#and maybe if he was more included it would have made the twins seems less of two halves of one person

[phoenixspeaker]

     Someone laughed behind Harry. Turning, he saw Fred, George, and Lee Jordan hurrying down the staircase, all three of them looking extremely excited.      “ Done it, ” Fred said in a triumphant whisper to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. “ Just taken it. ”      “ What? ” said Ron.      “ The Aging Potion, dung brains, ” said Fred.      “ One drop each, ” said George, rubbing his hands together with glee. “ We only need to be a few months older. ”      “ We’re going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins, ” said Lee, grinning broadly.

THE COMPLETE ERASURE OF LEE JORDAN IN THE FOURTH BOOK #justiceforleejordan

#lee jordan's main purpose was to have an interesting narrative for quidditch games but he's finally mentioned more than ten times in the #fourth book and the movies?? just erased them?? #how hard would it have been to include a third #HOW HARD #?? NOT AT ALL #but even in the books he's rarely mentioned?? like the author pushes that lee is the twins friend and is in on the jokes but then doesnt #include him as much as she implies he's around?? #the fuck?? #lee should have been there when the twins were huddled together creating the potion in the common room #and maybe if he was more included it would have made the twins seems less of two halves of one person #idk #but this is so stupid #im mad >:C #also #i might not be able to really write a ramble for lee jordan because hes around less than oliver #so it might be created as headcanons or random little posts about my interpretation that i feel the need to talk about #and neither part he's in is super crucial to have my input (so far. im only at the third book) #FOURTH omg not third smh)

[baldursgate3tempobsessed]

Astarion Jealousy Part 2

The graphic extension to this but a lil less serious and definitely not sfw.

CW: Jealous spawn astarion who is still a sweetheart, but the drow twins get under his skin. graphic sex scenes, oral, relatively tame honestly. The sex part will be under the cut btw which is m/f. Also vampire man drinks blood. mentionable incorrect language for sex workers

~

It was odd, being home in Baldur’s Gate without the threat of Cazador always looming. Odd, but equally as wonderful. It had been so thoughtful, if not a little idiotic for Cazador to end up being your first stop in the city. The fight itself had been a blur, a barrage of intense emotions and bloody violence. Astarion had come so close to losing himself back there, losing everything that made him better than the man who almost ruined him. But then… you stopped him. You saw something more in him, a chance for a better life. A more meaningful life, away from the shackles of vampiric power obsessions. 

He was officially free. Now he could exist without any fear of his disgusting master’s retribution. He could just… be. Well… not including his darling’s own myriad of enemies that seemed to follow them about everywhere. And there was still the matter of defeating the elder brain, and lord knows if any of you made it through that alive. But at least his personal demons were slain and out of the picture.

Every little step counted after all. Perhaps some of your delusional hopefulness had finally started to rub off on him, but Astarion was actually starting to look forward to his future. Your future, together. All he had to do was get through a few more perilous adventures and then he’d really have you all to himself. 

All that said, Astarion could really go without the frequent visits to the local brothel. Was it the best place in the city for gathering information? Yes. It seemed that every walk of life in Baldur’s Gate found their way into Shar’s Caress and if you were going to find alternative passage to the underworld, this would be the best place to find it. But that didn’t mean he had to like it. For one there were the unwelcome advances to his own person, the concept of grace and personal space apparently left at the door. He was so very close to breaking the hand of the next person who thought it was appropriate to grab his ass. And if they could afford to get kicked out he would have by now. Your verbal, angry tirades in his defense could only scare off so many. 

But as terrible as his own discomfort was, it was nothing in the face of how often you were being fawned over. What was it about you that seemed to drive everyone mad? Yes you were objectively attractive, but this was frankly getting out of hand. First there was the green skinned druid doing something sensual to your mind, then there were the general stares and whispers as you walked by, and now a pair of gorgeous drow twins trying and failing to proposition you. 

It was getting tiresome. There were only so many times a man could take his lover being offered “free” services before he snapped. 

On one hand, he could respect the dedication they had to the craft. He could be considered something of a hired whore himself in his time, the old, “the first one’s free” was a tried and true trick. And he also knew, vaguely, that no one was actually trying to steal you from him. But on the other, he couldn’t help the fact that he wanted to claw their eyes out for looking at you so brazenly.

He hadn’t expected the eyes of the woman to wander over to him, like she was just noticing the possessive arm he had wrapped around your waist, “Is that your partner with you? How would you both feel about having a little fun?”

Absolutely fucking not. Maybe the old Astarion would have smiled and nodded, ready to do whatever was asked of him. But the man from that wretched era had died, or at the very least was dying. And he would be damned if he let you lay with another, never less participate in it. 

Astarion interrupted your overly-polite attempts stuttering of a refusal. He glared at them both, a sneer painted on his face, “We’ll be passing on that. You’d think the first no would have sufficed, but I suppose it’s not fair to expect everyone to have basic language comprehension. Now as illuminating as this conversation has been, we have places to be. Excuse us.”

Then he was pulling you away, happy to ignore the offended huffs of indignation he had left in his wake. 

“We’re supposed to be investigating, remember?” You said with a giggle, not even questioning him as he dragged you to the second floor, “Being rude is not the way we’ll find travel to the hells.”

“I highly doubt they would have been of use,” Astarion said as he pushed you into the first empty room he could find. He felt off, maybe even a little crazed as he turned to you, “Tell me darling, what is it about you that makes you so irresistible, hm?”

He crowded you against the closed door, ducking his head into the crook of your neck to breath you in. You smelled heavenly, you always did. He could trace the barest whiff of your blood from beneath your skin, always calling to him. You were the sweetest thing he ever tasted. Delicious even, for more reasons than one. 

“T-They just wanted my coin,” You gasped when he started to suck bruises into your skin, “That’s all.”

“I think they wanted a bit more than that,” Astarion bit out as he shoved his thigh between your legs, “What will it take for others to realize you’re mine.”

His hands were wandering, resting low to grip your hips. He was using them to move you, forcing you to grind against his thigh. You grasped at his shoulders, trying to bite back a moan as you stared at him with wide eyes, “You want to do it here? Does that door even lock?”

It looked like it didn’t, not that Astarion cared. Maybe walking in on him ravishing you would finally start getting the point across of who you belonged to. Astarion shrugged, "There are less appropriate venues than literal whore houses."

“But-”

“But I can tell you want it,” Astarion interrupted with a smirk, his hands barely working to move your body anymore. But that wasn’t stopping you from rubbing yourself all over him, “Just look at you darling. Desperate little thing. But if you really don’t want to…”

Astarion made a lazy attempt to step back, laughing out loud when your desperately pulled him back, your desire finally winning out over your common sense. But you were glaring at him, obviously annoyed that he was so good at riling you up. He had seen that look before, the one that just screamed that you were scheming something. 

He just hadn’t expected you to drop to your knees in front of him, huffing as you started to undo the fastenings to his pants, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit of a shit?”

“Maybe,” Astarion said with a strained laugh, his breath catching when you pulled his half-hard cock out, “But it seems to keep getting me the things I want.”

You rolled your eyes before licking a wide strip up his cock, like you weren’t directly proving his point. You looked amazing own there, you’re half-hearted glare morphing into a blissful haze. 

Gods, how were you real? Astarion wasn’t quite sure why you were such a fan of getting him down your throat, but he knew that he was a lucky bastard for it. 

“Sweet girl,” Astarion sighed, letting a hand drift down to tangle in your hair, “Sweet girl with a perfect mouth. And you’re all mine, aren’t you?”

You made a small, affirmative noise around his cock, taking him in deeper as you clutched at his thighs. You were so good at this, so well-trained after months of being together. He loved the soft, wet sounds that would escape your lips as you swallowed him down, the pretty way your eyes would water as you encouraged him to fuck your throat, how you would squirm in place on your knees, no doubt ruining your panties with how wet you were getting. 

And no one else would ever know. No one would get to see you like this again, feel you like this. Needy, desperate, and his. Oddly enough, that thought was what sent him over the edge. He came down your throat, groaning as you eagerly swallowed around him. 

You pulled off of him slowly, panting while you smiled up at him. There was the smallest string of spit mixed with his come, connecting from the head of his cock to your lips. You licked it up, still clinging to his thighs as you hazily stared up at him. Sweet enough to make his heart skip a beat, and his dick give a valiant twitch.

He pulled you to your feet, not wasting any time in smashing your lips together. He spun you around, pushing you towards what he prayed was a clean bed. 

He pushed you back onto the sheets, making quick work of tearing your pants down your legs as he grinned down at you, “Your turn.”

He kneeled in front of you; spreading his hands over your splayed thighs to peel off your underwear. The core of you was already glistening, slick enough to make Astarion’s mouth water. He licked his lips as he spread your legs further apart, shameless as he feasted on you with his eyes. 

You were shaking in his hold, biting your bottom lip when you whined, “Stop staring already…”

“But you’re so pretty here my sweet,” Astarion cooed, tracing a single finger over the seam of your cunt, “And you’re dripping. Poor thing, have I kept you waiting too long?”

You nodded excitedly above him, your hips bucking when he let his fingers dip in further between your pussy lips. He lightly traced your clit, softly laughing at the way the simple touch made you whine.

It was his own fault that you were so needy, a fact that brought a smirk to his lips. You always got so wet after you had him down your throat, soaked and gorgeous. 

Astarion dove right in, loudly moaning as he licked into your folds. He dragged his lips upward to suckle on your clit, basking in all the cries and whimpers escaping you.

He licked back down, teasing your hole with his tongue as your legs quivered around his head. He let the sharpness of his fangs scrape against you as he started to fuck you with his tongue, threatening your most intimate places.

He knew you liked that; little minx that you were. The slight risk of pain that was always looming. It made him want to sink his fangs in you for real, a hunger that he'd sate after he had you gushing into his mouth.

You were already close, he could tell from the way your cunt was tightening around his tongue; too worked up from the thrill of being in public and the taste of him still lingering on your tongue. Astarion trailed talented fingers up to rub against your clit, his tongue still curling inside of you as you cried out. Finally falling over the edge. But that wasn't stopping him from continuing to play with you.

You had to tug on Astarion’s hair for him to finally pull away, too over sensitive to handle his talented tongue. You were still trembling by the time he leaned back, licking his lips. He rested his head on your thigh, obviously pleased with himself as he grinned up at you. He could feel your heart racing against his cheek, the sound of your blood pumping singing through your veins. It had his mouth watering for a completely different reason. 

He let his fangs drag against the delicate skin of your inner thigh, looking up at you through his lashes, "Can I?"

A superfluous question. Not when he already knew the answer before it escaped your lips.

“Y-yeah," You mumbled, lovingly gazing down at him. He would never tire of seeing that look on your face, "But be gentle? Please?” 

"Of course my love," Astarion murmured, before promptly sinking his fangs into your flesh. He had to hold you down from the way you were still trembling, your quivering only getting worse at the pleasure mixed with pain. He didn’t let himself go rabid, just enough to get a taste. He was pulling back too soon, smiling to himself at the little whine you let out. He gently licked over the wound before standing, not yet swallowing the last drops on his tongue.

Instead he leaned forward to kiss you, more than happy to share the sweet taste of your blood as he slipped his tongue into your mouth.

“Thank you my dear,” Astarion sighed as he pulled away, “That was exactly what I needed. Now I think that’s enough investigating for one day.” 

You sighed, taking the time to card your fingers through his hair, “Agreed. Though you might have to carry me out of here now.”

Wasn’t that a wonderful idea?

Astarion hummed as he pulled your clothing back on, “I think I like the sound of that," He didn't give you time to respond, too busy sweeping you up in his arms with a grin, "I'll be taking you up on that."

You squeaked when he hefted you up, bridal style, “I wasn’t being serious!”

But it was too late, Astarion was already kicking the door open. He shrugged at you, completely shameless as he winked at a few onlookers, "Then you shouldn't have suggested it."

You groaned, hiding your face in his shirt as he happily took you outside, “I’m going to get you back for this. I hope you know that.”

Astarion laughed as he kissed the top of your head, “I’m sure you will.”

It was a childish stunt, borderline on par with a jealous tantrum, but gods, did it feel good. Good enough to sate Astarion's obsessive tendencies for an impressive amount of time. Under normal circumstances. 

But what about your lives were normal?

#astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #baldur's gate 3 #you'll pry my long posts out of my cold dead hands #long fic #spoilers #and thats how later astarion found himself on stage with a killer clown #whoops #still fluffy i'd say #I got a soft (in comparison to cough alternatives) jealousy trilogy in mind so one more dirty part. Also #side note #in reality everyone in your party is attractive and probably gets flirted with an equal amount at the caress #but I love the idea of astarion being hyper focused on you.

[simplyholl]

Out of My System Pt 5

Summary: Loki doesn’t understand Thor’s attraction to Midgardians. Until he meets you.

Pairing: Avenger Loki x F. Reader

Warnings: Smut. 18+ ONLY. Minors DNI.

W/C: 1.9K

See My Masterlist Here

The midnight pool party was all you could talk about. You decided to wear the tiny, red bikini you had only wore around the compound. And only in front of people you were extremely comfortable with. Nat bought a black one just like it, so you could match for the party. It helped you to feel less self conscious too.

Everyone who was anyone would be in attendance tonight, including Tony’s nephew Ben. You went on one date with him a few weeks ago, but it wasn’t anything serious. You still texted with him sometimes. It was mostly flirting, nothing too deep. He was attractive, but you couldn’t see yourself with him long term. Maybe that’s just what you needed right now, some fun.

You looked at yourself in the mirror, admiring how the small garment made you look. You fluff your hair one last time before walking down the hallway to meet up with Nat.

Loki’s mind hadn’t stopped racing since the kiss that almost was. He had made up a million different plans to seduce you. Each of them worse than the last. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him. Under usual circumstances, he could get a woman out of her panties without so much as talking to her.

He just turned on the charm and they fell at his feet. But he had never seduced a mortal before, had never wanted to. He couldn’t figure out the hold you had on him. He knew Fiona was right. He was merely curious. Once he had you in his bed, the spell you had on him would be broken.

The music blared out of the speakers. Most of the guys were jumping into the pool. Steve was grilling by the side of the compound. You and Natasha were dirty dancing on everyone who came over to you. You were laughing and smiling so much, your cheeks hurt.

Loki watched as you danced with Ben Stark. You were wearing that red bathing suit that was often the subject of his fantasies. Loki wasn’t jealous. He just wished it was him you were dancing with instead.

The song changed and you ran over to Natasha, both of you screaming about the song choice. Nat sat in one of the lounge chairs. You crawled on top of her grinding against her in time with the music. The Ying Yang Twins was the artist playing. Loki recalled Lang introducing it to him months prior, so he would be familiar with Midgardian music. A classic, he had called it.

Loki couldn’t take his eyes off you. You made eye contact with him. He looked away too quickly, failing to hide that he was staring. He saw you say something to Natasha. You crawled out of her lap, and walked towards him.

“Hey Loki, can we talk for a minute?” He nodded, scooting over on his blanket to make room for you to sit beside him. “You’ve been weird with me since field day. I just wanted to know why.”

“I haven’t meant to behave strangely with you. I apologize.” He’s looking at the other party goers instead of you. “I thought you were going to kiss me.” That gets his attention. He whips his head toward you.

“I wanted you to. I replayed it over and over again in my head. I thought I misread the situation. It’s so hard to read you. I never know what’s on your mind. Tell me what you want, Loki.”

A sigh escapes him. He pushes a stray hair behind your ear. “I want you.” It seems like a weight has been lifted off him with that confession. You’re feeling more confident now. “Then have me. What’s stopping you?”

He leans in cupping your jaw, tilting your face toward his. His lips meet yours with more softness than you expected. You could tell he’s holding back. You deepen the kiss, climbing into his lap. Your hands travel the length of his back.

You pull him as close as you can. You’re the first to break the kiss. You sink your teeth into his neck. With a primal growl, he flips you over onto your back. He traps you with his bulky body. He nips your earlobe, his large hands covering your breasts.

You squirm underneath him trying to rub yourself against him, desperate for friction. He laughs wickedly, looking down at your trapped legs held captive by his own. You feel his hard length pressed against you. You slip your hands in his swimming trunks taking him between your eager hands.

You pump him once, twice. He says your name through gritted teeth wrapping his fingers around your wrist to stop you. “Slow down, love. We have all night.”

You find yourself in Loki’s apartment pinned to his door. Your wandering hands take in every inch of hardened muscle as he feverishly kisses you. “We shouldn’t do this.” Loki murmurs against your neck. You let out a shaky breath. He’s right, you shouldn’t but you don’t care. You’ll deal with the consequences later. Tonight all you want is him.

“My forbidden fantasy.” He whispers as he cups your breasts. His fingers slide under your bikini top finding your pebbled nipples. You arch into him. “Tell me to stop.” His voice is barely audible. It sounds almost like he’s begging you.

“I can’t, Loki. I want this so badly. I want you. Don’t you want this?” He continues tugging your nipples. “I want this more than my next breath. I’ll have you just this night.” He lifts you, carrying you to his bed. He places you gently on the satin sheets.

“Since this is all I get of you, if this is the only time we are together this way, I’m going to savor it. Every inch of you. Everything you have to offer.” He pulls on the flimsy fabric of your top. The material snaps in his powerful hand.

He lowers his head to your chest taking a hardened peak into his mouth. He settles between your legs, removing the rest of your bikini. He presses a soft kiss to your thigh. You are almost shaking with anticipation.

He dives right in, flattening his tongue against you. He fastens his lips around your clit gently sucking. Your hands tangle in his dark curls. You hold his head as if it’s the only thing keeping you here on Earth. You’re sure if you let go, you would float away.

He moves his hot muscle in quick flicks over your clit. One of his hands finds your chest, rolling a nipple between skilled fingers. The other is on your hip, his fingers digging into your skin. He swirls his tongue in a pattern that blurs your vision. You writhe against his face as you explode.

He looks up at you, his lips turned upward in a cocky grin. He’s never been more attractive than right now. Propped between your legs, his mouth covered in your arousal. “I need more.” He states with all the seriousness he can muster. He spreads your trembling thighs once more.

His tongue parts your swollen folds, gliding through you with ease. Loki is ravenous. He eats you like you’re the first meal he’s had in weeks. His face is pressed to you so closely, you’re not sure how he’s even breathing. You know he is from the moans coming from between your legs. He’s not satisfied until you come a second time.

He lays his head on your thighs letting you catch your breath. You play with the messy curls splayed against you. “I’m glad you don’t want to make this a regular thing. If we did this often, I would fall in love with you.” You’re joking, but there is a lot of truth to it. You laugh, but his expression changes as if he is really contemplating your words.

He places a tender kiss on the inside of your wrist. “I’m not capable of love, darling. But if I was…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, instead he lines himself up at your entrance, pushing into you slowly. You release the breath you didn’t know you were holding. He rocks into you with slow, deep thrusts. You buck against him, needing more.

“My needy girl, perhaps you would like this better.” You gasp as he suddenly flips you. His back is now the one against the mattress. You grind down on his lap. You decide to try something different, swaying forward and back. Loki watched intently.

“Sorry. This probably isn’t doing anything for you, is it?” You pause your movements waiting for his answer. “This is everything. I want you to take your pleasure from me.” He grips your hips, rocking you back and forth on his hard cock. The angle hits your g-spot, causing you to cry out his name. You grip his shoulders for support. He continues controlling your movements until you shatter once more.

Loki finds his place on top of you claiming you again. He handles you like you’re the most delicate, precious thing in the world to him. Like he’s afraid you will break with one wrong move. He slips his hand between you, his finger tracing your clit. He sinks into you deeper burying his face against your neck.

