#i wrote this fast i hope you like it

[friendlytacosyumyum]

Izuku x daughter of all for one forbidden love trope please?

hello anon! thank you so much for requesting :) i hope you like the direction i took this in!

pairing: izuku midoriya x all for one!daughter!reader

type: fic

wc: 1.5k

tw: reader is not gender neutral, reader has she/they pronouns, reader uses femme aligned words (woman, beautiful, pretty, etc.), mild swearing

a/n: i listened to mary on a cross on REPEAT while writing this pls forgive the song references. i've also read all of the manga but i haven't watched the new season so i apologize if its not up to date (i didn't want to spoil things that weren't out yet lmao)

You sighed, staring at your phone for the umpteenth time.

He'd call, right? He always called.

Izuku- your boyfriend of almost three months- had been radio silent for the past week. You were terrified. You knew, of course, that he could just be busy with his hero work and school, what with him being at UA and you being homeschooled by your father. However, the nagging thought that something happened to him was always on your mind.

Your father was his sworn enemy, despite looking like an elbow and being literally over 100 years old. You'd thought he'd grow out of the obsession with Midoriya, but he hadn't, and it had only grown worse recently after the huge fight between All Might and All For One.

Yeah. Your father was All For One, holder of quirks that could change the very being of a person.

Sighing again, you glanced back down at your phone. Your message remained unanswered, a question that had been pestering you since you started dating Izuku.

Are you sure you want to do this?

He'd fallen first, and he'd fallen hard. You tried your best to keep your distance, to make sure that you stayed away, because lord knows what your father would do if he found out you were not only dating, but possibly in love with someone who you were supposed to hate. His goal was for you to track down and take his quirk once you were of age, then take his quirk. He sent you letters from his jail cell whenever possible, encoded with secret messages and hints on how to get to Midoriya. You'd burned every last one.

A tap at the window made you look up, bringing you out of your jumbled thoughts. There, standing at your window, was Izuku Midoriya, dressed in winter clothing and looking sheepish as he motioned for you to let him inside. Rushing to your feet, you hurried and unclasped the window latch, hands shaking as you did so.

"'Zuku?" You asked, staring at him dumbly. "Why're you here?"

He smiled, dusting off his clothes and taking his shoes off to set in the corner of your room (always tidy, always neat).

"Well, considering I haven't seen you in a week and you're doubting me again, I thought I'd drop by and convince you otherwise."

Guilt flooded your mind. He was upset, wasn't he? No matter how many times he told you that it was okay, and that he wanted this relationship, you couldn't help but be skeptical. Skeptical and scared. What if he was using you to get to your dad? What if he didn't want to be with you at all, and he was really just scared of what you could do? You'd been born with a myriad of quirks, after all. Turns out your father's experiments had accidentally passed an abnormal amount of quirks to you, and you were stuck with the consequences. While you didn't have your father's main quirk - All For One - you had several offshoots that he stole from others. Various elemental quirks, a couple shape-shifting ones, some that had to do with illusions, others with fighting, and it was terrifying. You were scared to use them, scared to even find out the true extent of your powers. If you were scared of yourself, how scared was Izuku of you? Was that why he stayed? What if he never liked you? What if-

"(y/n)?"

You looked up, startled.

"You okay? I've been trying to get your attention for like, five minutes."

Staring at him, everything you'd been worrying about rushed through your mind on top speed.

"Do you..." you started, trailing off. Midoriya waited, saying nothing. He waited for you to finish your sentence, but didn't pester or discourage you.

"Do you still... want this? Want me? I could really hurt you, 'Zuku."

He opened his mouth to respond, but you pressed on, too wound up to stop speaking once you started.

"I mean, there's always the possibility that you never wanted me and you're just trying to get to my dad, right? Or that you're on a mission to take me out before I can hurt someone. Or that you're secretly here to use me and manipulate me emotionally so that I'll kill my father for you and that way you don't have to do anything. Or that you're too scared of me to tell me that you don't want to do this, because you're worried I'll hurt you."

The words rushed out in a blur, and when you shut your mouth, there were tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. You looked down, unable to meet Midoriya's eyes.

He said nothing for a long moment, standing with you in silence. Then a hand slowly lifted your face up to look at him, forcing you to meet his eyes.

They really were windows to the soul, you thought, watching how the colors in his irises seemed to swirl and change the longer you stared. Izuku had always worn his heart on his sleeve, after all, and you could see it in his eyes.

"If I didn't want this, why would I be standing in your room right now, reassuring you that I do, in fact, still want you?"

You opened your mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.

He has a point.

"Listen, (y/n), I like you. I like you a lot. I like how when you get timid you can't make eye contact with me because you're not used to speaking your mind. I like how you're independent. I like how you've broken free from the chains holding you back. I like the way your eyes light up when you see something you like and how you laugh when you're nervous and how you scrunch your nose when you don't like something. I'll say it a million times if I have to," Midoriya said to you, still looking directly into your eyes. He was close enough to count the freckles on his cheeks, so you did.

Eight freckles. Hm.

Something inside you wanted to know if he had more freckles on his arms, legs, chest, everywhere. Something inside you felt warm and fuzzy at the idea of him staying long enough for him to let you do that. Something inside you wanted to stare at him and count those eight freckles over and over again until he fell asleep or laughed and twirled you around and around to make you so dizzy you couldn't see straight enough to count anymore.

"Your beauty never, ever, scared me. I promise. There's nothing about you I could be terrified of. You have more than one quirk? I've got more than one quirk. We're a match, (y/n), quirk for quirk, eye for eye, scar for scar."

The tears that had been hitting the corners of your eyes finally started to fall, and you let them, blinking slowly through them.

"To hell with your father, okay? I don't care about that- that thing. Sure, he wouldn't approve of this, but when has that ever stopped you, or me, from doing something we want to?"

You nodded carefully, subconsciously leaning into the hand that was holding your face up so you'd look at Midoriya.

"I," you started, choking on a breath as you hiccupped a little.

"I just don't want him to hurt you. I don't want to see you hurt when I can't do anything to help."

He nodded, looking thoughtful for a second before speaking again.

"Come to UA with me."

You stared at him. Was he insane? UA was for heroes. Heroes. You were a daughter of the most infamous villains in Japan. There's no way you'd be accepted there.

"We could work something out, I'm sure our teacher would love to have you in our class."

He was smiling now, to himself or to you, you couldn't tell.

"Are you sure? I mean, I know he's not here right now, but what happens when he gets back and finds me missing?"

You knew, logically, that it was unlikely All For One would ever get out of prison. However, this was your father Izuku was talking about. He was one crafty son of a bitch.

"We'd protect you. C'mon (y/n), don't you want to be free?"

The way he spoke sounded so hopeful, so happy, that you didn't want to deny him the chance. It wouldn't hurt to try, right?

"Okay," you said softly, the corners of your mouth turning up a bit.

"Okay?" he asked, and you nodded.

"Great! Let me make a few calls and we can start-"

You grabbed his hand, quick to cut him off.

"Um, can that wait until tomorrow? It's been a week since I last saw you and I was kinda hoping that... maybe we could just hang out a bit?"

Midoriya gave you that closed-eye smile you loved, pulling you over to your bed and grabbing your laptop from the nightstand, putting it in between the two of you.

"Yeah. Yeah we can, (y/n)."

A few weeks after that, your father did escape from prison. By then, however, you were safe at UA, learning to become one of the heroes who would stop your dad in his tracks.

And if he came back to a very strongly worded letter that you may have accidentally-on-purpose left in plain sight for him to see, well, that was your business.

-fin-

#bnha #my hero acadedmia #boku no hero academia #midoriya izuku #izuku midoriya #midoriya izuku x reader #izuku midoriya x reader #angst and fluff #hurt/comfort #the author tried their best #bnha x fem!reader #midoriya izuku x you #izuku midoriya x you #i wrote this fast i hope you like it #not beta read #merry crisis #happy holidays

[ladyartemesia]

Can you do a drabble about one of them being cute to a plus size girl 😭😭 I'm sorry I'm emotional it's the Curse

I hope this was cute enough? More like whipped honestly… I hope you enjoy 🫣

Kim Namjoon x Plus Size Reader (PG-13)

“Take a picture. It’ll last longer.”

The man standing behind you on the bus jolted at your words.

Clearly he hadn’t expected to be caught, but there was a mirror right above the windows and you’d been watching him take a thorough visual tour of your body for the last five minutes.

“Uh well—” he loosened the tie around his neck.

“Yeah, bro, not cool.”

A random girl sitting near the doors had heard your remark and was already rising up in righteous indignation to defend your honor.

Uh-oh.

You had to slap a hand over your face to keep from laughing.

Kim Namjoon’s mouth dropped open.

“Miss I think you have the wrong—”

But the girl—bless her—was not here for it.

“This woman’s beauty is not there for you to just casually consume—”

“I agree—honestly—”

“She’s got a mind of her own!”

He snorted.

“That’s for sure.”

You were practically biting through your lip trying not to giggle at this point. Joon looked like a cornered rabbit.

“She didn’t ask for your attention—”

“That’s debatable.”

Your galant girl-knight looked ready to throw hands at that one.

It was high time you saved them both.

“Miss,” you chuckled, shaking your head. “I truly admire you and I’m eternally grateful for you assistance but—” your eyes met Namjoon’s exasperated grin in the mirror—“this man is my husband.”

