#well it’s rude to call them husband 1 and husband 2

[rexsterss]

Success! Both of your husbands now love each other.

[glittergoblinzz]

Ghoap (well, Cbf!Soap mainly) asking Afab!Reader to be their surrogate (pt 2)

(pt 1 here)

CW: Simon rants, Mentions of abuse (physical, mental and sexual), suicidal thoughts, and death

Sorry for being gone so long. Had a family emergency and had to go out of state for a few weeks for a funeral. I'm back now though!

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It's been a couple months since Johnny had shown up at your flat with the proposal of you being a surrogate for him and his husband, Simon Riley....or 'Ghost' as what he prefers you call him. Since then, you've gone out with the boys to try and connect with Simon before actually deciding on whether or not you want to actually do that. Needless to say....it's been rough.

Simon is quiet, rude, stubborn and closed off. Every outting with him and Johnny, he always looks like he'd rather be somewhere else, never saying a word to you or responding to your questions unless Johnny shot him a glare or elbowed him.

"Ah, don't mind him, Lass. He's just....had a rough life. Just give him time and he'll eventually warm up to ye. It'll help if ya find somethin' to bound with him over with."

Johnny's words continuously echoed in your head as you sat with Simon in his and Johnny's home in the living room. Johnny thought it would be a good idea for you two to spend some time together alone while he went to go pick up some take out for you three. You decide to follow what Johnny suggested as you and Simon sit on the couch, watching a football game.

"So....a fan of football, huh?"

You ask, wanting to break the ice between you somehow. Simon doesn't acknowledge you as he continues watching the game on TV, a drink in his hand. You wait for a few moments for an answer before letting out a soft huff in annoyance when you realize you won't be getting one. If it weren't for Johnny, you would have left already. So instead, you keep trying to get through to the big brute.

"What's your favorite team? I'm personally a fan of Chelsea...."

Simon just continues watching the game, occasionally taking a sip of his drink....though out could have swore you saw his grip tighten just a bit at the mention of Chelsea, which gives you an idea. Relaxing on the couch a bit, you turn your focus to the game as well. It was a game between Manchester United and Liverpool, with Manchester in the lead by quite a few points.

"Manchester is doing well, but they're starting to get a little sloppy. If they don't watch themselves, Liverpool might catch up and win by the end of the game."

Simon just rolls his eyes and lets out a grunt as you say that. You were starting to slowly but surely getting to him.

"I wouldn't mind Liverpool winning. Despite my love for Chelsea, Liverpool is also a decent team. I've got faith they can win this."

Simon's eyes quickly glance towards you, irritation building in them, before turning his attention back to the game. Though it was such a fast glance, if you had blinked you would've missed it. A Manchester boy, huh?

"Don't get me wrong, Manchester United is a good club, but I just don't think they're gonna win this game. They're getting too sloppy."

As if on cue, Liverpool manages to score, causing Simon's brows to furrow and the Brit to grumble something under his breath. You just sit there on one end of the couch and Simon on the other end, watching the game in silence for a few more moments before you speak again.

"Are you just going to ignore me the entire time?"

Again, Simon doesn't answer and you're starting to get fed up with this. You're wanting this to work for Johnny's sake but Simon is making it nearly impossible. Instead, you try a different approach.

"Listen, Simon, I get-"

You're immediately cut off by Simon slamming his glass down on the nearby table as he turns to look, no, glare at you with a stare that could kill.

"Don't you dare call me that. You don't have the right to call me that. Only call me 'Ghost'...."

Simon's voiced was laced with venom and hatred as he got up and stormed off to a different room, leaving you sitting there alone. A part of you wanted to leave, let Johnny know that it wasn't working out and that they'd have to find a different alternative to have a child....but another part of you didn't want to give up that easily on Johnny or Simon. You take a few minutes to let Simon cool off a little before you get up to follow him.

You find him in his and Johnny's bedroom, the door slightly open allowing you to see him sitting on the edge of the bed. He has his back towards the door, his chest rising and falling in a heavy manner. You give a gentle knock on the door frame, causing Simon to visibly tense up.

"Ghost? Listen, I just....I want to apologize...."

You start off as Simon slowly turns to look at you. If looks could kill, the look Simon is giving you would have killed you a dozen times over at least. You take a deep breath before continuing.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I didn't mean to annoy you or whatever....I just....I'm just trying to get to know you. Yes, a part of it is for Johnny and his little surrogacy plan but..."

You shrug a little, rubbing the back of your neck as you glance away from Simon.

"But I genuinely do want to get to know you, even if we don't go through with the whole surrogacy thing....I understand that you may hate me or whatever-"

"I don't hate you."

You stop as Simon cuts you off and just give him a bewildered look. He doesn't hate you? The bewildered look immediately turns into a slight frown as you try to process this. Everytime you've been around Simon, even the first time you met all those months ago, he always seemed to have a strong distain for you.

"What? But the way you-"

"Yeah, I know. The way I act says otherwise, but what I say is true. I don't hate you."

"Then why do you-"

"To protect myself....and you."

Now you're genuinely dumbfounded. You can understand him putting up the walls to protect himself, after all Johnny did say his life hasn't been the best....but to protect you too? Simon could see the confusion in your eyes so he motions for you to come sit on the bed next to him, which you hesitantly do. He runs a hand through his short, black hair before looking at you.

"Listen, love. I don't know what Johnny has told you, but I'm not the kind of man you'd want to be around. I'm not only a cold-hearted bastard but I've also got enemies. Enemies that want not only me dead but also the people around me. So I tend to keep my circle small, only filled with people who can take care of themselves...and quite frankly, you don't look like you can take care of yourself. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you got hurt....or worse."

"What? Why not?"

Simon looks hesitant to say. He looks away, his gaze going anywhere but to you.

"Because I care about you, that's why. You're Johnny's childhood friend, his best friend. You mean a lot to him, so you mean a lot to me as well....even if I don't show it."

You take a minute to wrap your head around this. Simon cares about you? Sensing your confusion, Simon continues.

"Shortly after we tied the knot, Johnny starting talking about starting a family. The adoption process would take too long for him and we didn't trust just some random person carrying our child. We needed someone who we could trust that wouldn't change their mind last minute and run off with the baby. So, Johnny suggested you. He started showing me pictures of you two together from over the years, telling me all about you. Honestly, I felt a bit jealous with how he was talking so sweetly about you. Especially when he confessed to crushing on you a little back in your teenage years. I was going to say 'no, absolutely not', That we could just ask Laswell or someone else who we were both close with...but, I don't know what happened. The more he talked about you, the more pictures he showed of you....I just....I knew you had to be the mother of our child. So, I went along with Johnny's plan to ask you to be our surrogate."

Simon pauses for a moment before continuing.

"Yet, when we first met that day in person....all of my insecurities and fear came washing over me. You were just so....innocent. With the lives Johnny and I live, I didn't want to pull you into all that. So I tried pushing you away. It's not an excuse to be an absolute arse, I know, but I just couldn't bare to get close to you only for something to happen to you...."

"Only for something to happen to me...? Ghost, what are you talking about?"

Simon pauses, debating whether or not to tell you. Finally, he takes a deep breath and speaks.

"Let me ask you this....What has Johnny told you about me? About my past?"

"Nothing except that you've got a rough past."

Simon laughs, shaking his head.

"Rough doesn't cover it....I suppose if Johnny trusts you, then so do I. Just....be prepared for what I'm about to tell you. What I'm going to tell you isn't rainbows and sunshine."

Simon takes a moment to mentally prepare himself. He doesn't like talking about his past at all....but he knew that you needed to know in order to understand where he's coming from.

"Okay, let's start from the beginning....I didn't have the best childhood growing up. My father was an abusive piece of shit. He would hit me...bring home dangerous animals and make me kiss them....he'd even put on face paint, mimicking a skull, to scare the shit out of me at nights. My little brother, Tommy, would join in on that. Peering down from our shared bunk on top, knife in hand in his own skull face paint. I don't blame him, though. He was an impressionable young kid. Anyways, the moment I was able to, I signed up for the military. I wanted to get as far away from my father as possible. I stayed gone for years, only returning shortly after reaching the rank of 'Lieutenant' in the SAS. When I came back, everything was a damn mess."

"My father was a drug addict, and ended up getting my brother addicted. My brother would steal from our mother and even put his hands on her once. I got fed up once I heard that. I went out, found my father and beat the shit out of him. Told him he wasn't welcome at home anymore. Then I went to go set Tommy straight. I had to rough him up a little but I didn't beat him as much as I did my father. He was still my baby brother after all. I dragged his ass to rehab, got him the help he needed. It worked as he met and married a woman, Beth, and had a child with her named Joseph."

"Then, on my next deployment, everything went to shit. I was transferred over to America to help take down a notorious Mexican Cartel leader; Manuel 'El Gordo' Roba. I won't go into the details, but our squad leader, Vernon, was secretly working for Roba the whole time. This lead to me, Sparks and Washington getting captured. We were held captive for months. The torture Roba inflicted on us....it was..."

Simon takes a moment to collect himself. He was starting to tremble a little, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his skin, causing him to bleed a little.

"What that bastard put us through was unimaginable. He wanted to brainwash us. To turn us into his puppets. It ended up working on Sparks and Washington, but not me. Despite the beatings, rape and other torture methods Roba dished out, I refused to let that pig win. Eventually, after six months of continuous torture, he realized I wasn't going to break, so he had me taken out to the middle of nowhere near the Texas border to be buried alive....right along with Vernon. It took me thirteen hours to dig myself out of that damn grave with Vernon's jaw bone."

"I somehow survived all of that, dragging my ass back into the States where a Texas Sheriff eventually found me. I was put on leave from the Military for a while, put into required therapy as I was sent back home to recover. The therapy didn't do shit. I could still see Roba in my dreams....could still feel every damn thing he did to me...."

Simon was starting to tear up now. He felt weak. He felt pathetic. You could see that in his eyes, so you gently put your hand on his shoulder. At first Simon tenses up, but then he eventually relaxes and grabs your hand, holding onto it in a vice grip.

"One night, specifically Christmas, Sparks showed up at my mother's house where I was staying for a while. I didn't know he and Washington had been brainwashed by Roba at the time, but I sure as hell would find out the hard way later that night. Anyways, Sparks asks me if I want to go out for drinks. Thinking nothing of it, I agreed. As the night went on, we had a bit of fun catching up....until he saw a woman at the bar. He tried hitting on her but she rejected him. After we left the bar and were walking back to his hotel room, we saw the woman again. Sparks decided to try his luck once more, only to be rejected yet again."

"He ends up knocking the woman out, telling me to help him carry her into her home. I knew what he was doing, that he was planning on raping her. I couldn't believe that this was the same man I served with, the same man I once constantly a friend. I play along, digging through the woman's purse to try and find her keys but instead, I use her phone to subtly call the cops. I make sure to get Sparks to admit to his plan of raping her so the cops would arrive quicker than usual. It worked, so Sparks and I take off back to his hotel room before the cops arrive. Back at his hotel, I go to confront Sparks but he was one step ahead of me. I end up knocking him out but Washington ends up coming in. He shoots me in the leg but I escape by jumping out the window. I head back home but....then I...."

Simon's grip on your hand tightens even more, his face scrunched up in pain. Despite the fact your hand felt like it was going to snap in two due to his grip, you ignore the feeling and gently stroke the back of his hand with your thumb.

"You don't need to continue if you don't want to, Ghost...."

He shakes his head and takes a deep breath.

"No, I've gotta do this. I need to speak about this to someone...."

"Anyways....I get back home, only to find that Washington had been there. My whole family; my mom, brother, sister-in-law and nephew.....they were all shot and killed. My goddamn nephew who was only twelve! Dead! All because I wasn't able to protect them....because I decided to go have a damn drink instead of being there with them that night....on Christmas of all nights!"

You could feel the anger and self-hatred oozing from Simon. The tears were streaming down his face now as he kept going.

"I wanted to die. I had nothing left. I got my gun and put the damn barrel into my mouth, ready to pull the trigger....but I couldn't do it. Not when Sparks, Washington and Roba were still out there. So I set out to take them down. Sparks and Washington were easy. I ended up switching my dog tags with Sparks' before setting his room on fire. His body would be too charred to be able to do a good enough DNA test to identify him. So on that Christmas night, Simon Riley died and all that was left was a Ghost...."

Simon takes a deep breath before telling about how he had gone down to Mexico to take Roba out next, to which he obviously succeeded since he was still here. You could only just sit there, feeling horrible for the man next to you. He had truly gone through Hell and back. It was no wonder he couldn't trust anyone...no, wouldn't trust anyone.

"That's why I didn't want to get you involved, love. I can't handle losing another person I love. I just can't...."

Simon's grip on your hand lessens but was still fairly tight as he looks over at you, his eyes slightly red and puffy from crying. You give his hand a gentle squeeze and use your free hand to gently wipe away stray tears that were falling down his face.

"You don't have to worry. Nothing will happen with you and Johnny around, ya know? Besides, if it'll make you feel any better....I do know a bit of self defense. My father was in the military and taught me how to defend myself..."

You smile and give Simon's shoulder a playful punch

"Bloody hell, I bet I could even take ya down in a sparring match."

Simon slightly smirks, letting out a small chuckle.

"You seriously think you could? I'm like twice your size...I could snap you like a twig if I wanted to."

You roll your eyes, your grin growing wider.

"Yeah, you say that now until I've got ya pinned and tapping out."

Simon shakes his head, the small smile still on his face. Suddenly, he pulls you in and wraps his arms around you.

"I'm truly sorry for how I've been acting these past few months, love. Like I said before, there's no excuse for it. Also....call me Simon from now on. Please."

You're stunned for a moment by the sudden show of affection from Simon before wrapping your arms around him and hugging him back.

"Don't worry about it, Simon. I understand completely."

You two stay like that, wrapped up in each other's friendly embrace before a sudden gasp from behind causes your guys' eyes to widen.

"Bloody fookin' hell. I never thought I'd live to see tha day you two finally get along."

You both suddenly pull away and turn to see Johnny standing in the bedroom doorway with two plastic bags in his hands. His blue eyes shone with excitement as he saw the two of you together.

"Johnny, how long were you standing there for?"

"Long enough to hear the lass say they'd be able to pin the holy hell outta ya in a sparring match."

Johnny asks as he sets the bags down on the dresser before going over, climbing onto the bed before putting you and Simon in gentle headlocks, pulling the both of you close to him. You and Simon can't help but share a glance before smiling.

"Hey, Johnny?"

"Yes, lass?"

"I think I'll go ahead and be the surrogate for you two...."

Johnny gasps and looks down at you, completely and utterly thrilled at the news.

"Ya seriously mean that, lass? Really?"

You nod, which causes Johnny's hold on both you and Simon to tighten.

"Oh Gods, Si, ya hear that? You and me...We're gonna be parents!"

Johnny proceeds to let go of you to shower his husband with kisses, all over his face. Simon can only smile and take the onslaught of affection before slightly pulling away.

"Well, hold on now. Not just you and me. Our little dovie here is going to be a parent as well. It just wouldn't be right if we left her out...."

"Wait. Are ya saying what I think yer saying, Si?"

Johnny looks at Simon with hopeful eyes, to which Simon slowly nods.

"Yes, I am....that is, if you still want to-"

Simon is cut off my Johnny pulling you and him back into a hold, showering the both of you with kisses. He eventually pulls a way and runs both his hands through your guys' hair.

"Of course I would still love for that! What a silly question is that, Si? But the question is....does our lassie want that as well?"

Johnny looks over to you as you nod.

"Yeah, I do. I think we could make this work."

"Gods....I don't know what ta say, lass. Just....thank you."

Johnny pulls you in for another hug as Simon watches with a content smile. You had both him and Johnny to keep you safe. Knowing that and the fact you knew self defense made him feel a lot better about this. For the first time in a long time, Simon felt content and happy without a worry in the world. It felt like nothing could touch the three of you.

"Alright, alright. Now, who's hungry? I got us some Chinese from the shop that just opened a couple weeks ago. Lass, you got the fried rice and General Tao's chicken. Laddie, you got the chow mein and sushi"

Simon jumps off the bed without a word, dashing to the food Johnny had set down on the dresser earlier.

"Hell yeah. Thanks, love. I'm starving."

You and Johnny couldn't help but laugh a little as Simon hurriedly went and got his food before rushing back to the living room. Johnny grabs your hand gently and helps you off the bed before going over to hand you your food. Then the two of you head out to the living room where Simon was....only to be met with a pissed of groan shortly after.

"Goddamn it....Manchester lost the damn match!"

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A/N: Sorry for how long this was. It was practically just a thing on Ghost's backstory, I know, but I figured it wouldn't hurt since not many people know about his backstory in the first place. I tried remembering what I could from the comics honestly. Been way too long since I've read them and I really should read them again.

Also, I've got a tag list so if you wanna be tagged in the series for when a new part comes out just lemme know! I'll add you to the list 😊

Tags: @blackhawkfanatic

[katerina-marie]

The Tragedy of a Duality

Gojo Satoru x Female Reader and (Past) Ryomen Sukuna x Female Reader

Chp 1, Chp 2, Chp 3, Chp 4, Chp 5, Chp 6, Chp 7 (Final)

In the present, you are a sorcerer and the cherished wife of the Honored One. In an era long gone, remembered by only one, you were ordinarily human and the beloved bride of the King of Curses. How fitting it would be, in an evening of destruction, to have your heart torn in two.

Content: JJK Universe and Canon Events (tho tweaked to incorporate reader), Fluff, Angst, Flashbacks, Ambiguous ending, Violence, Death, Female reader but left descriptively vague, No use of y/n, True Form Sukuna in the past, Itadori Yuji is Sukuna's vessel in the present but nothing inappropriate b/n reader and Itadori as the vessel, Will add more CW to each chapter if needed.

WC: 6.1k

A/N: A flashback, some cracky humor (cause it all goes downhill after this), and Sukuna's POV.

Chapter 6

You are not certain, but you think it is close to evening by the way darkness begins to creep onto the walls of your bed chamber. 

A throbbing ache feels as though it may nearly split your skull, and it slithers down behind your eyes and nose. There is a chill to your body that has persisted since the last time you fell asleep, and if you request one more blanket from the servants, you worry they might consider putting you in the fire completely as nothing else seems to suffice. You briefly entertain the idea. Anything, really, if it will get the aching of your muscles and joints to cease. The only small mercy of being struck with an illness is the way you are left relatively unbothered to burrow beneath your mountain of blankets and slip in and out of feverish slumber as you please. 

��Would you care to tell me why I had to wait until now to hear from Uraume that you have been bedridden?” 

Were unbothered, it would seem. 

“Bedridden is a bit extreme, Sukuna. It is just a fleeting sickness.” 

Still nestled under your blankets, you manage to open one eye and peek out. Your husband stands just before your bed with his upper arms crossed and his others hidden beneath his white robes. There is no humor to soften his face, and you let out a small sigh of defeat. 

“I will be alright,” you assure him. “I asked Uraume not to say anything to you before you left yesterday after our midday meal, so please do not be cross with them.” 

“And I may ask again; why?” 

You try to smile at Sukuna this time, but you suspect it might be a little lopsided or dazed—something fever induced. “Well, it is nothing overly concerning and I am being well cared for. Besides, I did not want to get in the way of whatever conquering or pillaging or other kingly duty you were whisked away for.” 

Sukuna does not reciprocate the haphazard grin on your face, nor does he bristle at the way you try to poke fun at him. “That is foolish of you.” 

You gawk at him. “Well, that is rude. If you will not be kind, go off elsewhere and I will find another to listen to my complaints.” 

You are only half-heartedly disgruntled by his brusqueness, but you go to throw a blanket back over yourself nonetheless when you feel his hand seize your wrist. He bends at the waist to hover over you, and his eyes do not let go of yours. “You will inform me immediately the next time you are ill.” 

This time, your eyes narrow and indignance sharpens your voice. “And for what purpose would that serve? You are very busy and we have perfectly adept staff who are able to answer my beck and call. You do not need to waste time tending to me, Sukuna.” 

Your vehemence drives his back upwards. His arms hang still at his sides and you can see his jaw clenching. “It would please me to do so, should you give me the opportunity.” 

The words freeze whatever curt retort you have ready on your tongue, and you blink at him, admittedly dumbfounded. 

“Do you think I would not?” Sukuna asks, and you don’t particularly like the way his voice sounds almost hurt. You open your mouth, ready to speak, but you aren’t sure if you should be apologizing or offering some kind of explanation because if you are being very honest, you are not quite sure if he would have spent the day at your side while you languish in sickness. 

“Ah,” he murmurs, and this time there is no denying that you have wounded him. “I am sorry that I have acted in a way that makes you think so.” 

If you look back on the last six months of your marriage, there is not any true example that would sway you into believing one way or another. Sukuna has his moments of tenderness with you, but they do not hide away his tendency towards terseness or foul moods, though that is mostly reserved for his communication with others. 

“It is not that,” you tell him slowly, and you finally feel ashamed when surprise makes his brows lift. “I am afraid I have hastily made an unfair assumption. I apologize.”

Sukuna does nothing for a moment but look at you, but eventually he nods and takes a step back. “No apology necessary. I will leave you to rest.” 

Your heart lurches in your chest when he turns to leave and you see something akin to disappointment on his face, so you quickly claw your way out from under your blankets to sit up and call his name. 

“Please wait,” you ask of him, and you are grateful when Sukuna does pause at your door. “I would like it if you would lay with me.” 

He hesitates, and now exposed to the cool air of the room, you shiver. 

“If that would please you,” he says quietly, and Sukuna is already slipping into bed before you can blink. You shuffle over to make room for him, but he is quick to draw you against his chest and tighten the blankets around you both. The heat that radiates off his skin is delightful, and you make a noise of contentment as you wiggle in as closely to him as you can get. You feel a pleased rumble in his chest under your cheek and it brings a smile to your face. 

“Thank you,” and you whisper it into his skin. 

The two of you remain silent and still underneath the blankets for long enough that sleep begins to steal you away, but Sukuna’s voice just happens to catch you before you drift off. 

“Being gentle,” he starts, and it sounds as though he is a little unsure of himself. “It is not in my nature. It is not something that comes obviously and easily to me.” You lean your head back so you can look at him, and you are thoroughly wrecked when you realize there is vulnerability in his eyes. You cling to him a little tighter then. “But for you, because there is nothing that will ever come before you in terms of what is important and precious to me, I will do my best and try.” 

Tears sting your eyes and something like love surges inside of you, and nothing—not even the pain in your head—would keep you from pressing your mouth against his. Sukuna allows it, returns it with equal fervor, but pulls away from you sooner than you would like. He smiles at the whine you let out and the pout that turns your lips down, and you feel his hand cup your neck as he urges your head back down against his chest. 

“Hush now and rest.” 

You scoff, a tired breathless thing, but your tone is affectionate when you tell him, “what a terrible monster you are.” 

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The grand reveal of a not-dead Itadori to Fushiguro and Kugisaki takes place as planned the following day. The two take it a little better than you anticipated, though you still cringe through the entire surprise that you unsuccessfully tried to convince Satoru not to do. They stare in disbelief and shock as Satoru ushers Itadori out from the cramped storage bin he’s in. They don’t say a word as their friend waves at them with a wide grin on his face, and before you can protest, Satoru simply laughs and encourages them to have a good day in training before bounding off to who-knows-where, leaving you to gently reassure the three of them and offer a brief explanation for the whole situation.

“So, you knew the entire time?” Kugisaki questions, and skepticism is all over her face as she stands with her hand on a cocked hip. The three first years hover around you under the tree in the corner of the training field, and both Kugisaki and Fushiguro look as if they’ve aged five years. “Gojo-sensei didn’t lie or hide it from you?” 

“No,” you say with an adamant shake of your head. “I don’t think he’s capable of keeping a secret like that from me. Not that it would be in his best interest to do so.” 

It’s not speculation that has you telling her such. Many times over the years Satoru has proven his inability to lie to you, or even distort the truth in a way that could be considered deceptive. All it takes is a knowing look in his direction and Satoru is spilling his guts. 

“Yes, alright! It was me that broke Nanami’s glasses. Please don’t tell him! I already sold out Kugisaki for it.” 

“Oh…no. That is not an engagement ring I’ve been hiding under my pillow. Why would you ask that?” 

“So, I maybe, kind of told Suguru you find his technique disgusting and that’s why he won’t partner up with you for assignments anymore, but hey! Don’t be mad. Now you’re with me!”

Or even last night for instance, after each of you exchange apologies for the earlier fight, Satoru hurriedly explains that he didn’t intentionally hide the fact he fed Itadori the second finger and just simply forgot to mention it. You laugh nervously and quickly forgive him again as you try to hide the fact that you have forgotten about that particular detail. Nanami must have chastised him in some way, and you suppose you're grateful. But really, you just want Satoru to stop looking at you with that kicked puppy expression. 