You claw at his back, moaning his name with each tilt of his hips. “Can you come for me once more, love?” You sigh. You’re so exhausted. You think another orgasm might kill you. “I don’t think I can, Loki.” His fingers move faster, in time with his thrusts. “Just one more. Will you try for me?” You confirm that you will. His next movement deliciously brushes your walls, hitting your sweet spot again.

You gasp his name with such longing, it makes his heart soar. You come apart at the same time losing yourselves in each other. He presses gentle kisses to your neck, caressing your cheeks with his thumbs. “That’s it, such a good girl for me.” Once you’ve both come down from your high, he takes his place beside you. You’re smiling so widely you’re sure you resemble a creepy clown.

He smiles back taking in your appearance. Your disheveled hair, the flush of your cheeks. He was sure you’d never been more beautiful. It was like Valhalla having you for the first time. It had never been like this. Then he realized what he feared most was true. Fiona was wrong. He would never get over this. He would never be able to get you out of his system.

You notice his smile falters. You interpret it as him wanting you to leave now that you were done. Even though it couldn’t be further from the truth. “So is this the part where you kick me out and tell me it was all a huge mistake? That you regret it and we can never talk about it again?”

Loki takes your hand in his, entwining your fingers. “I’ve made plenty mistakes in my life, but this is not one. I swear it. I could never regret this, regret you.” He looks at you with such vulnerability. You’d never seen him like this before.

You know he doesn’t actually mean it. He is the god of lies after all. It’s probably something he says to everyone he sleeps with, but it’s too late. His sweet words take root in the depths of your heart, even though they shouldn’t.

He wraps his arms around you, snuggling in to you. You close your eyes, enjoying being this close to him. If this is all you’ll ever have with him, you want it to last.

Loki knows he should let you go. He should leave you and go sleep on his couch, or throw you out like you had suggested. But that only makes him hold you tighter.

Part Six

Tags ( if you wanna be added let me know)

@lokisgoodgirl @fictive-sl0th @lokidbadguy @ozymdias @cindylynn @potter-puff007 @cakesandtom @eleniblue @muddyorbsblr @marygoddessofmischief @coldnique @mochie85 @goblingirlsarah @lokisninerealms @wheredafandomat @peaches1958 @freegardenbanananeck @chantsdemarins @lokidokieokie @anukulee @sheris532 @lokixryss @multifandom-worlds @javagirl328 @assemblingavenger @lilibet261 @lemonadygirl @joyofbebbanburg @bellajg21 @ladymischief11 @kats72 @evelyn-rathmore @innebulae @alexakeyloveloki @princess-ofthe-pages @xorpsbane @itssomeonereading @mrs-bucky-barnes-73 @navs-bhat @fire-in-her-veinz @crimson25 @darkserenity24 @mischief2sarawr @nikkig496-blog

#loki x reader #loki laufeyson #loki #loki smut #loki x yn #loki x reader smut #loki x yn smut #loki x y/n #loki fanfic #loki x you #mcu loki #loki au #loki marvel #loki odinson #loki friggason #loki fanfction #loki god of mischief #loki imagine #loki laufesyon x reader #loki mcu #loki odison x reader #loki reader insert #loki tom hiddleston #loki x female reader smut #out of my system

[starvity]

hi! i love your writing, im so shocked to find someone with the same ults as me ^ i was hoping you could maybe write a protective gunwook scenario? the idea of him always thinking he needs to protect you from others (even when he is a little scared himself,) is rlly heart wrenching.

like !;!!,!,! imagine him pulling you behind him slightly with a serious voice but you can feel him shaking a bit. 🥹 hes too precious rlly we dont deserve him.

— ☆ follow your steps

gn!reader x zb1 gunwook

genre: angst, student!au, fluff?, gunwook and you as the popular class presidents // warnings: bullying, blood, violence, jealousy

author’s note: i was originally going for a happy ending because angst makes me feel so bad but no i like to make us (yes, myself included...) suffer today :D (you'll be fine) also omg ult twins!!!! you’ve got insane taste btw hehe <3 (★ω★)/ [requested♡]

gunwook and you were two of the most popular students in the entire school. you two being the two class presidents, you can often be seen together to work on projects or just share ideas on future plans to improve your lifestyle. it had started with a pure academic motive. meeting up after classes at the library to talk about the recent complains from the students and how you could find a solution to those. after a few weeks though, you found it less and less of a burden to stay late at school and, if you dare to say, you were excited to do your duty as a model student simply and solely to spend some time with gunwook.

and the other students were quick to catch up that maybe you two had become much closer than expected and let's say people were not very happy about it. you were aware of how popular you were just by counting how many love letters would be squished in your locker on valentine's day and how many students would wait for gunwook to clean the classroom until sometimes 5 or 6 to hand them a cheap snack and hearing a few words from him, a simple hello and thank you. and you hated how that popularity made all your relationships feel fake and forced. but when you were with gunwook, everything felt so light and casual. for the very first time, you felt like you didn't need to keep a facade and felt like you could finally be yourself.

gunwook was already waiting for you at the quiet and empty library as he had finished his classes earlier than you. he took the chance to grab a drink for both of you, thinking that it could maybe cheer you up after this long day. gunwook noticed that you still hadn't arrived after 20 minutes and assumed that you were probably talking to your teacher or helping your friends with their assignments like you usually do. therefore, he starts working, his glasses resting on the tip of his nose, almost sliding off. his chin was placed on the palm of his hand, his index occasionally taping his upper lip and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. almost 45 minutes since your class ended and you still were nowhere to be seen. the boy starts to get worried and he goes looking for you, considering that a walk around the school would also empty his mind a bit.

"i already told you we are just friends, nothing else" you state firmly, glaring at the group of students circling you. the girl in front of you, who seemed to be the "leader" of the crowd steps on your foot, lasers shooting through her eyes. you wince in pain but keep your composure and replies calmly "have you maybe considered that your terrible attitude might be the reason gunwook doesn't want to have anything to do with you, with all of you guys? he wouldn't even befriend and even less date any of you guys." you suddenly feel a boy grab your hair from your right while another person twists your arm from your left. despite the pain you keep your head up, smirking at her while some blood from the punches received earlier was staining your lips "and what if we were more than that?" her eyes turn dark and you know you're about to receive either a slap or a punch, or worse, in the next 5 seconds.

but those 5 seconds were enough for gunwook to find you and quickly stand between you two. he takes a glance at you from over his shoulder and his heart aches seeing the state they left you in. he orders them to leave you alone with a shaky voice but the only response is a couple of chuckles. all of a sudden, the crowd takes a few steps ahead, slowly closing the gap between you. gunwook takes your hand in his, he was trembling and he could barely murmur a sorry with the tears building in his eyes. and the boy had never felt so much shame and disappointment in himself before this moment when he understood that he won't be able to protect you this time.

#starvity.text #zerobaseone #zb1 #zerobaseone imagines #zerobaseone fluff #zerobaseone angst #zerobaseone scenarios #zerobaseone drabbles #zb1 x reader #zb1 park gunwook #gunwook x reader #zb1 imagines #zb1 fluff #zb1 angst #zb1 scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #kpop fluff #kpop angst

[billskeis]

Could you do something with bill and teen daughter reader? Nothing weird obviously just cute fluff you can do anything it’s just an idea I had. Maybe uncle tom tags along or something. If not that’s okay fanks luv 😘

ᡣ𐭩 bill w a teen daughter

headcannons down below!

now you may not be his biological kid, but that doesn’t mean the kaulitz twins will love you any less. if anything, they, especially your dad, bill, adore you so fucking much.

he would kill for you.

loves and i mean loves when you ask him to go shopping, that man will spoil you!! encourages you to buy matching outfits which you will feel a little embarrassed about, leading him to mope and pout. you eventually give in and he gets so excited again omg don’t ever say no to him.

when he finds you looking at his clothes back from when he was a teenager, he’ll cringe. he doesn’t like the style on him anymore, but on you?? oh babe, he’s ALLL for it!!

and it’s always a fashion show with him, he will always tell you “i wore it better,” and flip his hair, but will always affirm you after that you in fact wore it better.

whenever it’s your birthday, him and uncle tom will always make it a competition to see who can go all out in buying you presents, “she’ll like mine more,” “uh, i think the fuck not tom.”

sometimes will ask you to choose the next acrylic or nail design for him. essentially it is crucial and one of the bonding moments you two enjoy together because there is a shared passion and love for fashion, nails, and anything trending. whenever he posts his nails on instagram he will ALWAYS give credits to you for choosing the design.

be ready for random popups to your room to ask “does this outfit make me look good?”

sometimes there’s rehearsal with the band where you also get to see uncle georg and gustav. secretly while bill isn’t in the room, will tell you embarrassing stories about bill as a teenager like how he made out with his friend’s boyfriend or got super drunk he did a dumb dare, or even just the suuper vulgar and obscene things he did.

“dad, i heard you—” “WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TELL MY BABY!?!” as he covers your ears, georg and gustav giggling including you as he frantically questions the band members.

sometimes you’ll also practice with the band, you love to sing, so you find yourself going out to karaoke with bill, the night is always young when its just you and your dad.

but you find yourself geared towards the guitar more, and this is where you and tom immediately clicked upon first meeting. he loves how interested and passionate you are when it comes to the guitar and even gave you one of his own when he was a teenager!

spa. days. manicures. pedicures. massages. self-cafe all day everyday baby!!! these are also super essential when you’re feeling down and under the weather. bill just wants to make sure no matter what the circumstances, it’s always good to take a break and take care of yourself.

both bill and tom knew what to do when you got your period. although it made you extremely anxious, dad bill and uncle tom were here to the rescue! bill would tell tom to grab the essentials while bill comforted you, explaining how this is normal for a girl to go through this when becoming a woman.

tom comes back with the hygienic female products, but most importantly, ice cream, blankets, chips and chocolate, heating pads, and already has one of your favourite movies playing for you guys in the living room.

the three of you enjoy the solace in such events of life that are seemed to be bad. this becomes a monthly thing for you guys even when you’re not on it.

btw you guys all have matching pyjamas on these nights bc bill said so.

bill loves to bake and when you ask him if he wants help, you already know what the answer is. “okay hun, so this is what you wanna do…” “like this?” “exactly, WAIT TOO MUCH FLOUR—“

halloween. don’t even get bill started because when you guys participate in heidi’s halloween party he goes all out AND I MEAN ALL OUT!! you as his daughter are expected to as well of course. “dad, i look ridiculous..” “nonsense baby! we look smokin’ hot.” bill is sexy ariel while you’re flounder. “okay, I LOOK HOT!”

he’s sassy. and i mean super sassy.

will have to sass you and set you straight to right your wrongs, but is also super understanding and will hear you out before anything.

when you confess to bill about having a significant other, he visibly gasps, and fake faints. oh my god he’s done this for like the fifth time already. tom also pretends to stumble upon air after hearing this news. they would then begin to ramble about the birds and the bees and how you should always make sure to either stay protected or be abstinent.

eventually would ask really personal questions about them and you and how your relationship is.

somebody tell them to stfu because now they won’t stop teasing you and it gets even worse when you try to invite your s/o over. “sooo this is my ro—GET OUT OF THE HALLWAY!!” “shit! bill! i think she sees us!” “no kidding fuckface she’s yelling right at us! abort abort!”

anyways, you love them and they love you more.

#tokio hotel #tokio hotel fluff #bill kaulitz #bill kaulitz x reader #bill kaulitz x you #bill kaulitz fluff #tom kaulitz #tom kaulitz x reader #tom kaulitz fluff #fyp #2000s

[spaceyaceface]

Hello! Rumor is you want some Ominis ideas lol

Idk if this is any good, but I've had this idea where after Sebastian killed Solomon, Anne moved to London in with the reader. The reader hears all about the trios adventures together before Anne was cursed and loves hearing about it. When Anne is ready to reconnect with Sebastian, the reader goes with her and chemistry begins to boil there maybe as Sebastian and Anne want privacy to talk, and the reader hounds Ominis for more stories.

Just an idea, you're free to do what you want with it lol

I'd love to see a fem!reader tho 😊

Hope you have a great day!

Oh this is very good!! I loved this idea, hopefully this turned out at least a bit like how you pictured it! I really wish we had gotten to see Anne, Sebastian, and Ominis interact in the game---it would have been so much fun!

Warnings: none, pure fluff

Word Count: 1.6k

As Anne paced the floor of their London flat, Y/N was reminded how similar she and her twin truly were. She had seen Sebastian pace in the Undercroft many times during her fifth year--now, as the summer before her sixth year drew to a close, she could hardly count the amount of times Anne had done the same.

"Anne, you're going to wear yourself out before they even arrive," Y/N said imploringly. "Come on, sit down."

The brunette sighed, but continued pacing. "I can't help it. Am I sure I'm ready for this?"

"Will you ever be?"

Anne chuckled. "Probably not. I... I have missed them, rather terribly."

Y/N gave a small smile. She had missed her friends, too. Perhaps one especially... but she would see him soon enough. Anne had told her countless tales of their old adventures from before she had been cursed. It had seemed to comfort her to reminisce on the good times---and Y/N, by her part, was absolutely enthralled in the stories she shared.

It was through these stories she learned that Anne had a real knack for picking pockets---"Never to steal or keep anything for my own," Anne had been quick to clarify. "Just to mess with people." And mess with people she had---hiding wands and pocket watches to drive others mad, while she and her companions watched on in amusement. The targets always deserved it, she assured Y/N. Common ones included Leander or Imelda; they'd even managed to hide her broom once, levitating it high above the Quidditch pitch so she had to use one of the rickety school brooms to retrieve it. She'd complained the whole way up and down, threatening every person she saw that if they had any idea who had messed with her broom, they'd better tell her or they'd get a wand up their arse. Somehow, they'd never been found out.

Sebastian, as she had more or less expected, had always pushed the limits. He'd been familiar with the restricted section since his first year, determined to learn every outlawed hex he could get his hands on. When occasion called for it, he'd use them, mostly on older Slytherin students who got on his nerves. He'd usually get away with it, too; that was the power of having an ally like Ominis on their side.

And Ominis---well, Y/N would be lying if she didn't admit that it was any tale involving him that intrigued her the most. Compared to Sebastian, her friendship with the Gaunt boy was slower coming. Because of this, she savored every opportunity to get to know him better, even if just through stories. The image of him slyly breaking rules made her all the more curious about him---of course she knew he was a trouble maker; he just seemed to do it in a sort of style neither Anne nor Sebastian could achieve. Apparently he had a way with nonverbal spells the others hadn't yet ben able to master. With his blindness, he was the image of innocence, able to cast spells left and right without anyone suspecting him. It had led to plenty of lovely stories that Y/N could only dream to witness.

There was one other fact about the boy that she couldn't wait to question him about.

The thought that he would be there soon sent a flutter through her stomach. If she was honest with herself--which she tended to avoid when it came to this topic--she was a bit more fond of Ominis than she probably should have been. There was something different about him, something she didn't feel when Sebastian was around. It frightened her, but excited her all the same. The more she thought about his beautiful eyes, his well-kept hair, his lovely lips---well, maybe she should join Anne in her anxious pacing.

She didn't get the chance. There was a knock on the door, causing Anne to freeze on the spot. Y/N stood from her seat at the kitchen table, moving to answer it. When she opened it, there they stood---Sebastian and Ominis. They were clearly nervous. Sebastian's jaw was clenched hard, and his eyes darted around the room behind her.

Y/N smiled at them, trying to calm them. She opened the door wider, then reached forward to take Sebastian into a hug. "It's so good to see you," she said. The letters she had sent to both the boys had been brief and far in between. She could hardly believe they were here standing before her now. Sebastian returned the hug. She could feel him relax a bit at the warm welcome. Y/N pulled away, then turned to Ominis.

She had to hug him now, didn't she? Not that she didn't want to---quite the opposite, in fact---but they had never---

She forced herself not to think of it and pulled him into a hug. He was stiff for a moment before returning the gesture. He was warm and smelled of fancy soap.

When they pulled away from each other, she found herself missing the contact. But she had other matters to attend. She ushered them both in, closing the door. Sebastian and Anne stared at each other, each unsure of what to do. Then, in a synchronized movement only twins could have, they moved forward to embrace one another. Y/N smiled---that was a good start.

The group shared pleasantries for a moment, but it was clear that the siblings needed to discuss things on their own. Anne lead Sebastian to her bedroom, shooting Y/N a nervous glance. She gave her a reassuring smile in return.

This left Y/N and Ominis alone. Ominis took in a deep breath beside her. "I suppose all we can do now is wait," he said.

"I'm just going to assume it's going well until I hear explosions," Y/N said. Ominis chuckled.

"Sounds fair enough."

She took them over to the kitchen table, both of them taking a seat.

"How's your summer been?" Y/N asked.

"Admittedly, not wonderful," he said. "Sebastian's been... in a bit of state, as I'm sure you can imagine."

Y/N pressed her lips together. "I can. I got as much from his letters. He's lucky to have had you by his side to get through it. Any more mentions of Dark Magic?"

"Thankfully, no. He seems thoroughly dissuaded from that path, having had time to process the results." Y/N was glad to hear it---she had worried about her friend. Ominis continued. "What about you? How has your summer been with Anne?"

"Difficult, at times," she said. "Obviously, she's been grieving, not only her Uncle but Sebastian as well... it's only been recently she's decided that he can't be completely lost." She smiled a bit. "However, I have had my fun in hearing her stories about you three before her curse."

Ominis chuckled. "I hope you don't think any less of us."

"As if I didn't do worse my first year there," Y/N said, grinning. "I actually found most of them very fun--I wish I could have been there. How come you never told me you were so good at nonverbal spells?"

Ominis shrugged. "You never asked."

"Well, you're going to have to teach me," she said. "Oh! And there was one more thing Anne mentioned I wanted to ask you about."

He smiled, intrigued. "And what would that be?"

"Is your puffskein impression as good as she says it is?"

Ominis's face flushed bright red. The reaction made her laugh---it also made her heart beat faster. His cheeks looked rather pretty dusted that shade of pink.

"You---she told you that?" he spluttered, obviously mortified.

"She did, with the utmost respect, too. Said you've probably shortened Duncan Hobhouse's lifespan by a few years from all the frights you gave him," she said through her laughter. "Of all your exploits, that is what I longed to see the most."

"In fairness, Duncan is absolutley dreadful. And a coward," Ominis said.

"So you're confirming it, then? You purr just like a puffskein?"

"I--" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "I suppose I am. But only to torture that good for nothing cowardly prick."

She grinned. "Whatever excuse helps you keep your dignity."

"You know, I didn't come here to find out Anne had given you material to blackmail me."

"I won't use it to blackmail you," she said. "Just to rile you up a bit. You look cute when you're flustered."

Her mouth closed quickly as Ominis lifted his head, smirk appearing on his face.

"Oh, do I?" he said, tone teasing. His face was still flushed, making it even harder for her to come up with a proper response.

"You---um... I---"

"I'll have you know, you sound rather cute when you're flustered," he said quietly, leaning a bit closer to her.

She couldn't have guessed what would have happened next, though she very much would have wanted to know. Unfortunately, the door to Anne's bedroom opened, and Ominis sat straight up in his chair. She couldn't imagine the pair of them looked like anything less than a couple of kids caught doing something they weren't supposed to do. That thought was confirmed when Sebastian narrowed his eyes, looking at them both.

"Are you both alright? You seem a bit flustered," Sebastian said. Ominis let out a small laugh while Y/N buried her face in her hands beside him.

#ominis gaunt x reader #ominis gaunt #ominis gaunt imagine #ominis x reader #ominis x mc #ominis gaunt x mc #hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy fanfic

[jakeyt]

Covet: Chapter 3

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x f!Reader

Covet Summary:

Life was good. No, life was great. 

Was. 

Until.

Jake Kiszka crashed into the picture.

You welcomed him into your life—your home. 

Yes, he was your best friend’s twin. But, he was also the one who would end up disrupting your whole world with his attitude, his troubles, and the annoyingly natural way he lured you in. 