—Later—

“I told you wearing that dress would get me in trouble.”

You laughed as your not-so-subtle admirer ran his hands appreciatively over your curves.

He was wild about you.

You shook your head and sighed in dramatic disappointment.

“Objectifying me in public. What a scoundrel…”

Namjoon was never truly able to hide his adoration for your fuller figure and you loved to tease him about it.

“I swear I thought she was going to burn me down with the patriarchy.”

You started to laugh, but he was already sliding his hand up your leg so it turned into a little moan instead.

“It’s not my fault you can’t control yourself. I was just an innocent bystander and you were so obviously undressing me in your head-ah!”

Namjoon smacked your thigh and let out a tortured groan as he watched it jiggle.

“Baby,” he murmured, gripping into your softness with just the right amount of pressure, “I was doin’ way more than that.”

#Kim namjoon #return drabbles #look I did it! #I wrote (kinda) fast! #I hope you like it #unedited #kim namjoon imagine #kim namjoon drabble #Namjoon #bts namjoon #Namjoon fanfiction

[hcdragonwrites]

Thunderstorm

(a @jttw-monkeybusiness inspired Drabble)

It was hot today and we have a thunderstorm warning so I wrote something really quick! Enjoy another one this one is short.

A heat wave.

It was the only way to describe the sudden shift in temperature from the last week of travel to now.

Sophie turned her head upward, blinking against the sweat rolling from her face. The last of her sunscreen had been used now, to prevent her skin from cracking beneath the sun's attention. The hat Wukong had snatched from a while back was the only protection she had against the hungry rays of light that drove knives of pain into her skin.

This is a miserable business. She could feel the beginnings of a burn on her arms, from where the sleeves of her tunic didn’t cover her wrists.

It was midday, the heat blistering against the companion's skin. Pigsy complained at every step, at every rock in the road, at every breath. He was drenched, his robes dark from his body perspiring. He waddled at the back of the group, bemoaning his pain to the point that even Sophie was beginning to feel it grate on her nerves. It wasn’t like the rest of them weren’t also suffering in this insufferable heat.

Sandy simply stayed quiet, the only sign of suffering beneath the heat was that the demon had emptied seven water skins- ones he had carried himself. Sandy was closer to Pigsy, getting the brunt of his complaints.

Wukong kept his discomfort silent from what Sophie could see except when he would pointedly look back at them from the head of the group, staring at Trip as if waiting for him to say something. When the monk just kept walking, Wukong would turn back around and look upward to the column of thunderclouds beyond.

The heat seemed to suck all the moisture from the world, sending it up into the dark clouds that were beginning to grow in the mountains ahead of the group. It was a day that promised burning warmth and teased the relief of a downpour. A storm born of the heat. At least it was a reprieve of sorts from yesterday's typical shenanigans of Tripataka being almost devoured for the seventeenth time. At least Sophie thought it was seventeen. Was it actually eighteen?

Sophie and Trip were both walking side by side in the middle of the group, leading Yulong behind. The poor dragon horses' sides were slick with sweat, the white fur turned brown with the road dust. Wukong was carrying the saddle, the great leather contraption held easily in one arm to give their silent companion some relief.

“The gods are punishing us.” Pigsy groaned, rolling his pack from shoulder to shoulder. “Maybe they are punishing us for the wanton murder Wukong had committed just a bit ago.”

Pigsy please… Sophie groaned silently, as she saw the Monkey King whip his head around, teeth bared.

“I didn’t see you helping any to save our master.” Wukong shot back. “The last I saw was you running away from that battle when you got cut by the centipede women!”

Sandy rubbed his face, just as annoyed that these two were picking now to start something.

“I thought I would die of poison!” Pigsy gallantly said, hand to the cloth bound scrap on his arm. “I did not want my fellow companions to have to protect me and save our dear Monk.”

“Centipede's poison only hurts insects and smaller beings. Not demons like you.” Wukong countered. He had paused at the head of the group to swing his gaze on the pig demon. “You just wanted an excuse to get back and have the first taste of the sake we grabbed from those merchants at the festival!”

“You know drinking is forbidden on our holy quest!” Pigsy tried to piously counter but Wukong cut him off with his words and a savage slash of his hand.

“DIDN'T STOP YOU FROM DOWNING TWO CASKS OF IT AND LEAVING US TO EXPLAIN TO THE MONASTERY WHY THEY HAD LESS SAKE!”

“Oh for Pete’s sake.” Sophie muttered quietly. She was too tired, too sticky with road dirt, to care much for the beginnings of this argument. And it was shaping to be a big one. Pigsy wanted to take out his discomfort on someone and it didn’t take much to get the Monkey Kings hackles up. Blaming him for the heat? That would rankle his pride.

Trip also looked between the two, face begging silently please not now.

“Stupid Monkey!” Spat Pigsy.

“Shitty Swine!” Snarled Wukong.

The storm clouds ahead cracked with thunder, the noise temporarily pausing the quarrel.

The monk took advantage of the pause.

“Let’s rest.” Tripataka called, wiping his own forehead free of the sweat clinging there. The monk's eyes looked just as relieved as Sophie felt at the excuse to both rest and to stop a full blown argument from starting again. This had been the third one today, and soon it would come to blows or to Tripitaka using the charm to put the Monkey King to heel.

If that could be avoided it would be in everyone’s favor to avoid it. Wukong usually sulked after such uses and he and Tripataka would get into their own argument.

Tripataka and Sophie both beelined for a small copse of trees, Yulong snorting in relief. They left their companions behind without a second thought, both of them tired and sweating. For all Pigsys complaining, he wasn’t being baked by the sun as badly as their mortal companions. Tripataka had a red patch of skin beginning to form on the back of his neck despite the protection of the hat. Sophie could feel the beginning of a blister at her heel. She hoped it wouldn’t burst.

The immortals only took a moment before they too joined the rest of their company beneath the trees. Sandy set to making tea, already propping a fire up faster then Sophie could follow with her eyes.

Pigsy simply just fell against a rock beneath the shade, complaining loudly, grousing about how hungry he was and how he had a pain in his back that may need looking at. No one paid him any heed.

Trip and Sophie dropped their packs in an unceremoniously heap. Tripataka pulled out a curry brush and passed a flat brush to Sophie who took it wordlessly and set to work.

The two humans had fallen into a habit of helping to strip down and tend to the dragon horse, both taking to brushing the flanks. When Sophie had first been asked by Trip, she had been eager and a bit apprehensive. She didn’t have much experience with horses (let alone shape shifted magical dragon ones) to be confident in this task. But Trip had smiled and taught her the basics of care- from brushing his coat to checking his hooves for rocks that could threaten lameness, and bring discomfort.

“You're a patient teacher Trip.” Sophie had said.

“Thank you. It was actually Wukong who taught me to tend to Yulong.” The horse had nipped fondly at the sleeve of the monk in thanks.

“Wukong?” That surprised her. “He knows about horses?”

“Before he rebelled against Heaven he had been given the position of Stablemaster. It was his duty and job to tend to the celestial beasts of Heaven. He showed me what to do to take care of Yulong.” Trip rubbed at the horse's poll, earning a happy snort from the dragon horse. “You should ask him about it! He has seen so many fabulous beasts in the Heavenly stables to rival any lord or Emperor of earth.”

Of course Sophie had. She had bothered and questioned and asked everything she could of the Monkey King about what the Heavenly court looked like, what beasts he had tended, how he had taken care of them, and much more. Wukong, if in a good mood and not acting aloof or having been reprimanded by his Master, was always willing to boast about himself. Of course that usually meant an exchange of sorts. Yesterday it had been for her to sit with him as he answered her questions, rifling through Sophie’s bag and asking questions of his own on what these were and insulting them- he particularly had taken to insulting her makeup which Sophie had, of course, taken the bait on. She had only realized it was a trap until after she was halfway through the reason why her brand of makeup and mascara was perfect and made her look and feel like a goddess that she saw that shit eating grin and had shoved at him.

Today she wouldn’t ask him her typical questions. She had something else she wanted to do.

Wukong brought the saddle up and set it at the base of the tree, tail flicking back and forth. He glared at Pigsy, opening his mouth to finish the argument when Trip, without having to look up, stopped him.

“Leave him Sun Wukong.” He ordered. There was patience still in the monks voice. “He means none of what he says.”

“He means all of it, Monk.” Wukong retorted. Sophie saw Pigsy look up and grin at them, egging the demon monkey on.

“Go.” Tripataka pointed away from Pigsy to another shaded patch. “Cool your temper and yourself. Let us have a moment of peace until we must embark into the heat again.”

The Monkey king sniffed and turned on his heel angrily, leaving Sophie and Trip to their task. As he walked past Pigsy he curled his middle finger up and away from the rest of his hand, flipping the pilgrim the bird.

Of course Pigsy didn’t understand what that statement meant. Yet.

Wukong had pestered and bugged her about the hand signal she had given when one particularly shitty day finally had gotten beneath Sophie’s skin and she had reacted silently. It had been an unusually rough day when finally, her headphones (may they rest in peace) had died in the middle of Gustav Holst Jupiter.

Sophie had at first pulled the headphones out in disbelief and then tried to pop them back in. Maybe they just need to reconnect. She tried them again. No use. Her music was finally gone. So she of course reacted silently and, with what she thought at the time, was appropriate. Sophie had regretted losing her temper that way and regretted even further to having caved to Wukongs questions.

