#youre no wolf in sheeps clothing to me

[evelynpr]

No one did "a Father's tough love" like Arlecchino

You KNOW she wants to tell her children how proud she is of them. How she wants to know what they're up to and what they like. How she wants to be a real caring father. How she wants to always ask "are you okay? Do you need help? What can I do for you?"

But she can't care. Caring is a lie, and being cared for makes you vulnerable. She has to be strong, because she must protect her children. She must protect her children, so she cannot feel cared by them. However, the children must care for each other, so they can be strong.

They cannot care for me, because they must be strong without me. They should not care for me, only fear me, for that is how they will survive without me.

[dearestxiao]

venti would be terrifyingly strong. it's something I think about a lot when I thin about his character. it would be terrifying to get into any sort of altercation with a god as a human, but it'd be even worse with venti, because you'd never see his strength coming. he's so silly and unserious most of the time, the most light-hearted man you know. his docile, friendly appearance definitely doesn't give away his strength either. he's too sweet, you would've never been able to guess that he could pin you down easily without breaking a sweat, or absolutely manhandle you with a frightening amount of ease. you'd never see it coming, really.

[ickypuppi3]

anyway the scariest character in stranger things, to me, is neil hargrove

because not only is he such an accurate depiction of an abusive parent who gets away with their actions by making their child look like the bad guy

not only is he the definition of a wolf in sheeps clothing who has the ability to fit neatly into society while causing unimaginable pain behind closed doors

not only does he have the ability to control the people around him like puppets, pitting them against each other and essentially being able to create his own narrative through this

but he also gets away with it all

he gets away with it in the show, he gets to leave as soon as his number one victim dies, he gets to sound sympathetic when they give a reason for him leaving

but he also gets away with it in how people talk about billy, he gets away with it every time someone minimises the harm neil did and pushes the entirety of the blame onto his son, every time someone pushes the ‘billy is a bad victim’ or ‘billy deserved it’ lines, he gets away with it every time someone compares billy to lonnie, brenner and vecna and neil’s own name gets left out

there were absolutely no consequences for neil’s actions in the show and there never will be

and isn’t that all very realistic

[bellemyers]

leaving the wolf that bit behind.

life goes on, oliver tree // devil-horned sunrise // in blackwater woods, mary oliver // this post, @howlsnteeth // this post, @howlsnteeth // canary in a coal mine, the crane wives // angus, konstantin korobov // zenith, ruththorpstudio

[fireemblemseries]

love how aventurine is just staring at sparkle like :) while shes calling him a dirty jew lol

[003soy]

Murasaki and Ichiya - wolf in sheep’s clothing amv

I didn’t even have to look up the lyrics oh my gd

[sonysakura]

If it's true that one of the mods left kudos on your nsfw fic that is so fucking funny 😭

sorry this whole situation happened to you and I support you!

Ask received on Jul 02, 2024 – 8:39 AM. Context: 1, 2.

I wish it wasn't true... 'Cause that's definitely one of the things that made it worse for me. What kind of moral integrity do you have if you think it's okay to enjoy something a person made and condemn it in the same breath? Wild to me.

The whole story is slightly longer tbh. I was re-reading one of my server members' Explicit Sonadow story, and I don't remember why I looked at Kudos, maybe it was an accidental glance even, but I saw a familiar nickname. "No," I thought. "It can't be them, can it?" So, I go to their profile, and there's a fic (non-Sonic) which title I copy and search up on that mod's blog. Boom. It's them. My initial reaction was "What a hypocrite 🙄", but ultimately I decided to ignore this.

That is, until I was editing End Notes on one of my Mature fics and absent-mindedly looked through the Kudos... And who do I see? Them. I'll admit, this time my first reaction was to go straight to the Headmod Chaz and be like "is this your mod" asdfghjk One of my besties though told me that would be dishonourable and do I really want to stoop to their level, etc. Instead, I went on that mod's blog, asked anonymously if they're okay with non-followers PMing them, PMed them if they participated in the vetting process and the desicions concerning members' bans... and they told me they did all of it together as a team. I confirmed with them if they'll be okay with me asking more questions and then the conversation I describe in [context link 1] happened. They backpedaled quick about their actual extent of participating in vetting process during it 😅 They also tried to imply both of my artists were uncomfortable with me which I knew from [artist 1] isn't true. (At least they apologised and claimed that one was a mistake on their part).

