#which is why I would say he burned the toys in the hospital

[grim-faux]

The Achievement Post Industrial inspired the idea that there are adults in the Pale City that pose no threat to the children, and manage to survive through various 'creative' means.

Unless they encounter a child, like Mono.

Since adults are all 'monsters' and always pose a threat to children - even when they don't mean to - children either avoid or will dispatch the threat. Usually avoid.

Unless it's Mono. He's very protective of his Thin Man.

[athanasius-symposium-of-writings]

I swear rank is gonna get me in trouble lolol and fuck tht asylum map i never see it!

Rated Explicit | Warning: ploy ship of josecarl x reader

You know that texture! You grip the edge of the counter in front of the monitor in the security room in the White Sand Street Asylum.

This is not a place you have ever seen before and others tried giving directions and tips about this place, but it is a large map. Rarely is it used, but the match is here today. Along with a selected group forced to wear costumes for this match.

Aesop, Norton, Eli, and you all dressed like patients of this time. You suspected Joseph would also have an outfit to match this weird theme.

The Hunter is dressed like a doctor which is actually scary to think about if this was an actual running hospital with Joseph as the medical director, oof.

“Enjoying yourself?” He knows answers based on how tight and wet you are from him only teasing your clit with these gloves. “So needy.”

You try not to lose focus on where the last survivor is.

Hard to do as Joseph is behind you on his knees fingering you with gloves that are exactly like Aesop’s gloves.

“Perhaps we should turn on the intercom to tell the grey little mouse you are fine.”

You whimper, tears in your eyes from overstimulation. He has been toying with you since eliminating Norton and Eli, his attention immediately going to you the second he got Aesop to use his coffin to save himself.

“Only one cipher completed, quite the unlucky match for them,” Joseph says as the monitor screen switches to normal multi-camera view showing the Embalmer running around trying to figure out his location in this maze of mental hell.

“Please, please, merci!” Crying out as he brushes against that lovely sweet spot inside of you, curling and abusing the spot he knows too well.

“I taught you one word and you use it well, mon chéri.” 

“Gl-gloves!” Trying to form words.

“Something I added to be… Immersive. Seems you rather like them with how wet you are.”

Because it feels like Aesop's gloves! You found comfort in those things, it is that texture you often feel holding your hand or face when he kisses you with his mask on.

“Joseph, ah, Aesop…”

“Should be here soon after he finishes the final cipher.” Pulling his fingers out and standing up, “Speak his name.” Leaning over you to turn on the intercom, “Nice and loud for our grey little  mouse.”

The cry of his name in a long moan as Joseph fucks you in the monitor room is so shameful, your cheeks burn and your mind is becoming numb.

Though this relationship with Aesop includes Joseph as a third to assist in your sexual needs, you both realize Joseph can have moments of… Being rather… You are not sure what to call them outside of inspiration.

Fucking you while he knows Aesop can both hear and walk into the sight of you being an absolute mess.

“No, no, his name, not mine.” Correcting you after slapping your ass, “Good.” As you chant Aesop’s name.

The gloves, the texture of his pants, the sterile clean smell of that costume.

It is not hard to picture Aesop, that is Joseph's intention as he knows you would always want the other but respect his boundaries. Thus why Joseph is the third, he can satisfy himself with you and enjoy a comfortable consensual voyeurism.

“They're going to cum, Aesop.” Speaking up, pass your babbling nonsense, “I shall leave them at the exit gate closest to this location.” So calm as if he is not railing you much for his enjoyment.

When you cum it is your lover’s name on your tongue, not Joseph’s, your legs giving out and he pulls out to watch you fall to the floor with his cum staining the already unclean floor.

[the-whispers-of-death]

stone x bartender stone x bartender pls write like 8000 'chapters' about them i'll read it all

Alright, one more for you. (Not that I'm intending on stopping, I had just burned myself out answering so many asks at once so today I'll be taking breaks in between. Feel free to keep sending asks though, I'll get to it, eventually).

Stone walked to the park where you and him had scheduled your meet-up. It was one of the few days he had where there were no missions, no shift in the base hospital. It was free time and usually he'd hate it because it left him feeling lonely, but today he was going to be with you.

And that made it all better.

"Am I late?" you asked, making Stone turn around. The two of you had just entered the park at the same time. "Sorry, my cat had been crying at me not to leave my flat."

"You have a cat?" Stone asked, brushing your unnecessary apologies off. All he could focus on was that you had a cat, you were an animal lover.

You smiled at the way he was so intrigued by you having a cat. You started walking further into the park with him following you. "Yeah, I have a cat, she's five. Her name's Toffee," you answered. "Do you have a cat?"

Stone nodded his head. "Well, not officially," he said. "She's a stray cat that roams around base, but I give her food and cat toys. I named her Monster." He looked out in front of him as you two continued to walk. "I'm thinking of officially adopting her when my deployment's over, if I can."

"Why is she called Monster?" You were curious, it was a unique name for a cat. Usually it would fit more with a dog, and you wanted to know more about this cat who endeared herself to this enigma of a man.

"Ah, she bites and scratches all the other soldiers whenever they come close," he replied, grunting in disapproval at the memories of the other soldiers saying she should be run off the base. "She's just misunderstood, though. The first time I saw her, she came up to me and meowed so sweetly. She's a sweetheart."

Your lips twitched into a smirk, unable to help yourself as you looked up at him. "Guess she's like her unofficial owner, huh?" Your smirk widened when you saw confusion flash across his face. "You're a sweetheart underneath all that coldness and stoicism, aren't you?"

The result was so beautiful, the way he whimpered ever so softly at being called a sweetheart. So cute, so you just had to keep going.

"Yeah, you're so sweet. I remember the way you melted when I called you handsome." You both stopped walking now, facing each other fully. You reached out slowly, resting your hand on his broad chest and he so sweetly leaned into the touch. "Mm, you're a handsome sweetheart. Not used to being flirted with, but you enjoy the attention, hm?"

Stone couldn't help himself, he nodded. "Please keep flirting with me," he blurted out, practically begging.

Your eyes sparkled at that, you had no intention of stopping. You two resumed your walking again, enjoying the nature all around you. You learned more about him, learned that he was a Fleet Marine Corpsman, that he had been in the military for fifteen years and counting. He told you his favorite color, how he listens to Bollywood music on vinyl records.

Each new thing you learned about him made you want to take care of him even more. Which was why when you two stopped near a snow cone vendor and you saw him eyeing the snow cones, you dragged him—though you speculate that he allowed you to do so—to the stand. You both ordered what flavor you wanted and you refused to let him pay for it.

"Don't be silly," you said, your voice practically a purr. "A sweetheart like you deserves to be pampered. When was the last time someone took care of you?"

"Never," Stone admitted softly.

And it was true, no one had ever taken care of him really. The closest was medics patching him up when he himself couldn't, but that didn't really count. They were just doing their jobs.

Your eyes softened in sadness at the answer and so you gently pushed the hand with his wallet in it away. "Let me take care of you, please."

He stared into your eyes for what felt like hours but was only minutes. He was searching you for a hidden agenda, a lie. But he then relented, nodding.

You two enjoyed your snow cone together and continued walking around. You gave him soft touches on his arms every so often as you walked and spoke, relishing in the way he leaned into every touch. He seemed so touch-starved.

By the end of it all, Stone didn't want to leave. But you had work tonight, so you two had to part ways. "Until next time?" he asked, hoping this outing hadn't made you not want to see him again.

His heart melted when you said, "I'm definitely seeing you again." You lifted yourself up slightly to kiss his cheek, smiling at the way he stood there frozen at the touch.

He hadn't moved until you were long gone, his mind replaying the kiss on his cheek for several minutes afterwards.

Reblogs are welcomed & appreciated! Asks are open, feel free to pop in and talk or request something! (SFW requests only, please and thank you)

[womanofwords]

Villain's New Pet (Sequel)

Prequel here.

Hero and Supervillain looked at each other with their jaws on the floor. This was unreal. Both wanted to speak, but their vocal cords were paralysed with shock.

"I take it that you know each other?" Villain said, trying to get their two pets to get along. The silence broke, unleashing a volley of insults and accusations.

"You blew up the first headquarters for the Heroes Institute!" Hero yelled.

Supervillain scoffed, toying with the cat ears on her head while regarding Hero with contempt. "That building was somehow uglier than your costume! If anything, I did you a favour! And you put three of my henchmen in the hospital!"

"They were stealing from the museum!"

"They had families! And half of that stuff's stolen anyway!"

"OK, OK! Introductions over!" Villain looked frazzled. "You're not ready to spend time with each other. Come on, Hero, let's take you to your room." Villain steered Hero out of the room.

"How do you have a supervillain as a pet?" Hero asked Villain.

"About the same way that I have you, darling," Villain said, as he turned a corner. "I adopted her from the League when she got herself in a spot of trouble."

Hero looked at Villain with apprehension. "What . . . sort of trouble?"

Villain sighed. "The Villains' League has rules, you know, and Supervillain broke a lot of them. She had a large fine to pay, and not the money to pay it. The deal was that I would pay it and she would live as a pet of mine."

Hero's eyes widened. "How much money do you even have?"

"More than you can comprehend," Villain said, while inspecting their fingernails for dirt. "I made a lot of very good friends while rising to the top, and when they died, I got everything they held dear. Which was mostly money."

"Then why did you even ask the Heroes Institute for more money?"

"Because I could," Villain said simply. "Here's your room, precious. Let me know if you need anything."

Hero's jaw fell open. The room was luxurious. A huge, soft bed, a games console, a huge wardrobe that was soon to be filled with clothes. "Whoa. This is-"

"Incredible? I know."

"The biggest room I've ever had!" Hero threw himself onto the bed, giggling gleefully. "Bigger than the one I got at the Heroes Institute! And did you say mini fridge?"

"Yes, of course. My darling pet will not know hunger or desperation in my house," Villain said. "Take your time in getting settled in, I'm making you dinner. I hope you like chicken nuggets."

(PAUSE)

Villain led Supervillain and Hero to the dinner table, which was cozy. Everywhere in Villain's luxurious house was cozy. But Supervillain glaring at Hero while he ate gave him chills.

"Is the food to your liking, Hero?" Villain asked.

"If you don't like it, you know where the door is," Supervillain said.

"Supervillain, do you need to be grounded?" Villain asked.

Supervillain pursed her lips. "No."

"Attagirl." Villain went back to his meal, occasionally looking up to watch his two pets. But Supervillain wasn't ready to give up yet.

"Why did you even get a hero as a pet anyway?" Supervillain asked.

"The Heroes Institute sold me to Villain," Hero blurted out.

"What?" Supervillain spluttered.

"I was a necessary sacrifice in the name of ultimate good. Superhero said I should think of it as being a martyr," Hero said.

"That's what they told you?" Villain looked at Hero with pity. "Oh, little one, that's horrible."

Supervillain's gaze softened. "You're right. That is terrible. I'm sorry they sold you out like that."

"Supervillain!"

"Didn't mean to put it like that!" Supervillain insisted. "Bad choice of words. I was going to ask Hero if they wanted to burn down the new Heroes Institute headquarters."

"Hero doesn't want to burn down the Heroes Institute headquarters," Villain said.

"He's right, I don't," Hero said.

Villain clasped his hands as he stared at his newest pet. "There's my good little pet."

"I'd rather blow the place up," Hero corrected.

"But fire is cooler!" Supervillain pointed out.

"Explosives are more effective!" Hero countered. "And they're pretty!"

"Burn it with fire!"

"Blow it up!"

"Both of you hush," Villain ordered. "You are supposed to be eating dinner. What happens if you interrupt dinner, Supervillain?"

"You get punished after," Supervillain meekly replied.

"What's the punishment?" Hero asked.

"You'll both find out after dinner," Villain said curtly.

(PAUSE)

Supervillain and Hero spent an hour writing out lines at the dinner table. The line they had to write out was 'I will not spend dinner time discussing ways to destroy the Heroes Institute' 50 times.

"I'm not exactly averse to committing crimes against the Heroes Institute, but since I paid a lot of money to keep little Hero here and swore not to dirty my hands with crime, then we will be doing no such thing," Villain told them. "The henchmen will be handling that aspect."

"Aww!" Hero whined.

"The henchmen get all the fun! Why do they get to destroy the Heroes Institute?" Supervillain complained, banging a fist against the table.

"Because none of them have wanted posters. You'd be serving out life sentences if it wasn't for the offer I posed. Now do your lines." Villain pointed at Supervillain's paper, which was still blank.

"I'll do yours for you," Hero whispered.

"I heard that. Ten more lines for both of you."

"Screw it!" Hero and Supervillain cursed.

"Hero, once you're done, it is time for you to pick what animal to be based off. Supervillain picked cat, but that doesn't mean that that option's off the table. You can be anything you want."

"Really?" Hero mused, thinking. "That's a big thing."

"I know, dear. Pick wisely. You won't be able to go back from this." Villain sloped off to their own room, while Hero was stuck with their lines and a big decision to make.

Threequel here.

[the-blind-assassin-12]

I can’t stop thinking about...

How every single group of people shown to us in the show adaptation of TLOU - excluding Jackson - has adopted one if not more of the methods for control used by FEDRA that they all deemed to be so horrific. It’s just another way that this series plays with the themes of justification and morality and power, and another reason why this show works as well as it does on so many levels. Putting my rambles under the cut to save anyone from spoilers: 

In Kansas City, Kathleen promises her prisoners a trial, and then gives the command to have them executed without one. She also gives the order to have Perry burn the bodies instead of bury them, because its “faster”. We see both public executions and body burning in the Boston QZ, so this is straight out of FEDRAs playbook, which isn’t surprising considering how little time has passed since the rebel group took control of the city. But as an outsider, it’s hard to say “the good guys” won there, because those “good guys” immediately defaulted to the same things and actions that they rebelled over. 

In Silver Lake, David tries to dangle the promise of success and power in front of Ellie, just like the FEDRA officer did when he told her that one day she could be in charge. (I could write a whole dissertation on how extraordinarily fucked up and manipulative David is - DO NOT even get me started on the “violent heart” discussion - but for now I’m just going to talk about power dynamics. He’s very much one of those “this would all fall apart without me” kind of leaders, which diminishes the lives and contributions of the people in his group - just like FEDRA officers look at themselves as the heroes for keeping “order” (if you can call it that) despite the fact that it is the QZ citizens who do all of the actual work. It’s narcissism, and that never works as an effective leadership method. 

In Salt Lake, Marlene and the Fireflies pull the exact same shit with Ellie as the FEDRA officers do with that kid that wanders into the QZ. They tell that kid that everything will be fine, that they’ll get to have a treat and a toy and all will be well, when in reality they’re going to kill him. (Yes, I understand the child was infected and there was likely nothing to be done and termination was the “safest” way to control the spread of infection. I am highlighting the act of lying - and to an extent, handwashing - here.) This is the same thing that happens when Ellie shows up at the hospital. Marlene tells her that Joel will be fine, that she can see him after. She doesn’t tell her the truth or give her a choice. She lies so that she can force things to go her/their way, and, I think, to pat herself on the back for doing a good job of not scaring Ellie. (Again, I could go OFFFFFFFFF about Marlene in general but that would be a tangent all its own.) 

Jackson is the only settlement that we’ve seen that isn’t employing FEDRA techniques, and its no surprise that its the only one that is thriving. And if only 1/4 groups of people is able to keep from immediately turning ugly, then... well, I already agree with what Joel did, but this statistic only makes me agree with him more in that I’m not sure that world is worth saving either. 

[commenter2]

"Mammon's Magnificent Musical Mid-Season Special featuring Fizzarolli" review

Let’s see Fizz handle Mammon’s BS. SPOILERS and long post warning

Well the video’s image already confirms Mammon is evil and seems to have an odd relationship with Fizz, but that was a given fact.

Teenage Fizz and Blitzo!

ITS KNIFEY!!!! KNIFEY IS MAMMON’S VOICE!

Let’s be honest, Mammon could have treated that Imp kid much worse so its nice to see him not.

I’d brag that I was right about Mammon exploiting Fizz, but that was obvious from the start.

You’d have to admire Mammon for being honest about his feelings.

The moon of the Greed ring is a giant coin, but it looks like a hologram of some kind to me.

So that’s why Fizz was cautious towards that fan on the “Ozzie’s” episode. I also feel like it’s a joke making fun of hardcore fans of a franchise, who think their ideas should become actual canon in said franchise.

Froggie? I get that’s its likely referencing how Fizz jumps around, but what’s wrong with Fizzy? Wait wasn’t Blitzo called that in “Western Energy”, and was insulted by it?

Obviously we all love seeing Ozzie care about Fizz’s happiness and wanting to protect him from his fans and Mammon, but I don’t fully believe Ozzie when he says he doesn’t want to build sex robots that look like him. Maybe he wants the robots for himself XD.

While Ozzie is talking to Blitzo, you can see one of his rooms having gear designs on the wallpaper. I know it’s been confirmed that he is a skilled inventor, but I like seeing that as it shows the writers are showing that he is more than just the embodiment of lust/Fizz’s boyfriend.

IDK about you but Ozzie’s new outfit makes him look like Valentino a bit. There has been a joke about how "Val is copying Ozzie" so maybe it’s a joke about that, just neither are copying each other and its just coincidence?

Just like Stolas can, Ozzie can become a pile/form of something, in this case fire. Could this be enough to confirm that he is part phoenix like I brought up before? I also feel like it’s a joke about the “flames of passion” saying.

Helsa von Eldritch!?!? Oh wait that's not her, just girls named Glitz and Glam. Apparently they are voiced by the VA who voiced Katie Killjoy in the pilot. I wonder if their audio will be used in future fan made Katie Killjoy funny vids?

What’s with the spider webs? Is Mammon supposed to be a spider demon? Could it be a refence to Angel Dust?

I’ve been waiting to talk about that scene of the girl getting her eyes burn ever since it appeared in the 2022 trailer. First off I can strangely see pics of her and that Imp she was on becoming a couple, if you ignore the sign she had. I could see a comic where he took her to a hospital which she finds sweet and then the rest is history. I can also see a comic where Lilith Morningstar forces Mammon to pay for her medical bills due to a combination of not liking Mammon and as revenge for his statement about women not being funny.

Mammon keeps claiming he never had a son, which I feel like is building up to the reveal of Wacky Wally being his son. Fingers crossed :3

Blitzo can still do the Spider-Man upside down hanging. That is going to make a lot of Blitzo X Stolas fans happy XD

The moment with the deaf child has to be the cutest moment in the season so far.

It’s that stalker guy from before, he surprisingly looks good after all that time.

MAMMON IS A SPIDER DEMON! Honestly I don’t really like that as we have enough animal demons as it is, so it would have been nice if he was similar to what Lucifer is, or a few of the fallen angels that still look like angels to some capacity.

Heh flying fishes XD. The song is also really nice too.

Why hasn’t Fizz tried calling Ozzie for emotional support?

You can see a game called Fizzopoly in the background. Knowing the real life Monopoly brand, I can see that becoming a real toy one day, or at least a Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss themed one. Would you buy it if it was a real thing?

There’s Ozzie. Also “character too big to get through door” cliché, but at least he can teleport to solve that problem.

There first “I love you” moment!

I know it was just played for fun, but I wonder if Blitzo (at this moment in time) is a bit jealous of Ozzie being with Fizz. That or he is just that neutral about it but he expresses it in insults.

I’m just noticing the electricity Mammon gives off. With Ozzie having fire, I wonder if this means the other sins have master of a certain element or something similar, except Lucifer who has mastery of all. Leviathan would obviously be water, Bee I think would have air via flapping wings, and maybe Satan could be Earth though that’s where my theory breaks down as we have seen Imps use and control fire too.

Wow 4 songs in 1 episode.

I wonder if this episode is giving us a glimpse of what Angel Dust is going to go through with Valentino in Hazbin Hotel?

Not really liking Mammon’s full demon form.

YES! THE FIGHT IS HAPPENING!

Wait is that Ozzie’s full demon form? It looks more like a power up. Hopefully that is the case and maybe one day we can see a proper full demon form.

Wally is there, thus ending the “Mammon is Wally in disguised” theory. Still think they could be father and son.

