you watched them board the plane. And he didn’t even bother looking back at you to tell you to take care of yourself. Not that you expected anything from him, but a quick goodbye would have been nice since you did spend the last couple of days together. Or perhaps, he was upset about the fact that you were staying behind to meet Toji? 

Either way, you were on your own now. 

It took some time for you to reach Toji in Miami. He had insisted on meeting you at the airport, but because he had to meet with a foreign investor, you headed straight to the hotel he was staying at. Funny enough, you couldn’t help but compare how different it was to stay in the same accommodation as your fiancé vs with your ex-husband and son. With Toji, nothing felt uncomfortable and sharing a room as a couple was as normal as it should be, but things did feel too formal and too forced. With Satoru, it felt awkward to share the same space with him, but since your son was there, it felt like home. It felt strangely close to home, like it was only right. That staying together as a family was what your heart wanted. 

Ever since Satoru went back to Japan with Sachiro, you had been feeling a wave of separation anxiety. Your mind was always left wandering towards them; how they were doing, where they were, what they had for dinner. You wondered if Sachiro was giving his father a headache. Smiling at the thought, perhaps he was giving Satoru a hard time changing his diapers. 

“Everything okay?” Toji, noticing your trance, put an arm around you as you two sat at the VIP lounge of the Miami Grand Prix. This was Toji’s scene. If Satoru was a fan of horseback riding and polo, Toji preferred big time F1 races. He even personally knew the racers, the type of cars they were driving, and everything a huge fan had to know. You weren’t all that familiar with these things, so it was a little hard to keep up with his lifestyle. 

“Y-Yeah, sorry,” you stammered, realizing how distracted you had been all this time. “What were you saying?” 

He drank from his glass of 30 year-old Macallan, downing the liquor like it was mere water. A cloud of disappointment settled over his features. “Not interesting to you, huh?” 

“No, I…” You made an effort to place a hand on his nape, giving him an apologetic peck on the lips. “I’m really sorry for zoning out. I was just… I guess I was just a little tired from New York.”

Toji placed a hand on your knee, sighing. “It’s fine. I was just trying to introduce the guys to you,” he said, scooting closer as he pointed to the racers. “You know that guy? Lewis Hamilton. He’s quite popular with the ladies,” then he moved his finger towards the other drivers, “And we got here for Ferrari, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, also fan favorites.” 

Your eyes suddenly caught sight of Gojou’s favorite car brand. “Um, how about McLaren? Who drives for them?” 

Unsure if Toji caught on or not, he did take a minute before feeding into your curiosity. “Norris and Piastri.” 

You wished you had any idea about F1 so that you could be as enthusiastic as Toji was at this event. He was at his happiest right now and you didn’t want to ruin it by being a boring, uncultured fiancé, because frankly, all these women around would have done a better job at entertaining him. Toji was very eye-candy and you couldn’t blame these models from glancing up at him, especially with how manly and suave he was, dressed like a picture perfect example of an old money businessman. The likes of him were the prey of these desperate influencers, willing to sell their bodies in exchange for a night with him. But truth be told, that was their way of living and you could never find it in yourself to insult them. You didn’t want to shame them for attempting to climb the social ladder because that was how they view money and success, or at least a faster ticket to it. 

As long as they didn’t try to make moves on your fiancé while you were around, you wouldn’t be so bothered by a few stares here and there. 

Neither was Toji. He must have experienced being stared at during these events plenty of times before, and he probably even sent women home crying because of rejection or worse, humiliation. Now that you think of it, how did Megumi feel when his father was being hit on while watching the Grand Prix? Most importantly, why was the teenage son absent at this current event? 

“Love, why didn’t you bring Megumi with you?” you inquired out of a sudden curiosity, knowing that Megumi was always present next to his father during F1 events. 

Toji took a sip of the hard liquor once more. “He didn’t wanna go. He was giving me the silent treatment before I left for the US.” 

Confusion further blanketed your eyes. “Did something happen back home?” 

He let out a deep breath, his face signaling that he was deep in dilemma. “The Zen’in elders want to set him up for an arranged marriage,” he revealed, much to your surprise, “They wanna make sure he’s not gonna end up like me, married to someone who wasn’t ‘qualified’ to be my wife.” 

At first you were confused if he was referring to you, but you realized that he was describing his late wife. Megumi’s own mother, the only woman Toji had ever loved by a mile. He fought everyone for her, even turned his back on his own family for her, but claimed that he also ultimately led her to her demise because the elders of his family harassed her until the day she died. It was a tragic love, perhaps even more tragic than yours, so you somehow understood why Toji was conflicted about Megumi’s personal life.

But you? You were strongly against it. “I don’t support arranged marriages, you know that,” you told him with conviction, sympathizing for the poor boy, “It’s not gonna end well. You know what happened to me…”

“I know.” Toji’s eyes were filled with regret. “I know, but there’s nothing I can do about it unless Megumi himself tells me he has someone he loves.” 

“Did you ask?” 

“He’s tight-lipped about it.” 

You sighed. “Well, he’s a teenager. They get pretty shy about these things.”

Forcing a marriage was never a good thing. You couldn’t understand why the concept even existed because it didn’t benefit anyone aside from the people around the married couple. That was why they called it a marriage of convenience. They were married for everyone’s sake but themselves; family name, status, business… You have had enough of it. If only you realized it from the very beginning, you never would have subjected yourself to a loveless marriage with Satoru. Even if your love did grow eventually, things still didn’t work out for the best, and now your life was a mess. A divorced couple co-parenting their only son? There was obviously no convenience gained in that false marriage.

Megumi would just be wasting years of his life tied to a person he didn’t love and so you were hoping that Toji would fight for his son’s right. Because if he truly understood you, he would not subject his son to the same suffering you went through. 

“I wish my wife was here,” mumbled Toji, forlornly, “She’d know how to handle these things better than I do.” 

Were you not there for him? You swallowed your pride, hiding the pain in your voice. “Right…” A smile was all that you could offer. “I’m sure she would.” 

——

Something was different about Toji and you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. 

It wasn’t his appearance, and neither was it the way he spoke to you. He was all the same except for one thing; the look in his eyes. 

He had told you this before. He said that the eyes carry the most truthful and raw emotion that you can see on someone. The presence of love would be visible in someone’s eyes just as you would see stars on a clear, night sky. The lack, however, would mean that the eyes are blank and empty like the dark void in the expanse of the universe. You didn’t have to be poetic to be able to discern the way his eyes communicated his most solemn feelings in spite of trying to show otherwise. 

He must have been tired. Being caught up in your back-and-forths with your ex-husband, having to put up with your pretentious co-parenting situation, and the never ending need to keep an open mind about your situation with the same man who had ruined you. When your heart was in pieces, wasn’t he the one who tried to fix it? Wasn’t he the one who remained by your side during your darkest times? 

Whether that may be true, whether he truly ever loved you, you could recognize the stark difference of the Toji that genuinely cared for you to the Toji that was only actively trying to be there for you. What had changed him all of a sudden? 

“Toji, you drank a little too much.” A weary sigh escaped your lips, pulling all your might to drag your fiancé to lie comfortably in your shared bed later that night. At least, on the way to the hotel room, you had his bodyguards to thank for. They were there to haul him while he was in his drunken stupor, letting you lead the way, and dumping him carefully to his bed because there was no way you would be able to carry such a muscular man all by yourself. Now that you were alone with him, you decided to care for him the same way you used to do when Gojou was coming home drunk at night. Starting with his shoes that you took off, his shirt that you unbuttoned, his pants that you unzipped. “Come on, love. I’ll get you changed.”

The verdant hues of his eyes weren’t present. They were hiding behind his lids, refusing to meet your gaze. But if anything, he did open his mouth to speak, “...You. You wanna know a secret?” 

Drunken words are sober thoughts, you reminded yourself. Of the numerous times Satoru had gotten drunk during the early stages of your marriage, it was how you found out that deep inside him, he did care for you. That in spite of his ill-tempered exterior, he was a man deprived of parental love and support. What would be the case for Toji, then? 

“Yeah?” You waited for his answer, slipping his shirt off and revealing his toned body. 

The scar on his mouth moved when he displayed a mirthless smile. He was as drunk as an alcoholic would be. “I don’t… think… I can love you the same way I loved my first wife.” 

Your heart paused. In fact, every heartbeat became heavy. You knew how he felt, but didn’t expect him to say that out loud. “I-Is that so…?”

“Absolutely,” he mumbled, chuckling inaudibly. He was at a point where he was too far gone to realize the magnitude of the words he was saying to you. “Even if you try your best, she was everything I wanted in life and the only woman I could ever offer my heart to. She’s irreplaceable, and I don’t feel guilty about it... because I know you’re still into Satoru, too.”

“That’s…” You held your breath, holding back the sudden tears that formed in your eyes. “That’s not true.” 

Toji wasn’t done yet, however. He still went on with his drunken speech like he was finally pouring out raw, yet hurtful words out of the bottle. “Who knows? You would’ve had him touch you back in New York if you didn’t have me. You would’ve had him impregnate you, have his second child with you, and guess what? He still won’t be loyal to you.”

The pain in your heart increased tenfold. Everything went still and every minute felt like a stab to your soul. Should you say something? Should you get angry at him? No, no you couldn’t. Your chest was tightening and you knew it was smart not to let such negative emotions overpower you. His words were just a little difficult to grasp because Toji never in his life had been callous with his words to you. The tears that fell from your eyes were from the betrayal that you felt after hearing the cruel words he had uttered. And yet, you tried to hold on to that thin string of hope that Toji’s words didn’t come from a place of truth. 

“That’s enough, Toji. Go to sleep.” You pulled away, swallowing the bitter taste of weakness in your voice. 

He hummed, unaware of the pain he had put you through. “The more I look at you, the more I realize how much I actually don’t want to spend my whole life with you,” he admitted, with little to no regard for your current feelings, “I can’t fill this emptiness by being with another empty soul. And if there’s one thing I’m most grateful for, it’s that I let you run away that day before I fulfilled my vows with you—”

“Enough!” You shot up from bed and wiped the flood of tears on your eyes. “Enough! I’ve heard everything you wanted me to hear, okay?! Enough!” you raised your voice in despair, almost begging for him to stop tearing your heart asunder. “I get it! I fucking get it… so enough. Please, Toji.” 

Drunken words are sober thoughts.

A drunk mind speaks a sober heart.

Alcohol is a truth serum. 

The revelation of Toji’s true feelings that night was a reminder to you that he was just like any other man. That you should have never put him in such a high regard, thinking that he would be the prince charming that would save the poor damsel in distress. Why? What would he benefit from someone like you? You only deluded yourself into thinking that a man like him would take a single mother so seriously. You were only meant to be a placeholder for his dead wife after all. 

A placeholder, certainly. Not even deserving to have the title of a wife.

——

There was a huge contrast between being with you and Sachiro in New York vs being with Akemi and Sachiro in Osaka. The difference? There was no awkward air between Akemi and him. They were free to do things as they will—no restrictions, no certain do’s and don’ts. They were happy to have each other’s company, minus the guilt nor the unease of being by each other’s side. If anything, Satoru bitterly assumed that you were having the time of your life in Miami with Toji. You were so keen to see the man back there before parting ways with your ex-husband and son like you were simply discarding them to the side. 

If so be it, then fine. Satoru had all the right to have his son all to himself while you were gone. Besides, Akemi was just one call away and she was everything he could ever ask for. She cared for Sachiro as if she was his own mother and Satoru couldn’t be more grateful that he didn’t need to work on building a bond between her and his son. 

In fact, Akemi very much knew how to win Sachiro’s heart. As they took his adorable son to Universal Studios that day, she was nothing short of a caring mother. She had acted as a guardian to his son throughout the rides, letting the toddler enjoy his time at all the wonderful attractions that the theme park had to offer. Not once did his son cry too, so that only meant that they were doing a great job at taking care of him. 

Of course, it was a different story in the afternoon. After having spent all of his energy during the day, Sachiro had become tired and hungry by dinner time. But he wasn’t such a difficult kid to tend to, so Satoru was proud that his son still wasn’t throwing a tantrum even after a whole day of not having you around. 

“We’re gonna get Sachi fried chicken,” he enticed the pouting toddler, kissing his forehead while Akemi carried him in her arms. “Is that what you want?” 

Sachiro nodded and wrapped his little arms around his auntie’s neck. “Chicken, dada.”

Akemi smiled at the child’s gesture, tempting her to also place a kiss on his cheek. “You’re so cute and well-behaved, Sachi.” 

“—Satoru?” 

At the familiar voice, all three of them turned to the woman standing behind like a deer caught in the headlines. She was tall for a woman, slender, and had long, auburn hair, rosy cheeks, and ivory skin. Next to her was a tattooed man with salmon pink hair, a piercing on his ear, and a very defensive stance. Ah… How timely. 

Sera and Sukuna. 

Satoru wasn’t sure if he should openly greet them, after all, they weren’t acquaintances. And it was only recent that he got his memories back, triggered by Sera's presence at the expo. Other than that, he had no business with the two of them. Sukuna wasn’t a business partner of his, so him and Satoru had no formal connection towards each other. As for Sera, she might be his ex-girlfriend, but they didn’t exactly have the healthiest relationship to begin with, so…

“Of all the places,” she mumbled, almost gaping at the sight of him. Her eyes then trailed off to Akemi and Sachiro, with which her expressions shifted to guilt. Did she recognize his son? Did she remember the horrible attempt she did to harm his child during his ex-wife’s pregnancy? The memory was flooding Satoru’s brain like a tsunami. Yeah, in that case, Sera should definitely be filled with guilt. She tried to kill this harmless child. 

He cleared his throat, now becoming protective over his son at the presence of his ex. “We gotta go—”

“I guess it’s true,” Sera spoke again, this time redirecting her attention to Akemi. “The rumors, I mean. It’s all just surprising to me considering how obsessive Satoru was to Y/N.” She paused, seemingly wanting to comment at her ex-boyfriend’s current relationship in a mocking way. She kept her eyes on Akemi only, while Satoru was left wondering why Sera was acting hostile towards her. What was her deal now? She wasn't in the position to be acting all entitled to Gojou anymore, but here she was, talking to Akemi like she had met her before. “Did you know? He sacrificed everything for her. No one else made him beg on his knees the same way Y/N did.”

He couldn’t even tell how Akemi felt while Sera was clearly taunting her with her words, but she still managed to smile and excuse herself, keeping Sachiro away from an environment that should only be between adults. It was ridiculous, surely. What was Sera thinking trying to subject his son around that kind of hostility? Balling his fists, Satoru turned to Sukuna and spoke to him man-to-man. “You’d better keep your woman entertained so she’ll stop meddling into other people’s business.” 

Sukuna, however, found the situation equally humorous. “Don’t worry. We both are entertained.” 

Making a spectacle of Satoru’s personal life? No wonder they ended up together. They were both pieces of shit. 

Before Satoru turned on his heels to follow Akemi, Sera still had one last thing to say to him. This time, she was more calm and less malicious—her eyes following Akemi’s trail before looking back at him, “Satoru, if you have truly grown as a man, you won’t do this to Y/N.”

——

Sachiro was fast asleep when they returned to the Gojou clan's vacation home. 

Meanwhile, since the night was young for the two adults in that house, Akemi and Satoru shared a passionate session in the living room downstairs, letting her ride him as he placed soft kisses on her collarbone. They tried to keep quiet, obviously, and all the lights were turned off, leaving only the moonlight illuminating their view. After a few more minutes into their lovemaking, they eventually met their climax and tried to catch each other’s breath, embracing her in his arms as she fell limp against him. 