Soon all of them would know what the middle finger meant and that may also lead to further arguments. Sophie could see Pigsy using it the most to get a rise from Wukong. For now, only the Monkey King knew. She hoped it stayed that way for as long as possible.

Or at least till we get out of this heat.

Between Sophie and Trip, they had Yulong brushed down, feet picked clean and a small bucket of water set before the great white stallion. Once his needs had been tended Sophie looked back up at the sky. The thunderstorm was tall and black, staining the blue sky wherever it crossed. A blessedly cooled breeze blew into her face carrying the scent of water and damp earth. She dragged her backpack a bit away from Trip who was meditating now, to a bit of shade a few lengths away from the rest of them where she could watch the storm unfurl.

Sophie would catch up on some reading, having been lucky enough to snag a book. It was a book of poetry by a scholar of the name Li Po, and whatever magic had cast her into the past had also given her an ability to understand and read the languages here too. A small blessing, that.

Sophie hadn’t had anything new to read in what felt like ages and was eager to crack open the little book and read its contents. She craved it.

She settled herself down, setting her backpack behind her and crossing her legs. As she crossed her legs, and turned to dig into her bag, she felt something heavily land in her Lap. She peeked down and beneath her arm.

Wukong stared up at her, face set in a scowl.

“Yes? Can I help you?” Well. This was new. Wukong would sit with her when they had time to silently rest during their travels. Usually it was side by side, usually it was Sophie joining the Sage to ask him questions. But- never him resting on her. That was new.

Wukongs head was resting squarely in her lap, arms crossed behind, shoulders on her legs.

“You aren’t going to ask me questions.” He didn’t say it like a question. More of a statement. He sounded glum.

“I was going to read this book I snagged in the last town we were in.” Sophie pulled it from her bag, showing him the simple black embossed cover. She was too tired to complain about Wukong not at least respecting her boundaries or asking permission before he settled himself on her person. If I brought it up he would just say he was a king and it was his right to any person's space. To keep peace, she wouldn’t voice her thoughts. The heat had made all of them tired and she would rather have a calm monkey resting in her lap than a monkey that would rise eagerly to argue. Even if said monkey had come uninvited.

Wukong wasn’t demanding anything of her - at least not yet. Which meant he was in a … better mood ? It was hard to tell. Some days she felt like she and the Monkey King were as thick as thieves, dodging demonic creatures, bandits and the like with an ease that was comforting in this strange world. Other days it was like walking around a scalded cat, Wukong picking and poking and snapping at things Sophie didn’t understand fully. He was a prickly monkey but …

She looked down and saw that his face, though set in his typical apathetic scowl, had none of the stormy look he usually wore when something was bothering him.

When he acted like this it made Sophie want to be his friend all the more.

Wukong pulled one of his hands free from behind his head and held up a hand, asking silently. Sophie passed him the book. The Monkey King squinted at the words, turning the book and it’s pages in his hand with a disinterested air.

“I guess that’s suitable.” He said and snapped it closed.

“Suitable?”

“To read aloud.” Wukong said, passing it back to her. He closed his eyes, breathing out as another cool breeze shook the tree leaves above them.

“We may have an hour or two before that storm will be upon us.” He lifted his chin up, gesturing at the storm.

“I don’t think you want your little book to get wet in that downpour so if you want to get a good deal into it, best to start sooner rather than later.”

“You want me to read aloud to you?”

Wukong opened one glowing eye and stared at her. “Yes. It will be a welcome change to that monkey stalker crap you have.”

“It’s not crap it’s science!”

“Sounds like crap to me.”

“If you want me to read to you, you better not call this book crap either or I will drop it on your nose.” Sophie threatened.

Wukong opened both his eyes to fix her with an upside down glare.

“You wouldn’t dare.” But there was a hint of a grin about his face, a tugging of humor to his lips.

Sophie kept his stare, unblinking.

“Watch me, monkey boy.”

She shook the book in threat. She would drop the book on his nose. Sophie had a suspicion that Wukong would then take that book and either chuck it away or keep it away from her.

Wukong grinned up and then closed his eyes again, tail curling up and onto his waist.

“I wouldn’t. It’s poetry. I want to hear what this pompous Li Po has to prattle about.” With that Wukong settled back into Sophie’s lap, getting comfortable.

Sophie felt a touch of affection for her friend, something that may have struck a different cord with her if this had been earlier in their relationship (and before Wukong had squashed that very early crush). Wukong may be an ass- pompous and self important himself- but he was genuine in a sense. He may dance around things that made him turn moody and broody but he really couldn’t hide that, despite being hot and cold at times to her, Sophie and Sun Wukong had a friendship. One born of arguments and teasing, questions and prodding. Maybe he had scared her into falling into a river. But he had stolen her clothes to replace the ones soaked. Maybe he had poor communication skills and liked to get her attention by kicking walls or suddenly jumping up in front of her or taking her things and holding them at ransom. But it was friendship. A friendship so very strange and bewildering at times that It confused Sophie as much as rewarded her.

The snap of thunder had her stare back up into the sky. The storm moved closer, already a sheet of rain visibly pouring down onto the mountains beyond. It would be a bit before it reached the pilgrims but it was making its steady way toward them all the same.

Sophie opened the book, flipping to the first poem. Quite appropriately it was about storms.

As the thunder rolled closer, promising a reprieve from the heat, Sophie felt a peace settle in as she read. Even as the sky broke apart before them, she felt a calm and grounding. She may be from another time, another place. Adrift she could have felt. Reading aloud she felt an anchor settle in her. She belonged. Even if it was only to a very angry stone monkey, she belonged.

#hcwrites #writing stuff #for jttw monkeybuisness #hope you like it ! #sun wukong #jttw au #jttw tag #it’s so unbearably hot here #and this kinda popped in my head and I caved and wrote it #it’s shorter then the others so I hope it still makes y’all smile. #I had Sky Full of Song when I was writing this #poor pilgrims they are all dying in the heat #I DONT blame em for snapping at eachother #I CANT stand the heat either #impulsive writing I did. #I Hope I did. this well! it was kinda just a fast spontaneous writing #drabbles #hcfanfics

[elbiotipo]

Like in most starships, and indeed like in any kind of ships through history, the mess hall was the heart of the Johann Sebastian Mastropiero. Of course, most of the rest of the ship was propellant tanks, engines, and cargo bays. But what truly mattered was this place, this sacred place with food and drink where the crew could relax after a long day sailing the aether. They were the ones who kept this old bird flying, they were the lifeblood of the Mastropiero, and the mess hall was its heart. At least according to the crew themselves. The cargo's insurance was probably higher than theirs after all.

“Mess hall” might also have been a grandiose name for it. It was basically a table, some especially uncomfortable chairs bolted to it so they didn't flew away in 0g, several handles to walk through while in freefall, an old booth that seemed -and probably was- taken from an abandoned fuel space station, an old fridge/hydroponics combo, some kitchen essentials like an electric kettle and oven, and a counter bearing the scars of poorly prepared food, because you get tired of instant guiso and mushroom chips after a while.

It was Human spacer tradition for the Captain to have a last dinner with the passengers before landing at the destination, so never mind the mess, in a way, the mess hall also needed to show the ship's history. And it did, with the pictures hanging on the paneling. A faded photograph of the crew during the Machine War, and then newer ones, an old captain giving a thumbs up at a newly repainted ship, a group of people wearing smokings doing a comedy sketch, Beto as a kid sitting on the commands with the hat on, an asado under three moons that legend has it bring good luck, and more. The latest picture was just next to the oldest one, with a lanky, angular-faced human male with a mate gourd on hand, a small shark-like girl wearing sunglasses and doing a peace sign, and a cactus-like man with his leaves in a sarcastic attitude, under that same sky as the three lucky moons.

Freefalling, and yet somehow looking busy while at it, Beto arrived at the mess hall to heat up water for the mate and start up his morning shift. As he rubbed his eyes he saw Ragua hanging by her squalene tail on a handle in the "ceiling", her headphones at a high enough volume to tell she was listening to Hermética. Siusini was sitting conspicuously in the center of the booth table -not that he needed to eat anyways-, while holding a bunch of crystals around him that reflected on his leaves in beams of focused light, like glittering rainbows. Beto wondered if Pink Floyd would perhaps be a better soundtrack in this case.

"Mornin', people." Beto yawned as he turned on the kettle, his weightless body hanging as he waited for the water to heat up -not boil, this was mate after all.

"MORNIN', BETO!" Ragua said from the ceiling, her voice more high-pitched than usual, perhaps because of her usual excitement, perhaps because of the metal screaming that seemed to envelop her. Siusini's chromoplasts shifted into a greeting hue.

"What are you listening to, Ragua?" Beto asked as the water began to heat.

"It's that music you told me about last night!" She answered, perhaps a bit offended that Beto didn't notice. "I love it, though some lyrics are hard to understand..." She noted. Beto nodded thoughtfully. He was amazed at how quickly she had picked up Rioplatense Spanish in any case.

"Yeah, I told you, they talk a bit about the things that happen in my history tapes..."