Jake Kiszka came with so much you really didn’t want.

At least that’s what you tried to convince yourself.

Warnings: minors DNI (18+ ONLY); masturbation (f!receiving); vivid descriptions of sexual situations; tension; mentions of past toxic relationship/cheating; consumption of alcohol; anxiety; Jake being an asshole; veryyy stubborn reader (lemme know if I missed any!)

Chapter Word Count: 10.6k

a/n: hi sweet readers & friends! get ready for a little bit of spice in this chapter. hopefully it meets your standards. if not, there will be so much more to come. . . just you wait! lol

this chapter was supposed to include a few more scenes, but i'm saving them for next chapter. i just liked the idea of leaving off with this one where i did. ;)

also, if you care at all what the guys look like in my mind as i'm currently writing, here you go (sammy & danny are included under the chapter 3 section). :)

Chapter 3

You had to work the day after your talk with Jake. 

It was a Josh-less shift, so naturally, it went by much slower than a shift where Josh’s musings would fill the air. 

Normally, you’d enjoy the stillness of the store. A sweet summer morning filled with mindless thoughts and music. 

Though today, your brain spun with thoughts of your roommate. Were they mindless thoughts? Yes. Obviously. They came out of seemingly nowhere. . .save for the little dream that had completely interrupted your sleep the night before. 

But these mindless thoughts weren’t the normal thoughts you’d get that would bring a sense of calm. No, these brain loops were extremely unwelcome. 

The first thing you did was print out all of the things you’d promised Jake you would on the store’s copier. You were hoping once that was out of your hair, maybe your mind wouldn’t stay on him. You’d thought that maybe the thoughts were just serving as a subconscious reminder to get that done.

-🌼🌼🌼-

But completing the task didn’t work like you wanted it to. Because around noon, Jake was still at the front of your mind. 

Fuck. Why?! It was completely aggravating.

You didn’t really know what made him stick in your mind for the majority of your shift, but all you could seem to think of was his smooth, tanned skin, kissed by the summer sun. His long hair that swayed so smoothly with every motion. His big, amber-brown eyes that dug so much deeper than you wished they did. 

For some reason, after that talk, you had etched Jake’s mannerisms into your mind. You replayed the conversation more times than you’d ever care to admit. 

And you were now noticing that maybe talking with him wasn’t great for you mentally. 

You’d noticed that, apparently, Jake Kiszka had a special way of making his own little ridiculous home in multiple crevices of your poor brain. 

Why did he have that power? 

All it did was piss. you. off. 

Anytime his face appeared behind your eyes, you would suddenly get so angry. 

He did not deserve any place in the thoughts that came during your quiet times. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

When your shift finally ended at 3:00, Tara and Lacey (the only other people who worked at the B&G with you and Josh), walked in with joyful greetings. You gave them a quick smile as you grabbed your purse and the things you’d printed. 

As soon as you stepped out onto the busy sidewalk of the city, and the summer sun hit your face, you sighed with relief. On this day, you were beyond ready to get away from the stillness of the record store. You let the normality of busy NYC breathe a sense of calmness into you. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

When you got home, Jake was in the shower and you hated how quickly you felt your cheeks flush at the thought. 

You realized that maybe you just needed a good nap before game night ensued, so you went to your room intending to do just that. Stevie noticed where you were going, and softly padded after you. Probably eager for her own little nap.

You hadn’t had time to make your bed that morning, so you sat on your ruffled sheets and sent Josh a text asking when he’d be there and what they wanted for dinner. Josh loved cooking with you. 

Stevie came up to you as you texted, putting her head into your free hand. You petted her as she purred, and finished your text. 

You were excited to distract yourself by being with your best friend. You were also dying to see Sammy and Danny. It had been way too long since the last time you had hung out with the three men. It was a soul refreshing experience every time you came together. 

And now Jake was suddenly getting added to the mix. . . 

You grit your teeth at the thought. Suddenly irritable over that particular fact. 

It made you less than happy to make him a part of the group, to say the least. 

Josh had just pinged a couple texts back saying they’d be there around 7 with booze in hand and ingredients for stir fry, when there was a light knock on your door. 

You couldn’t hold back the eye roll. What could he want?

You opened the door in a brisk manner. 

Of course, Jake stood waiting on the other side. 

Half-naked Jake.

A towel was tied around his waist snugly. And, your eyes betrayed you. It was as though you had no self control, you let your eyes travel from his shower-drenched locks to his firm chest. Your eyes followed a single droplet of water that dripped from his hair. It traveled down his taut nipple, to his toned abdomen and finally into the fluffy fabric of the towel settled at his lower region. 

You gulped.

“Um,” his voice shook you from your actions and you looked up into his eyes. Your cheeks heated at being caught. “I was just in the shower, and I thought maybe it would be a good idea to figure out how we wanna split utilities?” He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “It honestly just came to me while I was in there.”

You blinked a couple times. His thoughtfulness caught you off guard. 

“I–yeah, that’s fine with me,” you nodded, looking back to see Stevie already curled up on the bed waiting for a snooze. “How about we talk about it later, hm? I was kind of wanting to take a nap.” 

“Oh, yeah–of course, um,” he took a step back, gesturing for you to shut your door. “Sweet dreams.” 

Sweet dreams. How ironic when all he’d done was haunt yours the night before.

You shut your door with much more force than expected. You just couldn’t help it. Your roommate brought out an impulsive behavior in you that you weren’t the biggest fan of. Why did you have to ogle him? Why couldn’t you just address him normally? Why did he have to—? Ugh.

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding and flopped down onto your bed. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

You awoke from a (thankfully) dreamless sleep to the sound of John Lennon’s voice. Your “Dear Prudence” alarm tone, a faithful friend to bring you back.

You were feeling ready to face a night with your friends–and Jake. You assured yourself of this as you brushed through your hair a couple of times in the dresser mirror. The fact that his face or body hadn’t met you in your dreams was what you needed to feel confident and ready for this night.

Last night’s dream was a total fluke. Surely it had only happened because his interaction with you had jostled your irritation and nerves . . . your subconscious mind had been unstable because of it.

All you’d needed was some good rest to reset.

-🌼🌼🌼-

You weren’t disappointed at all that you didn’t see Jake until Josh’s voice quite literally reverberated throughout the entire apartment. It was a normal way for him to enter a room and announce his presence.

The curly-headed twin came in with a flourish of his arms and hands, standing in place with purpose. He was gesturing wildly with his hands, operatically singing what you knew to be an Aretha Franklin song, at the top of his lungs. 

You felt for your neighbors, but you couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear at your friend. 

But when Josh saw Stevie, he got distracted and loudly sang her name. He knelt down to start petting at her right away. He talked to her with so much enthusiasm, and you watched her eat it up. Her tail curled in glee.

You absolutely beamed when Sammy ran up to you, wrapping his arms around you tightly in a bear hug. He swayed you slightly from side to side, and your feet lifted a bit off the ground at the gesture. 

When he set you back down on the ground, he pushed his hair back from his face with both hands. His smile was wide across his face, instantly lighting up the room around you all. 

“Y/N,” he cocked his hip and spoke with little waves of his hands. “First of all, I missed you. So much.”

“Not more than me!” And you felt Danny’s arms wrap around you from behind, bringing your feet several inches off the ground. You felt him squeeze you once, and then he balanced you on your feet. His hands gripped at your shoulders slightly. He came around to stand next to Sammy, in front of you. “How’ve you been, Y/N?!”

Josh circled around, laying a lazy arm over your shoulders. You felt every bit of the usual contentment the three men brought with being around them. You felt your heart swell in your chest. 

“If you’ll excuse us, I’ve missed her most,” Josh turned you both around, walking with purpose to the kitchen. He gave you the big bear hug you were sure he knew you needed. When you pulled apart, his hand patted a case of your favorite alcohol. 

You gasped ridiculously. “Angry Orchard,” you placed a hand to your chest. “Joshua, you shouldn’t have.” 

You heard the other boys talking with Jake in the living room and suddenly, the sound of a crackling vinyl sparked to life. You listened briefly, wanting to get a clue at what Jake had picked to play. You gave an approving face, nodding to the melody. 

Cream. Wheels of Fire. You knew it well. After all, Clapton was a favorite in your own family. 

Josh sighed. He had a smirk on his lips. “Cream. Figures,” then he paused, giving you an inquisitive look. “You’re letting him play his vinyl on your player? You’re awfully protective when it comes to that thing.”

You felt your stomach do a little loop. Your sentimental attachment to the record player hadn’t ever entered your mind at offering for Jake to use it. It was one of the only pieces you had of the parents who’d left you. But when you’d come up with the idea, all you had cared about was getting to know your roommate. 

You’d been desperate, okay? That’s the only reason you hadn’t thought of it all the way through. 

“It’s just a way to get to know each other,” you explained. “A last ditch effort that I knew he couldn’t refuse.”

Josh’s eyes held a glint of mischief. You didn’t even entertain whatever he was thinking. You just went about getting out the Zip-loced ingredients Josh had brought in his little tote. You knew Sam well enough to know he’d taken it upon himself to cut the veggies and cube his tofu for you. All that wasn’t prepared yet was the raw, packaged chicken. 

You grinned to yourself. 

“Sam wouldn’t touch the chicken,” Josh noted, getting the necessary pans down. “Got everything else diced up, though. Even the sponge.”

You laughed outright at that. “The tofu?” You looked at your friend from the corner of your eye. 

His brown orbs flicked to you. “Sponge.”

You laughed again, spreading some olive oil in the pan Josh had put on the burner to heat up. You went about getting out the necessary sauces and minced garlic from the fridge. And as you did, you heard a husky, unfamiliar laugh within Danny and Sam’s own guffawing. Your stomach held a few butterflies at the sound.

Could it be? You shook your head. It didn’t matter.

Josh was searing the vegetables and tofu with a bamboo spoon when you walked back with the additional supplies. You grabbed the cutting board from behind the faucet, and got out a paring knife to start chunking up the chicken. 

“I love being able to hear him laugh again,” Josh commented absentmindedly. You could hear tears in the back of his throat. “It’s quite literally music to my ears.”

“I’m glad for you, Josh.”  

Your friend cleared his throat, and you caught his eye as he glanced over at you. “How’s he been?” 

You thought for a second, deciding to keep it brief (obviously ignoring how you hadn’t been able to get Jake out of your head all day), “It’s been alright.”

He hummed, “Just alright?”

“Yeah.” 

“Okay,” you thought he was done. He didn’t speak for a few minutes until, “How did he respond to the rules and such? Did you go through with that?”

You really didn’t want to taint your time with Josh by talking about Jake. You decided to give a short response to give Josh a hint, “Last night. Went well enough,” you continued. “He obviously checked the things I printed off. Tonight’s his record player night, and he’s playing his vinyl on it.”

“His record player night?”

“Yes. He gets a night, I get a night, and so on,” your tone was slightly snippy. You just didn’t want to waste time on the topic. “It’s to help us get to know the other through our music taste.”

He patted a hand on your shoulder, “How did you possibly think of a way to get Jacob to open up so well, Y/N?”

You scoffed. “Desperate times, Josh. I told you that. Besides, it’s what I always use to bond with people. It was a shot in the dark. Wasn’t specifically for him. It was so I could actually get to know him in some sort of way. It was for me, not him.”

He gave a small hum and turned back to continue cooking. Thank God. You didn’t want to talk about Jake.

You both went about your business for a little. After you’d set the chicken in another oil-greased pan, it sizzled, so you turned down the heat. Then, a thought came to your mind.

“You know, I think I’ve finally decided on the house plant I want.”

The two of you had ventured into a shared curiosity of house plants for the last year. 

And you had spent about that long trying to decide on plants for your homes. 

It was a difficult decision, because certain plants brought their own energy. And trying to narrow down the house plant that would start the collection and bring your specific desired energies into your living spaces? It had turned out to be a harder task than you’d both anticipated. You both struggled to stay on one thought for long enough to actually see it through, and you were both the type to not act on something until it felt totally ‘right.’

“Oh?” You’d piqued his interest. He nudged around at the vegetables and tofu in his pan a bit, then turned the heat down to face you. He raised a brow, crossing his arms at his chest. “Do tell.”

“French Lavender,” you started. He motioned a hand for you to keep going, looking down, his eyebrows completely knitted in thought. “It just smells so good, it’s a beautiful color. It will survive in any indoor climate. How cool is that? And it has the highest vibrational frequency of any plant that’s known to bring good fortune. All of these things and more make it a sure sign of good to come, you know?”

By the end of your rambling, he was staring intently at you, “You are truly the best kind of human, Y/N.”

And, of course, his voice interrupted your pleasant moment with your friend.

“We’re trying to decide on games, Josh.”

Jake. How long had he been standing in the doorway without you two noticing? Jerk. Eavesdropper.

“I’m helping Y/N with the stirfry, Jacob,” he turned back to his post, shuffling the veggies. He noticed at the same time as you that they were officially done. So, he really wasn’t helping you anymore. Which freed him up to–, “It’s actually done, so I’m going to help them find something fun to play. That okay?”

You were proud of how you schooled your expression. You gave a (fake) little grin. “Yeah, that’s perfect,” you poked at the chicken, turning a few pieces to see it browning well. “The chicken is almost done.”

Josh gave you a quick smile before following after his brother into the living room. 

You sneered over the chicken you cooked, displeased with how Jake was now stealing away your time with Josh. 

Was he just incapable of allowing you one moment of peace?

-🌼🌼🌼-

It had been about an hour since you’d all sat around the dinner table with stir fry. It had been accompanied by hilarious stories of Sammy’s recent (failed) Tinder match dates, and Danny commentating, totally ashamed of his friend’s ‘love life’. He and Sam had the perfect dynamic for friendship. One being the insane risk-taker. And the other, the completely rational mind in every situation.

Now, you all sat around your coffee table. You sat on the couch, flanked by Sam and Josh. Danny and Jake had brought a couple of your dining room chairs up, so they could be involved. 

Josh had decided on a favorite of his: You Laugh, You Drink. And you were spinning an empty Angry Orchard bottle for any card that made you interact with someone else. 

Thankfully, neither you nor Jake had gotten a  card that required a partner yet. You were very tipsy. You’d cracked and laughed way too many times during the game to still be sober. 

You weren’t sure how this inebriated version of you would react to Jake having to yell at your crotch, if you were being completely honest. 

Josh and Danny had already played that card anyway.

Admittedly, under the influence of alcohol, you caught yourself casting a few too many looks in Jake’s direction. But you couldn’t help yourself. You were a warm-blooded woman who was attracted to men.

And he was a damn good looking man. You knew addressing this fact under the influence was an “ok” thing to do. You were drunk. You had alcohol in your system, so you weren’t thinking clearly.

But you had to admit, even sober-you knew he was sexy as hell.

In this state, you noticed that everything he did was enamoring. The way he’d brush a hand through the front of his hair, making it wave perfectly at the top of his head. The way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he laughed. Why was the sight so alluring to you? 

But the best part of his face? His smile. You had noticed tonight that he had perfectly straight and perfectly white teeth that you hadn’t really been able to observe until this point. His smile was absolutely beautiful. It lit up his entire face. The bigger he smiled, the more the apples in his cheeks swelled. You wished that you saw your roommate more. It was pure serotonin when his face was all joyful and shit. 

And you’d never say it out loud, but being around him made you feel (strangely) giddy. Like, school-girl-has-a-crush giddy. 

Maybe Josh had been onto something when he’d suggested the idea of you being able to see what Jake was like around others. Jake was a captivating individual, to say the least. 

You took another swig of your cider. 

When you put your head back down, it was your turn. 

And when you looked to see where Jake was, you noticed he was up at the record player. He was switching Wheels of Fire back to Side A. The entire double LP had officially played through once. And instead of putting a new record on, he just replayed the same one. You assumed the record was a favorite. 

“You like Wheels of Fire a lot, huh?” you inquired in his direction.

He didn’t look at you as he placed the needle back on Side A, “It’s one of the best; a classic.”

“Yes, he’s always liked that one,” Josh agreed. “Has a few of his favorites on it.”

Jake actually respected his brother enough to look at Josh when he responded to him, “Nothing like hearing the live version of Crossroads on vinyl.”

“Clapton fan?” You implored. 

He rolled his eyes and gave you a look with raised brows that said ‘really?’. 

It irked you. Considering you were only trying to make polite conversation. Why was he so impossible?

“It’s Cream – not specifically Clapton,” he corrected impatiently. “You literally just said it was Wheels of Fire. You know it’s not just him, right? There were two other extremely valuable members. Ginger Baker? Jack Bruce? Ever heard of ‘em?”

His questioning tone wasn’t a kind one. You could tell he was mocking your musical knowledge; all it did was piss you the fuck off. 

You were about to retort when Sam chimed in, “Jake is the biggest Clapton fan on this beautiful green Earth,” he looked over to Jake, who you noticed was still staring at you, obviously annoyed by you. Ass. “Don’t let him fool you, Y/N.”

You stared back at Jake until your face was completely heated. Your skin was crawling. “Why do you have to make it a fucking argument? I’m just being nice.”

He scoffed. He walked back to his seat next to Daniel, and sat down with his elbows resting on his thighs, challenging you. “I wasn’t arguing. I was educating you.”

“I don’t need to be educated by you.”

“It seems like you do,” he pressed further. “I wouldn’t be surprised if all you’d known about Cream until tonight was that Eric Clapton was in the band. Basic knowledge.”

“Jake. . .,” Danny started. 

“She knows more than you think, brother,” Josh intervened. “Might even challenge you a bit, honestly.”

Jake scoffed. “Oh, I fuckin’ bet,” he rolled his eyes again with the words.

There were a few moments of tight air between you and your roommate. Even with the others’ responses, he continued staring only at you. Probably continuing to assume what he wanted about you. You were tired of it, but you couldn’t pull your eyes from him. His eyes were like magnets for your own. 

And you needed to win the staring contest that was apparently happening now. You wouldn’t give in.

“Let’s move on,” Josh’s voice cut through. You couldn’t help it when you looked over to him. Your heart was racing and all you wanted was to feel a sense of peace. And Josh’s intervention made it obvious that he was also eager for peace. “Y/N. . .choose a card,” Josh motioned to the stack of cards as a magician might.

You grabbed a card from the stack. 

Your mind nearly blanked at what it said. 

“The prompt reads. . .,” Josh verbally nudged you to read your card. “Will you laugh when someone in the group. . .” 

You cleared your throat, “Touches parts of the Target’s body while whispering what each body part is.”

Sam chuckled. “This could be hilarious.”

You swallowed deeply. You could only hope that the bottle would choose your ‘someone’ wisely. 

Your hand hesitantly reached towards the bottle, and gave it a decent spin. 

“Who shall your Target be?” Josh said as the bottle spun. 

You kept your eyes trained on Danny and Jake’s knees, both clad in black skinny jeans.

The bottle went a few times around the table. When it started slowing down, your stomach dropped. 

It went a couple ticks more. And then slowly, very slowly. . . It landed on. . . 

Jake. 

Of fucking course.

Your ears filled with white noise. You just stared at the bottle, not wanting to acknowledge the realness of the situation. You thought you heard a single ‘ha!’ and you could have sworn it was Sam. 

“Fuck you, Sam,” Jake corrected, confirming your theory.

You looked up at him and affirmed your fate. 

Jake was already staring directly at you. But his eyes weren’t angry. He was looking at you in a way you couldn’t quite pinpoint at that moment. 

“Anyone laughs, just once. . . I get to stop?” You turned your head in Josh’s direction to ask, while you still held eye contact with the alluring man in front of you. 

“All it takes is one laugh and the next Joker is up,” Josh answered. 

“And I have to touch his body?”

Josh hummed. “Technically, you should only be touching his body, but,” he paused. “Start by touching clothes if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

You decided to bite the bullet. You could start by putting on a little show to get some laughs. Stop it before it even starts.

