#huedhaut x reader

[fateinthestars]

Hello! Gathered the courage to put in a prompt for fic - completely up to you if you'll take it :D Yesterday I had dream (sign I should take a break lol) about SCM: I woke up in Hue's room. Everything looked like I was transported from real world to anime/genshin like graphic world. I instantly recognized my surroundings and launched myself from the bed to the pool ont he floor. I needed to check out how I looked and sure enough, my features changed like under anime filter. So the prompt: Isekai'd reader, who played the game before and basically both Clotho and game MC are her avatars, extension of herself in the game world. How would Hue take this revelation that MC is gone, replaced by the puppeter, who is essentially the blend of the two women he loved and at the same time not quite so? Because whilist the reader's feelings towards Hue were and are real, the reader couldn't excatly regulate the actions and speech of the in game avatars (Clotho and MC) and therefore reader's personality is bit different. Really... I just wish to see his reaction to bookworm and quite sarcastic reader 😂

I think I've finally got something for this. Hopefully it's what you had in mind and you'll enjoy. 😅 To anyone else considering reading this: Yes, this fic is very meta. Hopefully it works though! (I'm torn over whether to put this one on AO3 😂 )

Title: Sarcastic Smiles

Fandom: Star-Crossed Myth

Pairing: Huedhaut/Reader (isekai'd into MC's body from our universe)

Main Characters: Huedhaut, Reader

Minor Characters: Ichthys, Teorus, Karno, Scorpio, Leon, Zyglavis

Rating: T

Genre: Isekai, um I dunno how else to tag this... rediscovering relationship?

Word Count: 2,961

Summary: You wake up one morning to find you are in a bedroom you thought only existed in your favourite otome game, only to find you are now inhibiting the character you have been controlling in said game. How will Huedhaut react to his Main Character no longer being the human he fell in love with, but still with knowledge of their relationship?

A/N : Spoilers for Huedhaut's path.

Sarcastic Smiles

Turning over in the bed with a groan, you blinked a few times as you blearily opened your eyes. This wasn’t your bedroom. It didn’t even look like the real world. Sitting up, you rubbed your eyes a little in an attempt to clear them. Whilst you had been playing your favourite otome game late the night before, this seemed far too real to just be a dream.

However, it was then that you realised whose bed you were in and you quickly stumbled to your feet, almost tripping over as you knelt down beside the pool in the middle of Huedhaut’s room. Looking into the water you froze. Swallowing hard, you tried to calm down as you reached up and brushed your hair back a little… or should that be the hair of the character you usually played in the game? Looking closer, you shook your head slightly. No, that wasn’t quite right - the features were shifting ever so slightly. This wasn’t just the main character of Star Crossed Myth’s features, it was also those of Clotho’s.

Well, you supposed that made a little sense considering which God’s bedroom you had woken up in. Wait… nothing about this makes any sense! You quickly snapped out of your investigation, instead pinching yourself hard. Nothing changed except now your arm hurt. You’d watched plenty of isekai anime so this phenomenon wasn’t entirely new to you, but if you ever imagined it was actually possible, let alone that it would happen to you of all people, well… “So this really isn’t a dream…”

“I should hope not. I rather hope if you were dreaming of my room, I would actually be here with you. Or do you find my room more interesting than myself?”

Your breath hitched. Even though the game only had a few voice acted stories, you immediately knew who was talking to you. Even if you had not recognised his voice or simply assumed that it was him due to this being his room, his wording laced with his usual sarcasm was more than enough. Speaking of which…

Smirking briefly to yourself, you turned round to face the God of Aquarius, before responding just as sarcastically, “Yes, I thought maybe I was dreaming of your room so I could look at all these books without you interrupting me.”

Huedhaut initially flinched, briefly making you wonder whether you’d pushed that too far, but then he knelt down beside you, looking into your eyes with a thoughtful look. “Trying to beat me at being sarcastic? You’re probably a million years too late for that,” he teased, smirking as he reached a hand out to brush your hair back.

As you were about to retort back to that, determined to get the upper hand on him for once now you could use your own words, you suddenly realised he had stopped short of touching your hair, his deep blue eyes wide with shock. “Hue?” You tried softly. Had the other noticed that you weren’t quite who he was used to?

“... Clotho? But… how…” he muttered, glancing down at the floor, clearly in distress. “Was that why you thought you were dreaming, do you remember what you did…” he muttered to himself.

You grimaced. Clearly it hadn’t just been the water showing you that you could be either of the game’s avatars because you were in Huedhaut’s route - it was because you hadn’t got full control over which you were outwardly showing. Now you had upset the other. You knew from the game that the other didn’t want Clotho back. He was in love with the Main Character and that was in the past. You frowned at that point, realising you didn’t know where exactly in the game’s timeline you had been deposited. However you then looked back at Huedhaut, swallowing hard as you watched a mixture of emotions actually go across his usually poker-faced expression for once. What had already happened didn’t matter right now, what you needed was to say something to reassure Huedhaut. “Hue, I’m not Clotho.”

Huedhaut looked sharply back up at that comment. He frowned as he looked at you once more. “... Well now you look more like yourself, but…” He sighed heavily. “Did Ichthys make you look like your previous self? If he did then he’s gone too far this time…”

It was almost tempting to pretend that that was what had happened, but you also knew that you probably still didn’t have a handle on who exactly you were presenting as to him. “No, it’s a bit more complicated than that…”

“If this is that Godforsaken’s King doing, I might -”

As a flash of anger flickered in the other’s eyes, you quickly leant forward and grabbed his hands in your own. “Hue. This is not related to the others. I…” where did you even start with explaining? “I’m not either of the women you think.”

Huedhaut let go of your hands and got to his feet. He looked at you with a frown. “If this is payback for all the teasing…”

Quickly, you stood up as well. “... This is not even my own world. From my point of view, you are just a character in a video game.”

The other looked at you, initially smirking as he went to retort to that, but then he seemed to realise that you were near tears. Quickly he moved back to your side. He sighed heavily. “You are being serious.”

“I’m sorry. I really don’t know how this happened… but know that I know you… please don’t tell me to leave…”

Huedhaut hesitantly wrapped his arms around you. “That is the last thing that I should do right now. You say that you are aware of this world, but the more people who see you like this, the more questions you will face. I need to find a way to fix this and get you home…”

“And get her back?” You muttered, your voice cracking a little.

“...” Huedhaut looked down.

“I do not think either will be possible… unless this is different to the shows I’ve watched in my world, being isekai’d is a one way process.” 

The other didn’t respond to that, instead starting to look through his books at a rapid pace, reminding you of a certain special story when the main character had briefly ended up with powers.

That, however, gave you an idea. If you were controlling both the Main Character and Clotho then did that mean you could use them? About to raise your hand and try, Huedhaut suddenly looked sharply back at you. You stepped back a little at the gaze he was giving you. 

“Maybe I should call one of the others after all,” he muttered, now regarding you suspiciously.

It was then that you noticed the book still in his hands appeared to be details of the under-realm. Well you could hardly blame him for being suspicious. “I’d never want to hurt you!” You snapped, your breathing a little strained. “Will you please hear me out some more?”

The other nodded and hesitantly sat down with you on the edge of the bed. It was at this point you felt overwhelming relief that it was Huedhaut’s main character you had changed into, with some of the others you’d either be in immediate severe trouble with or you’d never be able to explain this. 

“So… according to you I am a character in a game?”

“Uh huh,” you responded, before taking a deep breath. You then motioned to the body you were now inhibiting with your hands. “And I… I mean she… um… I mean the human you are in love with was controlled by me.”

Huedhaut glanced away for a moment, seemingly still trying to take this all in. “If you were controlling her as you believe in your world would you not be able to form her responses better than this? Perhaps I would never have noticed…”

You shook your head, impulsively grabbing his hands. “But you already did notice, Hue,” you reminded him. “Because parts of the game exist where the human was Clotho, I’m not appearing as just one of the two to you. Besides…”

“Besides?” Huedhaut asked, finally looking back up at you.

“In the game the input was limited to one of three replies.” This time you averted your own gaze. “There… there is so much I would like to say to you.”

A stifling silence fell over the room after that. Just when you were starting to worry that perhaps you had pushed your explanation too far, you felt strong arms wrapping tightly around you accompanied by a loud sigh from your companion.

“You are always causing me so much trouble,” he muttered.

“Hue?”

He looked thoughtfully at you. “Do you remember everything about our time together?”

“I… that rather depends whether it was covered in the game or not,” you muttered awkwardly. “I haven’t actually pinpointed where exactly in the timeline we are right now.”

Huedhaut managed a tired and rather exasperated smile. “I suggest you look at your hand.”

Doing so, your breath hitched as you saw the ring from the fountain of love. “Oh. We’re already married…” you pulled a face.

“Is that a problem?”

“N-no,” you quickly reassured him. “At least, not from my end. It’s just… if we were before that…” you trailed off. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry, Hue, this must be hard for you…”

The other actually seemed calmer now then when you had first started to explain. “Hard for me? From the sound of things you thought that this was a fictional world. That sounds far more alarming.”

“But… what now?”

Huedhaut frowned. “Now that is a good question. I feel like we need to try to get to know one another again before that can have a coherent answer. Even if you were the one sometimes inputting her answers, you still are not quite the person I fell in love with. Just asking you to tell me everything you remember right now though I think would be embarrassing and awkward for the both of us…” his expression changed into a smirk. “Unless you want to talk about yourself at length?”

“Hue!” You snapped.

Chuckling briefly, Huedhaut then sighed softly. He got back to his feet. “Before we do anything else I should probably see whether there’s a way to make sure you appear exactly as before to the other Gods. This might be a little over some of their heads. There’s no need to make things more complicated unless we absolutely have to.”

***

Later that day you were in the mansion living room with Huedhaut, the other having stabilised your outward appearance for now. 

“Hey! Still here today, huh?” Ichthys asked happily, as he came into the living room.

“No, I have gone home,” You replied with a smirk.

Ichthys’ eyes widened momentarily, it initially not clicking, but then when he realised what you were doing he snapped out of it and instead frowned at Huedhaut. “Have you been giving her lessons in sarcasm? That was weird…”

“Yes, we have spent all day perfecting this just in case you turned up. That would be a great use of our time,” Huedhaut responded with a smirk of his own. He shared a glance with you.

“...” Ichthys grimaced and ran over to Teorus who had just returned from the Heavens. “Teo! Could we have a straight conversation please?”

Teorus looked over to you both. “Hue, are you winding Ikky up again?”

“When would I ever do that?” Huedhaut asked. 

“... You’re in a good mood,” Karno muttered as he joined the commotion, feeling a little perplexed at the current state of things.

Huedhaut faltered at that point. He glanced down. “... Not quite…” he muttered to himself. 

Reaching over, you squeezed his hand briefly, trying to remind him not to act in a way that the others might find suspicious but also trying to reassure him that things would somehow work out.

“What's all this damn commotion about?! Tch… I see, it's mostly you pain in the ass Wishes Gods here…”

“O ho? Do you have a problem, Scorpion?” Leon added as he headed into the living room just behind the Vice Minister of Punishments. “Judging by who is present, if there's any comotion I suspect that fish is to blame.”

Ichthys stepped back behind Teorus, his eyes wide. “I've not done anything! She and Hue are the ones acting strangely!”

“That's quite enough from all of you,” came a firm voice from the doorway.

Everything became eerily quiet and you tensed a little as you looked towards Zyglavis. 

Huedhaut seemed to recognise that you were on edge now. He shifted closer to you on the sofa so that your shoulders were touching but not in a noticeable way to the others.

The Minister of Punishments glanced at you briefly but did not say a word. Instead he looked over to Leon who was shooting a glare and a scowl in his direction. “Is there a problem?”

“I won't have you telling me what to do, Minister Ponytail,” Leon snapped back. “Instead of telling all of us to be quiet as though you own the place, perhaps you should talk to your Vice Minister and that Prankster Fish!”

You shared a glance with Huedhaut as Zyglavis stormed over to Leon and the other nodded. Standing up you both went to leave the living room before things got any more chaotic.

“Going somewhere a little quieter? Can't say I blame you,” Karno murmured softly so the others didn't hear, having noticed you trying to slip away. He glanced at Huedhaut thoughtfully. “If I was wrong about you being in a good mood earlier… is everything alright? Nothing I should know about?”

“We're fine,” Huedhaut responded firmly before you could do so yourself. 

“Well then, enjoy the rest of your evening. I suppose I best see whether I can placate Leo before we have a real problem on our hands.”

Huedhaut shared a sympathetic glance with the other before inclining his head in way of thanks. He led you away from the room a little, before snapping his fingers.

Appearing in the oddly familiar yet never seen in real life before apartment, you glanced around and took a deep breath before looking back at the other. “Why are we here?”

“I think that is more than enough of the other Gods for your first time here in person,” Huedhaut muttered. “We are much less likely to be disturbed here than if we stay anywhere in the mansion. Besides, I think that was enough data to tell that the spell I used is masking your appearance back to how it was for the others.”

You nodded and tried to relax. “Yes, if Zyglavis didn't notice I guess we won't have to worry about questions for a bit.”

Huedhaut pulled your sleeve gently and got you to sit down on the edge of the bed with him. He smiled softly at you. “Zyglavis turning up gave me more information than that.”

“What do you mean?”

“You became extremely tense when seeing him. I suspect some of that is because you suspected he would be the most likely to see through the mask, and I believe you are correct in that assumption. However, to know that you would have to be familiar with all of us, and… well…”

“Hue?” You asked softly, taking his hands once more as the other averted his gaze.

He hesitantly looked back up after a few moments. “Forgive me. I fear there was a part of me that was still uncertain whether what you claimed happened to you was entirely factual, of if not that at least concern that your memory might not be there at all or even incorrect…” he sighed softly, forcing a tender smile at you as he held your hands tightly. “However, when you saw Zyglavis I knew in an instant that you knew how he'd tried to destroy you in the past. I know now that even if our memories are not quite the same, we can probably get back on the same page.”

You forced an uneasy smile at him. “Don't apologise, I'm sure today has been a lot, even for you.”

“Yes, it has,” Huedhaut agreed with a taunting smirk, his deep blue eyes glinting from the sunset visible from the balcony window. “So, what are you going to do to make it up to me?”

Taking a deep breath, you hesitated for a moment, worried that you could push things too far. However, remembering his admission that he genuinely believed everything you had said, you wrapped your arms around him before pulling him into a brief kiss.

When you parted, Huedhaut reached a hand up to your face and brushed your hair back. “Well, if that is how a short kiss from you feels, I rather hope you do indeed have knowledge of our relationship, otherwise it may become rather too intense down the line…”

You rolled your eyes at his familiar smirk, and smirked back yourself. “Really? I thought I was restraining myself…”

“!!!” Huedhaut's eyes widened briefly, then he averted his gaze, flushing bright red. “Comments like that are against the rules,” he grumbled, but then looked back up at you with a genuine, caring, smile. “As by your own admission you aren't who I was expecting, I cannot say that I love you, yet, but rediscovering each other and reminiscing over old memories may not be such a bad thing.” Wrapping his arms around you he hugged you tightly to him. “I just hope you can be patient with me.”

“However long it takes, Hue. I'm not going anywhere.”

#star crossed myth fanfic #scm fanfic #scm #star crossed myth #scm huedhaut #huedhaut x reader #huedhaut x reader (isekai'd as mc) #scm ichthys #scm teorus #scm karno #scm scorpio #scm leon #scm zyglavis

[mairablue]

hiiii, hope you're doing well! Could you possibly do a huedhaut fluff story with mc?

SCM - Department of Wishes

HUEDHAUT ♒ - One and only

A/N: I am not that happy, with how it turned out. And i went a bit off topic, I apologize. But i hope that you like it. 😊

You were facing the open window from a chair. Huedhaut was holding a cup of tea while sitting next to you on a chair.

"How are you feeling (name) ?" He pressed his hand to your forehead and asked. " I feel better now." you said.

" ( Name ), are you worried about something? " he asked in a gentle tone.

You turned towards him and said, " I am worried about my life, my future. At this point, do i even have a future ? " you said.

" Huedhaut, I'm stressed out. I feel as though I'm not using my potential. I'm not doing anything to reach my objectives." You lowered your head and said.

He rubbed your back soothingly and said, " ( Name), look at that Mango tree. The pink leaves are beginning to appear, the flowers will soon follow. Then during the rainy season , some of the flowers will fall off and some will remain. The temperature will rise, seasons will change. Everything changes with time ( name )."

" Huedhaut?" you said looking at him. " Yes my dear, you are going to be fine. You don't need to worry about your future."

You laid your head on his chest as he gently hugged you. " Talking to you always makes me feel better." you mumbled.

" I will always be there for you". He said placing a kiss on top of your head.

#star crossed myth #scm fic #fic scm #scm huedhaut #huedhaut #huedhaut x reader #scm scorpio #scm aigonorus #scm dui #scm ichthys #scm karno #scm krioff #scm partheno #scm tauxolouve #scm leon #scm teorus #scm zyglavis

[acefaun]

Yandere Huedhaut

Synopsis: Huedhaut is probably the least suspecting yandere—as should be from the smartest man in the Heavens. He plans and he plots, but no one would ever suspect him to be a puppet master, cleverly pulling all the strings.

🩸Yandere Masterlist🩸 Female Goldfish! Warnings: Gore, Minor Character Death, manipulation, etc.

A/n:  I got suddenly interested in Yandere Huedhaut because of the fact that he'd be so unnoticeably manipulative. And then… I went overboard with a murder mystery and I really wanted to add a wild plot twist(one that I wrote, and then forgot about, and then surprised myself with like half a year later.) I definitely went overboard with Yan Hue. 🫣 Read at your own discretion.  It’s one of my longest one-shots. So I’ll just add a link to the AO3 while I’m here. 

–Word Count: 19,954–

It wasn't entirely fair. Was it? To fall hopelessly in love and then be torn apart by fate. It was insulting and even more infuriating to have reminders of that time. To have the love of your life before you but be unable to have her and be unable to do anything about it. To watch her fawn over every other man that wasn't you.

Life just wasn't fair and I only felt that pain from a distance. Huedhaut never explained to me just what we used to be back when I was a goddess. He always seemed pained in my presence yet he always wanted to be around me when I wasn't working and when he wasn't busy with work from Leon or Karno.

After I was officially safe from the dark king and I had thanked Zyglavis for protecting me, things went back to normal between me and the gods. I was happy with how close I was between the Punishments gods and the Wishes gods, particularly Huedhaut whose company I found soothing. Though, I admit I openly fawned over him and continuously hovered around him simply because I was denying my childish crush on the strong and silent Krioff. But if I had to give Huedhaut any sort of label, I'd definitely call him my best friend. He had been looking out for me since he first laid eyes on me that night those six gods showed up in my apartment.

I hummed happily, my quiet melody the only noise in the hall as I carried my pillow and blanket through the gods’ mansion. I could only imagine how at peace Huedhuat must have been without the racket of the other gods.

“Hey, goldie!” I turned, catching Teorus’ gaze as he caught up with me, matching my pace. “You don’t usually come by this late in the evening. Whatcha doing?”

Walking side by side with the god of Taurus, I guestimated that he was following me to get to his room. I grinned in excitement as I gushed, “I'm staying over with Hue tonight! We're going to be reading books and stuff. It's going to be really fun.”

Teorus tilted his head, but his smile didn't lessen at seeing how happy I was. “I didn't know you liked that kind of thing. I guess I shouldn’t let you keep Hue waiting then if I want to avoid his wrath…” He waved me off as he continued on down the hall to go into his room. “Have fun!”

“Will do! Thanks, Teo!” Mindlessly caught on my conversation with Teorus, I happily slipped into Huedhaut's room, eager for our evening together. It wasn’t like I had to bathe, change into night clothes, or anything since I was already wearing my comfortable pajamas. All I had to do was climb into bed and enjoy a relaxing night with my best friend. “Huuuuue!” 

“One minute.”

I nearly dropped my pillow when I realized he was very naked and just getting out of the pool in his room. My face heated up uncomfortably and I quickly averted my gaze, covering my eyes with my hands. My voice came out shakily as I attempted to scold him, “Y- You could have told me you were... not wearing clothes! Gah! Seriously!”

Faintly, he whispered, “Your reactions are so adorable... I want to be the only one to see you blush like that…” A snap echoed and I cautiously brought my gaze up, finding Huedhaut in his normal Department of Wishes clothes. He greeted me with a smile as if nothing had happened since I carelessly walked into his room. “I’m glad you could come.”

“Y- Yeah!” I quickly shook myself out of my embarrassing thoughts, trying to actively wipe the memory of his shirtless torso out of my mind. “I was super excited to be able to come spend the night. Usually you’re so busy with work.” 

“Of course, I’m always willing to make time for you.” Smiling tenderly, he gestured to his bed. “Get comfortable. I'll grab a book and join you.”

I kicked off my shoes before eagerly climbing onto the bed. Setting my fluffy pillow on top of those that were already there, I pulled back his blankets, plowing into the soft pile of pillows as I made myself comfortable. Cuddling up with my blanket around me to shield me from the cold room, I asked, “Got any interesting suggestions for me?”

Huedhaut smirked as he joined me in bed, pulling me up close beside him as he reclined against the pillows I’d fixed. “I was planning on reading to you tonight. Would you like that?” I nodded eagerly, planting myself on his lap, per his invitation, with his arms wrapped around me and his chin resting atop my head. Things seemed to grow quiet as his hands rested on my sides for just a moment too long and he commented quietly, “I could stay with you like this forever.”

“H- Hue?” What was he saying? Geesh. He didn't have to get all cute like that. What was his deal? Making me blush like that. He was almost as bad as the other gods that liked to tease me. Well, in private, Huedhaut was honestly worse than the other gods sometimes. Curse him and his desire to get reactions out of me for every little thing. 

He nuzzled his nose into my hair as he grabbed the book from beside me. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do with you sometimes.” His breathy chuckle blew my hair into my face, but he brushed it away so I could watch as he opened the book in front of us and began to read with me following along. Again, he acted like he did absolutely nothing as we enjoyed a calm night together.

***

I liked Huedhaut and I was sure he was my best friend for more reasons than simply because we were an ideal couple back when I was a Goddess. His company was different from the other gods. He was always so considerate, even when he was joking around. His sarcasm was on the perfect level to make me smile, even when he was clearly saying something offensive. But he was the smartest man in the Heavens for a reason. He always knew what to say and what to do.

But occasionally he was in the Heavens when I had free time on Earth. Such was the case as I was playing games in the living room with Ichthys, Teorus, and Dui. I jumped in alarm at the rate I was losing to Ichthys. “Hey! That isn’t fair! I’m a human! You gotta take it easy on me!”

Ichthys grinned, waving his cards around in glee. “You just made that rule up because you’re losing and don’t want to do a truth or dare.” Dui nodded in agreement with an amused smile. That wasn’t fair! I was sure Dui was on my side…

“Pfft.” I openly glared at Ichthys, “You act like me picking a dare from you is an option. You’d just make me do something to get Zyglavis angry and I don’t have a death wish.”

Ichthys slammed his winning card on top of mine with a joyous grin. “I win! Now, time to answer the truuuuuth!” Turning to Teorus he whispered in his ear. Teorus seemed to take a moment to think before whispering back. I glared at them with intense skepticism. Even Dui seemed the slightest bit curious over what they were planning on asking me. Their faces told me it was going to be extremely personal. Ichthys then finally turned back to me, both gods holding malicious grins as Ichthys requested, “Tell us who you have a crush on.”

My breath caught in my throat, my eyes briefly flickering to the white haired god that sat only a few feet away on the opposite sofa. Krioff was doing his work but he wasn’t deaf. Immediately, I was left glaring at Ichthys. “You can't be serious! What are you, five?” It might not have been that bad if the source of our conversation weren’t nearby. Sure, he seemed like he wasn't listening, but I knew he heard every single thing that was going on between us. “Absolutely not! Geez!”

“That isn't how you play the game!” Ichthys stuck his tongue out teasingly. He would get me to say it before this round was over.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed,” Teorus reassured with his princely smile. “You can tell us if it’s me. I don’t mind if you love me as much as I love you.”

“Why would she have a crush on you?” Ichthys turned to narrow his eyes on Teorus. “She likes me. She asked me to play this game first.” Turning his attention back to me, he asked, “Are you embarrassed that I'm your crush?”

“That- That isn't it…” I looked away from them, my cheeks feeling uncomfortably hot. I had no doubt Krioff was listening to this whole conversation from where he was sitting and the minute someone mentioned his name he would be onto us. He might’ve been a quiet god, but he was probably just as interested in my answer as any of the other gods. I shut my eyes, but I knew they wouldn’t let me get away with being quiet. The last thing I wanted was to refuse to play by the rules and face their ‘punishment’.

I muttered Krioff’s name quietly as I attempted to avoid getting utterly embarrassed. The three gods only leaned in closer to try and discern my answer. Dui tilted his head and pointed out, “You were so quiet we couldn’t hear you.” Almost groaning to myself, I tugged Dui closer and whispered the name in his ear. His eyes widened in realization. “Kri- mmph!”

I jumped forward and shoved my hands over his mouth in a panic, “Hey! Shut up! Do you want the whole mansion to know?!” 