"Of course you like them because of that." She grinned while narrowing her eyes playfully. For various reasons, perhaps because she was part of it, history just didn't sit well with her. "But that's the fun part. The voices go... like all low and deep like yours..." Ragua did a frighteningly good rendition of Ricardo Iorio, "...and then it goes all like YEEEEEEAHHHH." Ragua did an even more frightening impression of Claudio O'Connor. Beto just smiled, amused.

"I don't sing like that."

"You don't sing. At all." Ragua teased back.

"Shut up." Beto said. It was true, he couldn't sing at all.

"But what I like the most is the controls." Ragua continued as the album rocked on, her fins shifting to the music.

"You mean instruments?" Beto corrected her word use, helpfully.

"Yeah! Those! It's just so AWESOME... Like, I love the sound, the noise, it feels like when prey moves on the ocean, when you're about to just bite on it? You know? So nice." She said, a bit too giddy, kicking her finned legs against the ceiling.

"That's cool man." Beto answered in a monotone as he poured water on the thermos. 

Perhaps not wanting to awaken her predatory instincts, he turned to Siusini.

"What about you, you finally gave up engineering to become a table decoration?" Beto bantered in friendly confidence. Siusini didn't seem to listen through his sound translator. His leaf patterns shifted in ways that were difficult even for the experienced Beto to decipher.

"Sius'?" He asked again. The chromoplasts reacted.

"GOOD DAY BETO." The patterns of colors said. Beto knew how to read them, and he'd better, since Siusini was his engineer after all. Not a good relationship for miscommunications.

"Testing out the crystals you bought the other time?" Beto said while pouring himself a mate.

"RIGHT."

"Are they, uh, good?" Beto asked, not sure how to put it.

"VERY GOOD." the leaves answered, as Siusini shifted the crystals to what Beto assumed was a more pleasant light show for him.

Beto sipped his second -always the best one, after the yerba is settled- mate of the morning and watched the crystals dance in Siusini's tendrils. Being a heterotroph himself, Beto didn't quite get what was so interesting about the focusing crystals that many photosynthetic species enjoyed, but visually, they were very striking.

"You know." Beto said with his usual curiosity, "You never quite told me what does that light show feels, exactly." Siusini's color shifted to one of amusement, and Beto sighed, wondering what he was gonna say.

"EXPLAINING IS DIFFICULT. WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS." the leaves said.

"Oh come on. You can explain how a dark-energy inductor works, but not that?" Beto bantered back, knowing he won the argument.

"WILL TRY THEN." Siusini said, his color still in an ironic hue.

The communication leaves of Siusini shifted a bit in some patterns Beto didn't recognize. "IT IS LIKE. GOOD FOOD. VERY GOOD FOOD. NARCOTICS[?]. [?]."

Beto blinked a couple times, trying to understand. The last two patterns looked familiar, but... Then he noticed Siusini's leaves and tendrils shifting in a rather strange way... and he groaned.

"You dirty motherflower, I shouldn't have asked..." Beto groaned again in the tone of someone defeated while Siusini's leaves shone brighter in their amused state. He just grabbed his thermos and mate and decided to go to the cockpit.

Ragua, always up for some good gossip but who wasn't keeping up with the conversation because of her headphones, followed Beto with a teasing smile. "Wait, wait, what did Sius’ say?" she asked.

"Never mind, you don't wanna know." Beto said as he made his way to the cockpit.

"Come on, tell me, what was it?!"

"Ragua, no."

"COME ON, TELL ME!" Ragua insisted as she hovered on 0g after him, grabbing his leg while he grumbled. "BETITO, COME ON, TELL ME, WAS IT FUNNY? I KNOW IT WAS FUNNY!" She was not gonna let it go and he knew it. But never mind, first it was time to do trajectory corrections and get to work.

And so, another day started in the good spaceship Mastropiero, 614 years after Gagarin.

#I wrote this quite fast but it was fun so I hope you like it too #yes Ragua is supposed to be a bit annoying #campoestela #cosas mias #by the way this is written in English but it's perfectly translatable to Argentine (Rioplatense) Spanish that is part of the fun

[dawn-moths]

“Camomile & Calming Waters”

Zhongli x Female Reader

word count: 5,500+

(Your weekly trip to the bathhouse takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious man you’ve seen, but never met, decides to break the rules and come pay you a visit on the female side of the establishment. In the end, you may find that having a run in with him needs to become a new part of your ceremonial routine, and, to your utmost surprise, that he might very soon be your new boss.)

disclaimer/content warning: 18+ content! minors dni! smut, size kink, i guess technically some hurt/comfort, soft dom zhongli, submissive reader, massages (receiving), overstimulation, bath sex (duh).

*ao3 mirror*

*** 

The water was warm, even more so after having to tread naked through the cool air that filled the room, winter seeping through the brick and mortar of the building. A thin fog of steam rose off the surface of the water, swirling in tendrils around you as you slowly waded deeper into the pool, the minerals infused into the bath making your skin soft and slippery.

You were alone here today, the other sporadic usuals who came right before closing having forgone the casual tradition, probably heading home early on account of the snow storm that was on its way.

But not you. 

You needed this, especially at the end of such a hectic week.

It was the only way you could unwind after such a whirlwind, letting your troubles melt away like a sugar cube spooned into a hot cup of tea.

You didn’t like to bring your stress from work home with you and, try as you might to find other ways, this was truly the only reliable option you’d found that always did the trick.

You let out a sigh as you sunk further below the surface, right up to your neck, your hair tied back to avoid getting wet, the humidity in the air causing wispy strands to spring free and stick to your forehead and back of your neck.

It was so quiet— even more so than usual— the ambient atmosphere created by the dim lights and echoes of slow dripping water that bounced off the tiled floors filling your head like a lullaby and making you calm.

You closed your eyes, leaned back against the smooth wall of the bath, tuning into your steady breathing, the rhythmic rise and fall of your chest.

It was so easy to lose time here, minutes often turning to hours in what felt like just a few series of breaths.

When the place was about to close, they’d dim the lights down to near darkness, silently alerting any lingering patrons to finish up, get dressed, and head out.

But you had at least another hour until then, so you weren’t very worried.

Plus, you’d never seen or even heard of the owner complaining if anyone stayed just a little later than usual.

Now that you thought about it though, you’d never met the owner. Never even seen him around, as far as you could remember. 

You’d been coming to this place nearly every weekend for a few years now, surely you must’ve crossed paths with him at some point, right?

Well, even if he did prefer to run his business from the shadows, that was just as well.

Besides, it might be kind of awkward to introduce yourself to someone for the first time when you were wrapped in nothing but a towel and still soaking wet.

The bathhouse was a small, quaint little place, had a certain historical charm to it with old Chinese woodblock prints adorning the walls and other displays of art or faded photographs of the areas surrounding scenery from the distant past. It was pretty much private at this time of night, and even more so at this very moment what with you being the only one brave— or dumb— enough to show up when the rest of the city was practically on lockdown from the encroaching blizzard.

At least, in here, you’d be warm. Wouldn’t have to risk shivering through the night at home if the storm cut through the power lines.

Yes, at least, in here you’d be warm.

But then, amidst your tranquil mind state, thoughts dripping through you like lazy honey, the tiny, pins and needles prickle of paranoia began to creep in.

You opened your eyes, scanned the misty room slowly, trying to catch sight of your sudden anxiety’s source.

You saw nothing. No one. Yet you felt like, if you stared into the steam for long enough, you’d catch the flowy, drifting movements of a ghost through the fog.

After a while, you tried to relax again, count your breaths like you did when you first arrived and were beginning to settle down, but then you heard something that nearly made you jump.

“It’s almost closing, you know…” a low male voice spoke calmly from across the room, his rich baritone vibrating in your chest as it echoed over the tile and through the water like a gentle sonar.

Normally, people who frequented places like this knew to leave others alone— an unspoken but very important rule.

Don’t make eye contact.

Don’t make noise.

Just mind your own business and don’t make things awkward.

But this person, whoever he was, clearly wasn’t aware of any of those rules.

He also didn’t seem to be aware that men were not welcome on this side of the building.

“If I’m being honest,” he continued, a faint silhouette stepping through the dimly lit fog and further into view, “I’m surprised you came tonight, what with the storm that’s beginning to rage outside.”

As his figure came further into view, your startled gaze landed on a tall, handsome man with long, silky dark brown hair, the ends fading into a burnt umber shade.

He had a rust colored robe draped loosely around him, the toned expanse of his chest visible through the gap of the fabric.

Staring too long was making you blush, and even you knew that your face becoming this flushed couldn’t be blamed on the temperature of the bath water.

He took a few strides forward, his gait lazy and smooth, yet still refined and regal.

Like a king pacing his chambers, comfortable in his own space yet ready to shift right back into royalty if the occasion so called.

“But, you know…” he continued, nearing the edge of the large, deep basin of the tub. You pulled your knees further up to your chest, suddenly feeling exposed despite the fact that being naked was commonplace here. When he stopped but a few feet away, looking down at you in the bath with his arms crossed and a soft smirk playing at his lips, you sunk a little further down under the surface of the pool, the water now up to your nose. “If it’s between you and me…” He placed a big, slender hand on one hip, leaning a little closer over the edge, his golden eyes catching you in a trance. “I don’t mind keeping the place open just a little bit longer.”

You squinted at him, confused, but then your gaze went wide, putting the pieces together.

“You’re—” 

He held a finger up to his lips, hushing you with a single, almost playful, “Shhhh… Wouldn’t want the other patrons to know I pick favorites, now would we?”