“Satoru, I missed you a lot while you were gone.” 

“...Same.” 

Silence engulfed them for some time until she let out an exasperated sigh. It was clear in her facial expressions alone that she was pondering about the whole scene with Sera earlier. “That girl earlier, Sera, she—”

“Don’t mind her.” Gojou closed his eyes and leaned his head against the backrest. He knew he had to clear things up straightforwardly, leaving no room for any misunderstandings. “She just loves riling people up. It’s ironic she’s coming at Y/N’s defense now like she didn’t torment her back then. She’s not worth paying attention to.” 

“Okay.” Akemi pulled away, cupping his face and stroking his cheek. She also offered him an angelic smile while doing so. “But you don’t feel that way anymore, right? For Y/N?”

Satoru took a deep breath, but steadied the movements of his chest. He felt defensive all of a sudden. “No.” 

Her smile grew more relaxed as she pressed a light peck on his lips. “Right.” And for a while, they both stayed silent. His thoughts ran straight to you, while hers was quite on a different route. “Earlier when I put Sachiro to bed, he called me his mama.” 

His eyes widened. “Oh… he did?”

She answered with a nod. “I don’t know if he’s just half asleep calling for his real mommy, but… At that moment, it made me realize how much I want to have my own,” she hinted at him, wistfully staring at his blue eyes with her shining ones, “with you.”

——

You didn’t take the flight back to Tokyo. 

What you took was an immediate flight straight to Osaka where you knew your son and your ex-husband would be. You weren’t sure if it was due to the height of your emotions, but you surely let your impulse win the best of you this time. 

You just wanted to escape. It was for the first time in your life where you were dying to set yourself free from Toji’s presence, the very same person who you once likened to a buoy in an open sea. Now he was no longer that. He was far from that. He was an anchor pulling you down at the deepest part of the ocean. Needless to say, the pain was still fresh from your heart when you took the earliest flight back home after his drunken confession to you. 

Despite the many missed calls and texts and emails he had sent you, none of them were returned. None of them were seen, or read, or had been replied to. 

All you wanted to do was get to your son. Your son. Your only comfort from all the painful things that the world has thrown at you. If not for Sachiro, you would have long ended yourself. But because he was born in this world, because he relied on his mother for love and guidance, you had to be strong and you had to seek the comfort in your heart from him. 

They could all turn their backs on you, but never will your son do. 

And so, after a few back-and-forth emails with Miwa to confirm the address of Satoru’s residence in Osaka, you ignored the jetlag that was hitting your body and traveled straight to his place without a wink of decent sleep. Sachiro. Sachiro was all you ever thought of when you asked your driver to drop you off the park nearby the Gojou clan's residence as soon as you spotted your son's mop of white hair, him running across the small bridge and pointing towards a fish in the pond. Your son was happily calling all the fishes, gushing about them to Satoru who stood next to him. 

You didn’t even care at how you looked during that moment. You just wanted to get to your son and embrace him in your arms. He had been away from you for way too long and you had already grown pale and sick from the separation anxiety that engulfed your heart and mind. 

You had to have your son. You had to hold him.

“Sachi!” you called out, a smile present on your face as you made your desperate way towards the bridge. Your son looked at you the moment he had heard your voice, and was already skipping towards you with a bright smile on his face. “My baby!” 

Satoru’s face, on the other hand, turned pallid. His eyes were full of surprise, unable to believe that you were actually right in front of him. It was like he had seen a ghost. No, worse than a ghost. Why? Did he not expect you to come when he had let Miwa send the address to you? Were you not welcome to visit your own son? 

“Mamaaa!” Sachiro hugged you tightly, allowing you to attack his cute face with kisses all over.  

“Mommy missed you so much, my baby.” You could almost cry. As young as he was, he had no idea how much comfort he was bringing into your heart. Just to be able to see him, hold him, kiss him was enough for you to feel complete again. It was at your brokenness did you realize how much Sachiro could fix you whole.

“Y/N, I thought you…” Satoru paused, confusion seemed to be settling on his features as you looked up at him. “You’re supposed to be back by Monday.” 

For a moment, you were reminded of the reason you came home earlier than intended and it stung your heart to think about. “Change of plans.” 

A small scoff left his lips. “Don’t tell me you left Toji back there.”

I did, you wanted to say. Satoru had no single idea how true his words were, but that was none of his business and you had no plans of confiding in him about what had happened. You may be angry with Toji now, but you still respected him enough not to do terrible things behind his back. 

“I had to see my son,” you lied, although it wasn’t exactly one, and got up while holding your toddler’s hand. “Are you ready to go home with mommy, Sachi?” 

Reluctance clouded your son’s face, and he became more resolute at shaking his head the moment a woman’s voice called for him from afar. A woman, a very, painfully familiar woman came into view a few meters away from you. Standing there was your best friend, Akemi Hirai, looking at you with wide, mortified eyes as soon as she saw your presence. 

And in a snap, Sachiro ran to her. Your son ran straight to her, joyfully and excitedly as if she was his real mother. 

How many more heartbreaks do you have to go through? 

How many more tears do you have to hold back? 

“I…” Your hands were shaking. Your entire body was on the verge of breaking down. All this time, your son had been in this vacation home living like a happy little family with your ex-husband and best friend. 

Now, he even refused to go home with you. 

Gojou scanned through the look on your eyes as though he was reading your emotions, but you showed none of it. Not a single emotion could be seen on your face. Not an ounce of pain shown, despite seeing how your son immediately forgot about you and headed straight to another woman. How excited he was to spend more time with his dad and his new girlfriend. How, much to your discomfort, he refused to go back to Tokyo with you. You saw the future family Sachiro was about to have without you in the picture, and damn did it hit you like a truck. 

Why, why did everyone in your life choose others before you? 

“I’m sorry. I’ll bring him to your house Monday morning,” said your ex-husband in a soft, delicate voice, almost as if he was being careful with you. “We’ll take care of him.” 

You could simply nod, avoiding eye-contact with anyone in the vicinity except for Satoru. “Okay...” you struggled with words. Your entire body was shaking. The last thing you wanted was to sound like a selfish mother, but frankly, you were about to self-destruct. “Just keep him happy… that's all I ask.” 

Behind your mask of indifference, Satoru knew what right words had to be said. You needed reassurance, and that was exactly what he gave you. “I won’t ever take him away from you, Y/N. I promise.” 

You watched them walk away, leaving you alone with a look of sympathy that you didn’t need. Sympathy that you despised having received. This should serve as a wake up call to you that no one in this world would ever love you. That even your own child would, one day, abandon you. 

As tears fell from your eyes, you felt a certain pang on your chest that hurt worse than every other pain combined. “You know you’re not so good with promises, Satoru.” 

[dustofthedailylife]

Caught staring at their Lips

→ Masterlist

Summary: They catch you staring at their lips and how they would react (headcanons + short drabbles format)

Characters: Ayato, Childe, Diluc, Heizou, Kaeya, Kazuha, Thoma, Xiao, Zhongli x (gn!)Reader (separate)

Warnings: None - pure fluff!

A/N: Your girl is back! I finally managed to finish these drabbles I had sitting in my drafts for half an eternity already. Always appreciate any asks, comments or reblogs about this if you liked it. Let me know your favorite! <3

AYATO

It wouldn't take long for him to notice your dreamy stare.

Would literally stop talking mid sentence as soon as he notices you staring, just to see how long it would take you to notice he was no longer saying anything.

Once you realized, he would just smirk and throw you a knowing glance.

He can't help himself, he needs to throw a remark and he would enjoy it greatly that he is making you even more flustered.

Despite him looking like he is entirely unaffected by your gawking, on the inside you would make him go crazy, his heart would beat so loud he is scared you would be able to hear it.

He hummed, snapping you out of your trance, making you realize that you had been staring at his lips for the entire time he had been talking. Wait? When did he stop talking? Oh, Archons. You felt the blood rush to your face and wanted to cover your eyes in embarrassment, but that would be admitting that you, in fact, had been staring at Ayato's way too soft and inviting looking lips while you wondered what they would feel like against yours.

"Care to share with me what you were so entranced by on my face?"

"... I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, so you admit that you were staring at my lips?"

"I… no, I–." You were desperately ringing for words and all you could manage to get out was a stammered word salad - much to the amusement of the man in front of you.

He let out a soft chuckle and he trained his lilac eyes on yours before he suddenly took your hand into his, brushing over the back of your palm with his thumb. You thought your heart was about to jump out of your chest any second, which seemed to be very much visible on your face as well, because Ayato's smirk grew even wider.

"No need to be so nervous, I was just testing you."

"W-what were you–?"

He quickly pulled you forward and pressed his lips onto yours, one of his gloved hands finding its way to your cheek, cupping it gently.

"Now that we finally got around to spending time together, don’t you perhaps think it’s being wasted by just staring?"

CHILDE

Oh Archons, you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into…

He would be an absolute tease about it (because of course he would be).

Would it stroke his ego if the most beautiful person in all of Teyvat stared at his lips this way? One hundred percent.

If you thought you’d seen his shit-eating grin before, better reconsider that because the grin he would have on his face now, was wider than it had ever been.

Prepare to be flustered because that man will stare right back at you and not even falter for a second under your gaze.

You stood in front of his desk as he flicked through the pages on the clipboard you just brought over to him. You closely watched the way his eyes scanned over the paper with a bored expression, finding your eyes wandering from his eyes a bit further down to his lips.

You found yourself drifting off, fantasizing about what it would feel like to press your own lips against his. You were so lost in thought, you missed the way he kept looking up at you out of the corner of his eyes with a smug smile slowly forming on his face, before getting up from his chair and getting over to where you were standing.

“Look at you!”, he took your face in between his index finger and thumb and pulled it up in a way that you were forced to look into his eyes. “Staring at my lips like you have a chance in hell to kiss me, hm?”

“I-I’m sorry, I must’ve…”, you rung for words as he kept pinning you down with his intense ocean blue eyes, the conceited grin on his face becoming wider with every stammer that forced itself out of your throat. You hoped he didn’t feel how your cheeks had started to burn under his gloved hands and how fast your heart had started to hammer against your chest.

“What if I told you though, that you do have a chance?”

Oh Archons, this man would be the death of you.

DILUC

Would be the one to keep talking even if he notices that you’re staring.

Don’t be fooled though, he just tries to keep it cool but he’d eventually break under your gaze.

His face would turn a flaming red and become almost indistinguishable from the color of his locks and he would start to stammer and avoid eye contact.

Would probably inquire whether he had something in his face making you aware of the fact that you had been staring, flustering you all the same in return.

You would shake your head and attempt to hide your face while an awkward silence settled between you two.

He would secretly wish for you to look at his lips like that more often.

Sitting at the bar at the Angel’s Share you caught yourself being entranced by the lips of the man behind the bar who was focused on wiping some of the glasses dry, while striking a conversation with you.

As soon as he looked up from the counter you noticed a small startle in his composure before he kept talking again, earning nothing but a zoned out hum or nod from you in response as you were too busy with the way his lips basically danced a slow rhythm as he was speaking.

“Sorry. I-Is there anything between my teeth… or on my face?”, he stammered suddenly, interrupting whatever he had been talking about prior to that. Not that you would actually remember what it was about, embarrassingly so, because you knew exactly why he was asking.

“No, no, everything is fine.”, you replied awkwardly to which he nodded before quickly turning around, busying himself with cleaning up the perfectly arranged and spotless shelf behind him. You had been too obvious, hadn’t you?

“Say…”, he suddenly turned around again with a bright pink blush across his cheeks. “Are you free tomorrow night?”

HEIZOU

What gave you the idea that staring at his lips would either go unnoticed or end well?

That man basically has a sixth sense, of course he would notice straight away.

Would probably let you stare for a bit longer and pretend he doesn’t see you looking at his lips so blatantly obvious

He absolutely wouldn’t be able to hold back the smug grin on his face for too long.

Brace yourself for teasing, because you sure won’t hear the end of it.

As you sat at your desk at the Police Station you couldn’t help but steal sneaky glances over to your colleague and his handsome features every now and then. Especially his lips magically kept pulling you back to them and you frequently began drawing imaginary patterns over them with your eyes and were unable to take them off.

Heizou suddenly piled up some of the files he had been working on the entire day, grabbed them and walked over to your desk with a confident smirk on his face that could mean nothing good.

“Well, my favorite colleague, care to lend me a hand with a case I’ve been struggling to solve?”

“Excuse me?”

Him? Struggling with a case? Frankly said, you found that almost impossible to believe so you just questioningly raised an eyebrow at him. 

As if prompted, he pulled out the chair in front of your desk and sat down, putting the files on your desk, too. But much to your surprise he didn’t open them but instead pushed them aside and leaned in closer to you over your desk, intently staring at your face, the smug grin never faltering.

“You heard that right and you’re the only one who can solve it.”

You stared back at him as if he had lost his mind. He had never asked for help with a case, neither directly nor indirectly. As if spurred on by your confusion his grin grew even wider and you started getting more nervous by the minute.

“So… there is someone who keeps staring at my lips recently in a not so sneaky way. Do you think they want to kiss me or am I on the wrong track here?”

Oh god.

KAEYA

He would catch you staring pretty quickly

A smug grin would be painted on his face along with a flirty glint in his eye.

Similarly to Childe he would be a total tease about it - so better prepare for some remarks thrown your way.

Although he would just use it as a facade to play down and hide his own flusteredness.

He would most certainly be thinking about your longing stare for quite some time after, wondering what your lips would feel like when joined with his.

You and Kaeya sat together at the Tavern after work over some wine and snacks. While he was talking you couldn’t help but start scanning his handsome features. The way his soft hair fell across his forehead and shoulder and the way his frost blue eye wandered around the dimly lit tavern and the way his lips softly wrapped around the rim of his wineglass every so often.

As you kept looking at his lips you soon noticed that they had formed into a sly smile. Looking up you saw that he had his eye trained on you. Crap, had he caught you staring?

“Why, hello there, sweetheart. What are you looking at?.”, he purred and playfully bit his lip.

“Oh archons, stop it?!”, you whined as you clasped your hands over your face in an attempt to hide..

You were ready to sink into the ground in embarrassment right then and there, and it got worse when you heard him put his glass down onto the table and felt his hands pull yours off your face again so he could get a look at your flustered expression. 

A pleased grin was painted on his face as he moved so close to yours you could smell the wine he had been drinking on his breath and his lips were barely a hair’s breadth away from yours.

“Well if you’re so intent on staring at me like that, you have to live with the consequences, don’t you think?”

KAZUHA

When he catches you staring he would smile back at you, a light pink dusting his cheeks.

He would be so soft and nice about it, softly brushing over the back of your palm to divert your attention his way even more.

Prepare to be showered with words of affection and compliments in return.

By far the most romantic about it out of the bunch. 

Would be the type to write poetry about the moment and dwell on the moment for quite a while.

You and Kazuha were sitting together near the harbor in Liyue, on a big stone bank just outside the city. Kazuha was leaning back with his eyes closed and propping himself up with his hands. The mild ocean breeze softly carded through his white locks and his lips were formed into a soft smile. You actually would have liked to kiss them right then and there and the urge to reach your hand out to brush over them became stronger with every passing second.

He turned his head over to you and fixated his crimson colored eyes on yours before throwing you the most beautiful smile you had ever seen. 