You shake your head of the memories and look back at your students. “It almost never ends well for him, so it’s not something he does often.” 

Fushiguro scoffs and shoots you an exasperated look. “Does he at least learn his lesson and apologize?” 

His words exasperate the last lingering bits of guilt you still feel from yesterday’s argument, and you wince as you try to come up with a reply that would restore the image of Satoru’s character.

Kugisaki beats you to it and throws her head back in laughter. “What a sight that would make! Gojo-sensei begging your forgiveness with a bouquet of flowers in hand!”

Itadori gags and Fushiguro looks like he feels the same. 

“Pathetic and sad is exactly what that would look like,” he says, and he starts to walk away with Itadori to avoid any more talk of Satoru and grand romantic gestures.

You sigh defeatedly and use a hand to wave off Kugisaki’s suggestion. 

“There’s really no need for such extremes,” you say. “Besides, Satoru knows better than to get me flowers.” Your face puckers like you’ve smelled something rancid.

Kugisaki doesn’t have the chance to respond before Itadori is snapping his head towards you so harshly and abruptly that you would worry for the bones in his neck if there weren’t black tattoos suddenly taking over his face. You’d say Sukuna nearly looks stunned stupid if offense didn’t have him gaping at you.

“You do not care for flowers?” 

It doesn’t come out as a question so much as it does a demand for an explanation, and you are perplexed as to why such an asinine topic of conversation could possibly prompt him into coming out. Especially when he looks grumpier now than every other time you’ve seen him.

Fushiguro and Kugisaki, on the other hand, look very much like they’ve seen a ghost. 

“Uh, no,” you tell him, and Sukuna’s head recoils back like you slapped him. “I don’t like them. Something about the pollen or whatever itches my nose and makes my eyes water. I avoid them the best I can, honestly.” 

Sukuna can only blink at you, and it isn’t until you lift your hands in a tentative apology that laughter begins to build in his chest. It rises in volume exponentially until he rears his head back, and it bursts out of him in a way that is nearly hysterical. It makes the hair on your arms stand up, and you, Fushiguro, and Kugisaki take an uneasy step back from him. His laughter cuts off and when he turns his eyes back to you, they are wide in their excitement and his grin is full of teeth.

“Well, that is new!” Sukuna thunders, and you have no earthly idea as to what he could be referring to. “You did always know how to surprise me.” 

And just as quickly as they appeared, the tattoos fade, and within a moment, Itadori is shaking his head and looking to you for clarification. You shrug because it’s not like you have any to offer. 

After some gentle reassurance of their safety, you coax your students onto the training field to spar with one another while you watch from under the shade of a tree. With your thoughts scattered between all manner of things, time passes without you perceiving it, and Satoru is waltzing back onto the training field an hour later, munching on an apple and looking as though he has no care in the world.

“How are my beloved students doing?” he asks when he takes his place by your side, though he stands just a bit farther than he usually would. You give him a hesitant smile and wave a hand towards where Kugisaki has just dealt a particularly harsh blow to Itadori’s side as she cackles. Fushiguro watches from a few feet away, looking very much like he’d rather be anywhere else. When Satoru calls to them in greeting, all three turn and offer waves and ‘hellos’ in varying levels of enthusiasm. 

“Just fine,” you tell Satoru, and he bats his lashes at the pointed look on your face, “though they would probably do even better if their esteemed teacher actually showed up to teach them.” 

Satoru shrugs in a what can you do attitude, and you roll your eyes as you swipe the apple from his hand to take a large bite of it. The remaining tension between you two eases, and you’re thrilled to see the small makings of a smile on his lips.

“Fruit thief,” he complains, and you giggle around a mouthful of apple. 

Suddenly, a loud curse and an exclamation of surprise sound out from where the students are on the field. When you and Satoru spin around in that direction, Kugisaki is sprawled out on the ground face towards the sky and laying farther away from the other two than what should reasonably be possible. Fushiguro stares with a haunted look on his face. Itadori is breathing heavily and looks just as shocked. When he glances down at his hands as if they could explain what happened, you notice the slits under his eyes flicker shut and a pool of dread settles in your stomach. 

Satoru looks at you briefly before he’s striding out onto the field with hands buried in his pockets. 

“Yuji,” he calls, though there’s no discipline in voice. “Let’s not try and throw our peers halfway across the field, okay?”

All three students laugh, albeit nervously, as Satoru goes to check on them, and you are left to worry about what in the world could have set off Sukuna. 

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

There are a number of things you could blame your lack of reaction on, but you would probably just chalk it up to plain exhaustion if you live long enough for anyone to ask. 

While Fushiguro and Kugisaki are somewhere up above on the highway fighting two curses, you and Itadori handle one under a bridge in a shallow ravine. You manage to dodge the first blow from the curse across from you, but your limbs are already weary and the ground is slick, and you aren’t quick enough to defend against the second one. In a final moment, you throw your arms up in some meaningless way to protect your face and clench your eyes shut. You have a split second to anticipate the pain before a great force has knocked you to the ground and into the cold earth below.

“Move!” Sukuna growls in your ear, and it takes you a beat to recognize that the weight at your back is him. You think his hands might clench into your shirt and maybe it’s his nose in your hair, but you have no more time to consider it as he is up and off of you as soon as you blink. 

You push onto your hands and peer over your shoulder where the curse now sits in a pile of ash. When you sit up completely, Sukuna is standing off to your right and looks down at you, his face completely devoid of any emotion. His shirt is torn at the elbow and singed in a couple spots. He rolls his shoulder twice, loosening the muscles there, and though he makes no move to help you up, his hand clenches and unclenches rapidly. You get up on your feet then.

“You are unharmed?” he asks, and there’s a rough edge to his voice that you don’t recall being there before.

You glance up at him in the middle of sweeping dirt from your arms and hands, a fruitless attempt since you’re covered in an amount of mud that only a shower would fix, and he is clearly expecting your immediate answer. 

“I’m alright.”

Sukuna nods once and then shifts away from you to sweep his eyes along the edges of the trees and further down the ravine. You recognize the meticulous way he scans the scenery, deeming it clear of any remaining threats, and the action tugs at something in your chest. Satoru tends to do the same thing anytime the two of you go on an assignment together, and you always tease him for his over precaution. 

“Thank you,” you add quietly, because the extra protective measure certainly isn’t for himself. Sukuna doesn’t turn back or respond to your gratitude, but his lower eye takes glimpses of you out of its corner. 

“Can I ask you a question?” you blurt out. 

Sukuna doesn’t respond right away. All that fills the silence is the trickling of a nearby stream and the faint crackling rustle of the tree branches above your head as they sway slightly in the evening breeze. But then he is angling his chin to glance at you over his shoulder. “If I am not mistaken, you just did.” 

He sounds less than enthused, but curiosity has been eating you alive since the very moment Sukuna first made himself known to you, and so the words tumble forth with no hope to stop them.

“What happened?”

Surely he must know what you are referring to, and you see Sukuna’s shoulders heave with a great sigh. He splays his fingers wide, and the veins and tendons in his hands pop in a way that looks painful. With an eerie slowness, he turns toward you and levels you with a look that has you immediately regretting the question.

“Do you really wish to know?” The edge of his voice is nearly taunting, almost tempting. 

No. Yes. Maybe. It’ll keep you up at night if you don’t know, but you worry you’ll never sleep the same again if you do. 

Sukuna must see the indecision on your face, and he makes the choice for you.

“Well then,” he begins casually, but his demeanor as he starts to walk towards you is anything but. It takes all your concentration to stay rooted to your spot even though instinct tells you to flee. “To what extent will your curiosity be satiated?”

Anxiety is churning your stomach, and something about this is very wrong. His movements are predatory in their preciseness, and his eyes are narrowed, hardened by something unknown to you. He is different. Something has shifted, and you wouldn’t have called Sukuna kind, but whatever keeps the ferocity of his anger-adjacent emotions in check is long-gone. When he comes to a stop an arm’s length apart, he smirks and it is cruel.

“Would it thrill you to hear that I know how you taste?”

You feel the color bleed away from your face because surely he can’t mean—

 “And certainly in more ways than you are thinking.” 

His eyes track the bobbing of your throat when you swallow loud enough for you both to hear. At the same time, your foot slides backward in the mud to maintain distance, and his follows suit.

“Or,” Sukuna emphasizes, and his eyes flare wide. “How would you feel if I told you that the blame for your death lies at my feet?” 

It’s the first confirmation you get for something you have suspected—that if what he says is true, you died centuries ago—but the implication that it’s Sukuna’s fault is something you hadn’t considered, and the idea is terrifying and prompts more questions that you don’t have the gall to ask. 

“Nevermind,” you tell him. You look out around you and then up at the highway to see if you can spot Fushiguro and Kugisaki anywhere, eager to be done with this conversation. But Sukuna is not done with you, and he creeps just a little closer. 

“But you want to know,” he croons, and now your heart is starting to race and the fine hair on your arms stand straight. “Shall I describe to you how you used to mewl and beg when I had you under me? Or that you liked when I would sink my teeth into that spot where your neck meets your shoulder.” 

Sukuna tilts his head, and the innocence of it is such a harsh contrast to the severity of him. “Tell me, does that husband of yours do the same?” 

“Please, stop.” Normally you’d hate the weakness in your voice and the way it nearly comes out in a whimper, but you don’t care, not when your only priority is getting away from him. You take a hurried step back and your heel slips, and there is a sickening swoop in your stomach as you begin to pitch backwards.

But in a movement too quick for you to see, Sukuna catches you around your upper arms. You dangle back in his grip as he lowers his head so closely to yours that your noses almost touch. His eyes burn red, his mouth is twisted into snarl, and he must be able to feel the way your breath stutters out over his face. Sukuna bows over you, and behind his head, the midnight blue of the night sky encompasses the view of your peripherals. In the back of your mind, you take notice of the fact that you don’t feel the prick of his nails against your skin.

“Do you dream of me?” Sukuna whispers, and it is hushed and frenzied and derisive. His eyes dart down once to your lips. “Do you have nightmares about what will happen when I get a hold of that last finger? Whom do you think I will come for first—you, or your beloved?”

You wrench yourself back with a sob, and Sukuna somehow relents. His hands leave your arms as rapidly as they came, but you stand steady and upright when he appears a couple feet away. 

“Ah,” Sukuna chides, and satisfaction makes his expression haughty, though there is something mournful hiding in the lines of his face. “You remember me now; a monster—evil, if you do say so yourself.” Shame passes over you quickly as you realize he heard the tail end of your argument with Satoru. 

 “Well, I am pleased to meet your expectations.” He sneers at you as he shoves his hands into his pockets, and you hear fabric tear. If you didn’t know any better, you would say you wounded him. 

But that can’t be possible, not when he is what he claims to be and what you accuse him of. You are reminded now of what a pointless endeavor this is. Whatever it is you want to call it—a latent curiosity, a brief musing for passing boredom—is irrelevant, as is whatever tragic history that may or may not have occurred a thousand years ago. There is plenty of reasonable doubt for you to conclude that only a shred of truth might hide in between the vitriol Sukuna spits. As for the scant moments of tenderness, where his eyes bleed longing and every inch of him yearns to touch you, you dismiss them as fleeting instances of torment in the name of entertainment. Gentleness would be a facade he wears and something he couldn’t be familiar with. Monsters don’t know such things. 

“Nevermind,” you say, and this time your voice is firm and unwavering. “I don’t want to know.”

Silence follows and Sukuna is unfazed by your answer. He doesn’t try to persuade you, and you think he sees the finality in your face. The lowering of his eyes and the clenching of his jaw might betray the emotion he’s working to keep concealed—disappointment, regret, misery—but he turns and begins to walk away before you can study him any further. 

“I will leave the brat over here for you,” he calls and then slips into the darkness of the trees. There is something resigned and dismissive in the sound of his voice and the way he waves a hand over one shoulder, and it leaves you to wonder what will happen the next time you meet Ryomen Sukuna.

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

When you whisper “I’m sorry” into the skin between Satoru’s shoulder blades, it is hours after you return home muddy and exhausted from your assignment, and enough time has passed since the two of you went to bed that you both should already be asleep. Satoru might have been close to it with the groggy way he says your name, but he stirs nonetheless and twists under the covers so he can face you instead. 

“What for?” he asks. His eyes blink heavily, and his hair is almost long enough now to tangle in his lashes, the white of them making where one ends and the other begins nearly indistinguishable. “We already apologized to each other, remember?” 

You appreciate the softness on his face and how forgiving his voice is, but you still shake your head. “You deserve a better apology. My feelings at that moment wouldn’t have changed, but I shouldn’t have let my temper get in the way of discussing things with you.” 

Satoru’s answering smile is a little sad, but he still reaches for you so he can wrap his arms under your neck and over your shoulder. He tugs you once more so your head leaves your pillow and is cushioned by his bicep instead. His embrace is as warm and comforting as you always know it to be, and you skim your nose against his collarbone to breathe in the lingering scent of his soap and shampoo. Doing so lowers the volume level of the noise in your head. 

“Well, then I owe you one too. I am sorry. I was being childish.” You feel Satoru tighten his arms around you and his chest expands against yours as he inhales deeply. “You have to know that you are the most precious thing to me. There is nothing else. I do not mean to coddle you or doubt your capabilities in any way. And I trust you implicitly.” He leans back slightly so he can look down at you. “There is no word fitting to describe what I would feel if something happened to you. So please, forgive me when I am unbearable. It is only because I love you.” 

It strikes you then that love could take the form of overprotection and possessiveness in a man who has already lost someone dear to him to a greater evil, and you hate that you now understand the feeling so well. 

You can only nod in response, mostly because tears are pricking your eyes and you are one second away from having your breath hitch in your throat, so you quickly duck your head to hide against him. Satoru, in all his perceptiveness, would certainly not miss it if you started crying, and you don’t know how to describe to him that those tears come from so many different things: exhaustion—mental and physical, anxiety, an overwhelming love for him, and shame that you hurt someone, even if one could argue he deserves it. 

But Satoru knows you too well, and his voice is full of concern when he asks, “did something happen earlier?” 

“Whom do you think I will come for first—you, or your beloved?”

“No,” you lie, and the hypocrisy of your conversation with the first years a while back isn’t lost on you. If anything, it’s what drives a single tear to break free from your lashes and dart over the bridge of your nose. You hope Satoru doesn’t feel it when it drops onto his skin. 

“Are you sure?” 

You’re not, but you don’t have the wherewithal, the energy, the bandwidth, or any type of capability to discuss that with him. Maybe later. Maybe another day. But for now, you are determined to put away any lingering thoughts of a monster with pink hair. You refuse to give into the fear he certainly tried to strike in you, unwilling to let it needle its way any further into the marriage you have now, regardless of whether or not you were part of another in some previous lifetime. 

So, you suck in a deep breath and blink away any moisture from your eyes because you are in the arms of the man you love, and when you shift back to look at Satoru, the smile on your face is effervescent and genuine. 

“I am sure.” 

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

The simple mind of Itadori Yuji is utterly dull and painfully boring. There is nothing for Sukuna to do but contemplate the decisions that now find him trapped, and that—combined with the incessant chattering of the other two sorcerers beside the brat—is why he misses every sign of your approach. 

He doesn’t pay much attention when the white-haired one stands up with a moronic grin on his face, and Sukuna does not think that whatever suddenly catches the boy’s attention will be anything worth it. That is, until, the first images of you cross Itadori’s mind and Sukuna’s entire being is jolted so jarringly that he is in control and looking at you for the first time in a thousand years faster than anyone in the room can anticipate.

You are as stunning and magnificent as the day he first saw you, and your expression is nearly the same this time around; wide eyed, lips parted in a way that you probably don’t mean to be enticing, and Sukuna is lost in you all over again. Maybe it’s delerium—elation—that makes memories of the past flash in front of him as he drinks you in, and for a minuscule second, Sukuna is back under a pear tree.

But devastation is quick to follow when he realizes that recognition is not flickering in your eyes when your gaze meets his, and despite how you try to hold yourself strong and still, your limbs tremble and you lean away from him. Sukuna has spent a millennia mourning you, and regrettably, he wonders just how many lives of yours he missed while split into pieces across the land. He thinks it’s fitting penance because of what he let happen to you. However, in this moment you meet again, you seek out another, one who is not him and whose face is responsible for the smile on your lips that spurred him into movement just before. 

You belong to another, and you do not remember him.

Then, in the morgue, it’s the first time Sukuna is alone with you in centuries. He saved the brat whose body he borrows, only because he knows how your heart is soft for the lives of mortals, and once upon a time it opened up for him who is not. You thank him, and Sukuna knows he is powerless to anything you ask of him.

 You are only an arms reach away, and the combination of your scent and the way your mannerisms are familiar bring him as close to giddiness as he can allow. And then, however far-fetched, Sukuna thinks you might reach out and touch him, and he is ready to lean forward and accept your hand.

But Gojo Satoru is at the door, and when you turn to look at him, Sukuna is all but forgotten. The way you smile and preen for him is abhorrent, and in an unprecedented move of cowardice, Sukuna releases control back to Itadori Yuji, if only so he doesn’t have to watch as your husband stakes his claim on you. 

And then he hears you arguing with Gojo, and it dashes whatever pleasant emotion was building inside of him at the unexpected opportunity to see you. For once, Sukuna thinks he might be grateful for Itadori Yuji when he effectively ends the conversation. The vehement hatred in your voice and the words you spat repeat viciously inside his head, and Sukuna is demanding that Itadori flee the room so he no longer has to look at you. It pains him. You pain him. And truthfully, that has to be the underlying reason for why Sukuna lashes out at you in the middle of a ravine on a dark night. 

He relishes in the brief connection of your bodies, and allows himself the smallest inhale of your scent before he can bear it no longer and throws himself from you. Sukuna is torn between his anger at you and his need to concern himself with your wellbeing. Instead, he takes to diligently scouring the surrounding trees to ensure there isn’t hidden danger lurking. 

When you ask him in a voice that is timid and unsure to explain to you what really happened a millennium ago, fury mounts as Sukuna hears your words play back again inside his head. Did you deserve to know something so sacred to him? Would you carefully listen or trample all over the truthfulness of it, considering it as nothing more than an unfortunate story? Sukuna doesn’t know if he’s able to withstand that kind of wound from you tonight, and in a poor attempt at self protection, he does what he’s best at—what is in his nature. 

There are tears running down your cheeks that you don’t seem to notice. You look at him in fear and trembling, and something inside Sukuna despairs. You don’t know that there has never been a need for you to cower under him. That once long ago, you meet his fury and ire with bared teeth of your own, fiercely strong and unafraid. You can smooth away Sukuna’s temper with nothing more than a stroke of your skin against his, but you will not. Not with the way you’re looking at him now, and Sukuna knows he’s put you on the path of hating him. 

He does not know the point of it, or what benefit doing so serves him. Sukuna supposes it’s because he has no idea what to do with you now. There is no feasible path he can see that would bring you back to him. He knows your loyalty would never broker space for him in your heart after already dedicating yourself to Gojo Satoru. He doubts the white-haired sorcerer would share you, and Sukuna detests the idea of it even more.

To follow through with his threat and rip your lover from you would only further sway you into the camp of others who conspire against him in this age and obliterate any hope that you would willingly come to him. That aside, inflicting you with the same pain of loss that he experienced after your death is too cruel, even for a creature like him. 

In a last ditch attempt, Sukuna could surrender himself completely to the authority of today’s jujutsu (Gojo Satoru, again) and remain obediently imprisoned inside Itadori Yuji in exchange for getting to watch you from afar. He thinks he owes you that at least; a long-lived life with the person you love. 

But that idea wars with Sukuna’s very being. He would never prostrate himself so lowly and submit himself to be controlled in such humiliation. But he always swore that nothing would come before you, and there is no else worthy of his complete submission than you. Though, Sukuna worries this alternative would drive him to the edge—if not into complete—madness. Subjecting himself to a lifetime of watching you love another the same way you once loved him seems like an effective way of destroying himself. 

Thus, Sukuna remains directionless and hides in the coverage of the trees. He wants to watch you for just a moment longer before he has to give control back to the brat. It aches him to see how you wipe tears from your cheek and then roll your shoulders back to shake off any lingering emotion. The sight is so familiar, so quintessentially you, but only in a time before this, and he desperately wishes he was still there.

Ryomen Sukuna misses you, even when you are standing right in front of him.

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

A/N: I am sorry if this chapter felt unpolished compared to the rest. As soon as I started to feel better on Friday, my toddler got sick and has been since then. I didn't get to devote the same amount of quality time editing this chapter as I would have liked, and I don’t anticipate that changing until my little one is better. If the final chapter isn't posted on Wednesday like I originally planned, it should only be a day or to delayed (but I don't think it will be).

Thank you all <3

Taglist (open): @kalopsia-flaneur ; @kafanizdakicokiyi ; @rosso-seta ; @lululala06

[heavyhitterheaux]

Teenage Woes Part 3

Synopsis: You and Jack finally decide on a fair punishment for the triplets, and they get a rude awakening when they are forced out of their comfort zone.

Pairing: Husband!Jack Harlow x Wife!Reader

Read Part 1 and Part 2 first

First Babies of Private Garden Masterlist

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

It had been a week since Jack had gotten his privileges back and he wasted absolutely no time once you had told him. At this point, the triplets were still walking on eggshells around you and in order not to do anything to piss you off, if they had a question they wouldn't ask you unless absolutely necessary.

Jack had convinced you to take a bath and had run the water for you along with lighting a few of your favorite candles and adding your favorite bath bombs. Within five minutes, he was climbing into the tub behind you, and you were surprised that it had taken him that long.

Your head was laying on his chest and the two of you were in a comfortable silence when you broke it by poking his cheek and starting to play with his beard.

"Yes, baby?"

"I've thought long and hard about this and if we agree on this, we can move forward with a proper punishment for them."

"I had been thinking too, but you go first." Jack said while kissing the tip of your nose and you smiled.

"They're going to public school and we are no longer paying for them to go to a private school. That comes with privileges and having the right attitude and being respectful."

"At least for a semester, you agree?"

You slowly nodded your head yes.

"No one is allowed to use their cell phone or drive unless we let them. Axel and Ivy need to get part time jobs and Ivy asked me if babysitting Nova counts even though she's 12. I expected her to ask about Cash and Cam seeing that they're only 6."

"No she didn't ask that…" Jack said while stifling a laugh and looking at you in disbelief and all you did was nod.

"And I have another suggestion." Jack started to say and you nodded for him to go on.

"They give us a percentage of their paycheck every two weeks and we tell them it goes towards bills, but we actually put it in another savings account for them and they can't even touch that one until they're 30."

"Hmm, I like that idea. I can open a new account tomorrow."

"One way or another they are going to learn to respect us and I think that this will be the wake up call that they need."

"I think one of the things that sticks out and pisses me off the most is Axel smoking. Knowing that he had to be intubated multiple times when he was born and has a heart murmur. He's lucky that we even let him play soccer. And has asthma. Like is he trying to put himself in the hospital because I'm convinced that he is. I get that I experimented, well we both did, however we didn't do anything that stupid."

"And remember the time we found weed and he tried to blame it on Urban?" Jack added and all you did was shake your head.

"I swear, I don't recognize my kids anymore. At least the other three act like they have some sense."

"When should we tell them?"

"Well school starts back up next week so I can call tomorrow and get them enrolled and can you be in charge of making sure they find jobs?"

"Of course baby, and they can't work for us either. Because I know Ivy will ask."

"They are in for a rude awakening. We'll tell them tomorrow and if someone disobeys our rules, a disciplinary school is next. Never thought I would say that out loud but here we are."

"I hope we don't get to that point, but if we do, so be it."

"I just checked on all of them and Autumn snuck out again. She's not in her room and I watched the security cameras."

"Hmm, she can have her fun now but come tomorrow she's going to be in for it. I don't even have the energy to yell or argue with them anymore. It's the fact that I'm calm and I admit that's probably the scariest thing that I could be."

"Oh, trust me, I know."

All you did was eye him as he leaned down to kiss you.

"I love you."

"And I love you even when you get on my nerves."

"Was that last part really necessary?" Jack asked as he sucked his teeth, but all you did was laugh.

"Of course it was. Wouldn't be me if I didn't say it."

Jack simply rolled his eyes as he began to kiss down your neck and you knew where this was going.

"You aren't tired yet?" You asked and he immediately shook his head no.

"I've missed out on an entire month and I need to make up for lost time so spread your legs and let me work."

The next morning, you got up early and fixed breakfast for everyone for the first time in about a month and a half. Jack woke up about thirty minutes after you and came down to help you. All you could basically put him in charge of was drinks, but you were still grateful to have his company.

Meanwhile upstairs, the triplets had congregated in Axel's room and they were confused since they heard both of you downstairs and knew that something had to be up.

"She's actually cooking…" Ivy whispered, not actually believing it herself.

"Well maybe she forgives us?" Axel suggested but the girls shook their heads no.