You were going to remind him that there was no one else here, but the observation died on your tongue as he winked at you and you suddenly started to feel dizzy, already having grown a little lightheaded from the heat the water lent you, and now even more so with this stranger’s advances.

But he wasn’t really a stranger, was he?

And now that you saw him— albeit with much less clothing than ever before— you did recognize him.

Because the owner of the bathhouse was here almost as much as you were, always passing through the lobby with his hands clasped behind his back, surveying the crowd, somehow being the most noticeable yet least looked at person in the room.

He made everyone else look like mere pebbles amongst a gemstone, yet…

He’d noticed you on day one.

“Excuse me for being so brazen but…” His golden gaze flicked up and down your form, only partially obscured beneath the water. When his eyes landed back on yours, he said, “May I join you?”

Your throat bobbed with a particularly hard swallow, your vision nearly spinning at the prospect.

You raised your lips back above the surface and replied with a timid, “I thought men and women weren’t allowed to share baths here…”

The owner smiled, the expression mischievous yet still tinted with wisdom. “I do believe those rules apply during the working hours of my establishment and—“ He glanced behind him at the clock, where the hands had just passed midnight. “I do believe we are now closed.”

Your heart was pounding so hard in your chest, you swore it must be causing ripples.

You stared at this man— this beautiful, gorgeous man— with big, shimmering eyes for what felt like an eternity.

But then, feeling rather bold yourself that night, you cleared your throat and said, “Alright… Then I suppose you may.”

He loosened the belt of his robe and slipped the garment from his shoulders, exposing a lean but strong figure under the fabric. You squeezed your thighs together, praying that your body didn’t betray you while you two shared the same water, the familiar warm, gooey feeling of arousal turning in your gut.

“I’m Zhongli, by the way…” he politely introduced, slowly lowering himself into the bath against the wall opposite of you. 

You went to give him your name as well, but he echoed your title at the same time the syllables left your mouth, already having known it somehow.

“I take notice of my regulars,” he informed you, flashing a grin that was only slightly guilty. “Forgive me but… I just happened to glance at the guest books.”

You were sure he’d done more than glance, but you weren’t going to scold him for it.

It was his business, after all.

He had the right to know who he was letting into it.

“So…” Zhongli began after a few uncomfortably silent beats. “Why do you come here so often?” A look then crossed his careful features that read as a sudden shock, hastily clearing his throat as he amended with, “I don’t mean to be rude, but, well… You are quite the regular.”

You explained that, due to your stressful job, you needed a place to unwind and relax before returning home at the end of the week. You’d tried yoga, meditation, long walks through the park, podcasts— any means of leisure escapism where you could find a way to turn off your brain— but his bathhouse was the only sure fire way to reset yourself after a harrowing work week.

“I see…” Zhongli seemed to ponder, studying you with an inquisitive gaze. But then, that devious smile found its way back onto his distinguished face, something devilish glinting behind all that gold. “You’ve named several good ways for one to relax, but I do believe you’ve forgotten one of the most important and common ones of all…”

You cocked your head slightly, feeling like you were naively walking into a trap when you asked with an innocent lilt upturning in your tone, “What?”

Zhongli let out a low chuckle, a sound that was short lived but no less felt as its vibrations rumbled through the water. When he looked at you then, something in his eyes had changed, his honey-gold stare melting into a darker, slightly more dangerous shade. And when he simply stated, as if it were obvious, “Sex,” well…

You were starting to wonder if allowing him to join you had been a good idea or a bad one.

“But worry not,” he assured you, reading the trepidation shining behind your doe-eyed gaze and trying to put you back at ease. “It’s merely just a suggestion. Though, I’m sure you’re well aware of it by now.”

In truth, it had been a while since the last time you laid with anyone.

Your busy work schedule had kept you from forming any new relationships, let alone maintaining your old ones, so you’d taken it upon yourself to deal with those urges only when it became extremely necessary and, even more of a let down, most times it was a solo effort.

Zhongli awaited some sort of response from you, despite the fact he hadn’t asked a question, and when you sheepishly replied, “Yeah, well, I’m not currently seeing anyone at the moment…” the owner of the bathhouse perked up.

“Oh?” Zhongli pressed curiously. “Well, what a shame that is…” He slid a little closer, abandoning the built-in bench on his side and wading further towards you through the deeper parts of the bath. “For all those other men,” he continued. “Though, I suppose, for you as well…”

He was standing right before you now, his lithe fingers gently cupping your jaw, guiding your gaze further up to meet his where he peered down at you, golden eyes partially hidden behind a half-lidded stare.

Admiration, you realized, staring back up at him with those big, innocent eyes of yours. He was admiring you.

“I-it’s not like I don’t want to…” you stammered, barely able to string together a coherent sentence, let alone a thought under the heat of his touch, the intensity of his stare. “I mean…” Your own eyes flicked to his chest again, following up the definition of his biceps and the firmness of his shoulders, leading you to the jut of his collarbones and that pale, slender neck, a few little freckles flecked across his throat. You gulped again, practically salivating at the sight of him. “It’s not like I haven’t tried. I—”

Your voice cracked upon the last word and you forced your mouth shut, trying to keep in the tears you were struggling to hold back.

Because, maybe, if you would’ve quit your hell job a year ago like everyone kept telling you to, you’d actually be able to enjoy your life. Make new friends, rekindle the relationships with the ones you already had, maybe go out with a group on the weekend and meet someone cute, maybe they’d even be nice, and maybe you two would make plans to meet again. Maybe for coffee or lunch or a chat or, eventually, just some really good sex.

But work had taken that away from you.

Maybe it was about time you stopped letting it control you, dictate the types of fleeting pleasures you were and weren’t allowed to engage in.

“Oh, look at you…” Zhongli cooed, taking a seat beside you and continuing to run his fingers along your jaw, your cheek, thumb wiping away a fallen tear before gently stroking at the back of your neck. “Poor thing… So deprived, aren’t you?” You knew he must be teasing you, could tell by that condescending lilt laced into his smooth, deep voice. Yet still, you couldn’t help but lean in, to both his touch and his words.

You nodded your head, muttering out a shaky, “Uh-huh…” before sniffling and going to wipe more tears from your eyes.

You felt Zhongli’s hand travel down your back then, taking his time to feel the softness of your skin, soaked into silk under the water’s healing properties, his palm gliding effortlessly across you, fingers ghosting gracefully along your spine until he stopped at your lower back, curling his grip further around your side to your bare hip, tugging you just a little bit closer.

With his lips nearly pressed against your ear he whispered, “I can’t have my favorite customer so upset, now can I?” You felt a shiver run through you from his voice alone, his fingers flexing over the plush of your upper thigh, gently beginning to knead the flesh there, slowly massaging you. “No… That would make me a terrible business owner, wouldn’t it?”

You buried your face against his chest, taking in the scent of him as he continued to work up and down your leg, soothing some of the tension that had gathered in your muscles and helping to lull you back into the serene state you usually entered while in this establishment.

Zhongli smelled like camomile and expensive cologne, his own skin velvet soft from where the water had soaked in. He felt you slacken against him, felt the warm, gentle fanning of your breath across his chest, and he let out another one of those pleased hums.

“That’s it…” he lightly encouraged you, his firm, kneading fingers traveling up to your shoulders, beginning to work out a knot that had formed by your neck. “Just relax… Let me take care of you…”

He moved you easily under the weightlessness the water gave you, shifting you to sit in front of him, basically on his lap, so he could use both hands to massage your tender skin, lessening his grip when he felt you tense and hiss until he found just the right pressure, being generous in the time and care he showed your shoulders and your back, working up and down your body until you swore every last ounce of tightness and pain was gone.

This left you even more pliable under his touch, sleepy and sated from his thoughtful treatment, allowing him to turn you to face him, your thighs straddling his lap now, your most intimate area spread over where he was already beginning to grow hard.

“Feeling better?” he asked, his voice but a whisper as he gently brushed some more stray strands of your damp hair away from your face. You looked into his eyes, your pupils blown wide, his on their way to matching, and gave a timid nod. You could feel yourself trembling a little, the anticipation of where you knew things were likely headed beginning to make you slightly nervous.

“Good girl…” Zhongli grinned, his lips mere inches away from your own. “But, keep in mind…” They were hovering right above yours now, so close you could taste the lingering flavor of tea and honey on his breath. “We’ve only just begun…”

Even his lips were soft, though still contained a quality of regal strength just like the rest of him. And, god, you couldn’t remember a kiss feeling this good in your entire life. Any nerves you’d had were soon replaced by the fog of lust that filled your hazy brain, allowing your tongue to intertwine with his, licking into each other’s mouths, tracing over the distinct shape of each other’s teeth, deepening the gesture until you’d traded so much saliva neither of you could tell the difference in each other’s taste anymore.

You shifted in his lap, his hands back on your hips, helping guide you to press a little harder into his erection, the hard length of him digging into your inner thigh before sliding against your slit, your sensitive skin gooey and slick despite the water that surrounded you.

You squeaked out a pathetic little whine when he grinded his hips up into you, the pressure increasing on your clit, the drag of his cock silky and sweet. You arched your back, pressing down harder with the next drag of your own hips, both of you beginning to breathe faster as you worked in tandem to take in the pleasure of each other’s bodies.