He grabbed your hand to trace small circles over the back of it with his thumb making your whole body feel tingly and your heart started racing.

"Can you believe we've known each other for almost our entire lives... and yet we've never shared a kiss.", he suddenly remarked, a rosy blush playing around his cheeks. "... we can change that now, if you want."

You could feel how the heartbeat in your chest became more erratic at his words and your face started heating up. 

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel–", you began to protest, but you didn't even get to finish your sentence before you could feel a pair of soft lips be tenderly pressed onto yours.

"You're incredible!", he whispered before uniting your lips once more.

His words engulfed all your senses and you gripped his shirt in a futile attempt to keep you stable as the sensation of his lips made you melt like candle wax in the sun.  And if you were honest, you were sure this must be what heaven felt like.

THOMA

He would become so flustered once he notices and would totally forget what he was saying while averting your gaze. Who would have thought outgoing and cheerful Thoma could be so shy?

He would desperately try to keep his cool but would outright just fail and become beet red in the face.

Definitely would stammer and start nibbling on the mochi in his hand - anything to keep his lips out of your line of sight and his thoughts away from the way you just looked at them.

Should he ask you what you were looking at? Did you want to kiss him? No, no, he must be seeing things.

When you noticed his weird behavior you realized what you were doing and in turn felt the blood rush to your face as well.

You and Thoma sat in the patio of the Kamisato estate, eating snacks all while you went through the organization lists for some of the upcoming festivities the Yashiro Commission was assigned to host. 

There was but one problem, you just couldn’t focus on the work in front of you because you repeatedly found your focus shift to the lips of the man before you. The way they moved when he talked, the way he quirked the corner of his mouth up or the way he pressed his pen against them when he was thinking about something. 

Lost in scanning his features you completely missed the moment Thoma addressed a question to you.

“Are you still listening?”

“Hm?”, you snapped out of your trance, flicking your eyes up to meet his again. 

He didn’t miss the shift in the direction of your gaze and instinctively reached his hand out to his lips before it started to dawn on him where you had been staring the entire time. The thought instantly made him blush violently. 

He hastily grabbed one of the mochi lying on the plate in front of him on the table before shoving it in his mouth in a futile attempt to make the tingling feeling on his lips and in the pit of his stomach go away. How was he supposed to concentrate on his work now?

“U-Uhm… w-well. Do we need some more pa-paper lanterns? What do you think–”

XIAO

By far the one that gets flustered the most when he catches you staring at his lips.

Would quickly turn his face to the other side to escape your gaze and his cheeks would glow in a bright pink.

Would seem rather annoyed, but don’t take it the wrong way - his heart is threatening to jump out of his chest any second now.

No matter how hard he tries to shake it off, he has to admit that the way you looked at his lips felt rather nice.

Please stop him from teleporting away because he is just too flustered.

“Ahem…”

The man in front of you clearing his throat pulled you out of your thoughts and you flicked your gaze from his lips back up to his eyes. You were met with an undecipherable but stern expression of the adeptus that made your heart run wild time and time again.

“Would you stop that?”, Xiao asked in an almost demanding tone.

“What?”, you asked, genuinely confused at first but it soon dawned on you. You had been staring again, but this time it wasn’t you who caught and could reprimand yourself but instead it was him who did so.

“Did no one teach you that staring at others is rude?”

“I’m sorry. I-I didn't... I couldn’t help it–”

“Tch…”

He scoffed and turned his face away from you abruptly, but it wasn’t fast enough for you to miss the dust of pink that was starting to bloom across his cheeks. 

No matter how hard he tried to seem cold and distanced, around you he never quite managed.

ZHONGLI

He would mistake it at first and would think you're just pratically glued to his lips because you find his storytelling so enthralling.

But when he notices the longing glint in your eyes he immediately knows it's something else that has you so captivated. 

And it has surely been a while since he welcomed the feeling of someone staring at his lips this way that much.

And especially considering it was you, he would be genuinely flattered.

He indulges in the thought of what it would feel like to kiss you for a while, although he would not let it show on his face.

Might throw an underhanded remark your way.

“It was then said that Rex Lapis allowed the Lord of Geovishaps to roam the land freely until his mind fell victim to corruption and he began attacking those he had once sworn to protect, leading Rex Lapis to having to seal him back underground.”

Zhongli picked up his teacup and blew the rising steam off it before taking a sip. You didn’t miss the way his lips curled around the corner of his cup and how the tea dampened them before the corners of his lips turned upward in a content smile.

He continued retelling his story where he left off but your eyes and thoughts were trained on something else instead. You were so entranced by the way his lips moved while he spoke that you at first didn’t notice that he had stopped midway, looking at you curiously with a sleek smile playing around his mouth.

“Am I perhaps boring you?”, he inquired.

“N-no, not at all, it’s just – I was distracted.”, you stammered, feeling the blood rush to your cheeks.

“Hmm, I see. Do you want me to continue or are you perhaps more inclined to keep being entertained by whatever thoughts are on your mind instead?”

You could see the right corner of his mouth twitch upwards ever so slightly into a soft smile while he trained his gaze on your face, a fond and adoring expression flaring up behind his amber irises.

Do not repost, copy, translate or edit - © dustofthedailylife

Maple dividers are mine - do not copy.

Taglist

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[abbatoirablaze]

Delivered, Steve Rogers

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings:  smut, unprotected sex, breeding kink, minor manipulation, minor domination, dubcon/noncon relationship.

Part 3 of 3.

Part 1, Signed

Part 2, Sealed

“If there is any reason that anyone here should find that these two should not be joined today in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace!”

You looked at the congregation through your thick veil, and it was like a room full of crickets.  No one so much as even moved an inch.  Your heart thudded heavily in your chest as your eyes searched, prayed for someone to stand.

Your eyes snapped to Steve’s and you could see him grinning ear to ear as the priest continued, “Steven and (Y/N), you are now joined in holy matrimony.  I present you as Mr. and Mrs. Rogers.  Steven, you may kiss your bride.”

Steve was quick to raise your veil and sweep you into his arms and an even more intense, searing kiss.  One that instinctively had your eyes closing and your toes curling.  The passion both turned you on and made you sick.

While you wanted to hate him for it, it was like your mind went blank and you allowed yourself to lean into it.  You had hated him as children, but ever since the other night, there was something in you that made you drawn to him. 

As your thoughts wandered to how he went from the sickly child who could have been knocked over by wind that was too strong, to how he was nothing but one hundred percent man, you felt his hand slip a little lower from your waist to your ass as he spun you and pulled you back to his chest.  His fingers kneaded you through the fabric and he gave you a devious grin as your hands went up to tangle in his hair, he pulled away from you. 

You gave him an owlish look while the congregation made up of your family and friends cheered for your union, all of them unaware of the fact that you knew what he was going to do in just a few hours time.

“I’ve got so many plans for us!” he promised as he turned the two of you towards the congregation.  Steve raised your hand in his before pulling you towards the aisles so that the two of you could go to the reception.

You moaned as your husband’s cock kissed your cervix again and again.  Your eyes rolled into the back of your skull as your mouth fell open in a silent moan and your back arched away from the wall, he had you pressed into.

His panting was heavy, the warmth of his breath fanning heavily over your neck as he pressed open mouth kisses along the column of your throat, “Casso, principessa.  Sei cosi stretto.  La tua figa mi sta soffocando il cazzo.” (Fuck, princess.  Your pussy is choking my cock.)

“S-steve!” you whimpered, your nails digging into the fabric that covered his shoulders, “St-Steve.  Steve!”

“Giusto.  Gemi il mio nome!” (That’s right.  Moan my name.)

“I-I don’t-oh god!” you moaned as you tried to stave off your orgasm, “Steve-we-FUCK!”

You sobbed against your orgasm as it came crashing over you all over again.  His thick length driving so deep into you that you could feel him in your stomach.

He pulled away just enough for his lips to messily catch yours.

It was a battle of tongues and teeth as you tugged on his bottom lip with yours, needing to be dominative over something. 

He growled, his hips bucking deep inside of you.  Your core shuddered violently around his cock, and you let go of his plump bottom lip, moaning so loud you knew that your sisters had to have heard the impromptu consummation of your marriage before you even hit the reception.

“God, it’s so funny to see how the tables have turned after all these years,” Steve moaned as he broke the kiss yet again.  His hips stopped thrusting and you quickly came back to reality as his thumb grazed over your own swollen lips, “been in love with you since we were kids, and you acted like you hated me the whole time…but right now…fuck, princess…I bet I could have you begging on your knees for my cock…you wanna be a dirty little slut for me…for your husband.  You’re pretty little pussy is strangling my cock like it’s the only thing you need!”

You went to open your mouth, but his finger went over it.

“You don’t need to speak, sweetheart,” he smirked, keeping you silent.  His hand slid away from your mouth and down your throat.  You felt your cunt clenching around his cock as he stopped at the base of your throat.  His brow lifted as his eyes met yours once more, “I can tell what you like just by the way that tight little pussy clings to me…you like this…don’t you?  Like the idea of the danger even though you know I’d kill myself before I’d ever harm a hair on your head…is that what you wanna feel, princess?  Danger?  Wanna feel my hand on your throat as I fuck our future into you?  God, you have no idea what you do to me…what you’ve always done to me…you made me everything I am, princess…made me fight to be the man I am today!”

“Steve-“

“And fuck…that body,” he groaned, as his hands slid down your chest, cradling your breasts which had been pulled out of the corseted top of your dress earlier so that Steve could play with them, “god, you have a body made for sin…puberty did us both well, didn’t it, (Y/N)?”

Your eyes flickered down to his kiss swollen lips, and even lower to his chest, the fabric of which was straining over it.  The top button had been all but ripped open earlier in a fever as you pulled him into the closet, not knowing what had originally come over you.

His hands guided you to sit on his lap as soon as the two of you got into the limo. 

You didn’t expect him to be rock hard. 

Matter of fact, you had planned a very well-thought-out argument of how it was sexist for him to just assume you would be sitting on his lap. 

But it had quickly gone out the window when you felt his hardened member even through the fabric of your dress. 

And the look that he gave you…

It made you want to take him in the limo.

What was coming over you?  And why were you becoming crazy over the man you hated as a child?

“We only have a few minutes,” he reminded you with a soft taunt as his hands ran up your chest.  He smiled even more, seeing the tops of your breasts over the top of the corseted dress.  He leaned forward, pressing gentle kisses on the tops of them.  You shivered as his scruff gently scratched at your delicate skin, “so beautiful.”

“Ste-“

“Don’t speak,” he begged as he pressed his lips to yours in a hurried kiss.  His hands slid up your body and he massaged your breasts before pulling one out, his mouth making quick work of kissing the exposed flesh until your nipple hardened under his touch, “I’m going to show you the world I built for us…and that starts with me making sure you never doubt how much of a man I am, again!  Right now…I want you to feel that manhood…do you feel it, princess?”

You moaned out a yes, nodding as he took your nipple in his mouth.  He held you firmly on his lap, grinding his hips upward and rocking against you through your separate clothing, while he tugged on your nipple ever so lightly as his hands wrapped around your waist so that he could bury his face against your chest. 

You were having sensory overload.

How did he know what to do to drive you crazy?

“I’ve got so much in store for us,” he moaned as he latched onto your breast once more.  Your eyes widened as he tugged your nipple between his teeth, teasing the sensitive nub.  Your hands went to his hair, tangling in the sandy tresses, “oh god…keep tugging on my hair like that…I’m already so close to filling you up…give me a reason to not stop until I know you’re pregnant.”

Your eyes went wide, and like being doused in cold water, you sobered up immediately, attempting to push him away from yourself, “Steve…wait.  I don’t-“

“No, no…” he pressed on as you squirmed against him, “we can’t stop now…not with how your pretty little pussy is milking me…that cunt wants to be full of me…and I’m going to give her everything she wants!  I promised to build us a future when we were younger…it starts here…now!”

“S-Steve…stop!”

“Gonna give you everything, my love,” he promised as he closed in on his own high, “and it all starts tonight…first thing I gave you was my last name…now I’m giving you a baby!  Maybe if we’re lucky it’ll be more than one…”

“St-“

He was quick to cover your mouth, and you bit back another whimper as you felt his cock twitch inside of you.

Your stomach turned as you heard how the announcements for your reception had started, and your brother Bucky was introduced with his wife.  Your heart broke as you knew that just a few feet away your family and friends were joyously awaiting your entrance as ‘Mrs. Rogers,’ while your new husband was having his way with you…doing whatever he wanted.

“FUCK!” he groaned, pressing his forehead against yours.  You whimpered even more as you felt the warmth of his spend making your stomach feel full.  His face flushed, and he looked at you through sweetly sinister eyes.  His other free hand stroked your cheek as a tear slipped down it, “oh baby…don’t cry…we’re married.  This-this was what we were meant to do, right?  Build up the five families…can’t build up the families if we aren’t making one ourselves…but don’t you worry, okay?  Tonight’s just the start…I know we don’t have much time. Shit…I think I heard them announce Buck…”

He removed his hand and pressed a chaste kiss to your lips as he pulled out of you. 

You felt hollow as he tucked his softening cock back into his pants and quickly moved towards the door.  You could see just over his shoulder as the door to the reception opened once more, and they announced your sister Becca and her husband, Thor. 

You pushed your dress back down over your lower half while you felt Steve’s cum starting to drip down your inner thigh. 

He closed the door and rushed back to you, pressing another kiss to your lips as he straightened out his tie and then helped lift the top half of the dress once more so your breasts were contained in it, “we’ll pick this back up on the way to our honeymoon…promise…have a good little flight all lined up…we’ll christen the whole thing!”

“H-honeymoon?”

Steve smirked as he fixed your veil, placing it back on your head, “of course…I mean, if tonight didn’t take, I know we’ll at least have another month at one of my family’s estates in Tuscany…god you’ll love it there…nothing like those dreary old brownstones your parents have in London.”

You felt a fear raising up in your stomach as you looked at him, “Wh-what do you mean?’

“Baby…one way or another, before Christmas, we’re announcing the fact that there will be a new little Rogers baby…I told you I’m going to give you everything,” Steve smiled, “I told your father that the day that he agreed to let me marry you.  I promised all of us a legacy.  And we’re only just getting started.  Now come on…we can’t miss our own entrance.”

You felt like a robot as he took your hand in his and ushered you out of the room.  Winnie and Clint had just been introduced as your elder sister Bethany looked at you over her shoulder.  She gave you a sympathetic look as her hand fell to her own stomach. 

It was like she knew what you were going through because she had gone through the same things. 

It was then that you noticed the way that Sam was holding her.  It wasn’t romantic, but possessive. 

Had all of your sisters gone through the same thing?

‘It’ll be okay,’ she mouthed to you as the door opened yet again and the MC announced her and Sam, ‘I love you.’

Steve wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you towards him in the same way that Sam had held your sister, and your stomach turned yet again as he gave you a smirk, “looks like we’re next, Mrs. Rogers.   You ready?”

[jodithann827]

One Night Stand (Revised)

9/13

This chapter is rated teen/ Ao3/ @today-in-fic

Ray’s Deli

Saturday, April 17 1993

*Ding Ding*

The ringing of the bell on the door announces their presence. Walking into the small deli, Emma lodged on one hip, Scully pauses, searching. She spots him, sitting across the room at a small corner table, out of the way of the hustle and bustle of the lunchtime rush. She steadily makes her way towards him and notices a small high chair in place of where a chair should be. Her heart melts, just a bit, realizing he purposefully sought out one for Emma to sit in. He stands as she approaches.