Muppet Fizz meme parody. Still hoping for a Ozzie as Cookie Monster parody someday. Also one of the guys 3 phones has a text saying “expect fan art soon”, once again showing how self-aware the writers are about the fandom.

WAIT NO FIGHT!! DAMMIT!!

Mammon says Ozzie is going to regret revealing his feelings to everyone, but I don’t see how Ozzie is going to face consequences for his actions. The only thing I can think of is a scenario where the other sins make the two go through an investigation similar to that one episode of “Parks and Recreation” just to see if Ozzie did something big for Fizz via favoritism that could be unfair for other demons or worst case scenario, get Hell in trouble with Heaven. Is it possible that the Goetia community could use this somehow, like overthrow Ozzie, or something related to what’s going on with Blitzo and Stolas? Could this start some kind of war, like Mammon has lost some profits (like $100 worth) and just decides the best thing to do is kidnap Fizz and force him to work for him? Mammon is pretty dumb, so I could see him doing such a thing.

I hope we see the twins come back one day. I could definitely see them becoming rivals of Verosika Mayday.

Looks like Ozzie platonically likes Blitzo now, if him smiling about his sexual question is any indication. I wonder if this will result in Ozzie trying to help Blitzo and Stolas get together!

Another great episode. I really liked how I was another episode centered around a reoccurring character like Fizz with little to no Blitzo, which is good from time to time. I also think having the VA of Knifey being the VA for Mammon is a perfect fit.

I definitely love that I was pretty close to getting the plot of the episode right, while also improving on it such as having Fizz wanting to try and be the best for himself instead of being blinded by idolizing Mammon.

The biggest thing I disliked about the episode was that we didn’t get to see Ozzie and Mammon fight, I mean come on we were so close. Maybe if we had less songs we could have gotten it. I also didn't like Mammon and Ozzie's demon forms as they don't look that different compared to seeing Stolas go all demon. Hopefully that was some kind of mid transformation, as turning into their fun demon form could have destroyed the whole area alone.

According to the order of upcoming Helluva Boss episodes, looks like the next episode will be a Stolas episode, and with the name “The Full Moon” it sounds like we will learn a bit more about Stolas’ book and FINALLY learn why he needs it on such nights. It’s also likely going to have Stolas and Blitzo get on better terms and maybe start off as being friends this time before becoming a couple later in the season.

I think it would be fitting to have the episode come out on the day/night of an acutal Full Moon, like the creators of Helluva Boss use to do with the character instagram accounts.

What were your thoughts on the episode?

[eva-knits12]

A Drysdale Thanksgiving

Trigger warning: sick child, mentions of a chronic illness, multiple sclerosis, fluff

Summary: It's Thanksgiving, and you and Ransom have to take care of a sick child.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" screams Harlan.

You get up, and grab your cane. Ransom gets up, and you both pad barefoot to the twins' room.

"What is it Harlan? Did you have a bad dream, buddy?" You say, stroking Harlan's hair away from his forehead.

"No, but I think Katherine's sick," says Harlan.

"Why do you say that, buddy?" says Ransom.

"Katherine can't stop coughing" says Harlan.

That's when you and Ransom heard it. Katherine coughed, but it wasn't a typical cough.

You immediately feel Katherine's forehead, and she's burning up. She coughs again, and you grab a tissue. She coughs up some mucus, and you know it's bad. Ransom comes back with the forehead thermometer, and takes Katherine's temperature. When it's done, the thermometer reads 103 degrees.

"Louise, call your brother, and get dressed. We're taking Katherine to the ER," says Ransom. Katherine coughs again, and it's bad.

A few minutes later, your brother arrives. Ransom explains the situation, and you and Ransom load Katherine into the Lexus, and take her straight to the ER. You're sitting in the backseat, next to Katherine, and telling her that she'll be okay.

"Shh, shh, you'll be fine, princess. Okay, Mommy and Daddy will do everything to make you better, okay princess," you say, stroking Katherine's hair. She coughs again, and coughs so hard, that she throws up on herself.

"Ransom! Katherine's throwing up now!" You sound alarmed. You just know that Katherine is getting sicker.

"WHAT THE SHIT?" screams Ransom.

"Oh, Katherine. You must be very sick," says Ransom.

When you and Random arrive at the hospital, Ransom pulls up, and the security guard pulls up with a wheelchair. You get out with your cane, and the security guard insists that you sit in it with Katherine in your lap.

Ransom parks the Lexus, and sits and waits with you in the waiting room. When Katherine is triaged a few minutes later, she's immediately taken to the pediatric area of the ER.

The doctor and the nurses perform their exam. Katherine is diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia, and the type of bacteria that caused it is being tested for.

Katherine keeps coughing that she keeps throwing up on herself. The pediatrician and the ER doc decide to admit Katherine.

"Call your brother, Louise. Just give him an update," says Ransom.

You call your brother, and let him know that Katherine has been admitted. You the call your dad, and you explain the situation. You're expecting the worst, given that your mom's sister died from pneumonia on Christmas Day.

Ransom just holds you in his arms. You're crying so hard, asking God, Jesus, and Buddha why Katherine. You cry to the point of exhaustion.

Ransom is worried. He just wants his little princess to be okay.

"Mr, and Mrs. Drysdale, we're going to need to admit Katherine for the next few days," says the doctor. You're so tired that the words the doctor is saying aren't making sense. Plus, Random looks anxious, on account of he hates hospitals.

"Katherine has bacterial pneumonia. You did the right thing by getting her here, which is crucial in cases like this. This isn't a cold. I'll have to give her a round of antibiotics, and then I'm putting her on IV drip. That should help get some fluid in her system,"says the doctor.

"Wait, what else can be done? you ask the doctor.

"Right now, go home. Get some rest, and bring Katherine some clothes and some toys, You've done all you can. You managed to get her here," says the doctor.

Ransom explains that it was Harlan that alerted you both. You both decide to bring Harlan tomorrow. That afternoon, you would go to your brother's.

You look in Katherine's room, and the nurse is putting the IV in her.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and the last thing that you both wanted was a sick child in the hospital. You and Ransom see Katherine before you both go home. Instead, you both collapse next to Katherine, exhaustion taking over the both you and Ransom.

Several hours later, you both wake up in Katherine's hospital room. Ransom helps you up, but asks the nurse for a wheelchair. The nurse finds an adult wheelchair.

"Go home, Mr. and Mrs. Drysdale. Get some rest, and take a shower. You can come back later with some toys, books, and clothes for Katherine,"says the nurse. The nurse helps you in the wheelchair, and takes you to the first floor, where Ransom pulls up the Lexus.

You and Ransom return home, and sleep in each other's arms. You and Ransom wake up at 12:30 p.m. and shower together.

"Ransom, why us? Why Katherine?" You ask, in between tears.

"I wish I had the answers, sweetheart. The doctor says Katherine is going to be okay. We got her to the hospital in time," says Ransom, trying to ease your worry.

You and Ransom get dressed to go over to your brother's. You also pack some clothes for Katherine, along with her favorite stories, a book of fairy tales you had since childhood, and her Cinderella doll, her favorite Barbie doll, and her favorite stuffed animals. You both pack some coloring books, and her crayons for her. You stop at the hospital, and bring Katherine her things.

"Mommy, daddy, can you stay? I don't want to be here. I want to go home," says Katherine, who's now burst into tears.

"I know baby, but it's only for a few more days, okay, princess", you say.

"We'll come by after we're done at uncle Evan's, okay, princess," says Ransom.

This breaks both your and Ransom's heart. Nobody wants to be in the hospital, even when it's a holiday.

You head over to your brother's, and eat dinner. You visit for a while, and gather Harlan. You stop at the hospital with Harlan, so that Harlan could visit with his twin sister. Harlan and Ransom went to the gift shop, and Harlan got Katherine a teddy bear that says "Get Well Soon", and Ransom gets his daughter a bouquet of plastic flowers that's in a cute, pink vase shaped like a bear with a sun on its stomach. The bear is holding a balloon that says "Get Well Soon". Inside the vase is a bunch of plastic water beads. Harlan's bear is holding a small mylar balloon that's on a stick that says "Get Well Soon."

You, Ransom, and Harlan all spend some time with Katherine. She's still unwell, and she looks even more tired. You see that she's on another IV drip, and that she was in need of more fluids. You ask her to take a sips of some chicken broth, and she takes it. Ransom and Harlan deliver Katherine her gifts.

Ransom kisses his daughter's forehead, and tells her how big and strong she is, just like her beautiful mama. This tears you up. Ransom is busy feeding Katherine some chicken broth, and you give her sips of Gatorade.

"Blech! This stuff is too salty," says Katherine.

"I know princess, but right now, they're giving you things that are easy to swallow," says Ransom, who is feeding her the broth. Katherine's throat was sore and raw. The chicken broth is also easy to keep down.

Katherine is feeling a little better. You take the cup of Gatorade and ask Katherine to drink it.

"MMmmm, orange," says Katherine, who asks for another sip.

"I know this is good stuff, Katherine. Right now, the doctors and nurses just want you to replace your electrolytes, okay, princess," you say.

"The doctors also want you to get some nutrients in you, okay, princess," you say.

Harlan, who has been sitting on the side of the bed, coloring with Katherine, is wanting to help his sister, but feels helpless. He looks like he's about to cry.

"Mommy, what's klectorlytes?" asks Harlan.

"You know how Mommy and Daddy put gas in the car to help make the car go?" you tell Harlan.

"Electrolytes are basically the body's system of gas. Electrolytes help make the body go and helps keep the body running," you say.

Ransom is now reading Harlan and Katherine Snow White from your book of fairy tales. Eventually, Harlan falls asleep, and Ransom picks him up, and holds him close to his chest.

You and Ransom go home, but tell the staff that you'll be back first thing in the morning. The nurse says she'll keep you updates if anything happens.

You fall asleep in the Lexus, and Harlan is passed out in his car seat. Ransom takes one look, and kisses your temple. When you all get home, Ransom gets Harlan inside, and deposits him on the couch. He then comes back, and picks you up bridal style, and carries you to the bedroom.

Ransom helps Harlan into his pajamas, and helps him brush his teeth. Ransom also helps Harlan pee, and then picks him back up, and puts him in his bed. Ransom kisses his sons forehead. Harlan looks angelic as he's in a deep sleep that not even a five alarm fire could wake him now.

Ransom helps you into your pajamas, and helps you to the bathroom. He stands behind you as you brush your teeth. Ransom waits while you relieve yourself.

The next day, you all go to see Katherine in the hospital. The doctor and the nurse say that Katherine will be ready to go home tomorrow. Katherine is starting to look better, and she's feeling better.

"How are you doing, princess?" asks Ransom, who is stroking his daughter's hair away from her forehead.

"Daddy, can you take me home? I want to go home," says Katherine, who is bored from being in the hospital, and just wants to be in the comfort of her own bed. You and Ransom understand this.

"Tomorrow, princess. You'll come home with us tomorrow, okay," says Ransom. You're with Harlan in the cafeteria, and you're both eating some breakfast. Ransom is busy helping Katherine with her breakfast. You and Harlan join Katherine after you both finish your breakfast.

You, Ransom, and Harlan spend a little time with Katherine, and then leave when she falls asleep. You'll be back, later.

"Oh, Ransom. I know she doesn't want to be in the hospital, but I just want her home," you say. Ransom pulls you close, and this breaks his heart.

"I know, Louise. She's coming home tomorrow. We did the right thing, by getting her to the hospital right away," says Ransom.

You, Ransom, and Harlan visit her again that night. You leave when she falls asleep. You all go back home, and go to sleep.

The next day, you, Ransom, and Harlan are excited. You called Harlan in absent from pre-school, and you all head to the hospital to get Katherine. When you get there, the doctor and the nurses are performing their final exams. The nurse hands you some after care instructions. Ransom and Harlan are busy helping Katherine pack her clothes, and her things in her overnight bag.

"Just make sure to sit in the steam with her for a while to help loosen up her cough, it doesn't do much for pneumonia, but it will help loosen the cough up. Give her some ice cream or a popsicle to help soothe her throat. The doctor will be with you shortly to give you her prescription," says the nurse.

The doctor gives you and Ransom a prescription for Katherine's antibiotic. Her fever has gone down significantly, and she's looking and feeling better. On top of her overnight bag sits a pink and purple blanket, and a matching hand crocheted teddy bear. The pediatric ward likes to keep hand knit and hand crocheted blankets and hand knit and hand crocheted toys that local knitting circles and local crochet guilds like to make for the hospital. The blankets and the stuffed animals provided a sense of security and comfort for the kids.

Harlan is busy playing with his sister. They're playing with her dolls, and then after a few minutes, you Ransom puts Katherine in your lap, and wheels you down to the first floor lobby. The nurse helps you and Ransom bring down Katherine's stuffed bear and plastic flowers when she's ready to leave. Ransom goes and pulls the Lexus around, and you're waiting in the wheelchair with Katherine in your lap, and Harlan is standing next to you, holding your hand.

Ransom finally pulls up, and loads Katherine in her car seat, and then loads Harlan in his car seat. Ransom loads you into the front seat, puts your seatbelt on. Ransom puts his seatbelt on, and then you are headed home. Katherine has fallen asleep on the ride home, and Ransom gets Katherine in her Cinderella nightgown, and then gets her in bed. Katherine just wants to sleep in her own bed after being in the hospital for a few days. Ransom parks Harlan on the couch, and flips on the Disney Channel. Harlan falls asleep, and Ransom carries his son to his bed. The twins are busy sleeping in their beds.

Ransom carries you back into the house, and places you on your shared bed. Ransom decides to go grocery shopping and fill Katherine's prescription. Ransom comes back with the groceries, and with Katherine's medicine. Ransom gives her the first dose, the next dose will be given to Katherine after dinner.

"This stuffs icky, Daddy," says Katherine.

"I know, princess, but you need to take this until it's gone. You'll get much better once you take this, okay, princess," says Ransom.

Ransom fills the bathroom with steam, and then strips Katherine down to her panties. He then holds her close to his chest, and sits with her in the steam for a while. Katherine is already starting to feel better.

"Katherine, you're doing so much better, my big, brave girl," says Ransom. Katherine is awake, and just wants to be held and cuddled by her daddy right now.

"I'm feeling much better, daddy," says Katherine. Ransom is rubbing soothing circles on his daughter's back.

Your brother and your sister-in-law come over later, and bring a small turkey, some homemade stuffing, some mashed potatoes, and some cranberry sauce. They even bring some pumpkin pie and some vanilla ice cream, and some pumpkin ice cream. Your brother and your sister-in-law cook a Thanksgiving dinner for you guys, and you and Ransom are forever grateful.

Katherine's cousins have made her homemade get well cards, and they give her a stuffed dog that has a bright red ribbon on it's neck and "Get Well Soon" written on a silver heart .

Katherine takes her next dose of medicine, and then falls asleep after she has some vanilla ice cream. You and Ransom put the twins to bed, and your brother and your sister-in-law and your niece and nephew leave. They call the next morning to see how Katherine is doing.

Your Thanksgiving was later than expected, but it was nice. You had a sick child, and you smile lovingly at your husband. You and Ransom realize that this is nothing in the grand scheme of things. A sick child who needed to be hospitalized happens. You and Ransom got through this, you and Ransom got through you're MS progressing, and you both got through a lot more. You'll both get through a lot more.

[jingerhead]

Would love to see Andreil #5 for the specific prompt thingy, I can sense it would be unhinged

Pls this one is so unhinged I'm dying what do I even do for this one (TW: brief mentions of torture)

5 - verified purchase reviewer on multipack of toy horses that only says THE RED ONES TASTE THE BEST and customer service agent going hello???? enemies to lovers nightmare 

Andrew had been staring at his computer screen long enough for his eyes to start watering. He wasn't sure what to do with what he was looking at, despite knowing he had to reach out to the user that had left an...unsettling review on a multipack of small toy horses. Children's toys. Some angry mother was going to call customer support with a strong complaint about said review if he didn't get rid of it.

Alex Whocares left the following review:

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (five stars)

THE RED ONES TASTE THE BEST

It was probably someone playing a prank, but Andrew had to respond to it anyway, because apparently this was his job. He finally managed to get his body to move, looking up this 'Alex Whocares' in their customer database and finding the email he'd signed up with. He then wrote an email and sent it quickly, finally looking away from the review.

________

Mr. Whocares,

On behalf of our company, we would like to thank you for your five star review on the multipack of rainbow toy horses, we are glad you enjoyed our product! However, we noticed in your review you mentioned consuming our product, and we'd like to remind you that our children's toys products are not meant for consumption. On the package, it specifically states that the multipack of rainbow toy horses is only meant for children ages three and up. We advise you to keep our products away from anyone who might consume them and to seek medical attention immediately if they are consumed.

Regards,

A. Minyard

Customer Service

_________

With that email sent, Andrew promptly decided to take a break, locking his computer and heading to the break room to take some of the free cookies and make a new cup of coffee. When he finished and sat back down at his computer he went back to work.

About an hour later, he got an email.

________

A. Minyard,

On behalf of myself, I'd like to apologize and explain my reasons for the review I left. I'm not sorry for leaving the review I did, I stand by it, but I'm sorry for worrying you so much you personally reached out to make sure I seek medical attention after eating the rainbow horses.

Recently I was kidnapped by my serial killer father and while I was in the car his stupid little henchmen and woman tortured me with the cigarette lighter. At one point she dropped it and it landed on the seat and would've burned my thigh if it wasn't for the glorious multipack of rainbow horses I'd stuffed in my pocket.

(I'd bought them for my friend's baby shower 'cause I figured a baby would enjoy playing with them but I now see that would've been a mistake, no baby is born three years old! How silly of me!)

That amazing multipack of rainbow horses saved me a little more pain than I was already in and by the time we arrived at my father's house the plastic the little horses are made of had melted a bit. I was stuffed into the basement where I'd watched him kill a man once and was locked down there for days. Thankfully there was a sink down there, so I had water, but I was hungry and there wasn't any food.

Until I remembered the multipack of rainbow horses, of course!

I left them near the furnace and let the plastic soften enough so that I could eat them. The red ones indeed tasted the best out of them all. I didn't feel so good after eating them though which is probably why you guys have that label on the toys in the first place. Thankfully, the FBI showed up and got me to the hospital and they pumped my stomach.

I do not recommend that experience.

I just got back home and I'm still recovering but I'm so glad that you saw my unhinged review I left while I was high on pain meds and thought to reach out to me. That's just so thoughtful of you, thank you so much. I'm doing a lot better now, thanks for asking.

Also my name isn't Alex anymore, sorry for the confusion.

Neil Abram Josten

P.S. You really like the word 'consumed' huh?

__________

Andrew promptly locked his computer again and went to get another coffee. He'd need it to reply to that email.

[weareinbloom]

--Vinny and Minu giving you stuffed animals with little quirks--

genre: fluff

warnings: none

Vinny

receiving material presents from Vinny is actually quite rare -not because he doesn’t want to, he just needs the money for his mother's hospital bills-

but after saving up money over the last time he finally has enough to finally buy you a present

the fact that you got expensive presents from your friends from time to time really nags him because his financial situation isn't all that good

so that's why he decided to get you a surprise present on his own

You're shocked, to say the least when you see a plushy blue stuffed animal with a cute little bow wrapped around its body sitting on the counter of your home after the both of you returned from school

walking straight to the present your eyes light up as you look from the stuffed animal to your boyfriend and back

a bashful smile stretches across his lips, a lovely view reserved for you. His cheeks dusted in a light rose shade

it's a special moment between the two of you because you never expected something mindful like this, and he never expected your expression to be this engaging

though after taking a closer look at your new friend you realize something strange about it

"Vinny, what is that?" You wonder as you pick up the strange-looking, blue alien-like creature. "A snail, you said you liked them a while ago when we were biking in the mountains." He answers, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as if it was the easiest thing to recognize in the world. Your cheeks grow hot at the memory and the fact that he remembered something you just mentioned incidentally. "Well, I really appreciate that, like really... But why is it blue?" You ask, pointing at the rectangular creature with two big, bright eyes which are connected to the main body by two tentacles.