“That isn’t fair,” Teorus whined, crossing his arms. “We still don’t know who it is!”

But our racket was apparently quite distracting, for Krioff finally looked away from his work to address us, “Do you need help over there?”

I shook my head furiously, my cheeks still quite hot with embarrassment. “No! Nope! Not at all!” Taking a glance at the two gods who were passing through the room, I shot to my feet as I recognized Huedhaut and Karno. My saviour! “Anyway, I’ve gotta go! I’ll get you back some other time, Ikky!” Making a run for it, I caught up with the two wishes gods that were separating further down the hall. “HUUUUE!”

He turned with wide eyes only to have me practically tackle him. Luckily he was balanced enough to catch me in his arms without collapsing to the floor. “What on Earth happened?”

Still feeling embarrassed, I pressed my face into his jacket. The last thing I needed was for him to start teasing me too. “You have no idea how badly you just saved me from an embarrassing situation.” I looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Where are you going? Can I go with you? I need to... get away from Gods.”

Almost as though reading my mind, he smiled in amusement before ruffling my hair with a laugh. “You fell for their trap again and they were teasing you? If only you didn’t give us so many reasons to fluster you.” 

“Et tu, Huedhaut?” I pouted indignantly. “That’s not fair. You can’t make fun of me too! I’ll have no one else to turn to. My very best friend betrayed me.” I whined into his shirt. “Ooooooh, the agony of betrayal. I’m hurt! Really. The pain is too much for me to take. I can’t go on like this. Tis the end!”

“You’re a very dramatic ex-goddess.”

Pausing from my over-dramatic show, I frowned up at him. “You’re a very mean God.” Still, he didn’t lose his smile as he lifted a questioning eyebrow. “Huuuuue, stop smiling like that, you traitor.”

“(Naaaaameeee)!”

I panicked at hearing Teorus calling my name and I paled. Dui probably fed their curiosity and now they wanted to find me. If I didn’t get out of sight soon then I was a goner! Huedhaut laughed at my tortured expression and teased, “A traitor would let you into his room, would he?”

My gaze shot back to Huedhaut and I begged, “Please, please, pleeeease, hide me! I take it back! You’re a really nice god! Pretty please? Bestie? Promise I’ll pay you back! Hue?”

“Fine.” He purposely messed up my hair and snapped his fingers, transporting us to his room. “You can pay me back now.” He leaned closer to me and I backed away with heated cheeks at how sudden the action was. “You really do make the cutest expressions. I want you to tell me what you’re so desperate to hide from.”

I sighed, avoiding his searching eyes as I looked around at his many books, desperate to avoid the question. With his persistent gaze, I groaned. Why did he have to demand answers out of me when I only just escaped one cruel fate? “Fiiiiine. Ichthys started it. We were playing a game and he asked me who I had a crush on and so I told Dui and then you showed up and... I’m really sure he told Ikky and Teo.” I crossed my arms and looked away from him with my blush that was quite obvious to Huedhaut. “Now I’m all embarrassed and don’t want to see them. They’d probably make me do something embarrassing in front of him. I couldn’t even imagine. Ichthys might even tell him!” I rubbed my face, completely stressing out over that last possibility. What would I do if Krioff came to me later? I’d feel really stupid! I mean, I already knew he wouldn’t like me back before I even told Dui his name!

“It’s only fair if you tell me who it is, isn’t it?” I glared at Huedhaut, but he didn't seem to mean any harm in asking. He was my best friend after all. Aside from teasing me, he only ever had good intentions. “I see that look on your face. You want to tell me, don’t you? You already told the three troublemakers. Do you have such little faith in me?” What really was the harm in telling him?

“Don’t laugh... This is super embarrassing.” Not that Krioff was embarrassing… It was simply embarrassing to have a crush on someone who had no chance of liking you back. Taking a deep breath, I shut my eyes. It was just one name. How hard could it be to say one name? As much as he liked to tease me, I knew Huedhaut was a much better person than that. So, gathering up my strength, I admitted, “I like Krioff…”

Huedhaut’s eyes widened. “Krioff?” This was the same reaction Dui had. Why were they so surprised? I hoped they didn't expect me to have a crush on Zyglavis or something! “You’re talking about the God of Aries?” I nodded my head woefully. “He hardly ever speaks to you. How could you like him more than me?”

His voice turned... cold for a moment. My eyes snapped open at his tone and I noticed he was glaring down at me. What was suddenly on his mind? “Hue?”

Saying his name seemed to have snapped him out of his thoughts. He instantly pulled away, realizing he was gripping my shoulders much too tightly for comfort. “Sorry. I was just surprised.” His cold glare was replaced with an affectionate smile as he led me to his bed and sat me down. Though, I had an uneasy feeling in my gut. “Krioff, huh? I never would have imagined you would have an eye for him. He’s such an entirely solitary god. Why don’t you tell me more?”

“M- More?” After that reaction of his, was he sure he wanted to hear more? But after a strict nod from him, I knew I wasn’t going to be leaving until I opened my heart to him. It wasn’t like he was going to go tell Krioff or anything. He never spilled my secrets before. I could trust Huedhaut. “He’s just attractive in his own way. He cares about people in such a unique way. Despite how hard his past was with his family, he’s so strong. He might not say much, but he’s very sweet and I love how adorable he gets when I bring him ice cream. I just couldn’t possibly put into words how amazing he is.” I sighed, leaning back on the bed. 

Huedhaut watched me quietly for a moment before asking, “What do you think Krioff would feel about this?”

“Krioff?” I hesitated, thinking about it. “He's a god...  so I could never see us together. But... he's always had such a tough time with people. I don't think he’d like me back. He’s probably just a thought that I entertain myself with because I admire his story.”

Passing his cool hand through my hair, Huedhaut asked quietly, “Have you ever told him any of this?”

I gnawed on my bottom lip, shrugging slightly as I admitted, “I accidentally told him he was cute once and he looked very surprised.” I covered my face with my hands trying to erase the mortifying memory. “I couldn’t face him straight for like a week after that.” I groaned, looking up at my best friend with a pathetic expression on my face. “What do you gods do? I mean, do you guys even have solid relationships like that? Some of the gods make it sound like committing to one person isn’t something a God could be interested in.”

Huedhaut furrowed his eyebrows before explaining to the best of his ability, “It’s true some gods think that way. However, some of us do prefer to commit to another. For instance, the only woman I’ve ever considered being attached to is the love of my life. I couldn’t tell you what kind of God Krioff is, but we do understand loyalty and values.”

I perked up at that and immediately turned to Huedhaut. “You love someone too?” He never spoke of anyone else. He always seemed so detached from everyone he didn’t need to bother himself with.

A rueful smile crossed his face as he looked up at the skylight. “I do.” It was quiet for a few minutes between us before he spoke again, “She’s beautiful, both body and soul.” As though hesitating to continue, it took a moment for him to finish, “Her name was Clotho.”

I hummed in curiosity. Did he mention her before? “Gee… She sounds familiar. Have you ever spoken about her before?”

Huedhaut shook his head, and before I could ask any further questions, he explained, “(Name)... you were Clotho.”

My eyes widened at the revelation and I quickly sat up to face him. Did that mean... he loved... me? “B- But, Hue, I-”

“I know.” He stopped me short, pulling my hands into his. “You don’t love me. I don’t mind. But, I still want you to know that no matter what happens to you, I’ll always be here for you. It doesn’t matter what any of the other gods say or do, I’ll be here to take care of you. Just as I always have been. It’s been a miracle to simply have you by my side again after all these years.”

With tears filling my eyes at his affectionate speech, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Hue, you’re the best… I promise I won’t go anywhere again!” Holding him tight, I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me in return. “You’re my favorite god!” 

But being my favorite would never truly be enough for him. No. The God of Aquarius wanted more. He needed more. He couldn’t stand these other gods getting all of my time and attention. I should be with Huedhaut every second I wasn’t working. But what was worse was that they had the nerve to tease me, to talk about who I loved with me. He couldn’t stand that they got to see my blushing face that should belong solely to him. 

So, though he had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, he would set his plan into motion. 

Of course, I had no chance with Krioff. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that Krioff simply wasn’t interested in having a relationship. So, Huedhaut would focus his time and energy on the other gods that were in the picture. Those children were keeping me from him. They were distracting me from realizing that Huedhaut was the man for me. Huedhaut was the one I needed to be seeking love from, not Krioff or any other god. 

Namely, he needed to take care of the three trouble makers of the two departments: Ichthys, Dui, and Teorus. Yes, Teorus was in the same Department as Huedhaut, but that didn’t matter. Nothing mattered until they were out of the picture. Any threat to Huedhaut’s perfect plans just had to be dealt with. 

It annoyed him that he couldn’t just find a way to kill them. That would be the easiest and the best way to go, resulting in me completely and entirely relying on Huedhaut. But the 12 Gods of the Zodiac were necessary for balance in the Heavens. He couldn’t just get rid of them like that. His plans had to be more delicately constructed.

There were better ways of going about this and ensuring I end up in his arms, after all. Reasonably, he was the smartest god in the Heavens.

***

“Duuuuiiii! I made a pie and it’s your favorite.” I grinned widely, knocking on Dui’s door. He was such a big help keeping Ichthys and Teorus from spilling my secret to Krioff. I had to pay him back with his favorite food. “Hey, Dui! It’s me, (Name)!”

“Oh, (Name), what are you doing here?” I turned and found Dui walking toward me, just returning from a Punishments job. But he paused and his eyes lit up as his gaze found the tray I was holding. “Is that what I think it is?”

I nodded and held it up to him so he could get the full glory of what I created. “Cherry pie! Just the thing to repay you for keeping Ikky and Teo silent. I was wondering if you wanted to have some on the roof with me? It’s a really nice day outside and I wanted to get some sun before the clouds took over. Apparently, it’s supposed to rain later.”

“Of course. We should go before the other two come looking for you.” Dui’s smile was really infectious. Sometimes it was nice to just hang out with him on a peaceful day. 

Ichthys was a bit too playful and Teorus was a little too touchy-feely. But just me and Dui like that? We weren’t such a bad combo. I felt relaxed and happy while he was eagerly eating the pie he loved so much. “So, Dui, how’s work been for you since your mark of sin has been gone?”

“It’s been good, thanks to your help.” He stuffed his cheeks once again before he gave a more detailed reply, “I mean, there’s been a few bumps in the road. Some humans can be pretty stubborn and Shadow Dui’s been trying to interfere where he’s not supposed to. But things are great. I’m getting more done without having a restraint on my powers.”

“That’s good!” I shifted in my seat to take a better look at him. Just looking, I wouldn’t be able to tell Shadow was causing any trouble at all. “I knew I only saw a portion of what you guys could do when I was lending my powers so I thought I’d go ahead and ask. I mean, you guys can go freely between Earth and the Heavens now. It sounds like a lot’s happening. I hope Shadow hasn’t been that much trouble for you? He was alright the last time I saw him. You apologized like crazy after he scared my friend from school, but Shadow was okay.”

“It’s not that bad. We enjoy visiting you, (Name).” I was glad he thought so because I really enjoyed hanging out with all of them too. But then he spoke in a sad tone, in a topic that caught me completely off guard. “I’m sorry about our reactions to Krioff. It’s just... I was pretty surprised. Everyone in the Heavens is so afraid of Krioff and then you, a human, falling in love with him… It surprised me. But, I’m happy. Even if Krioff is too afraid to accept you, I’m at least glad he has someone that loves him.”

“Too afraid?” I mean, I expected him to be insecure due to his past but... afraid? He always seemed so calm and collected. I couldn’t help but wonder how much he still carried on his shoulders.

Dui nodded to my quiet question. “He’s been through a lot. I’m sure you’ve heard. I think he avoids getting close to people because he’s afraid he’ll hurt them. I know he wouldn’t want to hurt you. We all care about you a lot. None of us would want to see you hurt.”

It was so hard to keep my heart from beating so horribly fast when he held my hand and looked into my eyes like that. He was just reassuring me, but if it were coming from anyone other than the kind-hearted Dui I might’ve mistaken it for an intimate gesture. 

I flinched at hearing someone clear their throat behind us and I awkwardly looked at the ground the minute we made eye contact. Though, I still tried to greet the newcomer to the roof, “Ah, Hue. Hey. You don't come up here often.”

“I figured it’s where you'd be. It’s about to rain and I’d hate for you to get sick.” Looking back at him, he was as composed as ever, that small smirk on his face telling everyone around him that he knew better. What was on his mind, I didn’t know, but he looked awfully happy about something. 

I returned a shy smile before I grabbed the pie from the table and asked, “Do you want this in your room, Dui?” All it took was a nod and I was following him off of the balcony followed by Huedhaut who closed the doors behind us. “Thanks for coming get us. I’m glad we didn’t get caught up in the rain.”

He nodded and, before leaving, offered, “If you need anything, I’ll be granting wishes with Karno.”

I waved as he left the hall and I quickly bolted past Dui with a challenging smirk. “I’ll race you! No powers! Last one there has to deal with Ichthys’ next prank!”

“No fair! You didn’t warn me!”

I laughed as he tried to catch up without using his God abilities and I swung open his door and ran in before he could get the better of me. “I made it fir- WAH!” Tripping over a soft surface, I instantly crashed to the floor with a groan. At first, I was under the impression I was covered in cherry sauce from the cherry pie, but as I sat up on my knees my eyes widened in fright and I froze. I hadn't landed in cherry sauce at all… I landed in blood.

“(Name), are you okay?! I heard- Oh my god…” Dui stopped talking as his eyes turned wide as saucers.

I wasn't sure what to do or how to react with Dui standing behind me. Did Shadow Dui do this? My best human friend was dead, killed in the most graphic way possible. Their organs weren't even inside them anymore—were those their organs? There had to be a logical explanation but my mind wasn't working right. All I could ask myself was if I was going to be next. Shadow Dui killed his best friend before. Why would I be any different?

“What the hell…” I froze fearfully as I noted the gruff change from Dui to Shadow Dui. “Shit… goldfish-”

“Don’t,” I interrupted him, trying to keep him from approaching. My mind still hadn’t caught up with me yet. Was this really happening? Please, let it be a horrible prank from Ichthys. 

“Hey, I didn’t-”

“Don’t touch me!” I screamed, pulling away from his touch. Anxiously, I scrambled to escape him, only able to go as far as the other side of the room. “Don’t come near me…” The last thing I needed was for him to finish what he started. “Why…?!” My manic state was enough to make him stop approaching, though I was trapped, the door being blocked by him. What did Shadow do? My voice was too caught up in my throat to scream, but I need help. I needed somebody, anybody to come and help me, to bring my best friend back from the cold world of death. 

“What the hell?!” Shadow Dui hissed, resuming his pacing. His frantic state only served to make me more terrified. A frantic murderer was a horrifying murderer. “This is your shitty little Earth friend! I knew it!” He kicked his chair across his room, making me flinch back into the wall. “I knew a stupid little human would only bring Dui more trouble! If I’d have just killed you back then then Dui wouldn’t get blamed for murder again! I didn’t kill this damn human!” 

I wish Shadow wasn't standing between me and the door. I wanted nothing more than to run out and find Huedhaut. Didn’t any of the other gods know what was going on here? 

The minute Shadow approached me, a cry left my lips, “H- HELP!” It wasn’t long before tears were streaming down my cheeks and I was hiding my face behind my arms. Shadow Dui killed my human friend. “HUE!” I needed somebody, anybody to come and help me, to bring my best friend back from the cold world of death. 

“What the hell are you-” The voice that was speaking from the hall suddenly paused. Scorpio was glaring at Shadow Dui from the doorway. The way Shadow was standing over me didn’t paint a pretty picture. “Damn it!”

With my eyes screwed shut, I could only hear the loud shuffling of a fight, but after that I didn’t hear anything as if I were alone in the room. But, alone or not, I was too frightened to move from where I sat. It was only several minutes later when Zyglavis asked, “Where is (Name) (Surname)?”

There was silence for a moment and I shuffled closer to the corner I had isolated myself to. I made sure I was far enough away from the body. I was thoroughly out of sight in the space between the bed and the wall and I wasn’t willing to move.

It was hard to control the shaking that came with my overflowing tears, but the sound of approaching footsteps only made it feel that much worse. “Woman,” Scorpio called, having found my hiding place. “(Name)!”

“(Name) (Surname)." I sniffled, looking up at the familiar voices. Zyglavis was kneeling in front of me, Scorpio was a short distance behind him, his attention split between me and the… Well, Scorpio had already taken care of the scene. "Are you hurt?" Zyglavis’ question brought my attention back to him. I shook my head slowly and he reached out to reassuringly pat my head. “You’ll be okay.”

“(Name)! (Name)!” My head shot up at the voice of Huedhaut. He pushed past Partheno to get into Dui's room. He didn't falter at seeing the blood. He only paused at seeing blood on me. “Are you hurt? You're covered in blood. Come here.” He fell to his knees beside Zyglavis and pulled me into his arms. “(Name)...”

“Hue…” I whimpered his name softly, burrowing myself into him. Why didn’t he come sooner to save me? Why didn’t he stop Shadow Dui from killing my best human friend? Didn’t any of them know that Shadow Dui did this? Did Dui even know before just a moment ago? 

Zyglavis looked at Huedhaut with a serious expression, his brows furrowed. “Take her somewhere quiet. The Department of Punishments will deal with this.”

Huedhaut wasted no time snapping his fingers, transporting us to his room. Still, I didn’t want to release him as he tried to pull away. He smiled gently as he tried to reassure me, “That probably took a toll on you. I promise I won’t leave your side. I’ll never let anyone hurt you. Will you let me bathe you? I imagine you’ll feel better being clean.” I couldn’t find the energy in me to smile back at him, but I nodded in response. Anything was better than how filthy I felt standing there. “You’d be okay if we used the bath in the mansion, right?” I nodded again, not really thinking about his question.

He kept a close eye on me as he walked me down the halls and to the bath. Usually, it was a shared space, but he locked the door to give me as much privacy as I needed. That’s what it would look like, anyway. He just didn’t want anyone else to see my precious body. That sight was purely for him and him alone. But he wouldn’t invade my privacy just yet. He would wait until I loved him in return. It might take time, but he would have patience.

He was gentle and quiet as he helped me into the bath, rinsing my hair with the warm water as he made sure not an inch of me was unclean after my experience. But he paused as he heard a small whimper from me. Was I going to say something? Evidently, the answer was yes as my broken voice reached his ears, “Why... Why would he do that to me? Was he that upset?”

I turned my head to look up at Huedhaut with watery eyes. I couldn’t identify the emotion on his face but he almost looked guilty. 

He did feel guilty, in fact. He did this to me, but it was for a greater purpose. I was in pain for the time being, but he knew it was only a matter of time before I fell into his arms. As soon as I was his, he would end my suffering. He wouldn’t have to hurt me if I would just surrender myself to him completely. But he wasn’t going to tell me that straight out. Eventually, I was going to figure out that Huedhaut held all the answers to my problems. If only I’d realize it sooner, he wouldn’t have to keep torturing me like this.

But, hiding his true nature, he caressed my cheek, answering me softly, “The other gods are going to get answers for you. Please, don’t worry. I’m here with you. Dui’s in the Heaven’s and he isn’t going to be allowed to return to Earth. I am truly sorry about your friend. That must have been horrible to see. I know it was hard for me to watch Clotho sacrifice her life for Earth. To have someone you care about die... it’s not a good feeling.”

A few remaining tears fell from my eyes as I apologized, “I’m sorry, Hue... I didn’t realize what you went through. It- It just hurts so much, but then I can't even imagine that you took your own stars after-” I was feeling the intense loss of someone close to me, but combined with sympathy for what Huedhaut must have felt, my feelings were just too fragile.

He was surprised as I began to cry again at his words. He was using his sad past to emotionally manipulate me into feeling empathy for him, but it was working better than he anticipated. I didn’t even seem to mind that he held me so much closer despite being naked in the bath. After making me feel guilty about my crumbling emotions, he spoke, “Please, don’t apologize. No one was there to comfort me after you left. But I’m here for you now. I’ll always be here. Now, are you sure you want to be holding me like that while you’re naked? I’m trying to keep you modest but you're making it difficult.”

I was in such distress that I hadn’t even realized what I was doing. It was like Huedhaut just lowered my defenses. Sinking back into the water, I looked away from him with a furious blush over my wet cheeks. “I’m sorry... I just... I don’t know how to handle what I’m feeling.”

Huedhaut nodded his head, trying to comfort me though I turned away from him. “I told you you don’t need to apologize. I know you’re not well right now. I’m just here to help you.” Of course I wasn’t well. Huedhaut was making sure of that. But he was going to do his best to make me smile while I was with him. I didn’t have to fear the bad things with him. “Why don’t we get you out of the bath? I can take you back to my room for the night and I can read you a pleasant book.” He was so thoughtful. Bringing tragedy into my life and then getting rid of it with his kind words and caring actions. I was so fortunate to have a god like him…

***

It was tough leaving the mansion without Huedhaut after that—which I hadn't left Huedhaut’s side since the incident. But, eventually, I had to go back to work, and I swear returning to work was the worst. There was no best friend there to make me smile while we joked and waited for our break. The gods had also fixed it to where everyone thought they had died of natural causes, so I had the sympathy of my coworkers. But it didn’t hurt any less to be so alone.

Over the days, Huedhaut tried to help the best he could and his efforts were appreciated. I smiled more with each book he read to me. He even sent me off to work with a packed lunch so I wouldn’t have to suffer that horribly my frist day back. The other gods also tried to cheer me up of course, especially Teorus and Ichthys. I mean... it was their friend Dui who killed my best friend. It was revealed that Shadow Dui killed them out of jealousy; I had a best friend to brag about but he didn't. Though, it was sort of strange that Shadow would target a petty human best friend over Huedhaut, my actual god best friend. Regardless, Dui was stuck doing time in the Heavens, forever banned from returning to Earth with Shadow Dui.

One day, as I was walking into my workplace, I paused to look at a package that was sitting outside. I knelt down and read that it was from Teorus and Ichthys, they hoped it would give me a smile. Attempting a small smile, I picked up the box and brought it in with me, leaving it in the break room for my hour lunch break that I would get. Surely I could use whatever laugh those two came up with by then. It was always my break hour that I would feel at my loneliest and lowest.

Time flew and I was set off doing different tasks. My mind was lost in everything that had happened the past few days. “I had no idea he was so jealous... But... to... do something like... that…” I squeezed my eyes shut, nearly tripping over the broom in my hands. "Ah- damn it..." But my eyes widened in fright as the fire alarms suddenly went off. Perfect. Just perfect. This was the last thing I needed. 

I was in the storage room, but I knew the way to the exit from there. Dropping the broom, I made a dash for the exit, only to jump back at the flames that were licking the outside of the door. “AH!” I couldn’t close the door back, so I backed away from the tall flames with wide eyes. They were so huge. How could they get so big so fast? The alarm only just went off.

Part of me was reminded of Krioff’s flames. But his flames weren’t so out of control! Still, there was nowhere to run as I fled to the back of the room to give myself time to get help. One of the gods would hear me if I called them, I was sure. “Please, please, please,” I coughed, the smoke steadily filling the room. I sat on the floor, trying to breathe slowly. “I wish there was a way out.” I coughed harder. Shelves began to fall as flames ate at their legs. “HELP!” I choked on my wishes and I covered my face, trying to avoid the ash and soot that was quickly spreading the flames. “P- Please... get me out of here!” 

The fire was moving so fast as it devoured everything it touched. I wondered if my other coworkers made it out. I wondered... if I was going to make it out. I was going to die. It was my turn. 

I closed my eyes tightly, but I heard a voice calling me from within the fire. “(NAME)!” Who the hell was searching for me in a mad fire like that? The smoke was hurting my lungs to the point where I almost couldn’t breathe. Was that someone from the fire department looking for me? “(Name)! Answer me!” No. That voice sounded familiar. Did he come to save me? 

I coughed the minute I tried to call out to him, but I managed to wheeze his name, “Hue!” I screamed as something collapsed beside me, kicking up ashes. 

I quickly covered my eyes to prevent any ash from getting in my face, but I felt a large form wrap around me and instantly I knew I’d be safe from the feel of his arms. “(Name)...” A blinding light took my vision for a moment; the clean air was almost too sudden and I found myself choking on it. “It’s okay. Just take in deep breaths for me.” Was he kidding? I had inhaled too much smoke to take even little breaths without feeling overwhelmed. But he seemed to know that as he tried to calm me, “I know, I know, it’s hard. Just trust me. The air in the mansion will clear your lungs, I just need you to take deep breaths for me.” I tried my best to follow his directions without coughing my lungs out. But slowly and surely, his advice proved fruitful. 

I was also surprised that he took me into the living room of the mansion. The Wishes gods were staring at me with wide eyes, obviously hoping for my quick recovery. Huedhaut was most concerned, however, as he was the one who found me suffering in the heat of the fire. But Leon wasn’t looking at me. He was the only god openly glaring at Teorus as he growled, “That prank that you and the Punishments’ problem child came up with almost got several goldfish killed.”

“I- I’m really sorry... It wasn’t supposed to-”

“Teorus,” Leon interrupted the innocent god, his tone fierce and not to be defied, “Go back to the Heavens. We’ll deal with you both later, but you and that fish are no longer permitted to work on Earth. Your actions put many goldfish lives in danger, you put (Name) in danger.”