“Hey Scully,” he greets her, a sheepish grin on his face. She thinks it’s adorable, him being cautious, not fully sure how he should act around her now. She gently places Emma into the high chair before gathering some small toys to occupy her. She then focuses on herself, removing her jacket, a lightweight spring one that she places over the back of her chair.

“Hi Mulder, thanks for grabbing the high chair for her,” she offers him a wide smile. Smiling back, he nods, but his eyes wander to Emma, they are magnetized to her face. All he can do is stare. He saw her last night, but it’s as though he’s really and truly seeing her for the first time today. She’s enchanting, the most beautiful child he’s ever seen.

“Emmy, do you remember my friend from last night? Mulder? Can you say hi” Scully prompts the child, gently combing two fingers through her hair. Emma briefly looks up, acknowledging her mother said something to her but then is right back to her toys.

“She’s pretty shy around new people,” Scully explains, grabbing a menu to decide her order. It’s a tactic and she knows it. She frequents this deli enough to know the menu by heart, but having it close gives her something to do with her trembling hands. Mulder nods in recognition and they are quickly interrupted by a well-intentioned waitress, wanting to take their orders. Once the minutiae of ordering is out of the way, they stare at each other, a bit awkwardly, not knowing who should break the silence first.

“When’s her birthday?” Mulder finally asks, unable to handle the silence. He figures it a fairly easy question.

Scully takes a sip of water before answering. “February 15th. She was born in the middle of a blizzard. Some 6 inches of snow on the ground when I went to the hospital.”

“When did you find out?” he asks without elaborating, knowing she knows.

“About six weeks after. There was a stomach bug going around, so I thought I was sick. I was training at Quantico, pushing myself to the brink so I thought it was exhaustion on top of possibly having a bug. My friend Ellen, the one who I was at the bar with that evening, she’s the one who suggested I take a test. I was floored when it came back positive.”

“We were careful, Scully,” he blurts, then lowers his head, embarrassed if anyone overheard him. He looks ashamed, but she gives him a forgiving smile.

“I know Mulder, I was there,” she tells him softly. She realizes she'd been living the life for over two years, while he was just given the information yesterday. Understandably, he needs time to comprehend, to adjust. “Condoms aren’t one hundred percent effective.” She looks at him, looking at Emma, who had abandoned her toys in favor of the crayons and paper that were within her reach.

“Look, Mulder, I know we’re in a strange situation. It is weird and difficult, and awkward as hell. It’s a life that you may or may not have imagined yourself in. I just want you to know that I am ok. Emma is okay. It took a while for us to get to this place, but we are. We are happy and healthy and living our lives. We don’t need anything,” she hopes she doesn’t sound harsh, as it’s certainly not her intention. She wants him to understand that she doesn’t need anything from him.

“Can I ask you a question?” he asks.

“You just did,” she smiles, her attempts at lightening the mood fall slightly flat with the arrival of the waiter and their food. Scully busies herself tending to Emma, cutting her food, and moving the toys. She turns to look at Mulder. “Of course, Mulder, you can ask me anything.”

“If you knew how to get ahold of me, would you have?” He waits for her answer, which comes immediately as the words leave his mouth.

“I never would have kept anything from you. You know, even before I found out I was pregnant, the day after we met, I went through my apartment with a fine tooth comb, looking for anything, any clue, that would give a glimpse as to your identity. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything, and it’s not like I could use the FBI database to find you, though nothing would have come up, William,” she emphasizes with a slight laugh. “I wanted to tell you so badly, Mulder. That night we had, it was amazing and I tried to deny the connection, if I’m being honest, because it terrified me. Never in a million years did I expect any of this to happen, even though she’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.” She pauses, ruffling Emma’s hair. In turn, Emma provides a fistful of pancakes into Scully’s mouth, which makes Mulder bark out a surprised laugh. Emma, understanding she did something funny, attempts to do it again, much to Scully’s amusement.

After wiping her syrupy face, Scully continues. “Look, Mulder, when you sat in that hotel room in Oregon and disclosed everything you’d been through with Samantha, well it made me realize that I couldn’t dump this situation on you, not that Em is a situation, but you know what I mean. You have so much going on with your work and your search for the truth. You said it yourself; nothing else matters–”

“But Scully,” he interrupts. She holds a hand up, indicating she’s not finished. Her voice is steady and even when she continues.

“I love my job, but Emma is my world, my everything. She comes first in my life, no matter what. I live and breathe for her and we have a pretty good life going for us. She’s not lacking anything. My intent is not for you to feel like you need to step in or step up. I’m going to leave it up to you, but I don’t want you to feel pressure. If you want to be in her life as my friend and co-worker, that’s fine. If you want to be cool Uncle Mulder, that’s okay too. If you decide that you want to be a father to her, I won’t stop you. But the one thing I absolutely will not tolerate is having her hurt by significant people going in and out of her life,” she pauses to let him digest the information and after a moment passes, she adds, “I don’t want an answer from you right now. It’s a big decision and I want you to take some time to think about it.”

He hears Scully’s words, but can’t help his continued gaze at Emma. Deep in his heart, he knows he’s already falling in love with her. He acknowledges Scully’s words with a slight nod, not trusting his voice.

“It might change our working relationship or this friendship we seem to be developing, but I’m willing to try and figure it out if it’s something you want,” she tells him.

“Scully,” he says, finally finding his forgotten voice. She looks at him, her skeptical gaze searing into Mulder’s memory. He pushes forward with his request. “I’d like to spend the day with you ladies if that’s okay. Scully looks at Emma, who’s polished off most of her pancakes, at least the ones she didn’t feed to Scully, smiles, and nods.

Scully Residence

Saturday, April 17 1993

Exhaustion. He feels it from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Every body part aches and he feels as though he could sleep a million hours. But his heart is full, bursting at the seams. He nurses a beer as he sinks further into Scully’s couch and thinks about the day he had. Once they’d finished lunch it was decided that an adventure to the local park was needed. At first, Mulder was hesitant. Mr. ‘willing to jump into any dangerous situation that crossed his path’ was nervous about playing with a small child. He’d sat back and watched Scully interact with her daughter; his daughter; their daughter. She’d pushed her on the swing, crawled up the plaything, down the slide, and chased her around the woodchips. He wasn’t sure who his eye was drawn to more, Emma or her mother. He would have been content to sit there all day, just watching them in their blissful happiness.

Out of the blue, Emma toddled up to him, grasped his pinky finger, which dwarfed her microscopic hand, and attempted to pull him to the swings. “Push,” she demanded with a giggle. Mulder had looked at Scully, looking for permission. The mega-wat smile on her face was all he needed. He lifted Emma, placed her on the rough material, and started pushing. He was overcome with joy, as well as astonishment. He couldn’t believe how light and little she was. She clapped her hands and squealed with the delight of a child on a summer day each time Mulder’s hand connected with her back. Every so often, he would turn to face Scully, needing assurance that he was still doing okay, and each time he was rewarded with a smile.

After their romp at the park, Mulder suggested a quest for ice cream, which delighted Emma. He wasn’t sure if more of the melted cone ended up in the little one’s stomach or on her face and clothing. The icing on the proverbial cake was when Emma decided to reenact feeding Scully and Scully ended up with melted chocolate ice cream on her face and in her hair, and though she tried to be annoyed, she laughed right along with Mulder and Emma. Without thinking, Mulder took a napkin and dapped at the sticky substance on her cheek. He couldn’t get over how natural the day had felt.

Squeals of delight brought him back to the present. Scully was bathing Emma, possibly unsuccessfully if the sounds coming from the bathroom were any indication. It sounded more like an exuberant playtime. What am I going to do, he thinks to himself while he waits for them to finish. Knowing he has a monumental decision to make, he takes another sip of beer. It’s a two-fold problem. No, problem isn’t the right term because any fool would be lucky to be in his shoes. But it was an issue he had to address, sooner rather than later. He’s a father, and nothing would change that. Emma had already captured his heart with her soft eyes, warm smile, and joyful attitude. If it was just about Emma, his choice would be easy. But who’s he kidding? None of this is easy. There’s Emma, and then there’s Scully. He’d be lying to himself if he admitted he didn’t think about that night often. How easily they communicated that night, how much fun they had, and how mindblowing the sex was. He was also really enjoying working with her on the X-files. She challenged him in ways he’d never been challenged before. She made him think and work for his theories. How sustainable would the partnership be? Would he be able to be a father to his child and just be a friend to her mother? There were so many questions racing through his mind.

“I started to put her down,” her voice startles him. He turns to see Scully, holding a pajama-clad Emma. “She keeps saying ‘Mudder’ so I’m thinking she wants to say goodnight to you.” Emma reaches out her arms to Mulder as Scully comes closer and Mulder’s arms automatically lift to receive her.

“Goodnight sweet Emma,” he nuzzles into her cheek.

“Night Mudder,” her sweet voice carries through the room. She yawns and snuggles into his chest, her eyelids heavy and her thumb going straight into her mouth.

“Do you want to put her to bed?” Scully asks in a hushed tone. He nods and stands, ever so carefully, a man holding the most precious gift, and follows Scully to Emma’s room. He places her, softly, into her crib. Instinctively, he kisses his fingers and then places them onto Emma’s cheek, before smoothing her hair out of her face. They carefully back out of the room and retreat to the front of Scully’s apartment, Scully, in search of a glass of wine, and Mulder, in search of his half-finished beer.

Once enveloped in the couch, Scully lets out a monstrous yawn after giving Mulder a shy and apologetic smile. “I love her so much, but she can be exhausting at times.” Mulder gives her a skeptical glance and redacts her statement. “Okay, all of the time.” Mulder nods approvingly.

They sit in silence for a while before Mulder praises her. “I don’t know how you do it, Scully. I barely survived the day.”

“You get used to it and it helps that she is a good girl. My family helped out a lot in the beginning. They still help a lot since I am working more now,” she explains.

“Will you…” he starts but trails off. He hesitates, watching her sip her wine.

Sensing his trepidation, she gives an encouraging nod. “What, Mulder? Ask me, it’s okay. I told you I would tell you anything.” Her voice is soft and reassuring.

“Would you feel comfortable enough to tell me about her birth? I don’t mean the details, you don’t have to share those, but maybe just the experience?” Scully is taken by surprise. The request is the furthest thing she thought he would ask. Smiling, she nods and takes his hand. Then she begins.

[darklydeliciousdesires]

The Dream - Chapter Sixteen.

Big thanks to everyone for your engagement on this, still! :) 

Previous chapters - Prologue  One  Two  Three  Four  Five  Six  Seven  Eight  Nine  Ten  Eleven  Twelve  Thirteen  Fourteen  Fifteen

Tag list - In the comments, please DM to be added/removed (note: those not engaging will be automatically removed from the tag list, FYI)

Words - 2,790

Warnings - 18+ content throughout, minors DNI!

“Dare I even believe my eyes and ears?” Keri put to David, being handed rinsed plates and cutlery she loaded into the dishwasher.  

Shaking the excess water from a large dish, his mouth upturned. “I say it’s safe to call it. I think mommy likes him.” Placing the dish into her outstretched hands, he chuckled. “I mean, god, I didn’t think I’d ever meet anyone else as obsessive over Breaking Bad as your mom is, but apparently it’s very much a common ground.”  

As soon as Angell had mentioned it over dinner, Meryl’s eyes had lit up, the two of them mostly dominating the conversation, discussing the layers of the plot, the characters, how they both considered the only redeemable characters to be either Mike or Jessie, and Angel’s theory that Walt began mimicking certain traits of the characters he killed, thus showing him as a true sociopath.  

What he didn’t reveal was that until someone had called him one, he’d had no idea what a sociopath was, checking with Google, finding that the pissed off woman he’d been having sex with very briefly was incorrect in her assertion. The term fitted Walter White wonderfully, though, he’d thought.

Meryl had listened to him with fascination, suddenly experiencing a pang of guilt that she’d assumed him to be a dead beat who hauled scrap metal around, day in, day out. She knew she could sometimes be a little judgemental, and very overprotective when it came to her only child, so thus worked hard in making an effort, even though she found that through Angel’s charming nature and ability to engage well with conversation, she truly didn’t have to.  

Her mind wasn’t one hundred percent made up, but so far, she found him to be quite likable. As for David...

“Well, little. I gotta say, I think he’s great. I like him, he's a straight up guy and seems really genuine, too. And let me tell you, you’re the apple of his goddamned eye.”

She bit her lip, looking away. “Hmm.”

“Hmm? Psht. Hmm, nothing. You’re onto something good, mark my words.” For once, she actually dared believe that she was. There he was, prepared to do the whole meet the parent's thing on only the second occasion he’d actually spent physical time with her, flying over seven hundred miles to do that, and fine with being ordered to the spare room. And he’d witnessed her various states of calamity.  

Yes. Things were looking promising, she had to admit.  

“So, I think you have the parent's approval, I haven't heard my mom laugh like that in years! She’s fun once the icy exterior thaws a little,” Keri told him much later in the night before they went to sleep, hugging him in the doorway to the spare room.

“Yeah, I think she’s great. Kinda freaks me out a little that she's only eight years older than me! And David is fuckin’ awesome, really good guy. He’s just like how I pictured him to be from what you told me.”  

His words made her beam brightly, reaching to kiss him. “Well, until the morning, you gorgeous man.”  

“Goodnight, tiny. Try not to miss me too much.”

She kissed him again, stroking his chest through his shirt. “I’ll try, but if I do, I can’t say that my hands might not wander while I imagine you there.” Licking her top lip, she winked, turning to enter her room, leaving Angel both frustrated and...  

“Get the fuck back down,” he spoke, looking to where his cock was beginning to swell in his jeans, closing the door. “We ain’t getting shit tonight.”  

The following morning, Keri was up before him, heading downstairs to find David pulling on his jacket.

“I'm just going out to pick up a paper and get some gas, do you want anything from the store?”

Stretching, she shook her head while yawning. “No thanks, I'll have a read of your paper when you're done with it, though.”  

“Okay I'll be back in about twenty minutes.” Opening the front door, she noticed that her mother’s car was absent, wondering why, at 9am on a Saturday, her mom wasn’t still in bed. Meryl loved a weekly lie in. David noticed her inquiring expression. “Ruth called her into work. Apparently, Agnes got her days off mixed up, so she’s had to go and cover for her.”  

“Wow,” she began, her eyes rounding. “I bet she was pleased.”

He laughed softly through his nose, remembering her fury, until Ruth had revealed the sweetener. “Actually, she was. She’s getting paid double time. Anyway, I’ll see you shortly.”  

Twenty minutes of a house to herself. Hearing the shower being turned on upstairs, armed with the knowledge that there were no parents currently under the same roof to catch her doing it, she decided that it was the perfect time to get her own back on the man currently standing under the jet of hot water.

Since the lock was broken on the bathroom door, she tapped it softly and called out 'only me' from the other side after removing her pyjamas, casting them to the floor as soon as she entered the white brick bathroom. Angel turned around in the shower cubicle, his eyes virtually popping right out of his head at the sight of a naked Keri walking towards him.

She could barely conceal the satisfaction at such a reaction, Angel gaping as she stepped in with him. “Move over buddy, there's room for a small person too.” He was rendered mute. “Oh, and good morning.” Fluttering her eyelashes, she stood there beneath the water, her bare skin not quite making contact with his, the large corner shower spacious enough for them both to stand comfortably in there. “Can you speak at all?”