His eyes grow wide at the comment, his cheeks flaming in a bright velvet red while his hand scratches the back of his head. "Well, blue is a pretty color?! It represents thirst for adventure and love, that's what the old man at the store told me," he mutters the last part to himself but you're still able to hear it. To an outsider, he might look calm but you could see the panic that was written all over his face. Laughter rings through the empty household "Well I'm pretty sure that's not what it stands for but I still love it. Thank you very much, I appreciate it and I will hold it dear to me." wrapping your arms around his kneck you press a kiss to his cheek, his strong arms wrapping around your waist. Closing you in a warm embrace. "I'm glad you like it," he whispers as his heartbeat calms down. 

Minu

Minu often gives you presents, it's just his way to show how important you are to him

even when he ran away from home he gave you little presents, like paper rings or sweets when you had a bad day

but the amount of presents doesn't make you appreciate them any less, they never fail to pull a smile from your lips or lighten your day

it kind  of became a thing between you two, cheering each other up with little handmade gifts on bad days -he even attempted drawing you a picture which turned out better than you expected

so you know what's coming when he walks up to you with his hands hidden behind his back, excitement bubbling in your stomach

a wide grin compliments his features, a knowing look in his eyes

your pupils delate as he pulls a cute, little stuffed animal from behind his back

a quick peck on his cheek serves as a silent 'thank you', a gesture that allows roses to bloom through his cheeks

but as you take the toy from his hands and look at it from every angle you find something odd about it

"Do you like it?" a hopeful look mirrors in his eyes as he looks down at you. You would love to return his excitement but an urgent question burns at the top of your tongue. And as much as you love this moment and wouldn't give it for anything in this world, you can't bite the devil on your tongue. "No, I love it. But why does the puppy have a horn?" You ask, curiosity laced in your voice. The oh so cute puppy was created with a little cream coloured horn between its ear, which made it resemble a unicorn. But instead of the troubled expression, you expected from your boyfriend you are greeted with an even wider grin.

"Isn't that the coolest part!! Just like a magical creature, I'm pretty sure it has some magical powers." when your boyfriend shrank into a seven-year-old who believed in stuffed animals with magical powers, you didn't know.  But it gave great amusement to you. He looked more like receiving a present than giving one but you didn't mind, because if he was honestly happy, so are you. For the moment, you decided to play along (though you would ask him later what ghost possessed him to think buying a puppy with a horn was a cute and perfectly idea). But who even wants normality?

[golddaggers]

midnight rendezvous

pairing: louis tomlinson x f!reader

warnings: filthy smut with hints of fluffness. period sex. petnames. him calling you baby doll. defo nsfw +18, so my dudes, read carefully.

a/n: it's your renegade writer back with her fantasies. i've written this a while back and though it'd be such a shame to share. if you do like it, make sure to reblog and like. thanks and enjoy *wink* leth x

word count: 3k+

xx

It’s just a bit past midnight when I park home, no one wandering the streets, or children playing about, there’s just the chilled breeze fumbling with the leaves. I don’t notice a second car on the driveway until I’m up close, I blame the dim yellow streetlights and my exhaustion. It had been a particularly busy shift at the hospital, I wanted nothing more than to sleep for about two days straight.

The cold crisp air makes me tremble for a split second, but I am soon welcomed by the warmth of the inside. I kicked off my sneakers, trying to be as silent as possible, I didn’t want to wake him up. A second car meant Louis had come home and he must be tired, it had been weeks since he had a break, we hadn’t seen each other for even longer. The weekends he happened to be around, I couldn’t work my schedule to spend them at home with him. It sucked, and I missed him more than I could put it into words.

A frustrated sigh slips while I walk to the kitchen, filling up a glass of water. After so many years, I should be used to it: the busy schedule, the months spent apart. I’m not, though. And being honest, I don’t think it’s possible to not be in pain when waking up to an empty bed beside me, to not hear the soft humming when he’s doing the dishes, to not miss the press of his lips on mine. I just wanted us to buy a bunch of lands somewhere, live a quiet, happy life, have children, and grow old. Just the two of us.

This was something I would never tell him. Robbing him of his passions wasn’t on my mind. I knew he’d oblige if I did say so. If I asked him, but I couldn't.

I leave a half-drunk glass behind, and go upstairs, taking off my plain white shirt then unbuttoning my jeans. Before I got to the bedroom, however, I froze, strangled sounds coming from there startling me for a second. It's followed by a smile creeping in, I’m very much aware, and familiar, with them.

The door isn’t closed, so I peek in. I see him naked, sheets pooled by his feet, and one hand wrapped around himself, moving up and down with ease, his thumb applying just enough pressure. I feel my mouth watering at the sight, a cramp twisting my belly. Desire gathers quickly, I was so touch-starved that I might as well come undone just by watching him get himself off.

His eyes are closed, thin lips parted. I slide off my pants, throwing both them, and my shirt away, walking inside in just my black lingerie. Even that was starting to be uncomfortable.

“Lou?” I call him, standing with crossed arms. He’s quick to drop everything, shooting me a wide, surprised glare. “Sorry, didn’t mean to spoil your good time.”

I’m half-joking at this point.

“I thought you’d only be home in t’ mornin’,” Deep blue eyes, sparked with lust, stare up at me. I'm very aware of how much I want to be near him again. “C’mere.”

He pats the space on his right side, it’s mesmerizing how quickly he can go from a sex god to a warm loving man. I go, but I don’t stay beside him, instead, I take my seat on his lap, which makes him laugh, rough hands on my waist, squeezing the flesh. I shift, uncomfortable, feeling him beneath me. So hard, so ready. It’s been so long I might just assume I'm a virgin all over again, shamefully responsive to anything he might do to me.

Louis leans in, planting a kiss just between the curve of my breasts. The prickle of his bead makes my pulse rise. It’s the intimacy that gets me hooked. He feels like coming home. A warmth that springs from the tip of my toes to my head, flushes my cheeks, and makes my forehead sweaty.

A “missed ya” whispered on my skin makes me shake, he then kisses the soft spot where the shoulder meets the neck, I let out a groan, moving, seeking friction. His smirk is taunting, both hands going up to my cheeks, four eyes meeting in the middle of a tired night.

“What now?” I say, unsure, panting as his thumb toys with my lips, pushing inside for a moment.

“Do you want a shower first?” He asks, staring at me, a boyish smile on his face.

“I should. I’m disgusting.”

“Nonsense,” The tip of his nose is pressed to my cheek, a ghostly kiss left behind on my jaw. “You look amazing anyway. Why d'ya think I’m so worked up?”

“Were you thinking of me? Getting yourself off imagining my hands around you? My spit and my lips, hmm?”

Louis pants when I grind down on him, slick with the throb of him against me. The fabric of my panties still forbids me from knowing his skin on mine, from sinking and swallowing him whole.

“Yeah, I was. Always think abou' ya', love.”

“I think about you too,” The friction makes me lean forward, sighing against his warm neck. “Nights get so lonely… I miss you so much, you know.”

“Darling…”

“Mmhm, I have to touch myself, grab my boobs,” I place his hands on them, and he squeezes, promptly. Fills his hands. It’s swollen, sore even. I’m burning up.

“Do you say my name when you come?” Louis asks, quietly, sucking a patch of skin. I’ve got goosebumps, I’m reeling from the build-up.

“I do. Over and over and over,” The room feels warmer if that's possible. Sweat drips down my back. I’m aware as to why I’m so sensitive, besides the yearning when it’s been months since he last touched me, my period heightens things up.

For a moment there, I almost forgot it.

“Can I just fuck you now, doll?” It’s a hoarse whisper, I clench in frustration. I’m hot, nearly suffocating. “Want t’ feel yeh so bad.”

His accent thickens, I’m lost, too into the moment to think coherently. I go for his lips, kissing him with passion, biting down on his bottom lip, still moving my hips, rolling against his. He pushes back, groaning into my mouth. It’s sinful. Everything about him is.

“Can’t, sweets,” It slips out, breathlessly. “‘M bloody down there.”

He smiles, soothing, hands firm on my hips. My stomach somersaults, it’s amazing how Louis manages to make me feel 17 every time he gives me that gorgeous smile of his. I feel like one of his groupies.

“Never cared ‘bout that before. C’mon, help me out.”

“Lou…” A strangled noise followed. I’m reaching a point where pleasure mixes with pain, I’m too aroused, too sensitive. He touches me there, trained fingers light to not hurt me but enough to stir me on. “You’re trying to bribe me, aren’t you?”

“Am I getting there?” The double entendre makes me chuckle, nodding. “Good. Let me take those off, hmm?”

“Come,” I untangle myself from him, the cold, empty feeling brings a pang to my lower belly. “If we’re doing this, let’s do it in the shower.”

I slide off my panties, tossing them at him. Louis laughs wholeheartedly, balling it in his hand while kicking the sheets away to follow me into our bathroom.

It’s bright, with mirrors everywhere. My hair looks an absolute mess, strands falling down my shoulders, I’ve got flushed cheeks, and glistening skin, perspiration all over. Five minutes with him just does that to you. He looks impressive from behind me, his brown hair was thrown back, wide blue eyes staring right at me from the reflection. I can see the extension of his tattoos, the tanned skin from being under the sun a little too long last weekend.

Louis is a sight for sore eyes.

We exchange a look then smile. The kind of intimacy that only comes when you love someone, beyond passion, beyond attraction.

He undoes the clasp of my bra. I sigh in relief, gasping when his hands cup my boobs, pinching my oversensitive nipples. I can’t help but toss my head back, resting it on his shoulder. He’s good at this, playing with me, edging me out.

“Missed them even more,” Louis expresses, a half-smile on his face. “You’ve got the prettiest tits I’ve ever seen.”

“You know you’re probably the only man on earth that can get away with saying stuff like that, right?” We share a laugh. “Turn the water on, sweets, yeah? I need to take the tampon off.”

While he busies himself with getting things ready, I put my leg up on the toilet and gently pull it out, being careful not to spill any blood on the floor. I’m mentally grateful it’s not an extra heavy day. I wrap it up in toilet paper and toss it in the bin.

“Water is warm, baby,” Steam starts to fog up the room. “Come.”

“I hope I will.” I wink at him. I don’t know why I’m suddenly so cheeky.

“Don’t tease me,” Lust soaks up his voice, eyes stern. He’d punish me for sure. When I wasn’t expecting him to do so. When we weren’t so desperate for each other. Whenever he’s back home, there’s no games, just tension relief.

He goes in, standing beneath the shower rain, his back facing me. I look at his ass, all perky and round. It’s no secret that I got a thing for it, and I might’ve bitten it a few… hundred times. Whenever I get the chance, really. I grab them, squeezing the muscle, a hoarse laugh falling from his lips. Louis thinks it’s silly, doesn’t see how it’s so great.

We kiss, then. In a brief moment, he spins and pulls me in, tongue rolling ‘round with mine. It’s wet, crude even. I make sounds that would mistake me for a pornstar, groaning when his tip brushes where I’m aching with need. He pulls my hair back, exposing my neck to him, sucking and biting. Leaving behind bruises I’ll have trouble covering. The adrenaline high doesn’t let me focus on that, though.

His hand slides between us, lodging between my legs, his palm pressing my pulsating clit. I call out for him, squeezing his shoulders, whimpering. Just this faint touch sends me into overdrive. It’s borderline ridiculous. How good he is. Or how much I want him. How I crave for him like a junkie craves a fix. It’s the trip of a lifetime when he’s inside me.

I go for his dick, so painfully hard it could cut right through me. There’s something about watching his eyes snap close, or how he moans, but I wobble, my breathing going fitful. He says my name, pressing his soft lips to my forehead, still rubbing me out. My hand seems smaller when it’s wrapped around the width of him. Louis feels heavy and scorching hot.

“I want to do something,” I whisper, high on the pleasure he was giving me. “Would you let me?”

“I want to fuck you, darling,” It’s raw, doesn’t sound dirty, more like a pleading question. “Please let me, hmm? I want to fill you up. Watch it drip down out of you. My pretty baby with cum all over her legs.”

A pained whimper comes out.

The tip of his fingers are stained red, they never really slipped inside me, just circling, creating a build-up that leaves me in discomfort. It’s unusual how much time we are taking with this, at this point, we would’ve fucked about three times already. Either way, I like it. The glint in his eyes, eyes that I adore. Diamond beauties staring down at me, so full of desire. It’s powerful. To know you have such an effect on a man like him.

I place him in the tight space between my thighs, both of us groaning with the stronger contact. I’m dripping and it’s not just blood, he’s thrumming, hips sloppily jerking forward. I feel him almost in me, but not quite. I scream, I’m sure our neighbours would make complaints. I don’t find it in me to care. It's way too heavenly.

Tattooed hands land on each of my love handles, our bodies are almost one at this point. That’s when he lifts my leg, we both can’t do any more foreplay, no more waiting. I help him inside, a little bit of blood gushing before he’s deep within. It takes a while for me to get used to him again, two months can be enough for things to shrink back up.

“God, your cunt is so fucking tight,” He mumbles, out-of-worldly. “You’re gonna make me come and I barely even started.”

“And you’re so fucking big, gonna split me open,” I shoot back, gripping tight on his forearm, trying to balance myself as he starts to pound, slowly at first. “Fuck, baby. This is so good.”

“Tell me who can make you feel so good, baby doll,” A particular hard snap of his hips makes me sway on my step, but his iron grip steadies me. “Use your words. I want to know.”

“You!” It’s a desperate squeal, I feel full, he stretches me to a burning point. Pain mixing with pleasure. It doesn’t take a scientist to tell me I’ll have trouble sitting down tomorrow. “You, baby.”

Louis lifts my other leg, both on the crook of his arms, and presses me against the tiled wall of our bathroom. His teeth clamp around my nipple, biting, sucking. I feel dizzy with the torrential rain of emotions. The water keeps falling on us, warm. It splashes when he thrusts.

None of us is lasting longer. I wasn’t particularly known to do so, not when he was the one handling me anyway. Some people are just skilled. Just know how to push somebody else’s buttons. And Louis knew how to push mine. He knew how to push me into the fucking edge. Coax a string of orgasms out of me if he so wanted. With his fingers, with his tongue, with his dick.

I moan, one hand tugging the hair at the nape of his neck and the other going to where our bodies met. It’s a fucking sight. Watching him go in then out of me. I start rubbing myself.

“You have to be quieter,” He says, our foreheads glued together, still slamming into me like I’m his favourite rag doll. “We don’t need people calling the police.”

“It’s your fault,” My reply is followed by a curse word. “Giving it to me so good like that.”

“Mmhm,” Dark blue looks at me, I can feel him getting sloppier. It’s close.

In urgency, he kisses me, I’m too frail, too putty in his hands. A numbness starts on the tip of my toes, it makes my eyes roll back, I can’t even voice anything anymore, entirely surrendered to him. To the vulnerability of this moment. Being his as much as he’s mine.

Time stands still whenever I’m with him. And right now, I can’t even keep track of it, too lost in him. That’s why I don’t know how long it took, it could’ve been seconds or minutes or hours. But I broke. Went up screaming. Barely registering he was telling me to shush, that it was too late in the night to be so loud. If that was what he was saying at all.

I’m shuddering, that I can tell with conviction, convulsing. That doesn’t happen often. I mean, it’s always fucking good, but like this, like I’m on something, that’s exceptional. At one point, he growls, squeezing me tighter. His hips stutter, face squashed against my chest. He spends himself inside me, as it was promised. I’m beyond satisfied, I’m in a state of bliss no one can reach me. Where the world doesn’t exist, only him.

Louis stays in for a while longer, nuzzling between my breasts, I play with his hair, a bubbly smile on my face. No high higher than this. He helps me down, I don’t trust my feet, clinging to him like a child. A chuckle falls from his lips.

“That good, huh?”

I just nod.

“I’ll help you clean up.”

With a sponge and a bit of liquid soap, Louis rubs down my body, taking his time to bubble me up. I’m still sensitive to touch, I have to pull his hand away when he tries to touch me down there, where I’m probably red and still swollen. I can feel the burn. Good burn, though.

When we both finish cleaning ourselves up, we step out of the shower. He still has a protective hand around my waistline. I wince at the thought of moving away, but I have to, I can tell I’m one second shy of making a mess on the floor.

He fetches us towels while I go deal with the bloody problem. Pun intended. I clean the dripping blood mixed with cum on my thighs, and when I look up, deep blue is fixed on me. As if entranced.

“What?”

“You just look hot.”

A little laugh slips.

“Thanks. You don’t look so bad,” I groan, it’s still sore-ish when I slide the tampon in. “You really did a number on me.”

“Eh, who’s counting?”

Louis winks, helping me up, I’m still weak on the legs. There’s no need to get dressed, so we wrap ourselves under the sheets, our sopping hair making stains on the pillows.

It’s so painfully intimate.

“I love you,” I whisper, half-asleep, minutes later.

“I love you more.”

His voice is the last sound I hear before I drift to the first night of sleep where I feel full, happy, and satiated. Slept like a queen, his arms wrapped around my waist, cheek pressed to my back. I was on my little piece of heaven and no one could ever snap me out.

[alliewritesthings]

Space In Between - pt 4

pairing: dad!chris evans x original character

word count: 2.9k

a/n: please let me know what you think, i always love to see what people have to say

series masterlist   |   main masterlist + requests are open

part 3

“Here.” Marley sighed, placing two cups of coffee on the small coffee table before settling onto the small couch nestled in her living room. Chris sat across from her in the single arm chair, nodding in thanks for the coffee.

They’d agreed the night before that they needed to talk, no conclusion would be met if they argued in the middle of a hospital parking lot. Marley was exhausted and didn’t have it in her to discuss what had happened, she needed to think about what to say before she could answer any of the questions that Chris was in dire need to know. So, they’d settled on meeting at Marley’s apartment in the morning since Ariel was with her aunt and uncle and then would be at playschool all day.

Chris glanced around the living room, taking in the numerous stuffed toys littering the couch and all the dolls and toys that scattered around the room; it’s not like Marley had really had the chance to tidy up for her somewhat unwelcome guest.

“I’m not here for small talk, Marley.” Chris mumbled, finally laying his eyes upon the small red headed woman. “I’m here to get answers to my questions.” The tension filled the room as Marley took in his words, she still couldn’t look at the man afraid she’d break and spill all her secrets she never wanted to tell. She just nodded in reply, looking down at her hands as she fiddled with the string on her sweatpants.

“So, assuming she’s mine...” Chris trailed off, his eyes burning into the side of her head as she refused to look at him. Marley simply nodded again, her eyes brimming with tears as every emotion she’d ever felt towards the situation bubbled to the surface. She could feel anger radiating off the man across from her. “So why didn’t you tell me?” He sounded confident, but his voice did crack as he spoke, he was trying his best to keep everything buried within.

“I was scared.” Was Marley’s simple, whispered reply. “I was just a publicity thing, and it all went wrong.” Chris scoffed in reply, shaking his head.

“I’m not sure why you’d think we was just a publicity stunt, why would I even sleep with you if it was all a publicity stunt?! I mean, come on Marley it's not like the world could see what would happen in that hotel room!” Chris bit back, a harsh laugh leaving his lips.

“We were drunk.” She whispered, the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks as she tried to justify the situation.

“You may have been drunk, but I was still perfectly capable of understanding my own actions.” Chris shook his head. “Stop coming up with excuses!” His voice was raised and fierce, she’d never seen or heard him like this before.

Chris’ glare never wavered, and Marley could feel the harsh thud of her heart in her chest due to the look he was giving her. He was hurt, betrayed, and so angry. But she knew he had every right to feel that way. “I don’t understand why you kept her from me?! Why didn’t you tell me I have a daughter?” He snapped. “It’s why you left, wasn’t it? It’s why you just disappeared from my life, to keep my child from me?”

“I t-thought you wouldn’t want us. We weren’t anything serious, Chris!” She finally looked up at the man; her daughters' father.

“When did I ever give you any impression that I wanted nothing to do with you?” He scoffed, a look of pure disbelief on his face.

“Chris, I’m sorry!” Marley’s tears streamed down her cheeks; she wasn’t prepared for this situation at all. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but she also didn’t know it would be this hard.