Anyway, new fun fact: Since I made a post about my experience, this mod also blocked me. And another mod unblocked me and blocked me again in the span of 24 hours, so I will go update the og post with new numbers XD

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

Sometimes I think about how my parents are fine with watching things with portrayals of drug users, smokers, and murderers in them (not trying to equate substance use to murder, to be clear); but the second a male character even sounds mildly effeminate, they shut off the TV??? Because it’s a bad influence??!!?!

Like, my dudes…. According to your religion all of those people are from the world; all of them are sinning, and “voluntary” sin is a symptom of hereditary sin. According to your belief system, certain people are predisposed to certain types of sin, including homosexuality. Theoretically, you should react to us as you would any other sinner; but you don’t. Why are we so offensive to you that you would rather watch some poor astronaut die screaming and hemorrhaging on a dinner table than view a queer-coded character for more than twenty seconds??

[lyricalchrysanthemum]

piper is such an inherently fun character to think about for me.

especially during bw and his villain arc. ESPECIALLY when he's at he's peak villainy.

like YEAH he gets manipulated by team plasma into making him think people are out to ruin him and is believing in a false ideal... but he's still kind of a villain. moreso than n and hilda. like at least those two don't pretend to be people's friend nor does he try to harm them and ruin an entire wealth of childhood memories for said false ideal. he goes out of his way to throw hilbert to the wolves.

he is a victim... but just because he's a victim doesn't mean what he's done is ok.

like he is VERY self motivated in the end. he's hurting hilbert and bianca for the sake of HIS future, HIS feeling of fulfillment, HIS feeling of being alive. and like going as deep in this path as team plasma has lead him on it makes him feel so alive unlike he's ever felt before that he has. an evil villain laugh about it. when his true nature is revealed and he has his villain monologue (before the monologue about how much he hates hilbert)

He's BURNING alive compared to his ever desolate feeling of cold, empty, dead-ness.

and the fact that hilbert still loves him after everything he's done infuriates him!!! like it fills him with so much turmoil and rage it makes him see red and they INSTANTLY start a pokemon battle. i think his face would be one of those shots where the camera is just ultra focused on an anime characters eyes.

and he may try to write his wrongs but AGAIN. the damage he causes has been done. and at some point, he was willing to get even worse had it not been for the cruel wake up call given by Bianca, and of course, what happened to Hilbert.

he's just a fun guy to think of. especially when i think of what he'd be like as a villain and his true alliances gets revealed to bianca and hilbert.

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

OH GOD THE SET IT OFF CONCERT IS IN LIKE 5 DAYS. OH MY GOD

[carnageartists]

⥼₊⭒⛧⁀ 🜏﹙𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 : countenance. got a tongue like a switchblade

⥼₊⭒⛧⁀ 🜏﹙𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 : introspection. i'm like a religion better locked in a box

⥼₊⭒⛧⁀ 🜏﹙𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 : aesthetic. wolf in sheep's clothing. hidden in the night

⥼₊⭒⛧⁀ 🜏﹙𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 : desires. pull me into your vanity. sick twisted fantasy

⥼₊⭒⛧⁀ 🜏﹙𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 : retrospective. you envy me cause you never pulled it through

⥼₊⭒⛧⁀ 🜏﹙𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 : interactions.

⥼₊⭒⛧⁀ 🜏﹙𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 : asks.

⥼₊⭒⛧⁀ 🜏﹙𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 : closed.

⥼₊⭒⛧⁀ 🜏﹙𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 : open.

[esoteric-v]

Song Lyrics for VRChat/Reddit/Discord/Twitter

Hey, there You thought I’d forget her? I expected better from the likes of you I guess I should’ve known

Hey, there It is more than I can bear With all the lying, cheating, obnoxious behavior you condone

Hey, there Why are you like this? Why do you like this? All these questions asked, the answer's still unknown

Empathy and kindness; Maybe she should try it! Swarmed with all these troubling things That I wish I didn’t care about

Hey, there I was so unprepared It is really unfair Why don’t you care about her verity?

Empathy and kindness; Maybe you should try it! Swarmed with all these terrible things I wanna get away from me

Maybe a redemption is not out of the question It’s not that hard to be a nice and upstanding person Thinking ‘bout a universe where none of this happened Anything’s better than this It’s mortifying!