You felt dizzy again, fearing you might faint, but Zhongli kept his hands on you for support, letting your head flop against his chest as your trembling little hands weakly flexed over where they gripped his biceps, trying your best to keep up with his pace.

But you had already been so tired when you’d arrived, the last of your energy leached from the warm bathwater and then wrung out completely upon Zhongli’s early advances.

Though, you needn’t have worried. Zhongli was willing to do the work for the both of you.

You weren’t the only one who needed to relax, after all.

The owner of the bathhouse was a very busy man.

It wasn’t very often he got to enjoy the amenities of his own establishment, let alone with a girl as pretty and perfect as you.

“Would you like me to continue?” he asked, giving you a gentle shake when he thought perhaps you were too spent to go any further. But you still gave a sluggish nod, whining out a quiet, “Please…” before forcing your head up to look him in the eyes again, pleading with him to keep going. 

“Very well,” he replied, looking satisfied, adjusting you in his lap again, one strong arm cradling your back, allowing you to recline a little as his other hand carefully reached between your legs, long, slender fingers teasing against your slit, just barely prodding at your needy little hole, feeling you flutter around him when he slipped one finger inside of you, then two, slowly pumping in and out of you and drinking up every adorable little whimper and mewl that escaped your puffy lips, still shiny with your shared spit and begging to be kissed again.

As he scissored his fingers inside of you, you winced a little, the sting of the stretch made all the more apparent by the many minerals that swam in the water. His mouth latched onto your neck then, sucking dark bruises into your dewy skin to help distract you from the slightly uncomfortable, yet necessary, sensation between your legs.

You quivered against him, your cunt clenching relentlessly around his fingers as they curled inside of you, stroking that spongy spot that you could never reach on your own, making you jolt, then melt.

“Zh-Zhongli…” you sighed, chest hitching as you tried to catch your breath just enough to speak. He paused his ministrations but kept his fingers nestled deep inside, becoming painfully hard as your body continued trying to suck him in even further, clamping down in a way he could only imagine would feel ten times more magnificent once his cock was inside you.

“Please…” you practically begged, face flushing an even deeper shade as you confessed, “N-need you inside of me… Not gonna last much longer…”

Zhongli looked taken aback for a moment, his calm, all-knowing gaze gone wide before softening back into that gentle wisdom. “But of course…” he cooed, removing his fingers, using both hands to lift you a little, guiding you over his twitching length. “Anything the customer wants…” He helped you sink down onto his cock, his own breath shuddering after only a few inches of him was inside you, your warm, silken walls squeezing him tight. Through a strained mutter, he finished his previous statement with a slightly shaky, “The customer gets…”

You eyes were already beginning to roll by the time he was only halfway inside, his girth splitting you in two while his cock massaged the inside of your cunt, reaching spots you hadn’t even known existed.

You let out a loud, high moan when he gave one short, hard thrust, burying his remaining length inside you all the way down to the hilt, his pelvis pressing directly against your pulsing little clit. You shivered, both from the pain and the pleasure, nearly doubling over, your face buried back against his chest like it was a home to you, a place you longed to return to.

“That’s it, darling—” he praised, his voice further strained from his own pleasure, one hand stroking your spine as he allowed you to adjust. “Very good… You’re doing—” He sucked in a short gasp as he felt your walls give a series of quick, tight squeezes, your abused little hole constricting around his cock and nearly making him lose what remained of his composure. “You’re doing so well…”

Once you were ready, Zhongli helped you begin to move, encouraging you to to ride him, helping guide your hips up and down as you rolled them, arching your back and keening, your voice echoing through the entire bathhouse as Zhongli pumped his hips up into you to meet your motions.

And, god, he felt so good. Better than anyone else you’d ever allowed inside you. And, to your surprise, it seemed like Zhongli felt the same about you. He couldn’t stop muttering praises to you, his grip becoming tighter as his fingertips dug into your thighs, your ass, leaving a new constellation of bruises in their wake as you both picked up speed.

“So— So tight for me—” he said in between his grunting, spearing deeper into your sore cunt, pace becoming borderline punishing. “So good— So wet—” You were biting into his shoulder, feeling his muscles coil under your teeth every time his grip on you flexed, his blunt nails carving half-moons into your plush flesh. “Such a good girl… Such a pretty, perfect girl…”

Zhongli’s hips began to slow then, leaving you teetering painfully on the edge. You let out a desperate whimper when he stopped, eyes quickly darting up to meet his, afraid he’d decided to stop before such a crucial release.

He let out another one of those deep, downright sinfully seductive chuckles, assuring you with a playful lilt, “Don’t worry… Just trust me.”

He pulled out, turning you in his lap once more so that your back was pressed against his firm chest. You weren’t entirely sure what he was doing, yet allowed him to move your body as he pleased. He guided you to pull your knees up to your chest, his arms encasing your entire being, sinking back into you, though this time deeper than before, if that were even possible.

His hips didn’t take long to regain their prior speed, giving sharp, hard thrusts upward until every single one pulled a cry from your already raw throat, your head thrown back and resting in the crook of his shoulder. 

You could feel your muscles seizing, stomach clenching as your walls squeezed around him with all their strength. Your moan when you came was high and cracked, broken at the end with an overstimulated sob, a thin veil of tears misting in your eyes once more.

Zhongli stayed nestled inside you, his heartbeat hammering in his chest so fast and hard you could feel it drumming against your back as you lay against him, the tension slowly melting back into tranquility as you rode out the high of your comedown.

But he wasn’t done with you yet.

Just before your eyelids could fall heavy and closed, Zhongli repositioned you so that your elbows were splayed against the ledge of the bath, your breasts pressed to the wet tiles as his chest rested against your back, his weight settling over you like a blanket of warmth and comfort, his body already so familiar to you.

“Just a little bit more, darling,” he panted, folding your knees up onto the bath’s bench, nudging your knees further apart as he guided the tip of his still hard cock back against your entrance, admiring the curve of your spine as your back arched, your plump little ass out on display for him. “I promise… Just a little bit more…”

He took full control over you now, practically moving both of your bodies for you as his thrusts began long and slow, deep and rhythmic as he savored the sweet clenching of your cunt, your pretty little pussy raw and aching from his thick cock.

You could feel the drag of every vein, every ridge and curve and sinfully delectable inch of him as if you’d been molded to hold him and only him inside you.

You were so tired, so spent, only enough energy to barely keep your eyes open, jaw gone slack and lips parted, a thin, viscous string of saliva dribbling from your mouth as you couldn’t even muster enough energy to swallow.

As he leaned a little further over you, muttering in your ear, he teased, “Such a mess, aren’t you…? You come here to get clean and look and what happens…?” He gently swiped two of his fingers over your slick lips, gathering your spit and pushing his digits into your mouth, pressing down on your tongue and only causing more drool to leak from you. You tried your best to suck on his fingers, tongue lazily swirling around them, a tired, lilting little moan vibrating against his touch and making him shudder.

“But that’s alright…” he assured you, his pace picking up a little more speed. “We’ll get you all cleaned up after I’ve made a proper mess of you.”

He pulled his fingers from your mouth, bringing along with them another thin string of your spit, slipping them into his own mouth and groaning over his fingers at the taste of you. When he was done savoring that, his slippery hand lightly clasped around your throat, muttering coaxing words of, “Come on now, sweetheart… Cum again… Just one more time for me… You can do it… I know you can…” as his hips hammered into you harder than ever before, so deep you swore you could feel him in your tummy.

When your second release washed over you, this time like a wave crashing against the shore, Zhongli finally reached his limit and spilled his own hot, sticky cum inside of you, all the while repeating in a breathy mumble, “Good girl… So good for me… So perfect…” as he gave a few more lazy pumps, driving his seed deeper inside of you.

He stayed there for a while, his chest pressed to your back, so much sweat having built up between your two bodies but indistinguishable from the humid veil the hot water had cast upon you. Finally when he pulled out, both of your cum drifting out into the steamy water, he helped prop you back up to straddle his lap, your head resting against his shoulder as your eyes finally fluttered shut, your breathing slowing to a steady rate.

“I suppose I’ll have to close down for a day or two…” Zhongli said then, seeming to snap right back into business mode as his gaze scanned the contaminated water. But then he smiled, nudging his nose against the top of your head before pressing a gentle kiss against your hair. “Though, I suppose this snow storm has turned out to be a rather lucky thing. I doubt I’ll be expecting many patrons, if any, over the next few days if this weather doesn’t let up.”

As he spoke quietly to you, not even completely sure you were listening or not but not caring either way, he lovingly stroked his knuckles along your jaw, following the soft curve of your neck and shoulder, down your spine and then back up again, repeating these motions and further lulling you.

“But, you know…” he then whispered, lips pressed right against your ear and causing you to stir, your body slightly shifting atop him and a soft groan humming in your throat. “If you were looking for a new place of employment… there’s a vacancy here that needs filling…”

You sucked in a long, deep breath, blinking back awake and turning your head halfway to stare up at him, unsure of whether you’d just heard him right or if you’d been halfway to dreaming.

“Are you serious?” you asked, your tired voice laced with hope.