"That's way too easy. She couldn't have and she didn’t even say anything about it either."

"Uncle Urby said she holds grudges like no other and the last thing we want to do is be in the line of fire when she gets pissed off."

"But we're her kids. She can't stay mad at us forever."

"Autumn, you've done enough shit for her to be mad at you for the rest of your life." Axel said and she immediately rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, okay. Don't say anything when you cough up a lung knowing that you smoke and have asthma." She quickly fired back as Ivy simply sighed.

Jack suddenly knocked on Axel's door and peeked his head in startling them.

"You three get your brothers and sister and come eat."

"Dad! What is mom up to?" Axel asked and all Jack did was laugh to himself.

"You three will find out soon enough, come on."

The three of them exchanged nervous looks as Jack walked away and went back downstairs.

"Welp, we're all going to die. So it was nice knowing you two." Ivy said before walking out Axel's room to get Nova while Axel went to get his brothers.

Once downstairs, everyone had fixed their plate and was eating at the table when you and Jack were simply eyeing each other making the triplets even more nervous. Ivy quickly caught on with you two exchanging looks and finally asked.

“Um, why are you two looking at each other like that?”

“Babe, you want to tell them?” Jack asked while looking at you as you were sipping on your tea.

“Well, if you insist. Ivy, Axel, Autumn, the oldest of my children who I carried for 33 weeks and had to be resuscitated twice once they cut you out of me even though Autumn claimed that it wasn't a big deal and you all still continue to disrespect me, me and your father have something to tell all of you.”

“Wait…. YOU DIED?” Axel exclaimed since you had actually never told them.

“Not once, but twice. Stay on topic, Axel. And you almost did too, but that's not what this conversation is about." Jack quickly cut in while the girls were looking at you with concern.

“But you never told us that!” Ivy exclaimed and Autumn looked to be upset.

"We need to unpack that because…. WHAT?"

“Another story for another day when the three of you are actually back in my good graces again.”

Nova, Cash, and Cam stopped eating to try and listen in on what was going on with their siblings as they nervously looked on.

“Come next week, the three of you will be going to public school since me and your father are not going to pay for you three to go to private school that has top tier educators and continue to disrespect us so that’s a thing of the past, Ivy and Axel, you two need to get jobs and all three of you will decide which bill you want to contribute to in the house since Autumn already has one. You are not allowed to have your cell phone unless we say so and you can only drive to and from work. If one of you steps a toe out of line, you don’t want to know what is going to come after that because you definitely won’t like it. I do not expect any failing grades either.”

There was only silence for a matter of seconds before you quickly heard their protests.

“PUBLIC SCHOOL?”

“WITH NORMAL PEOPLE!?”

“WE HAVE TO PAY BILLS NOW?!”

“WE HAVE TO RIDE THE BUS TOO?!”

“As long as you live in this house you will abide by our rules and respect them and we aren’t going back on this punishment so you three will have to deal with it.” Jack told them as Ivy simply had her mouth hanging wide open, but her face quickly turned to a look of anger as she looked at Autumn.

“This is all your fault! You told her that we were cut out and not pushed out and looked what happened!” Ivy said while rolling her eyes.

“How is this all my fault? I didn’t tell you to cuss out your teacher!”

“No, but you had to go and be a bitch and be disrespectful to our mother who would do anything for us and you’ve acted out ever since Nova was born because you were jealous that you weren’t the baby anymore!”

“We were only four when she was born!”

“And you still act as if you’re four years old! You almost let Nova fall down the steps ON PURPOSE when she was little and she would have seriously gotten hurt if I didn’t catch her in time!  You’ve always been the one to get in trouble and now we’re in trouble right along with you! And always beg daddy to bail you out when you know that you’re in the wrong. You’re so selfish!”

“How am I selfish? I have covered for you plenty of times when you snuck out with Damien!”

“YOU LITERALLY SNUCK OUT LAST NIGHT!”

“YOU TWO, SHUT IT RIGHT NOW! And we do NOT call each other names, Ivy!” You yelled and the two of them instantly went quiet.

“Ivy, when did you sneak out?” Jack asked while looking at her and all she did was stare back at him while picking off her fingernail polish.

“Don’t lie because we have security cameras.” He continued as Autumn was smirking.

“Autumn wipe that smirk off your face. It looks like we now have to make an executive decision. Babe? They do their junior year and entire senior year in public school.”

“Now, wait a second! I was going to be dance captain this year!”

“Autumn, shut your mouth because I’m not waiting for a damn thing and it looks like they’ll have to choose someone else. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes and Ax, you’ve been mighty quiet but let me tell you if we as much catch you smoking or even smell weed on you knowing that you have asthma, you don’t want to know what’s going to happen. The last thing we ever want is you having an asthma attack and getting a call from the hospital because your inhaler didn’t work. We have gotten enough calls from the hospital concerning you to last more than four lifetimes. When you were born you literally couldn’t even breathe on your own.”

“And no boyfriends or girlfriends so NO dating. Open your mouth to talk back to either of us and we’ll ship you off to military school at this very moment. Your choice, so choose wisely. Now enjoy your breakfast while I make a few calls. Jack, the only thing that they can look on their phones for are jobs today. Once they fill out at least five applications, they have to give it back to you. Do you agree?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

“We love the three of you very much, but you’ve left us no choice and have brought this on yourselves. I hope this serves as a good lesson to you and maybe just maybe if you three actually stick to being on your best behavior, you’ll slowly start to earn your privileges back.”

“Mommy?” You heard Cash ask and you quickly turned to him.

“Yes, my baby?”

“Can I have more orange juice?”

“Of course you can and Nova and Autumn come in the living room.”

“Am I in trouble?” Nova asked terrified as you poured juice for Cash and you shook your head no. She hated getting in trouble and would always cry when she was younger if she was caught doing something that she wasn’t supposed to do.  

“No, just need you for a second.”

The three of you walked into the living room and you gestured for them to sit down.

“Autumn, I am tired of this imaginary competition between you and Nova and it needs to stop at this very moment.”

“I…”

“No, and do not pretend to not know what I’m talking about because Ivy is right. We prepped you as much as we could but I didn’t even know I was pregnant with her because I would have liked to have done a better job. You are now 16 years old and she is 12 and looks up to her big sisters and wants to be like you and Ivy. We love all of you EQUALLY and no one has gotten special treatment at any time. So, do a better job of being a sister to her. I don’t have mine anymore and I wish that I did so the two of you better learn to get along. When me and your dad are not here anymore, all you’re going to have is each other. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” She quietly said while looking down at her feet.

“Nova, do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“The two of you can go finish eating.”

“Mom, what ever happened to your sister?” Nova quietly asked as she got up from the couch and Autumn went back into the kitchen.

“It’s not important and it’s a story for another day.”

The triplets were three weeks into the school year when all three of them came through the front door and you could tell that Ivy had been crying. Jack was the first one to notice and asked her what was wrong.

“Ivy? What’s going on?”

“I HAVE TO WORK TODAY! WHEN AM I GOING TO FIND TIME TO DO MY HOMEWORK? AND IT’S SO HARD. I HATE PUBLIC SCHOOL.”

“Me and your mother went to public school and we turned out just fine. You’ll be okay.” Jack replied while shrugging and looking at her, when she was quiet, he spoke again.

“I hope you weren’t expecting sympathy from me because if you were, you need to look elsewhere.”

“But…”

Just then you came down the steps and saw how upset she was and asked what had happened.

“What’s going on?”

“She’s fine. Ivy, go get ready for work and you’ll do your homework once you get back.”

“I AM NOT FINE! Mommy can I PLEASE go back to private school? Public school is scary and the food doesn’t taste good and they don’t have Fiji water in the cafeteria and the drama club sucks, and….”

You held up your hand to cut her off and all she did was sigh.

“Give it a chance, bubs. You’re only three weeks in and I have the utmost faith in you.” You said while pinching her cheek and all she did was sigh.

“You two aren’t changing your minds any time soon, are you?” Axel quietly asked while looking at how frustrated his sister was.

“Nope.” Both of you said at the same time and you went to lay in Jack’s lap as you grabbed his phone from him to order food since you had been busy all day and didn’t really have time to sit down. 

“If I finish my homework before dinner, can I play on my phone for an hour?" Autumn quietly asked and the two of you simply turned around to look at her. 

"Never mind. Can I watch Netflix then?"

"Hmm, what do you think?" Jack asked while looking down at you.

"It's Wednesday. No."

"Anddd there's your answer Autumn. You can read a book instead." Jack said as he looked towards her and all she did was nod her head accepting that as an answer before going upstairs while you scrolled through Jack’s phone.

"You know Nova asked me what happened to my sister a few weeks ago."

"Are you going to tell them?" Jack asked as you handed him his phone for him to add what he wanted to the cart.

"It's not all that important. It's not affecting their lives."

"But it's affecting yours. Not as much as before but it still is."

All you did was shrug.

"No matter how much time has passed and how much she wants to talk to me, I am never giving her the time of day or him for that matter. They knew what they were doing all along for it to come back and kick them in the ass later. She literally will never be in my good graces again. She had more kids other than me so she can focus on them. She literally did drugs while pregnant with me and I was born to addicted to a whole bunch of shit so she can go fuck herself. Anyway, did you add what you wanted? I want a milkshake too."

"I added it. It should be here in an hour."

"Okay. I just want them to understand that when we're not here anymore, all they're going to have is each other and they need to start treating each other better. Especially Autumn and Nova. Nova just kind of brushes it off, but I know it still bothers her. While Autumn can just be downright mean sometimes to her. And the thing is that she had her little jealous phase and I thought she grew out of it, but within the last few months she's doing it again."

"I think because of you telling them that, that they'll come around and be better about it. When I see those two, I get flashbacks of me and Clay and I do not want that happening again. And Autumn has got the message loud and clear now. We aren't putting up with her shit anymore."

"And it won't. In the end, I know that they'll be okay and it will just take a little while for them to get there."

"Now, are you sure we can't make another one?" Jack asked you and you looked up at him like he was crazy.

"Another WHAT?!"

"Um, never mind. I'll ask you later."

"If you are talking about me bringing another person into this world, the answer is no."

"But…"

"We have 3 boys and 3 girls. We are done. My uterus is done. My vagina is done."

"I'll ask you again next week."

All you did was look up to Jack to see him smirking and trying not to laugh and you couldn’t help but to laugh yourself.

"I cannot stand you."

All he did was lean down to kiss you and you continued to laugh as he placed kisses all over your face.

"It's just because you're a damn good mother. Just to watch the way you love and care for them is amazing and I knew from the beginning it was going to be like that, despite what was going on between us."

"Those first two years were hard. Between me wanting to separate from you, postpartum depression, thinking that we were going to have to bury one child, but we're still here."

"We are and thriving despite what may be happening around us."

"I'm so thankful you were able to realize something was wrong with me when that happened." You quietly said as you thought back on it.

"I know you like the back of my hand and inside and out… literally. I know when something is wrong with my baby. But seriously, that scared the absolute shit out of me. Second to their actual birth."

"I can't describe it, but it was a weird feeling. Like an out of body experience you could say."

"And that's why you were nervous to have Nova, scared that it was going to happen again."

"And thankfully it didn't."

"I don't know what I would have done without you and I know I tell you this all the time, but I seriously do not take for granted every single moment I get to have with you. Even if we're having a good day or not. I literally cannot put into words how much I love you."

"The good always outweighs the bad and I love you more than life."

"We can get through anything as long as we have each other."

The triplets were at the top of the steps as they overheard you and Jack talking and if they didn't just feel bad before, they felt even worse now. 

They didn't say anything to each other as Ivy went downstairs to ask the both of you for her keys so that she could drive to work.

"Um, can I have my keys please?"

Since you were laying on Jack’s lap, he simply got up, but picked you up along with him with you letting out a yelp and went to get them out of the safe.

"Jackman, you can put me down now." You said as you laughed. He placed you on your feet before handing Ivy her keys.

"Go to work and then come home. No detours because we will find out." Jack told her and she simply nodded before grabbing both of you and pulling you into a hug, startling you both.

"Um, bubs, are you okay?" You quietly asked while hugging her back.

"Yes, I just love you both a whole lot. I have the best parents in the world."

"Oh. Well we love you too." Jack said while looking down at you confused and all you did was shrug.

"I'll see you both when I get back." Was all that she said before she walked out the door and all you and Jack did was look at each other.

"What just happened?" Jack quietly asked while looking at you, but you were at a loss for words.

"I'm not really sure, but I'm not mad at it."

It was now nearing the end of the semester and the triplets had been on their best behavior and following all of the rules that you and Jack had set in place for them.

The both of you knew that their report cards would be sent home today and were hoping for good results.

You were currently in your room looking over possible dresses that Julissa sent over for an upcoming event and you had told her that by the end of the day, you would decide which one you wanted.

Your door was open as Autumn poked her head in and knocked.

"Mommy?"

"I don't even remember the last time you called me that. Is something wrong?" You said while looking at her in the doorway and she quickly shook her head no.

"Then what's going on? And are you just going to stand in the doorway or come in?" You asked her and she quickly came in to sit next to you and simply stared at you.

"I got my report card." She said while handing it to you.

You took it from her and looked it over seeing that she had gotten all A's and B's.

"This is good, bubs. I'm proud of you." You said while looking back up at her and all she did was start to cry.

"Autumn? What's wrong?" You asked while putting her report card on your dresser and hugging her as she cried into your chest.

"I'm such a horrible daughter and sister. My siblings probably hate me."

"What?! No you aren't! And no one in this house hates you!"

"You and daddy have given me so many chances that I really shouldn't have gotten. And Nova does hate me! I've been nothing but mean to her since she was born!"

"Okay, Autumn, you need to breathe. Like I said no one hates you. Nova is just in her own little world, and has a very big heart. You’re her sister that she looks up to and all she wants is for the two of you to get along. I know that she'll forgive you and she wants the two of you to be close."

"And you went through so much to give birth to us and I'm sorry that I ever said that it wasn't a big deal. You died. Twice. And went through postpartum depression and you were going to separate from daddy and…."

"Pause. How did you know that last part?"

"We overheard the two of you talking." She quietly said while looking up at you.

All you did was sigh.

"Autumn Danielle, all six of you are our greatest joy and I wouldn’t change a thing because that's how we got to this point. You've been doing a lot better and all we want is for all of you to be successful, respectful, and responsible, knowing that you can lose everything in a blink of an eye. Just continue to do better, okay?"

"Okay." She said while sniffling and hugging you tighter.

"I love you and I'm sorry if I don't say it enough or don't act like it." Autumn added while playing with her bracelet that you and Jack had bought her for her birthday.

"I love you too and that is never going to change. We are always going to be here for you no matter what."

Just then Axel peeked into the room to see the two of you and made his way in also having his report card in hand.

"Mom?"

"She's occupied! Get your own!" You heard Autumn yell and all you did was laugh.

"What the? She is MY OWN. She was my mother before she was yours! I'm two minutes ahead of you!"

"And I also made it in here before you so you can leave. We were having a moment."

"Autumn, be nice! Ax, let me see the report card."

Once again, you saw all A's and B's.

"I expected nothing less, very proud of you."

"And I haven't smoked and I got your favorite muffins. They're downstairs."

"Oh, I would have known if you smoked anyway. I look at the number of puffs you have left on your inhaler. When you were using it more, you kept saying you needed another one."

"Um…"

"Bubs, I have 24 years on you. I wasn't born yesterday." You said while smirking at him.

"Autumn, move over." Ax said and she scooted over to make more room for him. 

"Mom? Can we have tacos later?"

"Text your dad the ingredients that I need."

About two hours later, Jack walked in to see three of his oldest children surrounding you on the bed with all of you knocked out sleeping and all he could do was smile.

All he did was snap a quick picture to show you later. 

Hearing his footsteps, you fluttered your eyes open to see your husband smiling at you.

"What?" You asked while smiling back at him and all he did was hand you his phone to look at the picture he took.

"No matter how old they get, they're always going to need us."

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[notfreetoday]

MPW Ep 6 Subtitle Corrections

Masterlist: EP 1 || EP 2 || EP 3 || EP 4 || EP 5 ||

Y: 正直言って　怖い 近づく度に　心臓が跳ねるから 何なら近寄らないで欲しい 住む世界が違うから 好かれたいとかは思わない ただ。。。 嫌われてしまったら死んでしまうかもしれない 想像するだけで　胃液がせり上がった Y: To be honest, I was scared. Because whenever he came close to me, my heart leapt and skipped a beat. I wished that, if possible, he wouldn't come near me because we lived in different worlds. 'I want him to like me' - I never had a thought like that. It was just... If he ended up hating me then I felt like I might die. Just thinking about it made my stomach turn.

We've seen for awhile that Yoh's fear that Segasaki will one day come to disdain him is what keeps him from voicing his thoughts out loud - but it is in Ep 6 that we truly learn the intensity with which Yoh feels, and come to understand why that fear overwhelms him to the point that he is incapable of hearing Segasaki's love for him.

Or, Yoh sees Segasaki for the first time and literally starts spouting poetry in the way only a visual artist can. Get ready for a lot of interaction breakdowns - this episode tells us quite a lot about these two! Same translation disclaimer applies, Ep 6, let's go!

S: 相変わらず　歩くの遅ぇな S: As usual, he walks so slowly

Y: あのさ　実は Y: 出てくるときにケンカしちゃって M: え？どうしたの Y: お前の仕事なんてどうでもいいって言われた M: 瀬ケ崎さんが？そんなこと言ったの？ Y: どうでもいいって　なんだよ Y: 人が一所懸命やってることに対して* Y: 最低だよ　あいつ* Y: You know... actually Y: When I was leaving we got into an argument M: Huh? What happened? Y: I was told "I don't care at all about something like your work" M: By Segasaki-san? He said something like that? Y: "I don't care at all"... what's with that! Y: To say that about something that someone is giving their all for...* Y: He's the worst, that guy** **Yoh uses あいつ (aitsu) to refer to Segasaki as "that guy". This is again considered rude, though is often used amongst male friends as well (like calling someone an asshole/bastard). He tends to use this word to refer to Segasaki in his head, especially when he's annoyed with him.

*Just like at the end of Ep 5, where Yoh emphasizes that he will become someone who can earn more as opposed to just earning more, here Yoh specifies that he is upset with Segasaki's response to his work, rather than being upset with the response being directed at himself, as the original subs imply. It's a small difference but I think it's important because it fits with his entire character. He has consistently only been triggered by comments about his work, not about him as a person. Yoh is self-conscious and sensitive about his work, because he sees competence as a measure of worth. It's precisely because he ties his self-worth to his work that he falls into such a deep depression in Ep 5, and it is the same reason why Yoh does not understand what good Segasaki could possibly see in him - after all, there is no merit in just being who he is, only in the work that he can do.

Y: いや　それは都合よく受け取り��ぎだよ Atsuya: ダヨ君　言葉って受け取り方が９割だからさ A: 同じ言葉でも　その時の気持ちやコンディションによって A: 違った意味に捻じ曲げちゃうものなんだよ A: ダヨ君が元気な時だったら     もっと甘～く聞こえたんじゃない？ Y: No, that's just over-interpreting it in my favor Atsuya (Man-san's husband): Dayo-kun, they say that about 90% of the meaning words convey comes down to the way we interpret them, so A: Depending on the way we feel, or our condition in that moment, that meaning can end up distorted and warped, even if the same words are used, you know? A: If Dayo-kun you, had been in a happier mood, might it not have sounded a lot sweeter to you?

Y: ん。。。いや、違うんです Y: 俺とあの人って　そういう感じじゃないんで Y: Mm... No, it's not like that Y: That person and I, well... that's not what it's like (between us), you see

Y: あの人を初めて見たとき この星の生き物じゃないかもしれないって思った   少なくとも地球上で見たものの造形の中で 一番きれいだとおもった 耳の形　鼻筋　 下顎角のライン　唇の膨らみ きっと見えない眼球の形状まで きれいなんだろうなって

Y: When I first saw that person I thought that he might not be a living thing from this planet At the very least, out of all the forms that I had ever seen on this Earth I thought he had the most beautiful one. The shape of his ears, the ridge of his nose, The line of the angle of his jaw, the full contour of his lips Even the structure of what could not be seen - the globe of his eyes - I thought for sure that too must be beautiful.

Y: 趣味で漫画は描いてたけど 現実の人間を描くのは初めてだった それに　 男を描きたいと思ったのも初めてだった 今　目に焼き付けて　描きつけておきたい衝動に駆られた たぶん　あの美貌と同じ空間にいた そのせいで　俺は　おかしくなっていた Y: I had drawn manga as a hobby but It was my first time drawing a real live person. And, It was also the first time that I thought "I want to draw a man" In that moment, driven by impulse, I wanted to burn his image into my eyes, to capture his likeness down on paper. Probably, it was because I was in the same space as that beauty. It was because of that, that I began to go crazy.

At 06:44, when Segasaki's green shirt classmate comes in calling his name, you can see that Yoh mouth’s "Mizuki" after he hears it.

(Btw Green Shirt later wears a Red Jacket, and is played by Nishimoto Maiki, the leader of the group Acchan is in - GENIC. Cute shot of the 3 of them here)

S: 直接何かしてくるわけではないし　別にいいと思うけど S: Well it's not like he's doing anything to us directly... I think it's fine actually

Y: 女の子が相手なら　 一目惚れだとはっきり思ったかもしれない でも　ただただきれいな男だったんで 自分の脳が　そこまで処理しきれなかった Y: If it was a girl Then maybe I would have clearly understood that this was love at first sight But it was just very simply, a beautiful man so My brain couldn't handle processing more than that

Most of this is not subtitled, and it’s a little muffled, but as the group walks over you can hear that Segasaki is the center of their conversation here, though he's not actually participating in it much. It speaks to the group dynamics, so I'm including it here (Segasaki is bolded):

Girl: ええ？ S: ちがうよ Red Jacket: 瑞貴じゃん、ね、今ね？ Girl どうせモテるじゃん S: いやモテない Red:モテるよ瑞貴が Girl: 告白されてるよ　どうせ Red: されてる　されてる Girl: あれ！ぼっちくん*じゃん Red: うわっ　マジだ　ぼっちくんじゃん Boy: いつも俺たちのことチラチラ見てる Girl: ちょっと来なよ　おしゃべりしたげるからさ** Girl: Whaat? S: It wasn't Red Jacket: It was (said to) Mizuki wasn't it, right? Just now? Girl: I mean you're popular anyway! S: No, I'm not Red: Mizuki's popular Girl: Whatever it is, that was a confession (you received) Red: It was, it was Girl: Oh hey! Why, isn't it Little Loner*? Red: Oh snap, you're right! It is Little Loner! Boy: The one who always sneaks looks at us Girl: Come here a bit, we'll talk to you, ok?** *ぼっちくん (Bocchi-kun) - Bocchi is slang for loner, and by adding the suffix "-kun" to it, they've turned this into a diminutive, like a nickname. It sounds cute and friendly, but is clearly meant as a casual sort of insult, so I've translated it as "Little" here. **This is an interesting line to discuss. She tells Yoh to come over, using the phrase 来なよ (kina yo) - this is the same "na" that Segasaki uses in Ep 4 actually, when he tells a drunk Yoh to go sleep in the room. It's the exact same word form, but where it was tender when Segasaki said it, it's highly insulting here - and the reason is because of the context and their (non-existant) relationship. She may be Yoh's senior, but this is the first time they're meeting, and they are nowhere near close enough that this phrasing would ever be seen as appropriate. She then tells him "we'll talk to you", using the colloquial form of "~したあげる (shita ageru)" aka "to do for you" - in other words, she's framing the action of them talking to him as if it were a gift from them to him (this word form also implies they are above him in the hierarchy). She also adds the polite prefix "O" to the word for "talk", which in this context is meant to make her appear sweet and ladylike. In other words, with just one line, she has insulted Yoh not only by talking down to him as if he were a small child or a pet, but also by insinuating that she's a sweet, lovely person who has been so kind as to deign to speak to him.

Y: あの。。。俺*　買ってきます Y: 絡まれてるより１００億倍マシだわ Y: Um... I*... will go and buy it. Y: That's definitely 100 million times better than getting harassed by them *Yoh still uses the masculine pronoun 俺 (ore) for "I" here (the same one he's used in every episode) which is remarkable for the fact that he doesn't switch to the more polite form 僕 (boku). Nowadays, it isn't really expected per se that a junior make this switch - especially since "ore" is usually the go-to pronoun for most male university students - but the switch wouldn't be surprising either, given that they are his seniors. Yoh does acknowledge their seniority when he uses the formal -masu form of the word "to buy" - but in the context of them bullying him, the choice to stick with the more masculine pronoun "ore" suggests that he isn't intimidated by them.

Red: セルフパシリって　すごくね？ Girl: やばいよ Red: He automatically offered to be an errand boy! Isn’t that crazy? Girl: It’s nuts!