Finders, keepers, losers, weepers It’s all the same to me Unbelievers, hiders, seekers Oh, how I hate them all!

Overachievers, dirty cheaters Everything in between Followers and then the leader No, I don’t like them either

Hey, there Is anybody here? I’ve been cowering in fear At the thought of you

“Hey, you should lighten up!” Hey, there I’ve been trying to hold back All of this all-consuming anger But it’s about to erupt

Hey, there Why is she like that? Why does she do that? The answer is she’s always been corrupt

Sympathy and niceness; We know she won’t try it! She’s done all these horrible things That nobody seems to care about

Finders, keepers, losers, weepers It’s all the same to me Unbelievers, hiders, seekers Oh, how I hate them all!

Overachievers, dirty cheaters Everything in between Followers and then the leader No, I don’t like them either

Finders, keepers, losers, weepers I know you’re not naïve Unbelievers, hiders, seekers But you ignore it all!

Overachievers, dirty cheaters Just look, you’ve been deceived Followers and then the leader I don’t forgive you either

Finders, keepers, losers, weepers Unbelievers, hiders, seekers Overachievers, dirty cheaters Followers and then the leader

Note: Remember that MENTAL ILLNESS is not an aesthetic :3 thank you uwu

[ozzgin]

What if the Yandere school has some sort of event where they interact with students of the darling school and just like how our reader is a darling in the Yandere school they find a student of the darling school is a Yandere

You're an oblivious Darling going to Yandere School, and now you're paired up with...a Yandere hiding among Darlings. The absurdity goes on. Content: gender neutral reader, yandere horde, parody

[Yandere School] | [Yandere School 2] | [More Yandere]

He could immediately tell. You were a sheep among the wolves, and he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. He followed your movements with a predatory gaze, planning his approach.

He'd applied to Darling Academy out of sheer greed, hoping to find his soulmate. He searched, and stalked, and hounded, all in vain. Hell, he even had to repeat a year; it took him an ungodly amount of willpower to pass the damn kidnapping course.

"You're not surprised to discover your captor", the teacher had shouted, exasperated. "Unless you show me genuine shock, I cannot give you a passing grade"

"You can see her from a damn mile", he argued angrily, pointing at his darling classmate. She was supposed to simulate an attack, and he was to play the role of a clueless, helpless victim. Ridiculous.

Who would've thought his one and only was hiding in a Yandere School, of all places? So unforeseen, so unexpected, that he could not believe it to be anything but a fateful encounter. He glanced one final time at the enormous banner hanging against the school building:

"Annual Study Partnership Event: Yandere School x Darling Academy"

"You must be (Y/N). We've been paired together for the week. I'm in your care!", he beams cheerfully.

Despite his annoyance with Darling Academy, it proved to be somewhat useful in the end. Not only did it guide him to you, but it also polished his acting skills to near perfection. The teacher's office was guarded viciously given the previous attempts of the yandere students to cheat the system and have you on their team. Who would ever suspect a Darling? He simply waltzed in, scribbled his name on the event sheet, and left.

"I wouldn't be too excited", you confess, a little dejected. "I'm not...uh...the best yandere out there."

He pretends to sneeze, hiding the grin spreading across his face. Sweet, innocent thing that you are. Oh, don't worry your pretty head. He'll take care of everything.

The annual event consists of a week-long competition. A yandere student is paired with a darling counterpart, and the teams compete against each other for various activities. It's a learning experience for everyone involved, meant to hone the skills of a yandere and prepare the darlings for their future encounters.

First activity: tying up your darling.

Your eyes light up. For once, it's something you're good at. You hurry back to your partner, carrying the box filled with bondage rope, and nod towards the young man.

"Leave this to me", you state solemnly.

The timer starts, and you begin tying the knots. The yandere observes your process, completely infatuated. Your focused expression is downright adorable. Now, he could let you have your moment of victory. On the other hand...can he really waste this chance?

His fingers discreetly mess with some of the rope lying around. A little nudge here, another loop here. You're too absorbed in your work to notice anything.

You hear the bell and huff, exhausted. You wipe your forehead. This is it, the final touch. You hold onto the rope, and pull with all your strength. Suddenly you're dragged forward by an unseen force, and your face slams into your teammate's broad chest. You've tied the two of you together, somehow.