Karno sighed, but he had to nod in agreement. “This is the last thing she needed after her best friend…” He paused, not wanting to elaborate in front of me. “I’ll go talk with Zyglavis. Teorus, come with me.”

Before he could get pulled away by Karno, Teorus tried to apologize to me with big, sad eyes. “I’m so sorry, (Name)... We really didn’t mean to do that to you…”

But it was too late to apologize. I almost died—or I could have gotten seriously hurt. Huedhuat was the only reason I was still alive and well. I didn’t look at Teorus as he was taken out of the room.

Tauxolouve noticed that I was keeping my gaze far from Teorus and he asked, “How are you feeling now?”

It took me a moment to understand his question, but I realized that I was breathing a lot easier thanks to Huedhaut coaching me to breathe deeper breaths and get all the smoke out of my lungs. I nodded my head in a gesture saying that I at least wasn’t going to die or pass out on them. Huedhaut snapped his fingers and all the soot that covered me and the floor I landed on was gone. “(Name),” he asked quietly, “Would you like me to take you home?”

As much as home sounded like a comfort... I wasn’t sure I wanted that. I certainly didn’t want to be alone after everything I was put through. Karno wasn’t wrong about that side comment. I just lost my best friend and I almost died soon after. Looking at Huedhaut, I asked shyly, “Hue... do you think you could stay with me for a while? Like you did last time?”

He smiled genuinely as ever. “Of course.” He took my hand and pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me as he snapped his fingers, taking us to my apartment. 

It was quiet between us. Though he was kind enough to offer to give me another bath for the time being and I had to admit I loved the way his fingers combed through my hair as he washed it. It was a sense of peace I couldn’t find with anyone but Huedhaut.

Huedhaut smiled to himself as he lathered shampoo in my hair. He got rid of the three idiots quite simply and he had no doubt that the fire shook me to my core, thoroughly breaking my crush on Krioff. Everything worked out perfectly and here I was, relying on him. Still, there was something else he wasn’t satisfied with. Sure, I was relying on him. But he wanted more than that. He wanted me to love him. Why couldn’t I just say the words he wanted to hear? Was I still holding onto something? Did I just need time to adjust after everything that happened? No, he had been patiently waiting. He sent disaster after disaster toward me and I leaned on him, yes. But it wasn’t enough. He wanted me to do more than lean on him. He wanted to have me. How much longer would he have to wait?

Certain he would have to start planning the next tragedy of my life, he was surprised when I finally spoke up and asked him quietly, “Hue... What am I going to do? That place was my life. I don’t have parents to go back to and my best friend is gone... I’m not going to have enough money to pay rent and I’m going to be homeless.” With each word, it was like my world was shattering to bits and I had no control over any of it. That was why I couldn't stop the tears from falling. I thought I was done crying, but I just couldn’t help it as my world crashed down around me. Huedhuat was the only one holding me up. He was the only one keeping me from succumbing to my sorrows. 

Drying his hands, he began to gently wipe away the tears that fell. This was exactly how he wanted me. He wanted me at his mercy. My life was in his hands and I would listen to his every word. “You won’t be alone, (Name). You can stay with me forever. I’ll love you. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll take care of you. Will you let me?” He knew I had to say yes. There were no other options for me to choose from, just as he had planned. I had no one but him. Sure, the other gods were willing to help, but no one was as desperate as he was. He would be the only one to love me truly. He didn’t care who he had to take out of the picture. He didn’t care how many times he had to make me cry, he’d always be the one to dry my tears in the end.

Despite being naked in the tub, I felt like none of that mattered in my moment alone with Huedhaut. This God was offering to take care of me. He was offering me a place with him. I took his hand that gently caressed my cheek and held it tight. “P- Please, take care of me, Huedhaut. I want to stay with you. I-” I paused, looked away from him shyly. It took a while, but he was the only one there for me. I couldn’t believe it took these tragic events to show me who I should have really fallen in love with. He was the only one to actually make me happy after the disasters I’d been through lately. I knew he loved me and I didn’t want to abuse that knowledge, but maybe that was why I kept denying my own feelings. Finally, I decided to tell him what he'd been waiting to hear all along, “I love you, Hue…”

Huedhaut’s eyes widened slightly, not expecting the declaration. Not that he was displeased. If I loved him then that would make things easier. He wouldn’t have to make me sad anymore. I loved him. “I love you too, (Name).” He beamed, tilting his head. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I’m never going to let you go again. I’m honestly so happy. I want to make you the happiest goddess.” He took a deep breath to calm himself; it would do no good to startle me if he got too excited. “Before I get carried away, I should let you get some rest. I know you had a very tiring day and I don’t want to rush you into this relationship with me. I’ll take things as slowly as you need.” Carrying me out of the tub to dry and dress me, he held me close the entire time, proving his love for me by making sure I was comfortable and not touching me any differently than before I declared my feelings. He was true to his word in taking things slow.

I trusted him wholeheartedly. This was perfect. His carefully made plans weren’t for nothing as he had me lovingly dozing in his arms without a clue to the horribly violent thoughts that swirled through his mind. Of course, he’d never lay a hand on his one true love, knowing full well I’d hate him and go to some other God for safety and comfort. He would never become the bad guy in my eyes. He was all I had left, after all. Huedhaut would do anything and everything to keep me with him. He wasn’t the smartest god in the Heaven’s for nothing. Even if I did find out what he had been doing, there was nothing I could do, was there? But Huedhaut was certain he wouldn’t have to worry about that. I was as ignorant as all the others, which was just how Huedhaut wanted it. I’d be his forever, and considering his perfect plans for the two of us, he would never have to worry about me leaving.

***

It was a few weeks later when I was found sitting in the garden, staring intently at a flower as if it had all the answers in the world for me. Huedhaut couldn’t help but smirk in amusement as he called my attention to him with a single sentence. “That flower must be something special to have you so enraptured.”

“Flower?” I hummed in confusion, glancing up at him. When did he join me outside? Finding the mansion was getting too stuffy, I decided to bring a blanket outside and enjoy the windy shifting of the seasons. But what was Huedhaut suddenly talking about a flower for? Had I been looking at one without realizing? Shaking my head, I unsmoothly changed the subject. “I was only thinking. I’ve been a little worried lately.”

“Worried?” His eyes were trained on me for any sign of distress as he moved closer, sitting beside me on the blanket. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I glanced up to see him reach toward me, his fingers gently passing through my hair. It was his usual way of trying to soothe my anxieties and I couldn’t say it didn’t work as I leaned into his touch. “I’ll fix anything that’s troubling you.”

“I didn’t want to make you worried too,” I excused, though, that wasn’t entirely the truth. I stared down at the blade of grass that I had been picking between my fingers. “I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to bring it up or… how I really wanted to ask. But you’ve been making trips to the Heavens, so I was wondering if you knew how Teorus and Ichthys were doing. I… also wondered how Dui was doing with, um… Shadow…”

His face grew deathly serious, his hand pausing as he started, “If any of them have been bothering you-”

“No, no. That’s not it.” I swiftly saved the three of them from Huedhaut’s wrath. Grabbing his still hand, I tried to reassure him. “They haven’t been trying to talk to me or anything.” It wasn’t that Huedhaut was a violent god—he was very kind—but I knew how scary he could be to others when he lost his patience. “I got over the accident from last month—just maybe not the Dui one… But I was just wondering if they were okay. I haven’t heard anything since they were all banned from visiting Earth.”

Studying Huedhaut’s expression didn’t tell me much—he was always so stoic when addressing topics about the other gods. Then again, Huedhaut wasn’t one for idle nonsense like most of the other gods liked to participate in. The way he caressed my fingers in return told me he still had quite a ways to go before he completely lost patience with them. I was glad I could be there to ease Huedhaut’s stress in the same way he was always there to comfort me.

I was releived when he finally decided to indulge my curiosity. “They’ve been monitoring Dui in the Department of Punishments. He’s on, what you would call, house arrest. They’re being maticulous with ensuring further incidents don’t occur. As for the other two, I’m not sure how Zyglavis has been handling Ichthys’ punishment, but Teorus is handling so much work that I’m not sure he’ll be finished until next winter.”

“I get that,” I muttered, a sigh escaping my lips as I stared aimlessly at the grass. “What they did was dangerous… among other things. But, Hue, that’s not what I’m asking. I want to know how they’re really doing. Are they happy, are they sad, are they lonely? Do they still get to see each other? It feels like my favorite boy band broke up or something.”

The concept of a boy band was lost on Huedhaut, but the thought of those three being my favorite anything made Huedhaut grimace. Still, he wouldn’t just ignore me; he’d never do that. He’d simply do something to try and get my attention off of those three. They were truly an annoyance even when they weren’t around. His best option was to reassure and redirect. “They’re fine. It’s not like being punished has ever stopped the punishments’ problem child from his mischievous nature. Teorus is ever obsessed with his milk and still attracting women left and right. Personally, I believe Dui only reverted to his behavior similar to when he first killed that god friend of his… All is proceeding normally in the Heavens.”

It sounded fairly normal for them—well, as normal as they were before their sins were erased. 

“Then…” I hesitated. I wanted to see them for myself to check on how they were doing, but I wasn’t entirely sure it was the best decision. “What do you think I should do? I want to see them again. I want to see with my own two eyes how they’re doing. It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just… want to see that they’re okay, you know?”

“I don’t think so,” he answered immediately, leaving me at a loss for words at how fast his answer came out. It was like he didn’t even give it any thought. But before I could ask him about it, he explained, “I don't do this with the intention of hurting you, I have your best interest at heart. I don't personally believe this will help you. Rather… If you saw Dui, I don't believe you would handle it well. It was fairly traumatic what he put you through.”

“That's true…” I hesitantly agreed. But the Heavens was a pretty big place, as far as I was aware. What were the chances of me actually running into Dui when Huedhaut just said he was on house arrest? 

“Don't look so disappointed,” he encouraged, offering me a smile that was enough to settle any doubts in my heart. “Once I'm certain that you're feeling better, then I'll take you to the Heavens to see them.” 

“Promise?”

“Promise.” 

Scooting over on the blanket, I leaned on Huedhaut’s shoulder, a small smile on my face as well. “Thanks, Hue.” At least I had a loving boyfriend to take care of me. If I were all on my own then I was sure I'd make a huge mistake by rushing to the Heavens just because I was feeling antsy. 

***

My eyes darted frantically over the sheet of paper I held in my hands. I’d been staring at it for the past hour, trying to convince myself that it was some kind of trick, but that wasn't the case. If it were a trick then I wouldn't have heard Dui’s voice in my head just prior to the letter appearing in my hands. 

I thought I was panicking, Dui must have been even more distraught. After all… The letter was nothing nice. I recognized Dui’s handwriting immediately as he described the events of the incident. Shadow Dui didn't kill my best friend. He wasn't even on Earth that day prior to meeting up with me. He claimed such, but I had to check with the other gods just to be sure this was accurate.

But my concern wasn't entirely on Shadow Dui. My concern… was that Dui claimed that the god framing him had to be one of the gods in the mansion, another Zodiac god. But why would any of them have a problem with a human? I wasn't even sure any of them had ever met my friend.

If Dui had an idea on who it might have been then I would have had an easier time handling this. But as it was, I couldn't imagine any of the gods that I trusted with my life capable or willing to murder a human. That made it twice as terrifying knowing I couldn't trust anyone. 

I had thought it would be okay to trust Huedhaut, at least. But… with the way things were, he was on Earth that day too. Unfortunately, Huedhaut was also a suspect. Besides, Dui was trusting me with both clearing his name and seeking justice for my friend. If Huedhaut knew I was tracking down a killer then he'd put a stop to it. He was too protective to let me do something like targeting a god who wasn't afraid to kill humans. 

Whoever it was was clever enough to pin it on Dui, who had a history as a god killer. But wasn't that too simple of an answer for anyone to believe? Sure, the evidence lined up, but it was too perfectly set up. Until the time came that the killer was found, I couldn't trust anyone in the mansion. The murderer was one of the 12 Zodiacs and he was hiding amongst us! 

Aggravated, I crumpled the paper in my hands. I'd have to burn it to avoid anyone else getting their hands on it. I didn't need anyone knowing I spoke to Dui. 

“(Name)?” I flinched, spinning around on my heel to catch the god who snuck up behind me. Huedhaut stood in the doorway, his eyes trailing over me. “Is there a reason you're standing in the middle of the room like that?” He tilted his head as his eyes flickered to my hands. “Is something bothering you? What's that?” 

“Nothing,” I immediately responded, shoving the crumpled letter into my pocket. “Just some notes I scribbled down earlier. I… was bored. So, I was thinking about going find you. Are you busy?”

He hummed before nodding his head. “I came to let you know I'll be in the Heavens tonight. Leo’s given me extra work. I'm tempted to believe he's done this in retaliation for how much time I've been spending with you…”

I tilted my head. This… oddly worked out in my favor. If Huedhaut was busy working in the Heavens then it was unlikely he'd be able to catch onto my investigation and stop me. “But when are you coming back?” 

A soft chuckle left his lips, a smirk crossing his face. “You’ll miss me that much? You're the reason Leo’s making me return to the Heavens. I'll try to be back tomorrow at the latest. Who knows, if you go to bed early, I may be by your side when you wake.” 

I glanced away from him, grumbling quietly, “Stop teasing me and go to the Heavens already…”

Huedhaut tilted his head. “You're sending me off without a goodbye kiss? I'm hurt.” 

“You sound like the needy one.” Huffing, I granted his small request. Though, when my lips connected with his, I couldn't help but lean closer to him, craving just a bit more comfort from my boyfriend. I wished he could help me with this… He’d have this solved within a day… But I couldn’t put this information in the hands of gods.

His laughter was nothing more than quiet hums against my lips. When we finally parted, he caressed my cheek. “So? Do you want to repeat that?”

I rolled my eyes, turning away from him as I abandoned his loving touch. “Go to the Heavens. The sooner you leave the sooner you can come back, you know.” 

“Then I'll be back soon,” he reassured, pecking his lips against my head, wrapping his arms around me from behind before taking his leave. 

It hurt me to think that I had to treat Huedhaut as a suspect when he'd been the only one willing to help me through all my hardships. It had to be someone else and I was going to find out who. I was going to clear Dui’s name and I was going to bring this killer to justice.

My first suspect was admittedly the most expected Zodiac god… The former demon and son of the Dark King himself, Partheno. No one else would make a greater killer and then pin it on Dui. The question… was why?

Luckily, the god in question was in the living room and my eyes immediately locked into him as he worked with Krioff. If it was just those two… I could ask them, and if either one of them admitted something then I’d have an extra god present for support. “Excuse me, can I ask you guys some questions?”

They turned their heads toward me and a smile blossomed across Partheno’s face. For a killer, he was awfully carefree. “You're a rare sight. We hardly ever see you out of Huedhaut’s room anymore.” 

“I’ve been healing,” I vaguely answered. The less they knew, the better. “But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to ask about you two. Where were you the day Dui was banned from Earth? Tell me everything you can recall from that day and everyone you saw prior to that afternoon.” 

As surprised as they were with my line of questioning, Krioff assumed it was a method of human coping—I didn’t bother to correct him since that excuse was useful to me. Both Partheno and Krioff had similar stories. They were in the Heavens that day doing work. A useful tip they gave me was that they had seen Dui in the Heavens that morning: once leaving Zyglavis’ room and another time walking through the palace. 

Similar to me, they found this all quite puzzling. That day didn’t make much sense, but Dui’s guilt probably got in the way of him denying anything. He confessed to the murder because he was a murderer.

But along with an explanation from Tauxolouve who joined us, it was easy to put together that Dui had been in the Heavens up until the point of meeting me in front of his room with the cherry pie. In the few hours he was on Earth, he had spent his time solely with me. I was also familiar with the appearance of old blood; that scene was very fresh—I could recall it clearly enough, as much as I prefered not to. Shadow Dui never would have had the time to meticulously kill my best friend in such a manner. 

Thankfully, the gods that I visited were all more than willing to cooperate, all completely under the guise that I was ‘coping’ with the events of that day. As far as I knew, Huedhaut, Aigonorus, Ichthys, and Leon were the only ones who didn’t have any witnesses to vouch for their whereabouts—not that I was able to really talk to Ichthys or Teorus personally.

This entire investigation might’ve been easier if I were able to question Dui himself, but such a feat wasn’t possible. Unless…

“Scorpio?” I apprehensively asked, “Do you think you could take me to the Heavens to see Dui?”

His eyes narrowed, scanning me carefully for an answer as to why. As much as he glared, an answer didn’t come to him and he was only left with his assumptions. “What the hell do you wanna do that for? If you think vengeance is going to-”

“That’s not it,” I quickly defended myself. Though, I knew he’d only continue to get the wrong idea. Holding out my hand to prove my pure intentions, I quietly admitted, “I want to help him. I… Well, you care for Dui too and you didn’t sound suspicious… So, I guess I can tell you. I don’t think he killed my best friend, and I think he’s being framed. But I need to know what he knows. I need to talk to him.”

His face scrunched up into a scowl, turning away from me. “Shadow Dui killed that goldfish. He’s awaiting his sentence from the King. You’ll get into trouble messing with things you shouldn’t.”

“Do you really think Shadow killed my friend?!” I tried again, desperately trying to change his beliefs. Seeing that he wasn’t going to budge, I pressed, “Did the Department of Punishments even investigate this?”

“Dui confessed.”

“But it wasn’t Dui!”

He turned around to face me and we stared evenly at each other. Sighing, Scorpio took this moment to warn me, “If it wasn’t Dui… you’re searching for a god who murdered a human without a clear motive. You sure you wanna risk your life for this?”

My eyes trailed down to the floor, my hand falling back to my side. He wasn’t wrong. Besides, it was hard to imagine any of the gods actually killing a human—even Dui who was known as a god killer. Biting my lip anxiously, I uttered, “There had to be a reason it was my friend that was killed. That coupled with my workplace burning down… the timing was ironic, don’t you think? Isn’t my life already at risk?”

The silence was thick between us as I let him absorb my words. I wasn’t sure what the Department of Punishments was doing, but I knew Huedhaut would catch on if I let this linger too long. But I couldn’t let him shield me like a child when I had a fight to win. 

“Tell me what you want to ask Dui. I’ll help, but I can’t take you to the Heavens.” He paused. “I don’t think your killer would be too happy about you meeting with your framed god.”

My eyes shot up to meet his. At least he was starting to get on the same page as me, even if he made a very valid point. So, I made sure to tell him every detail about the investigation, even my thoughts on who were the most suspicious gods with no valid alibis that I could personally verify. In all, he seemed to take my concerns very seriously before he left to return to the Heavens. We would find the killer…

This back and forth went on for days, and unfortunately, Scorpio had yet to find anything incriminating from the three gods detained in the Heavens. While they had alibis for themselves, it didn’t clear any of the other three suspected gods, nor did it give me any clues as to who it could have been. For all I know, Aigonorus could have been sleeping, Leon could have been avoiding Karno, and Huedhaut could have been doing his work alone as usual. I wanted to deny that it was Aigonorus with how gentle he was as a god, but I also didn’t want Huedhaut to still be under suspicion. 

I grumbled quietly, shoving my face into a pillow. Being a detective was hard with so little clues. What motive would those three have to kill a human, anyway? Well… Leon had a short temper, but he wasn’t as murderous as he always seemed. Still, blaming Leon seemed better than blaming Huedhaut. I needed to figure this out soon.

***

Huedhaut glanced over to me, his eyes trailing over my still body, picking up on the subtle rise and fall of my chest. It had been a while since he had seen me sleep. On the nights when he was able to be on Earth and ‘sleep’ with me, all I seemed to do was toss and turn and sigh every other minute.

He knew for a fact that this had been going on ever since he found me with that piece of paper that one afternoon. If he had been smarter, he should have taken it to see for himself. It only seemed to have made a rift between the two of us.

Huedhaut sighed, knowing he had to figure this out soon, lest I fall ill with whatever was bothering me. So, without addressing me on the matter, he left to find another god that might know more. After all, he wasn't blind. He knew I was speaking to the other gods behind his back. 

His eyebrows furrowed. With that line of thought… Could the rift between us be because I was cheating on him? 

No, impossible. That didn't make sense either. He knew me better than that. Still, it didn’t hurt to make sure… He'd only get answers by asking. Since I was fast asleep in his bed, I wouldn't notice him missing. 

His decision made, he left his room, determined to question the next god he came across. One particular god that he came across, just so happened to be the very god I had been speaking most to. It was time to get answers from Scorpio.

***

This… This was golden. Huedhaut wasn’t a fan of nonsense that got in his way, but after questioning a few gods who had been interrogated by me… he was livid. Though, at the same exact time, he was extremely pleased and head over heels for me. 

Based on all the information he received about my recent whereabouts, he realized what I was doing: I was investigating the murder. He was proud that I was actually succeeding in finding out clues. If he was being honest, it just made him love me even more. I was such a smart goldfish to be following his trail so closely. To have narrowed down the list of suspected gods to only him, Leon, and Aigonorus was quite the feat. He knew I was worthy of having the soul of his goddess.

As proud as he may have been, he was still entirely livid that it had even come to this. He didn’t want me to see him as the bad guy. However, at the same time, he wanted to see if I could actually put all of this information that I was gathering together. He was morbidly curious to test my intellect; and if I did happen to find out it was him behind it all along… Well, that would be troublesome—more so for me rather than him.

Besides, I had questioned almost all the other gods. Why hadn’t I asked him anything about it yet? Or… did I already have my suspicions? That could explain the wedge that made itself between us. Well, if I didn’t speak with him soon, he would have to do the honors and open the conversation himself. 

***

It wasn’t fair… I’d been holding off asking Huedhaut anything about that day; praying that I could find the killer beforehand. Only… I cleared Aigonorus of suspicion. He was visiting his goats that day, so he wasn’t on Earth at all. The only verification was that his goats weren’t bad at communicating even if they didn’t speak English. 

And while none of the other gods saw him during that time, Tauxolouve told me that Aigonorus mentioned going to see his goats that day, which proved to be more useful than he thought since that narrowed it down to two other gods—for the time being, anyway. If all else failed, Aigonorus was alone that day and I had every right to further inspect him and his goats.

Leon, on the other hand, was also found innocent, if his paperwork was anything to go by. He had been doing his work in his room that day, a rare sight, but believable with the actual paper evidence that littered his room. Karno was there to verify just when Leon was given this huge mess to work on. The time frames matched and so Leon was in the Heavens the whole time. 

At this rate… Huehaut was the only god without an excuse… But he was also the only god I never questioned. 

Huedhaut had been taking good care of me since all of this started; I didn't want to associate him with this at all. Besides, as far as motives went, what reason would he have to do this to me? I felt like Leon would have more reason to kill my best friend than Huedhaut who was always calm and composed and loved humans. 

Still, there was no getting around this much-needed conversation. Maybe I could lighten the mood a bit before dumping everything on him. So, later that afternoon, I went to his room—our shared room now—to find him where he was reading on his bed as usual.

His eyes flickered to me as the door cracked open for me to confirm he was in there. And who was to say he wasn't sitting in his room reading that day? He was the one who came to get me and Dui from the balcony before the rain started and I hadn’t noticed anything unusual about him then. His hair was kempt, his clothes and hands were free of blood, and his voice held just as much love and compassion as usual. 

“Something's bothering you,” he spoke, causing me to flinch out of my thoughts. I couldn't be getting distracted around a potential killer and arsonist—I winced, feeling horrible associating Huedhaut with those terms. “(Name), come here. You don't look well.” 

“I'm fine,” I quickly excused, only to shake my head after. There was no point in lying when I'd later tell him the heavy news. “Actually… I have something to ask you, but… it's a little heavy. I was wondering if we could go outside and stargaze; maybe you could bring something to drink to lighten the mood?”

He was surprised by my line of requests, confused that I didn't just outright ask him, my trustworthy boyfriend, if he killed my best friend. Still, he jested, “If you wanted to propose to me, you could have just said it. There's no need to take the roundabout way of asking for my hand in marriage.” 

“H- Hue!” I stuttered, and he smirked, having me exactly as he wanted me. I argued, “That's not- I didn't come here to-” I huffed, turning away from him. “I don't have time for you making fun of me. This is serious!”

“I was also being serious,” he lightly commented, determined to distract my mind from seeing him as a bad guy. “If there's ever a time you're ready to start a family with me, I'll ask you to marry me. I missed my chance with Clotho… But you're in my life, (Name) and I want to have all the best moments with you.”

This caused me to falter. How could someone out to ruin my life go and say all these sweet things? There's no way it was Huedhaut! I wasn't going to accept that as an answer! Still, I had to ask… “I'm sorry, what I'm doing is important right now… I'll meet you on the balcony, ‘kay?” Sending him a terse smile, I retreated from his room. There was one person I had to speak with first… I needed to get my facts straight. 

Trailing back to Scorpio’s room, I gently knocked. As a Punishments member, I was sure he could help me solve this. Though, I was surprised when Zyglavis was the one to open the door for me. My eyes widened and Zyglavis asked in confusion, “(Name) (Surname)?”