パシリ(pashiri) - to be made to run errands - is slang, and it is used specifically to refer to cases where someone with more social power orders another around. It’s almost always linked to bullying or misuse of social power – so by using this word, these guys - they know exactly what they are doing.

Y: クソだよ　あいつら* Y: Those bastards*… they’re trash *Yoh uses the same word あいつ (aitsu) to refer to the gang that he did at the beginning of this episode to refer to Segasaki - once again it is the context that changes the meaning of this word. With Segasaki, it is proof that they share a close relationship. With these upper classmen that he's just met - it's definitely rude.

This is a very common form of bullying in school, and evidently, Yoh recognizes it immediately. The fact that he jumps so quickly to cooperating with it tells us sadly that this is something he's familiar with - he's likely been bullied before. This is unfortunately, unsurprising, because Yoh doesn't adhere to social norms very much. He eats alone, he stares at people, he doesn't greet his seniors properly (that slight bow is not enough, there should at least be a verbal greeting of some sort).

In my post on amae, I talked about how the interdependent self-construal means that one's ability to assimilate is seen as a value. In the same vein, people who do not fit in with the group, or who do not conform, are not looked upon favorably in Japan, because it is often assumed that they simply do not want to. It is not that they are unable to assimilate, it is that they are refusing to make an effort to be part of the group, and thus the fault and blame lies with them. Ostracization of those different therefore, is the expected consequence and punishment that the group metes out. All of us have to do our part to adhere to the rules of the group - what makes you so special that you can do your own thing? If you just did your job of fitting in like the rest of us have, well, then you wouldn't be in this position in the first place, now would you? - This sort of justification is the reason why bullying in Japan can become very, very extreme, and why despite efforts, has been so difficult to eradicate.

S: そんなに　一人で持てないだろうと思って S: 貸して Y: ありがとうございます* S: 行こう S: I thought all of that was probably going to be too much for one person to carry S: Pass it over Y: Thank you very much* S: Let's go

*Yoh uses the full, polite version of "thank you" here, and he will, for the most part, continue to use desu/masu forms with Segasaki, and answer him politely, in recognition of their senior/junior relationship. Similarly, Segasaki uses informal forms with Yoh, though he maintains a friendly demeanor and does not drop to rude forms at all, because they aren't that close yet. Note how he says 行こう (ikou) for "let's go" here - different from his present day "we're going", which leaves no room for argument.

(Also, he took the heavier bag of drinks (´ ▽｀).。ｏ♡)

S: 結構歩くのゆっくりなんだね Y: よく　言われます S: 君　名前は？ Y: あ　葉って言います　あの。。。葉っぱの S: ふーん　葉くんか Y: はい S: 俺は　 Y: 瑞貴...さん S: なんで知ってんの？ Y: あ　そう呼ばれていたので S: よく　聞いてんな Y: はあ　まあ。。。

Let's break this down to look at some social cues and nuances:

S: You walk quite leisurely, don't you? Y: I've... been told that a lot

This is more than just a callback to the beginning of the episode (or a chance to contrast how much more polite and sweet Segasaki sounds here 😂) - This is another way in which we see Yoh does not fit in. Segasaki is his senior, who has gone out of his way to come help him (never mind that Yoh's being bullied), and he should at the very least, be trying to match Segasaki's pace, not making him wait like Yoh does here. Segasaki's comment should be taken as much as an expression of surprise, as it should a cue to catch up - Yoh glances briefly at Segasaki after this line (which seems to amuse the latter) but he doesn't actually apologize outright or walk any faster. He does admit that he's been told this often - which sometimes can work as a concession, because you sort of validate what the other person is saying, but at the same time you aren't quite agreeing either. That said, it can backfire, because it means you've been made aware of your habit and yet have done nothing to change it. Segasaki doesn't seem to mind though, and actually matches Yoh's pace here.

Speaking of "pace" - "マイペース" or "my pace" is a loan word from English, and is a term used to describe someone who tends to do things, well, at their own pace, or in their own way, and who isn't bother by the people or goings-on around them. Usually meant as a benign, sometimes affectionate comment on someone's personality, it often brings to mind the image of someone who appears to drift during conversations, who might be a little "slow" in social interactions, or who physically lags behind the group. It can have negative connotations, because it means the group needs to make concessions for this person (like looking for them when they've wondered off). Yoh is the epitome of someone who is "my pace", and I'm very sure that the emphasis on his slow walking is not just a peculiar quirk of his character, it's an intentional part of the character design to show how Yoh is different.

S: *You... what's your name? Y: Ah, I'm called Yoh. Um... written with the character for "leaf" S: Hmm~ Yoh-kun huh.. Y: Yes

*Segasaki uses the polite pronoun 君 (kimi) to refer to Yoh here, as opposed to the rougher お前 (omae) that he now uses in the present day.

That little action Yoh does whilst saying "leaf" is him drawing out the kanji character for his name. It's quite common to tell someone which character is used to write your name, because the characters usually mean something, and it helps others to remember. Strictly speaking, Yoh really should be introducing his full name here, but judging by how he's been fiddling with the plastic bag, he's probably just too nervous to realize.

S: I'm Y: Mizuki...san S: Why do you know that? Y: Ah... that's what.. you were called (by them) so... S: You listen closely don't you Y: Ahh.. yea...

Nice save 😂First of all, it's extremely unusual to jump straight to using someone's first name instead of their family name (unless you're still a kid), let alone doing it to an upper classman, though Yoh does manage to tack on the polite suffix "-san" at the back. It's the verbal equivalent of stepping right into someone's personal space and touching their bag or something and then being all "er there was something there...". It's just weird and borderline inappropriate 😂 The fact that Segasaki doesn't scold him for taking such a liberty, or show any sign that he appears weirded out by it (in fact, he actually goes along with it!) tells us that Segasaki is a very kind (yasashii would be the right term here, the same term that appears at the end of this episode) or at least a very tolerant individual though I'd also like to think he just finds Yoh's strange ways a little cute too.

S: いま　楽しい？ Y: え？あ　いえ S: 絡まれて　パシらされてさ Y: ああ。。 S: どう？ Y: いや　たのしくないです Y: 瑞貴さんは？ S: 俺？ Y: はい S: 全然楽しくない S: 内緒ね Y: はい

Continuing with the breakdown:

S: Is it fun? Y: Huh? Ah no-

Segasaki's tone changes here to a more serious one - all he does is stress the final syllables of the word "fun" to indicate he's asking a question, instead of adding any end particles that might give more context, or that might soften the tone. The topic switch is a little sudden, which is why Yoh seems a bit confused. It doesn't help that the words are a little ambiguous - it literally translates to "now, fun?" - except the Japanese word for "now" is often used to mean "just now" as well, because the Japanese concept of time is not quite as linear as it is in West. "Now" doesn't just refer to "this current exact second we are in", it extends from whenever the "current activity" began right up to "this current exact second" - the key is figuring out what the current activity is 😅. Because Segasaki jumps into this topic so suddenly, and without much contextual cues, Yoh can't quite tell whether he means now, as in them walking together, or now, as in, the whole being sent on an errand thing, which is why Segasaki clarifies in the next sentence:

S: Being hassled, and sent on errands? Y: Oh... S: So? Y: No, it... isn't fun.

Segasaki watches Yoh closely whilst he waits for the answer to his question. This is Segasaki checking that Yoh knows he's being bullied, and it's also permission to talk about the topic. Once he confirms that Yoh does know what's happening, he looks away again.

The exchange tells us a lot about Segasaki's character, because often, the reason why bullying goes on for so long is that no one is willing to talk about it. Everyone knows what's going on, but no one acknowledges it. The fact that Segasaki jumps straight into it hints to Yoh that he doesn't agree with what his "friends" are doing (whether Yoh catches that hint or not is a different story). It also tells us, the audience, that he isn't afraid to speak up about things he disagrees with (similar to how he spoke up for Yoh when Yoh was sketching in the cafeteria) - but not to the extent that he'll do something which threatens the harmony of the group outright. This is tatemae/honne, which I talked about briefly in the amae post as well, and linked to this street interview video for real life examples. In short, tatemae is your ability to avoid conflict and smooth over group interactions, and is seen as an essential and positive trait. Segasaki is very good at this, even at this stage in his life, which is part of why he is so well-liked.

Y: What about Mizuki-san? S: Me? Y: Yes S: I'm not having fun at all S: It's a secret, yea? Y: Yes

This is cute, and tells us about Yoh's character too. Firstly, he's still persisting in his use of "Mizuki-san", though he's being really tentative about it, like he's testing whether or not it's okay. Secondly, he's actually asking Segasaki directly to confirm his stand on what his "friends" are doing. Is this Yoh being daring, or just his slightly awkward, somewhat tactless self? I couldn't tell you 🤣 It's likely a bit of both.

In response, you can hear the surprise in Segasaki's voice, but he doesn't hesitate to detach himself from the actions of the group. The way he invites Yoh into his group here, by acting as if he's let Yoh in on a secret, is very charming obviously, and reminds me somewhat of how in Ep 4, he suddenly drops to "Kanami-san" when talking to Man-san too. This again fits with how his "public mode" has been consistently portrayed thus far - nice, charming, polite, good-looking, and obviously popular (Ep 3, the girls in the cafe at the back, Ep 4, the way he talks to Man-san, this Ep, where he's even been proposed to).

Guy: 俺の水がきたかな？　 Red: あいつ覚えてるかな Guy: 確かに　待たせたな S: ごめん　葉くんお腹痛いんだって　だから連れて帰るわ　はい Girl: 瑞貴まで帰らなくてもいいんじゃん S: しんどいのに　一人すんのかわいそうでしょ* S: じゃあ　またね　また　 S: 行こう Red: 優しいな**　瑞貴 Girl: でも　帰っちゃったよ Guy: Is my water coming? Red: Will that guy remember? Guy: Good point, he's really made us wait S: Sorry! Yoh says he's got a stomachache, so I'm gonna take him home. Here! Girl: Huh? But it's not like Mizuki you have to go too right? S: Leaving him all by himself right when he's having a hard time - wouldn't you feel bad for him?* S: So, see you guys later, 'kay! Bye! S: Let's go Red: Mizuki's really kind** isn't he? Girl: But, he's leaving you know!

*Segasaki does a very small switch up to the polite form here, as he takes the moral high ground by reminding the girl that as Yoh's senior, they have an obligation to take care of him when he's unwell. He's still friendly about it though. **優しい (yasashii) - kind. This word pops up a lot to describe Segasaki, we'll talk about it at the end of this episode.

Y: あの　いいんですか？ S: あそこ戻りたかった？ Y: いえ Y: Um... is this okay? S: You wanted to go back there? Y: No

Y: いつも　友達に囲まれてるこの人が なんでこうして　俺と一緒に歩いてるのかわからなくて 不思議だった Y: This person, whose friends were always surrounding him... I just couldn't understand why he'd walk together with me like this It was a mystery to me.

Y: あの顔が　信じられないほど近くにあった 耳元に届いた声の響きまで　良いものであることに 気づいてしまった Y: That face was... so close to me I could scarcely believe it And it dawned on me then How wonderfully pleasing Even the notes of his voice drifting pass my ears sounded

The scene in the library I've included right at the top, but I'm going to add the conversation that happens during Yoh's monologue, since the subs have them sort of mixed in.

S: 葉 S: 何してんの？ Y: え？えと、あの、本を探せて... S: この本面白いよ Y: え？ Y: ありがとうございます S: また感想教えて Y: はい S: Yoh S: What're you doing? Y: Eh! Um, ah.. I'm looking for a book... (inaudible) S: This book is interesting Y: Eh? Y: Thank you very much S: Tell me your thoughts on it next time Y: Yes

Segasaki's already dropped the polite suffix "-kun" behind Yoh's name here, and doesn't actually bother to let Yoh finish saying thank you before he tells him to report back about the book. Yoh on the other hand, is still using the full, formal and polite version of thank you, and answers him properly. Segasaki's taken the initiative to get closer to Yoh - he's already speaking to him like how he does in the present day (just, not roughly), but Yoh hasn't gotten comfortable enough yet to drop the formalities - or, he simply may not be sure if he can.

Navigating formalities and when to drop them is tricky, and requires some degree of social intuition. Generally speaking, Segasaki dropping a speech level should be a sign that it might be okay for Yoh to drop as well (not to the same level of course, just a little less formal) - but given how Yoh sees them as living in different worlds, and how fearful he is of being hated, it's unlikely that he'd want to touch the status quo.

Y: あの人の気持ち？ Y: That person's feelings?

Yoh's pretty much stuck to the phrase "that person" when referring to Segasaki this whole episode, even during his flashback. He tends to do this when he's feeling some distance between them (like in Ep 2).

On screen messages: Y: What is Kintsuba? S: You don't even know what Kintsuba is? Y: I'm sorry [Yesterday] S: I'll be back late today Y: Understood [Today] (unread) S: Just give the editor some kind of excuse, and come back right now

A: 随分　追い込まれてたねぇ Y: 気持ちを言葉にするとか　あんまりしたことなくて Y: 他人の気持ちなんて　なおさら A: You've pretty much been cornered, huh?* Y: Putting feelings into words and all... I've never really done that myself... Y: Let alone (doing that for) another person's feelings. *This is in reference to Man-san asking Yoh to write out Segasaki's feelings

A: めちゃくちゃにしてやる, めちゃくちゃにして..x10 A: Gonna mess you up, mess you up... x 10

Yes, this does sound like a line straight out of a bad Jp AV 🤣🤣. I mean, we're talking about scenes from Man-san's manga right? That they had to mosaic out? 🤣🤣

Now you know why Segasaki is pissed.

S: 可奈美さんも一緒に仕事してるんですか？ M: すみません！瀬ケ崎さんにご報告もせずに進めてしまって S: いや、可奈美さんのせいじゃないですよ S: Kanami-san, are you also doing your work together with him? M: I apologize! We ended up moving forward without even alerting you about it! S: No, it's not your fault, Kanami-san

You can tell Segasaki has misunderstood here - he thinks Man-san has also been called to work at this Editor's place, and is completely not listening to what she has said, hence her ?? reaction 🤣

S: あ、すみません 急用ができてしまったので葉を迎えに来ました S: Ah, I apologize An urgent matter arose, and so I've come to pick Yoh up.

Segasaki's being quite formal here, but this is not the way to be polite. The "proper" way to request leave to go home early on behalf of someone else would be to first, apologize specifically for the disruption, introduce yourself and your relation to that person, apologize that an urgent matter has come up, regrettably but firmly insist that said person must return home immediately on pain of death, apologize again for all the trouble caused, promise to make up for it, humbly ask for understanding, and then apologize your way out the door.

So yes, despite the polite word forms this is quite rude, and is so far removed from Segasaki's usual "public mode" that it cracks me up. Segasaki's composure is unravelling by the second in these next few scenes - he is pissed and absolutely does.not.give.a.shit. 🤣

From right to left: S: So, this bastard is the famed Editor huh... S: Don't you dare try to deceive and pull tricks on Yoh! S: The hell you doing touching him like that so freely!! A: Who (is this)?

The language gets progressively ruder the more the speech bubbles get pointy and the larger the font gets🤣🤣

M: 瀬ケ崎さん　やっぱ強いわ～ M: Segasaki-san really has a strong presence after all~

Y: 黙っててごめんなさい* S: あのさ Y: はい S: ああいうのがいいわけ？ Y: え？ S: 俺より　あの男のどこがいいわけ？ Y: I'm sorry for keeping this from you!* S: Tell me Y: Yes S: Is that what you like? Y: Huh? S: Compared to me, just how is that guy better? *Yoh uses the full but informal version of "sorry" here - gomen nasai. Making a note of this here so I can come back to it in one of the analysis posts.

Y: え、いや Y: 比べるものじゃないと思うけど。。 S: あるんだろうが　俺より　いいところが S: まあ、納得する理由がない限り俺は認めねえけどな Y: 強いて言えば　優しいかな* Y: 人の話を　ちゃんとじっくり聞いてくれるし Y: Um, no... Y: I don't think it's something that can be compared... S: There is something, isn't there? Some way in which he's better than me S: Though, unless you give me something I think is reasonable I won't accept it Y: Well if I had to say something then... maybe, he's kind?* Y: I mean, he listens carefully and attentively to what someone has to say...

*優しい (yasashii) - often translated as "kind", it encompasses the ideas of "caring", "tenderness", "thoughtful/considerate", "warm/gentle". It's often a trait people say they look for in their significant other.

This word has come up often to describe Segasaki - in Ep 2, Segasaki uses it to describe himself, in Ep 3, Yoh uses it to describe Segasaki's voice, and of course here in Ep 6, red shirt uses it to describe Segasaki again. Even when the word isn't said out loud, a lot of Segasaki's actions would fit this word - In Ep 2, when he picks up after Yoh and comforts him during their not-argument. In Ep 3, when he passes Yoh his gift, and implies there's nothing to be sorry for. In Ep 4, the way he coaxes Yoh. In Ep 5, when he takes care of Yoh. In Ep 6, he speaks up for Yoh in the cafeteria when he doesn't have to, when he goes to help Yoh. The irony of this moment is that Segasaki puts in a lot of effort and probably does pride himself in being yasashii, and he listens to Yoh better than Yoh listens to himself, and yet he hears from Yoh that he isn't yasashii or attentive, which explains the pained expression on his face.

S: あ、そう S: 俺先行くわ* S: Oh, is that so? S: I'm going ahead then* *わ (wa) - this ending particle puts emphasizes one's statement, but is not one that Segasaki usually uses. It's less forceful that his usual speech, because he's quite hurt by Yoh's statements.

Y: かばんに入ってたやつ　戻しといてから Y: The thing that was inside my bag, I put it back so... The way Yoh ends this sentence leaves room for a follow up - it's an invitation to continue the conversation, which we actually have not seen him do with Segasaki, and that's why he looks so dejected when Segasaki rejects that invitation by walking away.

Though it's been hinted at throughout the show, Ep 6 is where we get confirmation that Yoh's just never quite fit in with the crowd, and that Segasaki has always been in the center of it. The stark difference explains why Yoh is so afraid that one day he will do something to make Segasaki hate him, and why he reflexively rejects the idea that Segasaki could possibly love him.

This episode is painful, for both of them. For Yoh, because from the intensity of his monologues, we finally get a sense of how big a presence Segasaki is to him, and therefore, how devastating it would be to lose him. For Segasaki, because for all that he can read Yoh, for all that he has done to try and reassure Yoh of his love, he still cannot make Yoh see, cannot make Yoh hear.

"If he ended up hating me then I felt like I might die."

It is precisely Yoh's love for Segasaki that makes Yoh fear the possibility of losing him, and it is that fear that blinds, deafens and mutes Yoh to the very thing he hopes for. And it is in trying to protect himself, that he inadvertently hurts the very person he loves so much.

[thalialunacy]

[written for the @calaisreno May Prompts Safari. E-rating, y'all. and schmoopy as hell.]

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28) (29) 30: journey (31)

When next they arrive at Sherlock's parents' house, it's the end of May bank holiday and John is more than ready to hand over his child in exchange for a strong drink.

This, he muses as his wish comes true without even having to be voiced, is the magic of grandparents.

---

He's just coming back from putting Rosie down when he hears surprisingly raucous laughter and the words '... the priest was never quite the same after that, was he?'

He comes to a stop in the centre of the furniture configuration, looking round at various family members with a raised eyebrow. 'Holmeses,' he says solemnly. 'Dare I ask?'

'Oh, absolutely,' Sherlock's mum replies. 'We've had enough to drink that we're starting in on rude stories.' John coughs, and she waves her hand, somehow managing not to spill any wine. 'Not rude like that. Well. Mostly not.'

Mycroft, of all people, lets out what could graciously be called a snort. 'I'll start: John, I must tell you that once, at Christmas, Mother told us her shirt had French letters on it, and then had no idea why Grandfather looked so scandalised.'

John looks to Sherlock, perplexed. 'Condoms, John,' Sherlock explains. 'Eighteenth century Britons called them, among other things, "French letters."'

John swallows his mouthful of scotch. 'Of course.'

'Oh, oh!' Sherlock's mum starts. 'John, there was a time when Mycroft was so worried that baby Sherlock would roll out of bed that he found every blanket in the house and made him a huge nest. Then wouldn't leave his side.'

Mycroft purses his lips. 'I did no such thing.'

'Don't lie to your mother. You were there for days. You nearly suffocated him, you were so worried.'

Sherlock's father chuckles. 'There was also a time, John, that he and Sherlock volunteered to be ushers at church and ended up fighting over which offering plate had the most in it at the end. The Altar Guild was cross with us for months.'

John does laugh at that one.

'Yes, yes,' Sherlock drawls. 'And believe it or not, John, Father frequently used to play hangman with me in the church bulletin during services.'

His mother turns to her husband, genuinely surprised. 'Did you really?'

His father shrugs. 'It was better than the alternative.'

His mother eyes her younger son. 'Yes, that's probably true.' But she doesn't bother hiding her fond smile.

This goes on for quite a while, all four Holmeses using John as their audience to tell increasingly far-fetched stories about their shared histories. John, sat next to Sherlock and making his way slowly through two fingers of fine alcohol, can't help but be charmed. They're ridiculous, and, let's be honest, fairly weird, but they obviously have great affection for each other. Despite what Mycroft and Sherlock might claim.

When there's a lull, he just asks it: 'Out of curiosity, why are you telling me all this? Not that I don't find it amusing, obviously, but… Sherlock?'

John's eyes narrow, his stomach somersaulting, as he realises Sherlock has slid off the sofa and onto both knees, his whole family is situated on various pieces of furniture behind him like a posed picture, and he's got--

'Oh.'

--he's got a rather distinctive item in the palm of his outstretched hand.

'Oh.'

'Yes, very good John, knew you'd cotton on eventually.'

His voice is strong, yet a bit off. John searches his face. 'You're not taking the p--' He glances at Sherlock's mum. '--mickey?'

'Yes,' Sherlock deadpans. 'I gathered my whole very hilarious family of known pranksters to pull your leg in an elaborate and expensive manner.'

'Alright, keep your shirt on. I just-- You're serious. You actually want to get-- be-- married. To… me.'

'If you and Rosamund will have me.'

John feels it like a surge, but tamps it down. 'And Reginald the cat?'

Sherlock is slightly taken aback. 'Obviously. Unless that would be an issue for you, if Rosamund--'

John barks out a laugh, plucks the ring from Sherlock's hand and yanks him back up onto the sofa. 'Oh shut up, you absolute disaster, of course we bloody will.'

Sherlock's mouth curves, but he doesn't fully relax. 'Even though I come with this lot attached?' He waves at his family without looking at them. 'Those stories, I assure you, are only the tip of the iceberg.'

John wants to tackle him. 'You've met my "A-leveled in alcoholism" sister, have you not?'

'Well, yes, but--'

'Shut. Up.' John glances at the rest of the family, feeling his ears turn a bit red at their blatant interest in the proceedings, but clears his throat and grabs the back of Sherlock's neck anyway. 'I love the hell out of you, remember?' he says quietly.

Sherlock's gaze jumps around his face, searching. 'I seem to recall something about that, yes.'

'And if the shit we've gone through in the last decade hasn't broken us--' Sherlock opens his mouth. '--inoperably, hasn't broken us inoperably, then I'm pretty damn sure we'll be fine.' He touches their lips together very briefly, then presses their foreheads together for a moment longer.

Sherlock's mum very cheerfully breaks the moment. 'Wait until Rosie's a teenager to say that, dear.'

'Mum.' John feels Sherlock's groan rumble through him, and can't help but chuckle.

He pulls back, dropping his hand, and gives the family a sheepish but unashamed look. 'We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I think.'

'Indeed. Life is a journey, not a destination.'

Everyone turns to stare at Mycroft.

He stares back, lifting his chin. 'What? Am I not meant to know Emerson?'

'Are we sure he's not been replaced by a cyborg?' John whispers to Sherlock.

'Who would be able to tell the difference?' Sherlock parries immediately.

Mycroft huffs. 'Oh, please. Go consummate this new relationship status so I can have some peace.'

John clears his throat. 'Beg pardon?'

Mycroft rolls his eyes and stands. 'Shall we fetch another round of drinks before we move on?'

His parents exchange a look, then stand. 'That is a brilliant idea,' says his mum.

'I am rather known for them,' Mycroft says dryly, heading to the kitchen without a glance backwards.

John tries again. 'Beg p--'

Sherlock's mother pats him on the cheek. 'Oh, we have a movie night planned. With lots of explosions.'

'Ah,' Sherlock says, as if this explains everything.

John turns to him with a questioning look. 'The home theatre room,' Sherlock clarifies, his droll tone belied by his slightly pinked neck, 'is at the opposite end of the house from the rooms they've given us for the weekend.'

John considers being embarrassed for half a second, but then decides it's of no use. 'Ta, Holmeses. We'll see you in the morning.'