The other yanderes watch the display with a grimace.

(Y/N) is good with rope. This shouldn't have happened, they all think in unison. They glare at the darling pressed against you. Something isn't right. Is that man truly a darling? He feels more like a fellow rival.

"I'm so sorry", you sniff, humiliated.

He strokes your hair affectionately, reassuring you. It happens. The rope must've been faulty. You did your best.

He feels a cold shiver and tilts his head towards the bystanders, then smiles. It seems he isn't the only one who has fallen for you. Though he didn't expect it to be the whole school. Alas, what's life without a little competition?

"Come on, (Y/N). Let's get ready for the next part. I have a feeling we'll win this one", he says, winking at you playfully.

This must be the best week of his life.

[bunnis-monsters]

sweet!lamb!reader being tricked by mean!wolf!yandere. like a wolf in sheep clothings concept?? the reader just believes anything he says without hesitation.

NSFW

warning: yandere behavior, dubcon, reader is a lamb but she’s an adult hybrid, I’m not good at writing mean characters…

You happily wagged your tail as you followed the wolf out into the woods, away from your flock. He had promised you affection and some sweets that you had never tried before!

Everyone warned you, saying wolf hybrids were bad news… but you were too innocent and kind to understand!! The wolf hybrid was nice, giving you candy and showing you all the best spots to graze!

The wolf had first planned on devouring such a stupid little creature, but he’d grown a bit fond of you. He imagined your fluffy little self could carry his litter quite well, so he lured you away from your flock.

“Can’t you see, you’re such a cute, dumb little thing…”

You whimpered, your fat cunt being knotted by his thick cock as he bit along your soft flesh. “B-but you said I could have sweets…”

Your little eyes welled with tears, your lip wobbling pathetically as his fingers teased your clit.

“Shh… my little dummy, just be quiet and let me fuck your sweet cunt. That’s all you’re useful for isn’t it, being my breeding bitch?”

He groped your heavy tits, squeezing them. “These will fill up with milk soon, my pet… all mine, my little lamb…”

It seemed your future would be filled with lots of pups… but in the end, he did feed you some sweets… but you had to suck his cock to get them first.

So mean…

You were all his now, with nowhere to go. A lamb without its flock was a helpless thing, and he’d do as he pleased with his prey.

——————

YANDERE TAGLIST: @katerinaval @sunset-214 @avalordream @atransmuter @icommitwarcrimes @bazpire @anglingforlevels @kinshenewa @pasteldaze @unforgettablewhvre @yoongiigolden @murder-hobo @leiselotte @misswonderfrojustice @dij-ology @lollboogurl @h3110-dar1in9 @aliceattheart @mssmil3y @spicyspicyliving @namjoons-t1ddies @izarosf1833 @healanette @lem-hhn @spufflepuff @zyettemoon1800 @exodiam @vexillum-moeru @imperfectlyperfectprincess1 @enchantedsylveon @readeryn68 @danielle143 @kittenlover614 @annavittoria-mm @makimamybelovedwife @midromiell @toocollectionchaos-universe-blog @fruk-you-usuk-fans @wil10wthetree @hammerhead96-blog @slightlyusedfloormat @bubblez-blop @sunshineangel-reads @heroneki-neko @soapybabyboop @sandramalikstyles-blog @anonymouskiwi @pedropascalbabygirl @flamefoxx @facelessfionna

[dvlboy]

homework helper

he needed to pass this final group project. he absolutely needed to, or else he wouldn't be able to play in the teams final game for the championship. he was their star player, he had to pass.

TOP MALE READER | MINORS FEM DNI, nerd x jock smut for my oomphs

thats what brought him to you, a nerd. a very handsome nerd, who made him a bit nervous with those eyes on his figure, scanning his body before listening to his request. one of his teammates told him about you, about how you'd be willing to do the entire project for him, at a cost. the teammate didn't specify what it was, but he could see how his dear friend grew a blush, light beads of sweat starting to form, and a problem straining against his shorts.

it made him nervous, a morbid curiosity growing within him. but the team needed him, and if he failed it would be the end of their championship, and maybe his athletic career. he didn't have a choice.

you were a star student, perfect in the eyes of teachers, and administers alike. kind, pretty, studious, generous.

but right now? the man pressing down on his chest, eyes boring into his skin, the man making the shitty table creek and groan under his weight, was anything but a star student. in fact, you seemed more like a wolf in sheeps clothing, waiting, watching until someone your type needed your assistance.