Seeing her naked in the flesh for the first time had truly caught him off guard, the last thing he expected to be seeing that morning, but fuck, he was appreciative. Her body was incredible. Even more so than their dreams had alluded to.

Finally, after watching the water running down over her breasts, he found his voice. “Not that having a beautiful, naked woman in the shower with me is something I’d ever turn down, but if your mom or David come in now, we're dead.”

“Mom got called into work, and David went out to the store. He’ll be gone for twenty minutes. Besides, I’m doing nothing naughty. Merely taking a shower,” she stated sweetly, reaching around him to take her shampoo from the shelf.  

Damn her. “So, you're gonna stand there in front of me and expect me to keep my hands to myself, huh?' he said, his eyes travelling across her body, feeling a certain part of his begin to react to the sight he was presented with.  

Rinsing the suds from her hair, she once again reached past him, grabbing her conditioner and applying, placing the bottle back, her lips meeting his chest. “Yes, I do expect that. Maybe, though, I don’t have to.”  

She finally let her gaze fall, looking down, her smile broadening when she saw his cock standing erect, biting her lower lip as she grasped it with a gentle squeeze. “God, that’s so thick. See when we dreamed, it was always a little hazy, the exact size of your cock. I could never truly gauge what I was working with, but now, wow. The reality is a very nice, big surprise, I have to say.”

Her hand, a little slippery from the conditioner she’d just applied to her hair, ran up his shaft, her thumb stroking swirls over the very tip, pushing him back against the glass cubicle. He reached for her, Keri stepping back a little, her eyes warning him. Knocking his hand away, she closed the gap once more, her lips soft as his neck, a faint whine of a moan fluttering from her mouth. “Does that feel good?”  

Her whisper had him shuddering more than the deft ministration of her hand, slowly pumping at his shaft, kissing the column of his throat once more, a deep rumble vibrating against her lips, her tongue swiping where his beard met his neck, that black grit coarse against the soft lick. “Yeah, feels really good.”  

He twitched within the warm, slippery clutch of her grasp, his groans thickening as rapidly as his cock, her own furnace beginning to burn brightly. “You want me badly, don’t you? I bet you’d love nothing more than to bend me over right here, and bury this beautiful, big cock right up inside of me, wouldn’t you?”  

“Mm.” That soft grunt was all he could manage, their mouths meeting in a kiss of fiery honey, sweet heat burning between them as she quickened her hand, her other bracketing his throat and pushing him back when he tried to assert himself over her. It was an action he hadn’t expected from one quite so diminutive, her strength taking him by surprise.  

“Oh no, Angel Reyes. There’ll be none of that.” Her purr set the hairs at the back of his neck to stand on end, his chest beginning to rise and fall quicker, wanting nothing more than to grasp her waist, lift her up and drop her straight down onto his aching cock. “In fact, there’ll be no more of anything. I think I’m done here.”  

Releasing him, her mouth tilted into a smirk as she rinsed her hair, soaping herself down quickly before puckering her lips and leaving him there smouldering. His eyes narrowed at her as she swathed herself in towels, chuckling with amusement at his anguish. “I hope you enjoyed your preview.”

“You’re gonna pay for that, mamas.”

She pouted, licking her top lip. “To use your words, bring it.” Leaving the bathroom, the atmosphere definitely steamier than when she’d arrived, Keri went back to her bedroom, her eyes glancing in the direction of her nightstand drawer. God, she’d kill to take the edge off with her vibrator, but time wasn’t really on her side.  

After applying a liberal smothering of lotion to her skin, she dressed in her black skinny jeans and her lovely, soft, pale grey sweater that perpetually hung off one shoulder, revealing the dark leopard print undies she had on beneath. Finger combing her hair with some styling cream, she gave it a blast with her hairdryer, her tresses falling into their natural waves, Keri pinning it back to apply a little makeup, laughing as she heard Angel mutter about her being a demoness as he exited the bathroom and walked past her door.  

She was affixing her small, diamante stud earrings in when he arrived in her room, folding his arms, still glaring. “I hate you.”

Chuckling, she stood up, moving to kiss him. “Next time I have my hand around it, believe me, I won’t stop.”  

“Yeah, I’d appreciate that, rather than having to finish solo.” Just the thought of him relieving himself of what she’d stirred sent a pleasant quiver through her, kissing him hotly before they went downstairs, finding David in the kitchen, cooking up one of his mammoth sized breakfasts. Once they’d eaten, David heading over to their neighbour Steve’s place to continue helping him work on his classic truck rebuild project, Keri sat at the island reading the paper while Angel stood at the window, looking out into the garden as he drank his coffee.  

Five minutes passed before he got his true first taste of the local wildlife.

“Holy fuck! There’s a huge assed bear in your garden, come check it out!”  

“Colour?” she asked, not looking up from the paper.

“Black.”

She looked up, her face curious with anticipation. “Brown snout, and a chunk taken out of his left ear?”

“Yeah, it has actually,” he replied, puzzled at the specificness of her question for a few moments.

Her face lit up, flying from her seat at speed. “He’s back!” She ran at the refrigerator, pulling out a plate of meat cuts, taking it to the back door. “And where have you been?” she demanded, turning back to Angel and signalling with her hand that he should stay where he was.  

“Keri, what the fuck are you doing? That's about four hundred pounds of wild bear coming towards you,” he hissed, his eyes wide.

“Relax, he’s my bear,” she began, the huge beast approaching, making noises of greeting in his throat. “My mom found him abandoned on the side of the highway after his mother had been hit by a truck. He was only a few days old, so she brought him back here to raise him herself. My granddad used to do wildlife rehabbing, so she knew what to do.  

“He lived in the house with us until he got too big and was able to go back to the wild, but he comes to visit once a week or so. He thinks we’re his family, and we are, I guess, especially since he used to sleep in mom’s bed with her when he was tiny, before she made his own space for him when he got too rambunctious. He only came out of hibernation last week, though, so I haven’t seen him for months.”

Angel couldn’t help but feel his panic rise as the bear ambled closer, taking in the sheer size of the beast, but his anxious heart melted instantly when he saw it reach Keri, who put the plate down and crouched to fling her arms around his neck, the bear pushing his face against hers. “Hey boy, hey! I missed you so much! I wasn’t home when you came by last week, no, I was out taking lots of pictures of things not nearly as beautiful as you, yes I was!”

He was speechless at the sight, watching the bear put his head down and begin eating the meat from the plate, Keri continuing her talk. “We shouldn’t really feed him as it encourages them scavenging, but he’s never raided the trash, same with the neighbours either. He’s a good boy, he has his manners. He used to come back quite a lot, but it’s less regular now he’s older.”

“How old is he?” Angel asked, viewing the bear with fascination.

“He’s fourteen, and his name is Rufus! I named him after a bear in a book I read as a child.”  

He laughed, thinking it a very cute and non-threatening name for a creature who could disembowel a person with one swipe of his claws.  

“Don’t look so worried! I used to ride him around the lounge when I was nine! He’s lovely, but not good with new people, so you’ll have to stay there or he might become agitated,” she advised, her nails scratching his thick fur, Rufus fluttering his ears as he licked the plate clean of the blood trails. “Your breath stinks, boy. Yes, it does. I love you, though.” she continued, Rufus sniffing her face and giving her nose a lick before he turned and ambled away.  

“Well I gotta say it, you've got probably the most unusual pet in the world, even if he is a wild animal, and he seems to think the world of you,” he told her, stepping outside and lighting up a cigarette.

Her cheeks dimpled from her sweet grin. “Most gorgeous, big animals do.”  

Once he’d finished his cigarette, they headed out, Keri able to take him where she’d wanted to the previous weekend, up to the dinosaur museum, stopping for dinner on the way home at a steakhouse David had recommended, and then going for drinks with Ash and Rachel on the evening.  

His time with Keri was over way too soon for Angel’s liking, hating to leave her at the airport when Sunday morning rolled around, especially since he wouldn't get to see her for two weeks, with club business penned in the following weekend, making plans for her to go to him next time. She was able to fly down on the Thursday afternoon and stay until Monday morning, figuring she could head straight to college from the airport for her afternoon lectures.  

As soon as he walked back into his house, he couldn’t wait until she’d be there in it, too. After unpacking his bag, though, he saw a tiny part of her already was. His hand hit something fuzzy as he pulled his tangle of clothes out, peering down and removing what turned out to be a small triceratops beanie baby she’d obviously bought secretly at the museum giftshop and snuck in there when he hadn’t been looking.  

“Keri Jane,” he hummed, looking at the little plush toy with a smile. “Too fucking cute by far.”  

[xejipow]

"Are you ready?" Aether asked softly.

Lumine looked down at their intertwined hands. None of their accessories were glowing with the color of the elements; instead, they shone with the bright white light that they were originally supposed to have. "I don't know," she said honestly. "We've spent so much of our time here in this world."

To their side, on the edge of the never-ending pathway in the sky, stood a closed door. The bridge in the heavens that had been rebuilding itself over and over as it waited for the moment they would be able to leave, had finally been at peace.

"But it was never ours to begin with," Aether said with a pitiful expression. His golden hair reflected the light, his face clean and untarnished, like all that had happened in the last millennium never came to be true. As if they had never separated to begin with.

Lumine made a noise of assent, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. "It never was. But..."

"I know," Aether said. "We spent so long traveling from region to region, world to world. We're simply just spectators in this world."

"Nothing but tourists," Lumine affirmed. "Only ever watching; we had never stayed in one world for so long."

Aether grinned, a bitter sort of tinge to it. "Well, we can thank Paimon for that," he chuckled. He looked down at the Earth, the massive world they had just explored by themselves. "Do you think they'll remember us?"

"That depends on if there's anyone to remember," Lumine said. "All the gods are dead. The common people have more to worry about than a ragtag pair of wanderers who involved themselves in every nation's business."

Aether laughed. Lumine wanted to cry when she heard it. It had to been so long since they had spent time peacefully with one another, just talking. "You made it sound like we're nobodies," he said, releasing his hand from hers to wipe a stray tear away.

Lumine smiled gently. "We could be," she said. "It just depends on who tells the stories." She sat down on the side of the bridge, her legs dangling off the edge.

Aether quickly sat down beside her. "Which nation do you think is gonna tell the most stories about us?"

She tilted her head to ponder. "Mondstat, one hundred percent. Land of the Wind and Song to be exact. Maybe Inazuma too. They're all for eternity, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Aether replied. "Can't they have eternity without history. Say, do you think Childe will ever get to conquer the world?" Oh, and Ningguang, I wonder if she'll rebuild the Jade Chamber. And maybe they'll even fix the bridge over at-"

"The Unseen Razor!" Lumine exclaimed, hitting her palm a fist. "Maybe Lan from the Adventurer's Guild will finally see the Unseen Razor!"

Aether paused to process that, and then doubled over in hysterical laughter. He calmed himself down, and raised a finger, saying, "Perhaps Pallad will finally stop being reckless. Yeesh!" he cut himself off with another bout of giggles, Lumine laughed beside him.

They spent hours like that, seated on the edge of the bridge, talking about things that had happened, things that might be, things that may never will happen again. When they ran out of topics to discuss, the moon was already high in the sky, the night glittering with stars.

"We had a good time, huh?" Lumine asked.

"We did," Aether answered with a smile. "We definitely did."

Lumine stood up, patting her non-existent dust off her pristine white skirt. She brought a hand up, her palm facing towards Aether. "Windblade?" she said with a grin.

Her brother acquiesced and brought up a palm as well. A ball of white energy condensed and grew in the space in between their hands. It shone brightly in the night, it's light forming four familiar peaks on all directions.

Down in Teyvat, a familiar red Outrider saw the star and made a wish. A sinner of a long forgotten nation made a wish. A Dandelion Knight made a wish. A librarian made a wish. A noble, uncrowned king, an alchemist, a spark knight, a bartender, an astrologer, a lawyer, a yaksha, a writer, an exorcist, a fighter, a samuri- all the people they had met and left during their travels made a silent wish in their hearts.

The twins lifted their arms, bringing the star up along with them.

"May your lives be blessed," The twin in white said.

"May your wishes be fulfilled," The twin in black said.

And finally, they let go. And the star flew up, up, up, and made it's way into the night sky, the brightest amongst all the constellations that adorned it.

"Goodbye," they said in unison.

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

honestly started crying. but this is my first post here so please enjoy!!

[larabiatasstuff]

Part two 🖤

It would be difficult. Your whole relationship is difficult. His job doesn't allow you both to have much time together but you know he does his best to make it up to you. Sometimes he's gone for weeks and he can't always promise you to be home when he promises but you can handle that. He's the love of your life and you couldn't imagine spending your life someone else. You have much time to think about your future with him and when he comes home one night, you're waiting for him in the living room. As soon as he enters the living room he starts panicking. He's kneeling before you holding your hands, telling you how sorry he is that he left you waiting again. And you're just looking deep in his eyes and say "I want a baby." he would be frozen in place asking you to repeat yourself cause he can't believe what you said, that you really want to start a family with him and he's asking over and over again if you're absolutely sure that you want to have a child with someone like him. You would gently take his face in your hands saying " I'm a hundred percent sure about that. I want a baby with you Brandon Miller." and that would be the point where he starts crying tears of happiness, kissing you with so much love completely overwhelmed with emotions. And he'd promise that he talks to his boss to take a step back because he's about to start a family.

You both were best friends, you grew up together trained together until you both fell deeply in love with each other. You traveled the lands with him and his army and you thought you couldn't be happier until one day you were passing a small village and two young boys were picking on a little girl taking away her doll. Tal wouldn't hesitate to put these boys in place giving the little girl her doll back, comforting her until her tears were dried. This was the moment you knew you want a child with him. You'd set up your camp at a nearby river and when you have a quiet moment just to yourself you tell him how sweet he was with the little girl and if he ever thought about having a child on your own. He'd reveal to you that he thinks about that very often and tells you how excited he is to be a father one day so you just say "Why waiting?" and his face would light up. He immediately make plans, training someone as his assistant so he doesn't have to travel that much anymore, turning the abandoned cabin in the forest, where you used to play as children, into a home for your little family and how he would start building a cradle and everything the little one needs.

He loves and adores you more than he could even explain. He knows how many sacrifices you have to make just to spend some time with him but it always seems that you don't mind. He sometimes doubts that he is enough for you, that you would deserve someone better than him, someone who is able to spend the days with you but you always come back to him. When you're sitting in your chambers at night Jan reading one of his favorite books to you, your mind starts wandering. Of course he notices that you're not listening anymore. "What is bothering you my treasure? You seem a little bit distracted." "What do think about having a baby?" you'd ask. "A baby? You mean you and me?" "Yes, I think I'm ready to start a family with you Jan." he would be completely overwhelmed, you the love of his life, a human who turns her days into nights for just him, wants to have a child. He would need a bit time to process but at least he would be more than willing to be the father of your child and start a family with you.

Part one here 🖤

[writing-funsies]

Soulmate Series P.4

p.1 | p.2 | p.3 | p.4 | p.5 | p.6 | p.7

pairing: Eustass Kid x reader

warnings: mentions of violence, alcohol, and cursing

word count: 1205

notes: time-lapse au; the first time soulmates make physical contact, they see a time-lapse of their future together

 Eustass Kid was many things: a pirate captain, a killer, a brute, a hothead, etc. But he was not one to believe in fairytales. The One Piece? A hundred percent real. Soulmates? Ha, who really believed in children's tales? 