'Oh, and don't worry about the baby's wake-up,' Sherlock's father adds as he's following the rest out of the room. He gestures at his wife's retreating back. 'This one will take care of her so you lot can be as lazy as you like.'

'As if John is ever--'

John nudges the detective's elbow. 'It's a euphemism, Sherlock.'

'Oh. Certainly.' He nods, once, at his father. 'Thank you.'

---

Sherlock gets up the stairs ahead of him, but they're still yards from the door to their room when he stops and unceremoniously herds John against the wall. John grunts in surprise. 'What? Are you--'

Sherlock's lips stop up his words, and distract him so much he doesn't really clock that Sherlock's gorgeous hands are working efficiently at his trouser fastening… until all of the sudden he does.

'Are you mad?' he manages when Sherlock mouths across his jaw, his hand plunging into John's pants with finesse. John is soft, but he won't be for long at this rate, Jesus. He has to tighten his hold on Sherlock's biceps.

'Of course I am,' Sherlock answers, voice like butterscotch against John's ear. Then he drops to his knees, and John nearly swoons like a Victorian maiden.

'Your family!' he hisses instead, unable to stop a hand from weaving into Sherlock's hair. Not to pull, not this time at least. This time, to just… be there.

'They're all occupied,' Sherlock replies, the words throwing heat against John's now-exposed hip. 'They may be feckless but they still have some propriety left.' He looks up at John, his lips hovering tantalisingly near the tip of the plumping cock he holds in his hands.

'Fuck,' John breathes. 'Go on, then.'

Sherlock needs no more permission.

John has had more illicit liaisons in his life, it's true, but for some reason (he knows the reason) he goes from half-mast to panting to mindless word repetition in a record amount of time.

'Sherlock--' He tries to keep his voice down, so it comes out much more desperate than he'd intended, but fuck it. 'If you keep-- Sherlock--'

He hears--and feels--an urgent sound come from his partner, and looks down, past those fucking eyes, to the hand speedily opening trousers and drawing himself out.

John probably whimpers, that's how fucking hot he finds that view, and in combination with Sherlock's admirable oral efforts, he speeds towards climax at a rate he's not achieved in years. There's a flash of a thought of inadequacy, but it's overcome handily by watching Sherlock fuck his own hand at a near-frantic pace. He does clutch Sherlock's hair, finally, as he comes down his gorgeous throat.

He hears a curse and opens his eyes just in time to see Sherlock ejaculate almost neatly into a handkerchief he must've pulled from his pocket.

He wants to laugh. He pulls Sherlock to his feet, heedless of their state of dishabille, and kisses him, hard. Well, as hard as he can before he does indeed start to laugh.

'I can't believe you did that,' he rasps as he barrels them through the bedroom door, finally. He feels stupid, giddy. Frothy.

'Which part?' Sherlock replies as they shed their already-unfastened clothes and fwump somewhat gracefully onto the bed.

'You bastard,' John groans without heat. 'Despoiling a handkerchief? Getting off where anyone could come walking on by? Proposing to me with your whole family around like a flock of posh geese?'

'What a ridiculous image.'

John rolls over to partially smush Sherlock, who wheezes slightly and wraps his arms around John's torso. 'I'll show you a ridiculous image,' John says, giving his best Randy Lad smirk.

Sherlock raises an eyebrow. 'So soon?'

'Maybe. Okay, no, but I can still do some damage, ta very much.'

'Such as?'

John sobers. He drops his eyes to Sherlock's chin. 'You'll laugh at me.'

A long, graceful finger traces around his orbital socket. 'Don't let that stop you.'

'Berk.'

'Such as?'

John just breathes for a moment. Then he reaches out to touch a small nevus on Sherlock's collarbone, then travels the trail to another one. 'Oh, just…' He follows his finger with his tongue, tasting. 'Want to trace the constellations onto you.'

He hears Sherlock inhale, and feels it as his chest rises. Then John finds himself pulled into a long, deep, ridiculous kiss.

'By all means,' Sherlock finally says against his lips. 'I look forward to your very thorough survey.'

John releases a breath, and settles in to get started.

[<3]

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not saying goodbye to my husband’s friends from childhood?

I (24F) am a white American, my husband (25M) is a black immigrant from a country in the Caribbean. Where we live, there aren’t many people from his country and he has few opportunities to speak his native language. But a family friend from his childhood came here recently and he invited the friend over for dinner. The friend and his wife said they’d come over a few days in advance and I was excited and made plans for dinner, but the day of, they canceled. I was a little annoyed because I already had all the food and everything but I was like “ok whatever.”

Well the following Saturday, I was stressed about work and stuff and in a bad mood, and was looking forward to catching up on a show I liked. When I finally sat down to watch, my husband said his friends who canceled the week before were going to be here in an hour and asked me to clean up. I was annoyed bc they canceled when I was planning on them and rescheduled last min when I wasn’t planning on hosting or spending the evening with anyone, but I helped clean up and prepare. They got here, and I tried to be a good host, but I admit while I wasn’t rude, my attitude wasn’t super warm and friendly. They didn’t want dinner so we offered juice and stuff. I tried to be present in the conversations but 1) I’m very shy and 2) they were talking about 60-40 their native language to English, so I didn’t know what was going on more than half the time. (I do love that language and am trying to learn on DuoLingo but it’s hard. I’m also glad he has people to talk it with, it just leaves me unable to participate much). Also, tbh most of the conversation was suggestive jokes and joking about each other’s sex lives and as an ace person I don’t really feel comfortable with that kind of conversation particularly with people I don’t know very well. So I kinda just zoned out, and I kind of have an RBF so I guess I looked not happy to be there. Anyway, we watched a James Bond movie I wasn’t interested in so I was on my phone a lot, then I went upstairs to get ready for bed because it was almost midnight and I was tired.

After I was ready for bed, I wanted to say goodnight to the friends, however one of them had to record a video for an online class and send it in before the deadline in like an hour. So he got on the computer and went into the stairwell and his wife got on her phone and went to the kitchen so they could record the conversation and submit it. Which meant I was stuck upstairs (unless I wanted to pass the guy in the stairwell and show up on his video) and I’d have to wait for them to finish recording the call before I could go to bed. Well, I was tired so I just lay in bed and ended up falling asleep. Around the 12:45, my husband woke me up by coming into the room and turning on the light to give the friends a tour of the house and I grumpily growled “I’m asleep! Turn off the light!”

The next morning, my husband was livid at me. He said the way I treated them was horrible and rude, I wasn’t paying attention during the movie, I didn’t even say goodbye (which greetings and goodbyes are a big deal in his culture), I growled at them when they came into the room for the tour, I was “acting like a bitch” to them the whole night, and he felt like he invited them to his house only for me to act racist and like I’m better than them. I feel terrible that my actions could be perceived that way when in reality I was just tired, shy, a little grouchy because these plans were sprung on me last minute, and out of the loop (because I didn’t understand a majority of the conversation). But I think the whole cancelation and then last minute rescheduling and expecting me to be a good, present host late into the night wasn’t cool. If it had been last week, I would’ve been prepared with dinner and also mentally, since I’d be planning on hosting people. Also would’ve been nice to be made aware beforehand that we would be entertaining guests until 1 AM, so I could be planning on it.

So AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[nuttytani]

Hold my chai, aunty has arrived in the Mansion

(adventures of aunty in the ikemen vampire universe. into the ike-verse!)

It was just a normal day of work for aunty. You know, the usual, kicking her husband and children out for work and school with their tiffin and bags in tow.

Finishing cleaning the house like a sonic with extra energy drinks and taking the rubbish out,

Then finally! A hot shower

She was only left with making her sweet and relaxing lunchtime tea when her doorbell rang.

She opened the door and.....everything turned white and aunty's life turned upside down. Or did it?

Actually it turned up. I mean her life was already up but now it's better-ish?

She's basically on a month-long vacation! Away from her husband and children (I mean sure she's worried about the state of the house but they can manage by themselves right? They won't miss her.....right? Ok fine maybe she's kind of sort of worried about them and missing them but she KNOWS she can go back so haha!)

The mansion people were quite warm and welcoming towards her so it didn't take much time for her to adjust.

Except for the food and... tea.

YOU CALL THIS FOOD? DEAR SEBASTION, WHERE ARE YOUR MASALAS? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE SALT AND PEPPER-- THAT'S NOT MASALA

And the tea! How…. she won’t even describe how she feels except for pure disappointment. These people had no ingredients for chai

Comte had no choice but to order some.....groceries for dear aunty. He couldn't say no to her. Especially with how disappointed she looked while eating food or having her tea.

He also had to turn the wine cellar into a grocery store room. But he sure had great company with aunty! Joining her outside in his garden. 

Smoking who? Comte got rid of his cigar and now constantly has a cup of chai in his hand (mostly because aunty would yell nonstop for him and leonardo to stop smoking. Because 1) she doesnt want to be a chain smoker 2) smoking is bad for your health and makes you look like a gangster…. Aunty’s words, not mine!)

(Psssst she also taught Sebastian how to make chai 101 until he got the recipe right till perfection.)

The other mansion residents weren't having that much....fun tho. It felt like having a mom after many years. Which is funny because technically, they’re wayyyyy older than her, and they’ve told her so many times, and each time she replies with a: but you all act like children, that’s not my fault is it? Now my dears, would you please pass me that newspaper? 

One day, Arthur was walking around half naked around the mansion only to receive the MOST judgemental stare in his entire life

“Put some goddamn clothes on, child! You’ll catch a cold at this rate.”

“Aunty, that's not possible for vampires….”

“Do I look like I care? Put some clothes on.”

Or the first week in the mansion, practically staring daggers at everyone 

“Shoes inside the house? Who’s going to clean this… Sebastian? Mitsuki? Your mom? Me? Well definitely not any of us.”

House slippers became a thing ever since and now NO ONE dares to wear shoes inside the house. 

Vincent had to learn cooking as well, like proper cooking.

Aunty found it shocking that even her daughter's terrible cooking wasn't as bad as his. So that was saying something.

Dazai stopped using the windows as a way to enter the house 

Actually there were a lot of positive changes in the house, at least for Sebastian and Mitsuki 

They had SO much help in the kitchen. They wouldn’t let aunty do the cleaning and laundry though, that’d be rude and she’s basically on a vacation. She needs to relax! 

Her favourite weapon of choice to discipline the mansion boys is her handy dandy jharu (broom).

She'd pass it to Mitsuki or Sebastian when they'd go wake up Napoleon. If he tried to do his sleep-kissing thing- he'd get one smack on his face with the broom.

Idk how she got it but she somehow has it so we roll with it okay? 

random thoughts that had to be written down. they don't really make much sense but heyyy who cares?

I've brought back my taglist, fill it in if you're interested!!!

here's the link

[yourghostwrotethis]

Fic Recs #1

It's two A.M.. I'm not quite sure what to do because I'm not sleepy. Why not do a small recommendation list?

Actual recs under the cut. Read until the end!

All of these are pre-season 2, and take place in the show universe.

Talk About It (T)

by hope_in_the_dark (on Tumblr as @hope-inthedark)

Aziraphale and Crowley have been best friends for sixteen years. Crowley's been in love with Aziraphale for almost that long. When Aziraphale tells his family that he'll be bringing his boyfriend to his step-brother's wedding, things get a bit complicated. A Fake Dating AU.

Word count: 20806 (Complete)

I love fake dating AUs SO MUCH. And this is for sure one of the best ones out there. It's the perfect length, and there are snapshots through time that are simply lovely. I'm usually not a fan of the "long-time friends" trope, but this fic does it wonderfully. I don't want to say much more because I don't want to spoil anything but - it's great. Read it.

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The Curve of Old Bones (E)

by Jenanigans1207 (@jenanigans1207)

Aziraphale watches as Crowley’s smile grows, sharpens and turns distinctively dastardly. And even though Aziraphale knows what he’s in store for, he’s entirely unprepared for the words that slip out of Crowley’s mouth next. “Name’s Anthony Crowley, Aziraphale’s husband.” Aziraphale is eternally grateful that he wasn’t taking a sip of his tea at that exact moment for he would’ve surely choked on it. -- When Crowley claims to be Aziraphale's husband to ruin what he assumes is a date, he doesn't think anything of it. But a day later it comes back to bite him in the ass when Crowley finds out that the date in question is, in fact, his new boss, who is looking to hire Aziraphale and hoping that Crowley, his husband, will put in a good word for them. Now Crowley is caught in a tight spot: either admit to his new boss that he was lying, or convince Aziraphale, his sort-of enemy, to pretend to be his husband to save face.

Words: 201271 (Complete)

Fair warning before you start: this one is LONG. I read really fast and even for me, this took a while. Every word is beautiful, but this is (well. Partly.) a slooooooww burn. If you don't like pining, or the two main ones being idiots: don't read this. But if you decide to give it a go, this story is absolutely worth your while.

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Married at First Sight (T)

by Aracloptia (@aracloptia)

“Well, that was a thing,” Crowley said once they were out of earshot. Without talking about it, they were both heading down the field, towards the lake where the photographer (and likely a few more people from the TV crew) was waiting. “That was a wedding,” Aziraphale replied, surprised at his own annoyance that somebody called a wedding a ‘thing’. “Yeah, obviously, didn’t miss that part,” Crowley said with a shrug, and waved abruptly in Aziraphale’s general direction. “Neither did you, from the looks of it, since you’re dressed like a wedding bride and everything.” “Excuse me, I am a—“ Aziraphale stopped himself, and started over.

——— In which Aziraphale ends up marrying a rude stranger who wears sunglasses.

Words: 92583 (Ongoing)

Ha. Yet another fake relationship AU... This time it's a fake marriage! But it's so so so cute and lovely and if it were corporeal I would want to squish its cheeks. There's a bit of miscommunication, so people who don't like that can be cautious, but it gets resolved and they become the better for having gone through it.

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The Next Time We Wed (T)

by seashadows (@godihatethisfreakingcat)

“Guys, I’ve looked at the marriage license,” Anathema said, “and I’ve gotten copies of our notices and everything. The names on the documents aren’t Newt’s and mine anymore. Apparently they never were. They’re yours.” When a drunken attempt to help a friend gets Crowley and Aziraphale accidentally married, their decision to fake it instead of fix it changes their relationship in a way neither of them realizes the other wants. Over the course of a few short months, two supernatural beings discover that there are plenty of things they don’t know about each other, two humans finally get married (again), and everyone learns how to be a little braver.

Words: 21131 (Complete)

The footnotes. The FOOTNOTES. I love a good footnote, and this fic is riddled with them. It's one of the very first Good Omens fics I read and loved, so it has a special place in my heart. The humour drew me in immediately, and the plot and emotional moments kept me in. READ IT. READ IT NOW, I SAY.

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Everything That's Meant (T)

by journeytogallifrey (@journeytogallifrey)

When two unconventional lead actors are cast in the series adaptation of Agnes Nutter's Prophecies, sparks fly and new ground is broken. Aziraphale Fell, classically trained and known for powerful biopics, yearns for a popular lead but is hindered by his brother's insistence that he stay in the closet. Anthony J. Crowley has perfected flashy, charismatic villains, but wonders if a hero will ever be on the cards for him. With Aziraphale as the angel Raphael and Crowley as the demon Asmodeus, something feels... off. But a breakthrough during a late-night rehearsal sets into motion something greater than they ever dreamed. Now all they have to do is overcome nefarious producers, bigotry, and a set that seems to be haunted by all manner of spirits and curses - all while falling for each other in a way Crowley finds exhilarating and Aziraphale finds terrifying. If they can survive it all, they'll come out the other side with the series of their career... and maybe even a chance at their own happily ever after. ~~~ Pre-written; updates daily until complete!

Words: 105043 (Complete)

I was lucky enough to witness this as it was updating, and it's wonderful! I'm very fond of actor AUs, and this was a great one. Journeytogallifrey made good choices, and there are plenty of moments where I audibly laughed, gasped, or cried. Special mention to Crowley's relationship with gender.

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wasteland, baby (M)

by john1513 (@alwayscomewhenyoucall)

“Listen. Fell. I...I might, uh, have an idea.” “You do?” Aziraphale said, and hated the hopeful way he said it. “I’ll do it.” “You...won’t like it.” “Will it keep me out of prison?” “Maybe. Maybe the both of us. For now. Ideally.” “Then yes.” Crowley’s expression tightened, and Aziraphale wasn’t sure if Crowley wanted to cry, or laugh. “You really, really won’t like it.” “I’ll like prison less.” He responded plainly. Crowley’s face twisted into something soft at first, just for a second, before searing into a careful little smirk, and Aziraphale knew that smile, that Cheshire cat smile, much too well to not be cautious. “Crowley, dear. What are you doing on the floor?” He cleared his throat. “Angel. Remember when I said you wouldn’t like it? Well, uh, here we are.” His smile grew awkwardly, apologetically, and Aziraphale had a sinking feeling about it. “Angel. Will you marry me?” ----- Crowley and Aziraphale plan a fake marriage to avoid having to testify against each other in court...they get much more than they bargained for.

Words: 45748 (Complete)

I found this while looking for fake relationships, but I'm not quite sure the term applies. It's just so sweet and kind and GOOD and fluffy. If you like both being nice, go here. And even if you don't. It's technically a mafia AU even though I forgot about that part so there's a little bit of grittiness nonetheless. Overall a very nice read.

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And finally, for the last one...

Fifty-Two Blue (M)

by bendycello (@bendycello )

It would be a gross understatement to say that Crowley simply didn't like Aziraphale. He was posh and stuffy and arrogant, and Crowley couldn't figure out why everyone else in the program liked him so much. It hardly mattered; they were competitors, and Crowley didn't need to make friends to become a surgeon. It takes several unleasant encounters, the excessive use of house plants as a coping mechanism, and getting stuck in an elevator for Crowley to start reconsidering his priorities. Or... Crowley and Aziraphale are surgical interns with competitive streaks a mile wide each, and they really do not like each other at all. Until they do. (This whole fic is pre-written and completed, and updates will usually be weekly on Saturdays!)

Words: 37976 (Ongoing)

So. Anyone who knows me well knows that this is on my mind 24/7. I post about it fairly regularly. I go insane when a new chapter is up. It's *The* Fic. When I started this I knew this was going to be there. I can't even describe it it's just SO GOOD ARGH. (it's also long) I've read it so much Chrome automatically sorted it into one of my most visited websites. (I'm not even kidding.) The humour is perfect, the plot is too, the CHARACTERISATION. OH MY GOD. IT'S SO GOOD AND SO COMPLEX. I'm trying to stop myself from going on a rant about it because it could last for a while.

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I also love receiving recs, so if anyone wants to boost their fic or wants to share a great one, please do!

I really like fake dating (if you couldn't guess), human AUs, all that sort of thing. But please feel free to share anything that doesn't deal with those themes!

I'm OwlWolf22091 on Ao3, in case you want to check out other bookmarks :P

[rorywritesjunk]

There's no race, no ending in sight

r rating. title comes from "two of us on the run" by lucius

(enjoy. since i'm so invested in this now i wanted to do a ✨flashback✨ part and i love emporio ivankov and been hyping myself up on trans croc lately too so... this happened. mentions surgery but nothing graphic, threats to others safety. also mentions of someone's first time)

taglist: @hey-august @thoraeth

pt 1 + pt 2 + p3 + p4 + pt 5 + p6 + pt 7 +Pt 8 + Pt 9 + Pt 10 + Pt 11 + Pt 12 + Pt 13 + Pt 14 + Pt 15 + pt 16 + Pt 17 (End)

Pt 9

twenty years ago

"I'm sorry, what?" The nineteen year old looked confused by the demand. Sunny had only been at the job for five years, she still had so much to learn, but this customer came in, one she had seen frequently in the last year, making adjustments to their clothes when it didn't feel right in the arms, the chest, hips, and length.

"I said marry me, shop girl." The cigar smoke was awful, lingering in the air as it dissipated. He was grinning at her.

"M-Mister Crocodile, I can't. I'm only half way through my apprenticeship and... and we don't know each other very well." Sunny tried to reason with him. Why would he want to marry her? "Besides, um, I'm not... ready for marriage."

He chuckled, reaching across the counter to touch her cheek gently; she shuddered, his touch was dry and coarse, like sandpaper against her skin. "It's not in your best interest to say no to me, girl, not when I can show you everything in the world, all the riches you could ever want, the prettiest clothes you could ever wear."

"I don't-"

"Saying no to me means you care little for your friends and family, you know. It won't be hard to destroy their livelihoods in an instant." He continued, tilting her head to look up at him. He was so much taller than her, larger even, that she was scared. Was he threatening Miss Pins and her parents? Why? Why did he want her out of countless others?

"But-"

"Just say yes."

Sunny's eyes widened. She didn't know or understand what this man could be capable of but she feared him. She couldn't risk her family being hurt or her boss. She didn't want to die either, not yet.

"Promise?" She asked as he studied her face, raising an eyebrow at her question. "Promise... you won't hurt me o-or my family. And... and I'll marry you."

His face split into a grin. "Good girl. I'll make sure you're happy."

~

Sunny didn't understand where they were. A man taller than her husband greeted them as they arrived on a new island, calling him "Croc-boy" which Sunny found kind of funny. They'd been married three months now and while he would call her darling, she hadn't thought of a pet name for him yet. Nothing seemed to work for him.

"Who's this sweet young thing?" The man asked Crocodile, giving Sunny a look over. She stood beside her husband, trying not to stare up at either of them. She felt so small beside them even without the height difference.

"My wife." Crocodile said as the three started walking along. "I decided to get married before coming to you."

"Hello! I'm Sunny." She said, not wanting to be rude. "I, um, like your outfit."

The outfit being a one piece leotard with very little front, showing off his chest and stomach. Despite working with clothing, Sunny wasn't quite used to seeing someone that exposed but she shook it off. Her parents and boss always taught her not to judge someone's clothes or how they presented themselves.

"She's cute." He chuckled. "My dear, I am Emporio Ivankov, but you can call me Iva if you please." He didn't hesitate in pulling Sunny away from her husband, having her walk beside her with Crocodile behind. "So, he's finally settling down. I hope he's treating you well."

"He... is." She said, glancing back at him. "Um, he's kind to me. I appreciate it." She looked back up at Iva. "Why are we here?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Iva hummed softly. "Figures he wouldn't, but won't worry about it. You'll only be here a few weeks and then you can continue on your way."

~

A few weeks of Sunny staying by Crocodile, making sure he ate while checking his bandages with Iva. The marks on the side of his body looked fine, they healed quickly, but the ones on his chest would take longer, according to Iva. He couldn't use his abilities to take care of that.

Sunny didn't ask questions at first. Her husband wouldn't answer them anyway, but when she was making lunch for him, she finally had to ask Iva.

"I don't understand what you did or what happened."

"Oh, honey, your husband just wanted to be himself, that's all." Iva told her as Sunny put the bowl of soup on a tray. He looked her over again, a grin on his large face. "You really don't know your husband, do you?"

"No, not really." Sunny sighed. "I don't know if I even want to."

~

Sunny only saw her husband naked once before his visit with Iva. It was the only time he seemed uncomfortable around her, his unwanted body exposed to her. She was kind, not saying anything as she kissed him, unsure of what to do, but she told him she thought he looked so handsome, that his body was beautiful, being mindful where she touched him. She meant it. Sunny never wanted someone to feel uncomfortable around her.

After the surgery, however, he didn't have any problems with nudity around her. He seemed happier, more relaxed when he undressed around her, smirking at the way she stared at him as her cheeks reddened.

He was gentle with her the first time, knowing he was much larger than her, not wanting to hurt her or make it a horrible experience. It was a uncomfortable for Sunny but only because she didn't now what she needed to do for him. He insisted she just needed to let him do everything and that she just needed to enjoy herself.

~

She was allowed to visit her parents a few times. It was awkward introducing her husband to them. He really didn't care to meet them but he put up a front of loving husband, gifting them jewels, spices, and other things from around the world.

Her parents weren't stupid but Sunny insisted she was fine and that she was happy with him. He took good care of her and loved her, never raised his voice at her or threatened to hurt her. Everything was fine.

~

She didn't like Alabasta. It was too hot, dry, and she hated spending most of her time at home. Sometimes her husband would bring her to his casino, and sometimes she'd put on different clothes and sneak out to walk around the town but it wasn't often.

When that boy in the straw hat showed up and defeated her husband, allowing him to be arrested by the Marines, she finally felt free, even after interrogation after interrogation, she insisted she knew nothing, that she thought her husband just ran a casino and everything, she had no understanding of what he had been up to or what Baroque Works even was.

Which was a lie, Sunny knew more than others thought. She had listened in on some of his conversations when she'd bring him lunch and he'd hold her in his lap, giving her a kiss on the cheek while having a meeting over a transponder snail or in front of others. They didn't make any comments about his wife. They knew better.