Zhongli nodded, smoothing some more wispy strands of hair from your forehead where your messy bun had come a little looser. “I promise that I’ll make it worth your while,” he promised. “Better pay, plenty of perks, and, well, I know how much you love this place…” He smiled then, warm and adoring as he said, “So, of course, I do believe I could include free baths into the package for you. Though,” he jokingly warned, “you should expect a fair amount of overtime…”

His hands traveled back up your body, gently cupping your breasts before tweaking the sensitive peaks of them, making you arch your back and squirm a little, whimpering as you tried to press further into his skillful touch. “You’d have to stay behind from time to time… Make sure that, even after closing, the water still feels just as good as you know it to be…” His teeth grazed against the shell of your ear, humming with satisfaction when he felt one of your hands lace through his long, silky hair, give a tug when his ministrations became a little rougher. He nipped at your jaw, clearly just enjoying teasing you now.

“So what do you say…?” he asked. “Want to work for me instead?”

You didn’t even have time to think about your answer before you were breathing out desperate pleas of, “Yes… Yes… Yes—!” his fingers and mouth making quick work at unraveling you again so quickly.

But, after you and Zhongli had both exited the bath, him carrying you to the shower and insisting on rinsing you off, carefully cleaning your body with vanilla-scented soap and a fluffy cloth, wrapping you in one of the oversized robes after he’d patted you dry, you’d been able to give him a real answer.

That, yes, you’d be delighted to quit your old job and come work for him, at a place that you already held dear to you. And, if it was with him, you didn’t mind the overtime. Might actually be looking forward to it, despite the fact that if you ever made that known to anyone else they’d think you were crazy.

And so, as the blizzard howled from beyond the building, you and Zhongli curling up together in the private suite he kept tucked away in the back of the business for himself when things got particularly busy and he needed to stay late to sort the books, for the first time in your life you thought you might actually like your job.

You certainly knew that you liked your boss.

***

(This literally all happened because I saw this fanart and was like, “oooooo i got an ideeeaaaaa”. So thank you to that artist for inspiring me haha.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

It’s always such a pleasure to write for the genshin men lol.

See you next time~)

#wrote this in like 2-3 hours tops and proof read it so fast aaaaaaahhhhh!! #i hope there’s not like. a ton of mistakes 👀 #genshin impact #genshin smut #genshin impact fanfics #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact zhongli #genshin impact smut #zhongli #zhongli x you #zhongli x reader #zhongli x y/n #zhongli smut #genshin x reader #genshin x you #genshin x y/n #zhongli genshin impact #zhongli genshin x reader #genshin fanfic #zhongli fanfiction

[piedoesnotequalpi]

14 (specifically single parents), 2, 39, if youre alright with that! im a javid guy first and foremost but i think you said you wanted to write more sprace so surprise me! - @pigeonwit

Hey thanks for sending this! I do want to write more of Sprace being happy this year, but I have never written anything where they actively want to be parents, so here's some Javid :)

Parent AU/Enemies to lovers/"You confuse me."

“You confuse me.”

Jack wasn’t sure what he’d expected when he agreed to be one of the classroom parents for the year, but working with the world’s most annoying(ly handsome) single dad hadn’t been on the list. “It’s a great idea!” he insisted. “Parent-child paint day—it’ll be so fun!”

“Fun, or messy?” David raised an eyebrow.

“And a tea party is neater?” Jack said. “Have you seen a five-year-old eat?”

“Yes,” David said flatly. “Every day. Since I’m, you know, also a parent.”

“We’ll put down a tarp,” Jack said. “And get washable pai—”

David sighed loudly. “Fine.”

#my desire to write vs. my difficulty imagining characters as parents: FIGHT! #this one was very easy to get to exactly 100 words though #which was cool #i wrote it in like...10-15 minutes at most? which is on the fast side for answering asks lol #anyway hope you enjoy! small children/parent things are not my area of expertise #but i tried my best and had fun and if you had fun you won #asks #isabel.tex #pidge! #newsies #my writing #javid #ask game

[lyricalambrosia]

I love writing normal well adjusted men (aka another snippet of the final chapter of Can You Feel The Sun?, the first two chapters of which you can read here!)

#i wrote this to 'angel of small death and the codeine scene' which is a surprisingly good millionsummers song #trigun #millions knives #legato bluesummers #millionsummers #anyway this'll probably be the last snippet for a while!! i dont wanna give too much away #but also im still only in the beginning half of the chapter so 🙊 #also i hate these two because they do NOT want to take it slow. which like fair i guess theyre both impatient people #and nai especially has a history of being impulsive #but cmon man. i dont want anyone saying yall got back together too fast because youre stupid in love with each other give me a break #doing my best to hit the brakes but at a certain point it just stops being in character cause neither of them would wait. you know. #am i the only one that feels that way. anyway im running away now #once again i hope i did the link right. i may be 25 but fellas im so not savvy when it comes to embedding links. idk why #my writing

[yourqueenb]

The Problem with TPA

Ok get comfortable y’all cuz this is extremely long. So long that I actually decided to break it up into a series of short essays instead of making one monster of a post 😬 But in my defense, I went into this book expecting to use all of my diamonds only to end up mining it in the end, which means I have a lot of thoughts 😭

The first four essays touch on what I thought were main issues in the story. Gab, Gear, and Garb is more about minor problems and commentary. Without further ado though, the essays are below. If anyone actually reads them (even if it’s only one lol), lmk so we can discuss!

What is a Spy? ~ 1 min. read

Authenticating The Architect ~ 3 min. read

Let’s Talk About Rowan ~ 3 min. read

Agent Gray is… Gray ~ 3 min. read

Gab, Gear, and Garb ~ 3 min. read

The Bottom Line ~ 3 min. read

#choices tpa #choices the phantom agent #choices #choices stories you play #playchoices #can’t believe I wrote multiple essays about a Choices book in one go 🥴 #I don’t even like writing tbh #but I do like talking about the stories with people #and I was truly let down by something I had been waiting a hot minute for 😪 #never again tho #I just hope it’s organized enough bc I tried to come up with something that was readable and didn’t just sound like a 1000 pg rant 💀 #also the read times are just estimates so take them with a grain of salt #I’ve been told that I read fast but I know there are people who read faster than me so 🤷🏽‍♀️

[wineonmytshirt]

me 15 minutes ago: i am horrible at writing how will i even do this

me now: i am amazing at writing when is my poetry book coming out

#i wrote 2 poems so fast and I THINK they're good #i hope you all like them

[im-still-watching-anime]

ughhhhh writing is so HARD what do you MEAN it took me two and a half hours to write 900 words

#this i why im never finishing my fics smh #i dont even know if that was a slow pace or a fast pace for me #but i DO know that i havent even gotten to the main point of the scene yet💀💀💀 #and that im already burnt out on this one for the night #like i might try to switch fics but GOD writing is a LOT for me smh #what if i just edit stuff i already wrote instead #what if i just do re-edits in my drafts of finished and posted fics instead🤔 #im awful #rip all my beautiful beautiful bsd and aa and naruto and various other fandom fics in my drafts #some of you are SUCH. good ideas i hope you get finished one day😔✌️

[tama1313]

Revenge! (HNK parody of "Made of LOVE")

This is Phos! Back together! And if you think I'm gonna spare you well, you better forget it! As you can see, there's no run away anymore!

I tried to tell you about the truth But you kept acting as I was the fool Let's now the consequencies of you actions… Let's see now who's gonna shattered into fractions!

Go ahead and try to hit me, if you're able Can't you see that your society is unstable? If you think soon it all will be over I'll keep coming back and forever!

I ain't gonna stop, I wanna see you gone! Forever trying, to bring me down! Forever running in this hometown!

As you can see it's not workin'! 'Cause I'm! Fulfilled with revenge! Fulfilled with revenge! Fullfilled with revengeeee!

….

This is were it stops! This is where it ends! If you think that you can end me well, you need to try again! And you torned me apart, without giving me a glance, all keeps telling me again, You don't deserves a second chaaance!

So! Go ahead and try to shatter me, if you're able! But as you can see, I'm always back and stable! Soon or late all of this will be over! And you all will be gone forever! Can't you see your pathetic tentative isn't breaking down all my means?

I've become stronger, I've become restless, I've become avengeful!!!

I'm here to take! Re-e-e-revenge! Re-e-e-revenge! Re-e-e-revenge! Re-e-e-revenge!

And I won't give up for you!

Re-e-e-revenge! Re-e-e-revenge! I won't give up for you!

Re-e-e-revenge! Re-e-e-revenge! Uh-uh-uh-uh!!!

....

(Will you pray now, Sensei?)

#houseki no kuni #hnk #land of the lustrous #lotl #song parody #yep I got inspired by those undertale parodies #I just imagine too much Phos singing this while they are beating Jade and Shinsha into fragments #I wrote this so fast #It needs so much fixes #if you wanna help me adapt the lyrics better (Also I don't sing so I can't guarantee the metric is good) feel free to comment #or send me a private message #I hope you like this #this lyrics that will be never sung because I can't sing

[roseytoesy]

Happy birthday Floyd and Jade!!

Warning: soft safe vore, teasing, Jade being jade, foodplay.

Just a fun little story I threw together today for my favorite eels.

story below the cut!

since it’s a birthday for twins I’ll have to plan accordingly for both. Maybe after the big celebration I’ll invite them over to ramshackle to relax a bit. Offer them drinks as I grab their “presents”

I arrive back with a terrarium for Jade of some mushrooms that were growing around ramshackle. And I offer a bowl of chocolate syrup to Floyd. He would honestly be confused but watch as I down a potion to shrink to the size of a large doll.