"w-why couldn't, hnnnmmmm, i-i just p-pay you for-- for this..!" he was breathless, your thrusts digging deep into him. it felt like you were in his lungs, vision going white when you hit that spot inside of him, ripping out an involuntary moan from the star athlete. he opened his teary eyes, seeing your wolfish grin peering down on him.

"wheres the fun in that, huh sweetcheeks?" your name for him made him squirm. "not everyday someone as pretty as you comes asking for help." you flashed him a grin, an almost snarl leaving your lips. "plus, this is way more exciting then some cash, money can't buy a pussy as good as this!" you slapped his sides as you said that, watching the tears of humiliation run down his cheeks.

"don't cry jockie," you wiped the tears from his face, running the salty fluid down his sweaty body, hands grabbing onto the sweaty chest of his. "seems to me like you're having a damn good time, all teary eyed on my dick. you like this shit?" he felt the warmth inside of him disappear as you pulled out your dick, a long, high pitched whine leaving his mouth objecting to your actions. you placed your slimy cock against his cock, hunger growing in your eyes seeing your cock dwarf his.

he whined again, forcefully wrapping his legs around your waist, glaring at you through those teary eyes of his, "n-no! jus' doing this for the project.." he looked away at the end, unable to meet your eyes.

"that's what they all say," you paused. "don't lie to me, tell me how much you like it, how much better i am then everyone else.." you moved your cock, positioning it right against his loose hole. his breath hitched in his chest, and he closed his eyes, waiting for that moment where he sees stars again.

yet it never came, and when he opened his eyes all he saw was your expectant eyes on him, waiting for his answer. his cheeks burned with embarrassment and hidden arousal. "you're the first.. its not like i was expecting to get dicked down by some big dicked nerd...!" he hated how his voice whined at the end, straining as he basically begged you with his eyes to fuck him. he hated how his body reacted with that gaze of yours on him, he hated how his spent cock gave a pathetic twitch.

"i'll be sure to go easy on you then jockie.. you reached over, slapped his sweaty face a few more times before diving back into pleasuring yourself with his body. he was beautiful, a pretty face even with his tears and saliva all over his features. the fluorescent lighting only made him almost glow with his sweaty body, a perfect layer of fat and muscles. he heaved out moans and whines from his quickly overstimulated body, no energy to try and struggle like he previously did. plus he would never admit it even into the deepest part of himself, but this entire situation was so fucking sexy to him. it felt like a dream.

his cock was pretty and red, angry almost, cum staining his abdomen, body straining before he pushed another pathetic load onto his abs, the clear fluid settling into the grooves of his abs. "you came again? i havent even came once pretty boy, maybe its because you're a pathetic virgin.." he didn't say anything, head too light and body to stimulated. he felt hot, cold, lightheaded and everything inbetween.

"alright, alright.. its getting late," you checked your phone before throwing your phone by your bag, ripping his sweaty uniform from under him making him yelp. "need hurry up now, n keep you quiet.." he watched you ball his uniform dazed, before a muffled yelp left him as the ball was shoved in his mouth. you wasted no time, getting back into him, nestling yourself into the deepest parts of his insides, hitting impossibly deep then pulling out, grinding against his hole, savouring the sloppy noises his hole made.

and he sat there, softly moaning. would you fuck him again if he asked? he was absolutely enamoured by your cock, mewling at whenever you hit that spot inside of him. who knew such a big, intimidating man could be broken so easily by dick?

"alright baby, m about to cum, be good for me yeah?" he could feel you grunt and get more feverish. your balls were tight, and your cock pulsing before you buried yourself deeply inside of him, the wooden table making a cracking sound before you let out a groan. he felt heat flood his guts, shuddering at the feeling before feeling you pull out, grabbing some tissues and cleaning his hole.

"shit, did some damage to you jockie," your hand slapped his sensitive, loose hole, watching as he tried to tighten but couldn't. "hope i didn't mess you up too bad.." you wiped the sweat off his body, tucking him into his jersey because his uniform was covered in spit, and helping him off the now cracked table.