“You’re sorry?” He raised his eyebrows with a scoff and a shake of his head. “You ran off and kept all this a secret from me!” His voice broke again, his features softening at the thought of a child – the one thing he’d wanted for so long – a child which was his, and he didn’t even know existed. Chris loved her already, with his whole heart. And it hurt, his heart hurt at the thought of missing out on the upbringing of his own child. He was already thinking about everything he’d missed, all the firsts that make up a child’s life, and it made him feel sick to his core. But along with the sickness and sorrow that he felt for himself, and for his daughter, he did feel a surge of pure hatred for the woman in front of him who had kept him away.

Chris swallowed the thick lump of emotion in his throat, lifting his chin as he composed himself, getting a proper look at the mess of a woman he once loved. His voice hardened, along with his glare as he spoke, “She deserves to know who her father is. And I’m not going anywhere until she does.”

Marley’s eyes widened at his statement, bringing her hand up to rub at her wet cheeks, her mouth felt dry and she could barely force a single word to be spoken, “You can’t-”

“But, I can,” Chris stated, leaning forward in his seat as he stared into her eyes. “You will not keep me from my daughter for a second longer, and I refuse to let you, Marley.” She knew from that statement that he wanted to be a constant in his daughter's life, and the thought of him being a constant in her life made her feel sick to the stomach, but she knew it had to be done. She knew well enough that now that Chris knew that he had a daughter, he wasn’t going to leave. And she knew, that he’d want it to happen straight away.

They fell into a silence; Marley’s gaze fell back to her hands that fiddled with the string of her sweatpants. “Tomorrow.” She croaked out, lifting her gaze to meet Chris’. “I’m off work, and it’s a weekend so Ariel will be home.” She whispered; she noticed his glare soften. “We’ll go for a picnic. In the park. The one we used to go to.” Another tear trickled down her cheek at her words. “We can introduce you then.”

“Ariel...” Chris whispered, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he repeated her name to himself. “Like The Little Mermaid?” He questioned, in which Marley nodded in reply. “I’d like that... Tomorrow.” He confirmed. “Is she okay with dogs? I’ll bring Dodger.” He tried to keep his voice calm, avoiding the mix of emotions bubbling within him.

Marley could barely believe this whole situation; she couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Her stomach was twisting, making her feel uneasy. How was Ariel going to react? She chewed the inside of her cheek, nodding at his question.

“If it’s okay, Jax and his wife will be there.” She whispered, her eyes dropping back to her hands. “With their kids.” It was obvious they were both trying to ignore the tension and awkwardness that now existed between them. They were unused to that, it used to be so easy between them but now everything just felt so wrong and unnatural.

“Saturday. Tomorrow.” Chris confirmed, pushing himself to his feet as he downed his coffee.

“I’ll text you a time.” She nodded, looking up at the man as he made his way to the door. No parting words shared as he left the apartment, leaving Marley to her own thoughts.

Marley had settled Ariel on a small patterned blanket in the middle of the large, open field. Not too far a distance from the children’s playground, knowing that Ariel will be desperate to play with her cousin as soon as she could. Jax, and his wife Jessica, had arrived shortly after Marley and Ariel had and were setting up their small picnic a few feet away. They knew Chris would be joining them, so were allowing Marley and Ariel some form of privacy but not too much incase Marley needed them.

“Mama, when can Emmy and I go play?” The small girl asked, pulling at the cardigan which hung off her mother's shoulders.

“In a minute, baby. Let’s just get set up first.” Marley offered her a small smile as she set the cool bag full of lunch aside, pulling out the little girl's juice cup.

“Mama, please.” She whined, glancing over at her cousin Emilia who was also begging her parents to let her go.

“I’ll take them over.” Jessica offered, standing from their blanket where Jax was organising their own bags.

“Oh, okay. Thank you.” Marley offered her sister-in-law a tight-lipped, nervous smile.

“It’s gonna be okay.” Jessica whispered, giving Marley a gentle squeeze of her shoulder before taking both small girls by the hands and leading them over to the playground.

“Stop worrying.” Jax glanced over at his sister, shaking his head. “This is for the best, for all of you.” He reminded her, smiling warmly at his sister. “I’m here, if anything goes wrong. But it won’t, you’re both adults. And this time Ariel is involved.”

Marley nodded a little at his words as she glanced over to watch her little girl sliding down the large slide into the arms of her aunt, followed by her cousin who was close behind.

“Hey...” She heard the voice from behind, her body becoming tense before she slowly turned to look.

“Hi.” Marley offered him a tight-lipped smile, patting the blanket beside her. “Come sit.” She told the man, allowing him to take a seat on the blanket where they’d shortly be eating.

“Oh, hey handsome.” Marley cooed as the Chris’ dog came over to sniff her, investigating. “You gorgeous boy.” A laugh fell from Marley’s lips as the pup began to lick at her face. “Oh, yes. You’re adorable.” She told the excited pup. This shouldn’t have made Chris smile; he shouldn’t have loved watching the interaction between the two.

“Dodger, bubba. Come sit down.” Chris called the dog away, Dodger obediently trotting away to sit with Chris. Marley’s eyes remained on the dog, before her gaze shifted back to her four-year old. About ten-minutes of silence passed, before the small girl came running back over to join her parents.

“Mama! I’m hungry.” The little girl called as she threw herself into her mother’s awaiting arms, Marley gave her a gentle squeeze and nodded.

“I’ve got some sandwiches for you...” Marley started, but the little girl's attention was elsewhere. In fact, the attention was at the large dog laying on the edge of the blanket.

“Mama, there's a doggy!” The girl whispered, glancing from the dog to Marley. “Is it for me?” She whispered again, finally looking fully up at Marley. She gave a snort of a laugh at the four-year-olds statement, Ariel’s lips dropped into a pout.

“As I was saying, before someone rudely interrupted me.” Marley stated, tickling the small girl who giggled loudly and wriggled out her mom's lap. “There is a whole picnic, including sandwiches in the cool bag. But first, mommy wants you to meet someone,” She glanced from her daughter to Chris, his eyes were focused solely on Ariel the whole time. “This is Chris, he is mama’s... friend.” She emphasised on the word, making sure it was known by Chris exactly where they were at currently in their situation.

“Hi.” Ariel mumbled, shyly climbing back into her mom's lap and hiding her face in the woman's hair. The awkward tension filled the air, Chris didn’t know how to act considering he was just a “friend”. It had been four years and he wanted to take on the father role with his daughter, but he knew it would take time.

“Why don’t you say hello to Chris’ dog?” Marley questioned, pressing a kiss to the crown of her daughter's head. Ariel sat up and nodded, looking up at Chris with a shy smile.

“Doggy?” She questioned softly, shuffling out her mom’s lap and crawling closer to the dog whose tail began to wag excitedly at the small girl.

“Come say hi, sweetheart.” Chris told the small girl, offering her a smile to try and ease the small girl's shyness and anxiety around him. “His name is Dodger, and I’m sure he’ll be your best friend instantly if you give him one of these.” He took a small bag of dog treats out of his jacket pocket and held one out to Ariel. She carefully took the treat from him, inching closer to Dodger who sat up at the sight of the treat.  

“Good boy, bubba.” Chris praised his pup as Dodger gently took the treat from Ariel’s hand, a soft smile tugging at his lips as the small blonde wrapped her arms around the dog's neck in a gentle hug of praise.

“Come eat some lunch now, please.” Marley reminded the girl, who sat on the blanket in front of Chris to stay with Dodger. “What sandwiches would you like?” Marley questioned, indicating towards the different sandwiches that they’d brought. She knew exactly what filling the girl would pick, but still asked her.

“Cheese, please!” The girl called back, grinning up at her mom as she lazily patted the dogs head as he lay beside her. Marley got the sandwiches from the cool bag,  placing it onto a plastic plate she’d brought for Ariel.

“There you go.” She handed the plate over to the small girl, tilting her head a little as she waited for a reply from Ariel. “Uhm, excuse me.” Marley reminded as she was greeted with silence, the small blonde biting into her cheese sandwich.

“Thank you, mama.” Ariel mumbled; a mouth full of sandwich. A small smile tugged at Chris’ lips as he watched the interaction unfold. Part of him wanted to be mad that he’d missed so much, but another part of him longed to get to know the child and make up for all lost time.

“Would you like a sandwich? Some chips? Some chocolate? Some cake?” Marley tried to stay at ease, her eyes landing on Chris with a small smile.

“I’m fine for now.” Chris replied, offering her a tight-lipped smile before his eyes landed back on his daughter.

“A drink?” She offered, lifting a bottle of water and also some cans of soda out the cool bag.

“Water, please.” He reached for the bottle, carefully taking it from the red head. “Thank you.”

They fell into a silence as Marley opened a can of drink, glancing over to her brother's family who all sat together eating their lunch; the perfect little happy family. Marley had always longed for the same life her brother had, but no matter how much she tried, she knew she’d never have that.

They all sat in silence for the next half-an-hour, the only sound being the children playing in the playground. Marley had unpacked more food and laid it out for Chris and Ariel to help themselves to, slowly picking at pieces herself.

“Chris, will you come play?” Ariel eventually asked, looking up at the man with a shy smile. He nodded in reply.

“I’ll keep an eye on Dodger.” Marley told him, glancing over to the sleeping dog. Chris nodded as he pushed himself to his feet, glancing from Marley to Ariel.

“Come on, Chris!” The little girl tried to make him move faster, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the playground. Marley watched the pair of them together, her heart felt full; so full of love.

“Mama, can Chris come and play more often?” The little girl asked as Marley loaded all the bags into the back of the car, turning to the little girl who was waiting to be placed into her car seat. They’d spent around four hours at the park, Marley had decided it was time to leave when Ariel began to show the little signs of exhaustion.

“Course I will.” Chris answered the question, appearing from behind them with Dodger walking beside him. “I’ll sort with your mom, and see you again soon.” He told the little girl, carefully lifting her to help her into the back of Marley’s SUV. He tightened the car seat around the girl, offering her a warm smile.

“You be good for your ma.” He stated, smiling as Ariel leant over the side of her car seat to wave at Dodger.

“Bye doggy, bye Chris!” Ariel called as Chris shut the door of the car, turning to Marley who was waiting to get into the driver's side of the vehicle.

“Thank you.” Chris stated simply, fiddling with Dodger's leash in his hands. “I do hope we can make these things more frequent.”

Marley nodded in reply, before opening the door and climbing into the car. “Okay.” She said, offering a slight smile. “We’ll sort something. Bye Chris.” She closed the door behind her. Chris watched as the car pulled away, already missing the small piece of him that was being driven away.

part five

taglist: @memoriesat30​ @findthebeautyinbreakdowns​

[ashes-in-a-jar]

The Purrfect Alternative

Premise: Why would there be a cat in the archives? An archive cat fixit.

2.7K words

Rated G

(Tw: A bit of violence but it's against Jurgen Leitner)

This is a fic dedicated to the @jonsimsandcats event! Hope you enjoy it :)

"Sorry, you haven't seen a cat, have you?"

Jon gaped at the larger man who suddenly barged into the office. 

"I-I'm sorry, a what?"

"Uh, a cat, tabby I think." The man hurriedly explained.

"No. No I haven't. Is it.. Supposed to be here?" Jon knew book shops sometimes kept cats. Perhaps archives did as well. Maybe Gertrude had a soft spot in her after all.

"N-no actually. I, uh, I was feeding it on the way in but when I got up with my things, well, my hands were full you see, so when I managed to open the door it sort of slipped in with me? I'm so sorry, I have to find it before-"

"Okay okay calm down, stop." Jon held up his hand and let out a sigh. First day of the promotion and he's already stressed. But it's fine. He's fine. He can handle a cat. He's good with cats.

"Where do you work? Upstairs? Are you sure it came down here?"

"Yes, I saw it. And I just started working down here today? I'm Martin. Blackwood." He offered a hand. Jon automatically took it. Big and soft. He let go a bit too quickly and coughed. 

"Work here? Are you certain?"

"Yes, I'm supposed to let Jonathan Sims know about becoming an archival assistant. He's the head archivist Elias told me to talk to."

"Well that's one thing to cross off your list." Jon smirked. "I'm Jonathan Sims. Jon, if you please. And Elias did not mention you. Tim and Sasha were supposed to be the only new recruits." Jon frowned to himself. He'll have to have a word with Elias about this. It's fine now that it happened but keeping Jon updated could really help in preventing these kinds of awkward introductions with people he's supposed to work closely with.

"O-oh! Well, here I am now too." Martin chuckled nervously, fidgeting with the hem of his jumper.

Jon hummed "So you are I suppose. Well, let's not waste time on trivial matters, there is a cat that needs to be found." Jon got up from his chair.

"O-oh god, you're right. I'm so sorry for this." The other man apologized, remembering why he was there in the first place. It was clear that he now realized that the fact that the person he's asking to help him clear up his mess is his new boss could be very problematic for him. Jon easily sympathized with that kind of familiar pressure.

"It's alright, let's just, get this sorted." Jon was not willing to admit that a part of him was also just looking forward to seeing the cat. It would help distract him from his own stress, as it were.

Ten minutes later the two of them sitting on the floor in the stacks with a chubby tabby cat sprawled on Jon's lap. Jon was petting it affectionately while amicably getting acquainted with his new assistant. The man turned out to be a library veteran with useful cataloging skills that could help with the mess that was left down here. Having calmed down considerably, Martin had stopped fidgeting and was cooing at the cat who was head butting his large palm. Their presence soothed Jon in a way that surprised him. In the tranquil, quiet atmosphere of the stacks, sounds of cat purrs and Martin's low murmurs, he felt almost optimistic that despite his lack of experience and the large task ahead of them, he would be alright. 

-------

Paper meowed loudly behind him as Martin hurried down the tunnel with Jon and Tim at his tail. Martin glanced back as he reached an intersection and noticed they were too far behind, Jon limping on his injured foot. He hesitated, stopping and waiting for them to catch up. Paper came up and rubbed his leg before trotting down the tunnel on the right, tail held high and confident. Martin inhaled deeply to catch his breath, starting to walk again, this time more slowly. They managed to leave most of the fast worms behind and the ones down here were few and sparse enough to easily stomp down individually. Paper was making a game out of it.  He kept leaping onto some that crawled ahead of them, squishing them loudly with his paw. 

Jon and Tim caught up and the three followed Paper down the dark passage. 

"Yeah, get the damn crawlers." Slurred Tim. The CO2 he inhaled was not helping his coherency. 

"You know," gasped Jon, "I actually think they're larvae, given Jane's statement and-" 

"Jon, I'm going to have to ask you to stop now." Martin said, as calmly as he could, his voice a tad too high and loud. 

"... Sorry." Jon said sheepishly. 

They followed Paper down the forking paths, hoping the cat knew where in the seven circles of hell they were. 

Eventually they stopped seeing any worms as the path sloped up, ending in a sudden door. There was daylight filtering in from beneath it. Paper was eagerly pawing at it. 

"Uh, I think we found a secret way out of the institute." Martin could hardly believe their luck. 

"Excellent, now I can ditch work and no one will know I even left." Tim mumbled. 

"Tim, if you wanted to succeed in that endeavor, you should have not said that next to your boss." Jon commented dryly. 

The worm threat no longer being imminent, Martin allowed himself a nervous chuckle. 

They pushed at the door and with a bit of group effort, eventually managed to pry it open into fresh air. They came out into a narrow alleyway which turned out to be not far from the institute. As they walked (limped) down the street to find access to a working phone they heard someone cry out. 

"Jon? Tim? Martin!" They spotted Sasha hurrying towards them, carrying heavy bags of cat food. 

"Sasha! You're okay!" Martin exclaimed. "We were worried you'd get back and be caught in it like Tim had."

"Where have you been?" Jon inquired, straining to stand upright on his own. Martin came closer, gently supporting him by the hip on the opposite side of Tim. 

"We ran out of food for Paper, I figured I'd pop by the store for a moment to get some." Sasha said. "I came back when the building was being evacuated."

"Oh good, at least the alarm worked." Tim said tiredly. 

"What in god's name happened to you three?" She inquired worriedly. 

"Prentiss, we'll fill you in later. We need to make sure the ECDC is informed regarding the CO2 in the fire suppression system that needs to be activated."

"And get you to a hospital." Martin chastised, squeezing Jon's side. 

"Yes yes." Jon waved dismissively but all the while leaning further into Martin's side. He really wasn't discreet, Martin thought smugly. 

Sasha was about to say something else when a loud meow interrupted her. Paper was nosing into the bag, fully aware of its contents and who they were meant for. 

Jon dislodged from Martin and Tim and hobbled towards the cat. 

The cat turned and moved back into Jon's welcoming arms, as the archivist picked him up and stroked him fondly. 

"We are lucky on all accounts that Paper is such a smart cat." He murmured into the soft fur, injury forgotten for the moment. 

Tim chuckled, "cats always ruin evil people's plans, it's a well known fact. Anyway, Sasha, please call an ambulance for us?" He said, and promptly sat on the floor. 

Martin sighed with relief. For now, they are all safe and together. And that's all that matters. 

-------

It was all almost too much to take in. Luckily Paper was held tight in his arms as he listened to Jurgen Leitner ramble on about powers and fears and monsters and Jonah Magnus. He had been chased by a distorted form of his boss, who was apparently replaced by a monster Jon and the crew tried and failed to destroy, thus separating in the ensuing pursuit. In light of these events Jon now needed something soft to ground him in the face of so much new information. 

The discovery of Elias' death was a shock, especially given the fact that apparently it happened when he was trapped in artifact storage during the Prentiss siege a half a year back. 

He (that is, his doppelganger) told them back then that he was trying to reach the suppression system switch when he tripped down the stairs over one of Paper's many scattered toys, alerting Jane in the process and was driven back into the storage area. His account seemed to check out given he was rescued from there by the ECDC after Jane was dealt with. And given the few toys strewn about the stairs leading to artifact storage. Why Paper kept scattering his toys all over the building was beyond Jon but that wasn't the main issue at hand. After trapping the creature in the walls of the tunnels, Jurgen Leitner proceeded to reveal himself. Once Jon dragged him back to his office, and picked the protesting Paper up to calm himself down, he unveiled the truth of Elias', or Jonah's, whole operation. 

Turns out Jonah Magnus decided life was too short to enjoy once and did exactly what eventually happened to him. Talk about karma. Leitner explained that Gertrude's plan was to stop Jonah from... Something he was planning. Perhaps a ritual to end the world in a way the others would fail to do. That bit of information was on a tape of Gertrude which Leitner played for Jon. By the time they reached the part where Leitner said, “they needed to kill Jonah's main body then burn down the archives.” Martin, Tim and Sasha had arrived back at the office as well. 

"Jon? Jon! Are you okay?" Martin rushed forward, hugging Jon tightly, ignoring Paper's loud yowling at being squished in between them. Jon sighed, "Martin, thank god. I-I'm fine." He hugged him back, relieved his boyfriend was safe, as well as his other assistants of course. "It chased after me but he stopped it."

Tim raised his axe, "Jon are you sure he's not... Another one?"

"Yes I'm sure. That" Jon took a deep breath, "is Jurgen Leitner."

After the team's loud exclamations of disbelief he and Leitner updated them on everything they had discussed. As he was being hugged by Martin and holding the fluffy cat he slowly began calming down.

After Leitner was done a long moment of silence ensued.

"So," Sasha said slowly, "Gertrude's dead?"

"Yes, she was shot and then hidden by Jonah in the tunnels. Unfortunately I couldn't get out to allow for a proper burial, so I had to leave her there." He seemed sad admitting it. Jon did not feel sympathy for him. This man deserved none for his past and cowardice.

"And now, we need to, what, somehow find the center of the maze of tunnels to kill Jonah completely and burn the archives?" Sasha asked skeptically. 

"Yes, the whole institute in fact. I have a gas main in the tunnels ready to be ignited once we find the center." Leitner said.

"How do we do that?" Martin frowned.

"Maybe Michael knows?" Tim quipped. "He just helped us out of that situation with his own… corridor labyrinth. Maybe he'll be able to help."

"Okay, okay let's first take a breather and calm down. We'll figure out how to solve this." Jon said, raising his hand to slow them down.

"Yeah, I'll make us some tea." Martin added, "At least now that... Thing won't bother us for a long while."

"Let it burn along with this hell of an institute." Tim said harshly. Knowing how his brother was killed almost the same way, Jon felt strong sympathy for Tim rush over him.