~

Her freedom didn't last long. He managed to track her down in a little village far from Impel Down. She wasn't sure how he did, but seeing him again after time apart was heartbreaking. She didn't want to return to him but he maintained his original threat when they got married: he would never hurt her but the same couldn't be said for her family.

~

"I'm sorry, a clown owns you money?" Sunny thought that was the funniest sounding sentence to her and she snorted. "Why did you loan him money in the first place?"

"There was promise of repayment." Her husband replied, stubbing out his cigar on his plate. She had made him breakfast, one of the few things she enjoyed doing for him. She took a sip of her coffee and frowned.

"Huh." She grinned. "Good luck getting it back. Maybe he spent it all on peanuts for an elephant or something."

"I don't see how this is amusing, darling."

"It's not, really, but the idea of a clown owing you money is funny to me." She shrugged. "Have you talked to him about getting it back?"

"Not yet." He sighed. Sunny nodded and set her coffee cup down, sitting up in her seat.

"Can I go talk to him?"

Crocodile looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you want to?"

"Something to do." She shrugged again. "I'll talk to him and see if we can come up with an agreement about paying you back in a timely fashion, how does that sound?"

"We'll talk about after lunch." He said as he got up. "I have things to tend to."

[writing-rat]

Family Home

Pairings: Enid x Wednesday

Content Warning: Bad parent Esther, Emotional breakdown, confessions

Summary: Wednesday and Enid make a deal to stay at each other's house 1 week each. It is now Wednesday's week.

It was the Winter holidays, and Enid and Wednesday had made a deal. Since the holidays were 2 weeks they decided to spend one at Enid’s house then go to Wednesday’s for the final 2. Enid’s house was hell, where Wednesday saw all the mistreatment. She knew Enid would feel better at her house. Whenever the excuse of a mother called Esther Sinclair degraded Enid, Wednesday quickly stood up to her and held Enid close protectively.

Ever since the Gates’ House incident her heart fluttered in her chest whenever she was around Enid. She wasn’t dumb. She knew why and how the family curse was affecting her but she would refuse to admit, at least until Enid would show some signs of attraction. They were currently in the Addam’s hearse as Enid was fast asleep on Wednesday’s shoulder, earphones on. Wednesday meanwhile kept her hands folded on her lap as she was looking straight ahead, not moving as she didn’t want to wake Enid up. She looked out her window as she was subconsciously wrapping her arm around the taller girls waist, who let out a small whimper, showing happiness. Wednesday couldn’t help but smile at that as she knew they were close to home.

After 15 minutes they had pulled up, Wednesday thinking before she shook Enid gently. “Enid… wake up, we are home mi lobo,” she gently spoke as Enid grumbled before she stretched and yawned. She nodded as Lurch opened the door for them. She was usually quiet after waking up which Wednesday was fine with. They both proceeded to the door, Enid looking around as she was slowly processing her surroundings. Outside of her house, was Morticia with Pubert, Gomez and Pugsley with Thing on his shoulder.

“Welcome home dears,” Morticia spoke immediately. Since it was a motherly figure. Enid’s heart pounded a little faster.

“She is usually silent when waking up,” Wednesday informed them. 

“That is fine mi tormenta,” Gomez answered looking at the wolf. “My wolf, this is our family. Morticia, my lovely wife. Pugsley, my hellspawn as well as Pubert and you obviously know Wednesday,” he spoke happily. Enid nodded shyly. 

“Come, mon cheri,” Wednesday interrupted, grabbing Enid’s hand as she was leading her to a bedroom.

“Isn’t it rude?” Enid squeaked out. “To not let them finish,” she added on.

“Yes. But not if it’s them,” she answered, knowing Lurch would bring their bags up. Soon they were in a bedroom. “This is your bedroom. You may decorate it however you want as this is your permanent room now. Mine is across the hall,” Wednesday informed. Enif nodded, smiling. She was about to respond when her bags were put down by Lurch, who grunted out before leaving. Wednesday soon left, letting Enid adjust.

-

It was the first night, and dinner was being served. Enid was nervous as she was practically vibrating in her seat. Morticia was there after all as well as her husband. Wednesday meanwhile was sat next to her and was holding her hand gently whenever she could due to it being a simple soup they were having. Pugsley was detailing what he did during his day, causing a good distraction for her parents. Enid was soon done, having eaten fast as instinct due to how her mother thought food should be given. First it should be the males then the females. No wonder she was so scrawny…

“You want any more dear?” Morticia asked Enid once she realised, causing Enid to freeze. She looked at wednesday, silently whimpering as a yes. “She would like some more mother,” Wednesday spoke. Enid nodded shyly. Morticia stood up, getting the pot of soup and put it in the bowl. “So, Enid. How has your break been so far?” Morticia asked, to get to know the wolf girl even more.

“It’s been alright ma’am! I wolfed out during the full mon and I also went to see Bianca because she came over for a few days,” Enid explained. Morticia smiled, seeing Enid untense as she was close to Wednesday, who was holding her protectively. Slowly but surely, she was opening up more and more before she was looking at them more confidently. Morticia was happy about that. 

“You girls should probably sleep, you must be tired after travelling,” Morticia spoke caringly. Wednesday saw Enid’s eyes ell up as she was concerned before she nodded and scurried away. 

“I will comfort her. She isn’t used to motherly love,” Wednesday explained before following the wolf. Soon, she wandered into Enid’s new room but was confused when she saw no one before she went to her room. The wolf was bound to be there…. and she was correct. Enid was curled up on Wednesday’s bed, wearing one of her hoodies. “Sinclair, are you ok?” Wednesday asked looking at her. Enid jumped before she was looking over, embarrassed and nodded. 

“I just… your family is amazing and I wish I had a mom like yours,” Enid explained, curling up on herself. Slowly, the girl was going over and started to sit down, rubbing Enid’s back. Suddenly Enid launched onto her. “I wish I was apart of this family,” she sobbed out onto Wednesday. The smaller girl kept holding the taller one and was thinking. “You already are,” she admitted. “The… Addam’s have a curse. They only fall for one person and they can die from heartbreak or they can go crazy if they don’t get their love,” Wednesday explained. “And… it has struck me. Enid Sinclair, you have stolen my heart. You have stolen everyone’s heart. And… I want you to be mine but I wanted to know if you liked me before I confessed but alas… here I am,” Wednesday confessed. Enid was looking up at her with a shock then smiled gently, tears still cascading down her face. She was holding onto Wednesday’s neck. “So… I can be an Addams if I court you?” Enid hummed out. Wednesday nodded. “Courting is a complicated process I will warn but yes. You don’t have to court now however,” Wednesday answered.

“I want to,” Enid confirmed. Wednesday couldn’t help but smile. “Can we kiss while courting?” Enid asked. Wednesday nodded, her neck and ears red. She was flustered. Enid grinned, leanign in before she gently kissed Wednesday. Wednesday slowly held onto Enid’s side, kissing her with the same softness but showed her passion.

She was officially head over heels for Ewenid Sinclair and Enid only.

[bohemian-nights]

Lady Danbury: Chapter 3

Word count: ~5,155

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Lord Ledger x Lady Danbury

Warnings ⚠️: Sexual assault

Description: The new Lady Agatha Danbury was decidedly not happy. Neither was Lord Ledger. Perhaps they might find a bit of happiness in each other.

AN: This is a Lord Ledger x Lady Danbury AU fic. Some plot lines from Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story have been axed🪓

Chapter 1, Chapter 2,

Charlotte of Mecklenburg and Strelitz was brown. Very brown indeed, yet she was the reason for all the fuss. The hurried invitations to the royal wedding. Their new titles. Their ascension into British nobility that had long been denied. All because their new queen was brown. 

A fair young German bride they wanted for their Hanover king, but what they got was a girl with Moorish blood. Moorish blood that could not be so easily concealed.                                                             

The great experiment. That was what they were calling it. The great accident was more an apt term. Agatha did not believe that this had been the intention of the palace. She did not know Princess Augusta well or at all, but the woman did not seem as if she would knowingly marry her son, her only son, to a girl so obviously not one of them. 

A king's early days are a shaky thing. King George’s was no exception. An air of discord could be felt in his court. Between the growing tensions in the colonies who wanted more freedoms, parliament who wanted a present king who did not isolate himself at Kent, and the palace with Lord Butte breathing down her neck, the princess would not risk her son's crown so freshly into his reign to try out some grand experiment.

A quiet chaos had erupted. One which no one wanted to name, an uneasy balance that could topple over at any moment. And Agatha had found herself thrust between Princess Augusta who wanted her as a spy and the new queen who wanted her as a friend. 

Though precocious and clearly a bright girl, the queen was so very young. Her naivety shone through for all to see and if she were not careful it would be her downfall before she even had begun. The downfall of them all for this Great Experiment depended upon her success. A girl of seven and ten shipped off by her brother to be the queen of England with seemingly no real preparation.

She was not accustomed to English society. Charlotte was every bit the foreign queen. Her English was accented. Her manner of dress was ostentatiously European. Her hair was more African than Agatha’s curly ringlets that Coral set every night, but the queen's hair was Big and bold. Foreign. Her husband would never allow her to wear her hair in such a way.

She was far too trusting and willing to divulge what should remain private. The understatement and reserve of the English were lost to her. A girl with so much will and curiosity. The girl was a fish out of water. It would not do. 

Of course, Agatha had been younger than their queen when she had been married off, but she had known her duty. She was molded for it even if she had failed said duty. She knew her place and she knew what was required of her, but the queen was unaware of her role. 

“He was rude,” Charlotte complained to her when she had been invited to tea at Buckingham House. During the girls' honeymoon. A gaff which would have been disastrous if she had invited one of her other ladies or had informed them of what she had told Agatha.  “He just wanted to go home.” 

The king had left for Kew without consummating their union and the girl was ignorant of what the marital act entailed. Of how babies were made. Drawings. Agatha had to make her drawings of the act itself. Providing her with what little comfort she could. “It can be pleasant.” Though she had experienced that pleasantness herself. She sympathized with her, but there was so much at stake. Too much to leave with chance. 

Charlotte failed to understand the gravity of the situation at hand. She was unaware of the importance of her. Wrapped up in worrying over whether her husband liked or disliked her, but that was not the point of her union. Love is seldom the point, nor is it the foundation upon which a marriage is built. Her marriage was certainly more than love. The queen had more to worry about than personal sentiments.

The Queen had one duty. The same duty as any other woman. To continue on her husband's line. To bear and birth the next king of England.  If she did not do her duty, if she did not lay with her husband and produce a son and heir soon, those shiny titles their side of the Ton had been given because of her would be gone just as quickly as they had come about. The Great Experiment would become a mere blip in history. 

The queen's womb could not remain empty. Princess Augustus had made it plain that a royal heir, a baby, was needed to seal this adventure. Even then a baby was not the only thing needed for this experiment to be a success. 

“Girl.” They had called her girl. Lord Butte and Princess Augustus. Not Lady Danbury.  Not Countess Danbury. Not the tile which they had kindly bestowed upon her. Not even Mrs. Danbury. Girl.  

It stung like a prick on one’s finger. A reminder that they and their titles were so very new. Such a delicate thing. A delicate thing that Agatha was beginning to understand was not enough. A title was nothing by itself.

Not without land and income. They could not be denied membership at Whites and the taking up of their seats in the House of Lords or barred from any modistes they wished to take their business to. Their children should be allowed just as many seats at the likes of Eton and Harrow as the older gentry. 

Hunts, teas, and balls had to be held where both sides would attend with great zeal. Dance, make japes, admire, participate in gentlemanly competition, and gossip with one another. They could not just be equals in name only. That is what they needed above all. Regardless of these more true measures of their status as the nobility, a baby would be at the center of everyone's mind. Babies for the crown were not eagerly awaiting the next generation. 

Agatha’s own duty was brought back to the forefront. The baby race had begun anew. Mr. Danbury had finally become Lord Danbury. He had his title and he wanted the same as any other man. As any other lord. A son and heir. 

What was a title if there was no son which to inherit it. To continue on his line. His legacy. The Danbury legacy now. The Earl of Danbury. A nephew would no longer do. It mattered not if Agatha had secured land, a home befitting an earl, and an income of five thousand a year for his new title. If she must be a spy for the palace so that they might have all of those hall markers of their new station, without a son it would all be for naught. What good was Agatha if she did not birth her husband a son? 

She was still a very young woman. Her eighth and twentieth birthday had just passed. Lord Danbury mused that perhaps he had plucked her too soon from her garden. A damaged seed that had never been allowed to heal so that it may grow.

New doctors were called for. They had agreed with Lord Danbury's assessment. She had been too young. Made to bear a child before she was ready, but her body had quickened once. With a little patience, and the proper course of treatment, it could be made to do so again. 

Neither the bloodletting nor the leeches were employed. Lord Danbury had seen the folly of that road. It had nearly killed so they were not to touch her. He needed his wife whole. He would not admit that it had been she who had secured him their estate, perhaps he was even oblivious of it. 

Attributing his new possessions to his own connections and good name, but he needed her. It would be the most inopportune time to lose a wife. Especially one who had the ear and friendship of the young queen and the palace. 

Her old regiment of teas, herbs, and tonics was renewed. They banned her from eating fish and drinking champagne. She was given a bedtime as if she were a child. Her meals were no longer a thing of enjoyment. An odd mix of bland fares. The same every day. She ate porridge for breakfast or buttered toast, occasionally some fruit was thrown in as a treat. Soups were served for lunch that were more broth than anything and boiled pheasant with turnips for dinner. Half her food was drowned in butter making everything a taste of grease. 

The doctors had their disagreements and contradictions. One had boldly ventured to say that the fault of her failure to conceive may lie with Lord Danbury himself.  “Mayhaps your lordship might find that at your age it would be beneficial to begin your own regiment. It would aid in your wife’s conception tenfold." The poor man had been hastily discharged of his services after receiving an earful from her husband. The others had made note of their colleagues' dismissal and were wise to keep their treatments regulated to Lady Danbury. 

“Her ladyship must avoid stress,” Dr. Cots, a wiry man would repeat to her a dozen times with a tisk. He was well-meaning, but it was easy for him to tell her so when he was himself and allowed to be as he was. 

He did not have to deal with a princess who only saw her as useful so long as she provided her with the private details of a naive homesick girl, a queen who was oblivious to the needs of her subjects who looked like her, or a husband who obsessed over her womb more than she herself. He did not have to deal with the ever-growing list of demands made of her. To keep everyone happy or at least satisfied so that they may all get their piece. 

She could not rest. She was not just some simple woman. She was Lady Agatha Danbury now. She had her duties. Anytime not spent trying to conceive was spent trying to equalize their station. She could not sit upon her laurels at her leisure. Especially not now. Not when she had a ball, the first of the season, to plan. A ball which she had to go behind Princess Agusta’s back for. 

 A ball that had been met with a not-so-quiet opposition. Invitations had been sent to both yet none apart from her side of the Ton had answered with a firm acceptance and that was due in no small part to Lady Vivian Ledger who was leading the charge of said opposition. 

Agatha knew that the dowager princess did not like her, looked down upon her, and most certainly believed her to be an overly opinionated person. She had thought her to be a quiet little meek thing that would do her bidding without complaint or questions asked. 

She soon found that her church mouse had more mouth than she had expected and while it was an irritation, she, like Lord Danbury, had need of her so she tolerated her bouts of insubordination for the crown's benefit. 

Lady Ledger did not find her to be a thing in which to be tolerated in any such capacity. She made no secret of her disdain or at least she did not hide it very well. Of how she disliked being in her presence. Of having to associate with the new members of the Ton at all and she and Lady Danbury’s paths crossed frequently. Familiarity did indeed breed contempt for the more time Agatha spent in Lady Ledger’s company the more her own dislike of her grew. Boycotting her ball had been the latest in a long line of affronts from the horrid woman. 

Along with three other wives of the Ton, Lady Sylvia Cowper, Lady Margaret Meredith, Mrs. Camellia Thorpe, and Lady Lavina Allen, the two had both been chosen to be a part of the queen's court as her ladies. Those ladies were an overall horrid bunch of women that reminded Agatha of a pack of feckless birds. 

Their titles and the age of said titles, that was the first slight that Lady Ledger penned upon Agatha. It happened over the seating arrangement at tea. ”I believe that is Lady Danbury’s seat, Lady Ledger.” Charlotte gave Lady Ledger a polite smile when she had sought to seat herself to the queen's right. A place of honor reserved for the lady who held the highest title. 

“You may sit there.” The young queen pointed to the settee further to her right. A countess outranked a baroness. The order of rank took precedence in their new queen's court, but that ought not to be the order of things in Lady Ledger's opinion. 

Agatha was the wife of an earl, but the ink had not fully dried upon her husband’s title.  “Lord Ledger is the eleventh Baron Ledger.” That was what Lady Allen had told her when she had pulled her aside at tea with their queen. “Quite rich too my dear. Lord knows that it is the only reason why the two were matched together. Poor devil.”

Lady Allen was a tall, older, dark-haired woman with a pointed nose which gave her the appearance of haughtiness. Out of the horrid bunch she was the most agreeable. She had a reputation for her eccentricity; she was, however, not a truly awful woman. 

Her husband was a baron twice her age who seemed to renew himself with every year passed, the third Baron Allen, but she herself was the daughter of the Late Duke of Redford. A fact which she liked to lord over Lady Ledger whose own father had been a mere baronet, but from an old and rich line. Though it was nothing compared to the Dukedom of Redford and as such the two women were often at a crossfire. Agatha suspected that this crossfire was the reason why Lady Allen was so eager to make niceties with her in spite of her newness. 

To some, the age of the title Agatha had come to find mattered just as much if not more than the title itself.  The Earl of Danbury was a new title. They were a part of the new Ton. With the wrong set of features coming from distant exotic lands for good measure. 

What was the name Danbury compared to Ledger? The Ledgers may be just barons, but their family had held the title uninterrupted for four and a half centuries. “A fresh coat of paint stains one’s dress, soiling it beyond repair in most cases, when sat upon.” Lady Allen whispered before taking a sip of her tea. She was never one to mince words as uncomfortable as they may be, however, Agatha appreciated her frankness. 

Lady Ledger, whose title carried every bit the weight of those four hundred years of good gentile English society, believed that they would never dry and she would not let the new members of the Ton forget so. 

That stain followed Agatha everywhere she went. With every action she made. She was the outsider. That was made plain. Others followed her lead with glee. Her perfect little soldiers. Keeping the newly titled inline. It united the old Ton who were always at each other's throats with their schemes and plots brought about by petty grievances. They had a new enemy in which to ice over and out. 

Whenever she took up her seat beside the queen she was met with stony glares from the ladies in attendance well after the issue had been settled. If Agatha voiced her enjoyment at these gatherings, be it the music, the treats baked by the chefs, or something as simple as the weather, they would voice their objections to it. How very droll he plays. It is too sweet. The weather we had last week was much more pleasant. It is a bit too hot for my blood.

Her visits to their modistes were met with whispers. They would without an apology given, green, blue, or dark eyes that watched her every move like a hawk as she flitted about the store. If she tried to meet their gazes they would turn their own and feign interest in the silks that were on display. 

The modiste herself, a mousy French woman with a heavy accent, never turned her away, but if there were other patrons, patterns with pale faces who would not look her in the eyes, but would murmur to themselves around her. Mrs. Thorpe had rather loudly invited all of the queen's ladies to her estate for the hunting season. Everyone apart from Agatha.

It was not just she who received this icing. It would never just be one or two of them. They were all stains upon the Ton and were treated as such. Lady Kent was barred from the very same modiste Agatha had ordered her new gown for the ball from. The Duke of Hastings was refused entry to Whites. Lord Danbury had gone to hunt with the king but was denied from joining them. 

He had used it as an excuse, as if he really needed one for it was his right,  to take his frustrations out upon her. Coral had insisted that she draw her a bath, not caring if she washed away his seed, and procured some salve for inner thighs that had been rubbed raw from his badgering. 

The ball was a chance at remedying this deadlock in progress. They could not go on like this. Without recognition their titles meant nothing. Agatha had sent out invitations a month before the ball, but every Lord, Lady, and untitled gentleman in between of the old Ton found some excuse that kept them from attending or took to avoiding giving an answer to said invitation in its entirety. 

The dowager princess was no help to them. She wanted her to cancel her ball.  “The crown can not choose sides, Agatha.” She had told her with Lord Butte's sore face hissing on impartiality before being dismissed. Impartiality was the crown’s approach to everything, 

Yet it was they who had chosen to go through this experiment. To make them titled members of the Ton. To integrate them within society, but no one could say that any true integration had taken place. They would stay stuck in this place of limbo with no recourse. Would flounder and not even their queen seemed to care. 

Months rolled by, and their honeymoon was long over, but the queen's attention remained preoccupied, or rather obsessively fixated on her husband and his whereabouts. Agatha had tried to hint at the desperation of their situation, but the girl lived in her own world. She was entirely ambivalent about the needs of her people.

To that too Agatha could see that the fault did not lie with her. Charlotte was a girl who was unused to being othered. She had grown up with her place firmly set in the world. Her parents had ruled over their own land and her eldest brother after them. Their title and land had passed onto him without contest. 

She did not understand what it meant to be considered a foreigner in one’s own home. To be excluded from appropriate society. Not allowed lands or a title. Not even allowed attendance at a ball. She did not even see that she was different from the people who she ruled over now. The ones who sought to exclude her people. 

She had tried to get the girl to understand with less forthright means, but Agatha could no longer hold her tongue. “You hold our fates in your hands.”  Charlotte was the queen. She had to be the queen. It was all up to her. It was now or never that they would be seen as equals or fall back to the edges of society, to exclusion,  back to where they were supposed to be according to these people. “Your palace walls are too high, your majesty.” 

Truthfully Agatha did not know what to expect when she had left the queen on such a note. She had hoped that she had not driven the girl further away. She prayed that she had actually listened to her. The girl was so hardheaded, but she needed her to listen to her. For she could not cancel her ball. Not now. 

We are all given a lot in life, but that does not mean that circumstances can not change. Change is a constant in life and things had changed. They just needed a little push for those who doubted them to see that the only way was forward. 

Agatha would not have chosen this life for herself. She certainly would not have chosen to be Lord Hermain Danbury’s wife. To be made to simper to those who wished her to mind her place.  To be made into a vessel To go through all these treatments, the pain, the humiliations, in hopes of birthing an heir for a man who she loathed in so many ways, but could never fully express so. She had no control over that, but this she might. 

They deserved more than to be used and discarded as if they were rats in some madman’s lab. She would see that they got more. She could influence the queen. She prayed she could influence her.

In the end, her fretting had been for naught. It was not a mere minute past Lord Danbury obsessing over his appearance and worrying saying that their guest would never arrive did their first guest indeed arrive.

None other than Lady Ledger herself accompanied by her husband Lord Ledger. Her pale face strained under the weight of a poorly constructed smile that did not reach her icy irises. Agatha wondered how long she could hold that smile before it finally cracked and revealed some measure of truth.

Her husband, Lord Ledger held that very same false smile at first glance. It was not until Lady Ledger had taken back her hand with some speed to head into their drawing room that had been transformed into a ballroom with Lord Danbury hot on her heels,  did his eyes, which were a friendly shade of brown Agatha would later decide, warm. 

With a jolly smile, with a glimmer of mischief upon his face, he told her that Lady Ledger planned upon skipping their ball, but received a personal note from the King stating that he would be in attendance. Lord Ledger went on to state his admiration, offered his friendship, and invited her husband to join him on his hunts. 

His disposition was the opposite of his wife. It would appear that Lady Allen’s judgment of “poor devil” may have been the truth of the matter. Though at that moment she did not have much time to think on it. Her hosting duties quickly distracted her from the case that was Lord Ledger. 

Agatha breathed easier as the guest trickled in one after another. From both sides of the Ton. Thanking God above that the queen had listened to her. Of course getting both sides to attend the first ball of the season, the ball of the season, was only half the battle. 

The mood was low. Neither side would interact with one another. Once they had arrived they merely stood there. Huddled together making conversation with their old friends. Whispering to themselves and eyeing the other half or dancing only with partners from their side but making no move to venture out. Making no move to mingle. It might as well be that they were not even attending the same party Princess Augusta and her orchestra as always provided no help.

The dowager princess fanned herself as she looked around the tense room. Her eyes would catch Agatha’s every so often. Narrowing her gaze in disapproval. Lord Buttes' expression was as acerbic as ever. There was no joy in his stiff constitution. Agatha ventured to guess that his face may be permanently stuck in that position for she had not once seen him with so much as a hint of a smile. 

The champagne flowed freely, the music played on. She had provided everything she could, but she could not force them to play nice with one another to mingle. To make merry in the revelry as if they were old friends. 

The king and queen had arrived late, but they had arrived. Agatha had to thank the lord above for if they had not—she would not think of it. She could not think of it for Lord Ledger was making his over to her. Asking Lord Danbury for her hand for a dance. 