“I…” I faltered, “I need to talk to Scorpio…”

Scorpio hummed, glancing over Zyglavis’ shoulder before nodding. “Yeah. Come in. Zyg, you might wanna hear this. This stupid woman has been trying to prove Dui’s innocence by finding the killer of that goldfish. So, let's hear what else you found.”

They were polite enough to offer me a seat as we sat around Scorpio’s desk, but that didn't lessen the tension as I announced, “In the past week, I narrowed the suspects down to three gods, and of those three, two don't have entirely valid alibis. Well… I haven't asked the final one for an alibi yet, but I figured discussing it might narrow my thoughts.”

Zyglavis crossed his legs, requesting, “Let's start with the god with an alibi. What did you find and is it a sound excuse?”

“It's Leon,” I nodded. “That day he was busy working in the Heavens. It wouldn't have checked out, but there was evidence. He wasn't granting wishes, he was taking care of backed up paperwork. As Karno and Vega were managing Leon’s work, they were able to vouch for him. He was in the palace that day.”

Scorpio scoffed, crossing his arms. “I'd say Karno would stick up for him if they were both in on it; we know that rabid lion doesn't like Shadow Dui. But Vega wouldn’t have kept it to herself. Altair would have told us if something wasn't right.”

“Agreed,” Zyglavis nodded. That got Leon off our radar of suspects, much to my disappointment now that we were nearing Huedhaut’s name. Starting again, Zyglavis tried, “Now, who is the god with an alibi that you're uncertain of?” 

“The first one… is Aigonorus. Though, I can't wrap my mind around what the motive would be. Before meeting me, granting wishes of humans was just a job and I'm pretty sure he'd never have associated with us otherwise.” My reasoning was sound, and the two gods had to agree with me. Still, there was his alibi to consider. “No one had seen him that day, but he told me he wasn't around the palace or on Earth; he was visiting his goats. Which, his goats aren't horrible at communicating and verified that he was with them. But it's the same issue as with Leon and Karno. His goats would vouch for him regardless, don't you think?”

Zyglavis nodded to my suspicions. “It is true that Aigonorus has the power to communicate and manipulate animals. It's worthwhile to keep him as a suspect to go back to. At least until you can rule out your final god. So, who is left without an alibi?”

I stared at the floor, too anxious to bring up the name now. Saying it would only make it feel that much more real to me. I didn't want Huedhaut wrapped up in all of this, but it was useless to go around it when he was one of the last suspects.

Scorpio sighed, quietly admonishing, “Stupid… You can't be biased about it. It doesn't matter how you feel about him, you can't protect him like Karno would for Leon or like those goats would do for Aigonorus. Do you think it's Huedhaut?” 

The question itself stung, making my chest ache in pain. I couldn’t cling to my biases forever, and they were both staring at me and waiting for an answer. “I thought about it… But Huedhaut loves humans. What would his motive be…? If he loved me so much, why kill my best friend? He only ever had the best intentions for me.”

Zyglavis’ eyebrows furrowed. “Your affections aside, you haven't addressed him about this, have you? Why is that?”

“Well…” I hesitated. “I knew if I brought it up with him that he'd want to stop me. He's really protective and I knew tracking down a killer would be dangerous. So… I never told him I was doing this. I asked to talk with him later tonight… That’s when I'll ask him about it.”

“You never told him…?” Scorpio’s eyes narrowed. The situation was awfully suspicious as he revealed, “Huedhaut already asked me about it. He knows.” 

“He… knows?” I faltered. Clearly, he couldn’t have been that concerned if he was letting me carry on without mentioning it. But that didn’t make him look good. “He never said anything… He never tried to help either.” He’s the smartest god in the Heavens. I knew he would either stop me or help me if he was aware, but he hadn’t said anything at all regarding what I was doing. Did that mean he didn't care… or that he was hiding the truth?

Zyglavis sighed, offering a word of advice, “I think it’s time you set aside your feelings and focus on the reality you may be facing.”

But… I was too terrified to accept that this could be the truth. “He…  I can’t.” I slouched in my chair, avoiding their pointed gazes. “I can’t. He… I’m too close. Besides, there’s no motive! He loves humans! He loves me!” 

“You’re the motive, then,” Scorpio bluntly figured. “You’re the only one tying any of this together. It wasn’t random—your workplace, the human closest to you.”

Zyglavis nodded in agreement, following Scorpio’s line of thought as he explained, “You would think this string of misfortune would continue regardless of who was with you. However… since you’ve fallen into his arms, all has been well, hasn’t it?”

“He’s going to have an alibi,” I instantly replied. There’s no way he wouldn’t have an excuse, a reason for not being on Earth during the time. 

Scorpio hissed, “Don’t be freaking biased about it. You need to do the right thing if he’s the one. You wanna stay with a killer who backed you into a corner with loving words?”

“N- No…” I stuttered, but I was extremely hesitant to do what had to be done. After all Huedhaut had done for me… did I have what it would take to point him out as the one behind all of this? Well… if that was the case, I wasn’t sure I had the heart to support him for everything he’d done to me. He simultaneously ruined and saved my life all at once. “You’re right. I’ll do my best. If he says anything, I’ll call you for help. I… have to take this seriously. For Dui, for Ichthys, for Teorus, and for all the other gods that were pulled into this mess. I will get to the bottom of this. He hurt a lot of people…”

Zyglavis laid a hand on my shoulder, directing my attention to his serious expression. “We’ll be here for you. You can handle this.”

***

I could handle this; I could handle this. I repeated that thought over and over again in my head as I walked through the doors of the balcony. Just as I suspected, Huedhaut was there waiting for me. There was a cute little table set up with a bottle and two wine glasses. 

Ordinarily, my stomach would have been fluttering with butterflies, but now it was stirring with anxiety. Well, that’s what the alcohol was there for. “Sorry I’m a little late,” I apologized, stealing a seat beside the table. “You know how the other gods like to talk when they catch me.” 

“That’s understandable,” he replied simply, fixing our drinks. “After all, they must be curious as to how your investigation is coming along.”

I froze, my eyes glued to him. He had never mentioned my activities before. His timing was ironically scary. He drank from his glass, only sparing me a glance as I took the filled glass from the table and drank from it. I was too nervous to get any words out, so I waited until I was half way through the glass before I finally commented, “I thought you’d be more concerned about me searching for a killer.”

“I am,” he confirmed. “Though, as I understood, you neglected to tell me about this because you didn’t want me interfering. However, if I thought for a moment that you were in harm's way, I would have stepped in. I’m not sure if you recall, but I can see your future.”

My eyes flickered back to him. How could I forget that little detail? He would have foreseen all of this. “Then tell me,” I requested, “Do you know if I’ll find him?”

His pause was way too long for comfort, but he finally nodded sharply. “You do.” The corners of his lips curled up as he unexpectedly praised me, “You’re so intelligent, I admire that about you. Even up against twelve gods, you don’t dare back down. I don’t think this excitement would have been stirred by yourself, however. So, can you tell me where this all started?”

It was strange how he was talking as if we were having a completely normal conversation when the topic was something that wasn’t exactly light. Still, I answered him, “It started a few weeks ago when Dui warned me that I was in danger. I didn’t think too hard about it… until I realized there was more to the story than what we saw.” I paused. “I checked everything and everyone. They all have alibis. Almost… all of them…” I emptied my glass, filling it with more wine for a second round—all until my cheeks were burning. “I didn’t come to you because I thought I’d find him before it came to this. But you’re the last god… I have to know… where were you that day?”

Finally, the question came out and Huedhaut had a well-rehearsed answer. “I was doing my work until the time came where I went to retrieve you. I knew you’d get sick from the rain if I left you out there. Then I proceeded to leave to meet with Karno.” 

My eyes narrowed as I lightly sipped on my wine. Thankfully, it was already proving to have a calming effect as my anxiety wasn’t rearing its ugly head. His response only left for one question. “Can Karno or anyone else verify that you were doing your work that morning?” 

“I was alone,” he revealed, though being alone wasn't unusual for him. “But you can ask the other gods, I changed the water from the reflection pool that day. The gods using it would have noticed.”

I nodded slowly. “I'll have to ask them.” Hesitantly, I added an apology, “I'm sorry I'm doing this to you. You’re just the only god I haven’t spoken to.”

“You don't have to apologize,” he replied, offering me a soft smile. “Please, don't feel guilty about this. I wouldn't feel so proud of you if you weren't working so hard to free your friend. I'm only worried about you and how you might feel with the answer you find.” 

“I won't be happy,” I muttered onto the rim of my glass. “I haven't found him yet and I'm already heartbroken about it. To think one of the gods I love and trust would ruin my life… I don't want that person to be you.” Pulling the glass from my lips, I stared into the vibrant liquid, swishing it around. “Would you tell me if it was you?” 

“No,” he honestly replied, making my heart break further. “I don't believe any god would admit to wrongdoing—especially to a human.” 

“Even if that god loved me?”

“Especially if that god loved you.”

It was clear that we were both walking around the question. I didn't want to know if he was the bad guy in my life. But I had to find out—not for my sake, but for Dui. “Huedhaut,” I said, and he flinched upon hearing his full name fall from my lips. “I've gone through every single god to get here… And you've been the least forthcoming with what I want to know. Why can't you be honest with me?”

“I've always been honest with you. I've never lied to you,” he sighed, placing his half-empty glass on the table. “I'll give you your answers when you start asking the right questions.”

I pursed my lips together. “What was your motive?” Did he even have one if he was the killer…? This conversation was giving me chills.

“You.” 

So… Scorpio was right on the money, wasn’t he? He did all of this until I was in his arms, just as he seemed to want. Now that I was where he wanted me, all of the bad things suddenly stopped.

For some reason, I didn’t feel as anxious as I should have been in the presence of a killer. If anything, it felt as if we were having an average conversation. Was this because of the alcohol? The gods had some pretty strong stuff and I was thankful for its ability to keep me calm as I pressed him, “Why? Couldn’t you just accept that I didn’t love you at the time? If you would have waited and done things the right way, you wouldn’t be in trouble with Zyglavis and Scorpio right now.”

“If I had waited, you would have ended up with Krioff,” he revealed, making me falter. Everything he did was to ensure I didn’t end up with the man I really loved. He drew me away from my home on Earth as well as the other gods. “Don’t look upset. Aren’t you happy with me? I’ve cared for you after every grievance and I’ve provided everything you’ve needed. Didn’t I bring you a delightful drink and agree to join you tonight? You’ve impressed me.” He smiled fondly. “My smart little goldfish followed a trail that not even the other gods could follow. I’ve rewarded you with all the answers you were looking for. So, what reason could there be for you to look so miserable?”

“Don’t act like this was all a game! You hurt people,” I hissed, glaring at him. “I don’t know what you expected to happen here, but I knew I might find something I wouldn’t like. And… I can’t say I’m sorry, Huedhaut… but I’m telling Zyglavis.” 

“But he already knows, doesn’t he?” Huedhaut asked, tilting his head as if he were actually confused with me. “You told him already. Your frequent meetings with Scorpio means that Zyglavis already knows. So then… we have to wonder why they aren’t already here.” Shrugging his shoulders, he commented, “Maybe you’re the only one concerning yourself over things that gods are frankly indifferent to.”

“That…” I trailed off. He was right, wasn’t he? No, no, no. I shook my head furiously. “They want to prove Dui’s innocence as much as I do. They’re not indifferent to this.”

“Okay, then,” he calmly replied, placing his glass on the table. “You seem to know quite a bit about us gods for only being with us a handfull of years.” 

“I don’t,” I quickly disagreed. Well, he was probably being sarcastic again, but my mind couldn’t keep up with him. Once again, my mind was stuck on the why. “Why’d you blame Dui? Why’d you kill my best friend like that…? Not even the Dark King was ever so cruel…”

His quiet hum hardly met my ears, but he looked entirely unbothered. Well, if he was slightly irritated, he did a good job at hiding it behind a mask of disinterest. “Tell me, could there have been a better choice of god? He’s a god-killer, isn’t he? Besides… I knew if he was framed with a minor crime—like what Ichthys and Teorus had done—you would easily forgive him over time. If seeing his face brought up a rather gruesome memory… I wouldn’t have anything to worry about, would I?”

“That don’t make’ny sense…” I slurred, my eyes narrowing on him. 

The corners of his lips curled up. “Are you already so intoxicated that you can’t think?”

“No,” I hurriedly denied, only serving to make him more amused. “If Krioff was th’only one… why’d you gotta hurt my friends for?”

He tilted his head, his eyes scanning over me. “Do you mean to ask why I didn’t choose to frame Krioff instead?” Following a drunken nod, he pursed his lips, wondering if he should have let me drink so much for such an important conversation. “That would have been a waste. After all, with your attention on me, there was never any time for you to interact with him. He wouldn’t pursue you without you first pursuing him. I did all that was necessary.”

“But…” I paused, my eyebrows furrowing together. “Why… them? Why I’thys an’ Teo an’ D- Dui?” 

“They were the ones keeping you from me, weren’t they?” He inclined his head with a knowing smirk. “It isn’t like they got into any real trouble. Being sent to the Heavens is less than a smack on the wrist. I was merciful enough for you, wasn’t I?”

I suppose the entire situation could have been worse, but aside from the state of those three, he still killed a human and he still manipulated me. “You…” I growled, trying to come up with the right words. “You jus’ a cruel god… horr…ible…” I blinked furiously, trying to keep a clear head. 

For the first time since we’d been together, it was the first time I’d called him a cruel god and meant it. Now I’d done it. He wasn’t so amused when I was taking my intoxicated frustrations out on him. “I think you’re a little drunk. You should get some sleep and we can talk about your new arrangements in the morning.” Knowing I’d refuse his kind advice, he stood, electing to return me to our room himself.

However, as soon as he moved to lift me from my chair, he froze in place, shocked at the warm sting that crossed his cheek. He was too stunned to move before he heard me hiss, “Don’touch me!” His eyes finally flickered back to me, his heart aching at the hatred in my gaze—my gaze that was fighting desperately to stay trained on him. “‘m not goin’ with you! You ruined ‘vryth’ng!” My head drooped, leaning against his torso for a moment before I was able to pull away and hold myself up again. But somewhere in my drunken mind, I knew something was wrong with this situation… “Wha'd you put in it…?” 

“You shouldn't worry so much over things that are only meant to help you,” he replied, his fingers passing through my hair, a soothing gesture. “I knew you'd be in distress, so I gave you something to help you relax. Have I ever done anything that wasn't in your best interest?”

“You killed ‘em…” I slurred, trying to keep my watery eyes open.

Seeing my disoriented state, he lifted me into his arms with ease, to carry me back to his room. I may have been scared of my situation, but at least I could no longer fight or hit him. Still, he didn't wish for me to hate him. “It should soothe your heart to know that I did not have hand in your friend’s death. I merely used them as a plot device and, what you might call, character development.” Sure, I was already half asleep and sniffling back tears, but he continued explaining nonetheless, “Your friend was murdered by humans. The result would have been the same. I simply… thought to use them in a more beneficial manner.”

In other words, regardless of anyone being accused of murder, my friend died for reasons outside of godly influence. Still, I stuttered a second accusation, “You b’rned m’ work…” He was an arsonist no matter how that went. It didn't matter if it was by godly powers, he still almost killed more than a handful of people. 

“Did you forget?” He gazed down at my face that had a few trails of tears. “Ichthys and Teorus managed that. It was their gift that burst into flames, and not by my doing. The only part I played… was in simply putting the idea into Teorus’ head to make you smile again.” And it worked for a time; I seemed so very happy with Huedhaut up until Dui’s intervention. “These gods put useless concerns in your head.” He sighed. “Well, we'll have to fix that.”

“Huedhaut?” Karno called, making Huedhaut pause. Though, Karno’s concerned eyes were glued on me. Eyebrows furrowing, he asked, “Is (Name) alright?”

“She's been distraught,” Huedhaut answered honestly. “It’s understandable; Anyone would be distressed after a failed attempt of proving their friend innocent. You know (Name) was close with Dui. I can't blame her for taking her anger out on me when she's in so much pain.”

A soft sigh left Karno’s lips as he gazed at me with soft eyes. Slowly, his eyes trailed back to Huedhaut. “She's lucky to have you. I can't imagine how she might have taken everything if she'd been alone. But…” He hesitated… “Is she drunk?”

“Ah…” Huedhaut’s gaze flickered aside. “I granted a wish. Though, had I known the conversation would be so heavy, I'd have given her something lighter.” Studying my restless expression, he added, “I'm sure she'll be better in the morning.” 

The corner of Karno’s lips curved up into a soft smile as he watched the two of us; he loved how caring Huedhaut was to his loved ones. “Keep taking care of her, Hue.” 

Giving his friend a nod, Huedhaut happily took me to his room. Likely, he’d have to deal with me having a hangover, but he’d be ready to deal with that when it came. Gazing down at me peacefully sleeping on his bed, a blush coated his cheeks. He was happy that he’d never again have to stress about losing me. As soon as this ‘investigation’ matter was well behind us, we’d be much happier and Huedhaut couldn’t wait for that day to come.

***

My head pounded with the fury of a thousand horses stampeding against my skull… But the rays of light that shone through the windows above certainly didn’t help, despite the beauty with which they illuminated the room. With a quiet groan, I turned over in bed, shoving the pillow over my head to block out the piercing sunlight. 

The sound of shuffling did not escape my notice and shortly after, I heard his voice. “It’s nearly noon. You had a little too much to drink last night, but I made something to help counter that, if you’re willing to come out from hiding.” After a silent moment with neither of us moving, he snapped his fingers and I tensed up. I waited for anything to physically happen to me: for the blanket and pillows to be removed, for me to be dragged out of the bed, or maybe even for the entire bed to just flip on its side and force me off. But… none of those things happened, and after another moment, Huedhaut finally added, “I’ve blocked the windows for the sun. Come out.”

My heart was still racing and my head was still pounding as I hesitantly crawled out from under my comforting place beneath the blankets. Gazing warily at Huedhaut, he presented me with a cup which I gazed at with just as much suspicion. Still sizing each other up, I probed, “Put something in that one too?”

He pursed his lips. “It’s to help your hangover. Unless you’d rather I leave you in pain…” He paused before adding, “I wouldn’t wish to do that.”

“Why?” Tense silence surrounded us as I glared at the floor, my eyebrows scrunched together in mild pain. “You’ve done it before…” 

“I’d never hurt you,” he repeated, trying to convince me. 

Unfortunately, I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle him until this headache was gone. Frustrated, I snatched the glass from his hands, gulping down the bitter liquid and praying for it to work quickly. Though he looked pleased with my acceptance, I no later knocked him down a peg, accusing, “You’ve always hurt me, I just didn’t know it. I wanted to be with Krioff, you ruined that. You banished my friends to a place I’m not allowed to go. And the only thing I get from the other gods are looks of pity!” With a wrathful scream, I threw the glass at him, missing by a hair and having it shatter across the floor behind him. “You’re always hurting me!”

“I’ve told you,” he mentioned quietly, not reacting to my rage with rage of his own. He was calm as always. “Everything I’ve done is for your own good. However, I’ve done nothing to harm you. I’ve given you all the answers you desired and still you refuse to understand. Who would you have turned to if you had found out your friend was brutally murdered and the murderer gone unpunished? I took care of everything for you.” 

“Shut up,” I whimpered.

“Your workplace burned, yet no one was injured. How is that?” Huedhaut continued to press. “Had I not been there for each of these instances, you’d hate no one but yourself. I grant all your wishes, only with the hopes that you might acknowledge my efforts. I love you. I’ll do anything for you… but I will not hurt you.”

Staring at the shattered glass, I couldn’t help but ask, “Do you even feel guilty for manipulating me?” Did he hurt as much as I was hurting?

The corners of his lips pulled upward. “I can’t feel guilty when you’re well. I can’t feel guilty knowing I have everything I ever wanted and I now have the opportunity to give you the best life.”

“But you’ll never give me what I want…”

His smile turned rueful in a flash, but he didn’t look remorseful. “I can’t do something that would hurt you. You want the life you had before… but that’s an impossible wish that even a god couldn’t grant. All you can do now is accept what I’m giving you and move on. We were happy before, weren’t we?”

I hated how he was the smartest man in the Heavens. It didn’t matter that I knew everything he’d done, he wasn’t guilty of any kind of sin. He didn’t kill that human and he didn’t set my workplace on fire. He didn’t force me to leave my home to live with him. He simply manipulated all of these elements until everything stood in his favor… until I willingly ran into his arms. 

Never once did he let me suffer alone. Even now, he wasn’t lashing out at me and he wasn’t trapping me in his room. …was he?

Warily gazing at him, I shoved the blankets off of me, crawling from the bed. However, before I could race for the door, his arms wrapped around me and I frantically clawed at his arms so he would release me. “Calm down,” he advised, not budging until I stopped fighting against him. Only once I stopped trying to pull away from him did he remove his hold. “Go the other way. You’ll walk straight into glass and hurt yourself if you go that way. Then you’d be bedridden, wouldn’t you?”

Even now… he was still caring for me and ensuring my safety. But… he wasn’t disabling me from leaving. Carefully trailing around the glass, I finally escaped the suffocation of being around Huedhaut. I blinked, standing alone in the hall. Did he really just let me walk away knowing what I know? He… He had to know something I didn’t know. 

Too anxious to stay put, I wandered straight into the living room where I was desperate to tell Zyglavis everything I knew. Someone had to be able to do something. Only… I was disappointed when Zyglavis finally opened his mouth to comment on my findings: “We can’t do anything.”

“W- What…?” My eyebrows furrowed together. “What do you mean you ‘can’t do anything’? Of course, you can! He confessed!” 

“He confessed to being involved; and yes, it may have been in… less than moral ways… However, he hasn’t committed a sin; there were no heavenly laws broken.” Zyglavis’ eyebrows were also knitted together in frustration. “What’s more is that we have no evidence of these activities, regardless of his admittance. You have also admitted that he isn’t keeping you here against your will, so he is not under any wrongdoing by housing you in the mansion.”

Tense silence followed his explanation until finally, I slowly said, “Then he’s going to get away with everything… and Dui’s still going to be held accountable for killing a human! Can you live with that?”

“No,” Zyglavis said as if it didn’t bother him. Pursing his lips, he explained, “We will address that matter with Huedhaut. Counting on his cooperation, we will find the human responsible for this murder and punish them accordingly. As there was no divine intervention of human life or death, Dui will be proven innocent, though there is nothing we can do about the… unfortunate placement of the human.” Seeing that I was dispirited with his answers, he offered, “Being that Huedhuat is a member of the Department of Wishes, such admonishments should be in the hands of his minister. And, being that this is a serious matter… I advise you to take this issue to that wild lion and hope the consequences are what you desire.”

Slowly, I asked, “Is that the best we can do?” 

Pursing his lips, he nodded firmly. “I apologize. But should you find anything else that might prove him of having sinned, return to me and I’ll do what I can to ensure you get the justice you seek.”

I knew it… If anything, Huedhaut probably looked like nothing but a nice god who was only trying to care for his partner. There was nothing anyone would be able to do.

While I was lost in thought, Leon walked into the living room with a deep frown. Clearly he had overheard the conversation, but all he could do in response to my depression was comment, “I knew he wouldn’t be able to let go of her so easily. But just like her, you fell in love with how caring and clever he is. You’re completely ensnared, aren’t you? You can deny it so fervently, but you can’t even fool yourself.”

He stared at me, but seeing that I didn’t readily have a comeback, he took a seat in the living room, determined to ignore Zyglavis as he relaxed during his time away from Karno and the Heavens. 

I would have immediately left the tension in the living room, but if I was being honest with myself, I no longer had a place to go. Dui, Ichthys, and Teorus were in the Heavens, no one else was there that would willingly take me in, and I would not return to Huedhaut—he didn’t deserve it… I didn’t deserve it.

Leaning back on the sofa, the living room was quiet and peaceful. It was something I thought I could appreciate, until my eyes widened upon finding Huedhaut entering the room. For a moment, I was certain he was there for me. However, he didn’t even glance at me—nor did he give me a wink of attention. My staring didn’t seem to affect him as he spoke calmly with Leon about work. I willingly broke up with him and he was being respectful of my space and wishes.

It was as if he didn’t care that all his efforts to have me went to waste. He wasn’t even remotely bothered by the way things turned out. If I could forget about everything he’d done, then things between the gods felt like they hadn’t changed at all. 

Zyglavis met my gaze as if silently checking on me, but he just as quickly looked away, as if he had seen exactly what Leon was describing a few moments prior.

I wasn’t sure how to take the situation between me and the gods in the living room, so I quickly fled, wanting to leave the mansion if only for a moment. But as I sought out the door, I ran straight into Karno who was quick to catch my outstretched arms. 

“(Name),” he called my name, offering me a concerned smile that made my heart ache. Though, his eyebrows soon furrowed in genuine worry at my lack of reaction. “What’s wrong?”

I stared at him for a moment, silently deciding that if there was any god to stay with, I wanted to stay with Karno… Luckily, he gladly accepted to take me in with the condition that I tell him what was going on between me and Huedhaut. Of course, I explained my situation and earned his ready sympathy. 

His arms were always open to me… and he offered the same warmth and kindness as Huedhaut always did… Only… Karno wasn’t Huedhaut. 