You rose from your place between Josh and Sam. You even curved your back as you did so, your ass poking out with the motion. You kept your eyes locked with Jake’s. His jaw clenched. He definitely wouldn’t be the one to laugh.

Your legs were slightly shaky, but you felt like your little act covered that up. You walked towards Jake, around the small coffee table. And the closer you got, the more you swayed your hips. You licked your bottom lip the slightest bit. 

Jake’s mouth dropped open, his eyes moved to your hips.

His reaction was surprising, but welcomed. You wanted him to be at your mercy. He needed to be put in his place. Normally you wouldn’t use sex to get your way. . . But you’d had alcohol and it was making decisions.

And you honestly couldn’t help how your body seemed to activate like this for Jake. It felt natural.

But no laughs from anyone yet. Dammit.

As soon as you were in front of him, you sort of froze. You didn’t know what to do next. You let the alcohol make the first move for you. 

“Get up,” you commanded. 

And surprisingly, he did just as you asked. 

You moved a few steps closer to be right in front of him, your chest getting so close to touching his. You kept enough room for your arm to move between the two of you. The space between his pecs, all the way down to the top of his stomach, was uncovered, thanks to the man not knowing how to button a damned shirt. 

You let your hand graze from the shoulder of his shirt, all the way down to the first button that was fastened. Your eyes followed the movement of your hand. You rubbed your thumb over the button, playing with the plastic.

“You always have to show off your chest, huh?” You said softly to him, trying to act annoyed. But in reality, you rather liked that he didn’t button his shirts all the way. You were sure that all women who saw him like this were thankful for it. What a sight. 

Jake only gave a ‘hmph’ in response. 

With the next action, you looked up at him, through your lashes. He was already looking at you. His pupils were completely dilated. You had moved a finger to be on the fabric of the shirt, nudging the button through its loop.

When it came undone, his eyes blinked once in shock, widening a bit. But, the rest of his face stayed stoic. 

Level 2, you thought.

You then slipped one hand in the open area of the shirt, under the flowered material. You placed your hand on the side of Jake’s abdomen. His skin was warm. It made your own skin prickle at the feeling. It was nice. 

You brushed your thumb over the heated skin. It felt so thrilling. You stepped closer to him, still holding eye contact. 

“Stomach,” you whispered to him. 

He closed his eyes for a second, and when they opened back up, they were dark and hooded. Your skin heated under his sultry stare. 

You turned your eyes back to your hand. This time, you smoothed over the skin of his stomach on the way to his right pec, brushing over the hardened nipple on his breast. You flushed at the feeling of it pebbled under your hand. 

You edged your body closer. When you did, you got close enough that your hips almost touched his. Your heart skipped a beat when you felt a little hint of hardness through the fabric of his pants.

It made your body thrum. It urged you on.

You held your hand there and gripped the flesh just slightly. He let out the slightest moan. You just knew the other guys hadn’t heard it, it had been so quiet. But you heard it and the sound went straight to the pit of your stomach.

“Chest,” you whispered, getting awfully close to his ear when you said it, wanting only him to hear the next part. “You have a very nice chest.”

You didn’t know where the courage came from to say the last part, but you felt Jake flex underneath your hand. You felt a twitch between your thighs. 

You decided to creep your hand from his chest to his neck. The smooth, tanned skin of his neck. You skated your nails against his skin. You sighed just a bit, your breath hitting Jake’s skin. You weren’t sure where the sound came from, but after it happened, you watched goosebumps spread over his skin. 

When you made it to his neck, you wrapped a hand securely around the nape. You stroked circles with your thumb over the pulse point that was nearby. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as your thumb worked his neck. 

You brought the other hand up to join and you lightly cradled his neck. Involuntarily, he let his head lay back into your hands, his hair falling against your wrist. The feeling sent a chill over your body. 

“Neck.” 

From their spot, you moved your hands the slightest bit to hold his face in both of your hands. It felt so intimate, you almost forgot where you were. He locked eyes with you when you looked up at him. And you could have sworn you felt his hand brush the curve of your hip. 

“Fa—.”

Then, Josh started laughing. It made you jump the slightest bit. 

It was a fake laugh out of him. You knew the real sound like the back of your hand. You knew him well enough to know he was trying to save you from this situation. He still thought you didn’t want it, that it was making you uneasy.

It was making you feel uneasy. But you weren’t sure if it was still true that you didn’t want it. 

You moved away from Jake hesitantly after the laugh had rung through the air. And he seemed to blink himself back into real time after you stepped back.

But he still looked at you in a way that was new. . . His eyes were questioning you, almost like he was so curious to know more about what you were (apparently) hiding. 

Though, you weren’t even sure what it was you were keeping hidden, so you broke eye contact sharply and walked back to your spot between Josh and Sam. You gave Josh a look of relief to try to convince yourself that relief was the emotion you were feeling. 

But you were completely confused by yourself. It must’ve been the alcohol controlling you and clouding your thoughts. It had to have been. 

Josh rubbed your back, and gave you a little smile of comfort. 

You hoped to God you wouldn’t have to partner with Jake again because you weren’t sure what would happen next time. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

Around 11:30, when the guys were gathered around the door waiting to leave, Josh asked his brother something. 

“So, Jacob, any news on the job front? I meant to ask you earlier.”

Jake’s head perked up, his shoulder was leaning against the door frame. 

“Oh, I got the job, actually,” he said with a smile, crossing his arms over his chest. “I guess my audition was so good that I’ll be teaching some of the more prestigious clients. Only the most impressive auditions get a chance to give lessons to the ‘high end’ clientele.”

Your ears tuned in. You were very curious. You hadn’t known he was actively looking for jobs. And what kind of job would have clients? And he’d auditioned? What could it be?

“I mean, other than that being societal garbage,” Sam started, interrupting your thoughts. “That’s pretty fucking sweet.”

Danny and Josh agreed, seeming very happy for their brother. 

Why had you known nothing of any of this? You were pretty agitated. You were the one who had offered him a place. You were probably the only person who needed to know considering he needed to help you pay rent and shit. 

He had been the one to bring up utilities, after all. Maybe that’s why he had thought of it today. Because he’d gotten a job.

“You're going to be doing something that you love, Jake,” Danny added with a grin. “I’m so happy for you.”

Josh made a noise, so you looked at him. You saw one single tear leave his eye that he quickly brushed away. He sniffed, then inquired. “Will you teach children? Or adults?”

Teach? you thought. And why was Josh so emotional over it?

“Both,” Jake replied.

Sam went to Jake and patted his shoulder a couple times, then clasped the material of Jake’s shirt in his hands. “Those people are going to be in awe of your skill, Jake — especially the kids.”

Kids?

“What sort of job is this going to be exactly?” You wondered aloud.

Jake only stared at you, seeming to remember that you were there at all. Josh answered for him, “Jake is going to teach people how to play the guitar.”

Your eyes widened. “You play?”

Sam gawked at that. “You’re Jake’s roommate and you didn’t know that he plays the guitar?” 

“I had no clue,” you affirmed. “I mean, I knew he had guitars, but—,” you shook your head. “When–how long have you played?”

Again, no answer from him, so Danny replied in his place. “Since he was like, little. . .toddler age,” he continued. “It’s his favorite thing in the world to do, play guitar.”

The other two friends agreed with the statement.

“You really didn’t know how much he loved to play?” Sam still seemed completely shocked.

You shook your head again in response. 

You were surprised at it. You knew he’d brought the guitars with him. You could never forget when you tried to help unload them and he’d completely snapped at you for it. It definitely made more sense now. He was probably extremely protective over them if he’d played for so long. 

But, why had you never heard or seen him play? If he was so passionate about it, surely he’d play more. But maybe he didn’t find you worthy of knowing this talent of his. That honestly seemed most likely.

You’d initially thought that maybe it was something he just did for fun. A little hobby. Apparently it was much more than that. 

“I’m curious how it will go,” Jake finally spoke again. “I’ve never done something like this. It’ll be interesting.”

Sam moved back to his spot next to Josh. “You will totally stun those kids, Jake,” he brushed a hand through his hair. “And the adults! I mean, they will not know what to do with a living legend.”

Living legend?

You stepped forward, irritation clear in your tone when you spoke. “How come I’ve never heard you play?”

“I do it when you’re not at home,” Jake responded coolly. 

“Why?” you challenged. And at the same time, Sam also asked ‘why?’. 

All he did was shrug at you, and looked back to Sam, who was already speaking again. 

“Jake, you’ll be such an inspiration to those little kids. Someone they’ll want to be when they grow up for sure,” Sam’s voice softened. “Just how I always looked at you.”

“Thanks, Sammy boy,” Jake blushed, a small grin forming on his face. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

After the boys left, you went about putting the leftover stir fry in Tupperware while Jake busied himself in the living room putting games away. 

You were steadily getting hit by waves of tiredness thanks to your many ciders.

You had put the stir fry in the fridge, and were now moving onto putting any spare alcohol in a little group on the counter. Just as you’d arranged all of the beverages, you saw Jake enter the kitchen out of the corner of your eye. Your stomach got swirly in his presence and you just wanted to go to sleep. 

You kept doing what you had been doing before he’d come in and when you finished, you went to leave. 

But a hand with calloused fingertips gripped your forearm to stop you right as you got to the doorway. 

You hated how your tummy flipped at the feeling of his overworked fingertips that moved up your bare arm to lightly grip your bicep. 

You didn’t turn to him completely. You just shifted your head to the side, to show you were aware of his action. You felt the heat of his body come up behind you, and tried to hide the shiver it brought over you. He wasn’t touching you, but he was so close.

“Thanks for letting me stay here while I get back on my feet,” he offered, surprisingly kindly. “I appreciate it.”

Your cheeks flushed. You couldn’t help it. This was completely unexpected. “You’re welcome,” you offered quietly in response. 

He didn’t move. Your breath was stuck in your throat at the proximity of him to you. 

So, you decided to be the one to create a distance between you two. You didn’t want to push any more limits tonight. And you didn’t want to give him too much of your time.

You were just so tired. You were ready for bed. 

You left him in the kitchen. And for some reason, you felt just a little bad for it. 

— 🌼🌼🌼 —

Middle of June

After game night with the guys, things had gone back to normal. You didn’t steal glances his way, not wanting to somehow chance catching his eye.

You decided to move on from it as though it hadn’t happened. Blame it all on the alcohol. 

Except—you remembered every detail. The feeling of him touching you, you touching him

. . . The way it felt to hold eyes with him, almost as though you were both waiting for more.

But you pushed it down. 

And Jake must have forgotten or pushed it all to the side as well. 

Because, there was absolutely zero movement on his end to make conversation or change the way of things. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

For the first part of June, Jake was hardly home. 

Since you really didn’t see him, it was easier to pretend he didn’t exist in your space and ignore him. You were glad to have the apartment to yourself. 

You didn’t want him in your space.

You couldn’t help that you were a little curious as to where he was spending all of his time, though.

Almost every night, he was gone. And during the day, he would be gone to work, and you’d leave to work closing at the B&G before he got home. You would go to sleep without seeing him all day. You hardly bumped into him. 

On the days you were there to witness it, he would come home from work for a total of about 15 minutes (sometimes less), and then leave with both of his beat-up guitar cases in tow.

It was odd, but you figured it probably had to do with his new job. 

You really didn’t miss having him around at all.

-🌼🌼🌼-

But somehow, Jake still found a way to make his presence known. 

About halfway through June, you started receiving random sticky notes from him. Reminder stickies, if you will.

The first was a surprise to you. It shouldn’t have been. He was naturally an asshole, after all. 

You’d found it next to a used coffee cup of yours that was sitting in the sink. 

No dirty dishes. It’s a rule. -Jake

You’d huffed and crumpled it into a ball before trashing it. 

Then, you washed the cup. You wouldn’t be bested by him. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

The second note rested atop a jar of applesauce you’d purchased for yourself. You saw it when you went to get a can of Coke Zero out of the fridge.

You slapped your forehead when you realized you hadn’t labeled it before you put it in the fridge.

You had a good idea of what his note would say. 

Probably a good idea to label our groceries. God forbid we mix anything up. -Jake 

You labeled the applesauce and then took that note, and ripped it in half. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

The third was left on the bathroom door, right above a bra you’d stupidly left hanging there. 

You were assuming it had been after a longer shift you’d come home from when you took it off. You hadn’t even thought of it at the time.

Probably best to not keep our undergarments laying around. New rule? -Jake 

That sticky pissed you off the most. (And, no, it wasn’t because of any embarrassment you were feeling—he just made you that angry). 

How did he have the right? You were fuming.

In your fury, you’d grasped the piece of clothing so quickly and roughly that it had ripped. And it had been an expensive bra, too. 

Thanks for that, Jake, you’d thought. 

Thankfully, he hadn’t been home. So, when you made a noise that went from growl to piercing scream, he hadn’t gotten the chance to revel in your frustration. 

You were so close to your limit with him. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

You were ready to be around your family when the time came towards the middle of June. It was your grandma’s birthday, and Elsie would be in town to celebrate. 

You needed to see your sister. Fill her in on your ridiculous roommate and get her wise advice.

You were putting a couple of records you’d bought for your grandmother in a gift bag when you heard him humming on his way out behind you. 

You didn’t know what came over you or why you cared to ask, but you turned to him. It was perfect timing, you caught him just as his hand was on the handle to leave. 

“Where do you keep going?” You narrowed your eyes at him. 

He turned from facing the door to face you directly. 

Then, he leveled you with a look over the tops of his sunglasses. He shook his head and let out a sigh as if totally put out, and set his cases down on either side of him. He tucked a hand into one pocket and used the other to push his shades into his hair. You tried not to watch all of this too closely; starting with the way his glasses pushed his locks back just right. 

But you couldn’t help yourself. Every action seemed to be measured out flawlessly. And, you’d learned that he looked good doing anything. 

You hated how attractive he was—how easy he was to watch. 

Once you could fully see his eyes, you realized that he was giving you a look similar to the one you were serving him. “Why do you have to know?” 

“We have roommate things to discuss, and there’s never time to do it because you’re always gone,” you were making shit up on the spot. 

“‘Roommate stuff’?” He raised a brow at you. 

“Yeah,” you were spitballing. “Like bills and stuff.”

He rolled his eyes. “I leave my money for the payments on the counter,” he retorted, pointing to something behind you. When you looked to where he was pointing, you saw a fresh envelope sitting on the bar behind you. You didn’t let it phase you. You could have slapped yourself for not noticing it was there before now. 

It made you look irresponsible. . .and you hated looking irresponsible.

A smirk grew on his face at your lack of reply; like he knew something you didn’t. “You miss having me around? Hm?”

You tried to keep your cool, but you felt your face heat. You didn’t miss him. You didn’t know why you were having this reaction. You snorted to hide it. “I could care less about you being here,” you argued. “In fact, it’s kind of nice to have you gone. I get to pretend I still live alone.”

You heard a horn honk down below, and it was unmistakably Josh’s squeaky, tired one. 

“Why is Josh here?” You wondered aloud.

Jake eyed you for a second, then responded, “He’s picking me up.”

“To go where?” Then you had a lightbulb brighten above your head. “Have you been with him all these nights?”

“And it’s your business how?” 

It really wasn’t your business; he was right. He could do what he wanted. There was no valid reason why you needed to know what he was doing in his own spare time. You didn’t know why you were so curious. It didn’t matter.

You refused to show that he’d smarted you. Your chest was tight with whatever emotion it was you were feeling. “Whatever. I don’t care. I was just wondering,” you turned your back as your sign that you were done talking to him. “Tell him I said hi.” 

He made a noise that sounded like ‘mhm,’ and then you heard the door open and close for him. 

Your shoulders loosened once he was gone, and you released a sigh. You lifted a hand to feel your cheeks. And to your dismay, they were still hot. 

Absolutely ridiculous.

-🌼🌼🌼-

In a quaint little town just outside Brooklyn, your grandparents’ house sat, never changing. It was stuck in time; it still looked and smelled the same as it had when you and Elsie initially came to live with them 12 years ago. The maroon walls and fruit-filled wallpaper border, the same as always. 

You stood with Elsie in the kitchen. You were each cooking your own part of your Grandma’s favorite: Tortellini Carbonara. You worked on the pasta and vegetables while Elsie worked on the sauce. 

“Els, it’s terrible,” you said as you stirred the pasta steadily. “He makes me absolutely insane.”

Elsie set her sauce to simmer, and stepped to the side to work on the dump cake that would wind up being the birthday cake. 

“What’s so bad about him?” she questioned.

“Where do I begin?” You chuckled sarcastically. “He’s just an asshole. Ever since his first time stepping foot into the apartment, he’s treated me like I’m scum.”

“Scum? Y/N, do you think you’re being a little

. . .dramatic?” She gave you a look that almost put you in your place, but then Jake’s face came to your mind and you were heated all over again. 

“No! He has only been rude to me,” you huffed. And while that wasn’t completely true, you needed to make a point.

Elsie scooted in front of you, and you made enough room in front of the oven for her to put the dump cake in. She then set the timer on the microwave and stepped away to check her work phone. She really only glanced at it, and then looked back at you.

“You wouldn’t believe he’s Josh Kiszka, Actual-Sunshine-In-Human-Form’s, brother,” you carried the tortellini to an oven mitt that was laying out while you searched for a strainer. “They’re twins, even. . .Josh calls him the moon to his sun. But I think he’s more like the moon that comes during a solar eclipse that makes the whole world fucking dark and dreary.”

Elsie giggled at that, “Wow. . . Sounds depressing.”

“It is, Elsie!” You clanged around a bit longer, making more noise than you probably needed to. But Elsie refusing to understand was firing you up. Finally, “Ugh, found it.” 

You went about straining the pasta’s water while Elsie checked on your vegetables. 

She spoke from the stove across the kitchen. “Like you said, he’s Josh’s twin brother,” her voice sounded dreamy when she said Josh’s name. Elsie had it just as bad for Josh as he did for her. She just refused to admit it. You didn’t know why she was so stubborn. “There has to be some good in him. Why did he move to live with you anyway? I haven’t gotten the full scoop.”

You mixed some olive oil in with your noodles and then moved to check on Elsie’s cake. 

“Messy breakup with his girlfriend,” you felt remorse for being so cold about him when you remembered all of the details Josh had told you. You couldn’t help it when your heart dropped a bit. “She cheated on him, even though he was selfless enough to follow her, leave his brothers, and give up anything he may have wanted in life.”

She gasped, “Are you kidding me? She’s the terrible one,” she took your vegetables off the heat and carried them to the pasta while you grabbed the sauce to follow her to the pan on the mitt. “He’s just hurting. Any way he’s acting now is just a reaction to the trauma of that breakup.”

“Trauma?”

She bugged her eyes. “Y/N, you know first hand that trauma comes in many, many forms,” she leveled you with a look, reaching forward to squeeze your shoulder. “Give him some grace.”

You sighed and relented a little. “I have seen a few positive things come out in him recently.”

“Like what?” She grinned, like she knew a secret. You ignored that.

“He’s actually been pretty good about following our apartment rules—even taking it upon himself to remind me of a few. . .y’know, for shits and giggles,” you scrunched up your face to show your annoyance at that. Elsie squeaked a laugh. “Josh had mentioned he’s not really one for ‘being okay’ with rules set before him, and he honestly accepted the ones I made pretty well.”

“That you made?” She gave you a look. “Did he get to add any of his own?”

“He didn’t want to,” you shook your head. 

She blew out a breath. “Wow. Any man I’ve ever dated has never respected any rules I’ve set.” 

You blanched at the comparison to her past flings. “First of all, Elsie, we are not dating.”

She rolled her eyes and continued as if you hadn’t interrupted. “The ones I get with only ever act like I’m always wrong and they’re in the right. And that’s toxic. If he isn’t like that. . .I think you’ve got a good one.”