        There were rumors that soulmates existed. It was a finicky system, to say the least. Every person had someone who completed them. Complimented them. Though, the rules were always changing. If your soulmate died, it was said that another would arise. Everyone you met was your soulmate, in a way. They would be there until you learned your lesson then they'd move on. 

        Captain Kid had heard the stories. He was fed them as a child and slept with wonderful dreams of sharing life with someone else, but time did was time does best. As each year passed, his priorities changed. His mind became full, overflowing with the determination to conquer the sea. He would become the King of Pirates. 

        The day you met Captain Eustass Kid was one you would not soon forget. Your connection to him began with his first mate, Killer. You had been enjoying a drink at the bar when the crowd shoved you into the brick wall of a man. You apologized immediately. You turned back to the jerk that had knocked you into the masked stranger. One thing led to another, and an all-out brawl began. And there was your future captain in the middle of it, knocking drunken bastards to the ground left and right. You were quick to join the fun. Kid's crew noticed you among the crowd. It was hard not to. 

        The crew, already smitten with the fire in your eyes, invited you to drink with them. You spent most of the time sipping on your sake and talking to Killer. You loved a good fight, but getting drunk with a group of strangers wasn't one of your hobbies. From there, Killer introduced you to his, incapacitated, captain. The rest is history. 

        You pillaged and plundered right along with the rest of them. It didn't take long for you to earn your keep among the Kid Pirates. They became your family. You would go to hell and back for any one of them, lousy arses though they may be. You had found your home.

        But you couldn't help but let your mind wander sometimes. Soulmates were the whispers of a childhood you had left behind. You had been so excited as a kid, so adamant about finding your other half, that you had vowed to stop at nothing to find them. Huh. Isn't strange how time changes the things you thought you knew? A small part of you still believed, still hoped, that they were out there. You didn't want to be alone. Not when you knew there was a chance of a life of happiness out there just waiting for you. But in the meantime, you had your crew. Your family. They were there when your soulmate wasn't.

        Eustass Kid. What an ass. You cared about him anyway. Somewhere along the line, you had found yourself paying more attention to the menace. You listened to every word he said. Cheered when he cheered. Laughed when he laughed. It was like any little thing he did got your attention. You two would fight side by side, striking down anyone in your path. And when he gave you that smirk of his or any acknowledgment of your accomplishments, you could just explode from the excitement. It wasn't until it was too late that you realized what was happening. You, the newest member of the Kid Pirates, had a huge crush on your captain.

        It was a regular day for all of you. The entire crew had found a dingy little hole-in-the-wall bar that served some of the finest liquor you had come across. Everyone was having drink after drink, enjoying a day well spent on the sea. The town you all had come across was almost peaceful. There were enough people that pirates didn't immediately scare them, but not enough people to cause Kid to jump at someone every thirty seconds. Life was great.

        You noticed that the pint Kid had was getting low, so you took it upon yourself to go ahead and grab him another one. Not because you liked him. No. Not at all. You just didn't want to listen to him complaining about not having any drink left. Or, at least, that's what you told yourself. You came back to the table just in time for Kid to throw his arms up, immediately smacking you in the face and spilling a perfectly good drink. 

        Memories of things that hadn't happened started racing through your mind. You and Kid standing together on the Victoria Punk, his arm wrapped securely around your waist. You placing a metal flower crown on his head. Kid flexing his metal arm. You two surrounded by the crew, sharing a kiss. You stabbing an enemy as he threw another to the side. A little red-headed boy excitedly running around the ship. Kid picking you up in a tight hug. 

        You looked to your captain, not quite sure what was happening. He was staring at you, wide-eyed. That couldn't be the first time you two had ever made physical contact, could it? For once in his life, Kid was speechless. Soulmates are children's tales. They're nothing more than the wishes of hopeless maniacs that never learned how to be independent. Right? They couldn't be real. But neither of you wanted to deny the truth. You both had seen the future. Your future together. The two of you left the bar, leaving the crew dumbfounded. Killer, suspecting what had happened, told everyone to let it go. They'll see their captain and crewmate when they went back to the ship.

        Kid knew that he wanted you to be his. And what he wanted, he got. From the first moment he saw you, when you were punching some guy for whatever reason, he was hooked. And then you drank with them. You earned his best friend's trust. You became a part of his crew. Swore your loyalty to him. You were a part of his family now. Eustass Kid never dealt with his emotions in a gentle way. He either ignored them or drank them away or a combination of the two. His first instinct was always violence. It's just the way life taught him how to survive. He wasn't good at expressing his feeling through words. So he just came right out and said it. 

        ''We're soulmates, so from now on, you're mine.'' You happily agreed. Nothing would separate you from him. From your soulmate. And as time went on, you two would move any mountain or sail over any ocean just to make each other happy. 

        The crew was elated to hear about the development of your relationship. They totally didn't have bets placed on when the two of you would get together. (And Killer definitely didn't win the entire thing by betting that you were soulmates)

[titansandothers]

Beast Boy and the Bakery

(Sorry I haven't posted any writing for so long. This is unfinished and takes place after Go! but before the series official start.)

When it came to the construction of Titans Tower, each team member contributed in their own way. Beast Boy found his place primarily in brute strength and delicate tasks, utilizing his larger animal forms and smaller animal forms respectively. While he was grateful to be able to help and not be scolded for minor slip ups, the changeling was starting to tire of construction. While not physically tired, he really wanted to do something besides building the Tower. Surprisingly, he merely needed to ask Robin for a break to be allowed to do so. He never would have dreamed of doing such a thing under Mento’s leadership... With that non-issue taken care of, Beast Boy found himself wandering the city. He had no particular destination in mind, but he seemed to find one in a less populated part of the city. The building was on the smaller side, seemingly squished between two larger buildings, but it struck the changeling as cozy. There were flower boxes beneath each window and the exterior was painted a soft white with some accents in pastel pink, blue, and yellow. The sign on the building read: Tasty Treats and Vegan Eats Curiosity piqued, Beast Boy opened the door, causing the bell above it to jingle. While the outside looked more like a bakery, the interior seemed to be mixed with a bit of fifties diner, given its round chairs, small tables, tiled floor, and jukebox.

There were a total number of four people he could see in the bakery. An old man, an old woman, a young boy, and an even younger girl. The woman behind the counter was quick to greet him, not the least bit fazed by his appearance. “Well, hello there, dearie,” the woman smiled, her white curls bouncing as she tilted her head slightly. “I can’t say I’ve seen you here before. Would you like a sample?” Beast Boy blinked, a bit surprised by the woman’s lack of reaction to his appearance. “Uh, sure,” he shrugged a bit, approaching the counter. “They’re free, right? And no animal products?” “Free as the air you breathe and one hundred percent vegan,” the woman smiled as she readied a few samples. “Oh, cool,” he replied with a small smile. As the changeling waited, his ear twitched as the sound of small footsteps approached him. Looking down, he saw it was the young boy. Before he could say anything, the green teen was greeted with a loud, “Why are you green?!” Beast Boy flinched a little. This kid didn’t seem to have a concept of inside voice. Then again, he had the same problem sometimes. After wiggling his finger in his ear, he responded. “It’s just part of my superpowers,” he shrugged. “I can turn into animals.”

The boy took in a deep breath, eyes seeming to sparkle as his mouth widened to the point his smile practically covered half his face. “That’s so cool!” the child loudly exclaimed, seemingly too young to be skeptical. Something he did was cool? Beast Boy wondered to himself. More often than not, he was seen as a freak for what he could do… most certainly not cool. “You think so?! You wanna see?!” the teen asked. “Yeah!” the boy bounced up and down. “Can you turn into a dinosaur? A big one?!” “Not inside, I hope,” the woman interjected, setting a few samples on the counter. “Here you are. Let me know what you think!” The young boy slumped his shoulders as the hero’s attention was now taken by food. “Oooo~” Beast Boy uttered in awe of the treats before him. Taking the tiny plastic spoon in his hand, he dug into the small paper cup. Popping the dessert in his mouth, he let out a pleased, “Mmmmm~ Coconut cream pie!” The woman nodded and gestured to the remaining dessert samples. “S’more doughnut; macadamia nut cookie.” “Don’t mind if I do!” the changeling wiggled his fingers in anticipation, taking the morsels and popping them into his mouth. “They’re so good!” he exclaimed, giddy with his new bakery discovery. “How’d you make them so good?!”

“Years of baking and experimentation. I’m lactose intolerant, you see, while my husband is allergic to eggs and our son is vegetarian. I had to learn to cook and bake some foods we could all eat.” Beast Boy nodded before the boy interrupted. “Can you turn into a dinosaur now?” The changeling looked over to the older woman and asked, “Do you mind if I turn into a little one… ma’am?” “That’s perfectly fine,” she replied. “But there’s no need for ma’am. Call me Maggie!” “Thanks, Maggie,” he nodded and turned to the young boy. “All right! Here comes an eoraptor!” In a split second, the green teen became a small dinosaur, approximately three feet long. Turning his head to take in his surroundings and make sure he didn’t hit anything with his tail, the dinosaur made a few poses, almost like a museum display. “That’s so cool!” the boy bounced excitedly. “Well, I’ll be,” the old man uttered, bouncing his granddaughter on his knee. “Did you see that, Clara?” The toddler said nothing, merely whined and attempted to hide against her grandfather’s torso. The dinosaur returned to a teen in an instant, looking worried and remorseful. “H-hey, don’t be scared! I’m sorry! I can make it better! I can turn into other things!” He frantically looked over to the old man. “Does she have a favorite animal?!”

Bouncing the girl on his knee once more, the man replied. “She has a few teddy bears of koalas. We call her our little koala because she needs to sleep so much.” Beast Boy nodded and became a koala on the spot, doing his best to look non-threatening. “Look at that,” the grandfather nudged the girl and pointed her gaze to the fuzzy green koala. Clara’s eyes widened and her attitude quickly changed, reaching out in an attempt to pet the furry being. The green koala walked over and held his paws up to the old man. Knowing what the teen wanted, the man lowered his arm so the transformed teen could grab onto it. Lifting him up and placing him on his lap, he instinctually placed his hand on the boy’s back to keep him upright as one might a baby. The toddler promptly reached out and hugged the marsupial, cooing excitedly. “There we go. No need to be scared,” the grandfather assured. “Clara gets scared a lot,” the boy informed. “That’s why I gotta protect her,” he stated with his fists on his hips and chest puffed out.

[lily-blue]

Secrets written in crimson ink

☆ characters: best friend (red)!yibo & protester (gray)!you & vigilante (red)!xiao zhan ☆ genre: dystopian au inspired by this story ☆ warnings: blood, violence and death ☆ request: 77. from this prompt list ☆ summary: when you get separated from that one person you actually care about, it doesn’t matter how dangerous it is to be associated with people who don’t fit into any categories of your society; especially because you have already crossed that bridge when you befriended Yibo ☆ words: 2,4k ☆ dedicated to: @dat-town ♥ ☆ taglist: @soobin-chois

There had been a time when you had felt indifferent about the gray tattoo on the back of your hand. However, you had grown to hate it like most people did as you had slowly learned what the color really meant for your future.

The Korean society you had born into was divided into two segments based on social class: there was the top ten percent of people who had enough money to feed cities for years if they ever pleased - although, they never did -, people with a golden mark on their skin; then, there were the rest who struggled to provide for their own family, people like you who had gray lines tattooed on their skin since they had been born. As a child, you hadn’t understood the concept of money and the importance of connections, but as you had grown older, you had slowly realized that certain individuals - regardless of how smart, pretty or talented they were - weren’t worthy of education, well-paying jobs, or any Golden’s time for that matter.

You had become a protester when the university you had applied to had rejected you for the fourth time while people with less talent had gotten the green light right in front of your eyes for no sane reason other than the tattoo on the back of their hand. You hated them for taking away what should have been rightfully yours. You hated that you had to serve spoiled brats for barely any money while they could spend hundreds of thousands of won a night at the bar you worked at. You hated everything and everyone.

Except for your skinny cat, Boram, and your only friend, Wang Yibo.

Admittedly, you had never really cared about those people who were suffering like you. But you were drawn to the cause, you craved positive change, so if one more protester could add to the strength of those groups that openly rebelled, you wanted to be there. You would have rather gotten yourself killed than lived a sad and miserable life in poverty like your parents had done before they died.

As a woman, you were expected to be pretty and obedient all the time, even when you were from a poor household, therefore you had to put on loose clothes, a hoodie, and a mask that hid two thirds of your face when you joined the mass who protested against the new tax law that favored the Goldens. Screaming from the top of your lungs with a banner in your hands, you encouraged your best friend to be a bit less stiff and a lot louder, teasing him for his bored, lowkey sour facial expression between your demands until…

Until someone shot a gun and the governor’s body fell on the ground, hence all hell broke loose right in front of your eyes.

You reached out for Yibo desperately, but the two of you barely reached the main street, three guards caught up to you and two of them dragged him away while the third one pushed you on the ground and hit you with the buttstock of his gun. Groaning from pain, all you could think about was your pacifist best friend who would have been at home if only you had sat this protest out like he had asked you to; your tears mixed with your blood and your saliva as you crawled in the direction he had disappeared to.

You survived that day because of a masked person who dragged you to an alley, then left you once they made sure your head injury wasn’t fatal. You stayed there, scared but restless until the neighborhood quieted down and you stopped panicking because of made up scenarios.

You used a part of your worn clothes as bandage, then wandered around the streets for hours to find someone, anyone who could have helped you get your best friend back. But everyone was either hiding or pretended to be clueless; they avoided your eyes like you were bad news. Maybe, you were.

What good knowing you did to Yibo after all? The answer, unsaid albeit obvious, left a bitter taste in your mouth.

Those who were willing to give you a chance and actually listened to your pleas all told you the same: your friend was lucky if he had already died. You should have prayed he was dead.

You weren’t ready to let go of the man’s arm who was the nth person that night who refused to entertain your delusions about saving your friend. Pale fingers holding onto the textile with tooth and nail, you clung to him until he pushed you by your shoulder and you fell on your ass. You hissed, but quickly got back on your feet and launched at him just to be pulled back by a firm grip on your wrist.

You looked down at the unfamiliar, gloved hand, then raised your head and stared at the man who deliberately made the SKZ member slip through your fingers.

‘Do you have any idea how hard it was to find one of those guys? Do you?’ You screamed at him, angry, before you pulled your arm out of his hand and turned towards him with your entire body.

You had no idea why this person let you swore at him for long minutes out of frustration. You were even more confused when he told you he would bring your friend back to you if you promised to not be in the way. There were dozens of questions in your head by the time you lost your staring contest on purpose and asked him to save Yibo.

A rational part of you knew you shouldn’t have followed a masked stranger to his hideout or what not on your own, but guilt was eating up your sanity second by second, so you didn’t care. You stayed in the underground building he took you to, and stayed up all night while you were waiting for him to come back. Time passed differently without natural light.

You made the stranger’s bed twice while you were alone with your thoughts. You broke down four or five times while you walked from one room to another, rearranging broken cups and plates just to do something. Then, when the front door finally opened with a loud thud, you let out a soundless shriek, horrified because of the amount of blood you saw not only on Yibo, but the stranger as well.

‘The first-aid kit’s in the bathroom. Quickly!’ The stranger, whose name you had never even asked, groaned out in a strained voice, pulling you out of your mind and urging you to finally be more useful.