"whelp, i'm off now, gotta get started on your assignment. see ya around.." you looked at him and his dazed look on his face before leaving, the sound of the door creaking before footsteps slowly growing distant.

he stood against the wall, limping, feeling your cum dribble into his underwear, head still too fucked to even process what happened. however, his first thought was when he could see you again, already making future plans. then he realized his thoughts, hastily tucking his stuff into his bag and slipping away, only a light limp.

WRIOTHESLEY, GOJO, KIRISHIMA, ZORO, BEELZEBUB, MAMMON, JIYAN, CALCHIRO, SAMPO, jiaoqiu, SANJI, childe, kaeya, SETT, ITTO, caelus + ur favourites <3

[ichorai]

wool ; coriolanus snow.

pairing ; young!coriolanus snow x capitol!reader (gender-neutral)

synopsis ; when you laughed, airy and light and reminiscent to that of wind chimes, coryo wished he could bottle up the sound and keep it as his, only his.

words ; 1.5k

themes ; mild fluff/angst, slightly suggestive

warnings / includes ; set before events of tbosas so no actual spoilers, making out, clemensia appearance, mentions of other characters, coryo's paranoia, he's not exactly toxic yet but the seeds are very much planted, i tried to keep him in character as best i could, let's pretend the academy also serves dinner

a/n ; this man has consumed me body and soul. this fic was inspired by the song wool by flatland cavalry on the movie soundtrack! let me know if you guys would like a second part :)

series masterlist. main masterlist.

Coriolanus Snow was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He bore an aristocratic last name—yet you noticed that his dress shirt’s buttons seemed to be various different shades of black and slightly misshapen. His voice, so sweetly saccharine, charming, seductive—would whisper falsities like it was second nature. He would often claim that he wasn’t hungry, but you’d catch the longing glint in his pale irises as he eyed the steaming bread rolls Sejanus slathered with generous helpings of butter. 

Control. That was all he needed. 

It crumbled, ever so slightly, when you nudged your slice of apple pie in his direction. His eye twitched, and you pursed your lips, pulling your plate back to you. You ate quietly, and Coryo stared at you all the while, as if he were mentally dissecting your mind—studying you. 

You knew. It was all too clear, even if he wouldn’t tell you. And if he wouldn’t tell his closest friend—or, the closest thing he had to a friend, the two of you certainly did things that friends wouldn’t do—he most definitely wouldn’t let it slip that he was financially strapped to anyone else.

That same day, he met you in the back of the library. The two of you were supposed to be studying history—Professor Demigloss was one of the nicer teachers at the academy, but that didn’t mean he was any less strict with grades. And neither you nor Coryo could afford slipping now. Not if you both wanted to get into university. Being on top meant that there was only greater distance to fall.

But there were… distractions.

Mainly, his foot knocking against yours under the table. Your hand over his jostling knee. His teeth digging into his bottom lip. When you shifted so that your thighs brushed against his, the books spread out over the table were entirely forgotten.

He pushed you against the bookshelves a mere second later, the wood digging into your back uncomfortably, and kissed you until you grew dizzy. You were a welcome distraction—he could taste the apples on your tongue. The way you snaked your arms around his neck, toying with his pale blonde curls, pulling him closer until his body slotted against yours just perfectly—clicking into place like a pair of magnets facing opposite directions. It was desperate and heavy and he could only barely pull away to inhale sharply before cradling the base of your head to tilt your jaw back and kiss you even harder. Coryo swallowed any muffled whimpers that slipped from you when his free hand traveled lower.

Lower, lower, dangerously low—

When Clemensia’s voice echoed through the library in search of her lab partner, the two of you sprang apart, gasping for air.

She rounded the bend, and her dark eyes landed on the two of you. Keen, observant, narrowed. Coriolanus was flushed, hair mussed, lips swollen, chest rising and falling erratically. You were looking anywhere but the two of them, smoothing out your clothes and wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.

“Oh! I guess I’ll just have to find another time to bother you, Coriolanus,” she tittered, sickly sweet. She tilted her head with a tempered smile. “What’re you guys studying?”

Snow rolled his eyes in exasperation. “History,” he said. Curt, simple.

“Right.” She eyed you curiously. When she spoke again, it was directed more to you than him, sounding uncharacteristically void of frigid scorn. “I’d be careful if I were you. You sure he’s not just sleeping with you because you’re the top of the class?”