“I don’t have a ‘good’ anything. It’s not a relationship,” you corrected. Why was she being so dense? And why was your stomach fluttering at the term ‘relationship’? Absurdity. “He’s my roommate. But I guess you’ve got a point with the other stuff,” you agreed. “He’s really just been pushing me away. Jerk? Yes. But he hasn’t been straight up disrespectful— save for the first night. You can ask Josh yourself.”

“He’s never given me his number,” she looked down to her purple painted toenails momentarily, then looked back up. “Or else I would.”

You weren’t sure how to respond to that. You didn’t want to expose his massive crush on accident by saying something out of turn. So, instead, you decided you needed to call your grandparents in from their gardening outside. The food was going to get cold if you didn’t act too soon. 

Besides, you were getting uncomfortable thinking of how Jake truly wasn’t as impossible as you’d mentally made him out to be. You’d never slowed down and given yourself time to think of his past. You just jumped to every negative conclusion possible. 

And why had you conveniently left out anything about game night when talking with Elsie? 

You looked at the timer on the microwave and saw that it said the cake had about 30 minutes left. 

You motioned a thumb at the window that looked out onto the flower bed your grandparents were tending to. “Let’s go tell them dinner’s ready.” 

-🌼🌼🌼-

Dinner had been filled with talk of your schooling and Elsie’s career as a traveling journalist. 

And as you left, all three of your family members encouraged you to keep writing. At dinner, you’d divulged your lack of doing so this summer. 

You didn’t know why, but your writing hadn’t been a priority lately. You’d been consumed with making sure the record store was up to par. 

All things music had been at the front of your mind.

Music had been your first passion, after all. Your first core memory was of hearing a Stevie Wonder song. You couldn’t remember which one—only the groove that could only be classified as a Wonder tune. Hence the sentimentality of your cat’s name.

Though, you’d never felt the courage to pursue music as your career. You always felt like it was more of just a silly desire that would be pushed to the side as a ludicrous idea. Your grandpa had always been an avid lover of it as well, but he’d advised to not pursue it as a career, and to find a more sensible path in life.

So, you had ended up pursuing journalism—just like Elsie. And to be fair, when you’d chosen your major, you’d wanted to do everything she did. But now, (ironically) being almost done with your degree, you were realizing that journalism wasn’t everything you’d cracked it up to be. 

It was fun, but you didn’t live and breathe it the way you did the nostalgic melodies of music. But your grandpa’s words were always in the back of your mind. 

So, when you got home, you went about getting a notebook out and turned up your favorite 1970s-themed playlist to inspire your written words.

-🌼🌼🌼-

“Will you please give me some kind of clue?” 

You followed Josh to the door of the store. You were coming in to close the B&G; he’d opened that day. 

And just like in his brother, you’d become more of a passerby in Josh’s life these days. 

The more you’d thought of it, you realized that you had been working a lot of closing shifts. Josh had started a pattern of opening most days since the first part of June. And he was always in a rush to leave when you came in to cover close. He usually only gave you a quick hug with barely any words. 

Ever since you’d found out he was the one picking Jake up from your apartment that night, you’d started clicking pieces together. They had both been consistent with being these fleeting forces. Present one minute, gone the next—seeming to always be on a mission. 

The situations were too similar to not suspect something was amuck. 

You were fed up with feeling excluded from something happening in his life. You needed to know what it was. 

So, you'd been trying to get information out of Josh. . .but he wouldn’t give it up. 

“Y/N, you’ll know soon enough,” he gave a reassuring smile. You sighed in the most theatrical way, which only made his smile grow. “It’s too soon to tell anything.” 

“Not even your best friend?” You gave him the biggest puppy dog eyes you could. 

And still, “Not yet, Y/N,” he winked. “Just wait,” his soft hand lightly kneaded your shoulder. “I’ve gotta go.”

You watched him leave. 

As soon as he was out of eyesight, you stomped to the ‘Featured’ wall and changed it to spite him. You were beyond frustrated with the secrecy. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

One night, you forced yourself to write again. 

When you’d gotten home and Jake was (of course) gone, you took that as an initiative to turn up the music a little louder than normal. 

You ended up getting consumed in writing this made up story based upon The Beatles’ ‘Mother Nature’s Son.’

In the story, the main character was a mysterious man with long hair that had let the world guide him in his ventures. The world had opened up these opportunities that were so perfectly aligned to the man’s desires. Mother Nature was his guide on his journey, letting him release himself to the power of a true destiny. The intense power that only she could—.

A harsh knock against your door thundered through your thoughts. Initially, due to natural shock, it made a tiny scream burst through your chest. 

“Can you turn down the fucking music?!” Jake was back, yelling against the beautiful sounds of The White Album. You growled to yourself, angry that he was back to ruin all sense of your serenity. “The walls are thin, remember?!”

You threw the spiral notebook, and in your haste it hit the wall with a thud. You pressed the pause button on your phone, making your Bluetooth speaker silent. You jerked your door open.

You stopped for a second. You hadn’t seen him for a few days, and your mind naturally had to readjust to the sight of him. 

God, you wished he was ugly.  

You let your exasperation at his rude interruption fuel you, “Really?!” 

You stepped out of the doorway, forcing him to take his own step backward. You didn’t need his dark aura clogging up the safe place of your bedroom. You closed the door behind you.

You continued, “You’re allowed to bring a woman back here on the night we establish the rules and make sure to warn me that you’re going to make her get loud, but I can’t play my music?!” You aimed a thumb in the direction of your bedroom, behind you. “At least music is something we both enjoy. I don’t really enjoy the idea of you fucking a girl right next door to me.” 

His eyes widened. “Oh?” He stepped a little closer and your heart thudded in your chest. “You jealous, Y/N?”

You pushed him back by his bare chest, exposed from his lack of buttoning. His skin was so warm, you wanted to keep touching it, but instead, you flung your hand back as though he’d burned you. 

“Jealous?” You scoffed, looking momentarily to the side to gain grounding. “Jake, give me a fucking break. What would give you the idea that I would in any way be jealous of that?”

His eyebrows raised and after he tucked his hair behind his ears, he crossed his arms across his smooth chest. “You couldn’t keep your hands off of me at game night.”

“You just answered your cute little musing, Jake. You called it what it was: game night,” you set a steady gaze on him. “It was a stupid game,” you put a hint of viciousness in your tone to get your point across for your next words. “It meant nothing.”

His mouth pursed closed and his jaw clenched, but it didn’t last long. He schooled his features soon enough and looked at you with overly-calm eyes. He raised his hands up. “Fine,” he backed up a step. “I won’t bring women back here if you keep your damn music turned down.”

You rolled your eyes, grinning in disbelief. “It’s music,” you walked towards him once more. “We both love music. What’s the harm if it’s something both of us love?”

“Sorry,” he placed one tan boot in your direction and rubbed at his chin. “Are you trying to tell me you don’t love sex?” 

You blinked a few times at his words. Had he really just. . .? Your heart fluttered and your teeth ground together. “It’s not the same.”

He chortled at you, “Oh, Y/N,” your name said in his raspy register almost instantly made your cheeks heat. Your mind felt cloudy as he came up to you, almost touching his front to yours. He smoothed some hair behind your ear which caused you to shiver. You felt his breath on your face with his next words. “I think it’s just the same.”

His hand stayed resting on your head behind your ear. You even felt his thumb rubbing at your scalp. It felt so nice, your eyes almost fluttered closed. 

But you kept your eyes open and trained them on him, “Fine,” you breathed at him. “No loud music.”

He grinned at you. Except this time, it felt softer. “No loud sex.”

“No sex,” you repeated. 

And as soon as the word left your lips, reality hit you at how close he was. Your eyes widened and you instantly took a step back. Your back made a thumping noise against the door to your room, and that sound caused him to take his own steps back. 

“I’m just—,” he picked up the cases he’d sat just outside the hallway. You watched his ass in his black jeans as he turned and bent down to pick them up. You caught yourself licking your lips at the stretch of his jeans. But as soon as he turned around, you readjusted. “Going to bed.” 

He looked at you with a loaded stare just briefly, and then escaped to the short trek down the hallway to his own room. 

You stared in his direction, even after his door had shut. 

And when Stevie came to rub her soft gray fur against your shin, you jolted. You looked down at her precious form and remembered you needed to feed her. 

And while you were getting her food ready, you remembered something else: you did not have any feelings for Jake. 

And whatever that had been was completely against your own imaginary rule. You could not cross that boundary with him. 

You didn’t even want to. 

At least. . .that’s what you told yourself as you went to bed that night. 

-🌼🌼🌼-

A guitarist’s fingers had to be so skilled. 

In more ways than one. 

Calloused fingertips that had recently held your arm were between your legs, touching you just right. Feeling you exactly how you needed to be felt. 

The familiar pointer finger massaged the inside of your folds while the thumb reached up to nudge the underside of your clit, rubbing it, encouraging it. 

And then a tongue joined the pointer finger that was going through your soft folds. He fit his tongue so it curled right into your most secret place.

Your back arched and your calves came to cross against a bare, tan back. A tanned back that was still wet from a shower. You reached up to touch your hair, which was wet. 

You’d showered together. 

“How do I taste, baby?” You sighed down to the man who was on his stomach between your legs. 

His face was hidden, blocked by something you couldn’t process in that moment. But when you saw his head come up, Amber-brown eyes met your own. They were filled with lust, hooded in your direction. 

Jake. You sighed with relief at it being him.

His long hair fanned against your legs, and he removed his hands momentarily to move up your body and kiss your stomach, so delicately. 

“In every way, you are perfect,” he affirmed. 

You flushed a little smile his way, but your clit throbbed for more. 

“Jake, please,” you moaned. 

And without needing any more direction, he was back at work between your legs. Except, this time, his tongue was what nudged against the underside of your sensitive nub and his fingers continued to take turns working in and out of you.

-🌼🌼🌼-

The next morning, you woke up in a sweaty mess of sheets. 

You’d dreamt of him again. . .and this time, it had been much, much worse. 

And taking care of the tingling feeling between your already-shaking legs was your first assignment that day. 

Before your feet ever touched the ground that morning, you’d very quietly sighed Jake’s name as your fingers worked your pussy to the point of an amazing release.

When you came down from your high, you laid on top of your comforter. You needed cool air to wash over you. You pondered the thoughts that had entered your mind. You really hadn’t been able to help it. They’d come so naturally and it had felt so right. You didn’t know what was going to come next. 

What in the sweet hell was happening to you?

-🌼🌼🌼-

a/n: i'll give you one guess what the boys are up to ;)

let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist! also, if you changed your username and it's not tagging because of that, please let me know and i'll update it!!

Taglist: @joshym, @gretavanfleetposts, @alyson814, @fretaganvleet, @lallisonl, @writingcold, @gvfpal, @twinszka, @jessicafg03, @reesetrippingthelight, @sacredjake, @laurenlovesgretavanfleet, @gretavangroove, @222headedcalf, @dreamssingold, @carbondancingthroughtime, @raviolilegs, @way-to-go-lad, @jakekiszkasmommy, @katgvf, @objectsinspvce, @jaketlover, @vanfleeter, @thetroublegetssoloud71, @seditabets, @jakekiszkapunchmeintheface, @jaketlove, @ohgodthefeeling-gvf, @katelynn-gvf, @gretavansara (even if it seemed to refuse to tag, i still tried - ugh! i apologize for any weirdness of the tagging. if i missed you, please let me know! i think i included everyone, but it's def possible i accidentally left someone out.)

#jake kiszka fic #jake kiszka smut #jake kiszka x reader #jake kiszka #greta van fleet #gvf #greta van fleet fic #josh kiszka fic #sam kiszka #danny wagner #jake fic #covet #my fics

[see-the-fandom-imagines]

What's in it for me?

Chapter 11

Chapter 1     Masterlist Pairing: Kyouya Ootori x Reader Author: see-the-fandom-imagines Warnings: None, really Author’s Note: Sorry this took again forever, I will upload the next 4 chapters in the next days :) Thanks for reading <3 Tag List: @radical-bunny, @redsakura101​, @ellouisa17​, @hyunjinsslutbbg, @fairyv-ice

Link to Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46325452/chapters/116633701

<p>During lunch you had more or less willingly positioned yourself inbetween Mori and Kyouya and were highly glad that you could focus on Mori and the twins across from you. You were a little more relaxed now as the whole atmosphere seemed to have calmed down a bit and while half-heartedly listening to a story Kaoru told about Hikaru's first stuffed animal you let your mind wander and you thought fondly about Kyouya’s reaction to half the products in the supermarket. He had almost reminded you of Tamaki, mesmerised by all the offers and sales, although you were sure he would have been almost insulted if you had told him that.<br />

A small smile creeped on your face, but faltered again, when suddenly you felt Kyouya’s leg bump into yours, ripping you out of your thoughts and not moving once the contact had been established. Irritated you looked up at him, but he was nodding at Hikaru, presumably listening to something the older twin was saying. You moved your gaze back to your food and decided to not move your leg either. Yours had been there first and to be honest, you didn’t mind the touch. Quite the contrary.</p>

<p>After lunch everybody finally said goodbye and went their separate ways, including you. You just wanted to turn around and get home, your bed was calling for you after a day like that, when suddenly you felt a hand on your shoulder. Surprised you turned around to see Kyouya standing behind you, nodding towards his car. “Let me drive you home.”<br />

“Oh, it’s fine, really”, you reassured him. You felt like he had done enough for you over the past couple of weeks, and you really didn’t want to owe him more than you already did. “It’s not very far, I can take the train.”<br />

“It is late, your part of town can become quite dangerous, and as a member of our club we have a certain responsibility towards you. Furthermore I might use the chance to introduce myself to your aunt now, too, if she is at home.”<br />

You squinted, trying to figure out his real motives. Of course, he had to have some form of gain from his, but was meeting your aunt really reason enough for him to take a detour? But you were also kind of exhausted and knew arguing with him didn’t make sense anyways. Furthermore you weren’t necessarily too opposed to the idea of spending more time with him, wether you wanted to admit it or not.<br />

He got into the car before you, not holding open the door for you, you noticed, but you didn’t actually mind. You didn’t care too much about stuff like that and something made you feel like it was some form of weird compliment. He did not hold up an appearance for you, and somehow you liked seeing that.</p>

<p>You climbed in behind him and adjusted your seatbelt, painfully aware of him watching your every move and trying to ignore the butterflies his stare set loose in your belly. Suddenly he spoke out again.<br />

“Are you not going to thank me?”<br />

“For kidnapping me?”, you retorted, and the smile appeared back on his face. Suddenly you were very aware that you were in a highly confined space with Kyouya alone. And although there was probably a driver somewhere in the front of this car, there was a screen between you and them just like in the movies that separated you.<br />

“Fair”, he said, leaning back in his chair, but you noticed the tiniest smirk playing on his features. The car began to move and you didn’t even question how the driver knew where to go. Maybe he actually was kidnapping you, you never knew with Kyouya. You were sure you were worth a little bit of money on the black market.<br />

“Let me see if she is home first, though, or you have kidnapped me for nothing. And I am not paying for the gas!”<br />

He chuckled and your heart jumped a little.<br />

“No worries”, he said, “in that case you can repay me differently.”<br />

You rolled your eyes, trying to to keep your mind away from the gutter, but smiled. You would not give him that win that easily. He was just saying this to tease you, some form of friendly banter you two had silently established between each other. With anyone else you might have called it flirting, but with Kyouya it felt like he was just provoking you, somehow testing how you would respond. Why you hadn't quite figured out yet, but you knew that he liked to be challenged. After all this time together you had understood more or less how his mind worked. Well, most of the time.<br />

“Also”, he spoke up again, interrupting your thoughts, and you watched him shift a little in his seat as his hand glided into his pocket, suddenly revealing a small box wrapped in paper and decorated with a small blue ribbon. You looked up at him with big eyes. An invoice? A time bomb? Or maybe it was just...<br />

“What’s that?”<br />

“It was your birthday, wasn’t it?”<br />

“Yeah, but…”<br />

“Well, in most places in the world, people gift each other something for their birthdays.”<br />

You were almost speechless. “You got me a present?”<br />

“It appears so.”<br />

“But… why?”<br />

You noticed that he hesitated. You had caught him off-guard with that question you noticed It almost seemed like he wasn’t entirely sure, either. Dodging the question, he moved his hand, as if to place it back into his pocket. “Well, if you don’t want it, I’ll return it.”<br />

“No, no!”, you quickly said and bit your lip as you saw his challenging gaze. He had known you’d react like that. This round went to him. “I mean I was just surprised. I don’t get a lot of gifts normally.”<br />

“I know you told me you find it frightening when I do something  that could be considered... nice, but do not think I am doing this just to do you a favour.”<br />

You hesitated for a second, but then you held open your hand and he dropped it in your palm. “Open it. I can't give it back, if you don’t like it.”<br />

Carefully and with big eyes you began unwrapping the small package. It revealed… “A daruma?” Carefully you took it out of the small package and noticed that a little charm was hanging around its neck. It was a simple leather band with a seashell attached to it. You looked up surprised.<br />

Kyouya shrugged, and you noticed that he actually seemed a little bit nervous, head turned away to look out of the window, feigning indifference. But the way his eyes trailed back to you revealed, that he was waiting for your reaction. “Well, it’s not blessed, nor is it New Years, but I saw it and I thought, maybe you’d like it, but I’d fully understand if …”<br />

“Thank you. I love it.”<br />

You noticed him relax a bit into his seat. He nodded, now turning back to you. “I saw it in Okinawa. And since you had said you liked the beach, I thought, maybe you actually enjoy things like that. I didn’t choose anything expensive as I did not want to make you uncomfortable." And then he added in true Kyouya-fashion. "I recently read that by purchasing a birthday gift, you will improve employee morale and help the recipient feel valued.”<br />

You nodded slowly, but couldn't suppress a small chuckle. Even if it was just a present out of courtesy, you really loved it. And something told you that maybe, just maybe Kyouya had actually done something nice for you, just because he wanted. You knew he wasn't as cold as he always acted to be. “I do feel very valued", you finally replied, "In case the annual review comes up, I will be sure to mention it.” The daruma sat in your hand, the light breaking in its still empty eyes. “Thank you”, you said again, this time a bit softer. You carefully placed it back in the box, careful not to break it. “So I have a free wish and a memory.”<br />

You stroke carefully over the little package with your thumb, smiling down at it. It was simple, but that didn’t matter. Kyouya had given you a present. For your birthday. And it meant an awful lot to you.<br />

After a short silence he spoke up again. “So, what are you going to wish for?”<br />

You thought for a second, but then shook your head. “Well, I can’t tell you yet, can I? Maybe I’ll let you know once it became true.”<br />

He scoffed. “It’s a daruma, not a birthday cake.”<br />

You shrugged. “I don’t mind. It’s a secret." You carefully placed it in your bag, and instead took out your phone. “I should tell Miwako that I am coming home, though.”<br />

But as happy as you had just felt a second ago, as physically sick were you getting now, because when you lit up your phone screen you noticed that you had five missed calls. Your heart, which had been beating happily until now, seemed to miss a beat, as you could feel the familiar feeling of uneasiness rise up in your throat.<br />

“What the hell”, you whispered, and noticed Kyouya shifting, but you didn’t look at him. Suddenly you had a really bad feeling.<br />

You held the phone to your ear and listened to the familiar beeping, until your aunt picked up, her tone making your blood run ice cold. Something had happened.</p>

<p>Without a word you handed Kyouya the phone, your voice dry and emotionless. You noticed your hand was shaking. “She wants to talk to you.”<br />