Still, I was grateful for his acceptance and eagerness to help me, even if he could only give a similar solution to Zyglavis and offer to do his best in discussing the issue with Leon.

Karno was the reason my week without Huedhaut went as smoothly as it did. It was peaceful, quiet… Yet… it was, above all else, painful. So many times, the truth was waved so obviously in my face: Karno wasn’t Huedhaut, and Huedhaut could not be replaced. My heart ached every time I walked past Huedhaut in a hall, or saw him working in the living room, or walked past his door. Even looking at a book made the longing grow more painful.

It made it worse with how he never so much as spared me a glance. It was as if… I didn't exist to him anymore. Rightfully, I should have been glad for all of this… but why did it hurt so much? 

I hated how Huedhaut created an irreplacable spot for him in my heart. Or, thinking more deeply on it, maybe that spot had always been there. Maybe, to make myself feel better, I could place the blame on Clotho… After all, this could have been considered her fault. If it weren’t for her love for him, maybe I wouldn’t be so hopelessly attached to the most deviously clever god in the Heavens. 

A couple of weeks later, I was on the verge of a breakdown when I finally gave into my initial urges to see Huedhaut, desperate for the love and affection I'd been neglected—and had been furiously avoiding. Only, Huedhaut wasn’t in the mansion as I had hoped, he was still in the Heavens.

Unfortunately, the minute Leon spotted me trailing through the mansion on a search for something—or rather, someone—he huffed in amusement. He didn’t say anything, but I could tell he was humored by my desperation to see Huedhaut after such a short time apart. He knew better than to think Huedhaut didn’t have me wrapped around his finger.

Upon returning, the sought-after god was surprised to find me trailing him to his room. He suspected it could have been a coincidence and that I just so happened to have been going in the same direction as him. But he was the only one in the hall when I spoke, “I’m sorry…” His eyebrows furrowed. What was I apologizing for? “You were right…” I paused. “I can’t go back to the way things were before. I- I thought I could go back and start again, but it’s not that easy. And- And Karno tried to help, but it only feels worse because it’s not you. And I’m stuck knowing things I wish I’d never found! I wouldn’t hate you so much if I didn’t know you’d done all this…” I paused for another tense moment, wondering if he was considering my words. He had at least paused to listen. “We were happy before… but I can’t stand you touching me anymore… and I hate hearing your taunting voice, because I can’t do anything.” 

“What did you come here for?” He appears dispassionate, as if he didn’t care for my insulting explanation. “You broke my heart by leaving me for other gods. You’ve hurt me where I’ve never hurt you. Why should I do you a favor?”

“I’m not asking for a favor… I’m apologizing. You- You don’t deserve one. You…” I trailed off. “I don’t want to keep suffering like this. You have no idea how confused I feel!”

“I know,” he simply answered. Of course, he knew. He always knew. “Knowledge is a cursed thing that few can resist—especially curious humans.” That last bit was a jab at your desire for answers. “Fortunately, I can help you,” he offered. Snapping his fingers, a glass ball appeared in his hands and he looked down at it, inquiring, “You wish for me to take your memories? I can put them in here… a safe place to serve as a reminder…”

He didn’t elaborate on what he meant, but I could only gather that, should I wish to suspect him of any wrongdoings in the future, he’d have my horrible memories of these past few months stored away in a bubble. It was smart, as always. He had a clever solution for the problem he was responsible for. 

“Yes… Please,” I begged, finally surrendering in this long game of mental chess. 

A considerate smile crossed his features. “Well, you know what to say.”

Confusion filled my gaze before I finally apologized, “I’m so sorry for hurting you, Hue… But I’m hurting too. Cant’ you help me fix this…?” I trailed off at seeing the look in his eyes. It was a familiar look, a knowing look that said I was missing something.

After a brief moment, he assisted, “You know what you have to say…”

I faltered at how obvious it should have been. Finally, I prayed to him, “Hue… I wish I could forget everything we’ve done so things could go back to the way they used to be.” 

I gazed at him with begging eyes, a sense of relief overcoming me at seeing his pleased smile. “Finally… Everything will finally return to as it should be.” Lifting his hand, he finally snapped his fingers and the world was overtaken by a bright light. 

***

Huedhaut was reading a book some time after having laid me comfortably in his bed. Taking one’s memories isn’t an easy process, but Huedhaut had prepared himself for this very task, and it had gone off without a hitch. 

He was only waiting patiently for me to wake up when he paused, hearing me call out his name softly. His gaze flickering to me, light seemed to fill his eyes once again. “Ah, my love. You’re awake already. I thought you’d sleep longer.”

This, unbeknown to me, was a test. Though, according to the blush that colored my cheeks, Huedhaut was happy. He knew he didn’t usually refer to me as ‘his love’ unprompted. So, he was greatly pleased when my shy response was, “Geez, H- Hue… I love you too. I…” I trailed off, curling further with the blanket around me. “I guess I am pretty tired,” I relented. “But can you come lay down with me? I… I feel like I miss you, for some reason. I had a weird dream that I can’t seem to remember.”

His soft laugh was music to my ears as he joined me in bed. “You needn’t worry, (Name)... I’ll always be by your side, even every single time you miss me. Just let me know if you do remember that dream you had. I’m so curious to know what it was about…” At the end, he added with a love-struck smile, “My love…”

#star crossed myth #star crossed myth fanfic #star crossed myth yandere #star crossed myth imagines #scm huedhaut #fanfic #voltage fanfic #zodiac signs #zodiac gods #department of wishes #yandere #yandere x reader #minor character death #tw: death #tw: violence

[marutsuia]

Hello, All!

Wanted to let you know that I have had some life changes recently, which is why I haven't been very active. I also got very sick, so I wasn't feeling up to writing. I'm feeling better now! So while I work through the remainder of my requests, feel free to read my series on Ao3 that is more longform, and gives justice to the Star Crossed Myth MC! It is a rewrite of all of Leon's stories in chronological order. The Main story and epilogue are already complete and I am working on the sequel!

It will also expand upon leon's story, past a promise of infinity. There are already approx. 60,000 words for your viewing pleasure :3 enjoy!

#voltage inc #voltage otome #star crossed myth #star crossed myth leon #scm zyglavis #scm leon #scm scorpio #scm ichthys #star crossed myth memes #scm #scm teorus #scm karno #scm krioff #scm tauxolouve #scm aigonorus #scm dui #scm huedhaut #scm partheno #scm leon x reader #scm leaon x you #scm leon x y/n #scm leon x mc #scm x mc #scm x reader #scm x you #scm x y/n #otome x reader #otome #otome game #otome romance

[imhereforscm]

Um... could I maybe request a Hudehaut x Reader comfort fic where reader is trying to deal with the knowledge their mother is dying?

"Mother"

Genre: comfort

Warnings: mentions of death of a family member

A/N: Hello, love.💓💓 I wasn't sure if you meant natural death (as in the reader is thinking of what will come to pass) or due to something like an illness, so I made it more open. If you think I didn't portray it well, please, let me know and I promise to rewrite it to the best of my abilities. I love you.💗💗

The door to Huedhaut's room opened and he greeted you with a smile. "Come on in."

You tried to feign a smile, but the only thing you managed was for your lips to form a straight line as you nodded, acknowledging his presence. "Hey..."

He stepped aside, welcoming you into his room and he inspected you suspiciously as you paased him by.

Turning to face him, you were met with his serious expression. "What is it?" It was pointless to believe he wouldn't catch onto what was going on. Huedhaut knew you better than he knew himself.

"I'm finishing up with some documents and you have my attention, alright?"

You nodded. "Alright." You sat down at the foot of the bed and Huedhaut left a sweet caress on your hair, before moving to his desk.

As he picked up his quill, your eyes wandered to the floor and remained there, your mind frozen in a cold hell. You knew Huedhaut well to know he must've been giving you time to collect your thoughts and you were glad he was so perceptive. Your feet led you here, because your heart couldn't bear to be alone right now.

A hand touched your shoulder softly and pulled you out of the realm of your thoughts, which had become a skein of aching and denial. "Will you tell me what's bothering you?"

Looking deeply into his sapphire eyes, you swallowed thickly. "Hue..." Your vision blurred and when you blinked to clear it, cool tears streamed down your cheeks. "I really don't want to be alone right now..."

"You don't have to be alone." He took a seat beside you and wrapped a hand around your back, pulling you close, so you were resting your temple on his shoulder. "You know you can always talk to me."

"I know. But it's hard to put into words." Your voice kept breaking more and more as you spoke. "When I say it aloud, it becomes even more real... Too real."

Huedhaut gave your body a squeeze and pressed a kiss to the top of your head, remaining silent, so you could speak whenever you wanted to.

You sucked in a deep breath and spared yourself from the suffering of holding it inside you for too long. "My mom is dying." You finally managed to utter.

Huedhaut's hold on you was firm. He breathed in deeply and waited your next words.

"She's dying and I cannot stop it. I'm gonna have to part with her." Your breath hitched, as sobs came forth, the tears thick as they covered your face. "It hurts so much and I can't stop it!"

Huedhaut turned you around and hugged you tightly, your cries muffled by his chest and your tears staining his uniform. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered, truly devastated to hear that. Gods didn't view life and death quite the same as humans, but Huedhaut understood... He understood your heart with all the happinesses and the sorrows it came with. "I'm terribly sorry..."

Your fingers curled, gripping the back of his snowy white jacket tightly, desperate for some sense of comfort you didn't seem to be able to find. You wished you could get lost within his scent and never face the real world again. Alas, that was a wish he could not grant. "I don't want this day to come, ever. But I know it's not up to me. I feel so hopeless..."

Huedhaut's fingers slipped into your hair and began combing through them, gently untangling all of the painful knots formed there. "I know it hurts. Loosing someone you love so deeply... But unfortunately that's a path humans must take. It's going to hurt, but you'll get through it. I promise you that."

"I don't think I will. How will I manage without her in my life?!" You cried, your sobs getting louder and messing with your speech.

"It's how it works. You'll never stop loving her and you will miss her, but I promise you with everything that I am... This unbearable pain will not crash you forever." He said, speaking softly as he rubbed your back to sooth you, his heart breaking as he felt you shaking in his arms. "Humans are born... But then they die... It's natural and it will happen to everyone. Just... Try and think that, your mother will not suffer where she'll go. She'll be in peace. It's those left behind that must bear the loss, but... Life will find it's rightful path again. Everyone and everything will heal one day."

"But what until then...?!" You asked, choking out the words through the tears covering your face and painting a heartbreaking picture out of your features.

"Until then, you'll have me, your friends and everyone else who loves you." He said, kissing your head softly. "You'll never be alone in this. That's another promise I'm making and I will keep."

"Hue..." You breathed.

"Deep breaths now... Let me hold you."

#scm #star crossed myth #fanfic scm #scm fanfic #scm huedhaut

[starcrossedloversstorytime]

Date night (Huedhaut)

Request, I am sorry but I’ve lost the message, as you do! but here you are,

Huedhaut from Star Crossed Myth.

this character was hard to write for, I don’t know much about these things,

hope it’s okay!

Huedhaut sat on the edge of the bed while you were in getting a shower, he had insisted on joining you a few times, teasingly, but you turned him down.  Huedhaut had arrived earlier than planned, hence why you still weren’t ready.  

It had been a while since the god had been down on earth, work had kept him busy.  So you were pretty excited rushing through your routine.  Huedhaut called into you, seeing what was taking so long, but his tone was teasing.

“I’m just out the shower” you called back.  A moment of silence was followed by a snapping sound, Huedhaut had clicked his fingers and suddenly you were dry.

“Thank you!” you chirped back. Now all you had to do now was fix your hair and put your clothes on.  

You decided not to do too much to your hair, Huedhaut preferred simplicity, thats why you went with the classic black dress, low heels, and minimal accessories.  A quick look in the mirror and you opened the door to the bathroom.  Huedhaut was staring out of the window at the darkening skies, but as soon as he heard the door unlock his head spun around.  His face froze, but he snapped back to himself quickly, smiling warmly.  You were waiting for a snarky comment, but all that came out of his mouth was sweet words.

“You’re Beautiful” it was simple but boy did it cause your cheeks to heat up.  He walked up to you, placing his hands on your hips.   You thought he was going in for a kiss.

“I’m going to have to keep a particularly good eye on you” he started “Or you’d end up breaking your ankle in those shoes” and there was the snarky comment.  You faked pouted only for Huedhaut to finally close the gap between you kissing you quickly, before pulling away.

“Ready then?” he asked, you grabbed your bag, then took Huedhauts outstretched hand.  The two of you were going out to dinner in a fancy restaurant.  

With a snap of his fingers, you two arrived nearby.  The ground floor was pretty much just a basic lobby, with a lift.  Like a hotel.  The restaurant itself was on the top floor.  It was open dining, with a magical view of the city and the otherworldly view of the stars.  A young girl leads the two of you to your seat by the glass fence.  Huedhaut pulled out your chair letting you sit down, before taking his own seat facing you.  The young waitress gawked at Huedhauts handsome face and beautiful suit, he really did look amazing right now.  Perhaps better than the view around you and the fact other woman and some men were glancing over to him didn’t faze you at all.  He was yours, you knew that.  After the waitress took your drinks order Huedhaut turned to you.

“Enjoying the view?” Huedhaut smirked.  You knew what he meant. Causing a blush to form on your face.  A satisfying smiling appeared on his face, hiding it behind the menu.  

The waitress quickly returned with your drinks, then asked if you were ready to eat, you had picked out something, but the prices were so high, you were hesitant to pick anything.  

Huedhaut asked the waitress for more time, throwing a teasing comment aimed at you.  The waitress stared a moment, out of awe before what he had said settled into her head.  She smiled at him before leaving, pretty much ignoring you completely, but you still didn’t mind, Huedhaut was looking at you, you may not see stars in his eyes, but you saw something, that was always aimed at you.  

“Not hungry? You love food” he asked.  Huedhaut noticed your hesitation when ordering.  

“Oh, it’s not that, I just” you paused, looked around then whispered “everything is so expensive”

Huedhaut chuckled.

“I am a God, remember” he noted.  “Order whatever you want”

You checked his expression, but it wasn’t telling.  

You looked back at the menu picking something you would like but also something that was cheap.  This wasn’t the kind of place you would ever visit on your own but did want to try something new too.  You had decided and just in time as the waitress came over.  Once again her attention was pretty much solely on Huedhaut, but you managed to place your order.

You took a sip of the wine in front of you, the taste was sweet.

“Better than mine?” Huedhaut asked teasingly. “Never” you returned smiling warmly.  You turned your attention to the scenery.  From this height, you got a great view of the city lights, that resembled the stars about.

“It’s so beautiful here, I didn’t know it even existed” you expressed.  Huedhaut naturally replied with a sarcastic comment.  You were going to return it, but the waitress returned with your food.  It smelt delicious and looked even better.  Your expression seemed to amuse Huedhaut.

“You really do love food more than anything don’t you” he teased.  

“Not more than you” you replied, blushing, but you had hoped to get him back.  Sure enough, Huedhauts cheeks flushed crimson.  

“You always say such cute things when you drink” he noted.  It wasn’t the drink talking, it was all you.  When you told him that, his blush deepened.  

You quickly tucked into your food satisfied, only to be hit with an explosion of flavour.  It was wonderful. Huedhaut tucked into his own food and before long the food was gone.  It was so filling.   The glass of wine was now done, but you knew not to have another.  You wanted to make sure your head was completely clear to spend it with Huedhaut.  The two of you decided to skip dessert not wanting to linger there much longer.  Huedhaut wanted to spend alone time together.  Somewhere else, far away from people.  

Once outside, Huedhaut grabbed you suddenly, pulling your back to his chest.  He snapped his fingers and the next thing you knew you were floating high about the buildings, higher than you were at the restaurant.  You weren’t afraid like before, you knew Huedhaut wasn’t going to let go.  Huedhaut tightened his grip around you, burying his face into your hair.

“I’ve missed you” he mumbled.

“I missed you too” you returned, smiling to yourself.  

After a while Huedhaut lowered you both, landing on your balcony.  You couldn’t wait to get out of the heels you were wearing they weren’t high but they were hurting.  You had only just stood back up when Huedhuat pulled you into a very passionate kiss, it left you completely breathless, you had barely got it back before the god kissed you again.  You hadn’t noticed until the bed hit the back of your legs that he was walking you backwards.  He gently lowered down, climbing on top of you.  Your body was heating up as Huedhauts hands around your body.  You really did miss him.

Morning came too quickly for your liking, the bright sun shone through the open curtains, thanks to last nights activities, you hadn’t the chance to close them.  You groaned turning around, just hear a chuckle.  Huedhaut laid beside you.  

“You’re awake then, I thought you were going to sleep all day I guess I tried you out” he teased.  You blushed, burying your face into his chest.  Embarrassed by his comment, though your body was a tried and a little sore, but in a good way.  

“It’s so bright” you complained.

Huedhaut kindly closed the curtains for you.  Blocking the light.  

Together, the two of you spent the day, snuggling in bed, only leaving it when you needed to eat.  

#Star crossed myth #huedhaut #huedhaut x you #huedhaut x #huedhaut x reader #huedhaut x MC #Huedhaut romance #SCM #Huedhaut SCM #Huedhaut star crossed myth #otome #fan fic #fanfic #fan fic writer #writing is hard #l

[tauxolouwu]

Huedhaut x Reader

Strange, how you called out his name, rather than something easier to remember. Surely Scorpio or Leon should have been the first to pop into your head. Needless to say they weren’t, as you continued your descent towards the ground that would ultimately cause your death. Had you said it aloud? If you had no one had came. maybe you’d said it wrong. You tried to gulp, gasp, claw onto something, anything, but frozen in fear you found yourself unable. This was it. Death awaited you just metres away, drawing closer with every second. You closed your eyes tight bracing for the impact, wind rushing in your ears as you fell further, exaggerated by the darkness and lack of control. This would be the last thing you heard. Or so you thought.

“Y/N” came a voice you couldn’t place, familiar yet completely foreign. You felt a thud, what you assumed to be the ground. But then, why were you still alive? In fact you had hardly felt any pain. No. It couldn’t be the ground, it was warm and protective, you could sense it, feel it against your skin. A softness that concrete couldn’t mimick. Although your heart beat was rapid and adrenaline was still coarsing through the blood stream it caused, you felt safe and somewhat calm. Your clenched eyes relaxed but didn’t open, scared of what you would see. If you didn’t open them maybe you could live in this peaceful ignonce for a while longer. What awaited you might not match the preferred image you were creating. As if reading your mind the calm voice spoke again, this time closer, directly in your ear and even softer.

“It’s ok, you’re safe now,” something about him made you want to trust that he was right. Slowly your eyes fluttered open, now open and level with another pair. A dazzling blue that simply couldn’t belong to any mere human. Huedhaut, you recognised him as, the god you had called for. His brow was furrowed in concern marking his perfect features with worry lines. You didn’t know him and he still cared for you so much, maybe you’d judged these so called gods too quickly, or maybe just this one in particular. Your hair blew far too aggressively for it to be only wind, no you were certain that you were travelling, you could feel it in the way your stomach dropped. Realising this, and the speed at which you were doing so, you grasped onto the uniform he wore, nails digging so far in it must have hurt him. The guilt was almost enough to make you stop but with every gust your fear returned, making you grip even tighter again. He didn’t seem to mind, which soothed you a little, in fact he seemed more and more worried for you and not himself. You couldn’t be certain of what the others would have acted like but you knew this had been the right choice. He offered a smile, a bittersweet one, but a smile nonetheless. The effect it had probably hadn’t been what he was intending, it made you sad for him, but unable to think why. He looked at you with a fondness none of the others had, kindness that might have been what influenced your choice.

The sounds around you were getting fuzzy, ears needing to pop from the altitude. How high above the ground must you be by now? You wouldn’t check, and with the only other thing to focus on being the handsome God’s face you supposed that would have to be it as embarrassing as it was. He was looking up, the way you were headed, but sensing your eyes on him, he looked back down. Instinctively you looked away. Nothing was around you, not the sides anyway, but below was a different matter. The city lights were barely specks in the distance, mirroring the stars above. You were beginning to feel faint, sick to the stomach. If he dropped you now... he had no reason to, you assured yourself, why would he save you just to let you die. The rational thoughts weren’t proccessing well enough to stop the faint feeling. No doubt you’d lose consciousness any minute now. You weren’t too scared, despite what your pulsating heart might have suggested. Well that wasn’t the whole truth. You were scared of the fall, but something about this man made you comfortable to be unconscious in his presence and you were keen to find out what that something was.

#Just a small Huedhaut fan fic #my first fan fic so dont be rude please #Huedhaut #scm huedhaut #scm #star crossed myth #voltage inc

[iluvsexyvoltageguys]

Hue’s Home

Requested Huedhaut from @otomefromtheheart, hope you enjoy 💫

Fandom: Star Crossed Myth (Love 365)

Pairing: Huedhaut x Reader

“Hue, what are you doing?” You giggled as the god of Aquarius sauntered into the bedroom in nothing but his boxers, a grin spread wide across his face. He placed his hands flat on the bed and leaned in to kiss your lips, before pulling away to speak, “I’ve missed you, you know that?”

You nodded and pecked his cheek with your lips, “I’ve missed you too.”

Huedhaut crawled onto the bed, sitting beside you as he gently ran his hand along your thigh, just up to the hem of your shorts, before stopping and resting it there. He pressed his lips to your neck, his kiss soft and sweet as he tucked your hair out of the way. “I’ve missed everything about you. Your beautiful face, your adorable laugh, your gorgeous body…everything,” he said, his lips pressing back against your skin.

You bit your lip, feeling a tingle down your spine as he began to gently suck at your neck. He knew how much you loved neck kisses, and you knew exactly what he was trying to do.

He pulled away from your neck, biting it softly as he did so, leaving a small purple mark on your skin. You sighed softly as he moved in front of you, gently laying you onto your back as he continued to kiss your body, this time focusing on your collarbone. His lips passionate and soft as they left a trail of kisses along the neckline of your t-shirt.

“Let’s get this off of you, yeah?” he asked, his hands toying with the hem of your shirt.

You nodded your head quickly, and he tugged the shirt off over your head, revealing your pale turquoise colored lace bra. You watched as Huedhaut’s blue eyes filled with lust, his teeth biting into his bottom lip as he looked at you, taking in the sight of you in your bra. It had been a couple of weeks since you two last saw each other, so you were letting him take things slow so you could both enjoy every moment.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are, yet?” he asked as he placed his lips just below your ear, his hand cupping your breast firmly.

He squeezed his hand gently as you let out a soft moan. Reaching around to your back, his fingers played at the clasp of your bra. He nibbled at your earlobe as he toyed with it, teasing you before he finally undid it. You let the straps fall slowly down your shoulders and watched as he bit his lip again, you absolutely loved teasing him and tonight was no exception.

He dragged the material off of your body slowly, grinning as he revealed your naked breasts. He ran his hands over each of them slowly, giving them a slight squeeze as he leaned in to kiss you, talking softly against your lips. “Look at how gorgeous you are, _____, I missed looking at you.”

You loved how turned on he was, seeing the lust in his eyes intensify as he spoke, You leaned in and kissed him, biting gently on his bottom lip as you did. You ran your fingers through his soft hair, hearing him groan slightly into your mouth.

He pulled away from you quickly, moving his mouth down your body before taking your nipple between his lips. He sucked on it slowly as you let out a soft moan, his tongue swirling around it in circles as he slid his hand down your body. He rested it on the waistband of your shorts, tucking his fingers in behind the fabric as his hand wandered further down. You let out a loud sigh as you felt his tongue making contact with you sensitive skin again. He slowly ran a finger along your slit, the fabric of your shorts getting wet as he touched you.

“Hue,” you moaned. “Stop teasing me.”

He pulled his mouth away from your breast and grinned, moving down along your body before stopping between your legs. He slowly dragged your shorts off, pulling them down your legs as he moved. You took in a sharp breath as you felt the air against your skin, and gripped a hold of Huedhaut’s hair as he slowly moved his lips up your thigh.

He gently pressed his lips to your clit, sucking on it softly as you let out a loud moan. You gently tugged at his hair, tilting your head back as you felt his tongue flick at your clit. Your legs began to shake slightly as it became too much for you to hold in any longer, and Huedhaut began to move his tongue faster, running it in circular motions around you.

“Fuck, Hue!” you shouted.

He slowly pulled away, just before you could finish then smirked at you as he pulled his boxers off. He gently ran the tip of his cock against your slit, teasing you just that little bit more.

“Are you sure you want me to, ____?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at you.

“Hue, stop fucking teasing me, please. I don’t think I can take much more of it.” you whined.

The corners of his mouth turned upwards slightly as he gently pushed the tip inside of you. You took another sharp breath, and he paused, allowing you to adjust.

He slowly began to thrust into you, his hands flat on the bed above your shoulders. He leaned down to kiss your lips, and you reached up to grab at his hair again as you felt him pick up the pace slightly.

“H-Huedhaut” you whined again, “faster.”

He gently sucked on your bottom lip as he began to thrust faster inside of you, moaning into your mouth as he did, “You feel so good” you heard him say.