Which was replaced with a different emotion the moment he turned to the man who saved him.

"Thank you for your help, now Martin, I need you to hold Paper for a moment."

Martin, looking baffled, took Paper out of Jon's arms. "Jon wh-"

Jon swiftly approached the older man and proceeded to sock him in the nose with the full force of his fist. The crew gasped in unison. 

"That's for everyone you hurt with your idiocy, you stupid old coward." Jon seethed and punched him again. He heard Martin chuckle and Tim whoop as the man whimpered and attempted to protect his face.

Jon was glad they were spared the horrible plans of a 200 year old evil man and that they had some semblance of a strategy moving forward. He was, however, equally elated for this opportunity to do what he fantasized about since learning of Leitner's existence.

And, he supposes, all of this can be indirectly attributed to Paper, the archive cat.

-------

Jon woke up to the warm snuggle of his lovely fiance and a mouthful of cat fur. 

"Pffff, Paper geerroff," he mumbled, uselessly trying to push the stubborn cat away. The chirping of birds mingled with the sound of highland cows grazing in the field near their cabin. 

After the success of their plan to end Jonah, after the fire had already burned down the horrors of that evil place, it took a while longer for their troubles to be resolved. They had to endure endless questioning and investigations of the police. Jon, who was weakened by the ordeal to the point of needing hospitalization, took a long time to recover and regain his strength. Leitner claimed it was lucky he was cut off from the Eye this early, or the consequences would have been much more serious. The others seemed to have been less affected, but once the archives were completely reduced to ashes they recovered, their jobs burned down along with everything else. 

Sasha found a new job as a researcher in a prestigious institute, nothing supernatural involved. Tim moved on to journalism, utilizing his curiosity and charm to their full potential. Jon and Martin opened a tea & book shop, if only to make Paper a real bookshop cat. They have been slowly setting it up and settling down until... Well, Jon proposed and they took a break. Traveled to Scotland with Paper on an early honeymoon to see the cows and enjoy the quiet. 

And quiet it was. Until Paper shamelessly began purring as loud as a train right in Jon's ear. Jon huffed in fond annoyance and got up, leaning down to give Martin a kiss on the head and then shooing the crime of a cat off to the kitchen. 

"You can't give me a moment of reprieve, can you?" He stretched and followed the cat out the bedroom. 

He filled Paper's bowl and sat on the floor leaning his back on the cabinet, closing his eyes as Paper chewed his food noisily. 

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, he was awakened by a soft tap on his head. He looked up blearily and smiled. The cat had long since finished eating and found a home in Jon's lap. 

"Morning love." Martin murmured softly, matching his tone to the serene atmosphere. After hesitating a moment, he bent down and sat next to Jon. Jon looked at him adoringly as he absent-mindedly stroked Paper, humming along to his purrs. Martin joined him, petting Paper, their hands occasionally (and very purposefully) brushing against each other. 

After a few minutes of calm silence, Martin spoke up. 

"You know, this reminds me of that first day we met. In the stacks."

Jon smiled at the memory. "Ahh yes, all three of us had a very fateful meeting there, didn't we? God, I was so stressed back then." 

"You handled it pretty well I have to say. Handled my nervousness pretty well too." Martin chuckled. 

"I was lucky you were there. You really helped me calm down." Jon admitted. "Well, you and Paper." Jon added fondly. 

"Paper was a really good archive cat wasn't he?" Martin said, leaning into Jon, pressing a warm, still sleepy kiss on his cheek. Jon closed his eyes, grateful for the events that led up to this moment of pure happiness, with his fiance and his cat. 

"Yes, the best cat in the world."

[cherri-cherri]

Pairings - Yuuji Itadori x Reader x Ryomen Sukuna

Synopsis - Ever since Yuuji moved away to Tokyo, you've been noticing some odd changes from him, it's almost as if...he was becoming another person all together.

Theme - Monster by Imagine Dragons

A/N - An idea hit me in the head while I was working and I wanted to try this out so badly with both Yuuji and Sukuna! A concept of 'What if the vessel wasn't just the vessel?'. The vessel would eventually merged with the being to become something new altogether, and I thought...yes. why the heck not. This is gonna be a long one, So let's hop right it! Because I really like this idea, theres a good chance this is going to be either split up into parts or I'm gonna keep visiting this every now and then.

Warning - The characters in this story will be aged up due to NSFW content here. Dirty NSFW scenes sprinkled in, Gore Warning, Abuse, Etc.

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

He didnt want this...

All he wanted was to keep those he cared about safe. Lying to you at the time seemed like a good idea, especially since you weren't tied into the mystical world he was now tied to, and he didn't want you too. But now, perhaps he should've told you everything.

About the finger, about the school, and...

About Sukuna.

You couldn't exactly remember why you originally said yes to the pink haired boy when he asked you to join his occult club activities that night. Maybe it was because of the fact you have nothing really better to do, or maybe because traveling through a forest of possible gruesome death seemed the most attractive thing to you at the time, yet you an Yuuji grew close together that night. Truth be told, walking through those woods during the dead of night was actually creepier than you thought but he was there by your side to comfort you the entire time, holding your hand while cracking a few jokes every now and then to calm your nerves.

"You're not scared? You seem so..well calm?" You asked, looking up at Yuuji with furrowed brows as he just smiled down at you. "Nah, not really. It's just darker and a few trees are around. Not really anything scary, right?" He said, rubbing the back of his neck while chuckling.

Maybe it was because of the warmth of his hands wrapped around your own or how comforting the presence he gave off was to you but it was probably then that your feelings for Yuuji began to grow.

"What you're going to Tokyo?" You questioned, watching Yuuji prepared a few boxes to pack his things. "Yeah, transferring schools. I'm, um .. I'm recieving a sports scholarship at a school there." Placing a few more of things away was when he finally turned to see you, clearly upset over just now being told this. Sure, you should've been happy to see your best friend be able to leave to accomplish more out of his life but it was the thought of him leaving you here that hurt the most. When he saw your face and the conflicted look on it, Yuuji stepped over towards you before wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you in your embrace.

"I'm sorry, Y/N. I just—" before he could finish his sentence, you stood up on your toes and wrapped your arms around his neck and simply smiled to him. "You don't have to say a thing, Yuuji, I'm happy for you. Just promise me that you'll stay safe out there for me, 'kay?"

Your words alone reminded him why he had to leave, why he had to go and leave you here. It was to keep you safe, safe from curses and safe from the curse lying dormant inside of him now. "R-right...Thank you, Y/N"

The school days were quiet once when Yuuji transferred schools. Sadly enough, the occult club had to disband after he left due to them not having enough members with Iguchi still hospitalized. Now it just seemed..boring without him there but he still seemed to have brighten your day with the photos he would send you every day of the bright city lights and bustling streets. His little messages and calls always well timed to reassure you that just because you aren't blocks away from each other anymore doesn't mean you won't still be friends.

So far, you've became pretty happy with Yuuji and how he's able to come so far in Tokyo. He speaks greatly about his sensei and his new classmates known as Fushiguro and Kugasaki, who from the sound of it, are a bit of a handle but great friends who still treat him well. Every week when he had his day off, he would spend time on video call to talk to you and even show you cool things that he either found around the city or around the school's campus.

Tonight however..he was late. Sure, it didn't bother you really if he was punctual or on time since this was Yuuji we were talking about here but there was a tad bit of worry lingering in your head. Soon enough, as soon as that ugly feeling of worry and doubt began to surface, Yuuji's icon appeared on the screen on the laptop as it began to ring to which you quickly opened.

"Yuuji, hey— oh my god, your face." You said right away, gasping a little at the cuts and bruises littered not only on his face but from the looks of it, his arms and shoulders too. Has he been fighting? "What? Oh, oh! These! Yeah, Fushiguro and Gojou-Sensei kinda roughen me up a little today during training but it's no sweat, really! Barely feel a thing," Yuuji tried to give you a reassuring smile while patting his right shoulder only to wince a little in pain from the impact of the pat.

"First the weird scars on your face, now bruises? Dude, I get that this is a sports thing but don't you think it's a little extreme?"

Hearing the worry in your voice, Yuuji rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand nervously as he tried to think of a way to reassure you until a deep voice came from that same hand, chuckling softly.

"What's this? A woman talking to the brat...? How amusing." Sukuna.

Hearing the voice, Yuuji instantly flinched and lowered his arms out of the camera's view. Panic shot through his body as you stared at the screen with a raised brow. "Oh, is someone there with you now? Didn't know you had a roommate."

Oh good, you didn't see him. It wasn't as if he was afraid of you meeting Sukuna, he was afraid of telling you the truth about everything. About how he was now a vessel for ancient being, how he was studying cursed energy and jujutsu, how he died yet came back to life..dumping so much on you with the chance that you might never speak to him again out of fear, out of disgust. That you stop being his friend, and that he would never..he would never—

"Yuuji?" Tapping the screen a little on your laptop as it shook the camera, he soon stared back at you and laughed nervously. "O-oh right, he's only here for a little bit of time, so I figured what's really the point in telling you"

"Really now? Could've swore I was here to stay with you forever. You could at least introduce me to your friend here." Sukuna felt a great amusement watching Yuuji squirm just to keep you in the dark. Yuuji quickly began stammering on his words, throwing you off as he made a quick excuse to leave the call early. Before you could even say a single word, he clicked ended the facetime before sighing to himself and leaning back against his chair.

"...What is the point in keeping me hidden? We are practically one now, me as you and you as me, Brat." Sukuna said, his mouth now appearing on the left side of his cheek with the eyelid opening to stare up at the boy. "Are you scared of me paying your little toy a visit? Young and no doubt a virgin, I could have some fun with her—" Yuuji quickly slapped a hand against the mouth in attempt to hush the curse only for Sukuna to migrate to the hand.

"I won't let that happen, Sukuna." Yuuji said, frowning as he heard the curse chuckle. He didn't like the sound of how he described his bond to the soul sleeping inside of him, how they were one in the same. Shaking his head, the boy tried to reassure himself that he was nothing like Sukuna and simply went to turn off the lights and sleep on it. The last thing he heard before slumber took him were the ominous words of Sukuna,

"You'll see I was right soon enough, brat..."

A week later, Yuuji came back home to visit you. It was one of the days where the school allowed their students a break from their studies and classes and so he wanted to spend it with you as a surprise. And indeed you were surprised. When you had rushed downstairs, you did so wearing only a red sleeved t-shirt that the pink haired male might have left behind with a pair of gray shorts, and so when you opened the door to see the cheery face of your best friend well...it may have left you a bit flustered.

"Hey, Y/—" you quickly shut the door in his face, collapsing on your knees as you felt your cheeks beginning to burn. 'Why of all days, Itadori?!' You thought to yourself as she slowly stood back up and cracked the door open to see Yuuji's baffled face. He looked like a puppy..a sad puppy who was just kicked off his owner's bed and it broke you. Before long, he was now in your house and sitting in the living room couch while you were in the kitchen preparing tea. Your father was currently away on business while god knows what your mother was..it was just the two of you.

And it was awkward.

As you prepared tea on the kettle, Yuuji couldn't help but look at the shirt you were wearing as a small pink blush was lightly spreading on his cheeks. In a way, it filled him with a strange feeling seeing you walking around in something of his, seeing you wearing his shirt made him..prideful. didn't help with how short your shorts were either, it was practically hugging onto your as—

"So, it's just you? Dude, you should've told me you were coming! I would've been more prepared..I barely have any snacks or anything here right now." You grumbled, snapping his attention away to listen to what you were saying. "Hey, no worries, Y/N. Honestly, I'm just hungry for something else..." that last part through him off as he covered his mouth. That wasn't his voice. No, it was but that wasn't him speaking.

As he turned his head to the side to the balcony door, there the boy saw it in his reflection. The eye of Sukuna staring right back at him, causing him to quickly cover the eye.

"Huh? Alright, well what are you hungry for? Theres probably some ramen around here someone or we could just go out to a place to eat if you want.." you questioned, back turned away from him as you began to take the now whistling kettle off the stove. No, he couldn't deal with this now, not while you were only feet away from him. Yet the more he watched you in the reflection, the more he saw your curves in those pretty little shorts or your braless breasts bounce with ease under his stolen shirt...

Shaking his head, Yuuji soon stood up from the couch and placed on his jacket. "I'm sorry, N/N, But I have to go—"

"Wait what but–"

"Sorry, u-um, Gojou-Sensei said something came up and I have to go back! I'm sorry but I'll make it up to you— I promise!" Before you could even protest, he was already out of the door and gone. As he left, you could've swore you saw an eye on his cheek where one of his scars were but that was impossible, right?

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

He honestly had no idea where he was going to run off to but the boy knew that if Sukuna had a chance to take over and you were in front of him, would've hurt you or worse. Seeing your disappointed face yet again almost shattered his heart completely and when Yuuji finally came to a halt, he found himself beside a small stream and sighed. This was all for the best. It was to keep you safe, or so he kept telling himself.

"Damn, to think you would actually run away when she was begging for you to take her there. What a wimp.." Sukuka said, mouth manifesting on Yuuji's neck as his eye looks up at frowning boy. "Its not often you get an open invitation from a woman. If I was in control, I would've taken her then and there and ram my co‐" Yuuji quickly slapped a hand over the mouth as a faint blush appeared on his cheeks, him now thinking back to you and how pretty you looked wearing his shirt. "S-shut up. Don't go saying such gross crap."

"You know you feel the same. I can see that she affects you even now judging by the sight of your pants. You wanted to stuff her with your seed just as much as I did." Sukuna said, the mouth now on his hand. Much to Yuuji's surprise, his dark brown eyes quickly shot down to his pants and just as Sukuna said, there was a raging boner standing up at attention. Swallowing his guilt, he tried to cover it only for his pinky finger to slowly graze the fabric and giving his cock a small jolt. The boy hissed a little and quickly placed his hands to his side.

"I-i..I just.." "No need to be embarrassed. That girl isn't anything typically special but just seeing her, seeing her ass in such revealing clothing. Women of this era must be extremely dirty~" Sukuna chuckled "and hearing your thoughts, you certainly surprised me, Brat..." the more Sukuna spoke, the more Yuuji thought back to you. Seeing your breasts and ass was truthfully hot, even if you weren't exactly his type, he still found you beautiful. Slowly without him even noticing, his hand slowly motioned for his cock once more and in the silence of the forest, Yuuji Itadori thought only of you during his time in pleasure.

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

It wasn't until later on into the night that Yuuji had finally texted you back, saying he would back tomorrow to make things up with you. Sure, it did cheer you up that he would be back but the way he was acting lately made you feel like something was wrong. If you ever asked, he would change the subject or just smile at you awkwardly as if admitting to hiding something but you won't force him tell you what was wrong. When He was ready, he would tell you for sure and you'll wait for however long he wanted.

"N/N, Everything alright?" Yuuji asked, gaining your attention as you snapped back to the present and out of your thoughts. Looking around, you found yourself staring ahead at a bag of popcorn and the large bright ights of a ferris wheel constantly in motion. That's right, the local fairgrounds, Yuuji had wanted to go one more time before he returned back to Tokyo and since you always liked the food here, you of course said yes. "O-oh, yeah! I'm fine. Just looking ahead at the wheel. Remember last time we were here some kid ended up puking on Sasaki from a cart above us?"

"Haha! Yeah, she smelled of salty tuna for weeks afterwards and it left a stain on her uniform" He laughed, staring at the wheel as he thought about the memory. As you stared at him and watch his smile, it had then reassured you that this was still your best friend and you smiled back. For a moment, the two of you were having a blast at the small fair, playing some of the games set up by the booths (and being turned away after Yuuji broke a few with his strength..) it felt like old times all over again. "Wanna play another game or play at bumper carts? We still have some time to kill before you gotta go back?" You asked, carrying some of the plushie prizes the two of you (mainly Yuuji) earned, you looked over to your side and saw a cotton candy display before your attention turns back to Yuuji, The two of you decided just for a moment to sit down at a small metal bench to rest your feet for a moment

Seeing the display, an idea popped up in his head and the words of Gojou appeared in his mind. 'You want advice on how to swoon a girl? Well take small hints when she gives them to you, if her eyes are lingering on something then that's probably a sign she wants it—'. Seeing as how you kept looking up at the cotton candy, he thought this might have been his chance and sat down his own plushies. Without saying a word, Yuuji got up and walked over to the stand, leaving you there by the table alone with your horde of plush creatures.

Seeing you seating there at the bench by yourself, a group of punks who looked to be close to your age strolled up to you, two of them taking a seat on each side of you while the third one was standing right behind you. "Fine evening, isn't it, love. What's a sweet little thing like you doing here by yourself, you looking for some fun?" The purple haired male said on your left side, lowering his shades as he stared noticeably at your chest. "Actually, I'm here with a friend and this seat is for him so if you could jus—" "oh a 'friend'? But I don't see this friend now, so maybe you could tag along with us back to our place and we'll show you a fun time." The punk behind you said, his hands now pressed firmly on both of your shoulders as he leaned in a bit closer to you, causing you to flinch at his touch. "I, um.."

"N/N?"

Turning your head back to in front of you, you saw Yuuji there holding a blue and pink cotton candy stick and face emotionles. "N/N, huh? That's a cute name. This your friend, N/N?" The purple haired punk said, chuckling while rising from his seat "....." Yuuji remained silent for a bit as he stared off at the hands touching you, gripping onto your shoulder and clearly making you uncomfortable. He was typically known for being a calm guy but see this angered him beyond words.

'You see what they're doing to your woman, brat? You're just going to let it happen..?' Yuuji heard the inner words of Sukuna in his head, his eyes dart away from you to the guy standing in front of him, smirking as he touch the cotton candy from the pink haired boy's hand and taking a large bite of the webby treat. "This doesnt have to get rough, all you need to do is walk away and we'll show N/N-chan here a good time she'll never forget." He said, licking his tongue over his lips.

As Yuuji's lips parted, he heard a groan coming from you as you squirmed in the other guys hold with the second punk was now leaning into your neck. Seeing your frown of discomfort, they way they were touching what was rightful his , All he needed to hear were those small words from Sukuna.

'They're touching your woman, they're hurting her. Finish.. them.. off.'

Yuuji stood there for a moment, remaining silent as he lowered his hand, a shadow now cast over his face. Opening one of your eyes as you squirm in the punk's hold, you saw something that made your heart almost stop beating altogether. That smile on his face, that malevolent smile and empty eyes as he held onto the purple haired Male's now broken arm.

The next thing was a blur. The screams of your harassers echoed around you and you heard a wet sound looping over and over again as well as hard thuds. Opening your eyes, you saw it. Two of the thugs bloodied and bruised as their limbs were bent in ways you couldn't imagine, one of them dangling up above you on a tree branch while the other one was limp inside of the cotton candy stand. Looking around for the third one, you saw him behind held against one of the food stands while Yuuji was there gripping his hand over the punk's neck. You couldn't exactly show him any mercy and yet Yuuji was clearly taking things too far, even when the guy tried to beg for mercy and claw his way out of your friend's hold, all Yuuji did was stand there with a grin you've never seen before. It wasnt one of his innocent smiles or mischievous grins, no, it was one of pure sadism. "P-please stop, I'm sorry..I'm sorry.." "you didn't stop when she wanted you too, So why should I?" Yuuji tilted his head to the side a little, chuckling a little as his grip tightened and the man gasped out for air "you'll pay for what you did. You'll all fucking pay..."

The air in your chest almost stopped filling your lungs completely as you watch this. That wasn't the Yuuji you knew, he would've never went this far just to prove a point! Slowly taking a step forward and then another and then slowly speeding up, you reached out and held onto the arm Yuuji was holding the punk up with. "Yuuji, stop it! You'll kill him if you keep this up!" You yelled only to feel a blow strike your face and send you tumbling back a few feet, causing you to scream out in pain. "Stay out of this." Was all he said until freezing and slowly turning back to see what he had done.

Crimson was spilling from your nose onto your shirt and it was gushing out by the bucket to which you quickly covered as you stared up at Yuuji with teary eyes. Regret instantly overwhelmed him as he dropped the thug and slowly reached over to you, his senses coming back to him. "N/N?" He questioned, almost checking to see if you were alright but you backed away as he stepped over to you. What has he done..? Why did he..? He watched you slowly back away with each step, fear in your bright (E/C) eyes and it broke him. "Hey, w-what's wrong? I was only trying to protect them from you, you don't have to be scared."