Agatha could not recall the last time she had danced with another. Danced at all. Her husband would always complain of a bout of gout or the quality of the music. “What a ghastly noise that fellow makes.” Lord Smthye-Smith at his wife’s urging, who had taken pity upon her when she had seen her staring off wistfully at the couple’s twirling around in front of them, had asked her to join him for a turn once, but Lord Danbury had refused his friend's offer. 

He blamed it on the pace of the dance then. “It is far too much exertion for Agatha.” However, her husband would not be able to deny Lord Ledger’s request nor did he want. The man practically jumped at the chance. A grin stretched his umber face. Exposing the cracks in his ashen skin  It was on her to turn down the invitation. 

Agatha wondered if it was a joke at her expense. Judging by the face Lady Ledger made her mouth drawn in a tight line, icy blue eyes scanning the room before she settled upon throwing glares her way, Lord Ledger’s request was sincere. She reached for his outstretched hand.  Letting the lord lead her to join the king and queen on the dance floor. 

She did not pay much attention to the song playing. Her mind was distracted with a thousand thoughts floating around. The man who had claimed her hand was chief among them. Perhaps it was wrong, but she could not help comparing Lord Ledger to her husband. 

Lord Danbury's hands were always cold when he took them in his for a round. Damp and clammy. Chapped and calloused from poor management and age. His grip would always pinch. He was a rather stiff dancer. Clumsy in his movements it was his croaky voice that made complaints upon her dancing abilities. 

Lord Ledger’s hands were warm. They showed signs of age, but they were steady. He glided around the dance floor with ease. His voice was not very deep, but it was soothing as was his smile. Making her cheeks warm ever so slightly with something light turning in the pit of her belly as he complimented her home and person. Everything about him was comforting as she took him in. 

“I had the pleasure of meeting your father the other day.” The lord began with after the second turn. Breaking her from her musings with a jolt. Nearly losing her footing at the change in conversation. A lump formed in her throat as she inquired about what might have been said. Dreading the answer. 

“I hope he was not too much of a bother my lord.” The years had not softened him quite the contrary. The man for all intents and purposes had become a recluse. With his only child married off, there was no need for him to be out in society. Joseph Robinson was content with his own company. He was not a man who had the ability to converse so easily. All stubbornness. Worse than Lord Danbury.

 Her husband would dismiss her suggestions and then employ them without so much as giving Agatha credit for them, but he would listen. With her father, it was his way or none at all. His self-imposed solitude seemed to drive him further into his convictions. 

“None at all my lady. Though I admit that he is quite the character.” His chuckle was as easy as his smile, it was meant to be reassuring but Agatha felt a flush. This time with embarrassment rather than those butterflies.  

She knew how that conversation went. My daughter is Countess Danbury. He’d make sure to mention that half a dozen times. She is one of the queen's ladies in waiting. Agatha must have taken to biting her lip or staring off for Lord Ledger gave her hand a small squeeze. “He could not stop speaking of you and now I do see why.” Levity returned as did that same fluttering. They danced in silence for the rest of the song. 

It was over far too soon. Their guests left with laughter on their tongues and a twinkle in their eyes. Agatha herself felt overjoyed, reeling from the excitement of the evening. The dancing, the champagne which she was allowed a glass, or two of, that buzzing which would not go away, but her elation at their success all ended when Lord Danbury dragged her to his bedroom. She was not the only one who had been left in a state of jubilation. The swell of the night caused for celebration. 

Her husband took her from behind with much vigor. Knocking her into the headboard with each thrust no matter what measures she took. Agatha always felt as if she were a mare in that position. Hated being reminded of the fact that she was one, but it had its benefits. It was preferable rather than having to face Lord Danbury. To have him wheezing down upon her and on that occasion, it might have saved her life. Or at least might have saved her from the humiliation of being found crushed half naked underneath his great weight gasping for breath. 

For all the doctor's visits at the Danbury residence, save for one, they had missed a more worthy patient. The circus of her womb was no distraction for Lord Danbury’s race against mortality. When it was said and done his quest for legacy had been in vain. He had not lived past three months of gaining his title. With no legitimate heir of his body in sight. 

And so Agatha’s marriage to Lord Danbury had ended in the way it was consummated. Staring up at the ceiling as her husband took his rights, hammering at her womb. While she waited for it all to be over. Prayed for it to be with each jab. Only this time, that prayer had been answered with a thump and a smile that would never fade. 

Ao3 Link:

Taglist: @dd122004dd @nametoshort @gracienna @woahwwes-blog @librarydame

[chim-chim1310]

i find it interesting how surprised people are about how th’s album is performing. non-pop bts releases have never done as well and honestly he’s doing pretty good for the lack of hype in the fandom. i think his stans were expecting that he was either going to get the premium package jk got (lol) or would single-handedly blow the others (particularly jm since they hate him with a passion) out of the water. and now that thats not happening their running around like chickens with their heads cut off bc somehow ig followers and tiktok views do not translate into streams and sales.

i’ve also seen people speculate on how much his whole relationship debacle may or may not have impacted the amount of fans he has, but honestly i dont think it has anything to do with the results he’s getting. the k-reception to their dating rumors was pretty mild and mostly positive. if anything it was i-armys who hate bp’s guts and delusional shippers who had issues with it and shippers are so out of their minds they immediately went into total denial and moved forward with their “husbands” agenda as if nothing ever happened.

nevertheless, i think its amusing to now see him do a personality 180 and want to pander to armys and shippers like never before lmao. not trying to say he doesn’t care about the fans (he came up with borahae after all) but he used to be the most “idgaf about anything and you cant make me” and now that that’s not really working out for him he’s course correcting. it reminds me of jk’s switch-up from “lets go higher” to 2 days later “sorry i just wanted to be cool” which just goes to show how much they keep tabs with what people are saying about them online.

Exactly!!!

Like he's suddenly all about armies armies. I laughed when he said that armies know him better than his dad. Like the ass licking.

Earlier he barely came on live for 1 or 2 minutes, he was the one who would talk shit to armies the most for which armies would call him savage but he was mostly rude. But yeah. He's suddenly so different. Like armies are his everything and shit and he's also doing the ot7 shit too. Like my members are my inspiration and other bullshit that he spewed during his interviews when everyone knows that he spends more time with wooga than with bts.

And you're right. It was just like jk being ungrateful during hot 100 and suddenly he couldn't believe that he won inkigayo and was thankful to fans.

It's funny actually.

[stormblessed95]

You married Jikookers, whenever point out some jkk moments as wierd, always say this happens in your married life, you and your partner have moments like that and explain it away. So lemme give some examples and say how you will feel if that happen in your life. Just very few examples. Let's see how logical it's to think Jkk is a irl couple .

Please don't give me some old links of yours as I've read all of that. I want how YOU, as a wife will feel about these when it happen in your life

1. You saying your husband always comes to your room to hang out and your husband immediately explains its because your room is close to him. How you feel ? The same thing Jimin must've felt.

2. Your guys friend saying he's gonna kiss you because of the way you look at him as a joke infront of your husband. How will that feel ? It's same for JK.

3. Your husband calling your common friend as the most good looking person he have ever seen. How it will feel ?

4. Your husband flirting openly in his sm, calling his followers pet names, replying as their bf/husband, fueling Y/N agenda and you are expected to accept is because it's part of his 'Job' when none of his colleagues do the same.

How does it feels when you put yourself in JK's or JM's shoes and if a moment like that happen in real life ?

I debated on answering this or just blocking you for being rude. But idk how many times I have to say every couple is going to have different relationship boundaries. Every single one. Just because you or I wouldn't be okay with something, doesn't make it wrong in another relationship if they are okay with it.

But sure. I'll answer this with more personal tidbits. Just for me to get to block someone else later today yelling at me for relating everything back to my personal life 😂 or maybe even you when you come back pissy about my answers because they weren't what you wanted.

1. THEY ARE TEASING EACH OTHER. When they say or do things like this. They are TEASING EACH OTHER. Teasing each other is lowkey a love language and sooooo many couples (at least the fun ones) do this. And yes, I tease my partner and he teases me back all the time. Including downplaying and joking around about the things we do. Such as this morning: "Omg Storm, personal space is a thing, jeez" he says and I snuggle up in our bed before waking up this morning. "Don't flatter yourself" I reply " its cold and I'm only using you for your body heat." And we both laugh and then kiss before getting up to take care of our kids and getting ready for the day. Among other examples of jokingly giving excuses and/or calling each other annoying/names as we do cute coupley shit or talk about it with our friends/each other. Also Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds? The way they tease and talk about each other so much and go out of their way to make jokes about each other but also are so clearly in love? What about them anon?

2) some of my husband's good friends he met through a work friend are polyam. And VERY openly flirty with everyone. The VERY first time I met them, one cracked a joke about getting my husband naked. Took me off guard at first. Eventually I educated myself a bit more about the difference between polyam and open relationship, realized this is just how they all are with each other and the people they are close to. It wasn't that she wanted my husband, not even close. She wasn't flirting with my husband for real. She would have also very willingly and since had in the future made similar jokes to/about me. She wasn't interested in either of us more than plantonically. Neither was her husband or either of their other partners. And so therefore, I realized that the jokes are just jokes and it's not something that should bother me and it wasn't meant as anything disrespectful. Therefore, i can now participate in and enjoy the jokes as well. My husband and I have a group chat with one other person, my best friend, who is also the mom of my kids best friend. My husband has that group chat titled in his phone as "my wives." Neither of us are actually interested in marrying or even slightly romantically/sexually attracted to my friend. It's platonic and yet, the She is our wife joke gets made CONSTANTLY. Related but also not, in Grey's anatomy remember when Callie moved in breifly with Derek and Meredith. And Meredith accidentally kissed Callie goodbye right after kissing her husband goodbye on like auto pilot? Lol

3. Idk what kind of relationships you are in, but alot of them, alot, are couples who enjoy looking and appreciating beautiful people together. And my husband literally said to me the other day "man, Jimin is like the most attractive person in the world. How do you feel knowing you settled?" Lol just for me to reply in kind about how it's a good thing I'm so attracted to him then, in detail, which yall don't need the rest of that story about where that went afterwards. Not to mention that appreciating people's beauty objectively together, as a couple, it's even more common in queer relationships than between two cishets together as well too. Just saying.

4. "None of his colleagues" wow I can't believe you forgot all of Yoongis flirting with ARMY. Man has proposed to us multiple times and accepted multiple proposals too. Literally signed an ARMYs marriage documents they brought at a fansign. Calling armys his girlfriends and giving pet names etc. I'm actually offended at the Yoongi slander here anon! My man is a flirt!! Don't forget it!

As for personal tidbits, I can't address this. Neither my husband nor I are famous or interact with a fanbase. @chikooritajjk flirts with me in my comment section at times though, as have a few other people, both of us very committed to our partners. I have a friend who jokes about if my husband is finally going to sign up to be poly and let her be my girlfriend. I'll redirect to point number 2 again about my husband's flirty friends. And end this with a question about if you question actors relationships and require the same validation of their relationship after they are in movies where they are making out with their costars but going home to their spouse? Because same thing really? But on an even lesser scale because these are faceless people online and not someone whose tongue you are sucking on. I mean, just saying.

Married with his wife:

Acting as Jim and Pam (with not his wife):

Probably not the answers you are hoping for anon. Sorry, but that's them. It's okay, you or anyone else are Free to now come ranting into my inbox about it. I'll be looking forward to it! Ultimately it again, comes down to how my boundaries, your boundaries, Jungkooks boundaries, Jins boundaries, my neighbors boundaries and your moms boundaries in relationships (all relationships. Platonic and romantic etc) will all be different. And that's okay. It's okay to have a line in the sand that you aren't okay with and it's okay for people in relationships that have nothing to do with you to not have that same line.

EDITING BECAUSE I HAVE TO ADD LMFAO I brought up Blake and Ryan in point 1, but an additional point including them....

Remember how Ryan Reynolds kissed Andrew Garfield just for giggles at the Golden Globes? And Blake laughed her ass off over it? Yeah, are we going to say they aren't a couple or married now too? 🤣🤣

Everyone's boundaries are different friends.

[mesillusionssousecstasy]

Dubai Bling : Season two

It was as unintellectual as season one.

It's so sad to know that Ebraheem cannot make his is coming out, and he is unhappy to be in the closet because of the close-minded of his country.

However, the outfits of the cast are always amazing.

Safa is always the pioneer in fashion.

And of course, LJ will say no to the marriage proposal, she is fucking beyond rich, she doesn't need a husband.

Some quotes:

"- We can't call them all buddies or friends. This is a group of people that sometimes have to tolerate each other, because there are people in common, that think it's a good idea to put everyone together in the same room." (Zeina - Episode 1)

"- You don't feel or you don't see any emotion? 'Cause, like, sometimes, you don't want to see any emotion." (Episode 2)

"- Zeina and I, we are friends. But who is Zeina, or anyone else for the matter to tell me who I can and can't be with?" (Episode 2)

"- I'm sick and tired of people wearing masks all the time, pretending to be different to who they really are." (Episode 2)

"- Don't underestimate me. I'm quiet of my own volition." (Episode 2)

"- They're related? They're not relatable." (Episode 2)

"- Who runs away from a crime scene? A guilty person." (Episode 2)

"- Actions speak louder than words." (Episode 3)

"- The best way sometimes to settle a confrontation that may be coming is just to get up and leave. And the bigger man has to do that." (Episode 3)

"- Don't expect your husband's magic lamp to make your dreams come true." (Episode 3)

"- Fahad, I'm gonna do it. Life in plastic, it's fantastic." (Safa - Episode 4)

"- They take it to a level where they rent their lifestyle. Their cars, their outfits, their personalities," (Safa - Episode 5)

"- You like surprises, no?" (DJ Bliss) - I do like surprises, but I also like to know what they are." (his wife - Episode 6)

"- Why would you do that?" (Ebraheem - Episode 6)

"- Farhana if she wants to meet someone, she should come to me. I know a lot of guys." (Ebraheem - Episode 6) -> Of course you do!! ;)

"- Well, too bad, so sad." (Zeina - Episode 7)

"- Rude is an understatement. Disrespectful." (Episode 7)

"- Shall I just say this? - Yes. -What they don't know doesn't hurt them." (Episode 8)

[m-jelly]

Love's thorny grip - Chapter 4

Incredible banner by @ladycheesington <3 I adore it so much. She's so incredibly talented. Go follow her! I wonder what he's thinking...

Pairing: Levi x Reader

Genre and tags: Royal AU, romance, falling in love, soft yandere Levi, plot development, fluff, rough Levi, angst, emotional, confessions, smut, rough smut, possessive sex, fingering, multiple orgasms, creampie, talks of contraception, use of contraception, aftercare.

Concept: You meet another potential husband and things seem to go well with him until you get ill from your corset being too tight. Levi saves you from your tight corset almost breaking your ribs. You and Levi have an emotional chat as your feelings about your life come out and Levi feels guilty. You go on a date with your potential husband and see his true colours. A jealous Levi confronts you as you both share an emotional moment before kissing. You both confess to a few things before parting ways, but Levi returns later and takes you back to the palace and makes passionate love to you in his study.

AO3 Link

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 The end

Ola yanked your corset hard making you whimper. “Sorry, my lady, but my lord asked for you to be dressed in your best.”

You panted a little. “I know, but my corset is really tight.”

“You have to have a good figure. Your father hopes this one goes well because it’s so important.”

You winced when you felt your ribs on the cusp of snapping. “Okay.”

She grabbed your dress and helped you into it. “There, you look like a delicate flower.”

You sat down and groaned. “Thank you?”

She put your hair up nicely before doing your makeup. “This guy is wonderful. I know you have been sabotaging the other dates, but you should give this man a go. He is stunning and from another land. He’s a dream.”

You let out a long sigh. “Sure.”

She stepped back and smiled. “There, close enough to beautiful.”

You pouted a little. “You have such an attitude sometimes.”

“I like to keep you on your toes.”

You walked with Ola through your home and down to the back garden to see the tea area was set up under a canopy. You let out a long sigh and prepared yourself to reject your next potential husband. You heard a nice deep laugh from a man. You stopped in your path and Ola hurried over to your parents and announced your presence.

Your heart throbbed in your chest as you saw a man rise to her feet. You watched a man wearing long light lavender robes move closer to you. You blushed as an elegant tall man walked closer to you. Part of his black hair was tied up in a little bun with a silver clasp on it, the rest was long and stopped just above his bum. He was wrapped up in his perfect robes with sashes added to keep them together.

He stopped in front of you and bowed as he said your first name. “I am honoured to finally meet you.”

You jumped a little before bowing to him. “Uh, nice to meet you.”

He hummed a laugh. “Wonderful bow, great form and you bowed so low. I am honoured you think so highly of me.”

You looked up at him before standing. “I uh…”

He placed his hand on his heart. “Prince Ji-Woo Min. You may call me Ji-Woo.”

You fiddled with your dress. “Is that not rude? I mean, I was told in your country I am supposed to address you by your title and last name.”

“I want you to call me by my name.”

You gulped hard. “All right, Ji-Woo.”

He offered his hand. “Join me for tea. I have brought some wonderful things from my country.”

You took his hand and walked with him to the sitting area to see your very happy parents waiting, a table covered with food you’d never seen before and two servers. You blushed as he pulled your chair out for you and let you sit. You fiddled with your dress as the Prince poured you a cup of tea for you both. You felt nervous because you didn’t want to offend the Prince in any way. You saw your parents seemed so happy.

Ji-Woo handed you the cup with no handle. “Go ahead.”

You held the cup and blew on the hot tea. “Green tea.”

He nodded. “That’s right.”

You sipped it under his keen gaze. “Mm, it’s lovely.”

He offered you a plate of cookies. “Try a Yakgwa. It’s a honey cookie.”

You picked up one and took a bite. “Mm, I like it.”

“I am glad.” He reached over and tucked a loose strand of your hair back. “Your hair is so soft.”

Ola bowed deeply. “Forgive me, your Prince Min for missing that part of her hair.”

Harold hushed Ola. “Don’t speak to him unless he asks.”

Ji-Woo ignored Ola and noticed your chest was heaving more than what should be normal. “Are you all right?”

You smiled at him. “Mhmm. I’m good.”

Harold grinned and called your name. “I met the Prince here when I went to his country for trading. We have a contract with him, one that you made up for me.”

Ji-Woon chuckled. “You are a very smart woman.”

You blushed a little. “Thank you.” You winced a little and rubbed your stomach. “I hope you do not mind, but I need to go for a walk.”

Ji-Woo stood up and offered his hand. “Allow me to escort you.”

You took his hand and marvelled at how soft his skin was. You walked with him away from your parents and noticed a big umbrella held above you both by one of his attendants. “Do your attendants always hide you from the sun?”

“Yes. I enjoy being pale.”

You hummed. “You do have very lovely clean and soft skin.”

“Thank you. Plenty of soaks in milk and honey baths.”

You smiled softly at him. “I’ll take note.”

He paused and touched your cheek. “You don’t need any special baths. You really are a vision.”

You turned your head from his touch. “Why would a Prince like you be interested in a woman like me? I’m just a daughter of a sugar trader.”

“You are still a woman of status if you were in my country.”

You nibbled your lip. “I suppose.” You gazed at him. “I am sorry I don’t have much confidence. I mean, my father has been setting me up with many terrible people, so excuse my hesitation.”

He chuckled. “Don’t be sorry. My father is the Emperor of my country and he has been trying to set me up with many ladies, but you are the first I’ve actively gone for on my own.”

You smiled at him. “I’m not as great as my father may have said I am.”

“You’re better.” He frowned a little. “I was meant to get a painting of you, but it seems someone has bought your painting.”

You laughed a little. “I can’t imagine who bought my painting.”

“A lucky person.” He walked up to you and cupped your face making you look up at him. “I can get a painting commissioned again. Your beauty should be captured.”

You placed your hands on his and removed his hands from your face. “Thank you, but I don’t need it.”

He hummed a laugh. “Very well.” He placed his hand on the middle of your back. “Let us sit together.”

You watched as his assistants rushed around to put a sitting area on the floor. “Oh, how nice.”

Ji-Woo sat down on the cushions and pulled you close. “Sit with me.”

You worried a bit about your corset, but you didn’t want to be rude. You carefully sat down and kept your back straight. “Thank you.” You looked up as the wind rushed through the trees. “It’s nice here.”

“Indeed. I will take you to my country and show you the wonderful nature there.”

You hummed. “I can imagine it.” You blushed when you felt soft warm lips against your cheek. You turned your head and blushed as Ji-Woo pulled back. You looked at his slightly pink lips from a special lip colour. “Did you just kiss my cheek?”

“I did.”

You touched your cheek a little. “Oh, well thank you.”

Ji-Woo moved closer to you making you flinch and move back from him. “Don’t run. I won’t hurt you.”

You yelp and fell back on the floor as your ribs hurt. “Ow.”

Ji-Woo’s eyes widened as he said your name. “What’s wrong!? What happened?”

You cried at the pain in your ribs. You didn’t think you broke anything, but it hurt like hell and the more you cried the more it hurt. You were in so much pain that you couldn’t speak to Ji-Woo to tell him what was wrong. You rolled onto your side and looked to the side of your garden to see Levi running over.

Levi jumped over the small fence and sprinted over to you. He shouted your name before dropping to his knees. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” He studied you and noticed your breathing was off and you were patting your waist. “Her corset. Her corset is on too tight.”

Ji-Woo blushed. “We can’t touch it. It would not be proper of us to do so!”

Levi rolled you over in his arms and opened up the back of your dress. “I’ll do it.” He looked at the tight knots. “Knife! Have you got a knife?”

Ji-Woo nodded and pulled a knife off his belt. “Here.”

Levi yanked it from him and sliced the ribbon tying your corset together. He tossed the knife and yanked your corset open and smiled when he heard you gasp in relief. He eyed your back to see red marks all over it. He rubbed one spot making you hum in delight. He rolled you over in his arms and held you as you lay there panting.

You opened your eyes and smiled. “Thank you.”

Levi rubbed your cheek. “I’m glad I got to you in time.”

Ji-Woo gazed at you. “What would have happened?”

Levi smiled at you. “Broken ribs and they could have shattered and pierced her organs.”

“Such horrible things. Why was it so tight?”

Levi glared at Ji-Woo. “It was done to impress you. Ola her maid was probably ordered by the Lord to make her look as appealing as possible to you.”

Ji-Woo’s eyes widened. “That’s not who I am.”

Levi didn’t like Ji-Woo because there wasn’t really much wrong with him. Levi had researched as much as possible, but he couldn’t find a single thing and it pissed him off. “She needs new clothes.”

Ji-Woo turned to his assistants. “Dress my date in our traditional clothes.”

The female assistant offered her hand to you. “This way, my lady.”

You held your dress against you and walked behind a little screen the other held up. “Thank you.”

She bowed and bound your breasts before wrapping you up in a dress. “Is this okay, my lady?”

You nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

She let your hair down. “You and the Prince are perfect for each other.”

You smiled as you thought of Levi. “Yeah, we are.”

“I’m glad you think so. You’ll make a fine Empress.”

You frowned. “Empress?”

She nodded. “Yes to my Prince.”

You hummed and thought about Ji-Woo. It was true Levi had never offered to marry you that you knew of, and Ji-Woo seemed so kind to you. You smiled a little and bowed your head. “Thank you.” You walked over to Ji-Woo and Levi. “These are nice.”

Ji-Woo blushed. “You…you wear my people’s clothes so well.” He smiled at you. “You are so beautiful.”

Levi gazed at you with wide eyes. He thought you were stunning, but he also hated it because it made you look more like you belonged to Ji-Woo. “You…hm…” He looked away as he felt a dark voice screaming in his head about you and him. “Perfect…”

You walked closer to Levi. “Are you okay?”

He nodded sadly. “Mm.”

You held Levi’s hands. “I have an idea.” You turned to Ji-Woo. “My friend is upset. Do you mind if I go with him to help him?”

Ji-Woo walked closer to you and kissed your cheek. “Friends are important. I will take you on another date soon.”

You smiled at him. “Thank you.” You put your arm around Levi and walked with him towards the woods. “Talk to me.”

Levi gulped hard. “It’s just…you wear those clothes so well.”

You let out a long sigh and held his hand. “When I was little, I wanted to be this brave hero so badly. I saw all the boys acting this way and I wanted to as well. It wasn’t fair I had to be this proper cute thing.” You stopped under a tree and ripped your dress so your legs were free. “I used to rip my dresses a lot so I can do things like this.”

Levi watched you climb the large oak. “Careful.”

You looked down at him. “I used to climb things all the time. One day, I fell from such a height that it terrified my parents.” You stopped and sat in the tree and sighed. “They thought something like that would scare me, but it didn’t. When I got better I climbed a tree again, a bigger one than the one I fell out of.”

Levi sat next to you. “So, you’re a stubborn brat.”