You threw your head back as he began to pump harder into you, screaming his name out loud as he moved his lips to your neck. He sucked on the sweet spot on your neck as he continued to move his hips in time with yours, and you could feel his thrusts becoming sloppier as he went, meaning you were both getting close.

He nibbled at your neck again as he kept his rhythm going, his thrusts hard and fast into your body, but steadily, as he tried to keep himself together for you.

You gripped the bed sheets tightly in your fists, screaming his name out again as you hit your orgasm, with Huedhaut following not far behind you. You finished riding them out together, your hips slowing down at the same speed as one another. He pulled out of you slowly, still teasing you that little tiny bit that he could, before rolling over onto his back beside you.

You turned your head to face his and grinned, panting slightly as you caught your breath. He laughed softly at you as he extended his arm out to you, letting you cuddle into the side of his body.

“You know what else I missed?” he asked, smiling softly at you.

“What?”

“The after-sex cuddles, and you literally leaving me breathless, every time.”

You leaned in and kissed his lips once more, before snuggling your head into his chest, his arms wrapping tightly around you, holding you tightly between them as you enjoyed each other’s company.

SCM Masterlist

#star crossed myth smut #scm smut #huedhaut smut #voltage inc smut #voltage inc fanfiction #star crossed myth #scm #huedhaut

[rougepetale]

I will love you till the end of time. (Hue) (Fluff/Smut)

 Fandom: Star Crossed Myth (Love 365)

Pairing: Huedhaut x Reader

Warning: Smut and TRIGGER WARNING talks of death and dying

Note: This bully prompt has actually aligned a story I have been kicking around for about.....5-6 months now so this will only be part 1 of maybe a 3 part story! So, enjoy the fluff/ smut while it lasts!

You were visiting Huedhaut in the heavens because you haven’t seen him in a week, you knew he was busy but you just needed to see him…. Even if it was for a moment, remind him that you existed.

Your breath was stolen as you walked through the door, the heavens always were breathtaking. The air was fresh and the water was pure and everything was absolutely beautiful.

By now you knew the layout and which route to get to Huedhaut. Walking through the gardens you stroked the petals of the various flowers. You loved the garden, it always relaxed you. Distracted you stopped under the gazebo smelling the flowers that bloomed there. Kneeling you inhaled the gentle smell of the flowers before you. You remembered when Hue took you to the gazebo and spent time with you.

“Miss _____” came a small voice, you jumped when you heard your name.

“YES!?” you squeaked out, suddenly embarrassed that you were caught smelling the roses, the person who called out to you was none other than Vega.

“Oh! Vega! It’s you! You scared me.” You replied, putting your hand over your wildly thrashing heart.

“SO SORRY!” she squeaked out. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” She looked around looking for Lord Huedhaut. “Is Lord Huedhaut around?” she asked.

You shook your head softly, “No, I was just on my way to go see him…. But I was distracted by the flowers, they’re so beautiful.”

Vega smiled, “Yes, they are beautiful.” She beamed at you, “Would you like for me to go get Lord Huedhaut?” she asked, eager to be helpful to you.

You nodded, “Yes, please. Thank you.” You replied, Vega bowed to you and left. Turning away you looked out towards the rest of the garden. You however didn’t notice a goddess walking up to you.

“Excuse me,” she called out, you jumped again not expecting another person here. Turning you saw a goddess by the entrance of the gazebo, her black hair was pulled up into an intricate bun and her makeup was beautifully done. Every person who lived in the heavens always looked ethereal and perfect. “Mind if I join you?” she asked, taking a delicate step forward, she produced a kiseru from the folds of her clothing.

“No, I don’t mind.” You stepped to the side to give her room. She nodded as she stepped forward and looked out to the garden like you.

“I knew you when you were a goddess” the goddess said, nonchalantly she didn’t look at you. You looked towards her and your jaw fell open. “You were an odd goddess back then. You never walked, always ran.” She took a drag of her kiseru and blew out, “You were a favorite to work in the Department of Wishes. Simply because you were the goddess of fate” you turned towards her, wondering if you would learn more about your past self. “You caught Lord Huedhaut’s attention, you were so clumsy!” she laughed but the laugh had you shivering.

“You were an unworthy candidate for his love back then too.” She took another drag of her kiseru and blew a steady stream out.

You turned fully to her, waving your hand before your face, “Pardon?”

She laughed, “Everyone danced around you. Your father, the King, both Ministers, they all danced around you.” She picked a flower that was growing by the rails of the gazebo, “All because you were the ‘Goddess of Fate’” she punctuated your previous title with air quotes, she then brought the picked flower to her nose, inhaling gently, “Even though you were a worthless goddess otherwise.”

Her words stung, worthless? Was Hue only with you out of pity or curiosity? You could feel a lump in your throat, “I’m not her.” You defended. You weren’t worthless, you were making a difference in this world and with Huedhaut.

She sat on the rails, “Explain.” The kiseru found its way to her lips she inhaled and a stream if smoke came through her nostrils giving the appearance of a dragon. “How are you any different from your past self?”

Your mouth opened and closed a few times as you thought, “For starters I’m a human.”

“A far cry from your divine being. I assure you.”

You growled internally, this goddess was terribly rude. You wanted to slap her, but humans are very weak against a goddess who with one snap of her fingers can end your life…. Or at least make it a living hell.

“Is there any other differences little human goddess?” when you didn’t reply she continued on with her torment, “You left Lord Huedhaut to deal with the stupidity of man. “ she bared her teeth at you, “He was useless for months! He mourned for your stupidity! The King could just recreate humans, but no, no, you had to go and sacrifice your life and cause permanent tear in the Heavens for some science experiment that the King made up!”

You looked down, depressed. “It’s not fair to compare me to her. I don’t know my past self.” You feebly argued back.

She stood and walked towards you, you stepped back away from her, “He even sacrificed the stars in his eyes for you!” she was too close, too intimidating.

Fed up, you really just wanted her away from you and you lashed out, “I didn’t ask for him to do that for me!” your voice became shrill, “I didn’t ask to be reborn.” You fought back tears now, “My past self I can only assume wanted his happiness! Not his sadness!”

The goddess smirked, she was all too thrilled to get under your skin. After all how could a mere mortal capture a god’s heart? “And what little human goddess,” she said, remaining calm “Can you do towards his happiness?” she was chest to chest to you, “Every time he looks at you he sees his past mistakes” once again she inhaled and exhaled right in front of your face, “With this human form you’ll die again. And what will you do then? Ask Lord Huedhaut to remove his other stars, will you ask him to die so that you can cheat death for a third time?”

Fresh tears sprung from your eyes, “I would never! I would never ask for him to remove his stars for me to live! I didn’t ask for him to do it in the first place!”

“____” you heard your name being called out. There stood Huedhaut. He came to you quickly, he could feel that the scene was tense and the goddess that was with you was a known gossiper and one to start in fighting.  He could sense your distress, “_____” he called out again. He was arm’s length away, “Are you okay?” He instantly became angry, seeing that you were being bullied.

You had to get out of this situation, “I’m fine!” You ran past Huedhaut and the horribly mean goddess.

 You want all the way to the refection pool that you have seen Huedhaut work at before. Collapsing by the water you wept, slowly the water began to glow. Surprised, you wiped your tears you looked down at the mystic water, maybe this magical water can help you find some clues about your past. “Please! Please show me my past self!”

The water made no indication to show you what you wanted, “Please!” you begged, when it didn’t respond you angrily hit the surface of the pristine water, causing miniature waves to splash around.

Steps were heard and second later you felt the warmth of a body beside you, a delicate hand extended to the water. A single finger stilled the upset water, “I’ll show you” Huedhaut whispered, he grabbed you and pulled you close to his body.

The water began to glow again, this time a blurry image began to appear. A young goddess was running through the palace trying to catch some animal. Hue was standing stoic before the pool, concentrated on work.

The deft jackalope had skillfully evaded you until you ran into Huedhaut. He successfully guessed what was happening with you. You watched in amazement as your previous self, talked with Huedhaut. Even back then he was beautiful and so cocky. “That was our first encounter.” He said, “I fell in love with you then.” He kissed your cheek as he rubbed your arm, “You were such an oddball…. I had to know everything about you, the famed Goddess of Destiny.”

“There isn’t such thing as love at first sight.” You whispered, you didn’t think that he could fall in love with you that fast.

“You would think that, but you were an enigma…. Something I had to solve, and the closer we got the more addicted I became.” He replied, turning back to the water it showed you sleeping in the garden enjoying the warmth of the sun.

Huedhaut had found you and stroked your hair, he had this tender look on his face, ‘Your creativity when it comes to napping locations never cease to amaze me….” He whispered to your unconscious body. “I wanted so desperately to kiss you right there, you looked so peaceful.” He commented. He rubbed your hair absentmindedly he loved how soft your hair and the shampoo that you used calmed him.

The water changed to what you recognized as the archive. Your past self was once again asleep in the quiet room, Huedhaut had come down to research something that he had long forgotten what it was when he saw you asleep. He was astounded to see you sleeping here, ‘Napping in the archive… you’re too relaxed for your own good, goddess.’

“You liked to sleep,” Huedhaut commented, “I always found you in the most compromising positions and in the most vulnerable places.” He kissed you again, standing he pulled you up and began to pull you away from the water…. He didn’t want you to see your past self, when you sacrificed yourself for the rest of the human race, it hurt him so much when he thought back to those days…. He was so lost in grief he didn’t know if he could pull out of it. When he learned he could keep your soul from leaving permanently vanishing from this world he did what he had to do.

You looked back, wanting to see more of your previous self, “Wait Hue!” you fought back, “I want to see more!”

He smirked, “Sorry darling. The reflection pool can’t show you everything.” He kissed your knuckles, “Come darling.”

He walked hand in hand with you, he was leading you back to his room. You swung your hangs gently between you both. “Hue?” you asked.

“Yes?” he replied, glancing your way, he noticed you were still upset from the earlier encounter with the goddess, “I will deal with that goddess later.” He promised.

You laughed, you loved how protective Hue was for you, “Hue….. The goddess actually brought something up for me to think about.”

“She is known for being mean.” He tried to divert the topic.

“When I die…. I don’t want you to die with me.” You said, “It would hurt me so much to learn that you followed me to the afterlife.”

Hue stopped, turning he cupped your face in his hands, his eyes intense “We will not talk about this right now, your time is not any time soon.” He kissed you deeply.

*Snap*

Instantly you were both in his room. “If and when that time comes… I will do everything in my power to prevent it.” He promised, he began to slowly strip you from your clothes “But tonight… lets ignore it and just enjoy each other.”

“But aren’t you working?” you asked between kisses.

He grabbed your waist and walked you backwards, “There is plenty of time, this time with you is precious.” However, with his mind in the mist of lust he was not walking you back to the bed. Your foot slipped!

Your scream pierced the air as you fell backwards into the water, your hands grabbed his uniform and he fell along with you.

Emerging from the water there was two things you noticed, first you were both naked, Hue must have snapped his fingers before you could comprehend what was happening and second Hue was blushing from his toes to his ears.

“I am terribly sorry _____” he apologized.

You laughed as you wrapped your arms around his neck, “Well it makes it easier to get to the fun stuff easier.”

He kissed you deeply once again, his hands found your breasts as he fondled them. “I love you, I love everything about you.” He pulled you close to his own body, “I will love you till the end of time.” His fingers found your core and stroked gently, usually he wasn’t gentle but today was certainly different. He didn’t want you to think about death or anything of that nature.

You sighed gently as he stroked your core ever so gently, building to a crescendo. “I love you too Hue” you gasped out, your fingers tangled into his midnight hair, your legs wrapped around his waist pulling him close. “I will always love you with all my being.”

Your right hand found his cock, hard and waiting, you stroked him just as gently as he was stroking you. Your nails send shivers up his spine. Your fingers wandered further down and you found his perineum and gently stroked him there. You touching had him groaning and thrusting into your hand.

“Where did you learn that?” he asked, gasping.

“Internet.” You replied, your kisses sloppy on his face, “I heard you men loved to be touched--- ahh!” you gasped out as his fingers curled inside you “N-Not fair!”

“Never claimed I was” he said with a smirk. He aligned you over his engorged cock couldn’t take it much longer and he impaled himself within you. “I know your body better than anybody. I know exactly what makes you moan loud and what stops your breath.”

You felt a pang of sadness, he knew everything because he made love to your previous self…. Hue must have noticed your sadness and captured your lips, “You are different from your past self, your past self was far more shy and reserved.” He began thrusting “I had to treat her like porcelain… you, you like it rougher than her.” He bit your jugular.

“H-HUE!” you gasped out, your hands gripped his back digging into his flesh. You ground your hips into his own.

“Tell me how you like this _____” he couldn’t tell you how much he loved it when you talked dirty, and the fact that your breasts were nearly jumping out of the water with every thrust he made had him mesmerized by your body.

“Hue! Fuck, I love this… fuck me harder!” you gasped out, “Fuck me till I can’t see!”

“As my goddess wishes” he complied and grabbed your leg he pulled it higher, giving him better access, “Touch yourself babe.” He whispered into your ear. You didn’t need to be told twice as your left hand found your cunt you rubbed hard. The added simulation had your body coiling quickly. “That is a good girl.”

Your orgasm exploded as your head was thrown back in ecstasy.” HUEDHAUT!” you screamed out, your voice reverberating over the room.

“The entire heavens heard you, love” Hue praised. He himself had not yet found his release and was now desperate to follow your lead. Once down from your high you grabbed what you could and pumped him hard.

“Ah baby, you know exactly what I like” Hue praised. You kissed his cheek and neck, licking the droplets of sweat from his neck had him moaning “Gods you are perfect.”

“I aim to please.” You replied, you pumped him harder before he unleashed his load upon you and he relaxed in your hands. “Good job, Hue.”

He smirked as he gathered you into his arms and took you to bed, “Rest now love, we’ll talk in the morning.”

He tucked you into his own body and his heart beat lulled you to sleep.

  Dawn had broken and you stretched happily in bed, Hue was of course already awake. “I’ve been thinking” he said softly while kissing your shoulder. “We need to talk to the King.” He helped you in the shower and to get dressed.

Hue knocked on the door to the throne room, magically it opened and there sat the king of the heavens.

“What a surprise, I wasn’t expecting visitors so early.” The king said, a knowing smirk on his face. “What brings you here, Huedhaut and human goddess ______” he asked.

Hue bowed to the King, “Thank you for seeing us this early, your highness.” Hue didn’t specially like sucking up to the king but what he was going to ask would require him to suck up pretty big. “I have a request, Your Highness.”

The king shifted to his side “Oh ho?” he replied, curious.

“I humbly request that you return _____ to her godhood.”

#i love hue #huedhaut #voltage otome #voltage inc #Voltage smut #if MC was a goddess #part 1

[justjen523]

The Birthday Blunder

For: goddess-of-leo  (Happy Birthday!)

Raiting M

Reader x Leon

For Fun I am also working on an art piece that shows Leon in his Kingly form. I will post it when I am finished. Hope you enjoy!

     It was a disaster. Everything that had been so carefully planned for weeks was ruined in a mere moment. Speechless I just stood in the doorway of the living room with my mouth agape and my eyes filling with tears. Yet somehow I still managed to go unnoticed as the gods quarreled among themselves. The beautiful cake I handmade because I wanted to share this special day for me with the twelve gods who had become such an intricate part of my life decorated many areas of the room. The decorations tattered, even what had appeared to be presents were trampled and all I could do was stand there in complete shock.

     “W-Why?” I finally asked yet my voice was so quiet amidst the loud insults and profanity being exchanged mere feet away. By some miracle Aigonorous was the one to hear me and pointed to where I was standing. As one by one each head turned in my direction the previously chaotic room fell quiet.

     “Goldfish. What are you doing here, you’re supposed to still be working.” Leon actually had the nerve to look agitated by my unannounced arrival. I could feel the anger rising within as I looked around at the destruction and lack of remorse from everyone. They truly must not understand how much time and effort when into all of this. It was MY birthday and here I was thinking of them instead of myself and this is the thanks I get? I couldn’t swallow my anger any further.

     “Animals!”

     “I beg your pardon?” Zyglavis says incredulously.

     “All of you! Behaving like animals!”

     “What did you call me?!” For once Scorpio’s glare didn’t even register to me.

     “Now hold on, I get why you’re angry but it’s not that big of a deal - “ Leon started to say but the hurt was bubbling over especially hearing my boyfriend’s careless indifference. 

     “Not that big of a deal?! How dare you!” Looking around they all stared at me in surprise. I had never yelled or scolded Leon in front of the other’s before. 

     “Wooooow. She’s like REAAAALLY scary when she’s mad.” Ichthys tries whispering to Dui but it’s not like I couldn’t hear it in the silence of the room.

     “I....” Realizing my birthday was ruined and they didn’t even seem to care the anger gave way to hurt. All at once my emotions poured out in the form of tears and I began to sob.

     “Now look what you guys have done...” Leon sounded angry but I knew he was shaken. He hated when I cried because of something he had done but more than that, he hated when I cried in front of anyone other than him.

     “Us? I believe you are equally to blame.” Huedhaut boldly replied earning a fiercely angry look from the ruler of Leo.

     “I.....*sob* think I.....*hic*....” I stopped before saying the next word. Even now I am still always putting their feelings before my own.

     “You what?” Krioff asked brusquely only further breaking my heart.

     “I...wish I never met you. Any of you!” There, I said it even though I absolutely did not mean it but I was sick of always being the considerate one. I wanted them to feel it like I did and I couldn’t think of another way even if it was harsh and cruel sounding. 

     I had been staring at my feet but when I looked up I was surprised at what I saw. Twelve truly pained and heartbroken expressions stared directly at me. I wanted so badly to apologize and take it back but if I did they would never learn and this kind of stuff would continue to happen. I couldn’t handle it anymore.

     “I’m going home, I can’t stand to be here anymore.” Tears still streaming down my face I turned to leave.

     “Goldfish.” His voice was gentle and full of sadness. I knew it hurt him more than any of the others but that pain had gone both ways. I thought of all of them he would have understood better than anyone how important this all had been to me.

     “I...just want to be alone. All alone, in my apartment, on my birthday.” I quickly made my way toward the exit but was impeded by the door abruptly closing and locking from the other side. I knew it was his handiwork but I didn’t even bother to turn around.

     “Let me pass.”

     “I can’t do that. Not like this.”

     “I don’t want to - “

     “- be around us I know, you already said so.”

     “Then let me go.”

     “Not until we make this right.” At his words I slowly turn to face him. He slowly crosses the room almost apprehensively but pushes forward till we are face to face. I can see the realization of the pain they caused in his beautiful eyes. He gently runs the back of his hand down my tear stained cheek.

     “I will grant whatever your heart desires. Just tell me what you want. I...don’t want to see you like this anymore. I’m......”

     “...you’re what?” He’ll never do it. Impossible. He stares at me intently for a few moments before furrowing his brow and sighing deeply.

     “Look, I’m sorry. You’re right, what we did was...”

     “....stupid? Immature? Ridiculous?” I was laying it on pretty thick even though the unthinkable had just happened.

     “D-Did Leon seriously just apologize to someone?” Hearing that he glared at the culprit before turning back to me.

     “Yeah, we were acting like - “

     “Animals.” I finished his sentence crossing my arms in front of me.

     “We get it. Everyone’s sorry, right guys?” His dangerously intense stare caused apology after apology from every god in the room.

     “What can I do to make you smile?” He asks tenderly. Still slightly aggravated I try to think of a way for them to make it up to me. Staring into his eyes I can’t help but think the same thing I always do. How handsome and though arrogant I have come to find his royalty vibe endearing. He made all of the other Zodiac gods apologize to me, a mere human with nothing more than a look. ‘My Leon. My brave and fearsome Lion....’ If only he were able to be tamed like a Lion. How adorable would that be? My own personal big bad kitty. Teehee!

**POOF**

     Out of nowhere a cute little box with a big pink bow manifests out of thin air right in my hands.

     “What on Earth?” As soon as I begin to pull the ribbon Leon’s face turns ashen.

     “Goldfish don’t - “ But it’s too late, inside the box is a tiny piece of paper that simply says,

     “Happy Birthday,  From the King.” ‘Huh?’ All of the sudden the room is engulfed in a blinding light and I shield my eyes waiting for it to pass. When it does the sight before me is so ridiculously precious and adorable I can’t help the giggling that follows. 

     “O-Oh my gosh! You guys are...all SO cute! Eeee!” I sound like a little kid but I can’t help it, seeing them like this makes it impossible not to smile from ear to ear.

     “Goddamn that bastard. Stupid woman! Why the hell did you open that?!” Scorpio is so adorable that his words don’t even sound frightening to me.

     “Ummm. Seriously though, why cats?” Krioff blushes looking put out as his white ears turn backward in distress. 

     “This is great! Teo and Ikky pull each other’s tail’s to see if it hurts when they do so.

     “Wow! These tails are SO real!”

     “Why just ears and tails though?” Dui ponders as the rest of the gods are all touching their new additions.

     It isn’t till I actually get a good look at Leon that my heart nearly gives out. He looks utterly PISSED but is so cute it’s actually fitting. Not only does he have the ears and tale but he also has a mane.

     “Teehee.”

     “Don’t you dare laugh. This is all your fault. You better figure out how to turn me back. Now.” A giant smile spreads across my face.

     “Nuh-uh. You said you would grant any wish my heart desired. I want to enjoy seeing all of you like this for the rest of the day! You all still owe me a party anyway right?” I am beaming, what a great gift from the King! I know I am going to pay dearly for it later but oh it is SO worth it.

     “You’re awfully bold demanding such nonsense from gods.” Zyglavis as always is angry but it comes across adorably as his fluffy purplish tail flicks sharply back and forth. 

     “Teeheehee. Somehow you don’t seem as scary to me now Zyglavis. You’re fluffiness makes you look much kinder.” I can’t stop myself from scratching behind his ear making him blush so hard it just makes it even cuter.

      “You can pet me too if you want.” Ichthys offers playfully before getting a scowl that actually makes Leon look like a beast rather than a cute animal. I approach him and though he looks angry I see relief in his eyes to see me smiling.

     “Don’t even think about it.” He grumbles as I start to reach out to touch him. 

     “Call it what you will but I am not your pet.” I try hard to suppress the laughter threatening to pour out.

     “Awww, who’s my big bad kitty?” I say in a teasing way earning me a death glare but it quickly gives way to a devious smirk.

     “You’re awfully brave, you do realize that Lions often enjoy eating seafood. You must have a death wish goldfish.” ‘Eeeep! That grin is extra scary with him looking this predatory.’ As he begins to close in on me I begin to shrink away but when I notice his tail waving around playfully something different pops into my mind altogether. ‘He’s still got a man’s body....I wonder....’

     “Pffft. You’re thinking about something pretty bold.” His words snap me back to reality and causes me to blush deeply even as I try desperately to deny it.

     “I....” Before I can finish I hear a commotion  behind me. The gods have been taking turns testing to see if their powers could undo the King’s spell but as always he’s one step ahead making that impossible. 

     “If we have to look this ridiculous why doesn’t she join us.” Scorpio smirks darkly. The gods all grin and nod in amusement as they close in on me. I slowly back away before calling for Leon. When I turn to face him I am surprised to see him actually looking like he approves of the others idea. 

     “N-Now just hold on a minute! T-this isn’t it...” 

**SNAP**

     Leon is actually the one who does it making the whole thing kinda of embarrassing as the others all look at me the same way I was previously looking at them. 

     “Woooow! He even gave her a cute little nose and whiskers!” Ichthys grins from ear to ear. 

     “Ohhh! She has paws too!” Dui gushes making me feel like I am going to die from embarrassment.

     “My my Leon, what a lucky man you are tonight.” The way Partheno says that makes me somehow uncomfortable. When I turn to look at my boyfriend he is looking the most entertained I have ever seen him.

     “What? This is what you wanted.” He says smugly giving me that smile I want to simultaneously smack and kiss him for. Instead I am handed a mirror to see my new....attire. 

     “H-Hey! What’s with the cute stuff?! Couldn’t you have made me, I don’t know, like a sexy cat?”

     “What’s wrong with the way you are? I prefer you this way. Besides, it suits you better.” ‘! What’s that supposed to mean!?’

     “Well I must admit, Leon doesn’t strike me as the kind who likes pink.” Partheno says suggestively.

     “You shouldn’t be thinking about what I like at all you pervert.” As the two go back and forth I again look at my reflection in the mirror. I don’t look exactly like the others. I’m more feline than they are and even some of my human features have changed simply to match the rest. Everything is pink. My fluffy ears, fluffy tail, my eyes, my hair, my paws, even my clothes have been changed into a cute little pink ensemble. I had no idea my boyfriend was into such things! ‘Ahaha! Happy Birthday to ME!’

     As I look over at Leon being aggressive in his current state I can’t help but feel more attracted to him than usual. I slowly move closer to him and once I’m close enough I feel this overwhelming urge to nuzzle against him. When I do he immediately tenses and I can see a faint blush on his cheeks and for some reason I actually start purring. 

     “Looks like your stupid woman’s in heat, better handle that before someone else does.” Scorpio’s comment causes a slew of arguments and having had enough Leon wraps his arm around me and snaps.