As people began to crowd in, brought in by the noise of fighting and your scream, Yuuji hand ghosted over the skin of yourself shoulder and you flinched. You flinched at his touch..So many feelings began to overwhelm him that he didn't notice the look of horror in your eyes as you watched what thought were scars slowly twitch and open up, revealing bright red eyes staring directly at you.

"They were going to hurt you," 'She's scared of you now after all you've done' "I saved you! They won't touch you like that again!" 'She sees you for what you are, brat.' "I just wanted to keep you safe!" With each yell, Yuuji watched as you grew more and more scared, the people around all of you terrified as they watched and some even grabbing whatever they could that could be a weapon. Gripping his head as he felt an intense pain through his skull, it was then he noticed..how small you looked as he towered over you. When did you get so small? He thought to himself, bending down to grab you when he saw his arm.

His nails were a dark purple shade, sharper and three black markings were on his wrist. Turning his head a little to one of the booth's and staring into the window was when the truth hit Yuuji hard. His body was different and taller now for some reason and Sukuna's markings were slowly appearing over his face. He was..slipping?

"Y-yuuji, what the hell is happening to you.." he heard you whisper yet before he could respond, there was the sharp pain of something blunt hitting his shoulder. Looking to his feet, he saw a medium sized rock and there another and another. The people were launching what they could at him, yelling at him to leave the girl alone and to leave. Yelling for his death, calling him a monster, calling him a curse. He stared at you for a moment, seeing how now tears leaking from your eyes and Yuuji stepped away before fleeing.

"Yuuji, wait!!" He heard your frantic yell from behind him but it didn't slow him down as he kept running further into the distance and leaving you behind. Your yells becoming drowned out by the mad laughter of Sukuna echoing in his mind.

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

No, he didn't want this at all. The day was meant to go differently, it was meant to be just the two of you having fun together and end with the ferris wheel and him finally telling you that he...

Thunder crackled outside of the decrepit shrine the boy had taken shelter in, rain pouring outside by the gallons. As he watched the raindrops in silence, Yuuji saw how the scenery slowly began to shift around him as the sky became more malevolent and the cold concrete he was sitting on now a pool of crimson water with piles on top of piles of bones surrounded him. The memories of the fairground echoed in his mind over and over again on loop of him hitting you and your look of fear haunting him, causing his eyes to water.

"Aw, are you going to cry, brat..?"

Yuuji remained silent as he waited for Sukuna to appear at any moment, yet he never came, only his voice lingered around him. "This is all of your fault.." Yuuji whispered, staring off into the rain. "My fault? I don't understand. If I recall, you were to one who eat my finger. You were the one who signed up for being my vessel, everything that has been done was all you..I merely watched from here."

"Bullshit! You made me hurt her..you made me like this!" Yuuji screamed out, flashes of who he did to those thugs showing through his mind, "You made me hurt them!"

"...No, that was all you. You can blame me all you want but I felt what you felt, saw what you saw and you loved every second of that fight. Whipping those who displease you in place, kicking the asses of the men who touched what was yours. Gotta say, made me tear up watching everything unfold" Hear the curse's chuckle echo around in the shrine, Yuuji quickly stood up and yelled out for Sukuna to show himself, only for him to collapse on his knees when feeling an sharp pain in his torso.

"No need to show myself, I'm already with you as close as I can."

Gritting his teeth in pain it was then that Yuuji saw his reflection staring back at him in the water, grinning ear to ear with malice in those sharp fangs.

"You see , Brat, becoming my vessel didn't just mean I was trapped inside of you..no no..You would slowly become me. Your small soul means shit compared to mine and it will be swallowed whole by me. I just needed us to be bound for some time and you would be mine..."

As the reflection spoke to him, Yuuji screamed out in pain as he felt his bones inside of him crack and twist as if they were rearranging themselves. His stomach felt as if it was being cut open entirely as the flesh began to slowly pull apart while tearing open the yellow hoodie in the process, the meat of his torso was forced open as a tongue lulled out and licked his abs like they were lips. The sides of his waist felt as if someone was taking a pair of axes and were merely swinging it down as flesh began to bubble through and bones formed one by one until two new pair of arms were fully shaped. Taking a deep breath, Yuuji slowly chuckled as one of his hands reached up to his head and gripped it and the others wrapped around his waist.

"N-no..no..i.."

"You should be honoured, Yuuji. You get the privilege of becoming one with me, my power is now yours and yours mine." His lips, against his will, began to speak the words of Sukuna as they formed into a forced grin. "N-no..I haven't told her yet. I haven't told N/N that I love—"

"Yuuji?"

Once when he blinked, Yuuji found himself no longer in the shrine but sitting inside of his desk in his old desk with you standing beside him. Seeing you before him, safe and smiling at him, the boy quickly stood up and wrapped his arms around you which took you for surprise in the process but you simply allowed him to let it all out when you hugged him back. "Well hello to you too, welcome back to earth, how was your trip to space..?" You said, chuckling before feeling something wet on your shoulders. His tears.

"Y/N..I..I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything, I should've told you everything. I should'nt have hit you. I just wanted to protect you because...because...I love you!" His words surprised you but you simply smile. "I love you too, Yuuji."

Staring back down at the reflection before him of the boy hugging onto you tightly as he weeped, dark brown eyes shift to that of a bright velvet shade. Sukuna chuckled while stretching out his newly formed body. How good it felt to be back in control, to have actual flesh again and to see this brand new world all to himself. Sure, his power was not what it used to be but he would regain all of his fingers soon enough. As his domain faded away and he found himself back in the decrepit old shrine, he smirked to himself while debating his next order of business.

"Y/N L/N...Maybe I should do this body a favor and seize you for my own."

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

He wouldn't answer any of your calls or texts. No one has heard or seen of him but now there was a witch hunt for your best friend. As you laid in your dimly lit bedroom with bandages over your nose, you stared down at your phone anxiously awaiting something from Yuuji.

Ring~~~

Ring~~~

Hearing the sound of your phone vibrating, you quickly shot up from the covers an grabbed the phone, unlocking it right away and placing it to your ear.

"Hello?" There was nothing but silence on the other end, the soft howling of the wind being the other thing you could really make out. "Hello..?"

"N/N.." your heart practically stopped for a moment but you felt almost a wave of relief hearing his voice on the other line. "Oh thank god, Yuuji..Are you ok—" "N/N, open the window." Was all he said before then line went dead and you were left sitting there baffled. Did he make it back to your house? Slowly crawling out of the bed and slipping on your bedroom slippers, you walked over towards the window and moved the blinds down only a little to peep outside. Standing there in your backyard, shirtless and with his hands in his pockets was Yuuji, seemingly back to normal and everything. There were not increased height, no weird markings, he looked fine and apart of you wondered if it was just the force of his punch that made you see him change. No..because everyone else saw his appearance too.

Taking a deep breath, you lifted up the blinds and unlatched the window. The second that it was free and opened up, Yuuji had jumped above onto the roof and crawled inside to your room. "Y-yuuji, you have a lot of explaining to do— Whoa, whoa!" You took a step back cautiously but he soon grabbed ahold of your wrist and pulled you close to his chest, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his head in the crook of your neck. "I know I do, but first I just want to say I'm sorry to you, Y/N. I never meant to hurt you.." he said, whispering in a soft tone as his hold on you tighten a bit.

"I'm leaving here after tonight but I just had to see you to tell you that I..I love you. I love you, Y/N" Taken back by his words, you felt yourself being pushed onto your bed and watched as the boy loomed over you before crawling onto the mattress.

He loved you. Those words practically made your heart skipped over so many times that you were positive that you had stopped breathing. "Let me come with you, Yuuji." You said, reaching up to his face and caressing his cheeks, "I don't know what's happening but you can trust me. I won't let you go through this alone and I'll always be here with you."

He didn't say much after that. All he did was lower his head a little until your lips were merely inches away from each other before he pressed them together. The sensation you felt was one like fireworks. Those butterflies in your stomach exploding and multiplying over and over again as you felt his tongue licking your bottom lip but you pulled away before he could fully explore your mouth.

"Always..? So you will always stay with me, N/N?" He whispered, head dipping down to your neck as he left a trail of kisses down your warm skin until he kissed the base of your throat. "Yeah..I will." "Do you swear..?" His hands began to grip your hips, running the tips of his fingers against your clothed thighs while he began to press his own hips to your own.

"I-I swear.." you said, staring up at Yuuji with a small smile. He stared at you for a moment, smiling down at you before sitting up, his large hand covering the upper half of his face.

"That's all I need to make you mine." Sliding his hand upwards was when you saw it. Those spare eyes once again on Yuuji's cheeks, staring at you as if it you were nothing but glass. That sincere smile that calmed your soul became a mischievous grin, showing the sharpened fangs he now had. You watched as those pitch blackp markings began to spread over his skin and yet the moment you sat up, two fully grown arms pinned you down onto the mattress. "Almost as naive as the brat himself but I suppose there is some charm to the naivete of a woman. Makes it easier to influence, to change.." 'Yuuji' said, dipping his head down to your ear before biting down on the lobe of it. You gasped out, squirming in his hold.

"Let me go, Yuuji! I don't know what's going on but I want to help! Just let me help you!" You yelled out to him but soon silenced yourself as you noticed the scenery of your bedroom changing. All of your furniture began to disappear one by one as a red hue began to spread around the two of you

In the blink of an eye, you were taken to Sukuna's innate domain. The water that replaced the softness of your bed now causing your back to soaked and your hair now spread out and floating in the depths. "Yell all you want but that brat can't hear you anymore. Gone forever in a dream that will never come true, but I promise I will keep you company in his stead. By the time I am done with you, will forget all about him. All you'll want is me, all you'll ever need is me. The name Ryomen Sukuna will burned into your soul and you'll learn to worship me, N/N..."

With a single swing, the soft yet wet cotton fabric of your shirt and shorts was torn off of you with ease and revealed your now exposed flesh to the cold. Sukuna stared down at them, his tongue licked over his long and sharp fangs as his eyes motioned down to your folds. His hand traveled down your thighs before his finger swiped against the outer circle of your lips yet he looked displeased from what he felt. "Dry as a drought but that's fine. I'll be fucking you regardless" he said, his index finger slowly pushing inside of your virgin cunt causing you to gasp out for air and arch your back. "You tighten just now, dirty whore...Did you often fantasise Yuuji stuffing his cock inside of you...?" he whispered into your ear intimately, he kissed the bottom of your ear and moved onto your neck, sucking until he found the soft spot that made you inhale deeply. 

Sukuna sucked on your neck while constantly kept inserting his finger in you, pumping in and out, eventually adding a second digit. He curled his fingers and caused you let out a faint moan as his finger crept closer to your sweet spot over and over. It was too much, you thought as he bit down onto your soft skin, and you were feeling so good from it so far and it made you ashamed. this demon, this thing was in your best friend's body and now he was using it to currently assault your body but the feeling of it all was too good. You had to keep your eyes shut for looking up at Sukuna tugged at your heart as all you saw was Yuuji.

"Oh you are loving this..." parting from your neck,he looked pleased seeing the angry red hickey left behind.

"I-im not...I'm not..." A moan escaped your lips, feeling something wet replace his fingers. Lifting your head, you saw a mouth on the palm of his hand and its tongue gently licking the nub of your clit almost like a lollipop. "Feels good, doesn't it, N/N..?" His tone was nothing less than mocking, the mouth taking ahold of one of your lips with its teeth causing you to scream out. "I said, it feels good doesnt it? Speak when your master is speaking to you. "

"Y-yes! It feels amazing!" You tasted so sweet on his tongue, circling your clit, lapping at your clenching entrance, kissing your folds. "A-Ah~" You whimper when he folds your legs to your chest, He takes another nip at your clit, as he listened to your hushed whines. Your moans were music to his ears, yet what he wanted from you was his name. The thought of his former vessel's love screaming his name turned him on, the thought of keeping you only fueling the flames. It was harder and harder for him to contain hisself when you're drowning in the pleasure of his mouth licking and sucking at your sloppy pussy.

"I'll take you as mine. You'd like that wouldn't you? Being the woman of the king of curses, waiting for me to return to fill you to the brim." sweat felt like it was pooling out of your body from the attention he was giving to on your clit. Your bucking hips were a clear sign that you were close and so, he pulled his hand away.

"You don't get to come yet. You're only allowed to when you're milking my cock."

The things he did to were things no man has ever done before. Scratches and cuts littered your flesh and bruises were on your sore ass and stomach. There a few times to where you had even blacked out from the amount of pleasure he had given you..

Now you found yourself with you riding his swollen cock as he stared up at you with satisfied eyes, grunting while large hands were pressed against your abused breasts as his hips pumped up into your leaking cunt. Your head felt like it was spinning as you screamed out, orgasm crashing hard as your cunt tightened around his shaft.

As you felt his throbbing cock inside of you, his hand grabbed ahold of your chin and your lips made contact. Sukuna only pulled away when he silently cursed, his seed releasing inside of you for what felt like the billionth time. Taking a deep breath, he stayed inside of your warm hole, not wanting a single drop to spill and kissed your cheek.

Fucking you only assured his choice of keeping you as he own. Sukuna was going to original kill you while taking Yuuji's appearance after taking you but holding you close like this as you soon became limp (no doubt exhausted), your warmth against his own and staring down at your cum stained face..it made something inside him feel strange.

A weakness no doubt, but one at the moment that could keep him entertained. Combing a loose strand of hair behind your ears, Sukuna chuckled.

"From this day forth, you will be my bride. Consider yourself lucky..."

[ktheist]

1 | play me like a toy [m]

title inspired by blackpink’s sure thing cover.

⟶ read the last part, all yours to enjoy, here.

muses. mafia heiress!reader x ex-mafia!director!hoseok

genre. age gap factor. chaebol-mafia family au. arranged marriage au. office au. modern au.

words. 5.8k

warnings. contains smut. mentions of gun use. mentions of cheating.

verse. knj. ksj. myg. kth. pjm. jjk. jhs. 

synopsis. 

sit still, look pretty. 

such were the words your maid-turned-mistress of a mother has ever taught you. the mindless marionette mask worked for the most parts. but when you find yourself hanging by a thread - or is it the beeping line of your dying father’s heart rate monitor? - you decide it’s time to shed off that mask and seek han group’s infamous loyal dog that went off radar 17 years ago.

jung hoseok.

alternatively;

“marry me or be killed.”

“is there a third option?”

“we fucked but you were too drunk to remember so that option’s invalid.”

x

jung hoseok is in a dry spell.

there was no doubt as to whether he could score a date, get laid and maybe even have his nightstand to call him up again exactly the week after.

the issue was time.

with his boss and longtime friend getting married, he ends up coming to work with a different pile of papers on his desk every day. well, it was his idea to sign a promissory note that if kim namjoon ever found a woman he loved and married, hoseok would take half of the ceo-ly workload so his overbearing boss could enjoy his honeymoon and truly, as hoseok would put it, live.

the order went a little differently but namjoon found a hole in the way the sentences were worded that got him flying away to the caribbean and leaving hoseok to fend for himself in these trying times.

oh, and it’s almost hit the third month of the newly weds going mia.

in the first place, he didn’t think namjoon would hold the agreement over his head like he was flexing a few hundred thousand dollar’s worth of lawsuit.

but the man did just that and now hoseok is slaving over his nine-to-five which actually tend to drag on till ten or, if he’s lucky, even midnight. sure, he got promoted from head secretary to director but he’s wondering if this endless cycle of coming back home only pass out in the bed and wake up earlier than a parent with a toddler - is worth it.

hoseok groans, his hand grabbing around for his phone to put a stop on that obnoxious alarm even if it’s just for five minutes before he has to hear it again.

and grab something he did, but this so called phone feels too soft to be a phone and shapes like an cup but softer and - he puts more pressure to his grasp out of confusion -

“mhm, what the hell?”

- it complains in a groggy voice too.

almost as if pricked by a needle, hoseok leaps right out of bed, sending the duvet flying to the floor and revealing the naked woman - you - who’s stretching her limbs whilst her face scrunches in displeasure at the rude awakening.

“__-___?! wh-what the- what are you doing in my bed?”

x

“so you touched my boob,” you say, legs crossed and arms folded over said boob.

“i-i-” it’s the first time you’ve ever seen hoseok opened his eyes so wide - he has pretty eyes. especially when they’re brimming with fear and bashfulness, “i’m sorry, i have no excuse.”

he hangs his head low.

“why didn’t you touch the other one?”

it’s then, when hoseok’s eyes snap up to you, gaze searching for a sign - any sign, to confirm that he misheard that, does the man realize that you’re messing with him.

that, and you doubling over with laughter trickling out of your mouth should be affirmation enough.

“god, you should’ve seen your face, hobi!” you’re still holding your stomach when hoseok’s shoulders stiffen and his round eyes turn sharp.

“that’s not something you joke about, ___,” he says, it’s easy to mistake his sternness with anger if you didn’t know him your whole life, “are you gonna let it go every time someone disrespects you? mr. han would’ve snapped their neck in half-”

“hoseok, come on,” you cut him off with a dismissive hand, “none of those gory talks about snapping necks and pulling out nails. that’s the reason i end up here in the first place.”

it’s the way silence lulls into the room and hoseok looks at you with the hardest knitted brows and eyes that seem to have retracted his soul far back into his memories, as though searching for something - that makes your heart drop.

all sense of humor now gone.

“you don’t remember what happened last night... do you?” the last part is just an addition to ease your throbbing heart.

if you’d left it as a statement, it made it more real that he did forget.

just a man, sitting at a half empty bar, three shots of vodka in and hostility in his voice that could’ve killed but so very hoseok of him, “that seat’s taken.”

aloof. distant. and every word in the book that described a man who didn’t want to be bothered and he drowned himself in alcohol.

“i’ll leave once the owner comes back,” you’d slipped into the seat anyway, despite the heat of hoseok’s stare.

not paying any heed, you ordered yourself a margarita.

“it’s been awhile, hasn’t it, hobi?”

that’s when he turned to you. truly looked at you.

“do you perhaps have a little sister who,” his eyebrows began to knit as if the screws in his head started turning, “would be about your age by now... ____?”

you didn’t really catch up. all you could remember was hoseok’s calculative stare as he watched you down one drink after the other. the the chilliness of the margarita somewhat soothing the burning sensation as it went down your throat.

“that’s the fifth for you,” his large hand covered yours, stopping you from picking up the glass as he cautioned you.

“yeah? i’m only stopping if i have something else to occupy my mouth with.”

in his distracted state as he tried to make sense of what your words meant, you lifted the glass to your mouth and downed the last of your drink.

and then, you stood up, walked the tiniest distance between your seat and his, grabbed him by the collar and crashed your lips on his.

you remembered your confidence dissipating like air with every second passing without hoseok so much as responding to your kiss.

maybe it was the shock.

because one that passed, you found his arm around your waist and his lips kissing you harder than you kissed him.

you stumbled into your car, not caring if yeojun had a front row view from the rearview mirror of the things that transpired at the back seat. you barely remember the walk from the parking lot to his apartment.

those sweet whispered promises. the hands that burned your skin with every touch. those eyes that pierced right into your eyes, as if invisible hands reached into your soul and grasped it in his palm.

“mine,” hoseok husked, voice sending ripples of pleasure dripping down your legs. he’d thrust himself balls deep inside you, like a beast who hadn’t had a drop of water since the drought, “you’re mine from head to toe.”

if that wasn’t enough, he fucked you raw until you were at your limit and he’d just... stop.

“hoseok, why-” you’d been breathless, skin glistening with sweat and knees trembling to give in but he’d banded an arm under your torso and held you to him so your bodies remained connected even if none of you moved.

“you think i’d just let you cum so easily?” he placed a hand on your ass, as if warning you what would happen if you’d pull away, “after all these years... you grew up fine as fuck.”

he’d languidly pulled out of you, as if knowing how torturous it felt for you with his fingers on your clit that sent electricity through your veins.

“what is it, hm? is it the kang’s or is it the seong’s? i guess the rumor about boss being hospitalized was true,” his words barely registered in your mind as his index finger touched your back and traced down your spine whilst he started thrusting in and out of you agonizingly slow.