By the time you got back from the bathroom, your best friend was lying on his back and the man who had saved him hovered over the wound on his side. You gulped back the acid bile in your throat, then sat on the edge of the bed to disinfect and dress his injuries.

Yibo stayed unconscious for two days that you either spent by his side or with your savior, trying to break down his walls and get to know him just a little better because of the glimpse you had caught at the tattoo on the back of his hand when you had tended to his wounds, too. Your mind was filled with questions: where was he from; what was his real reason for saving your friend; did he know that just like in his case, Yibo’s tattoo wasn’t gold nor was it gray; how did he find him so fast; how did he get him out of wherever they had locked him up?

In the end, you only got two answers, but you cherished them both.

His name was Xiao Zhan and he had come to Korea a year ago from China.

‘Where are we?’ You heard Yibo’s raspy voice on the second night. You were sipping on the lukewarm veggie soup you had made for dinner when you snapped your head in his direction and put the chipped bowl on the floor with the speed of lightning.

You crawled next to his bed and took his hand in yours, fighting back your tears of relief.

‘Somewhere safe,’ you whispered, fondling his soft skin with your thumb while you leaned close enough to bring his hand up to your cheek. You leaned into the touch, unable to take your eyes off his face when he made a poor attempt at sitting up. ‘Hey, easy! I promise, they can’t find us here,’ you said, this time, a little firmer.

Yibo narrowed his eyes with skepticism, but let you be when you reached for your bowl and fed him the rest of your dinner. You had prepared enough for three that night, too, but you didn’t want to leave his side just to grab another portion from the kitchen.

You weren’t too fond of the silence that embraced you two, but you liked the fact that he was eating, so you settled for it. You kept your eyes on his face the whole time and tried to soothe both of your nerves with your softest smiles. However, the small, unconscious twitches in the corner of his mouth were reminders of the wounds his ragged clothes were hiding. And you wanted… you needed to know what had happened to him that no one seemed to be willing to tell you. These lingering secrets made you antsy.

‘What did they do to you?’ You asked when the monotone sound of the metal spoon clinking to porcelain started to get too loud.

Yibo didn’t answer.

‘How did he…’ save you was what you couldn’t utter because of your friend’s fierce gaze that made you choke on your own saliva. You had to gulp even before his cold words bit into your flesh.

‘Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to,’ he hissed, a clear sign that he considered the discussion unworthy of his energy. He did this often, but usually when it was about small, insignificant matters. It was new: his determination to keep something so big from you when you two had grown close after you had figured out his family’s biggest secret by chance.

‘Who says I don’t?’ You retorted with a pout, resisting the urge to link your arms in front of your chest because the half-empty bowl was still in your hand.

‘Believe me, you don’t,’ Yibo asserted, although his gaze softened a little the moment his eyes met and he noticed the worry in your chocolate brown orbs. He sighed and urged you to lift another spoonful of soup in front of his mouth. ‘How do you know him?’ He asked after a bigger gulp, pointing towards the doorless frame with his head.

‘I don’t, not really,’ you admitted, trying not to see too much into the palpable tension that followed your statement. So what if you hadn’t known him? He had saved Yibo and treated you well despite those walls that clearly guarded his soul. You believed it when you said you were safe at his underground hideout.

You were chewing on your cheeks from the inside, poking the wet flesh repeatedly with your tongue while you were trying to come up with a good reason why you had put your life in a stranger’s hands when you should have gone home as soon as the guards had disappeared from the scene - a reason more rational and acceptable than how you didn’t want to picture your life without Yibo -, but the longer your thoughts wandered, the harder it got to not think about the moment you had seen him being dragged away.

‘I’m sorry,’ you mumbled while you put the empty bowl on the ground with your slightly shaking hands. ‘It was my fault. I should have listened to you when you…’

‘You should have, but you don’t have to feel sorry. You aren’t responsible for my decisions,’ your friend cut you off, reaching out to your chin to lift it up gently and make you look him in the eyes. He shot a lopsided smile at you, then wiped off that stray tear drop that ran down your cheek. 

Someone cleared his throat behind your back.

‘Change his boundages and pack your stuff, petal. We leave in an hour,’ Xiao Zhan stated, his words confusing you immediately. You knitted your brows as you pulled away from Yibo and looked at the man from above your shoulder.

‘You said we’ll go separate ways once he’s awake,’ you reminded him of your conversation from before he had left to save him.

You were so lost in your memories, trying to find that one moment that could have changed the man’s mind that you didn’t notice those glances the two of them exchanged soundlessly. Xiao Zhan did, however, gain your attention when he scoffed and shrugged.

‘Things have changed. You have one hour to get him ready,’ he claimed, turning his back on you two and leaving the room before you could have asked at least one from your million questions.

Admittedly, you didn’t know what he was talking about, but you assumed, since you couldn’t remember telling him anything that could have changed his mind, it had something to do with what neither of the boys told you about Yibo’s escape. You weren’t oblivious. Xiao Zhan had the same, red tattoo on the back of his hand that your best friend had. That could have easily been another potential reason behind his sudden change at heart.

You took a deep breath and prepared yourself for the unknown. They were both hard to crack, but you doubted Yibo would have put you in danger on purpose if their secrets could have cost your life. And you knew, the further you got from the capital, the better it was for your best friend, so you should have concentrated on that first.

Therefore, you cleaned the boy’s bandages, fixed his clothes and fed him with some of Xiao Zhan’s organic painkillers. You made sure Yibo’s backpack was lighter than yours and that he was ready by the time you needed to leave since despite his cold glances, he didn’t protest when the man said he would lead the way.

Of course, you were dying to know where you were heading. You were also curious whether Yibo knew your savior or he gave him the silent treatment because he was hurting. Yet, your questions needed to wait, because the moment you left the hideout in your hoodie and mask, your survival depended on your obedience. You couldn’t annoy them for those answers until you left the city. There were too many guards out there, looking for shady people they could punish for everything unfortunate that had ever happened to the Goldens.

the end.

[attroxx]

❛ @sosordid said . . . [ clean ] sender helps bathe receiver - they partied a bit too hard and now axel is covered in sfx blood and absolutely trashed. Don’t worry, jun will bathe him drunkenly to help preserve the dignity ! ❜

𝐀𝐗𝐄𝐋 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐏. dealing with two drunk assholes can't be the guys version of a good night but maybe a crisp hundred would smooth things over. stumbling to the door of his apartment he hands jun the keys who is slightly more sober. once inside axel is quick to lean on jun as he begins showing the other his apartment. axel over explains the decor, ninety percent of it being halloween themed. masks liter the walls, lined up nicely. they're clearly worth money, not just cheap halloween props. stumbling into his room he grabs a large container, pointing to the front label. it's blood and lots of it. in a sober state of mind he'd never think of wasting fake blood. the shits expensive. but right now he wasn't thinking about the cost.

seated on the toilet jun is probably exasperated. axel is shirtless which had taken a good ten minutes to manage. fake blood stains pale skin, dripping onto the tile. it'd be a bitch the clean in the morning. the actor whines as jun attempts to clean his chest, shaking his head like a petulant child. but there was no way jun was going to let axel lay down covered in fake blood, a true friend.

❛ d - don't wanna . . . p - please jun. ❜ arm wrap around jun's neck, holding him impossibly tight as the tub fills up behind him. after tonight jun may block his number and never contact axel again but right now jun is the one thing holding axel together. after some more arguing axel sits in the tub, granted his boxers are still on per his request and jun seemed too tired to care. grey hues dance across the water as his guest begins to wash his back. axel's mind begins to wander, as much as it can in this state.

❛ you're . . . hiccup . . . too good for me. thank you, j - jun. ❜

ordinary things that feel intimate. ― accepting.

[mischievoushiddleston]

Enemies? (Part 4)

Warnings. BLACK PANTHER WAKANDA FOREVER SPOILERS. All Parts here!

"Why am I in a different cave this time?" she asked him as she looked around, "Afraid I'll escape again? If so, don't worry...I'm here by choice, even if it's not one hundred percent, since it was sneaky to bring me here like this..."

Namor laughed and shook his head as Shuri looked at him. "I'm not afraid you'll escape..." he said, stepping towards her, "This is my cave, as you so beautifully put it, and you'll stay with me while you're here..."

Shuri raised her eyebrow. "And where will you sleep?" she asked, stepping away from him.

"With you, of course..." he said, taking another step towards her.

"Are you dreaming?" she asked him laughing, "There's no way we're sleeping in the same bed, nor anything else happening between us..."

Namor continued to step toward her until her back was against the wall. "Are you sure about this? Why don't you give in? You could be pregnant with our child right now..."

"Very sure of yourself, but there's no way I could be pregnant with you," she said firmly as she looked up at him, "Thanks to Wakandan contraceptives..."

He leaned down to her ear. "Are you sure? I'm not a normal person...does it work on me too?" he asked her and she glared at him angrily. Could he be right? No...she had developed it herself, but she actually had no idea what it was like on him. Unconsciously, her hand wandered to her stomach. She couldn't be pregnant with his child. What would her mother think of her? Shuri felt tears in her eyes and pushed Namor away from her. Quickly, she walked past him.

"Princess-"

"Don't call me that! You have no right to call me that...you have no right to make me feel that way," she said angrily, looking at him, "You took away the only thing I had left, the only person who still knew me...and you don't care. You just want to have your way. Fuck me, marry me, and best of all, make me have your children." -She shook her head as he was about to speak- "I will never agree because you, Namor, are not capable of love and I will not marry because of a political alliance..."

His jaw tightened and he didn't look at her before walking away, leaving her there alone. Shuri lowered herself onto the bed and touched her pearls. "Griot...Tell me what the chances are, with my birth control, of still getting pregnant by Namor..."

"The chances are 78 percent...I recommend an adjustment to the formula-" the artificial intelligence said, making Shuri sigh and stop him. Damn...Why did he have to be right? Shuri felt like she was running out of air to breathe. Panicking, she stood up and walked out of the cave. Where did she have to go? It didn't matter...she would find a way somehow. Shuri didn't even think about the beads as she walked through this cave system until she stopped when she saw light coming from an entrance. She knew the place. This is where she was led by Namora to see Namor.

Shuri sat down at the edge and dipped her feet into the water. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself.

"What are you doing here, Prin- Shuri?" she heard his voice, but didn't look at him. She wanted time away from him, but instead she was led to him. She felt him sit down next to her and sighed softly.

"Would you really continue a war with Wakanda if I didn't marry you?" she asked softly, finally looking at him. Namor raised his hand to her cheek.

"For you, I would burn down the world..." he said honestly.

"That doesn't answer my question. Would you hurt my people again to get what you want?" she asked him.

"Yes," he answered and she pulled out of his grip, but he held her tight, "But not for marriage, but for the safety of my people...I want you to become my queen willingly..."

"Namor...I can't do that...You took too much from me and how was that going to become something? It's not just what you did, it's that I'm aging and you're not...I want to be able to grow old with my husband and not become a pale memory for him..." she said, looking at the water, "What would my mother think if I had a marriage with the man who was to blame for her death, let alone love him? Hate can never turn into love, no matter if there is lust between us."

"Is that how you feel?" he asked, his voice bitter. "That there is no future for us?"

"It is the truth...You are trying to manipulate me and get me to agree to this marriage, but that would only have one advantage for you and that is more power for your people..."

Namor's jaw tightened before he stood up. "If you had stayed here then, who knows where we would be now..." he said and she looked at him, "There was an attraction between us from the beginning. My people don't need a marriage between us, it was just something I wanted. I wanted you, but I see that it is something I cannot have after all this. I apologize for my mistake in bringing you here." Namor tilted his head and turned to look at Namora, who was standing in a corner, but Shuri had not yet noticed her. "Escort our guest to the surface..."

She saw Namora look confused, but nodded. What would this mean for Wakanda? Shuri looked to him. "Namor! Wait," she said, and he stopped, "What does this mean for my people?"

"You've made your decision, let me make mine..." he said, without a hint of emotion as before. It was almost threatening, like that time on the beach. Shuri gulped as he turned and left, but she went to him and grabbed his arm, making him stop. No matter what he was up to, she couldn't give him the chance to even think about going to war again. Wakanda needed the alliance.

"I'll marry you, okay?" she said, "I'll become your wife of my own free will if you promise me that you'll sign the contract..."

He looked down at her hand holding him. "All right..."

[underthebrightmooninterests]

TXT yeonbin fic: Yeonjun’s confession

TXT YEONJUN & SOOBIN FIC: LOVE UNDER THE LIGHTS

Like you? I love you! (fluff, confession)(2000+ words)

summary: Yeonjun has a realization and handles it in all the wrong ways. 

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

“Yeonjun-ah can we talk for a moment?”

Yeonjun gets up from the practice room floor and quickly greets the manager that just walked in. He grabs a bottle of water as he answers:

“Yeah, sure.”

Yeonjun follows the manager to the corner of the room where there are a few chairs situated. They both sit down and Yeonjun takes a swig of water before looking at the older man sitting in front of him. He’s quite close to most of his staff and he can tell immediately that his manager is nervous about something.

“So, how is practice going?”

They finished their promotions for can’t you see me not too long ago and he was just practicing some random songs to improve the fluidity in his dance moves. That being said, he wasn’t really doing anything too important so he realises quite quickly that his manager is just trying to avoid the question he really wants to ask.

“Hyung-nim, just ask what you wanted to ask.”

His manager lets out an awkward chuckle and rubs his neck before taking a deep breath and grabbing Yeonjun’s hands.

“Yeonjun-ah, I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me on this.”

Yeonjun’s starting to get a little nervous but nods none the less.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone or get angry at you.”

“Come on hyung, just ask me already! I want to get back to practice.”

“Fine.” He takes a deep breath before looking Yeonjun in the eyes and saying:

“Is it possible that you have a crush on Soobin?”

Death. Yeonjun felt like dying. This was it, his career was over. He thought he’d been careful and had successfully kept his feelings under wraps without acting distant from Soobin but clearly that wasn’t the case. He hadn’t even told a single soul, how did this-

“Yeonjun, I’m not going to be angry if you do. You’re allowed to like someone.”

Yeonjun scoffs.

“Yeah but ideally that person isn’t a member of my group!”

The manager grimaces:

“Well, yeah.”

They sit in silence for a moment until his manager speaks up again.

“So, are you planning on telling him?”

Yeonjun’s facial expression would’ve been straight up comical in any other situation because his eyes go wide and his jaw nearly drops to the floor.

“Are you insane? Of course not! How could I?”

His manager chuckles slightly as he holds his hands up defeat.

“Ok, I was just checking. I don’t really recommend it but I wanted to give you the chance to choose.”

Yeonjun sighs: “I like him, a lot. More every day in fact. But we both worked so hard to get here and I’m not going to be the one to ruin it. I just can’t.”

Yeonjun’s gaze has fallen to his lap and he startles slightly when he suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder. He quickly looks up from his shaking hands to his manager.

“Well if that’s what you want I’ll help you. I hope I don’t need to explain to you that this is something that needs to stay hidden?”

Yeonjun nods, a shaky breath exiting his mouth as his manager talks.

“I’ll help you cover this up, if you ever need any help on this just ask me. Honestly, if it wasn’t for your mother telling me that you were worried about a crush on someone I never would’ve realised.”

“Ah, why did my mother tell you that…”

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure no one ever finds out.”

Yeonjun ignores the sting in his heart and stops his mind from wandering. Stops it from wandering and thinking about how this would’ve gone if they weren’t idols. What if he’d realised his feelings back when they were trainees? Would they still have debuted together? Did Yeonjun even like Soobin back then?