     He brought us to his room in the Heaven’s without so much as a word but when I looked up to see his face he didn’t look angry like I expected. No, he was looking at me like I was dessert. I swallowed thickly slowly backing away making him laugh.

     “Do you honestly believe you can escape me? I’d actually like to see you try.” He was smiling at me wickedly causing a sweet rush of sensation through me. I was terrified but equally turned on somehow. I liked when he was dominating and seeing him aggressively hunting me was intoxicating. 

     “Obey me and come here.” There was no way I could refuse him. Not when he was looking at me this way. Slowly I made my way till I was directly in front of him, a mere breath apart. Even now he still had such a powerful commanding presence. 

     “That’s my good girl.” Then he started petting me. Everywhere. God did it feel GOOD. Too good. I was becoming putty in his hands.

     “L-Leon.......unnnh.” I felt like I was high. Utterly intoxicated.

     “That’s right, give in. Purr for me.” His sensual sexy voice was lulling me further into this strange heady haze I was feeling. My vision was blurring and I felt dizzy but in a strangely good way. His arms scooped me up and carried me to his bed where he gently laid me down before hovering over me. My desire for him was overwhelming as it was somehow amplified but this euphoric feeling washing over me.

     “L-Leon I....I feel....”

     “Good then it’s working.”

     “H-huh? What’s....mmm....working?” I was trying desperately to hold on and not lose myself but I was failing miserably.

  ��  “This.” He smiles mischievously and opens his mouth to reveal a tiny purple flower with a few leaves still attached. Confused I blinked starting to become unable to speak.

     “Since you were enjoying this feline fantasy of yours so very much I thought I’d have a little fun of my own. You’re feeling the effects of this plant. I believe it’s what you humans refer to as catnip.” ‘Wh-Whaaa?’

     “Don’t worry, I’m gonna make you feel so good you’re going to beg me to never turn you back.” Without another word he playfully nipped my neck before removing our clothes with a snap. As he entered me my head tipped back at the exquisite sensation and let out a quiet gasp. There’s a tenderness behind his eyes and no longer able to fight it I give myself over to him mind, body and soul.

     “I am sorry for what happened earlier. It was not my intention to ruin this day for you. Though I may not understand it’s significance I understand your heart and I’m sorry for breaking it today. I promise to put your feelings in front of my own from now on so please. Promise me you’ll never say you regret having met me ever again. I love you more than you could possibly fathom goldfish. You make think me the king of all animals but I assure you, I will always treat you as my queen, animal, human, god or otherwise.” He wipes the tears from my eyes upon hearing his confession and I cuddle into his warmth.

     “Can I ask just one question?” 

     “Hm?”

     “What on Earth were you guys fighting over that caused such destruction in the first place?”

     “Pffft. That foul mouthed Scorpion and his idiot boss were heckling me when I showed up without a wrapped present in hand and starting spouting off about things they shouldn’t.” 

     “I don’t need a present from you to be happy. I’m happy now just like this, safely snuggled in your arms.”

     “How ridiculous.”

     “Leon!”

     “It’s ridiculous that you think I would have nothing to give you on your birthday. I could give you anything you asked of me. However I could not give you anything more valuable to me than my heart. No one makes me feel the way you do. No one ever has and no one ever will. I will lavish you in my love until you beg for me to stop.”

     “Geeze Leon.” My cheeks and ears are hot upon hearing his words.

     “But thank you. There is nothing I could ever want more than that. I love you with every fiber of my being.” As I gaze up into those gorgeous eyes the love I feel for him is reflected right back at me. A tender smile fills his handsome face as he reached his hand out and scratches behind my ear causing me to purr again.

     “You know, I think I could get used to this. You make a better cat than a goldfish anyway.”

     “Wait what!? What’s that supposed to mean?”

     “You’re far more obedient this way.”

     “H-Hey!” I teasingly hit his arm making him laugh. 

     “As long as your mine, I don’t care what you want to be.” I smile at him getting misty eyed again.

     “Happy Birthday goldfish. I love you more than any words could ever say.”

-Fin-

#star crossed myth #scm #scm leon #leon #scm fanfic #goddess of leo

[voltageinc-oneshots]

Christmas - Leon x Reader (Star Crossed Myth)

Today is Christmas eve, the day before Christmas. You’ve always stayed home and hardly celebrated with your family or friends. This year many things had changed. You meet the 12 zodiac gods and fell in love with one of them and it turns out to be the sadistic and arrogant one called Leon. You don’t know if you should be proud or disappointed in yourself for attracting such a man.

A week ago, you sacrificed your eyes containing the stars to help the gods and giving them more power. This had a side effect in which no one knew about until it happened. It caused you to lose your eyesight for who knows how long.

“Hey is (Your Name) still depressed?” Dui asked with a worried expression.

“Tch this is why humans are so annoying.” Scorpion replied.

“We can’t blame her, she lost her eyesight to allow us to use our powers.” Huedhaut said.

“By the way where is Leon when (Your Name) needs him the most.” Teorus added.

“Leon went to see the King early this morning.” Carno replied.

“The king? For what reason, he has never requested to see the king.” Ichthys said shockingly.

Carno grins and laughing he said. “Leon went to ask the king to give (Your Name) her eyesight back because it’s Christmas soon.“ 

"Christmas?” Teorus questioned. 

“It is a yearly event called Christmas. This where human celebrate with their families and friends while doing many things such as decorating a Christmas tree, Christmas cooking and unwrapping gifts they got for each other. This holiday is her favourite, knowing that Leon went to the King for help.” Huedhaut said.

“Well then let’s go pick (Your Name) up and we can celebrate Christmas with her.” Teorus replied.

“I’ll go and in the meantime I’ll expose what Leon is doing for her.” Carno said with happiness, knowing that he can us this to tease Leon now. 

[ At your place]

“What can I even do. I have no site to see anything, meaning I probably can even go out or even walk in my own apartment.” You said quietly sighing. 

Suddenly you see bright light filling every brim of your room. The bright light stung your eyes, forcing you to blink them. After you blinked a few times, your vision slowly became blurry but soon after you could see clearly. Your eyesight had come back. “How?” You questioned with confusion.

“That’s because Leon went to ask the King to give your eyesight back.” Carno said walking into your room through your closet. 

“Leon? I can’t believe he would do that for me.” You replied with a small smile.

“Since that’s out, let’s go to the mansion. Everyone was really worried about you.” He said.

You chuckled and quietly whispered to yourself. “Maybe I won’t have to be alone this Christmas.”

“You said something?” Carno asked.

“Nope nothing to worry about, let’s go!” You replied.

[At the Mansion]

“(Your Name)!” Ichthys yelled as soon as he saw you walking into the room.“

You walked in with a happy smile on your face and said. "I’m back, did you guys miss me." 

"We did, it was so quiet and lonely without you here.” Teorus said.

As you walked towards them, you looked around trying to see if Leon was there. “Is Leon back yet?” You asked.

“He should be back soon.” Huedhaut answered.

You paused for a minute thinking what you could to do to make this the best Christmas. An Idea just went pop in your head. You looked towards them all and said. “Hey, since I saved you guys from trouble can you grant one of my wishes?" 

"Why not. You did save us after all. Right, guys?” Dui replied.

Everyone then answered with a yes. At that moment you smirked and this was where they knew they just dug their own graves. “I just want you guys not to use your powers for today and tomorrow. Then just do everything I tell you to do” You said with excitement. 

“Huh!” They all yelled out. 

You looked at them and laughed. “Why do you guys look as if you are going to die. You’ve survived without using it for years until you met me. Not using it for 2 days should be easy and besides, I won’t asked for the impossible." 

"What do you want us to do.” Dui asked.

You just smiled and said. “Christmas stuff. All we need to do it decorate a Christmas tree, make food, wrap presents and have lots of fun.”

“How do we do that when we are cannot use our power?” Teorus asked.

“It’s simple, I have everything already. All we need to do is assemble together.”

“You sure are excited.” Dui said.

You smiled and replied. “Of course, I haven’t celebrated Christmas with so many people. By the way Carno, can I ask for a favour.”

“Sure, what would you like me to do.” He replied.

“Can you please try and get me a chance to meet with the King.” You said.

“What! Why would you want to meet the king.” Carno asked.

“You’ll see but for now can you please try. I really need to see him.” You answered. 

Carno looked confused but agreed to at least try. He went back to heaven and you went home using the closet and grabbed everything. You went back and you saw Carno and Leon waiting there. “Leon! Your back!"You yelled with happiness.

"I came back as soon as I heard you wanted to speak to the King. For what reason?” He asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s not anything dangerous?” You said giving him a big smile.

“Okay if you’re done, let’s go. The King agreed to see you but keep in mind don’t say anything that would make him angry. He can easily kill you.” Carno said, opening a portal to heaven.

“Okay but wait, don’t I have to be dead to be able to go heaven?” You said.

“Oh no, not this time just because the King is allowing it himself.” Carno replied.

[At heaven: Meeting King]

“Human what is your reason for coming to see me.” The King spoke while sitting on the throne.

“I have a wish that I would like you to grant me because only you can do it.” You responded.

The King laughed as no one has ever dared to ask him to grant a wish. “Hahahahha, my child. You have saved my people from danger so I shall grant you one wish." 

"All I want is for the five zodiac gods who are in heaven to come to earth for 2 days starting today.” You said.

“You want all the 12 zodiac gods to gather up today and tomorrow.” The King answered.

“Yeah! But I also need you to prevent them from using their powers for the two days” You stated.

“If that is your wish I shall grant it, I’ll send the 5 of them to earth and seal all their power temporarily.” The King said laughing.

“Thank you!" 

[At Mansion]

After a while you arrived back at the mansion, carrying bags of baking ingredients. Soon after the 5 gods appeared, Zyglavis was pretty unpleased while the others really didn’t care much. So you decided to heat it up a little. "So if anyone tries to be the grinch I will tell you off to the King, asking him to triple your workload and punish you in some sort of way.” You said with a scary face.

“Wow (Your Name), I never knew you had this character.” Dui said.

“I don’t want to hear that from Dui.” You replied.

“Haha, that’s true.” He said.

“Okay then let’s start, first is the Christmas tree!” You said talking out a big box of ornaments for the tree. Everyone started to do something as they didn’t want extra work cause who does. You already had boxes of presents ready for all them so you asked Karno, Tauxolouve and Krioff to wrap them. They may be gods but damn they learn fast. Next, you asked Scorpio, Teorus, Huedhaut and Partheno to do the cooking. Then you asked Leon, Dui, Ichthys, Zyglavis and Aigonorus to decorate the Christmas tree. You showed them all that to do and they are sure quick learners. 

You went to everyone and helped them all out. There was, of course, many problems as Leon and Zyglavis were fighting over what to put on the tree, Scorpio yelling at Teorus for playing around, Ichthys getting yelled at for trying to play pranks on everyone. These include throwing flour into people’s faces, unwrapping the wrapped presents and taking the things put on the Christmas tree down. 

 You went to Christmas tree with a medium sized box and starts opening it. While looking at these you laughed at how cute they were, seeing you laugh everyone came to you trying to see what you are holding. They were all shocked to see what was in the box. Inside had 13 little cute chibi version of them and you. 

“How did you get this?” They all asked.

You laughed and replied. “I got them from the King as a Christmas presents.” You start to take them out one by one as you hang them on the Christmas tree. You had never had this much fun at Christmas since you were a child. While everyone was enjoying and having fun, you were pulled outside the room. He then covered your mouth to prevent you from screaming. Standing there was Leon. “Leon!” You quietly whispered.

“You having fun?” He asked.

You replied with a big smile. “Yeah, I am!” When you said that you could see Leon lips turning into a smile. “You’re smiling.” You said with shock. 

“Hmph, just your imagination.” He replied.

You knew he was worried about you from what the others told you. They said that he was so worried that he kept making mistakes while working, he’s mind kept drifting off somewhere and he looked worried. After hearing that it made you really happy. Leon soon after took you to the rooftop. It had the prettiest view of the stars and moon. You turned towards him and gently you put your arms around him and snuggles your face onto his big and warm chest.

“Thank you for worrying and thank you for getting my eyesight back.” You said.

“I wasn’t worried and besides I didn’t give your eyesight back.” He replied.

You quietly laughed. “ Don’t lie the others already told me he went to ask the King for help and how you couldn’t focus. It’s Christmas so you can’t lie.” You could feel that Leon hugged you back, holding you close in his arms. He then buries his head onto your shoulders.

“You know how worried I was, I thought you would die and when I saw you lose your eyesight I wanted to punch myself for not being to protect you.” He said quietly.

“In my eyes, you were able to protect me and if you didn’t I would be here would I. Thank you for everything, because of you I had the best Christmas ever. ” You replied.

Leon then took out a small gift wrapped and gave it to you. You opened it and inside was what you would never have expected. "A ring!“ You said with your eyes getting teary.

"I asked Huedhaut what humans liked and he said to get you a ring but are really satisfied with this. I could get you anything you want” Leon replied.

You laughed with tears rolling down your eyes. “Thank you. This is more than I could ever ask. I love you so much.” You said. He then proceeded by pulling you close, putting one hand on your head and the other around your waist he slowly pulled you into a kiss. The sky then brightened up with fireworks and shortly after that little white flakes of snow started to fall from the sky. You looked up and saw it was snowing. “It’s a white Christmas, even better. Merry Christmas Leon!” You said with the biggest smile. 

“Merry Christmas.” He replied. 

“Do I even know you. I never thought you would this sweet.” You said laughing.

“It’s only for today so you better take all in cause this will never happen again.” He replied. 

Later you heard little whispers. “Don’t Push! I can’t see.” Soon you realised everything you two did was seen by the others. “Hahaha, you guys can continue.” One of them said. “Pretend we’re not here.” They added.

“As if we can do that!"You yelled blushing.

Leon smirked and grabbed your chin. "Why not, shall we continue." 

When he said that your face just turned into a burning volcano that’s about to erupt. "NOOOO!” You yelled smacking Leon’s face.

“Ohhh he got slap didn’t he.” Teorus said.

“He sure did.” Everyone replied.

“I HATE YOU, I TAKE EVERYTHING I SAID BACK!” You yelled with embarrassment.

Leon got mad and yelled back “FINE, GIVE THE RING BACK THEN!”

“NOO! THERE IS NO TAKE BACK IN GIFTS.” You replied.

“Oh, Leon you have (Your Name) a ring!” Carno said.

Zyglavis grins and said. “Oh, he got her a ring. Isn’t this interesting." 

Everyone just stood there enjoying the snow and fireworks while Leon and you are arguing like little kids. 

#scm #oneshot #one shot #voltage otome #voltage inc #Christmas one shot #voltage romance sims #romance #star crossed myth #leon x reader #x reader

[fateinthestars]

Hello! 🙂

I hope you aren't too busy at the moment.

I would like to request a story where Tauxolouve dies and is reborn as The King's son. Who falls in love with a human girl who became a Goddess. This human girl is not the MC from the game.

The details and the ending are upto you.

Thank you ❤️

Sorry this took a bit longer than I was expecting, though hopefully the length this ended up being explains that! (Was determined to get this up tonight so hopefully I didn't miss anything when rechecking through and formatting on AO3. It's gone midnight here 😅 )

Title: The Reborn Prince and The Ascended Goldfish

Rating: T

Fandom: Star-Crossed Myth

Status: Complete

Total Word Count: 16,832

Pairing: Tauxolouve/Goddess!Reader

Major Characters: Goddess!Reader, Tauxolouve, King of the Heavens, Huedhaut, Karno, Ichthys

Minor Characters: Teorus, Zyglavis, Leon, Aigonorus, Scorpio, Dui, Partheno, Krioff

Genre: Alternate Timeline, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending

Summary: The King of the Heavens refused to give Tauxolouve a home in the Heavens, but on the night of Tauxolouve's death he realises he had made a mistake and intervenes to raise his soul to that of a full God and raise him as his son.

Thousands of years later, you are a human whose business has failed due to issues beyond your control and when the King of the Heavens offers to raise you to a Goddess to start a new life, you take it.

The King offers you a place in Punishments, but Tauxolouve (who is Minister of Wishes) reveals that both departments are actually a God short right now.

However, The King immediately warns you away from Tauxolouve, and you soon find yourself wrapped up in secrecy in order to avoid the King's disapproval. All on top of discovering your divine powers and getting used to your powers and the other Zodiac Gods.

A/N: As this contains the reader finding out their divine power and talk about other divine powers and their issues, there are at least alluded to spoilers for quite a lot of the routes. Some things are still the same, but as I say this is an alternate timeline and the positions in Wishes are slightly different. As to how? Read the fic to find out! 😉 Not beta read, any mistakes ae my own.

#scm fanfic #star crossed myth fanfic #scm #star crossed myth #scm tauxolouve #tauxolouve x goddess!reader #scm huedhaut #scm king of the heavens #scm karno #scm ichthys #scm teorus #scm zyglavis #scm leon #scm aigonorus #scm scorpio #scm dui #scm partheno #scm krioff

[mairablue]

Scm - Department of Wishes

Tauxolouve ♐- Heavenly Light

For fluffbruary event ( @fluffbruary )