Miwako had not actually told you what had happened yet, she had wanted to know if you were still at Haruhi's and although she had hesitated for a split second, she had requested to speak with Kyouya once she found out that he was taking you home. You tried to focus on your breath, on his expression as he talked. Fear was creeping up on you and made it hard to breath. You heard your aunt say something indistinguishable for you and suddenly Kyouya looked at you, expression serious and it didn’t help. You had never seen him like this. You tried to focus on his features to calm you down, his sharp cheek bones, his perfect skin. The neatly combed hair, the full lips and the dark brown eyes that wouldn’t look away from you. You noticed a small beauty mark on his chin and you wondered if he had always had that, tried to think about everything else than what your aunt was going to tell you in a moment.<br />

Kyouya didn’t say anything about you staring and instead he handed the phone back to you after what felt like forever. Your hand was still shaking as you picked it up from his grip, his fingers brushing against yours, and you wished they would have stayed, you wished he would hold your hand, keeping you safe and steady, but instead he was just watching you, prepared for whatever would come next.</p>

<p>-----</p>

<p>You dropped the phone, your breath was going rapidly now. “Stop the car”, you hissed and as Kyouya didn’t react you said it even louder. “Stop. The car!”<br />

Kyouya gave the order to the driver and although your gaze was still focused on your own feet, you felt him pull in to the left and stop. The second the car stopped, you ripped open the door and ran outside. “(Y/n!)”, you heard Kyouya’s voice behind you. “You can’t just – ”, you heard him get out behind you, but you didn’t care you ran the past few metres to the closest bush you saw and you just threw up. Your stomach was cramping and you couldn’t keep in anything from the lunch you had just shared together at Haruhi's place. You didn’t want him to see you like that, but you also couldn’t make it stop.<br />

He hesitated getting closer to you at first, but finally seemed to get over himself and knelt down next to you. He didn’t look at you, you noticed from the corner of your eye, his gaze was lifted up into the sky to give you at least a little privacy and you were thankful for it. He had positioned a hand on your back, kneeling next to you at the roadside, waiting for you to be done.<br />

You coughed a few more times and looked up to see him hold out a textile handkerchief to you. You didn’t protest, but just grabbed it, cleaning your face, trying to understand what was happening. You were still breathing rapidly and you felt the first hot tear, running down your face. You tried to bring sense into what just had happened, but you couldn’t. Your mind was full and you didn’t know on what to focus first. You buried your head in your hands and let out a silent scream, your body heaving with sobs your mind filled with sheer panic.<br />

You were on your knees in the middle of the city, right in front of the guy you liked and who after this would surely never be able to see you the same way, unable to move a muscle. Your body was heaving with sobs, but no noise escaped your mouth. It was all your fault. Your aunt was in danger. You had ruined it all, she should have never taken you in. You destroyed her life yet again. She could have gotten away if it wasn’t for you.<br />

Suddenly you felt two hands on your shoulders, gently pushing your upper body up, so that you were forced to sit up. You still let your head hang low, your eyes pressed shut, it was all too much.<br />

“(Y/n)”, you heard Kyouya’s clear voice through your haze of noise, feeling his hands gently press into your shoulders. “(Y/n), look at me.” You didn’t move. His grip tightened, but not enough to hurt, just to emphasize his words. He said it again, more demanding this time. “(Y/n), I need you to look at me.”<br />

You tried to take a deep breath, opening your eyes and looking up into Kyouya’s face. Something about the expression on his face made all the noise and all the voices become quieter. You tried to block out everything else, the street, the people watching, and just focus on his face, his eyes, his voice, his scent. You just felt his hands on your shoulders, saw his face in front of you and heard his clear voice. “Your aunt is safe. I have dispatched two officers of our police force.” You wondered when he had done that, but it didn’t even matter. You nodded carefully. “One in front of your house. And one in front of the hospital. She is going to be safe.”<br />

Your breath became calmer again, you were mesmerized by his voice and by his eyes. You couldn’t look away. The fear subsided slightly. You still couldn’t speak and you were still trembling.<br />

“And I have promised your aunt to keep you safe, too, and I am very intent on keeping my promise.” You nodded. He let go of your shoulders without a warning and stood up, looking down at you expectantly. “Get up. You're stronger than this.” He wasn’t going to help you up. He expected to get up yourself. All he did was hold out a hand for you to grab, but the rest you had to do yourself. You wanted to collapse again, but you took a deep breath. He was right. You had done it before, you could do it again. Your aunt was safe, that was the most important thing and you couldn’t rely on other people for the rest of your life. “I do not know what exactly is going on, but I can promise you that nothing is going to happen to you.” His voice was firm and it was exactly what you needed right now. You believed him.<br />

You took one last breath, before you took Kyouya’s hand, using it to stabilize yourself while standing up. You were still trembling, but you could somewhat think again. “Very good”, he said, and your heart leaped in your chest. You wanted to do well. You nodded carefully, your voice still hoarse and your throat hurting from puking and crying. “Thank you”, you said awkwardly not knowing what to do now, trying to bring sense into your head.<br />

“Get in the car”, he ordered, although his voice was a little softer now. “I am going to bring you back to Haruhi’s place.”<br />

You nodded and followed him into his car. You were staring at your knuckles, your fists were clenched so hard that they had begun to turn white.<br />

“I am sorry”, you whispered, and Kyouya looked at you, as he scooched in after you. He didn’t say a word, but instead after a short pause, and what looked like him considering the situation, wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you into his chest, holding you tightly. He didn’t say it was alright, he didn’t tell you all would be fine. He was far too pragmatic for that. He was just sitting next to you holding you, calmly, and although your heart skipped a beat at the sudden contact, you actually managed to calm down and breathe again. Suddenly, you felt safer. He didn't have to say another word for you to understand that he was not going to let anything happen to you. His touch grounded you. The rest of the car ride was silent, you trying to calm your breath, breathing in his scent, and him, silently gazing out the window, his muscles tensing up every now and then, when you felt the car come to a stop. For a few seconds the whole world seemed to stand still, until you heard Kyouya's voice speak up in the silence.<br />

“I'll keep my promise." And with these words he let go of you and the car door opened. Ranka-san was already waiting outside, ready to greet you. You nodded, not able to speak, but you hoped he still understood what you were trying to tell him. Right when your foot touched the pavement you felt his grab on your wrist one last time. You turned around to him. “I’ll call you.” He had said, expression stone-cold as you had gotten out of the car. Ranka immediately rushed towards you, taking you tightly into her arms and you welcomed the embrace. You looked at Kyouya’s car drive away silently, while Ranka carefully guided you inside. You felt even more miserable. Your parents really had to ruin everything. If you had been sure that there was no way he liked you back before, now you were absolutely certain that a Kyouya Ootori would never be with a pathetic girl whose own parents didn’t even want her. And if that wasn’t even the worst, again you were nothing but a burden to everybody. Haruhi and Ranka included.</p>

<p>-----</p>

<p>You let yourself drop on the floor in your room, your back against your wardrobe. It had been an exhausting day. After a night at Haruhi’s and what felt like forever, Miwako had finally decided that it was fine for you to come home. Carefully you had gotten out of the station and ran home, all the time worried that a familiar face would pop up or similar. But nothing happened. As it seemed, they didn’t know where you lived. At least not yet.<br />

Your gaze fell on your backpack, and you pulled it closer to you. You opened it and fished out the small package with the blue bow.<br />

Carefully you got out the Daruma. It was looking at you with blank eyes, and you stared back, feeling as empty as the little doll. Tentatively you took of the little charm and tied it to a little opening in your phone case. Then you got up and looked around the room for a marker. Once you had found one, you sat back down, popped off the cap and began to write your wish. Shortly after you carefully drew in the left eye of the Daruma, who was now halfway looking back at you. You placed it on your desk and just sat in front of it, looking at your new little friend, thinking about the man who had given him to you. The man who probably now saw you in a completely different way than he had before. If you maybe had had some hopes that he might like you before, you knew now he for sure would not. You hadn’t wanted him to see you in such a state. You hated being so weak and usually you weren’t. It was just that whenever your parents would be involved it would all come back.<br />

Shivering you remembered the nights in the cold room, barely any belongings, no friends, waiting for the next punishment to come your way. You played with your little charm. These days at the sea with Miwako had been your only way to get out. Three days without fear. Before you had had to go back. You had begged her so often not to bring you back. But it had taken years for the abuse to become visible enough that she would betray her own sister and run off with you like that. You didn’t blame her. It had been a big step and you were happy she had been brave enough for the two of you to take it.<br />

Suddenly the phone in your hand began to ring and before you had even looked at the display you knew who was calling. You bit your lip, thinking for a second, before you eventually picked up.<br />

“Hello?”<br />

“It’s me.” You knew it was him, you had ignored his call already twice this evening. You were too embarrassed and not ready for the talk you knew would follow. You had been so embarrassed about how weak you had gotten. About what this simple phone call had done to you. This wasn’t like you, you used to fight. When you didn’t reply, he spoke up again.<br />

“Are you alright?” His voice sounded cold and emotionless and you knew he was mad at you for not picking up earlier.<br />

“Yes… Thank you again. I don’t think I can ever repay you.”<br />

“Not all my life revolves around favors, you know?” Ouch. You were silent for a while.<br />

“Kyouya-senpai, I…” I am sorry. I am embarrassed. Please don’t think lower of me because of what happened today.<br />

“I think you owe me an explanation.”<br />

You nodded. “You’re right”, you whispered. “I am sorry. I will tell you, I promise just…  not now. Please”, you begged, and you were surprised that your voice broke. You were so tired.<br />

“I hope you are aware of the expenses I had to spare for you in the past week alone.”<br />

“I know, I am sorry.”<br />

“I do not want to hear you apologize.” Tears formed in your eyes at his harsh words. You wished he would just stop talking, you were already feeling bad enough. He cleared his throat and continued speaking, his voice a bit softer. Maybe he had realized he had been too harsh on you. “I mean, there’s no need to apologize.” Another short break. “I was worried.” Surprised you hick-upped. You hoped he hadn’t heard it, but if he had, he chose to ignore it. “I want to help you, (y/n), but I cannot do that, if you will not tell me what is going on! All your aunt told me that she needed me to get you to Haruhi safely and that she couldn’t go home herself either.”<br />

“You’re right”, you agreed.<br />

“I won’t force you”, he finally said to your surprise. “Stay safe. I’ll see you next week.”<br />

After this call you felt emptier than you had before.</p>

<p>Little had you known that he had focused on whatever else as to control the anger that had risen in his chest. He didn’t know who had hurt her like that but one thing was sure, they were going to pay for it. He had theories of course, after all, Kyouya wasn’t stupid. He could count one and one together, but either way he needed to know what was going on with her. What happened to her in the past. He bit his lip, staring at his phone, thinking about what it was that he was feeling.<br />

He had come to care about (y/n) he had to admit to himself. Deeply. Was this still just having a crush? Either way he knew that he wanted to protect her and that he wanted to get rid of whatever or whoever was torturing her this way. Having seen her breakdown in front of him like this, had almost shocked him. She was usually very put together, smart, witty and always had an answer. But from one second to the next she had absolutely broken down and a tight knot had formed in his chest seeing her like this. He had wanted to hug her, take her in his arms, but he wasn’t sure if what she needed maybe was space, so he had opted for that.<br />

He knew she was strong enough to get through it herself, but he still had wanted to help her. He had rarely felt as helpless as in this moment. The last time she was in danger he had lost control. This time he wanted to keep it for her sake. But little did she know that the second he had let go of her, the second his car drove away, he had exhaled shakily, fists clenched, trying to suppress the anger that he had kept in his chest ever since he had talked to her aunt and the worry he had tried to deny up until that point.</p>

#ootori kyoya #ohshc kyoya #ootori kyouya #kyouya ootori #kyouya #kyouya ootori x reader #kyoya ootori x reader #ohshc x reader #ohshc fanfic

[poisoned-pearls]

What if in first year au they were play fighting and tickling each other but then they broke something (I NEED THEM TO BE CHAOTIC FIRST YEARS PLS)

“Jamil, hey- stop it! Hey- it’s not funny-!” Azul wheezed out, laughs making his words far less effective at trying to actually get Jamil to stop tickling him, “please!- come onnnn- have mercy!”

He did decide to have mercy on him, ceasing his movements for a moment, which was a poor decision on Jamil’s part, because Azul took the opportunity to push him onto his side instead.

Both of them continued to play-fight, abusing Azul’s brand new housewarden room privileges for all it was worth.

Which includes the many, many sleepovers. Really, Azul would love to stay over at Scarabia, but as he had learned, Jamil’s roommates did not like him that much. Jamil had said it was because they seemed jealous of the fact that Jamil had gotten a boyfriend faster than anyone had ever expected, but Azul couldn’t believe that was the only reason. He’d seen how they’d watched him in class… he had his theories. (So did the twins, but they’d always been more wild with their ideas)

”I cant believe you- betrayal of the highest order.” Jamil deadpanned at him, not making much of an effort to sit back up, but gladly pulling Azul down on top of him.

“you’re the one who pulled out the tickling card. I can’t believe you. I didn’t even know that was a thing!”

“What, you don’t have tickling underwater?” Jamil questioned, turning his head towards the Oceanside window.

“No! You land-dwellers are so weird.” Azul finished, sitting up on the side of his bed, “I can’t believe half of the things you guys say.”

Jamil shoved him, playful and noncommittal. “Really? Like what?”

“Like gym! One of your whole class periods is taken up by torture??” He laughed out, exasperated.

“Gym is not ‘torture’, Azul.”

“Yes it is! You’re telling me it’s a requirement to go run around in sweaty clothes for an hour then go back inside, change, and just… go around school like that for the rest of the day?!” Azul’s hands came up to lightly slap him back.

”it’s only torture to you,” Jamil retorted, shoving him onto his back for effect, “not my fault you’re weak.”

Azul stays on his back for a moment, turning his head to look at Jamil for a moment. He’d always thought Jamil’s face was so pretty, full of sharp angles and ‘mean’ features that made his heart swirl. Too bad he had a fight to win.

He swung his other arm behind him, grabbing a pillow before smacking it right across Jamil’s face. Jamil’s face split into a wide grin as he lunged for the pillow in Azul’s hand. They stumbled around for a moment, fighting for control over a pillow as if their weren’t three others on his bed.

The kept fighting, with no real malice behind it, until a pouch crash echoed through the room. Azul’s bottle of ink was spilled across the floor, knocked over from Azul’s legs.

They both scrambled up, Azul blurting out a quick “I’ll get a towel-“ before running off to his bathroom.

“why was your ink pot on your nightstand??” Jamil let out, exasperated as he caught the towel Azul threw at him.

“I was working on a contract last night-“

“in bed?!?”

“Don’t question my methods!”

“This was bound to happen!” He shoved the towel onto the spill.

Azul kneeled down next to him, pulling in Jamil for a quick kiss before sweeping up the glass, “there, do you forgive me now?”

“I’m not mad, ‘Zul, I just don’t think you need to be working so late you’re still writing in bed.”

“…okay,” Azul sighed. He had been working late lately, maybe he should relax a bit more.

He glanced up at the boy next to him. Yeah, maybe he should.

#Jamiazu #azujami #twst #twisted wonderland #jamil viper #azul ashengrotto #All of Azul’s theories abt Jamil’s roommates are wrong btw #Like two of them actually had a crush on him and are very peeved that Jamil got him that quickly #Listen Azul is very pretty you can’t tell me he doesn’t have some admirers #So does Jamil but Azul actually notices those #But AUGH they’re my sillies #Hopefully you don’t mind the full on Drabble response but I felt it’d give the best like response #They’re menaces together in class though #Jamil and Azul are already terrifying #But them with first year shenanigans? Amazing and horrifying

[lucky-clover-gazette]

captive prince book 1 highlights & annotations

chapter 3

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

The Regent keeps him around. No idea how the Prince got him in the ring, but that one would do anything to piss off his uncle.

context: laurent wanted damen to lose—we know this because of the drugging. but i suppose that annoying the regent with govart's loss was a consolation prize? and he would have been... equally annoyed, if govart won? laurent cannot possibly think that the regent cares about govart's well-being, but maybe govart is a reflection of his authority. honestly, not too sure about this one.

craft note: “piss off” is a great anachronism here

Laurent might talk like he’d been raised on the floor of a brothel, but he had a Veretian courtier’s mind, used to deception and double dealing.

maybe try to make it sound like less of a compliment

‘I wouldn’t have thought of that. He has a mind for details.’ ‘Yes, I’m learning that,’ said Damen.

Maybe he just wanted another chance to fight something. Preferably an insufferable yellow-haired princeling.

‘Today, in the baths, you will serve.’ ‘Serve?’ said Damen.

he is technically serving cunt. a cunt named laurent

Laurent reclined against the tiled wall, settling his shoulders flat against it.

laurent lean #2

Laurent rearranged himself against the wall into a position that looked even more indolently comfortable than the one before.

laurent lean #3. also, this line is very funny

Those sweet blue eyes gazed at him.

normal reaction to an implied death threat

'Your little speech about fair play fooled me about as much as your show of obedience.'

context: laurent can’t conceive of damen being a decent person without an ulterior motive. given the fact that he's spent the past seven years in the regent's court, i can't really blame him

For Laurent was all of a piece: his body had the same impossible grace as his face. He was lighter built than Damen, but his body wasn’t boyish. Instead, he possessed the beautifully proportioned musculature of a young man on the new cusp of adulthood, made for athletics, or statuary.

damen has no idea how much it would probably mean to laurent to be seen as definitively non-boyish

The water was hot when it pulsed up from the ground, and hot when he poured it from the silver pitcher. The air was hot. He was conscious of it. He was conscious of the rise and fall of his chest, of his breathing, of more than that.

craft note: awareness of non-sexual physical sensation (heat, breathing, etc.) helps to build up tension. also, the repetition here is neat.

He remembered that in Akielos he had been washed by a slave with yellow hair. Her colouring had matched Laurent’s so closely they might have been twinned. She had been far less disagreeable.

damen likes blondes mention #3. another favorable comparison towards laurent, although he does get points off for being a bitch

‘Don’t be presumptuous,’ said Laurent, coldly. ‘Too late, sweetheart,’ said Damen. Laurent turned, and with calm precision unleashed a backhanded blow that had easily enough force to bloody a mouth, but Damen had had quite enough of being hit, and he caught Laurent’s wrist before the blow connected.

the girls are fightingggggg

craft note: i really like “damen had had quite enough of being hit.” it’s a massive understatement, which for damen’s characterization and the book’s sense of humor works perfectly.

He felt the tension hit Laurent’s body, though the tone didn’t change overmuch from its usual drawl. ‘But my voice has broken. That was the only prerequisite, wasn’t it?’ Damen released his grip, as though burned. A moment later, the blow he had thwarted landed, harder than he could have imagined, smashing across his mouth. ‘Get him out of here,’ said Laurent.

the amount of times i had to re-read this conversation and previous dialogue, to understand what the hell was going on between the lines...

context: damen previously made a flippant comment about not assaulting people whose voices haven’t dropped. it was meant as a dig towards the court of vere, which enables csa.

laurent wants an excuse to torture and/or kill damen while his uncle is away—knows that the court would see this retribution as justifiable if damen were to attempt an assault of the veretian prince.

laurent brings damen to the baths in order to essentially make his case for his revenge. he needs to create circumstances in which retribution is justified, and since sex = power to laurent—just another strategy—he sees a way to make that happen by teasing damen. he does not expect to feel anything while enacting this plan, as he is very used to dissociating during these kinds of situations.

laurent: “don’t be presumptuous” = “stop assuming we’re going to have sex, even though it was my plan to put us both in this intentionally erotic situation. i’m more uncomfortable than i thought i would be with this and i’m deflecting.” 

damen: “too late, sweetheart” = “i am smug about the fact that this is making you uncomfortable. also, you’re hot, and i might as well enjoy the view.” 

laurent: “but my voice is broken, that was the only prerequisite” = “by your own joking admission, i now have every reason to assume you’re going to assault me—and your obvious arousal does not help your case.” 

damen, who has absolutely no intention to sexually assault laurent, is shocked by this and pulls away.