You stiffened, and Coryo bristled. 

“I’ll be fine, Clem. See you tomorrow.” 

There was another beat of terse silence. Her eyes darted warily between the two of you, and she whisked away in a flutter of red and black.

You blew out a breath. Your mouth tingled with the phantom memory of his lips planted over yours, and your cheeks flushed with heat. The two of you sat back down, both quiet. You worked in fluid tandem with each other, as you always did. His hands kept to himself this time. 

“I’m not using you,” he whispered, eventually. “It’s not like that.”

“I know,” you replied hesitantly, testing the waters. “It’s not like you’d need to. Your grades are just fine as is.”

The two of you kept working until your fingers cramped with overuse and his head pulsed with the beginnings of a migraine. 

“Dinner?” you asked once the clock struck six, nudging him. “I think they’ll be serving mashed potatoes today.”

His stomach clenched at the thought of warm food. Control.

“Sure,” he replied coolly, flicking his books closed and gathering up all the papers to stuff into his bag. “I’m sick of mashed potatoes, though.”

You shot him an incredulous smile, brows quirking up. He was lying, but you didn’t know. “Not even when it’s seasoned with roasted garlic? A dash of the freshest of herbs?”

The blue of his eyes gleamed when they bore into yours. “Not even then.”

“You’re a strange man, Coriolanus Snow.” Your lips twisted downward, but it was more of a smile than a frown. When your eyes darted below to glance at his school uniform, you couldn’t help but notice the unironed creases in the carmine fabric. One of the buttons—the very top one—was oddly shaped and a different color from all the rest. It reminded you of his dress shirt. You quite liked that dress shirt. He looked handsome in it, but you chalked it up to his uncanny ability to look handsome in just about anything.

Your head tilted to the side, molten eyes fixed on the button. You knew. He knew that you knew. Panic seized in his chest, an irrational clawing sensation searing within his lungs. Would you tell the rest of the class? What would you say to them? That he was living as filthily as a District boy? That he skipped meals because he couldn’t afford them? That his cousin mended his clothes for him?

But your frown-smile deepened. Fondness stained your expression, clear as day. Coriolanus found himself surprised, as he often did around you. 

“I love your buttons, by the way,” you mumbled, reaching out to trace it with a finger. He held his breath on instinct. “Is it a stylistic choice? Having them all irregular like this?”

Stylistic. Coriolanus almost laughed.

“Mhm. It’ll be in fashion one day. I’m just ahead of the trends,” he murmured charmingly. A bluff.

When you laughed, airy and light and reminiscent to that of wind chimes, Coryo wished he could bottle up the sound and keep it as his, only his. 

“Maybe I’ll start wearing mismatched buttons now, too. Rebel against uniformity.” You stood up from your chair as you spoke, not catching the way Coriolanus’ expression faltered momentarily with your last three words. It was a joke, he had to remind himself. Just a joke. “Come on. Let’s go have dinner. I’m starving.”

He jerkily stood up. Grabbed your hand just because he could, fingers folding over your wrist. He could feel your pulse, thumping quicker and quicker. You regarded him curiously. Snow’s remaining spindly hand cradled your face and he stepped closer, intuitive eyes roaming over your face, wondering just how much of you was real. How much of you was lying, just as he was?

His lips fell over yours again. This time, the kiss was sweeter. Slower, more languid. His nose brushed over your cheekbone, warm to the touch. You hummed pleasantly against him, before placing a hand flat over his chest—over the crooked button—and pulled away with a dazed smile. It felt dangerously good that you hadn’t tugged your hand out of his grasp yet. His grip tightened in a near possessive manner.

As the two of you began walking out of the library, Coriolanus couldn’t help but think back to your hyperbole—about how far from starving you truly were. You wouldn’t ever know, not when your family was the very epitome of Capitol wealth. But he was glad he wasn’t the only one lying, for once, even if your lie was merely an inflation of the truth. 

After dinner, Coryo worked off the top button of his uniform with repeated tugs to the threads, pulling apart Tigris’ handiwork. He slid it over the table to you, watching the way your countenance softened in endearment. He kissed you again in the dark hallways outside the cafeteria, finding it difficult to get your lips to melt away from your tightly-stretched grin.

He walked home with a mirroring smile and a missing button that night. One less piece of the wolf’s sheeply clothes.