A/N: My first ever fluffbruary post! 😭🤧 I hope you enjoy reading this! 💜💙

Prompts: camera | lush | beau

4th February, 2024

~~~

Small droplets of water dripped down the glass window. Cold morning breeze brushed against the leaves of the trees. The fire continued to burn brightly in the fireplace, keeping the surroundings warm.

Tauxolouve walked in the living room, carrying a tray. Two ceramic cups and some cookies were placed on a plate.

"(Name)?"

You look up from the book. Quickly putting a bookmark, you placed it on your lap.

"Thank you", you said as a peaceful sigh escaped from your lips, "delicious as always."

He smiled at your words and took a sip from his cup. You looked at the window and then at the wall clock, which showed 3.35 AM.

" Sweetheart." His honeyed voice brought you back from your thoughts. You couldn't help but voice your concerns, "I can barely see anything outside. Are you sure the weather is appropriate...", you paused before adding "for taking pictures?"

For a slight fraction of second there was some uneasiness in his eyes but he quickly brushed away those thoughts and replied, " If we reach there by 4 AM; i will surely be able to capture some beautiful photos."

You nodded your head in agreement.

Thick fog covered the narrow road, which made driving nearly impossible.

Tauxolouve opened the car's door. We were a bit surprised to see that nobody had yet arrived at the top of the hill. We walked forward; our fingers intertwined with each other's. Some cars were slowly climbing up.

With each passing minute, the fog was becoming denser, swallowing the mountain. The trees started disappearing to the point, where the lower part of the enormous mountain seems to be covered by a thick greenish blanket.

Looking down at the road, you saw the cars standing still, lining up one after another. Few people got out of the cars and started walking towards the top of the hill.

Tauxolouve looked at his wrist watch.

You placed your hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at you, and for a brief moment the determination in his eyes seemed to falter. His eyes losing some of the warmth in them.

Most people who arrived at the spot seemed disappointed. Some of them decided to wait.

Minutes turned into an hour.

"Such a waste of time", a girl said to her mother, " i can't believe you woke me up for this so early in the morning."

Another 15 minutes had passed. The weather showed no signs of improvement.

Now there was only one family standing there with you and Tauxolouve. Most cars were gone, aside from a few who were determined to get a glimpse of the heavenly light.

Beads of sweat started to appear on his forehead as he once again looked at the watch. Time was running out from his fingers like sand.

Was he going to lose another golden opportunity? Perhaps he should have gone elsewhere; he pondered. It was too late to think about these things.

" Mom, dad how long do we have to wait?" the boy asked his parents.

" (Name), we should leave." Tauxolouve wishpered. " I am sorry for bringing you here in this weather. "

His voice, so lifeless that it made your heart shatter. Still his bright smile did not leave his face. He was trying his best to not look disappointed.

As you two were about to walk back to the car, the boy shouted, "Mom look", pointing at the sky , "the Sun".

True to his words, the clouds were slowly making the way for the Sun. Soon rays from heaven fell on Earth. The golden light being reflected from the snowy mountain peak, making it shine like a diamond.

Tauxolouve wasted no time and quickly captured the breathtaking sight in his camera. The sight so divine that it filled your heart with bliss.

Tauxolouve hugged you tightly before picking you up in his arms and kissing you deeply. " I love you. " he wishpered. " I love you too. " you said as you placed a tender kiss on his forehead.

The heartfelt moment passed away and Tauxolouve was back to his usual self.

" Let's celebrate, my sweet lady. " the teasing tone in his honeyed voice was too hard to ignore. Taking his hand in yours, you two walk back to the car.

#star crossed myth #scm #scm tauxolouve #scm tauxolouve x reader #scm karno #scm scorpio #scm huedhaut #scm aigonorus #scm leon #scm zyglavis #scm ichthys #scm partheno #scm krioff #scm teorus #scm dui #fluffbruary 2024

[acefaun]

I still haven't finished reading the Huedhaut yandere fic but i demand a happy ending where Huedhaut is punished and Reader and Krioff get in a relationship. I NEED IT! You don't know what you have done.

Yandere Huedhaut II~ The Protector

Synopsis: Not long after returning to Huedhaut, your long-time crush, Krioff, finally comes to save you and vows to protect you from any more danger you might be threatened with. 

🩸Yandere Masterlist🩸 Female goldfish! Warnings: just a few verbal threats thrown here and there A/n: For a Huedhaut fic, y’all surely turned this into a Krioff fic really quickly. As a matter of fact, this is mostly his perspective. I had no choice. You said “reader and Krioff get into a relationship” and my brain agreed with you in full force. 😚 (I will be adding this to the AO3 as well~)

–Word Count: 4,504–

Krioff was honestly tired of all the drama going on in the Heavens—on Earth too, he couldn't deny. But it was all primarily surrounding Dui. Krioff didn't think Dui was such a bad guy, he just made a few wrong turns in life, not too different from Krioff himself. 

But what started as Dui being charged for killing a human, turned out to be nothing other than Dui being framed. But by who? No one found out until you came forward with that information. To make matters more complicated, it turned out the human wasn't even killed by a god. Everything that happened was just a series of freak accidents that you were caught in the middle of thanks to a certain god’s meddling.

Walking through the punishment's hall deep in thought, Krioff couldn't help but pause as he heard his name uttered in a nearby room. He was certain he was being gossiped about again, but he was surprised to hear otherwise… The gossip was actually about you. 

“But, (Name) actually liked him… She would have been better off. At least he never would have hurt her like Huedhaut did!”

“That's true, but Huedhaut knew that too. That's why he made (Name) scared of his flames.”

“But Krioff’s flames are nothing like that mess that happened on Earth!” There was a tense pause. “Okay… Maybe they are. But he's more careful than that. Especially with what happened with his sister…”

“Yeah. At least (Name) was able to prove your innocence, though. That was pretty clever of her! It's still too bad she had to pick Huedhaut when Krioff would have- Huh? Krioff?” 

The conversation halted there as Krioff found himself the center of attention, the two gods peering out of the room and at Krioff. He sighed, wishing he could have heard more of the situation. Instead, he crossed his arms, trying to appear disinterested as he said, “What? I don't want you dragging me into your shenanigans. I could hear you saying my name from a mile away.”

Dui glanced timidly away from Krioff as he asked, “You heard all that…?”

Krioff watched them, firmly demanding, “Tell me what you were saying about (Name).” He wanted to know what they were saying about him, of course. But hearing your and Huedhaut’s names in the same conversation gave Krioff a bad feeling. 

Ichthys hesitantly added, “Well…” He paused for a brief moment before asking, “Are you sure you don’t know anything about how (Name) feels?”

Krioff frowned. “I overheard you two talking. How long has this been going on?”

Dui’s eyes furrowed in confusion. “Partheno told us she was with Karno. So… I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Now that things are getting settled, I think (Name) is going to be fine.” Or maybe that was just optimism speaking. After all, a lot did happen in such a short period of time. 

Krioff frowned, and bluntly replied, “That wasn’t my question.” He glanced away, as if a flustered feeling was finally starting to stir in his heart. “How long has (Name)… liked me?” If he had known beforehand… maybe he could have played the role of your knight in shining armor… and not Karno. It was probably too late to do anything, but it wasn’t too late to check up on you. 

Dui and Ichthys glanced at each other, feigning innocence before finally getting the motivation to answer Krioff’s question, in the hopes that he might reach out to you. Ichthys answered, “(Name) admitted to liking you before she was ever with Huedhaut. I mean… they were friends, but,” he faltered, “It might’ve saved some time if we’d just told you before…”

Krioff’s brows furrowed in frustration, but it wasn’t because of those two. He was stuck not understanding something. If Huedhaut was the reason for all of this trouble… then why was he still on Earth where you were? Suffice to say, he wasn’t satisfied with the situation. 

Dui’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Are you going to go see her? Tell her we said hi!”

Leaning closer, Ichthys added, “And don’t forget to not tell her we snitched! Dui made a promise.” 

Krioff shook his head as he walked down the hall, but he agreed nonetheless. “Yeah… whatever.” He had more important things on his mind. Besides, how significant was it where this information came from? What mattered was that Krioff could help you better now. Well… that is if you still wanted his help.

***

The mansion seemed devoid of anyone who knew where you were. You couldn’t have gone home, you didn’t have one. But Dui and Ichthys said you were with Karno, but Karno also wasn’t on Earth to answer his questions just yet. To make matters worse, he could feel his hand heating up as he ended up running into Huedhaut. He didn’t want to ask this god anything… but he was worried about you, and you were more important than any grudge. 

“Huedhaut,” he called the god of Aquarius’ name, and while Huedhaut stopped to listen, he didn’t immediately say anything. Krioff was the first to speak in an almost accusing tone, “Where’s (Name)?”

“If that’s why you’re here,” Huedhaut answered slowly, “You’d best return to the Heavens. I’m not in the mood to be entertaining her trauma today.” 

Krioff’s eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what Huedhaut was implying… “Where is she?” Surely the only kind of trauma you could have harbored came from Huedhaut himself. So, what was this? A threat?

Huedhaut angled his head, only infuriating Krioff with his haughtiness as he claimed, “(Name) has been traumatized enough by fire. She surely doesn’t need a hot-head like you to run her progress.”

Krioff would ruin your progress? But what kind of progress could you have made with Huedhaut? This didn’t sound good. Glaring harshly at the other god, Krioff finally made the decision to turn and leave. He didn’t need to make a scene. He really had no idea what Huedhaut was talking about, and he was here to help you, not cause you more stress.

But he wasn’t leaving. He couldn’t abandon you again, not when he knew you likely needed help. Rather, he went straight to Leon with an unforgiving glare. “Why did you let Huedhaut take (Name)?”

Leon was rather surprised at the way Krioff was suddenly addressing him, as if this whole thing was his doing. “(Name) went back to Huedhaut herself. That goldfish is just as simple-minded as that oddball goddess was—it’s no wonder Huedhaut was able to manipulate them the way he has.” 

Krioff’s brows furrowed in frustration. “And you’re okay with that? You’re okay with your subordinate harming the goldfish that your job is to grant wishes?”

“I’m not,” Leon argued. He might have seemed laid back and relaxed about the entire thing. But truthfully, he was waiting for you to either go to him or make your wishes to be saved, but he got neither of those things. It was all starting to make him look like he was complacent with the behavior of the Wishes Department. 

“Then let's do something about it.” Both gods’ gazes flickered to the door of the living room where Karno had just entered, overhearing their conversation. Karno was just thankful someone outside the Wishes Department was demanding action. This meant that you had more support behind you. “We’ve waited long enough, Leo.”

Leon sighed, it was bad enough he was getting ordered around by some lackey from minister ponytail’s department… but now Karno was getting on him for not handling the situation soon enough. But they were both right, and Leon could internally acknowledge that much. At least Leon would look like a hero by taking action now. 

Getting to his feet, he finally agreed, “You’re right, my reliable vice minister. But to make sure this doesn’t get any messier than it already is, we’re taking Huedhaut to the Heavens to address his punishment.” He tiredly sighed before reluctantly adding, “We’ll see about getting that kitchen scale involved… Well, let’s go.” 

***

The entire situation was baffling, to say the least, when you didn’t seem to understand why Karno and Leon came to take Huedhaut to the Heavens for a punishment. You didn’t seem to comprehend that Huedhaut had done anything wrong at all. Despite how shocked they all seemed to be, Leon immediately blamed Huedhaut for this as well, demanding answers. “Why can’t (Name) remember what you did?”

“But Huedhaut didn’t do anything,” you quietly defended him, making the three opposing gods warily glance over you.

Before anyone could shoot another question or glare his way, Huedhaut simply explained, “She doesn’t remember because she wished it so.” Gesturing to the other end of the room near his bookshelves, there was a glass ball—the very same glass ball that held all of your nightmares. “Ordinarily, I’d have wanted her to keep her memories… and learn from her mistakes. But surely you understand what a soft spot I have for the wishes of my beloved…”

Before Krioff could angrily storm forward and take Huedhaut by the collar of his shirt, Karno immediately stepped forward, trying to mediate the situation as he stood between the volatile gods. “That’s enough,” he commanded. “Huedhaut, you’ll be returning to the Heavens with Leon. I’ll watch (Name).”

Huedhaut knew exactly what was going to happen once he left with Leon… They were going to return her memories to her. But what’s to stop this all from happening again? After all, even when you knew Huedhaut was the reason for your pain, you still ended up going back to him, pleading for things to return to the way they used to be.

The stars in your eyes belonged to him… there was nothing that could keep the two of you apart. So, Huedhuat was confident when he surrendered the glass ball to Karno and allowed himself to be led away by Leon. Though, he didn’t fail to meet your eyes with the promise of a lover, “I’ll return, (Name). There’s no need for you to make that face. Don’t worry… I’ll come back to you.” He offered you a smile.

For the moment, Krioff maintained his silence. He knew that if he were to speak, he’d likely just scare you more than you already were. You were confused, and you had no idea what was going on as far as Huedhuat was concerned. 

There was the matter of discussing your memories… Karno would handle that, more than likely, but Krioff first requested, “I want to talk with (Name) before we return her memories… if that’s okay.” 

Karno pursed his lips before he nodded. “Of course. Huedhaut isn’t going to be allowed back on Earth, so we can take our time easing her memories back to her. Just… try to be gentle with her; we don’t know how much of her memory is warped.” 

Krioff nodded in understanding. This was the reason he wished to speak with you first. He wanted to know if you still remembered your feelings for him… or if those had been completely wiped out by Huedhaut as well. 

However, sitting across from you in the living room, things were painfully awkward. There was a lot he wanted to discuss with you—he was desperate to make you feel better—but these things had to be done slowly, for your sake. Collecting his thoughts, Krioff finally broke the silence surrounding the two of you, “You don’t have your memories… But, I gotta ask,” he paused. “Do you still have feelings for me? Or Huedhaut?”

You were clearly taken off guard, refusing to lift your gaze to meet Krioff’s. But, you quietly admitted, “I… did have feelings for you when I first started coming to the mansion often. But, you were such a solitary god, and you were so focused on your work. I felt like it was just a childish crush, so I never said anything. Still, I know I’ve been through a lot, but you don’t have to worry. Ever since Hue took me in, I’ve been happy with him.”

“Except you haven't,” Krioff uncharacteristically snapped, and he winced at how he took his emotions out on you. He knew it wasn’t your fault, he was just pissed with that deceptive wishes god. “He took your memories of what happened. You at least remember what happened with Dui and the others… But Dui was framed. You don’t remember that, do you?”

For your sake, Karno warned, “Let’s not overwhelm her.”

“Those memories will overwhelm her,” he pointed out, suddenly staring at you as if trying to gauge your feelings. You seemed like you were struggling to recall this information that he was telling you. But at least if you had a heads-up, you wouldn’t be as shocked when it finally came back to you. Decidedly, Krioff commented, “After all she did for Dui… She doesn’t deserve this. I’ll handle it.”

“Dui…” Your timid voice met their ears as you hesitantly asked, “Dui didn’t kill my best friend?”

Both gods returned their gazes to you, Krioff reassured, “We’ll give you your memories back, so you can understand what we’re talking about and make a decision for yourself. You don’t have to be manipulated by gods anymore; I won’t allow it, regardless of what decision Leon makes.” He gazed at you with genuine kindness, but in his eyes, you could see how protective he was. He was truly offended by what Huedhaut had seemingly done to you. He continued, “You’re the bravest goldfish I’ve ever known… to stand up to a god like you did. So, personally, I feel like you’re ready. But this is up to you. Are you ready to get your memories back?”

You were scared of the truth… After all, you didn’t want to see Huedhaut as the bad guy, and that’s exactly what they were making him out to be. Still, you couldn’t live on like this with pieces of your memories gone. How else were you supposed to understand why Huedhaut was taken away in the first place? Inhaling deeply, you mentally prepared yourself as you agreed. “Alright… I’m ready.” Your gaze flickered between them. “I’m ready to get my memories back.”

Seeing your bravery masking your uncertainty, Karno offered an encouraging smile, proud of how strong you were. Though, just in case you had any reservations, he offered a warning, “You might pass out for a few minutes, but we’ll be here for you when you wake up. So, please, try not to panic. You’re safe with us.”

Krioff’s eyes were glued to you in concern as Karno snapped his fingers, overwhelming you with the sudden influx of information. Both gods knew it would be a lot for you, but they underestimated what might come out of your mouth once you had the memories you wished to get rid of. 

You were pretty desperate to clear your name from them as you explained why your situation was the way it was, “I- I didn’t have a choice,” you stuttered. “It was like he haunted my thoughts… I was so scared that if I didn’t give in, someone else would get hurt.” Your eyes welled with panicked tears as you shouted accusingly at them, “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me! Why… Why did you have to interfere?! Everything was fine…”

“Your heart is kind enough to bleed for everyone…” Karno sorrowfully commented about the situation, “but you neglect yourself in the process. (Name), you need to put yourself first right now. Huedhaut isn’t here to influence anything you do. You need to do what’s best for you.” 

“And even if he ever does come back,” Krioff said threateningly, “I’m not letting him near you. I’ll protect you… I’ll protect everyone for you.” He knew you were still scared for the other gods more than you were scared for yourself. This was just one of the reasons his heart ached for you. You were such a selfless human for these gods. But if Krioff could promise to protect you and your friends, then did things have a chance of getting better for you?

You were confused by what he meant by that at first. It took you a moment… but he seemed to share feelings for you… the same feelings you had for him once upon a time… and he had your heart racing with his unshakable promises. “I- I want to stay with you, Krioff,” you whimpered to him. He was offering you his love and his protection and you greedily wanted them. 

You couldn’t help but wonder if he had felt this way all this time… With the abundance of feelings in your chest, you couldn’t help but tear up. 

Huedhaut was doing this to you all this time, leaving you feeling like you had no place to go and no one to turn to… but Krioff was there. He had been there this whole time. You needed only to reach out to him. 

He didn’t know how much you needed him, but now he did, he was not letting you go any time soon. His heart felt warm that you genuinely wanted… needed him. “It’s okay, you’re okay. I’m here for you now.” You had a place to go and someone to turn to. You didn’t need to think that Huedhaut was your only option anymore. “No god will ever hurt you again as long as I’m around.” You had no reason to let him scare you. 

“Krioff…” You whispered his name quietly, your voice cracking. 

He gazed at you earnestly. There was clearly some fear in your eyes and Krioff knew exactly what it was from as his right hand came up to caress your cheek with his right hand. It was warm… His presence was comforting despite the way he awkwardly promised, “I’ll always protect you… whether it's from my flames or another god. I’ll protect you from anything that makes you uncomfortable.” He was nervous to suddenly have the responsibility of making sure you were okay. But despite that inward fear, it was something he was determined to work on with you. He would do everything he could for you.

***

Before you knew it, days had passed since you had last seen Huedhaut, not that you really minded. After all, you weren’t sure if you’d ever really be ready to see him again. 

However, after all these days of thinking and adjusting to your life with Krioff, you had started to consider that maybe Huedhaut was just lost without Clotho… and he took it out on you. Maybe he wasn’t inherently a library monster there to torment you. After all, his love was genuine, wasn’t it? He had done horrible things… for love. He was probably in pain from losing the one person he actually gave up half of his stars for. So, perhaps he was… just a soul trapped in books, wasn’t he? You couldn’t blame him for that, could you?

There was a lot to consider regarding everything that happened to you, and luckily you had caring gods beside you to help you handle all of your emotional baggage.

One day, however, while Krioff was at work, you were faced with another harsh awakening when you ran into Huedhaut in the hall. All of your assumptions were quickly proven wrong when you were met with the blank, unnerving expression on his face as he sneered, “So, you did end up choosing Krioff instead of me. Do you think I gave up everything for you, to be betrayed like this? The audacity of a goldfish is a truly astounding thing. To think you would dare turn your back on a god who loves you more than anything in the universe… You’re so clever, I thought you would have known better. Though I suppose wisdom and intelligence are two different concepts. Still, I thought you’d know better than to go with Krioff.” 

“Krioff never manipulated me,” you suddenly argued, surprising him that you had the courage to begin insulting him directly to his face. Though, his expression relayed to you that he simply didn’t care for your whining. “You manipulated me into loving you! My love for Krioff is pure and not built off of my fear and anxiety of the world! I love Krioff because of who he is!”

“Yes,” Huedhaut hissed, refuting your argument, “But Krioff never took care of you. Krioff never stopped to care. Where was he to comfort you after your friend’s death? Where was he when I was protecting you from those flames? Where was he to shelter you when you couldn’t afford your home? I did everything for you; not Krioff!”

It was beginning to be obvious that he was starting to lose his patience with you. This only caused your confusion to grow at an overwhelming rate. Your argument was much weaker this time. “But Krioff-”

“Krioff is the god of destruction,” he interrupted you without mercy. “What can he protect? You’re better off with me. Did I ever mistreat you or hurt you? Did I ever not provide for you? I granted your every wish. And this is how you repay me? You turn your back on me for this? If you thought what happened with Dui was the worst I could conjure, you’re mistaken. I may have forgiven you once, but you’ll regret betraying me.”

You flinched as he suddenly approached you. But, before he could touch your forehead to glimpse into your future once again, Krioff arrived in time to stop him. His arms wrapped protectively around you as flames erupted before you, spreading upward to keep Huedhaut from getting any closer. This momentarily shielded you from Huedhaut for a brief moment; and this was what made you realize that Krioff’s flames were unreservedly there to protect you, not hurt you. 

Looking between the two enraged gods, you were scared that they were actually going to break out into a fight because of you. Though, it didn’t seem as though they were going to get that far just yet, when Krioff hissed, “Threaten her again, and I’ll take care of what’s left of those stars in your eyes myself…” Your eyes widened as you watched Krioff unabashedly threaten Huedhaut with no restraint. Despite his harshness, Krioff was soft when he glanced back at you and ushered, “(Name)... go back inside now. I’ll take care of this.” 

Of course, you were hesitant to leave his side. You didn’t doubt that he was a strong god, but Huedhaut was a god too, and even if Krioff was strong enough to handle him in a fight, you didn’t want to take the chance of Krioff getting hurt. There was no doubt in your mind that Huedhaut wouldn’t show mercy to a god like Krioff. Inwardly, you prayed for some kind of miracle. “But Krioff…” You quietly uttered, wanting to protect him, but you knew you knew you had no power here. 

Fortunately, perhaps thanks to your desperation, gods from the Heavens suddenly showed up as if answering your prayer. One of them frantically shouted, “Lord Krioff! We apologize! He slipped past us!”

Krioff wasn’t pleased with their excuses, but he also didn’t exactly know Huedhaut’s situation. His response would probably vary depending on what they were assigned to do with Huedhaut. Bluntly, Krioff demanded, “Explain.”

“W- Well…” The god faltered under Krioff’s unforgiving glare, as most gods would do under the scrutiny of the god of destruction. “Lord Huedhaut is under what you could consider ‘house arrest’ as his punishment. He was supposed to be doing Wishes work in the Heavens and working to repent for his crimes, but he wasn’t supposed to leave the Heavens.” Their eyes flickered to you before flickering back to the volatile aries god. “We’ll inform Lord Leon and ensure this doesn’t happen again. We’re terribly sorry, Lord Krioff and… miss… reincarnated goddess.” They clearly weren’t sure how to address you, so they settled with that. 

However, their apologies and promises weren’t enough to quell Krioff’s fury as he threatened, “It better not! (Name) was almost hurt thanks to your negligence! I won’t be so forgiving a second time…!” That last warning went to both the guards and Huedhaut. Huedhaut was just fortunate someone showed up to save his ass; and those gods were too terrified of a pissed off Krioff to fail a second time.

Krioff watched as Huedhaut was led back into the mansion to be taken back to the Heavens, but he also noticed how shaken up you looked. Without hesitation, he took you back to his room with him, intent on making you feel better after this misadventure of yours.

It was quiet as you sat beside one another on the edge of his bed and he finally asked, “How’re you feeling?”

“I’m… okay,” you hesitantly admitted, “I guess I’m just a little thrown off by the whole thing. I’m really glad you were there. He… said horrible things. Like, he’s going to do something horrible to you; something worse than what he did to Dui!” 

He grabbed your hands, making you fall silent as he reassured, “That’s not going to happen. It doesn’t matter who he goes to. I might not have a useful power like Zyglavis’ shadow to watch over you… or one like Dui’s to reassure you when I’m not able to be by your side right away… But Huedhaut can’t do anything else, regardless of what threats he comes up with to scare you. You know Karno won’t let him get away with this… even if Leon doesn’t do anything for Huedhaut’s actions.” 

He was sure of that much, he had confidence in his voice, enough to make you believe him. After all, he promised to protect you, and so far, he was standing by his promise. You held on tightly to Krioff who only held you closer in response, his warm hand caressing your back, comforting you. He stayed like that for as long as you wanted. Which, you were honestly hoping he would never let you go as you quietly admitted to him, “I… I really love you, Krioff.”A gentle smile crossed Krioff’s face. “You’re the bravest goldfish I’ve ever met… standing up to gods the way that you do.” He couldn’t help but huff in amusement despite how proud he was of you. “Don’t ever lose that strength; don’t ever surrender it to another god. As long as I’m beside you, you’ll never have anything to fear…” He paused. “But, all the same, if you are ever feeling scared or uncertain, rely on me. I want to be your strength, I want to help you feel safe and certain of yourself. I’ll be here for as long as you need me to support you. But I’ll be here… even when you don’t need me for support. Because I’ll be here to love you, forever.”

#my asks #star crossed myth #scm krioff #scm huedhaut #department of wishes #department of punishments #zodiac gods #star crossed myth fanfic #star crossed myth yandere #fanfic #voltage fanfic #yandere #yandere x reader

[mairablue]

SCM - Department Of Punishment

Scorpio ♏- Dance With Me, Tonight

A/N: This is a continuation of the story Home Where The Heart Belongs. This didn't turn out as fluffy as i had hoped. Sorry about that.

For fluffbruary event ( @fluffbruary )

Prompts: graceful | volcano | blanket

12th February, 2024

~~~

Soft golden light of the morning Sun crept into the room, from the slight gap between the curtains. Opening his eyes, Scorpio was surprised to see the unfamiliar ceiling. The wall on the right side was light yellow in colour unlike the old wallpaper ridden walls of the small rented room that he had been residing in for the past three months.

Putting the pillows on the chair, and folding the blanket. He dusted the bedsheet before putting it back on the mattress. Putting the pillows and the blanket on one side of the bed he opened the curtains, before opening the window.

He took a deep breath; feeling the morning breeze brush against his face. His heart felt at peace.

Taking a warm shower and brushing his teeth; he walked downstairs to the kitchen.

You were pouring some tea in a cup. "Good morning." He said standing beside you.

"Good morning", you replied smiling,"I hope you don't mind eating oats for breakfast."

"I would love to have oats", he said returning your smile," i just need some Apples."

He washed three Apples; cutting them into small pieces. He took two bowls and filled them with the oats from the pot. Putting the bowls on the tray, beside the cups and the plate full of Apple pieces, he walked out of the kitchen. Setting the tray on the dining table he sat on the chair next to you.

Taking a sip of the warm tea, he asked, " You wrote about someone's wedding reception in the letter..."

"You remember Alice, my cousin", you took a sip from the cup, "she got married last week. Tonight she and her husband have organized a party for both of their families and some close friends. She has invited us...well me, but i would like to go with you." you said. The tone in your voice hopeful.

"It's ok if you don't want to." you added quickly. Scorpio shook his head and smiled,"I would like to go there with you." He was tired, but he wanted to spend sometime with you at a social gathering. After all who knew, this could be the very last one he ever attends.

After finishing your breakfast you washed the dishes and started chopping some vegetables. Scorpio prepared lunch which you two ate in silence around 12 PM.

The rest of the afternoon was spend, sitting on the sofa in the living. He told you how the lives of the ordinary people had been affected, in great details. Details which had not made into the newspaper paper. People were suffering.

-

The party was being held in a ball room of an enormous hotel. The hotel once had many clientele, but now most of it's rooms were empty. The few staff members who still worked there greeted the guests.

Once all the guests had arrived and were introduced to each other. The staff members brought a few musical instruments and started playing. One played the Harp, another the Cello, another the Violin, and another played the Piano.

"Grandma let's dance." a little girl said. Her grandmother was smiled, as the girl lead her, to the middle of the room and started dancing.

Seeing them some of the couples starting dancing as well. Soon Alice held your hand and started dancing. Her light pink dress and your blue dress swinging as you two moved gracefully across the dance floor. Scorpio sat on a chair watching you dance. He was never much of a dance after all.

Alice wishpered something in your ear and you both started laughing. It's been months since you have laughed like that. Scorpio smiled, recalling the memories of the first-time he had ever danced with you. Soon those memories started to fade as a dreadful thought came to his mind.

The song was coming to an end.

Scorpio walked up to you. Offering you his hand,"Will you dance with me, my lady?" He even tried to put on a princely accent, but miserably failed at it, making you and Alice giggle. He smiled, hiding his embarrassment. But his cheeks turned red as soon as you said," That would be my pleasure, sir." Alice laughed; her laughter only made his ears turn redded.

You two danced slowly; in perfect harmony. As the song came to its conclusion, you softly kissed his temple. " I love you." he wishpered. His voice filled with emotions which he found too difficult to express. " I love you too, Scorpio. " you said as a drop of tear slipped from the corner of your eyes, which you quickly brushed away.

Music flowed through the room like breeze; warm and comforting. You took the lead and he followed. The soothing sound brought a sense of peace in your hearts. No matter what tomorrow held, tonight, in this moment both of you were together.

#star crossed myth #scm #scm scorpio #scm scorpio x reader #scm dui #scm krioff #scm tauxolouve #scm karno #scm aigonorus #scm huedhaut #scm zyglavis #scm leon #scm ichthys #scm partheno #scm teorus #scm fanfic #fluffbruary 2024

[mairablue]

SCM - Department Of Wishes

Karno ♋- Breathtakingly Gorgeous

For fluffbruary event ( @fluffbruary )

A/N: Today is Karno's day!🥺💗💗💗 Hopefully i did him justice. I hope you enjoy reading this!🌹

Prompts: urgency | kneel | rural

9th February, 2024

~~~

The rain poured down from the sky, like water flowing down from waterfalls. Not a single soul could be seen outdoors.

Leaning against the wall a man stood with a pen and some papers in his hands. His gaze was focused at the sight of the falling rain.

What was he thinking, Leon wondered? Placing his hand on Karno's should he asked, "What's on your mind?"

Karno stood motionless, as if only his physical form was present there; his mind was elsewhere. Leon tapped on his shoulder.

Karno finally replied,"I have been thinking about her...a lot." His honest answer brought a smile on Leon's lips.

"Why don't you tell her, how you feel?" Leon suggested.

"I will." Karno replied nodding his head in agreement. "But first i need to grant the wishes on these lists."

Leon knew how serious Karno was about his responsibilities since childhood. So Karno's answer brought a delightful smile on his face. He softly patted Karno on his back and said, "Well of course."

-

Karno sighed as the last wish on his list disappeared after being granted. As if reading the change in his mood, the images on the reflecting pool shifted; and showed you, walking down the road in a rural area.

Karno snapped his fingers.

Untouched by the rainstorm, this land was dry. The Sun shore brightly, bringing warmth to one's soul as they walked by. Green fields filled one's vision as far as the eyes can see.

An enormous house stood on the right side of the road. It's large glass windows reflecting the sunlight.

Standing there Karno pondered whether he should go inside or not. He still had the chance to leave after all, didn't he? Not a single soul would know that he came here.

"Karno?!" a delicately, soothing voice brought him out of his thoughts. You walked upto him.

A lighthearted smile graced on your lips, "Why are you standing outside?" you asked. Before Karno could reply you took his hand in yours; leading him inside the house.

"Make yourself comfortable." you said. As you were walking to the kitchen,"I will bring some tea and snacks."

The delightful aroma spread across the room as you walked in. Two cups of tea and some cookies on one plate and some chips on the other were on the tray; which you kept on the table.

You sat next to him on the sofa. "I hope you like our special tea." you said.

His face lit up as he took the first sip. "Thank you for the tea." A thankful smile adorned his face.

"Is there something you wanted to tell me?" you asked. There was a strange feeling in your heart. A combination of hope, fear and excitement. Whatever he was about to say is extremely important, you thought.

"I wanted to tell you about my feelings." He peered at you, carefully noticing, each and every expression that crossed face. His intention was to share his feelings, not to scare you or to make you uncomfortable.

Kneeling in front of you, he snapped his fingers. A vibrant rose, blue in colour appeared in his hand. " (Name), i love you." His gaze locking into yours.

"Don't feel pressured to accept my feelings. Do what your heart tells you." he said as the reassuring smiled appeared on his lips. The stars glowing brighter in those warm, gentle eyes.

Kneeling down infront of him, you wrapped your arms around his shoulder and hugged him. "I love you too." you said as you accepted the rose; putting it in your braid.

" How do i look, sweetheart?" you asked in a flirtatious tone. "Breathtakingly gorgeous." he replied earnestly as he softly kissed you.

#star crossed myth #scm #scm karno #scm karno x reader #scm tauxolouve #scm scorpio #scm aigonorus #scm huedhaut #scm zyglavis #scm leon #scm ichthys #scm dui #scm krioff #scm partheno #scm teorus #fluffbruary 2024