He had resisted the provocation to violence exactly because he had known he would end up suffering consequences. And now here he was, for no better reason than that Laurent, possessing a pleasing shape, had left off talking just long enough for Damen’s body to forget his disposition.

i love the implication that laurent is only attractive as long as he isn’t talking. damen is great at backhanded insults too!

‘I should have done this to you the day you arrived,’ said Laurent. ‘It’s exactly what you deserve.’

context: damen is not just some random akielion to laurent. laurent knows that he is damianos, and that damianos killed auguste, leading to seven years of abuse, sexual assault, and isolation for laurent within the regent's court. what he does here—having damen flogged to near-death—is still bad, but at least there’s more depth to the badness than damen or a first-time reader would understand.

from damen's pov, and for a first-time reader, this entire situation is sadistic and impersonal. but with full awareness of laurent's perspective, i can understand that it is essentially cathartic revenge. losing auguste to damen's blade forced laurent to experience the kind of trauma that changes a person forever. the person he has become is a reflection of that trauma, and damen is the ultimate scapegoat.

also, flogging is not exactly cruel or unusual punishment in this world—in fact, damen mentions that he's done it himself to akielion soldiers. it's notable that instances of damen's subtle hypocrisy appear in these earlier chapters: the flogging, parallels between kastor's rule and the regency, and akielion slavery. pacat is methodically building a house of cards with damen's unreliable narration from the start.

(when i call damen an unreliable narrator, it's not because i think he's a bad person or protagonist. he's an unreliable narrator in the same way that holden caulfield is an unreliable narrator: heartbreakingly earnest, ignorant due to inexperience, and within the ethos of the novel, ultimately Good.)

‘You are cold-blooded and honourless. What held back someone like you?’ It was the wrong thing to say. ‘I’m not sure,’ said Laurent, in a detached voice. ‘I was curious what kind of man you were. I see we have stopped too early. Again.’

this first book really is just the two of them playing a high-stakes game of “are you a good person” chicken

‘I was on the field at Marlas,’ said Laurent. As the words penetrated, Damen felt the world reshape itself around him. ‘They wouldn’t let me near the front. I never had the chance to face him. I used to wonder what I’d say to him if I did. What I’d do. How dare any one of you speak the word honour? I know your kind. A Veretian who treats honourably with an Akielon will be gutted with his own sword. It’s your countryman who taught me that. You can thank him for the lesson.’ ‘Thank who?’ Damen pushed the words out, somehow, past the pain, but he knew. He knew. ‘Damianos, the dead Prince of Akielos,’ said Laurent. ‘The man who killed my brother.’

i went into the context for this already, but i do just think it's insane that laurent is both torturing and gaslighting the person who ruined his life. like, remember the guy from the princess bride? "my name is inigo montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die." laurent is essentially doing the same thing with damen here—cathartic and premeditated revenge killing, karma's a bitch, an eye for an eye—but instead he's like "my name is laurent of vere, you were present in the battle where someone else murdered my brother (i know that you know you actually did it), prepare to be tortured and possibly killed based on my own unpredictable and sadistic whims. whore."

#capri #sam reads capri #captive prince #laurent of vere #damen of akielos #lamen #kinda

[postguiltypleasures]

My Peak TV Journey *Better Call Saul*

This is an entry that took a while to write. I watched the first two seasons of Better Call Saul as they aired, not too long after I binged Breaking Bad, from which it spun off. I don’t remember why I didn’t watch the third season as it aired. I was busy with something. But I finally got around to the final four seasons around the one year anniversary of the final episodes. I never re-watched the first two seasons, nor BB. This probably did come at the expense of some appreciation for the series. I know there were some characters and sub plots that I forgot in my hiatus. But I never felt I had the time, and frankly, I didn’t like either series enough to rewatch. 

Which isn’t to say that I don’t think it is good. I think it’s good, but it fills me with dread, and not all of it seems intentional. I think As someone who watched and presumably liked BB, the various references to things that would happen there should have excited me more than they did. I found myself resenting that I promised myself to finish it before starting some shows that I also want to see, (the list is endless).

I like the characters of Jimmy and Kim. I like them better than most of the characters from BB, which is why I think the feeling I of dread I got from BB character was unintentional. (I completely forgot about some of the characters from the earlier series between viewings. This includes the Salamanca twins who I think should have left more of an impression on me.)

As I went on I started thinking about how many things that make television television, as opposed to a series of movies. TV runs off the tension between something familiar that the viewer wants more of and the desire to know what is next, and sometimes it felt like BCS was actively going against these things. For example, I often find that I amorally attached to certain sets. BCS ran through various great office and apartment sets, only to make the familiar Saul’s office from BB seem extra unpleasant. Then there were subplots, especially with Gus, where knowing how it wraps up in BB, just made it feel slack. Knowing Gus and Hector die in a murder-suicide made the scenes where Gus was tormenting Hector after his stroke seem pointless. 

There were other times when I wondered about how much I could hate most of the main characters. In particular, I found myself hating Mike more and more as the series as it went on. Or maybe I always hated him, and just got over the sense that I was supposed to like him, or at least see him as somewhat sensible. After all the things between Mike and Werner I think the former deserved to be murdered by Walter White and have to listen to Walter yammer on while he died. Mike’s essential to the plots of both shows, but I hate everything he stands for. He’s smug, cynical know it all. I can’t tell if I was supposed to dislike him, but the fact that I did makes it seem like I should have given up on this earlier.

My fixation on “what does it mean that I hate Mike this much?” is because I am under the impression that he is a well liked character amongst fans. I am also under the impression that Jimmy’s brother Chuck is generally a hated character. I can understand it. Depending on your point of view he either doomed Jimmy to become Saul, or at least refused anything helpful. But I liked Chuck and was less engaged by the show after he died.  His dynamics with Jimmy, Kim and Howard were interesting to me in ways that none of cartel stuff was. I was also amused that Chuck apparently wanted to write a book about the Commerce Clause. The Commerce Clause has fascinating history with American Civil Rights Movements and seems pretty controversial with the current Supreme Court of the USA. But I doubt Chuck would write a book that is engaging for most readers, because he tend to be in his own, intellectual world and doesn’t engage with the masses. And that’s the kind of tragedy that fascinates me.

Jimmy’s potential to be something other that Saul is traced with the class action suit he starts after some discovers at The Sandpiper Senior Residence. I was kind of shocked by how long this plot lasted, especially as it seemed to be dropped for episodes at a time. I made a note for myself about how the beginning and the beginning-of-the-end of the Sandpiper storyline involves Jimmy in a toilet stall making unconventional use of toilet paper. The first is desperate but optimistic. The second is cynical and much more destructive. It ends tragically, which shouldn’t be a surprise as the set up reminded me of Anthony Trollope’s The Warden, and that was a rough read. But how it ended, with the two worlds of the show colliding and making the lead to BB inevitable was exciting and dreadful. It also involved lots of name dropping and heavy foreshadowing with the assumption that we remember it from however long ago we watched BB. It’s really well done. It’s connected aspects of today’s media, where every series in an intellectual property that can go on forever. And I really don’t like that. 

I want to talk about about the show’s other corporate plot in the series, the Mesa Verde plot, the one that Kim is involved in. It’s her big get, and something of a boring prison. It started half way through the second season and ends near the end of the fifth, so it was easy to dismiss as not that important to the general direction, but it does have some interesting things about how most lawyering is tiring paperwork not what we want from a TV show. It shows that Kim gets risky in her games with Jimmy because of how unengaged she is with work that is otherwise going well. Because of the amount of time between the debut BB and now, I found myself wondering if the housing market bubble will affect the Mesa Verde plot? Which I guess made me more engaged than Kim? 

The main idea in this is that after finishing the series, I don’t think I liked it enough to justify the amount of time I spent watching it. But I need say, I do think it’s well made. It was always great to look at, especially with some of their more metaphoric shots, like the ants on the abandoned ice cream cone signaling JImmy’s future as Saul. All the performances were well done. I can tell there was some hard work in this. It wasn’t for me. I need to be better at giving things up that aren’t for me. 

#peak tv #my peak tv journey #what i'm watching #Better Call Saul #BCS #Breaking Bad #BB #saul goodman #jimmy mcgill #kim wexler #chuck mcgill #howard hamlin #mike erhmantraut

[kootiepatra]

#WolmericWeek2024 - Day 4: Nameday

(fic below; also available on AO3 )

Keimwyda looked around at the full room with an even fuller heart. If someone would have said to her even three autumns ago that her nameday would look like this one day, she would not have believed them. She also would have assured them that she needed no such thing. …And she could only imagine how her present-day-friends would upbraid her even now for saying so.

It was clear that the Fortemps had by no means offered empty words when they spoke of considering her family. The extravagant gathering tonight proved it. Edmont had only become ever more fatherly towards Keimwyda since she and Aymeric began courting, and he was properly horrified upon learning how long it had been since her last nameday celebration. He insisted on hosting a feast commensurate with both the hospitality of House Fortemps and the gratitude of his people to their savior. And so now, it seemed to Keimwyda that half of Ishgard must be here.

Most of the faces, she did, in fact, know. From Lord Francel, to Lady Laniaitte, to Hilda, to folks from the local branch of the Ironworks, the room was filled with people she had worked for and with. A few of the Scions had made the journey as well: G’raha, who of course was not about to pass up an opportunity to visit Keimwyda in Ishgard , as well as Krile, whose friendship meant more to Keimwyda than almost anyone, and Tataru, who was all too eager for an excuse to step away from Revenant’s Toll and rekindle associations she had made at the Forgotten Knight. The Leveilleurs were there, too—Ameliance and the twins had insisted on celebrating their friend, and had prevailed upon Fourchenault to join them with some paper-thin pretense of building diplomatic relations on behalf of the Forum.

But there were also many attendees whom she did not know, at least not well. She suspected she largely had Emmanellain to thank for that. He was not like to be contained when an opportunity to flex his social connections presented itself. But in fairness, with what Keimwyda had learned of Isghardian high society thus far, she figured it was scarcely avoidable. One of the high houses hosting a feast in honor of a noteworthy figure? Any noble families who caught wind of it (and did not wish to deliver a purposeful snub) were apt to seek an invitation.

Once it became plain during the planning that a small, intimate gathering was well and truly out of the question, Keimwyda had proposed a few invitations of her own: Firstly, as many people from Hilda’s watch as she could spare, as well as any Aymeric and Handeloup wished to include from the temple knights. Secondly, the laborers she had come to know in their efforts rebuilding the Firmament. And finally, her “little siblings” from the Firmament orphanage, along with a sufficient number of adult volunteers to wrangle them. If her nameday was going to be a spectacle, it might as well include those for whom it would be the biggest treat. And if it meant that the party would be less a formal ball and more a community celebration, then so much the better. She would certainly feel more at ease that way.

There was food and laughter and music and dancing and a steady stream of well-wishers desirous to speak to Keimwyda, from the polite acquaintances to the genuine friends to the socialites who very much wanted to be seen making overtures to the Warrior of Light. Keimwyda was happy. She was. She was honored by the gesture. She was glad to see so many people enjoying themselves and enjoying the Fortemps’ generosity. She smiled softly to herself as she reflected on how very far this city had come, and how deeply her heart had become knit to it.

Twelve help her, though, it was a lot . 

With each conversation, without even realizing it, she had been steadily drifting towards the corner of the room. Part of her hoped that maybe, just maybe she might fade out of the center of attention for a minute or two. 

She was just concluding another such chat—a woman breathlessly thanking her for saving her son’s life on the battlefield in an encounter Keimwyda could not remember and was not entirely sure happened—when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She sighed to herself as she relinquished her hope of a momentary reprieve, reaffixed her polite smile, and turned to greet yet another reveler.

She had not expected that reveler to be Aymeric, but gods , did she welcome it.

He studied her face with a sympathetic smile, and wordlessly offered his arm to her. She took it. So he led them outside, quietly slipping through the side door to the terrace. Aymeric had such a better and more-practiced sense for how these functions worked than she did—he managed to make good their escape without drawing so much as a single comment from other partygoers. Keimwyda didn’t know how he pulled it off. But then, she always did admire the grace by which he navigated events like this.

The evening air was, as to be expected, quite bracing, but Keimwyda inhaled it gratefully all the same. Warm firelight spilled from the manor’s windows onto the balcony. The just-rising moon crested the skyline before them. The roar of dozens of conversations dissipated to a gentle murmur behind them as the heavy door swung shut—the music, although greatly muffled, now the main sound permeating the night.

Aymeric silently took her a few more steps before disentangling his arm and turning to face her. She looked to him curiously, wondering what it was he wished to speak about.

But he did not speak. Instead, he just smiled.

He bowed deeply.

And he extended his hand.

Keimwyda wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry with relief as she recognized the invitation to dance.

So she just blinked back the mist and slipped her hand into his. He drew her close. She leaned her head against his. They swayed gently to the sound of the softened melodies wafting through the door—to have each other, to hold each other, for a stolen moment of quiet and peace as long as the cold night would allow them.

Happy nameday, my love.

#wolmeric week 2024 #wolmeric nonsense #wolmericweek2024 #wolmericweek #wolmeric week #aymeric de borel #aymeric x wol #keimwyda sylbdhemwyn #femroe #wolmeric #punted to a fic when I lacked the crime knowhow to make a big party scene

[etherealbelphie]

Until You're Ready (Ft. Beelzebub and GN!MC)

Warnings: Season one spoilers, mentions of death and murder, panic attacks, implied romantic relationship.

Length: 1.4k words

Genre: Angst, hurt, comfort.

Summary: You've been avoiding Beel ever since Belphie's return. He wants to know why.

This fic is part 3 of an ongoing series of oneshots, here are the links to the other parts:

 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (You are here) |  

Hey, look who's still active! (It's me :D) So...this is actually my 100th post on this blog! So I figured it was only right to continue the series of one-shots regarding lesson 16. If you were one of my early followers, you'll know that 'Selfish' was the first post I ever made on this blog. (Except maybe those ones I made trying to figure out how to use Tumblr I don't remember if that was before or after. They're deleted now. I'm sorry if you had to see those-)

Anyways, I tried to tag the right warnings, but if I missed one, please feel free to let me know! I hope you enjoy the story!

-Ethereal (✿◡‿◡)

Story below, please don't claim as your own!

The week Belphie came back, everything was off.

Lucifer would always brush against you before you left the house.

Mammon somehow managed to be even more protective, keeping an arm around your waist at all times and growling whenever someone got too close. Including his brothers.

Levi hated leaving the house, but he would always go with you if no one else could.

Satan cut his reading time in half and spent more of it with you.

Asmo would spend less time out, and more time in your room, gossiping and having spa days.

You were a lot quieter than usual, and when you were home, you never left your room. You also spent a lot more time out with the members of Purgatory Hall, the residents of the castle, or with your other friends from RAD.

All of that was unusual, but things were especially off for the twins. You were avoiding Belphegor, which was disappointing, but not surprising.

You avoiding Beel was both.

He could definitely understand why Belphie wasn’t at the top of your hang-out list, but why were you shutting him out too?

Had he done something wrong too?

He wanted to find out.  

Nothing in his recent memory seemed bad enough for this level of tension between you two. He accidentally ate your yogurt the other day, but you assured him over and over again that it really wasn’t that big of a deal.

And now that he was thinking about it, that whole yogurt thing didn’t happen until after you were already acting strange.

Well, it doesn’t really matter what caused it, does it? The fact is, you were avoiding him, and he wanted to find out why so he can could go back to spending time with you.

 Finally outside your door, he faintly heard Lucifer’s voice. Sounded like he was assisting you with one of your latest homework assignments.

Hopefully you wouldn’t mind his interruption.

He knocked a few times.

“Who is it?” You called tentatively.

“It’s Beel.”

“Alright,” you answered, prompting him to come in.

As expected, you and Lucifer were seated at the large wooden desk in your room.

“We need to talk,” he informed you. He glanced at his older brother for a split second, then back to you. “Alone.”

Lucifer looked to you, a silent question. You rolled your eyes, waving your hand as if you were literally trying to brush off his concern.

Lucifer scoffed, gathering his papers. “Very well. I’ll be on my way. I’ll be in my study if you need me,” though that last comment was more directed towards you than Beel.

You realized Beel hadn’t moved from his position, so you moved from your desk to his bed. You scooted to one side, then patted the space next to you.

Beel sat down, though he was cautious not to sit too close to you. Not till he figured out what was wrong.

“So…what’s up?” You asked, giving him a slightly-off smile.

He figured it would be easiest to just come out and ask the question that’s been bothering him the past week. “Have you been avoiding me?”

There was a beat of silence, and your gaze fell to the floor.

“It’s…been a really weird week.” That much was true. Your circumstances were pretty much one of a kind. “There’s been…a lot happening.”

You fell into thought for a moment, then shook yourself out of it. You can’t dwell on…that for very long or you would fall apart it.

“Ahaha.” You let out the most unconvincing laugh, shaking your head. “Anyways, I’m sorry if I’ve been weird.”

“That’s the thing. It’s just me and Belphie-“ you visibly flinch at his name “-who…you’re acting weird with…is this about Belphie?”

The second he asked that, he felt stupid. Of course it was.

The look on your face shows that he hit the nail on the head. “It…it’s complicated,” you answered. Your smile was becoming faker by the second.

“Could you try?” he prompted.

You opened your mouth, then just a quickly closed it. You shook your head, the smile dropping off your face completely .

He didn’t know if this was better or worse.

He waited a moment as you tried to gather your thoughts.

“I know you’re happy Belphegor is back.” That wasn’t a question, that was a fact that both of you knew.

He nodded, encouraging you to continue.  

 “Which makes sense. He’s your brother, and…I don’t blame you for being excited about his return.” You paused. “But like…I just…can’t with him right now,” you said, unable to phrase it any better. “Honestly, I kind of wish I just left-“ You cut yourself off, cringing.  

“Left him up there?” He finished your sentence, though there was no judgement. Just understanding.

You looked..almost ashamed. “Yeah.” Your voice broke, but you continued. “And I know you’re excited he’s back, but I don’t want to…think about him, like, at all right now.”

Beel scooted closer to you, throwing an arm around your shoulder and pulling you towards him. “That’s fair.”

“You think so?” You sounded surprised.

He smiled sadly, though you couldn’t see it. “I love Belphie, but I love you too. And it makes me mad when people hurt people I love. Even if I love them too. If you’re mad at Belphie, that’s okay.”

“Mad doesn’t quite cover it,” You mumbled.

“How do you feel?” He asked.

“…honestly?” You asked.

He nodded. “Always.”

“Okay.” You paused. “I’m mad at him because he hurt me. I’m mad at myself because I was stupid enough to trust him. I’m… scared, because…I’m scared it’ll happen again. You’d think with the amount of times I’ve almost been killed would’ve gotten me used to it, but…nope,” you exhaled hard, a weak laugh at something that really wasn’t funny. “…I think the worst part is that I miss him.”

“You do?” Beel asked. “I know where he is, if you want to see him.”

Your response was instant, freezing up and clutching him tightly. “No, no, no, I don’t want to,” you repeated insistently.

This wasn’t what he was trying to do.

He immediately settled back on the bed. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” He pulled you with him so you two were cuddling against the pillows. “Maybe I misunderstood what you meant.”

You nodded, trying to slow your breathing. You hadn’t quite crossed the line to a full-on panic attack, so it wasn’t as hard as it could’ve been.

He rubbed your arm soothingly, and eventually your iron grip on his shirt ceased.

“I’m not making you see him if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t want,” you managed to gasp out after a second.

“Message received.” He flashed a thumbs up as double confirmation.

“Okay.”

There was another pause before you spoke again.

“What I meant was, I miss the version of him that I knew. I don’t even know how much of it was actually him, and how much of it was a façade.”