You hummed a laugh. “I am and for a small moment, my father saw me for what I was. A person with a passion and a fire to push the boundaries. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. He changed his mind after some time and he’s gotten worse.”

“I’m sorry.”

You stared out at the land. “I know people have it harder and I shouldn’t complain. I just thought I’d share my worries with you so you don’t feel so alone.”

Levi hummed in response. “May I ask you something?”

You nodded. “Anything.”

“Will you be going on another date with him?”

You laughed a little. “Like I have a choice.”

He gripped the branch. “You always have a choice.”

You welled up. “He’s the only one I have left!” You looked at Levi as you cried causing his heart to break. “All the men put forward to marry me have all runaway or disappeared.” You shook your head. “Honestly, I don’t blame them. I’m nothing special, so it makes sense they didn’t want me. Ji-Woo is the last one. So, it’s not like I’ve got any options.”

Levi softly said your name as he felt a heavy weight of guilt. “I…”

You heard Ola call for you. “My father wants me by the sounds of it.” You smiled at Levi. “Sorry for making the mood bad and taking the moment from you.”

Levi shook his head. “Don’t be sorry, okay?”

You leaned over and kissed his cheek. You smiled sadly at him before mumbling under your breath hoping Levi wouldn’t hear you, but he did. “If only you offered marriage.”

Levi’s heart jumped in his chest. “Ah…” He watched you hurry off to Ola. ���Shit…shit, shit, shit, shit…”

You walked with Ji-Woo and smiled at him as you looped your arm over his. You looked up at the umbrella and heard Ji-Woo’s chuckle. You blushed a little and looked away from him. “I’m not used to it, okay?”

“It’s adorable.” He stopped and took you in. “You look enchanting in this dress I gifted you.”

You fiddled with the traditional dress. “Thank you.”

He lightly caressed your cheek. “Truly you are a divine goddess.”

“You’re too kind.”

He hummed a laugh and held your chin. He lifted your head a little and leaned closer. He paused a moment and stopped himself from kissing you. “Forgive me. I was about to force a kiss on you.” He kissed your forehead. “I want you to care for me. I want this to be good and romantic.”

You giggled. “You’re a sweet man, you really are, but I truly think you deserve better.”

“Says who?” He put his arm around you. “Come, let me show you the ship I arrived on. I bet it is like nothing you’ve seen before.”

You smiled softly. “I’m excited to see.”

He led you to the pier full of Levi’s impressive ships and there to the side of them was another massive ship with grand decorations. “What do you think?”

“Oh, wow. This is magical.”

He smiled and walked up the platform and pulled you along. “I want to show you around. Come.”

You blushed as the sailors gazed at you in awe. You blushed a little and stopped walking. “Ji-Woo, I don’t know about this.”

“Don’t pay them any attention. You are higher than them. Plus, they have never seen me with a beautiful woman before.”

You released a long sigh. “Are you sure?”

He nodded and pulled you along. “Come.”

You looked over at some sailors speaking in a different language you smile at them and saw them blush hard and bow to you. “Why are they bowing?”

Ji-Woo chuckled. “They believe you will be their next Empress.”

You walked with him inside the ship. “Ah, but I haven’t accepted your proposal.”

He stopped by the slide doors. “I know, but they don’t know that.” He moved open the slide doors to reveal a royal futon on the floor with drapes, along with a table on the floor and a sitting area. “Let’s sit for a moment.”

You nodded and walked with him expecting him to lead you to the sitting area, but instead, he took you to the bed. You sat down and felt a little stiff. “This is lovely.”

Ji-Woo undid his outer robe slowly. “Thank you, but our palace is finer.”

“Our palace?”

He nodded as he removed all but his lower robe. “Yes.” He sat on the bed next to you. “What is mine will be yours, but you won’t have equal power. I will lead the country and I just ask for you to look pretty and provide me with an heir.”

You locked eyes with him. “But I want to help. I don’t want to sit around all day. I want to work.”

He reached over and pulled on a tie on your robes. “You don’t need to. I will support you.”

You stopped his hand and held it. “I’m sorry, I need to think.”

He pulled back. “But.”

You rose to your feet. “This is a big commitment. You are asking for me to give up part of my personality and passions. I don’t want to be some doll that only makes babies. I do want babies, but I also want to help with policies and changes. I want to feel equal with my husband, not below him.”

He stood up. “You won’t be below me. You will be above me. You’ll be a goddess among men. People around my country will worship you.”

“I don’t…” You turned to him. “I need to think. I’m sorry.”

He released a long sigh. “Very well.” He took your hand and kissed the back of it. “I await your return.”

You smiled and then frowned when something hit your thoughts. “Wait…we’re you trying to have sex with me?”

He blushed. “My apologies. I let my dark desires get the best of me. You should go.”

You stared at him. “You…I thought…so, you just wanted my body.”

He shook his head. “No! No, that is not…I am sorry. I am truly sorry. I believe we should have a restart.”

You held back tears. “I need to go.”

“Do what you need to. I support you.”

You hurried out of his room and off the ship with your outer robe pillowing open. You rubbed your tears away and hiccuped as you felt confused and broken. You didn’t know what to do with yourself. You jumped when Levi appeared next to you saying your name and looking angry. You rubbed your tears. “I’m not in the mood for teasing, Levi.”

He growled. “I need a word.”

You came to a sudden stop when Levi stood in front of you. “Leave me alone.”

“Never.”

You turned and hurried into the woods along a path you’d used often. “I have told you, I am not in the mood!”

He noticed your dress was open and felt enraged. He ran after you and grabbed your wrist. “Hey!”

You struggled in his grip. “Stop it.”

He released your wrist. “Would you just let me speak!?”

You stopped and panted. “What? What do you want? I’ve had enough demanded of me, so why not add more to it.”

He stared at you. “Your outer dress is open. Did you have fun with your Prince from another land?”

You scoffed. “What is your problem?”

“You’ve been running around with him and acting all happy and silly.” He walked closer. “You enjoy playing house with him? Did you enjoy him touching you? Did you enjoy him fucking you?”

You slapped Levi across the face and cried. “I expected this from others, but not from you.”

Levi touched his cheek before glaring at you. “What. Did. He. Do.”

You shook a little. “Why do you care? You just play with my emotions. You don’t care about me. I’m just a fun toy for you.”

Levi stormed towards you but you backed up. “Answer me! What did he do!?”

You bumped into a tree. You squeezed your eyes tightly and broke. “He tried to fuck me!” You shook and started crying. “I thought he was different, but he’s just like everyone else.” You put your head in your hands and cried. You explained what Ji-Woo told you as Levi quietly listened. You poured your heart out to Levi as you sobbed. You told him your desire to marry someone who will treat you as an equal when it comes to working. “I’m tired, Levi. I’m so tired of it all.”

Levi pulled you into his arms. “I’m sorry.”

You clung to him and sniffed. “I don’t get it. Why are you so nice to me?” You pulled back from him. “I don’t get it. You’re so nice. You tease me. You play with me. Am I just a toy to you?”

He shook his head. “No, you’re not a toy.”

You rubbed your tears. “Then what am I? If am not then why haven’t you offered marriage? If you don’t want me, please stop.” You looked at him with pleading eyes. “Please stop. I can’t take empty flirting anymore.”

Levi stared at you and felt like it was now or never. He wrapped his leather-gloved hand around your neck and pressed you against the tree making you whimper. He eyed your lips and crashed his own against yours before you could say anything to him. He pulled back a little to test you.

You grabbed Levi’s blazer and tugged his body against your own. You pressed your lips against Levi’s and moaned. You tilted your head to the side and flinched a little when Levi nipped your lip. You mewled at Levi when his tongue pressed into your mouth. You shivered in pleasure as he pressed his body fully against your own and took control.

Levi was in pure pleasure-filled bliss as his tongue moved with yours. He had followed you, watched you, and protected you from bad dates for months and months. He couldn’t believe his dream was coming true. He was finally kissing the woman who had command over his heart and soul. He finally had you. He knew he had to confess the truth to you about everything, but he’d do that in time.

He pulled back from your lips and enjoyed your gasp and pants as air rushed into your lungs. He leaned closer and lightly kissed your lips. “I suppose I should explain myself.”

You nodded. “You should or I will slap you again.”

He sighed as his hand released your neck and ran down a little to your chest. He hummed as he tried to organise his thoughts. “I have asked for your hand in marriage.”

You blushed hard. “You have?”

He nodded. “I asked your father the same day I brought you home from my palace. I knew I wanted to spend my life with you at the ball and after.” He smiled a little. “Something hit me.”

You snorted a laugh. “I hit you.”

“Mmm, that was it.”

You giggled a little. “Wait, so you asked?”

Levi moved his hand up and rubbed your cheeks. “I asked your father and he banned me from seeing you, which is why I keep sneaking around. It is also why I’ve been working my ass off.”

Your eyes widened. “Wait, so you working hard for over two months and not seeing me was to impress my father?”

He nodded. “I know I could probably just grab you and marry you, but I want your father’s approval because he’s pushing marriage so much.” He held your hips. “You mean so much to me. In the months we’ve been around each other…” He smiled a little. “It’ll be a year in two months.” He locked eyes with you. “Well, in that time I have fallen so madly in love with you.”

You gazed at Levi and welled up. “Me too.” You cupped Levi’s face. “I’m in love with you. I’ve been dying for you to offer a marriage proposal because I want to be with you, but I never knew all this was going on.”

He smiled softly at you. “If you only knew the things that have been going on.”

You gazed at Levi, your eyes searching his as a cold wind drifted past you both. You smiled at Levi before jumping into his arms and holding him tightly. “I’m so happy.”

Levi squeezed you tightly and smiled. “I am too. I have you. I finally have you.” He released a long sigh. “I should get you home. You need to rest after what you’ve been through.”

You slipped out of Levi’s arms. “I am rather tired.”

“You need plenty of rest.”

You rubbed your eyes. “Yes.”

He held your hand and walked with you through the woods to your home. “I’ll free you, I promise.”

You stopped below your window and gazed at Levi. “I know. I believe we’ll be together.” You held Levi’s hands. “I mean, you can always kidnap me again.”

Levi stared at you. “That is very tempting.”

You hummed a laugh and kissed him. “It’s just an idea, my love.”

“My little kitten could be all mine.”

You giggled. “You’re cute.” You kissed him and moaned against his lips. “I would love to run off with you, but I should get some sleep.”

He nodded. “Yeah…” He watched you climb up into your room before leaning out and blowing him a kiss. Levi blew you a kiss back and watched you go. “Fuck…I miss her.”

Levi backed up and returned to the palace. He sat in his study and began working on his papers and thinking of ways to hurt Ji-Woo without starting a war. He let out a long sigh and stared at his file on Ji-Woo. He wanted and needed something, anything to get back at the man who made his precious little kitten cry her eyes out.

He sat back in his seat and grumbled a little. He shot up from his seat and went to a locked room. He slipped inside and stared up at a painting of you. He smiled softly at how beautiful you looked in it, but he preferred the real thing. He left the room and locked it again before returning to his office. He paced the room and stopped by the wall made of bookshelves covered in books.

Levi touched his lips and thought about your lips and tongue. He shivered and moaned at the thought of you. An idea flickered in his head like a flame on a candle. He thought about touching himself, but now you and he had confessed your love to each other he just wanted to go see you as soon as possible. He glanced at the time and saw it was the middle of the night, but he just needed to get to you.

He climbed out of his window and ran through the night in the rain to your home. He clambered his way up the building and fell through your open window making you jump. He stood up and panted as he stared at you sitting in your bed with a book. He gulped hard seeing you were still dressed and you too couldn’t sleep.

You blushed a little and closed your book. “Levi, you’re back.”

He panted as he gazed at you. “You should be asleep.”

“And you should be back at your palace.”

He gulped hard. “Well, I couldn’t stop thinking about you so I came here.”

You smiled softly. “Well, I couldn’t stop thinking about you so I stayed up.” You got off your bed and walked over to Levi. You grabbed his waist and kissed him. “Take me back to the palace, please.”

He nodded before grabbing your hand and running with you towards your window. You climbed onto Levi’s back as he moved down the house and onto the ground below. You dropped off his back and held his hand tightly before running with the crown Prince in the middle of the night while the rain poured down on your both. You both giggled playfully as you made your way to the palace.

You climbed onto Levi’s back and smiled as he made his way up the wall and onto the balcony of his study. You stumbled inside and hummed at the warm air due to the crackling fire. You hugged yourself and looked around as Levi yanked off his wet blazer and boots. “So cosy.”

Levi looked over at you. “You should take off your shoes and outer dress before you catch a cold.”

You nodded and kicked off your shoes. “You’re right.” You reached behind your back and huffed. “I can’t reach the ties on my dress. Could you help?”

Levi’s hands shook as he slowly opened the back of your dress. He shivered when your back and corset became exposed to him. He moved before his mind caught up with him. He pressed a gentle kiss against the crook of your neck as his gloved hands moved under your dress and across your corset. He gripped you and yanked you roughly against him making you moan so deliciously for him as your dress dropped in a heavy wet heap on the floor.

You panted and sighed as Levi sucked and kissed your sensitive skin. You turned your head as he kissed up your neck. You gazed at Levi before turning around and kissing him passionately. You both sighed in contentment as your lips and tongues moved together in pure love for the other. You bit Levi’s lip making him flinch at your action.

Levi licked his lip and purred at you. “Oh, so you want it like that, huh? Well, I can play along, kitten.”

You gasped as he slammed you against the bookshelf making a few books fall from their slots. Levi’s lips crashed against your own in a fiery heated passion that burned in both your souls. You moaned against his lips as his body grinded against yours causing friction of desire for something more heated between the two of you. You clung to your lover’s shirt and held on in sheer desperation that he wouldn’t just disappear any moment.

Levi released your lips and panted heavily, his normally tamed hair a wild mess, his pupils wide. His eyes bore into your heaving chest as an idea burned inside him. He grabbed the edges of your corset and tore the thick fabric open leading to your plump breasts to funnel through the parting of clothing like they were rushing to escape. Levi was in awe of your delicious soft breasts now revealed to him. He was salivating at the mere sight.

His leather-gloved hands gripped onto your sensitive mounds and began to massage. He delighted in your whimpers and moans of pleasure from his loving touch. You tangled your fingers in his wet raven locks and tugged playfully as one of your nipples entered his mouth. He sucked and hummed as his dreams came true. He delighted in your sweet moans, which were far better heard this close than through a bathroom door.

His mouth moved from breast to breast as if he could not possibly get enough of either. He kept sucking and eventually started biting to form love bites all over your soft breasts. Each mark upon your skin was a public declaration from Levi that you were his and only his. He showered your chest in love and affection before his hunger turned to need something much more.

You threw your arms around Levi’s neck and kissed him in desperation. You adored his attention on your boobs, but you needed more attention on your lips. You felt yourself melting into his kisses because his feelings for you burned into your skin and through to your bones. You could feel that this man truly loved you with every soft moan and needy kiss. You needed him. You needed so much more that you felt like you were burning.

His gloved hand dove below your bloomers and sought out its wet and hot prize. He smiled against your lips as his fingers ran slowly over your slit and felt how smoothly they moved, meaning you were positively dripping for him. He moved two fingers up and down your slit and parted your lips. Your delicious juices covered his gloved fingers allowing them to glide smoothly against you.

You moaned in pleasure as two gloved fingers rolled your clit so delicately as if it was a precious jewel to be marvelled at. You shivered your legs open to allow the man you loved to move his fingers against your clit. You whimpered as his fingers moved quicker and set in motion your build-up to a body-shivering orgasm. You felt your whole body tingle and your vagina pulse with a need for something big and thick to be plunged deep within it.

You clung to Levi and cried into the kiss as pleasure rushed through your body at two of Levi’s fingers pushing deep into your pussy. You slapped a hand against Levi’s back and tugged on his shirt as his fingers pumped themselves in and out of you. You wiggled against his hand as his thumb rolled against your clit sending more pleasure through your body.

Levi smiled against your lips when you rocked your hips against his fingers. He moaned in bliss as you started to use his fingers for pleasure. He moved with you and matched your motions causing you to moan higher in pitch into the passionate kisses. He moved his other hand up to caress your body before pinching your right nipple between his finger and thumb. He growled against your lips as your pussy walls clenched his fingers over and over as your body rushed towards your blissful completion.

You moaned against Levi’s lips as your coil snapped inside you. You bucked against Levi’s hand as your orgasm washed over you like a tidal wave of hot water. You tugged and gripped at Levi’s shirt as his hand kept moving to help you ride out your orgasm for as long as possible. You hummed as Levi’s fingers slowed their movements until he finally dragged his finger from you.

You released Levi’s lips and panted. “Fuck.”

Levi licked his fingers clean before your eyes. “Mmmmm, you taste delicious. You are a fine delicacy of a meal.”

Your cheeks heated up. “Th-thank you.” You grabbed his shirt and yanked him close into another deep and loving kiss. You moaned against his lips as you felt his erection in his trousers press against you. “Mm, Levi. Please.” You fumbled with his trousers. “Levi.”

Levi panted against your lips and took over dealing with his trousers as you yanked your bloomers off and tossed them. He yanked his big thick erection out and pumped it in his hand a few times. He lifted you and rammed his cock deep into your pussy making you scream in pleasure and cum hard around his cock as books fell off the bookshelf. He panted as your walls spasmed around his member as your orgasm consumed you. He purred as he felt your delicious juices pour from you and wrap around his cock.

He purred against your lips and spoke in a teasing tone. “Is that how you liked to be fucked?” He thrust once, into you and moaned. “Like this? Hard and rough?”

You whimpered against his lips. “Y-yes.”

He kissed you roughly. “Well then, if that’s what the love of my life wants, that’s what she gets.” He spoke against your lips. “Hold on tight.”

You kissed Levi just before he started roughly pounding his thick cock into you making books fall to the floor. You moaned into the kiss and held onto Levi for dear life as he ravaged you so passionately in his study against his beloved books. His fingers pressed into the plump skin of your thighs as he held you tightly in place. You shivered and shook in place as your body was overcome with many feelings. Levi’s talented tongue moving with yours was soothing, but his rough hip thrusts were mindblowing and set your body aflame.

You whimpered as your body finally fully registered what was pounding in and out of your pussy. You clenched Levi’s cock a little to feel every inch of him. You moaned in delight at how his thickness seemed to stretch you just perfectly. He wasn’t too long or short, but just the perfect length to bury deep within your silken walls and to kiss your cervix. You were in awe of his incredible cock ramming into your dripping pussy. You were overwhelmed with pleasure.

The room was filled with the sounds of the crackling of wood burning in the fireplace and the rough slapping of Levi’s body against your own. Both of your moans were muffled due to your lips and tongues never breaking. Your kisses were never ending as you both felt captivated by the other. You wanted to never break apart. Levi kept roughly bucking hard and fast into you as his obsessive love for you pushed him to ravage you as much as possible.

You squeezed your toes tightly as you felt another wave of euphoria rushing towards you. You shifted just a little in Levi’s arms as your body screamed at the intense pleasure shooting through your veins. You moaned into the kiss as Levi kept you still and continued his actions to push you over the edge into orgasmic bliss. He wanted you to melt under his touch. He wanted you to never need another man again and only seek him out for all kinds of pleasure.

You cried out into the kiss as pleasure hit you so hard it took your breath away. Your legs shook around Levi as you lost control of your body. You pulled from his lips and threw your head back. You panted and moaned in the room as you felt blindsided by your orgasm. You hummed as Levi stopped moving his hips so you could gather your senses again.

You lowered your head and panted. “Fuck.”

Levi kissed you lightly on the lips. “Are you okay?”

You nodded a little. “Y-Yes, just…that was intense, but in an amazing way.”

“I’m glad.” He carried you to his desk. “Want to keep going?”

“Please.”

Levi shoved the things on his desk to the sides and lay you against it. He looked down at you and panted. His eyes dragged down your body to your pussy and where you were both connected. He moved his hips slowly and watched his pussy cum glistening cock drag out of you with your pussy opening clinging to him. He plunged back in slowly and felt your walls drag him back inside as if you wanted to keep him in you.

He grabbed your thighs and parted them before pushing them down a little towards the desk. He bucked hard into you making the table scrape on the wooden floor below it. He panted and began pounding his cock into you again and ignored the groaning of the table below you due to his rough actions. He gazed at your stunning face as your mouth hung open and delicate moans poured from your beautiful mouth. He marvelled at how stunning you were below him as he ravaged you and he gave you pleasure.

Levi gripped your legs tighter as his possessive side wrapped itself around his soul. As he fucked you with love, he was also reminding himself that you were his. He had you. He was the one fucking you against his desk. He was the one that had you moaning oh so deliciously to the room. He was the one that was putting a pleasure-filled smile on your face. He was the one who had his cock buried deep inside your pussy.

He watched your breasts bounce and jiggle between parts of your corset. He wished he’d ripped the whole thing off so he could enjoy all of your wonderful body. He grunted and looked up at your face again and enjoyed the pleasure on your face. He felt his heart racing, but not from the fun athletic activity of fucking, it was you in all your glorious beauty. He adored how you moaned and shivered against his wooden desk as his cock ravaged your pussy.

You gripped Levi’s desk and held on for dear life as it moved backwards and forwards across the floor. You wiggled your legs and felt so wonderfully trapped between your lover’s incredible cock and the hard desk below you. You felt yourself drool in happiness at being fucked so perfectly. Never before had you felt so good in the hands of a sexual partner. Levi was the best you ever had and he was going to be the only one you ever have for the rest of your life, you were sure of that.

You reached up and grabbed Levi’s arms. “Oh, f-fuck! Levi.”

Levi released your legs and grabbed the table edge on either side of your head. He panted as he looked you in the eyes. “I love you.”

You whimpered to Levi. “I love you too.”

Levi slapped his hips against yours adding more erotic sounds to the room. His lips crashed against yours as he took your breath away with passionate kiss after passionate kiss. He pulled back and moaned. “You feel so good. You’re so perfect. You’re my everything. Mine. Mine. Mine!”

You arched your back off the table. “Yes, Levi! I’m yours!” You shivered and wiggled under him. “Mmm, so g-good.”

“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ngh.” He tapped his forehead against yours. “Fuck. Your body is incredible.”

You tangled your fingers in Levi’s hair. “Yours too. You’re perfection. I only want your body for the rest of my life.”

Levi kissed you roughly as he bucked harder and faster against you as your words fuelled him. “Yes! Yes!” He moaned your name. “Mine.”

You clenched your toes. “Mmm, I’m close. Don’t stop!”

Levi kept his actions up and didn’t change anything. He panted and watched your face as he watched a shiver slowly go up your spine. “That’s it, my love, enjoy yourself.”

You moaned out as your orgasm rushed through you. “Ah!” You gasped as pleasure fired through your nerves and shook your body. “Levi!”

Levi grunted as your pussy massaged his cock. “F-Fuck.” He bucked a few times before pressing deep into you. He moaned your name lovingly as he poured his cum into you. “Ah! Mmmm.” He slowed his hips and pumped his hips a few times before stopping. He covered your face in kisses and sighed. “I love you.”

You went limp under his as you felt exhausted. “I…love…you…”

He kissed you sweetly before pulling his cock from you. He tucked himself away before picking you up like a bride. “Forgive me, I went too rough.”

You hugged Levi. “It was perfect. It was just what we both needed.” You smiled at him as he carried you through the halls. “We had so much pent-up passion and love for each other, it just kind of exploded out of us.”

He hummed a laugh. “You’re right.” He took you to the bedroom you had first stayed in and sat you in the bathroom. “Let me clean you up and then get you to bed.”

You yawned. “Okay.” You moaned at the wet warm cloth wiping you up. “Nice. Thank you.”

Levi kissed you and cleaned himself up. He grabbed a medicine out of the bathroom cupboard and put it in two glasses of water. He offered you one. “This is a contraceptive medicine Hange invented. It’ll prevent us from having kids so soon. There are no side effects.”

You downed the water. “Mm, tastes nice. Wait, how come you’re drinking?”

He sighed after downing his. “It works for me too. I want to protect you.”

You blushed. “Thank you.”

He put the glasses away before picking you up and taking you to bed. “The medicine works straight away. So, we can both be loving with each other without the worry of having a baby too soon.”

You smiled at Levi as he helped change you into a nightdress. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” He kissed the end of your nose. “Now, I have a very messy study to clean.” He held your hand. “But I won’t go until you get off to sleep.”

You hummed a laugh. “Thank you.”

He lay on his side next to you. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

“Does anything hurt at all?”

You shook your head. “No, I’m perfect.”

“Are you sure?” He shuffled closer. “I want to make sure you’re okay. I love you so much that I just want you to be well. I love you and you’re my everything.”

You giggled. “I’m perfect, just tired, okay? I need sleep.”

He kissed your hand. “My sweet kitten. Mine.”

You slowly fell asleep. “Yours.”

He smiled as he watched you drift off.”