“please, just fuck me,” you’d hissed, pain and pleasure and frustrations mixed in your voice.

“hm, still as tight-lipped as ever, huh?” he’d sounded completely relaxed as if the smacking sound that echoed in the air as his body slammed against your deliciously - didn’t affect him in the slightest.

as if he took no pleasure in fucking you. as if this was only for your poor little soul that came running back to him because you had no one to depend on.

“y-you have to- ah! s-swear your l-loyalty to- oh my god,” it was last night, while the citylights poured through hoseok’s window, his room was directly across another apartment building.

“loyalty, huh?” he tested the words on his mouth, as if it was a foreign candy gifted to him as present.

his body feels hot against your back as he lowered himself flush against you, his breath fanning your sweat-glistened skin, his voice brushing the shell of your ear, “you should know i’m yours as much as you’re mine. nothing i wouldn’t do for you, kiddo.”

he’d used that nickname he’d used to call you as he fucked you into his bed, and sent you moaning his name like you wouldn’t know any other name.

anyone could’ve seen.

neither of you cared though.

well-

you throw your gaze out at the twenty storey building, noticing a man vacuuming the living room three units to the left from the unit directly across from hoseok’s. above him, two kids, a boy and a girl are jumping around while holding an airplane in their hands.

-until now, that is.

hoseok had become an entirely different person last night. no - rather, he’d returned to you as the man you’d always kept in that special spot in your heart and locked it up so no one would be able to see past your steel schooled expression and the devil may care nature.

“i...”

your gaze snaps back to hoseok once again. he parts his lips for the briefest moment, as if to say something but clamps them shut again. the way his eyes gleam with guilt is enough to tell you the unspoken words that hang in the air.

and yet, your heart hardens like the steel mask you often wear on your face.

“and... to think i gave you my virginity too...”

the silence that lapses between you is tangible.

“sike, i’m kidding,” you grin, brows rising to the ceiling but when hoseok doesn’t so much as laugh or frown - he simply looked at you like a parent disappointed of his child who still didn’t see why what she did was wrong - you tilt your head to the side slightly, “or am i?”

“ugh, you’re no fun,” you throw your head back after failing to gouge a reaction from the man who screamed bloody murder as if you’re some street rat that he was so close to calling infestation control.

“i need to meet mr. han,” he announces after a whole solid minute of sitting on the edge of the bed with feet planted on the floor.

“what for? what are you gonna tell daddy? ‘i’m sorry i took your daughter’s virginity, sir, it won’t happen again?’“ you watch him get up, tongue unconsciously slipping out and sweeping over your bottom lip as you watch the curve of his ass as he walks to the closet and disappears into it.

“were you really a virgin?” he comes out dressed in fresh crisp button down tucked in a pair of black pants, a contrast to his rolled up sleeves, creased shirt and disheveled hair from last night.

“i don’t know, did it feel like i was?” you shoot him a coquettish smile.

the gentle protrusion of his adam’s apple bobs up and down, his lingering gaze on your crossed, bare legs not going unnoticed by you. you’re donned in last night’s dinner dress that hugs your curves and stops mid thighs.

but his gaze is gone too soon.

“you’re not seriously going to daddy, are you?” you tug on his sleeve just before he steps out of the door, “hobi, i’m just kidding, i’ve been with multiple guys before you,” the way his brows threaten to knit into a frown doesn’t go pass you but it’s gone too soon, “and does daddy like the idea? he’s not fond of it, but he knows he can’t stop me from doing whatever i want with my own body.”

the beep of the door as he opens it rings in the air as he looks at you in the eye, “did any of those men work for mr han?” 

only silence follows his reply as you bite your lower lip, hesitant.

“we can’t hide this- mr han might already know. he has eyes and ears-” hoseok steps out of the door only to stop dead in track when he sees at least half a dozen men lined up in front of his apartment in black suits.

“good morning, miss ____.” they bow at exactly 90 degrees angle like robots.

“-everywhere...” hoseok trails off, eyes scanning the area on high alert.

“don’t worry, they’re not daddy’s men. they’re my men,” you raise one hand, index finger pointing to the ceiling as you shoot them an expression void of any smile.

they seem to understand that as they dip into a bow again, the leader, yeojun, stops in front of the elevator when he and his men would have joined you in any other circumstances.

“it’s not about saving my own ass, ___,” hoseok begins.

the way his arms cross over his chest makes his sleeves wrap deliciously around his biceps.

his deep brown eyes appear like a hazel storm under the sunlight that pours from every crevice of the parking lot where the elevator stopped at. “mr. han asked me to protect you from everything and i’m sure he hired someone else after i left to keep trash men away from you... and to think i did exactly what he wanted me to protected you from-” 

“hobi,” nimble hands hover over his chest before you gaze up at him through your lashes, making sure to give it a slow, innocent blink before speaking, “i didn’t regret what happened last night. and you trying to apologize for someone i’m not sorry kind of hurts.”

“i’m sorry i didn’t think of it that way...” he trails off, lips pressed in a straight line as though deep in thought.

“if it makes you that uncomfortable, i won’t talk about it but promise me this stays between us, please?” you hold up a pinky finger like you would when you were younger.

the smile that makes its way to hoseok lips causes your heart to palpitate just when it’s barely calmed down.

his pinky finger is much larger than yours as it hooks around yours in a promise, a ghost of a smile tugging on his lips. as if he’s still unsure if he should be making any promises. as if he’s unsure if he should be hooking his pinky with yours instead of pushing you as far away from him as he could. but before he can come to a conclusion, a voice reverberates into the air.

“miss ____.”

the sound of hoseok sucking in a sharp breath rings in your ear as a dozen men in black suits bow at the sight of you.

before another word comes out from anyone else, you speak, voice echoing against the walls.

“listen up you sons of bitches, if i find out any of you snitched to daddy, i’ll make sure your wife, your husband, your kids, your grandparents, hell even your neighbors pay for it. got it?”

a round of rigorous “yes, miss!” follows after the splitting silence that hovered after you finished.

turning around, almost getting lost in those pretty, star entrapped eyes of his, you smile, “see, they’re loyal to me.”

“uh, i can see why.” it’s the humorous tone that finally wraps around hoseok’s words that makes your heart clench painfully.

he’s still the same hoseok you know.

some things never change.

“well, i’ll lend you one of my cars,” you say all of a sudden.

almost as if hit by a foul ball, hoseok’s eyes widen, “shi- what time is it?”

you don’t expect much when you check your phone, the digits on the screen staring back with a 9-something am - you don’t care to check the details, “late.”

“fuck, i was so focused on gathering enough balls to meet mr. han - i need to get the papers i was supposed to look over for today’s meeting,” a string of curses follow hoseok’s scampering retreat. and you simply watch in your spot - he’s always been such a klutz, forgetting the important details and scrambling to get what he’d forgotten and just remembered - done.

before the doors of the elevator close and swallow him in its belly, hoseok’s nimble fingers slip between the shutting gap, making the doors split open again, “oh,” he says, as if remembering something, “you don’t have to do that - i can drive, i got a driver’s license like, eons ago.”

right.

when he left, he was only 18 and had nothing more but a duffle bag filled with all his belongings and an acceptance letter of the university he applied to.

hoseok had been driving you around everywhere before that. he got pulled over by a cop once but your father easily handled that.

jung hoseok’s been with you for as long as you remember.

you recall bawling your eyes out and clinging onto his leg, begging him not to leave because your nanny left and you found out a few months later that her body was found washed up along the river bank near her hometown.

mr. kim, the gardener quit and said he wanted to visit his kids but the whole family ended up dying in a fire.

everyone who left ends up dead.

pushing the somber feeling that’s threatening to pull the muscles in your face into a frown, you shake your head, an amused smirk tugging on your lips as you mask away every other feeling.

“you really don’t remember anything, do you?” somewhere in that innocently clueless gaze of his, you search for a lie - it would’ve been better if he lied about forgetting for whatever reason.

but when the genuinity over pours from those pretty eyes, you push away the gnawing feeling in your heart, “we were both shit faced drunk last night so we came to your place with my driver and you left your car at the bar’s parking lot.”

“oh shit,” he begins punching the button on the inside of the elevator, “i won’t take long, i pro-”

the metal doors gradually shut, cutting off what he was about to say.

x

“p-please, i’m sorry, i’ll do anything...” the man’s words got blurred out as you stare out the window of his medium sized flat with a master bedroom, a room and a bathroom connected to the common area.

it’s been a week since you met hoseok. you want to be mad that he doesn’t call, especially after not seeing each other for so long and finally reuniting only for him to forget everything about that night.

but you didn’t even give him your number and you may or may not be mad that he didn’t think to ask.

a bloodcurdling scream drums against your eardrums, making you physically flinch as your head snaps towards the man lying on the ground with his mouth wide open and no longer any sound coming out.

his head is titled at the new guy who’s standing over him with a baton gripped in one hand. the sight itself makes the pit of your stomach churn.

“god fucking damn it, yeojun,” you shoot a glare at the head bodyguard, “didn’t you teach him rule number 1? make no sound, catch no attention?”

at that, yeojun snaps his fingers and two of the bodyguards closest to the new guy - soon? soobin? was his name? - approach him. one of them places a firm hand on his shoulder whilst he kicks soobin behind his knee, sending him kneeling with a thud.

“i’m sorry, miss ___, it seems soobin,” ah so you did get his name right, “needs to join mr. yoo here in learning a thing or two about obeying orders.”

yeojun doesn’t even flinch when one of your donned-in-black bodyguard strikes one of their own at the back of his head with that baton they usually carry around their waist.

soobin’s face scrunches up painfully as he breathes out through his nose, teeth gritting together.

“you boys, break some things and you, get the car ready,” with that, the bodyguards hovering over the middle-aged borrower and soobin begin scampering around, toppling shelves over, pushing vases to the ground and breaking plates in the kitchen.

“you were too nice,” yeojun murmurs underneath his breath once you’re in the hallway, the sound of glass shattering and furniture breaking still echo off the walls.

“i shouldn’t even be doing this shit anyway. who does he think i am? sending me to take care of small fries...” agitated, you shoot yeojun a glare.

to which he only responds with raised eyebrows, as if asking if you’d go against your brother’s orders just because you’ve never liked to see violence yet violence follows you everywhere.

“let’s see.... richest bachelor, heir to han group, one of the biggest conglomerate family that runs the underground ring...” the black haired man starts counting off with his finger until you swing your purse to his side.

“which side are you on? me or my chanyeol’s?!”

laughter trickles down his lips as he follows you into the elevator. somewhere in the distance, the hallway faintly rings with the fading sound of mr. yoo’s helpless pleas.

x

when you arrive at kimcorp, the secretary shoots up from your seat, her smile is gorgeous and welcoming but the knitted set of brows above her eyes do a poor job of hiding her anxiousness.

odd.

you didn’t use the han name to get past the receptionist, only mentioning “hoseok is expecting me, tell him i have something of his he’d really like back.”

was it the lavish dinner dress? was it the couture handbag?

“ah, it’s the fox fur, isn’t it?” you twirl on your heels, lips curling prettily as you narrow your eyes at the startled secretary.

she’s standing there like a thief caught red-handed. as if her worst nightmares came true the moment you started saying something besides the “i’m here to see jung hoseok.”

“i-i’m sorry, ma’am?” her shoulders tense up and her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“nothing, it’s nothing,” you put on a billion dollar smile - one that she seems to be struggling to wear.

before the poor thing peed her pants, you turn around, your back on her and push on the double doors of the office with a white plate that spells out “head director jung.”

the syllables of your name roll off the mouth of the man behind the large desk that almost takes up half of the room, piles of documents stacked up on either sides while the middle section is cleared for a mac and a macbook perched directly in front of him.

“you sound surprised, didn’t the receptionist tell you i was coming?” you put on your best smile even as you watch him push a button on a smaller-than-a-palm-sized remote directed at the cctv and dash for the blinds and close them so that the secretaries facing his room won’t have any visual access to what goes on from now on.

“yeji didn’t specify who,” he says mindlessly, still peeking through the blinds - possibly to check if anyone noticed the sudden move.

somehow, hearing the name of another woman leaving hoseok’s lips doesn’t sit right with you.

“since you easily told her to send me right up, i assume you have an idea of who it was,” a devious smile tugs in the corners of your lips as the sound of hoseok sucking in a sharp breath brushes your ears.

as he was in the middle of turning around and facing you, you managed to catch him off guard and trap him between the window and yourself. the ridges of his toned abs brushing against your front torso with only layers of clothing separating you.

the warning tone he uses to say your name with is music to your ears.

he sounded like the old him. the old hoseok who’d drive his fist into anyone’s face without batting an eye. the old hoseok who would turn to your crying frame with the sweetest smile and hand you back your backpack that fell on the ground amidst the struggle of trying to bite and kick your kidnappers in the shin.

“i missed you, you know?” your voice is tinged with playfulness but your heart skips a beat like a schoolgirl with a crush.

“i-i... we...”

the words get stuck in his throat the moment your lips brush his. what surprises you is the softest sigh that leaves his mouth before a large hand buries itself in your hair, pulling you close until he’s tasting you. licking your bottom lip as if asking for something he didn’t need to ask for in the first place.

his free hand grasps your ass as if he’s been dying to feel your soft cheeks in his palm. you part your lips for him, tasting the faintest sense of cigarette in his breath.

hoseok tends to smoke when something bothers.

you hope it’s you. you hope he lays in bed at night, staring at the ceiling. you hope you’re all he thinks about.

by the time you pull apart, you’re both heaving for air. a soft thud drums in your ears as hoseok leans his head against the blinds-covered-window. you press your cheek against his chest, face hot.

one of his hands sits on top of your ass as if paying his overdue respect for your body but yet unwilling to let you go. the other rests on the back of your head, his thumb mindlessly caressing your scalp.

“hoseok?” you’re the first to break the silence.

he simply hums in response, “hm?”

“i can’t give it back,” you turn your cheek to bury your face in his chest, your voice coming out muffled, “i can’t give back your freedom.”

x

“so you’re saying you can’t let me go...” hoseok echoes the words you say to him.

but the way his lips curl into a pleased smirk and his white shirt creasing at the front from having your bodies pressed together a moment ago, gives those words a different meaning than you intend them to.

somehow, the distance between you seems smaller.

“thanks miyeon,” hoseok’s smile switches to that of a kind, considerate superior.

miyeon, the woman who guided you to hoseok’s office returns his smile. but you don’t miss the cautious gaze she throws your way before slipping out of the room after setting down the tea cups.

he’s back to himself. the kind that jumps at every little sound and tends to wear a frightened puppy look almost too often.

“no, rather...” you trail off, chanyeol’s face burning at the back of your mind - your brother, the heir to han group and the man that will marry you off to the kang’s in order to mend the strain in the family ties as soon as your father breathes out his last breath.

you shake your head, a smile on your face, “it’s been awhile, how bout catching up over lunch?”

and so it goes, you visit hoseok every few days in a week. at times you tell the secretary to keep your visit a secret so you could surprise him, you’d end up catching him neck deep in work yet he still manages to pull off the rolled up sleeves, two buttons undone and slicked back hair with a single strand falling over his forehead, its tip grazing those set of strong eyebrows.

when you knock, he looks up and the tension in his brows seem to fade away. he shoots you a dimpled smile as if he’s been waiting for you to whisk him away from work.

and you do just that. arm looped around his, you both walk out of his office like lovers.

hoseok talks about his past - the one you’re not part of - fondly. as if looking through a lense of something he never dreamed he could have.

at first, he attracted the wrong kind of crowd with his permanently set furrowed brows. but then he finds things he enjoys doing outside of classes that he couldn’t get to enjoy when he was with han group.

dancing, tracks, boxing and more. he likes that rush of adrenaline that courses through his veins. 

and you tell him about the meetings and gatherings and social events to maintain your relationships with the vassal families. they’re usually attended by the women of the han family which means you and han chohee would be smiling and laughing together in front of the wives and daughters of the vassal families before taking off that loving step-mother-and-step-daughter facade once you walk out of the vicinity.

your lunches and dinners are spent with trips down memory lane, filling the other in on the moments each of you miss in each other’s lives. and for a moment, the hoseok in front of you who flinches at the sight of bugs and little, random noises feel familiar.

that is, until you hit your one month reunion mark.

chanyeol’s been gathering support of the vassals by personally accepting their invitations.

his presence easily overshadowed yours and yeojun confirmed that your father’s condition isn’t getting any better.

“i need you to come back and work for me, half of the men would drop everything and follow you,” you stare at the girl staring back at you on the surface of the tea. she bites her lips and you feel the faintest taste of blood in your mouth.

eyes snapping to his calculative ones - as if he already knows what you’re going to say before the words even pass your lips, “i need you by my side so i can take over han group.”

the hoseok sitting in the single couch next to you with parted legs and feet planted on the dark carpeted ground fits the head director setting better than the inked skin, cigarette smoke and gun-in-waistline setting you’re about to drag him in.

“you’re willing to go against chanyeol to become the head of the family?” he asks, eyes clouded with a sort of emotion you can’t pinpoint.

hoseok’s always been an enigma. his mind, a maze you’ll never end up figuring out.

guess that part of him is still the same.

“it’s not a choice for me to make,” a clean click! resonates in the air as you place the gun you’d pulled from your garter, point facing him, index finger on the trigger, “you have two though.”

it’s the way his eyebrows rise whilst his eyes glint with amusement tells you that hoseok - your hoseok - is still somewhere in there.

throw a sane man into an asylum and he’ll start going insane. put a mad man  back in society and he’ll trick you into believing he’s sane with his warm, dimpled smile.

“marry me or be killed,” you say simply.

that amused glint is still there, granted, it shines faintly compared to the caution that overflows from those sun-hit brown eyes as they fix themselves on the gun perched on the see-through coffee table before they travel to your knuckles, to your arm and meet your steel gaze.

his the softest protrusion of his adam’s apple drops and rises again as he swallows, “is there a third option?”

“we fucked but you were too drunk to remember so that option’s invalid.”

the air is dense with tension. it fills up your lungs and almost causes your chest to cave. you’re not sure how long to stay there, stiff and still like a rock with your back straightened as if your etiquette teacher was hovering right behind you with a long, wooden ruler that’d be ready to strike your arm at a slump of your shoulders.

but liberation comes to you in the form of a phone call.

“___, we have to go, th-the boss- the doctor says he’s not gonna make it through the night.” it’s the first time you’ve heard yeojun stammer as if he hasn’t quite yet recovered from the shock of the news he’s relaying to you.

“are you sure?” you can almost hear the thump of the organ in your chest slowing down before it ceases to throb completely, “you know how bad chanyeol wanna fuck me up, he could’ve made the doctor tell you this because he knows you’ll tell me and if... if i rush there and daddy’s laughing that obnoxious laugh while trying to make pass on the nurse like he usually does...”

yeojun grunts, “yes, ___. i have men planted there as patients, nurses, janitors and they all say the same thing - that the doctors are rushing to the vip ward and they’re trying to make it look like your usual hourly check up but it’s not... look, this is the real thing. if we mess up, there won’t be another chance. now, did you convince hoseok to come back?”

almost as if reminded that you’re not the only person in the room, your eyes snap to hoseok whose eyes are already fixed on you with a concerned expression.

“he’ll come back.” with that, you hang up the call.

“i’d love for you to think it through for a few days, realize this isn’t really a life you want and come to me on your own to sign our prenups,” you say casually, placing down the teacup and slipping your phone back into your handbag as if you’re getting ready to leave the tea party, “but...”

but before you can lift the gun and fully point it at him, a large hand covers yours. his warmth seeps through your pores and makes your body feel warmer.

“the gun’s a bit excessive,” his breath fans your face as your eyes fix on the supple skin of his neck.

it’s as if invisible hands reached out and held your head in place, forbidding you from tilting it and gazing into his eyes. his fingers reach over the back of the gun, grazing your hands.

a click cuts through the silence.

“at the very least, unlock the safety,” his teasing tone doesn’t match his saddened eyes.

and just as you thought you’d closed the distance between you and him, the circumstance forces you to take five steps back.

[pumpkinflash]

Snowgrave Berdly Dead or Alive?