“I do,” Beel said, causing you to shoot him a questioning glance. “You know Belphie and I share a telepathy link, right?”

You nodded.

“That means I can tell when he’s lying.”

“Really?”

“Mhm. Is there anything you want to know?”

“Is he sorry?” Your reply was instant.

“He is,” he answered. “He’s…so sorry.” Beel could’ve told you for certain that the guilt ate his brother alive, but he didn’t want to guilt-trip you either. “He wants to apologize, but he’s not sure how he would even start. He’s not sure you’d even want him to.”

“Honestly, I don’t know either,” you admit.

“That’s okay,” Beel said. “He’s the one who’s in the wrong here. He can wait for an answer until you’re ready to give one.”

You nodded, grateful for his acceptance. “Thank you.”

Beel hesitated before he spoke again. “And honestly, if you ever do decide to talk to him, I’ll be there to support you. And only you. I’m on your side with this.” He tugged you closer, gently kissing your forehead.  

“That…that means a lot,” you said. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He kissed the top of your head. “Now…I hate to ruin the moment, but I’m starting to get a little hungry…” his stomach growled.

You giggled, wiping away the tears you didn't know had fallen. “Okay. Let’s go grab something to eat.”

“You’re okay with leaving your room?” He asked.

You looked a little unsure, but nodded anyways. “Promise to stay with me, though?”

“Of course.” Gently pushing you up, he sat up as well. “I’ll always stay with you. Now, come on. I want to eat some food with you.”

#obey me #obey me beelzebub #obey me beel #obey me mc #obey me lesson 16 #obey me angst #obey me comfort #obey me hurt/comfort #obey me beelzebub x mc #obey me beel x mc #Lucifer has a walk on role so he ain't getting tagged

[onestepbackwards]

Follow up to the ghost!reader idea dump, y/n getting revenge. Also I apologize beforehand if this sucks I'm not a writer

You pride yourself on being a friendly ghost; the worse you'll do is spook some depot agents or "bully" your favorite subway bosses, God forbid the station's staff decided to hire a exorcist and get rid of you.

But after all these months.. when you see HIM again. The one who, with your shared friends (acquaintances really), convinced you to go exploring the abandoned tunnels and ultimately got you killed. And then LIED about it.

It made you see red.

"Their idea", his quote in the newspaper said. Was having the walls and ceiling cave in on you all your idea? Did you want to aimlessly float for all of time? Sure being a spirit did have it's upsides but you wanted you life back!

At that moment you devised a plan. There's no guarantee that he'll ever ride the trains again after today so it must be done now. With help from some befriended ghost pokemon you cause a temporary power outage, just long enough to drag him away silently into the tunnels.

Far, far away from the other passengers... but not the cameras.

When the lights flicker back on he finds himself surrounded by ghosts. Gengers and gastlys all cry out as two transparent arms reach out of the shadows and grasp his legs, slowly pulling him closer and closer to the train tracks.

The tunnel shakes as a incoming train approaches. It's headlights illuminating the boy's look of horror. He's dragged closer still. Until his feet just reach the yellow caution line before he's let go and the train shoots by. He clambors to his feet and trembles having almost died.

Later the police are called and he's taken to the hospital for the deep claw marks along his calves. The security footage is reviewed by the twins and for the first time they wonder... maybe their friendly subway ghost isn't so friendly after all?

I’m glad you both enjoyed the ghost!reader content! I’m actually currently working on a part 2 to what I wrote on Jes’s blog @it-ezz-what-it-ezz (Great blog btw if you guys haven’t seen it. I highly recommend their content! It’s so good!) (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ) I planned on potentially writing more about these things, and even the friends who more or less caused reader’s death getting sweet karma. Though I dunno if it would be anytime soon. Though I do love how you added onto it! I love what you wrote, and your take on how reader would handle it! couldn’t write it better myself! Seriously, don’t sell yourself short on your writing skills! ヾ(•ω•`)o

Since reader is a ghost, I kinda wrote them to be passive, but when it came to their death, they were vengeful. I love the idea though of the Reader and ghost pokemon dragging one of the friends away, almost like in a horror movie, trying to have him crushed by a train. Reader may have saved Emmet’s life, not wanting an innocent person to share their fate. The seem to care about innocent folks, and protecting people... But in their eyes, those who abandoned them, and lied about it, more or less committed murder. They are not innocent. Ingo and Emmet I believe, would have an idea of what happened to you if you were close friends. You were a ghost, so you had obviously had died in some way. Both were horrified that someone had died in their subways, and want to make sure it wasn’t from an accident that could have been stopped. They are more horrified when they learn you were more or less killed. So if they see you dragging someone to a train, and the person barely makes it out with their life, it’s not hard to put two and two together. They had to be one of your murderers. They don’t condone killing, especially in their subway... But... They find it hard to be sympathetic when the guy cries about almost being killed. They ask you not to kill them. ...At least not on the main lines. I also love the idea of Ghost pokemon being Reader’s friends! It was something I was thinking of including later as well! I absolutely ADORE the idea of them playing with Reader, pulling pranks with them, and having a literal ball dance for fun in the tunnels! That is such a fun idea omg And I actually had written reader’s pokemon to still be alive! Though them being ghosts is an interesting take! I kinda imagined their pokeballs probably protected them! I wrote that they try to wander the station, eating scraps. The reader hates they can’t properly care for em, but the pokemon still demand to be by their side, even after all of this! Vowing that if they ever see anyone that hurt you, they would pay!

#pokemon #submas #ingo x reader #emmet x reader #submas x reader #pokemon x reader #subway boss ingo #subway boss emmet #ingo #emmet #ghost!reader #anon #ask #anons #zed.talks #long post

[rottenprincessshura100]

Chapter 135 recap, notes and theories Part 2

First off, we seem to go back in time and see Shiemi emerging from her training portal. Or is the Shiemihaza in the current battle just a decoy until she's ready? We will find out.

She is greeted by creepy Jeremiah and told that only a few hours have passed in this timeline. Meanwhile, Shiemi is a year and a half older now. She's different, no longer a sweet, innocent young girl. But a woman full of determination.

We then jump over to Satan regenerating, and he's finally got the look right. He's using all the powers of the Ba'al and Sol to pummel Mephisto's exorcist forces. These powers are all innate within him, as the demon kings are all the parts that are fragmented from Satan.

How would Mephisto's army ever have the power to defeat him?

Well, you'd need another Satan, or enough component parts of Gehenna to shut Satan down.

Luckily, Mephisto has worked hard over the last twenty years to breed the perfect soldier. That child is Rin. A boy with a loving human heart but with the blue flames of Satan. Rin is everything that a demon king wishes they could be. Demon kings hate humanity because they can never really be part of their world. Deep down, Satan doesn't think he's better; he thinks he's less. If he can't join humanity, he will kill them all. In demon language, he's still hurting from Yuri leaving him, and he's out for revenge.

Yet, Rin's DNA only inherited half of Satan's power, which wasn't nearly good enough.

Mephisto had to give baby Rin more cowbell to take on Satan (more importantly Lucifer), which involved lots of planning and demon temptaint passed on through familial DNA. (Mephisto, meanwhile, justifies his actions to Lucifer and Satan...saying that he's making Satan a new body.)

Here's how Mephisto did it.

Bullshit Theory Time..

Amaimon made a kid....by accident. While in close contact with Shemihaza as her servant. Amaimon wrecked his human body somehow and tried to possess Shemihaza. Shemihaza must have been already pregnant by another man, which I'm guessing was an (Armumahel descendent) Amaimon corrupted her offspring accidentally. Shiemihaza gives birth to twins. One twin was Yuri Egin, inheriting earth and creation powers. And another child was born that had no powers. (The second child was a pipe-smoking woman at the exorcist shop)

A young Yuri Egin is hidden from the Uzai by exorcists in deep cover (posing as homeless people). The child attracts Satan's ego from Gehenna, forming a relationship. Yuri spends so much time with Satan that his temptaint rubs off on her. She is strangely immune to his blue flames, and his power protects her instead of harming her. (to recap, Yuri now has inherited power from Satan, Amaimon, Shemihaza, and Armumahel.)

Yuri falls in love with Shiro Fujimoto, who is an Azazel clone, and she gets pregnant. Shiro is in a demon contract with Mephisto Pheles and powered up by Mephisto's temptaint. Shiro, therefore, passes on Samael's DNA to his kids.

Yuri gives birth to two children. Rin inherits demon powers and has the power of Satan, Samael, Azazel, Shemihaza and Amaimon. Yukio is born with no powers but takes on the Armumahel DNA from his mother and is immune to all forms of demon flame, including Satan's blue flame. He inherits Satan's protection as well, exactly like Yuri.

Mephisto has built Rin to be the perfect soldier to attack Satan. He has also made a fetter for both Rin and Satan, and that's Yukio. Yukio can't be harmed by either of them. and will (somehow) be the person that binds their powers.

Oh....so that also makes Rin the direct Shemihaza descendent. Shiemi was made after the fact. She's a clone made in section 13, maybe from the DNA of the actual goddess. So guess what, guys! We have two Shemihazas!

Moving on to some other odd things.

Mephisto is asleep. What does Mephisto do when he's sleeping? Is he resting or leaving his body and going somewhere else?

Mephisto is the smartest demon king and doesn't tax his human vessel. He gives his power to others to do the dirty work for him....or does he?

What if Mephisto just jumps bodies and lets other bodies take the strain on his behalf? What if he actually did the work himself? It's not like they would entirely remember. To the host, it would seem like a moment of missing time or perhaps, a somewhat lucid dream.

I think Mephisto has been "body jumping" this entire battle (this entire manga, actually), playing different characters to move people around his chess board.

Mephisto possesses Shura the night of the Christmas party. She tells Rin and Yukio about their mother. This sends Yukio into an emotional tailspin, and he joins the Illuminati. It also convinces Rin to go back in time and see his birth.

Shiro loves Yuri but won't sleep with her. Mephisto manipulates Shiro and makes it happen. Shiro doesn't even remember it.

At the beginning of the final battle, Mephisto uses Shura again to get Yukio to lead the sniper team.

As Shura, Mephisto mocks Yukio during his apology.

In chapter 135, he's Neuhaus...it's all in that eye. The use of the "How-ever...." Mephisto was trying to get Yukio to realize that revenge clouds his decision-making. He doesn't want Yukio to make the same mistakes as Satan.

Mephisto isn't sleeping....he's been busy.

#blue exoricist #mephisto pheles #shura kirigakure #rin okumura #amaimon #ao no exorcist #shiro fujimoto #satan

[an-abyss-of-stars]

More Rhaemond babies content!!

The Many Faces Of:

Daemion Targaryen & Aelyx Targaryen

Daemion and Aelyx are the second and third born children of Rhaena and Aemond (these babies will probably join us around chapters 12 or 13, maybe sooner or later). Twin boys who were born 4 minutes apart from one another...Aelyx was a tad bit unexpected. Daemion's eyes are a bit more of a "classic Targaryen" violet, in my canon he literally inherited his namesake, grandpappy Daemon's violet eyes. While Aelyx inherited his mama's pale violet eyes. They were both born with golden blonde hair that would pale over time, but would still remain golden. Facially they are very identical, but they do have their slight differences (I'm thinking they both look more like a perfect mix of both Rhaena and Aemond, like neither favour either parent more or less than the other.)

Daemion (named after his grandpa Daemon, how Rhaena convinced Aemond to let her name one of their kids after her father is a plot line that WILL be shown 😂) was always the more chaotic of the two. He was louder, bolder and far more sociable (slight parallel to how Baela is compared to Rhaena!). As much as he loved pulling pranks on the staff at Dragonstone he also liked befriending the staff as well. He was a little charmer, and unlike Vaella he knew how to genuinely charm people to get what he wanted.

He had a very active imagination and always had energy to burn, though unlike his father or his elder sister, he didn't have the patience to sit and focus on things. He loved hearing about his family's history, he just couldn't be asked to sit and study it. He liked fooling around with swords and weapons, but he couldn't be asked to truly pay attention and train properly (I imagine he's got medieval ADHD to a certain degree)

Daemion loves his twin brother a lot and he's always done his best to make sure Aelyx felt included in his adventures. But Daemion also really loves and looks up to his older sister, she seemed invincible to him and he wanted to be just like her. Whether she was pulling off an incredible prank, flying his dragon for the first time, learning something he wasn't supposed to be taught just yet...he always wanted to do what she was doing.

Aelyx on the other hand was the complete opposite. He was a lot quieter, a bit more awkward and soft spoken, and was not really fond of social situations. When he was a toddler, he would run crying to his mama for every little thing, she was his favourite person and she always made him feel safe. During a time when she wasn't available (NOT SPOILING THIS PLOTLINE), Aelyx had found himself needing his papa instead, and Aemond easily decided to clear his day to bond with his quiet son.

Aelyx liked reading on his own or being read to by his parents, he could often be found in the library with his nose tucked in a book. He liked snuggling with his mama, and he liked listening to Vaella's dramatic tales and storytelling. He liked conversing with his papa in Valyrian and properly training with him in the mornings with Vaella, he especially liked sitting on his grandpappy's lap and listening to his old battle stories (he and Daemion usually did that together!).

But he also loved his twin brother Daemion over all else, he wasn't the biggest fan of pranks or shenanigans, but he enjoyed tagging along with his two older siblings. Whether they were pranking the maids or servants, sneaking around cooks to steal sweets, or attempting to sneak past the dragon-keepers or trying to get closer to the dragon mount. Aelyx may never have initiated any these endeavours but he'd happily let Daemion drag him along for them.

Daemion's dragon egg would hatch in his crib, the egg itself had been from a clutch of Syrax and Caraxes (his favourite dragon was his grandpappy's Caraxes). He'd name his dragon Meraxes both after the Goddess of the sky, but also because in their culture she'd been Caraxes' twin and he was very fond of that. Aemond would later jest and try to sway his son to maybe appreciate the history of how Meraxes was also the great Queen Rhaenys' former mount, and while Daemion did like that, he was very fond of Rhaenys from the histories, Rhaena knew having a dragon who was the hatchling of his grandfather's is what meant the most to their son.

Meraxes takes after her mother, in that she's a glorious horned dragoness, a deep burgundy toned red that shimmers iridescent in the sunlight and moonlight. with golden horns.

When Daemion is 8yrs of age and Meraxes had grown to a ride-able size he sneaked off with Vaella to ride their respective dragons (I think Vaella will claim Grey Ghost, I think I've decided! Let's say she claimed him when she was around 7 or 8 herself.) Rhaena was more worried than upset, but she's reminded by Aemond how Vaella had done the same just a few years ago. But seeing how he can't simply let the kids off completely, they both earn two sessions of early morning training as their punishment (a punishment that's really only upsetting to Daemion because Vaella loves training...she doesn't like waking up early though, so maybe that's the punishment part.)

Aelyx's dragon egg on the other hand, while it had hatched in his crib like his brother's...the poor hatchling had not lived long enough to bond with baby Aelyx. He'd receive another egg when he's 2 or 3, from a clutch from Silverwing and Vermithor, but the egg would never hatch. Even though he'd be assured by his ENTIRE family, his parents, his grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins, and even his old sister, that he'd be able to claim a dragon when the time was right...he still felt excluded and upset about it.

In all his years he'd go on countless rides with his father and siblings (and others family members!), but finally at the age of 16, he'd sneak out alone. He felt a call to him, deep in the volcanic mounts of Dragonstone, and there he found Sheepstealer, and a bond would be made.

The moment he claimed his dragon, he flew to King's Landing first, beaming with excitement he wanted his grandfather to be the first to know. And of course, Daemon was very proud. (He also figured he'd earn a lecture and a punishment from his parents for sneaking into the very dangerous volcanic mounts of Dragonstone by himself at night...so grandpa Daemon seemed the best bet at the time!)

Daemion would grow to be a very blatant charming flirt. Vaella, Aelyx, and their three younger siblings would always make fun of him for it. Because he was truly a charmer, he'd never force any girl, he had impeccable manners, but he'd end up with loads of young maids hoping and thinking that he felt more them, than he actually did. It only got worse when courting seasons began, and young women began falling for him left and right! Between the ages of 17 - 22, Daemion was a menace leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him in his wake.

That is until a certain cousin/fellow Targaryen caught his eye (I'm thinking possibly one of Baela's and Jace's daughters, OR Luke and Daenaera's OR maybe even Jaehaera...ouuu older woman kink. Either way, Daemion seems VERY Targ cultured to me, like accidentally so very. He's his father's son, in that he's going for a Valyrian bride at the end of the day! 😂)

By the time he's grown into a young man, he is a relatively skilled sword fighter, though he's far better with a morningstar or an axe than a sword. He and Meraxes are an inseparable bond and he's a great dragon rider. Daemon loves annoying Aemond by that praising his namesake grandson only grew up so well because of his name (grown men Aemond and Daemon still 100% act like children with eachother and I think that's part of their father-in-law/son-in-law charm!)

Aelyx had also grown to become a handsome young man (he doesn't know it or get it, but the noble girls of the Kingdom are very attracted to him...even some of the noblemen, the sexually fluid noblemen of Westeros are very attracted to both twins honestly), but he'd always remain a far more silent brooding type (much like his father). As he'd gotten older, he'd actually gravitate towards his father a lot, spending countless hours flying and training with him, as well speaking of histories and conversing in Valyrian. As he got older he'd spar with Vaella (and another sibling!) a lot, the two being the best sword fighters of all the children (debatable as there are some other kids coming who are quite good too! But I still think Vaella and Aelyx are the technical best).

Aelyx would also grow to be his younger siblings favourite tutor, when they weren't taking lessons with their maesters, they always wanted Aelyx to read to them because he always had the most patience compared to Vaella or Daemion.

When courting seasons begin, he's not as fond of it as Daemion (and another sibling!) is. He keeps to the edge of the dance floor with Vaella (he hates the social outings themselves, while Vaella could just care less for dances or court etiquette, she's well versed in both...she just doesn't care for them. He's also well versed in both, he just has anxiety and hates the attention/feeling crowded) but they're both always constantly asked to dance by noblemen and noblewomen.

I think Aelyx marries a tad bit outside the family, maybe still Valyrian -esque features wise but maybe like a Celtigar girl or someone from Lys or Volantis. Maybe a Velaryon cousin! Or maybe truly outside the family, like a Stark or Lannister, Tully or Grejoy, Baratheon...who knows! Aelyx is a bit of a wild card to me ✨

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Just like with Vaella's, this was just a fun little addition I wanted to share! I have created the art for ALL 6 children, every once in awhile I'll drop their little life bios as fun little bonus content! I'm also going to start linking them together at the bottom of these posts for convenience and or anyone who later on wants to check the full set!

Sidenote: if I ever do make that Part 3 to this series, then don't mind me if some of these details change when I do get to writing it. These are just my main initial thoughts for these characters now. But if I ever go into more depth with them, things might alter just a tad!

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Rhaemond kids in order:

Vaella Targaryen (135 AC), Daemion Targaryen & Aelyx Targaryen (137 AC), Valaena Targaryen (138 AC), Naerys Targaryen (139 AC), baby #6 & #7 (142 AC), baby #8 & #9 (153 AC)

#aemond x rhaena #rhaena x aemond #rhaena targaryen #aemond targaryen #rhaemond #hotd fic #hotd fanfic #rhaemond kids #he saw her at daybreak #HSHAD #y'all I'm on a minor hiatus so this is my sprinkling of content for the week!! #I'm actually working on a Rhaemond one-shot at the moment to try and like detach my mind from my current fics #so I can head back to them with a clearer head #with some actual ideas and INSPIRATION! LMAO #anywayssss the twins are so fun!! they're chaotic and I love them!! #I also love how Daemion and Vaella are actually the chaotic pair #Aelyx has been and continues to mind his own business! #hope this was a fun addition/aside!!