It’s no use to wonder. Because now that his manager knows and he’s told him, it’s official.

He likes Soobin.

And no one is ever going to find out about it.

Not just fans but also, and especially, Soobin himself will never know.

 ---years later---

 Damn, he knew the recording of the Thursday’s child album was going to be more difficult but it took even longer than he expected.

Yeonjun enters the dorm with only his bed on his mind. On his way home he stopped to grab a bite to eat so nothing seems better now than to take a nice nap with his full stomach.

He quickly pops his head into the living room to see the maknae line and Beomgyu watching a movie. He quickly announces that he’s home and going to take a nap and is met with minimal answers. A hum from Hueningkai, silence from Beomgyu and a mumbled “Soobin hyung is in his room” from Taehyun. Yeonjun chuckles before leaving the trio be and going to his room. Maybe he should check up on Soobin before he goes to sleep. They didn’t really see each other today due to the recording but he remembered hearing Soobin say yesterday that he was kind of struggling with some of his parts. Maybe Yeonjun could help him?

He's only going to help him of course. Absolutely no other reason.

His crush on Soobin had been going about as well as one could hope. It didn’t fade away after a while like Yeonjun had initially hoped it would but no one had found out. This was partially his manager’s doing. Behind the scenes his friendship with Soobin had continued like before but along with his manager he had made sure to not appear to close to Soobin on camera. There were days where being around Soobin felt suffocating. Desperately trying to hide his crush without coming of as cold, was much more difficult than he expected. It was like he had to hold his breath during every one of his interactions with Soobin, especially on camera. Overly aware of eagle eyed fans picking up on what was happening made him paranoid.

Where he used to be basically glued to Soobin during live streams he now made sure to have at least one other member in between them. He reminded himself not to stare or touch him too much during interviews and stopped posting as many pictures of the two of them online.

Had fans picked up on it? Yes, but it hadn’t gotten to the extent that fans thought they were feuding or anything. Moa knew they loved each other, even if they weren’t completely aware of the extent of Yeonjun’s love…

He knocks on Soobin’s door a few times before entering, he’s greeted with blowing noises courtesy of little Odi in his cage in the corner and finds Soobin on his bed with headphones on. His back is turned towards the door and Yeonjun sneaks up to him, a perfect opportunity to scare the boy presented itself and he really couldn’t help himself.

His plan gets ever so slightly derailed when he peers over Soobin’s shoulder and sees what Soobin is watching.

#Yeonbin

His breath gets caught in his throat and without thinking he hits Soobin on the shoulder.

“What in the world are you watching?!”

Soobin lets out a yelp and clutches his chest as he rises from his lying position on his bed.

“Goodness hyung you scared me!”

He gives the younger a moment to collect himself before he repeats his statement. Soobin merely looks up at him confused.

“I’m watching edits that fans made. Oh, have you seen this one?”

Soobin pulls out his phone and starts tapping away on it, looking for a specific video. Meanwhile Yeonjun is left speechless and a little confused as to what to do now. It’s true that ship videos have always been a thing but seeing Soobin purposefully select one made him panic. He wants to ask Soobin if he isn’t uncomfortable with it but Soobin shoves his phone in Yeonjun’s face before he can say anything. Yeonjun is forced to watch a compilation of him staring at Soobin. He isn’t sure what kind of reaction Soobin is looking for but when the video’s over Soobin merely retracts his arm and says: “Fascinating isn’t it?”

Fascinating? What do you mean fascinating? Yeonjun can feel the blush creep up his cheeks as he watches Soobin replay the video.

“Why are you watching things like that? It’s embarrassing.” Yeonjun whines, adding the last part in a mumble.

“Why would it be embarrassing?” Soobin says finally looking up from his phone. Yeonjun’s heart swells as Soobin’s eyes stare into his. Damn, his eyes are doing that sparkling thing again.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Yeonjun says slightly more aggressive than intended. Soobin looks surprised at the sudden switch in tone and gets up from his bed.

“Like what?”

“With that face! That face as if I’m the most important thing in the world to you. Stop fuelling my delusions please it’s difficult enough as it is.”

The crease in between Soobin’s eyebrows deepens in confusion and panic fills Yeonjun’s system at what he just said. “Delusions? Hyung what do you mean?”

“Never mind, just forget it. I’ll get over it, just give me some more time.”

“Get over it? What do you mean-“ Soobin stills and Yeonjun even thinks that the younger stopped breathing.

Oh no, he knows.

It’s over.

He definitely knows.

“Hyung.”

Shit.

“Do you…l-like me?”

Shit.

“Listen Soobin, don’t overthink it. I know this’ll negatively affect the group but I’m working on getting this under control. I mean, I have been for a while but I promise that I can-“

Yeonjun is interrupted by Soobin wrapping his arms around him. A hug, Soobin has his arms wrapped around him in a hug. Yeonjun’s brain short circuits, what about this situation is a hugging matter?

“Soobin-ah…” Yeonjun says carefully. His arms are hovering over the younger’s back. His mind is going wild with potential reasons for this hug and depending on what it is he might not want to return it.

In a smaller voice than Yeonjun has ever heard Soobin speak, he says:

“Yeonjun-hyung… You don’t know how long I’ve been thinking about this moment.”

A breath, no a weight, a weight falls off Yeonjun’s shoulders as he finally allows himself to wrap his arms around the taller man. He nuzzles his face into his neck, inhales his scent and allows himself for the first time in years to completely relax in Soobin’s arms.

“Soobin, do you… do you l-like-“

“Yes hyung, for longer than you could ever imagine.”

Soobin pulls back from the hug slightly and Yeonjun has to stop an embarrassing whine from escaping his mouth at the loss of contact.

“Hyung, do you like me?”

Yeonjun can’t help but laugh at the fact that Soobin feels the need to clarify that in this situation and presses the palms of his hands to the youngers cheeks.

“Like you? Soobin, I love you.”

If the maknae line and Beomgyu were outside of Soobin’s door listening to the entire exchange, they keep their mouths quiet about it.

Well, they keep quiet until breakfast the next morning when Kai bursts out laughing at Yeonjun and Soobin’s awkward greeting in the kitchen.

Two members of the same group dating is difficult and as soon as the shock wore off, the both of them had to sit down with the other members and talk about whether this was a path they were willing to take.

But Yeonjun knows better than anyone that feelings once realised, don’t go away easily. And Soobin, the boy who’d been in love since he’d first laid eyes on Yeonjun when they were trainees, agreed that now he knew he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

It was going to be a fight, but a fight they were going to tackle together.

The end

[pheita]

77 for the spotify wrapped drabbles 😁 @catharticallysarcastic

Hi @catharticallysarcastic , so the song is this

The warehouse still seemed much too large, although there were certainly about a hundred and fifty people inside. The improvised platform stood opposite the large gate, so that everyone who came in saw it right away and knew where to go. Aleena stood to the side with a grim expression, nervously playing with one of her daggers for reassurance. Somewhere, Nasya and Raila were scurrying after Namira like little ducklings, just as Thane was probably somewhere nearby, probably trying to convince Swea once again to let it all go. Aleena had to laugh briefly at the thought. Swea was just as stubborn as she was, that's why they got along. For the second time, her eyes wandered over the crowd. There weren't many, except for the fact that there were three safe havens in the city and each had about 700 residents, and there were certainly many times that number of mystical beings in the city living among the people. Maybe one percent had come, but some had come. Wars have been fought with fewer people. "Ready, my child?" Aleena didn't even flinch when Swea appeared beside her. "I have no choice. The Tree of Life decided that for me a long time ago."

"You always have a choice, remember that." "Not in this. It's fight back or die." Swea smirked slightly and followed in step. Of all those present, besides Thane, Swea probably understood best why Aleena was doing all this. As she climbed onto the platform, the crowd grew quieter as one by one the conversations died down. Her grandmother Becca's memories of how seventy years ago her grandfather had to do something similar to stand up to Aurelius briefly intruded her thoughts, and Aleena had to force them aside. Her nymph powers were slowly starting to go crazy, but she could still conceal it. "Thank you for coming here today and answering the call to do something," Aleena began speaking into the microphone in a firm voice. At her side, she saw Thane and Namira, who had Nasya and Raila standing with them. More calmly, she continued. "As you all know, for months now, employees of a strange organization have been patrolling the streets of every major city in the world. I'm sure many of you have heard that the energy lines have dried up or been poisoned in many places. I stand here to tell you that it is true, and that all the indications are that this strange organization and the drying up of the energy lines are connected. It is not yet clear if it is intentional or not, but as it happened decades ago in the War of Fate, the elders are again inert and do not want to see the danger. It's up to us, to those who go through the world with our eyes open and young enough to want to make a difference, to get to the bottom of this until we find something that will also force the elders to finally act."

Aleena let all this sink in and waited for reactions before continuing. If Charis was right and the Tree of Life had chosen its warriors, then it will also have ensured that the life paths of some led here today. Whether they wanted it or not, they were the warriors of destiny. "This isn't going to work." One man had spoken, loud and clear. A few people stepped aside, and a man stepped forward who looked vaguely familiar to Aleena. A few steps behind him followed a young woman, at the sight of her Aleena then remembered with a smirk. "Why won't this work?" "The idea is good, but as a nymph, you should know that the clan leaders and elders of the different tribes will take too long to make a decision once we have enough information. It will all be up to us. Apart from that, I think this organization is just part of a larger organization and the whole process is done on purpose. The choice of location is too appropriate to be accidental." Thane came to Aleena and stood next to her with a questioning look and whatever the woman wanted to say went unsaid, as it did the other day at the festival in the safe haven, because she was obviously smitten by Thane. Her companion noticed it as well and put an arm around her shoulder with a smirk. "Don't forget to breathe, Tali." "I think we should discuss the further course of action together," Thane began. "There's no need for much discussion," yawned a slender tall woman with colorful hair, "Our big mystery guy here has a point. If we're still going to stop all this from happening, we need to do this." "And you are?" "Hannah, and whatever you're up to, I'm in." Murmurs of agreement came from a few corners. Aleena looked around with a disgruntled smile. This felt more like rebellion than anything else, but if it was the only way, then so be it.

[scoutdoesstuff]

aaaannnnd here's the ficlet for august 28th. this day's tea is called jin guan yin and according to google (so forgive me if it's completely wrong), it's sometimes referred to as the Iron Goddes of Mercy. it's an incredibly metal name, so i ran with it and started thinking about what supernatural characters i would grant mercy to.

the answer is all of them. for the purposes of this fic, though, i chose three lol and sketched out what a certain alterative chunk of season eight might look like if kevin, benny, and charlie had different journeys. (dean/cas/benny is implied with this one as well, with some minor but explicit dean/benny)

“Thank you,” Dean says to the other man. Kevin’s never seen him before, but Dean looks at the new guy like how Marcus used to look at Suzie McDonald but in a grown up way, so Kevin thinks the new man is safe. Sam seems to both respect the guy and be afraid to turn his back on him though, so Kevin’s only ninety percent sure about that assessment.

“Cher, you’re not putting me out, I promise,” the other man says, eyes soft on Dean. Yeah, there’s definitely something going on there. “Have you heard from the Angel since you last saw him?”

Something happened between Dean and Castiel but no one will fess up to Kevin what it was. He really doesn’t like that. He likes Dean’s reaction to the other man’s question even less.

Dean smiles all big and bright in a way that means whatever’s going to come out of his mouth is bullshit. “You know Cas,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck and looking anywhere but the other guy in the eyes. “He’s all around. He’ll pop up sometime.”

“Cher,” the other guy — Benny — says, eyes never leaving Dean’s face.

Dean swallows and stares at the floor.

“We haven’t seen him,” Sam says from by the doorway to the houseboat. He’s leaning against the wall with his back to it, arms crossed. Sam’s body language has taken a nose dive since they entered this place, but Kevin can’t quite put his finger on why yet.

“I’ll reach out,” Benny says, still watching Dean. Dean looks up once and nods.

Sam and Dean don’t stay for much longer. Benny follows them out to the car and Kevin scuttles over to a nearby window to creep on them as they walk down the houseboat’s gangplank. Benny’s hand rests on the small of Dean’s back. Sam wanders off to use the restroom before the brothers Winchester pile back into the Impala and Dean uses that moment to press a quick kiss to Benny’s lips.

Kevin gasps like his mom does when something juicy happens on her soap opera.

(He will take that fact to his grave).

Benny wraps his arms around Dean. Dean presses his face into Benny’s shoulder. They stay like that, gathering peace from each other, until Sam bangs open the bathroom door. Kevin wonders how much Sam knows, how much Sam pretends to not know, and how much Sam really doesn’t know about his brother in that moment.

Kevin’s an only child. He doesn’t really get this sibling shit, but there’s definitely some stuff going on under the surface there.

The brothers say their goodbyes to Benny and Benny begins the trek back up the gangplank. Kevin busies himself with one of the nearby bookcases. Yeah, he spied on them, but he’s not stupid enough to get caught. Then Kevin gets distracted by the books on the shelves. This Benny guy is really well read, but in a weird way. The Pirates of Penzance are smushed right next to Dracula which is leaning against what appears to be an exorcism manual from the sixteen hundreds. Who the fuck is this guy?

“See anything you like?”

Kevin nearly shits himself when Benny’s voice comes from about three feet closer than Kevin was expecting.

“Sorry, kiddo,” Benny says, stepping back. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Dean says I oughta have a bell put on me.” Benny pauses, frowning. “He said the same thing about the Angel, but I honestly just kinda thought he was going deaf. Might be something to it after all.”

“Are you and Cas —?” Kevin starts to ask before he thinks better of it.

“How much did you see through the window?” Benny asks, but in that really annoying way that adults do when they know the answer to something and just want you to fess up.

Kevin refuses to fess up.

Benny waits. Benny is much better at awkward silences than Kevin is.

“Most of it,” Kevin says, pissy, when he can’t take it anymore.

���Yeah,” Benny says, quietly. “Me and Dean and Cas. We’re something.”

Kevin chews his lower lip for a second. He doesn’t really know Benny, but Dean’s people instincts are usually pretty damn on point. If Cas is really in trouble, Kevin’s not sure he wants to bring it down on their heads now that he’s finally gotten a safe place to hide. But if Cas is really in trouble, and Kevin can help him, Kevin wants to. For all of his weirdness and baby bird awkwardness, Cas has been a pretty decent friend to Kevin and Kevin doesn’t want to leave him hanging. Not many cosmic beings would sit next to a kid and listen to him cry about how his whole life just got upended. Even fewer would do it multiple times.

“The tablets had some information about inter-angel communication,” Kevin says at last. Benny perks up, but in a subtle cool guy way that’s suave and makes him look like an action hero with a lead. “I don’t know if it’ll help,” I don’t know if we can communicate like that is what Kevin means, “but it might be worth a shot.”

“You are handy in a pinch aren’t you, kid?” Benny says, like he’s genuinely impressed. Kevin tries not to preen.

“Only if you stop calling me kid,” Kevin says, hoping he sounds kind of like someone who could be taken seriously.

//

They take their findings to Dean and Sam about a week later, who listen to Kevin’s breathless infodump and Benny’s smoother summary intently. Sam doesn’t say much besides “it could work” and Dean kind of hums to himself for a minute.

“I know someone who could maybe help with the wavelength part of it,” he finally says.

Another two days later and Charlie Bradbury raps sharply at Benny’s houseboat door.