I’ve seen so many arguments on whether or not Berdly is alive at the end of Chapter two of deltarune. So, I gotta throw my theorist hat into the ring!

Okay so if you watched or played the snowgrave route then you know Berdly gets frozen in a block of ice and is unconscious in the lightner world. I’m gonna talking about the evidence point to him being both dead and alive before giving my verdict, which might surprise you.

Theory 1: He’s dead.

Snowgrave is a move that is described in game to be lethal or fatal, meaning a person hit with that can die. And although it isn’t clearly stated that the darkners who were frozen have died it is safe to assume because of the other darkners response to Kris and Noelle. The more darkners you freeze others will eventually run away you and all the npcs and cars are no longer around. Indicating that they are scared of you most like because you’re murdering people.

Now for people who say “but darkners and lightners are different so you can’t compare them!” True, you can’t do a 1:1 comparison but it’d be a bit foolish to disregard this information because of that alone. Humans and dogs are different but if we’re stabbed we both bleed. Just because they’re different doesn’t mean they can’t die to the same thing.

Now for the people who say “they’re not dead just frozen in ice.” ...I hate to break it to ya but being frozen in a block of ice will kill you! You will die of hyperthermia, of shock (you body suddenly experiencing an extreme shift in temperature in a shot amount of time), or suffocation. If you get trapped in a block of ice you are dead, just like if you get burned to death you are dead not extra crispy.

Theory 2: He’s Alive but probably comatose

This is because he hasn’t dusted yet and when you click on him the text say “he appears to be sleeping.” People are assuming that his SOUL is trapped in ice causing him to be in a coma but not dead.

I’ve seen people argue that because his soul is trapped in ice, his body is preserved which is why he hasn’t dusted in the lightner world. Which is possible. If Berdly fires his arm getting the plug off, it’s black in the darkner world but in the lightner world his arm looks fine but is paralyzed. However, something that can disprove this is the word “APPEARS to be sleeping.” That means he’s most likely still breathing and as mentioned above you would not be breathing if you were trapped in ice. So is he dead or alive?

You’re probably thinking he’s alive just in a coma right?

Wrong!

Remember when Ralsei taught Kris about recruiting darkners? If you fight a darkner than they will be Lost and won’t be able to join your town.

What happens when Kris cleanses the dark fountain of other worlds? He destroys those dark worlds, unable to go back to them. Only able to bring the recruited ones “his” darktown because they’re “SOUL” (potentially) manifest as toys or items in the lightner world (maybe).

So if Berdly’s soul is trapped in a block of ice in a world that Kris destroyed with no way of going back means that Berdly is LOST. His SOUL is not only trapped in ice but also lost somewhere in limbo or the void. 

It’s possible that for those who played the snowgrave route that Berdly will be hospitalized by the time we get out of the dark world. He might not be dead yet but it does stand to reason that he is dying without his soul (after all he can’t eat or move).

[symphonyofthewrite]

If These Walls Could Talk 

Freaking GORGEOUS cover art by Junki Sakuraba on Instagram and Deviantart!! Definitely go check him out!! His art is incredible, and from what I can tell he’s really nice dude. He absolutely went above and beyond with this prompt. 10/10 would commission again. (And probably will once I save up enough money XD)

The wonderful art later in the chaper is by niuan_ on instagram!!

It wasn’t made/commissioned for this fic--(though I’ve since commissioned her to make cover art for me, so stay tuned for those!)--but when I saw it I couldn’t believe it!! That’s one of my favorite images in this chapter, and I couldn’t believe another artist made a piece for the same idea independently!!

I'll put the links to their profiles either in the replies or a reblog (since tumblr is dumb about links)!!

Also, FYI, I'll be using this post as my "reblog post" meaning I'll reblog this post with the later chapters of this fic, so they're all in one place. So if you want to read more of this fic, check the reblogs on this post, chances are more chapters will be there!!

Comments and reblogs are MORE than appreciated!! If you have a spare minute you will really make my week, and motivate me to keep writing!!

Fandom: Castlevania Netflix

Summary: Vampires do not have reflections, and castles do not have hearts. But Dracula is no ordinary vampire, and Castlevania is no ordinary castle. If castles can fight, maybe they can think too.

The series, and Adrian’s childhood, told from the perspective of the castle.

Chapter Summary:

“My mother’s name was Lisa, and she was mortal…She actually showed up at his front door. She found the castle and banged the door with the pommel of her knife…She was remarkable. She beat on the door until my father let her in, and then demanded he teach her how to be a doctor.”

Chapter 1: "Lisa”

“Is this how the castle felt to you before my mother first arrived at your door?”

The castle doesn’t like children.

Well, maybe that’s too strong to say. It simply isn’t the place for them. Its existence is a signpost: leave me alone. It is not used to having company—much less a family—inside it, nor is it ready to welcome for a crying, puking, giggling thing into the world. It does not intend to be a cozy place to coddle him into adulthood.

The castle itself pierces the sky, its turrets and towers the dripping stain of the sun’s blood across the moon.

The bare walls hold no colorful tapestries for a child to enjoy, no paintings of its many inhabitants to tell of—for there was only ever one (and maybe that ought not change. It is safe to say the castle doesn’t like change). The royal red and gold carpets are more suited to kings; not designed for spit-up, mud, and scuffing. ‘Don’t play with that’ would be a motto around here; so many contraptions either easy to break, or which could break the child. The fireplaces, while almost always lit, only ever coughed warmth onto the floor before them—they provided no snug space to curl up on a winter’s day. Even the mirrors here are empty, holding nothing but a reflection of the bare walls they sit upon.

There are certain people who were seemingly born as they are; they never owned toys, never crawled on the floor, never walked with clumsy steps—their footfalls were always this calculated count—never burped on their mother’s nice shirts, and surely never had anything so dull as a childhood. They were always just…here, on the world. There was no innocence, and no losing it. So it was with Dracula.

The very thought of Dracula ever owning toys, even in some nice cottage far away from here, with a doting mother and an absent father, with a funny last name like Cronqvist, defied sense to the castle. So no, no toys here, nor any simple charts for learning; the books divulged their secrets to more mature minds. Just blood and books, gold and gears, forgotten magic means, mirrors that reflect nothing, and a pile of prayers to a good God they used to justify their ungood, and ungodly deeds.

All these things—or their absence—do not make for the picture of a baby-proof home.

The castle has grown accustomed to being cold and dark, and listening to one master alone. It’s not a quaint place lovers look on and think we’ll raise our kids here someday.

Its master isn’t the ideal father either—after all, the castle only reflected its king. Its master knows only of blood and nails, fangs and wails, words too big for a child’s mouth, and worlds too dark for a child’s heart.

Can he be soft? Can he be gentle? Can he keep those claws, which have ripped out better men’s hearts, from piercing a child’s—his child’s…how could one who killed so many have a child?—skin? He knows many spells, but is there one that can turn those screams into laughter?

He has been soft before. Once. And that is with this woman.

Many women have walked the castle’s halls: shivering, shrieking damsels at his feet; cold and calculating queens; fragile bodies on the floor, that he broke with the same regard a child does a vase that matters to someone else.

Those ordinary people who do come often have pitchforks in their mouths, and fiery words in their closed fists. Curses stacked on the end of stakes, banging like the castle is the church bell signifying their own funerals.

It is for this reason that the castle does not like outsiders, does not open its doors easily. But it cannot deny anyone entry. Unlike the humans’ doors, which find his master guilty until proven innocent.

They always came at night. At night, when the loudest sound is your own breathing. At night, when their fires echoed loudest, and their shouts burned brightest.

They came when the flowers were closed, when only the most eerie and vicious of animals played with the skins of their prey, and the moon waxed the world in cold, drunk shine. The sun could not watch them, could not show their blood-struck hands in their full glory.

She came at sunset. When the sun still glazed her deeds in sanguine auburn, but was just deciding to turn its gaze and let the kids have their fun. Not quite day, when the sun would kill things like Dracula, but not quite night, when the hours are named after witches, and lust is strongest—be it for the body, or the blood within it. Somewhere in between death and life, violence and peace.

This woman came with a knife in her hand, yes. But a knife, at least, was not a sword. It was not a pitchfork, a spear, a whip, or a stake; all weapons that signify, if the fight wasn’t there, you were bringing it with you. Not a war-starved weapon, pointing with mal-in—and -con—tent towards the castle doors and all the things inside it. Not a thirsty thing. Something that by default faced the other direction. Something that can start a fight if it wants to, but doesn’t crave it.

The golden woman came at sunset, with a knife in her hand, and looked upon this thing, this castle that others called ‘ugly’, and ‘monstrous,’ and ‘grotesque,’ looked upon it with awe, and gasped in wonder.

She knocked. She didn’t bang her fists upon the stone, didn’t ram pitchforks and assorted insults against the innocent doors, like how-dare-they protect their master.

She knocked, and the doors opened before she could raise her fist a second time. Maybe, just this once, not because they didn’t have any other choice.

The doors—foreboding, menacing, and all the other spooky -ings one can think of—opened to a world strewn in light; the demon’s castle looked brighter, more beautiful, more alive, than half the churches she’d been to.

Her footsteps were gentle against the castle’s floors. Not a slow, forced gentleness, but also not a piercing, purposeful march. There was no apprehension to her footsteps; her feet carried her as if anxious to take her to as many rooms as they could.

At first her steps were the only sound, enough to fool some into thinking they’re alone.

And it became clear both that she was not alone, and not a fool.

But when she saw the demon, she put the knife away, and used her words.

She used her words to repeat those she herself had heard: stories. But not the kind that make monstrous men run at the doors with naughts and crosses, the kind pious people buried along with all evidence that the world wasn’t made of black and white.

Not all the stories told that this place was cold and dark and full of death.

Amongst all the stories about death, there were others that said Vlad Tepes brought this castle to life with science, forbidden knowledge, and a little bit of lightning. Stories that say there is life here.

And, in exchange for proof that these life-stories true, Dracula asked for a trade, a trade that would prove the other stories true too. He gave up the killing a while ago—(the castle has been in one place a very long time)—but he was still not used to giving for free, and definitely not used to getting for free. Vampires trade in blood and names, not diamonds and declarations. Vampires trade in things they can swallow. This castle, too, had been a gaping hole set to swallow the world and everything that entered. Never once had it given.

And she dared to say, that this place, its master, should learn to give, when the humans have done nothing but take from them—or try their best to. He ought to be the one to invite her in, to ask what she would like, to dispense pleasant words and kind actions, when the humans forgot they invented hospitality, and showed no invitation for him to even enter their homes.

But she didn’t come with a mouth full of garlic, and hands full of superstition. Her feet did not drill holes in the floor with their sharp toll, they wandered the scenic route.

She was used to being cheated. Dracula and his castle were too. But that was not why she was there. She was not there for cheap tricks, or death. She wanted something real. A little bit of the life the castle has to offer.

Her defiance wasn’t that of a terrified citizen, or angry queen, either; rather the calm resolve of someone who is asking for something they know in their heart is good, and knows they will get it. The kind of person who believes there is good in everyone, and that this good will ultimately always win, and who won’t leave until they convince this good to show its face.

The castle has watched countless men and women cower at the foot of count Dracula. Some, do have a measure of god-sanctioned defiance; they come with whips and scourges to defeat him. The castle and the king are bound together in their resolve against them.

Except one. Except this woman. One human whom both master and castle found themselves reluctant to deny, cast away, or kill, maybe even…taken with.

She may be human, but she was not like the rest; she did not light the night on fire with her thirst for blood.

So maybe, just maybe, they could let one ray of sunlight slip through the cracks.

She was also not devoid of life, and maybe that was the key.

‘Devoid of life’ was an accurate portrayal of the castle. Bats flying out of blackness is a good description of a cave, and caves don’t usually come with the brochure ‘teeming with life’, or ‘great place to take your kids!’. The castle had a soul-sucking quality to it; those who entered often found themselves leaving less alive than they arrived. It took after its vampire master. Those who didn’t actually lose their lives within its walls, often remarked upon leaving that the flowers bloomed brighter, the birds sang louder, the grass was greener, and that they missed the sunlight.

Sunlight. Such a base thing; vampires don’t need the light or warmth to be happy.

Sunlight. Such a base way to die; wanting to get out of the cold and the dark.

“Is this how the castle felt to you before my mother first arrived at your door?”

Castlevania was alive once. Once Dracula set the pumps, and its heart began to beat. He turned the gears, and its lungs inhaled. He forged the lightning, and it began to think. Once the books, full of unknown knowledge, jumped off the shelves to get the vampire king’s attention. He filled the bottles and beakers, and they bubbled, as if laughing at a joke only they shared.

They were both alive, once.

That waned, with time. The gears got arthritis, the books caught pneumonia, the experiments atrophied. The castle ached before she came.

And Dracula, alone in the halls, picking up books and putting them down again without so much as a polite glance through them, because he read them all before. Dracula looking into fractured mirrors that could take him anywhere, but deciding there wasn’t anywhere he wanted to go. Dracula, looking into old mirrors that don’t reflect him—like there was never anything to reflect, nothing alive here to begin with, and there isn’t a master for this castle after all. Nothing but a grave. Dracula sitting alone in his study, staring into the fire. No one to talk to. No sound but flipping pages and crackling fires—nothing alive. Alive but dead. This castle. Its master. Undead is the proper term.

The other women who came through here reflected the castle, or else the castle took the life out of them the moment they entered. Queens with malice-stained past, and cracked, icy future in their eyes. Just as cold as the walls. Subjects, humans throwing gruesome insults, silky flattery, or fluttering pleas at his feet. Just as empty as the mirrors.

Only one refused the castle’s bite. Only one walked in looking for life, rather than death. Looking for a thing no one thought existed here. Already presumed dead. Put six feet beneath the ground. But maybe it was here all along; maybe the light hid in the castle’s corners while the dark came out to play, and she just had to coax it out of its hiding places. Maybe the bell was ringing all this time, she was the only one who came close enough to hear it; the only one who came to put flowers on the grave.

Maybe when she felt the machinery pumping she knew the rhythm was a heartbeat. Maybe when she heard the gears clanking she knew it was the sound of inhaling and exhaling. Maybe when she saw the lightning, she wondered what it was thinking. Maybe she looked at these books, these instruments, and saw what the vampire king saw once; something alive. They weren’t dead yet—un- or otherwise. Just sick, and in need of proper treatment. She was a doctor after all. Maybe her first subject was the very books she learned from.

Lisa, who looked at this blotch on the sky, with Death in its towers, and darkness splattered on its walls, and thought that’s where I’ll learn to heal people. Lisa, who gaped in amazement at the beast of a building. Lisa, who didn’t shudder upon entering. Lisa, who didn’t scream when its master touched her, but turned to him with calm resolve, and told him she’d teach him to be more human. Lisa, who’s life eclipsed the undeath in this place.

And there was a trade that occurred that day. For Dracula’s immortal knowledge, Lisa would teach him how to live a mortal life. To travel the world as a man, to walks as a man, to eat and drink, laugh and cry, as a man. Immortality for mortality. They gave each other the world, as so many lovers promise to do. Vlad would make her immortal, and Lisa would make him mortal, with no exchange blood.

(Except to create a thing with both their blood running through it.)

So maybe, after all this talk of life, it is fitting that she wants to create life inside this castle.

Fitting, maybe. Fitting for her. But the castle is not mortal yet, and wishes it could protest that it isn’t the right size, refuse to try on the idea.

Dracula is apprehensive as well, for the castle and he are used to each other, they take after each other, because the cold, and the dark, and the death, and the alone does something to you after a while; you start talking to the walls. After the cold queens and quaking colleens leave, or leave their bloodstains the floor. After the beasts and their silver-stained bullets turn back into righteous men in the sun. After he simply outlives everyone else. When all the living things hate, fear, or else betray you, when all the living things can die, and you, who are undead, cannot, it’s the lifeless things that stand firm by your side. When the day ends and the shadows come out to play, when you’re the only one left, in the end you still have the walls. And then…the walls are all you have. And if you talk to them long enough you make a sort of pact, spoken or silent, with those speechless stones: ‘you’re the only one I can trust.’

Dracula speaks to them one day, says he wonders if he can do this, be a father at all, not to mention a good one. The castle cannot reply. But something deep inside the walls wonders if it might be nice to hear Dracula laugh. It might be nice to put on some different clothes. It might be nice for someone new to listen to from time to time. It might be nice to live again.

The castle is concerned. Used to doing things one way, being one way, and only hearing one voice. But that doesn’t mean it is unwilling, that it intends to kill the child.

It never kills anything—Dracula does that. It cannot do anything on its own, and that includes change.

The castle doesn’t like change.

…But that doesn’t mean it won’t.

And if its going to change, its master must change first. They must change together.

Vampires do not have reflections. But Dracula has a castle, and that castle will be damned if it isn’t his mirror.

Reflections are simple to change; put on some makeup, some war paint, a new change of clothes, get a piercing somewhere. Simple, yes, but not easy, to change completely, because that doesn’t mean anything’s changed inside.

The castle did not come equipped for child-rearing; there are no rooms full of toys and cradles and school supplies.

So if this is to be, they must build their son’s world themselves.

Together they set aside a room for the child’s arrival. Just one, single room. And the castle too knows, from the start, this room will be different from all the rest. They will put paintings on the walls, and banners in the halls; things to interest him, to tell him of his parents, at least, even if there are few other relatives to spend Christmas with. The carpets will be darker, instead of the stringent red, and they will make their words smaller, the books easier to understand. The rest of the castle is warm in color, but cool in atmosphere. This room will be cool in color, but warm in atmosphere. The fire will always be set in its place, and they will try their best to make sure the warmth reaches him; if the fire fails, they will knit blankets; if the blankets fail they will make him tea, or warm milk with honey; and when everything else fails they will hold him. If there are tears here, scornful stares will not greet them, instead, kisses and lullabies will be behind door number three. If this room lives, it will be because of something much softer than pounding metal and lighting.

If a child is to live here, they must change that reflection. Everything Dracula’s castle appears to be, this room will be the reverse. Separate. Something… other than the castle.

This room will bottle all the laughter had in this castle. This room will be made of and for living, not the death the rest of the place is steeped in. So much so that this room will not stand for bloodshed.

Lisa brings in supplies from her town; color and cloth, boards and brushes, needle, and thread, and paper; all the things one needs to build a universe.

It is Dracula who takes the paint, who changes the color to something other than the blacks and reds of the rest of the Vampire’s world, cementing on the walls themselves You will not be dark here, my castle. You will be kind to him, Castlevania. The castle doesn’t know its master to work with his hands like a human, but Vlad is not the same within this room either—this room is part of the trade. He doesn’t use magic, or science, as if he is telling himself with every hammer that they are going to change together, the way one does when talking to the mirror.

Lisa sits in a chair and stiches together cloth and fur to make little creatures, toys for the boy to play with. Soft things, not sharp. They are reflections too, littler, simpler ones, of the creatures howling and prowling outside the castle’s walls, or scurrying within them.

But it is the ceiling that is the crowning jewel of the room. Something they paint together—splashing it onto each other’s clothes and noses.

His parents love the stars. They often walk outside the castle walls, fingers knit into each other’s, to gaze at them. They are scholars at soul, and have charted the constellations. They want their child to be able to do the same, to watch the stars, even if he’s not outside. At the end of every day they want him to be sung to sleep by the symphony of the night.

For them, maybe, but to the castle, one of the most interesting things about this room, is the mirror. This is strange, as, while there are other mirrors in this house, they are nothing more than a silver decoration; they have no purpose here, unless they float in shards and possibility. This is an ordinary mirror. It does hold something now, however, and that’s Lisa—only giving more credence to the idea that she is the only living thing in this castle. The castle wonders if they think it will reflect the child, as if they are hoping he will take after his mother and the room.

The mirror, and the windows. In the rest of the castle, the windows are always closed, curtained, or too small to let any real light in. But here they are big, and inviting to all the wiles of the day. Dracula protested—fearing he would burn. Lisa insisted—hoping he would shine.

The mirror, the room, are empty now. The windows closed. The books and charts dormant as the rest. It is not dead, but it’s not alive either. Not even undead. Just a question. An almost.

The room lays on Frankenstein’s table; just one lightning strike—(or one child’s laugh)—away from breathing.