I then hop into the bowl of chocolate and offer myself as his “shrimpy treat” for his present. I warn him to only do it for a few hours. Probably didn’t listen and quickly downed the bowls contents and then me along with it.

Once done swallowing me down he would happily lay back hands on his belly poking and prodding me to get me to squirm. His giggles and joy filling the room. After a while he would calm down and just mindlessly rub at me while rambling or humming. Eventually Jade would prod a bit at Floyd’s belly with a small frown. Saying that next time he wanted a turn.

they bicker a bit and I tell them I’ll work on it for next year. I just never realized Jade wanted to eat me as much, since I’m oblivious and would miss any subtle hints he gave anyway. With a light threat on jades part they both relaxed on the couch. Jade reclining with his feet on the floor. And Floyd curling up with his head in jades lap and his hands cradling the small bump on his middle.

after a while I hear Floyd snore and warn him again to let me out before 9 so I could go to bed. I even called out to Jade who just laughed saying “enjoy you’re time with the deep squeeze, and of course you know how difficult it is to stop him once he’s started squeezing. I’m afraid you’re stuck in there until he wakes up, Mc.” I yell at them a bit before giving up. I knew better than anyone that once the twins wanted/had something it was very difficult to get away from them. I sigh before getting comfortable, Floyd sighing in blissful sleep and jade chuckling quietly.

“goodnight and happy birthday you two.” I say.

#soft vore #safe vore #holy heck I wrote that so fast #heck ya!! #my writing #my stuff #vore stuff #twst #Floyd #Jade #tweels #happy birthday to the two that have my brain in a choke hold #they are such good vore preds gosh dang #roses ramblings #roses adventure #hope you like it #foodplay #sorry it’s short #wrote it out in literally an hour #oh well #sorry not sorry #happy birthday floyd and jade! #twisted vornderland #twst vore #twisted wonderland vore

[elftwink]

i am happy with my life rn but i do often wonder if things would have shook out differently had i realized i was in love with my best friend in 7th grade instead of like writing her a sappy journal for when she moved away including fully writing out the lyrics to sarah mclachlan's i will remember you before ultimately deciding it was to embarrassing to even give her, rediscovering said journal like 5 years later, reading it, and being like. hmm. something very lgbt was happening to me

#good idea generator #i think ive talked abt this before and ive shared with you the most cringe entry (full lyrics to i will remember you) #but a lot of them were just me talking abt my feelings re: her and her moving away #and like....... #'you are the only person i don't keep secrets from. i miss you already and i'm going to see you tomorrow' #i wrote her a slam poem and then pretended to have a crush on some random guy as a distraction #idk. was watching some home movies w/the fam tonight and she was in them. made me think of her #something i don't do often. which is kind of wild. cannot understate how my younger self thought of her #i thought she hung the moon. she was everything to me. and now i havent spoken to her in like 7 years #and i really only think of her when reminded. hmm. life comes at you fast #stephanie if you're out there. i hope everything is working out for you & i wish you the best

[come-down-that-tree]

Prologue Previous

Come down that tree ! (an aftermare story)

Chapter 10: Kamaʻilio kaikunāne me ke kaikunāne...

Nightmare silently watched Geno as he sobbed, lying in the grass. He waited an instant more, making sure it wouldn’t escalate any further than that.

Once reassured, he left, carefully watching his steps as he tiptoed farther away from the scene.

It wasn’t his business.

Spotting his brother down the hill, a basket under the arm. It was probably full to the brim of treats he gathered from the village. It was more and more of a current occurrence, leading him to believe his twin had reached the same conclusion towards the quantity of food their guest should be having.

Nightmare runned towards Dream, meeting him halfway.

While the positive guardian seemed delighted and gave him a warm embrace upon arrival, he watched as the other’s eyes darted across his face, asking a quiet question.

“Did something happen? You usually wait at the tree…?”

Nightmare rummaged the earth with his foot before looking straight into the other guardian’s eyes.

“Yes. No! I mean, I just wanted to talk with you. It’s been a while since our last “brother bonding moment”, don’t you think? We could walk to the blue rocks river? What do you think?”

His twin blinked and stayed relatively stoic as he studied his face once again, making him want to squirm under the intense stare.

A smile bloomed on Dream’s face as he nodded his agreement.

They left together, happily chatting along the way.

Nightmare learned all about the new litter of the mayor’s cat and how good at singing was a certain Marjorie while Dream listened to the plot of several books and the supposedly best way to whistle with a blade of grass. Feat never of them was able to achieve but was the cause of many giggles and groans.

Time went faster when having fun and soon…

Noise of running water indicated they were close to reach their destination and they fell in a comfortable silence. The river came into view, the water clear enough to see the rocks at the bottom, blueish from the sky reflection.

They sat down by the stream.

And removed their shoes to let their toes wiggle in the fresh liquid.

A dragonfly was making rounds above the glistening surface as they observed their surroundings. A few fish lazily swimming nearby. A duck cleaning his feathers. A frog enjoying the sun on its spot on a water lily. A faint wind adding ripples to the ones they were making with their feet.

It was a nice day.

The pleasant silence was finally broken by a sigh.

“Is there anything you wish to tell me, Night’?”

He didn’t answer and continued to look right in front of him.

“I was surprised when you suggested coming here… Happy but surprised…”

How interesting! Did he ever see that particular species of plant before?

“I’m the one to drag you away from the tree usually… And with our guest here, I thought you’d be even more wary to leave.”

The sad tone in his usually bouncy brother’s voice was tugging at his soul strings. He managed to worry Dream again, didn't he? He often forgot how observant he was…

It was his turn to sigh.

“I’m pretty sure Geno won’t try anything today, he shrugged, but I… do want to tell you somethin’”

His brother hummed and gestured to him to continue.

“I don’t think we should keep “our guest” here, he’s… dangerous.”

Dream did not comment but his smile slipped away.

“Don’t lie to me and say he isn’t, I know you saw the damage left by him! You heard him spout this heinous nonsense! WE’RE GUARDIANS, FOR FUCK’S SAKE! Could we start actually doing our job…?”

Startled eyes greeted him in answer to his sudden outburst but still silence. What does he want to hear him say?

Nightmare scratched the back of his skull and took in a long breath.

“Come on, you know I’m right…”

“You looked happy with him…”

“Uh?”

Dream’s eyelights wobbled.

“You always seem so lonely and you never tell me anything. “Don’t lie to me” you say. Who’s lying to who, here? Uh? Do tell me, please. What exactly happened to cause those “damages” then? You should at least be able to answer that, shouldn’t you? Tell me what happened and maybe, maybe I’ll consider your reclamations.”

His brother crossed his arms and stared at him. Well, that was one angry ranting for you… He couldn’t remember the last time he heard Dream’s angry voice. He had not shouted and somebody else would have ignored the subtil change in the smooth voice that could only mean one thing. Nightmare didn’t miss it. Dream was utterly pissed.

He gulped.

“Well I mean… You’re sure you wanna know? It’s kinda boring stuff…”

He rolled his wrist in the air while avoiding any eye contact. He had no illusion over the fact he wasn’t going to convince anyone like that but maybe he could push away the discussion for a little longer.

“Yes, do tell. Especially if it’s boring, I looooove boring stories.”

He wasn’t going to get out of it, or at least that’s what was telling the gaze currently trying to bare his very soul.

He wrung his hands, wondering where to even start and how to say what he wanted to say while avoiding talking about what he definitely didn’t want to tell.

Dream’s eyes seemed to soften after a while and the other sat criss-cross applesauce and scouted a little bit away as if to give him some place.

“We could start with the time I came to earth freshly returned and you had a hole in your collar?”

So he didn’t believe his lies that day. Great.

“Geno woke up panicked after what must have been one nasty nightmare and launched attacks to the one Nightmare he could reach. He missed but it was honestly terrifying.”

Truth was falling out of his mouth like if he just jumped off a cliff. Far too fast and with a rush of adrenalin.

“And the time Geno fainted and there were burn spots all over the ground?”

“I went to fetch a book and due to an… accident with some villagers I met when hurrying back, I ended up in the river. Geno chased off the villagers with two skull shaped magical constructs. He had that crazed shine in the eyes that made me wonder if he was going to kill them.”

“Why did you lie to me?”

“I’m not sure.”

He looked at the ground, not feeling like watching in front of him.

“Didn’t you say you wanted Geno out? So, why hide all this?”

“He looked sad. He’s lonely. He only attacked when spooked or believing I needed help. He’s rude, creepy, weird and secretive. He’s also caring, easy-going and lets me talk for hours without complaining. He puns a lot. Smiles and laughter suit him. I hate seeing him cry. He’s a danger, a strong ticking bomb, one crisis away to provoke a tragedy. He’s wary but smart and nice and… He sometimes looks in the wild, as if looking for something, someone in the distant sky. He’s hurt, has been hurt beyond anything I could imagine. I don’t hate him.”

He was on autopilot, leaving the control of whatever went out in a word vomit to an unconscious part of his mind.

“Do you really want him to go away?”

Nightmare put his head in his hands and whimpered.

“I don’t know what I want.”

Dream softly patted his back and hummed slowly an unknown tune.

“What if we told him to leave, what do you think would happen?”

The answer was easy.

“He would leave.”

“Where would he go?”

This one less.

“Somewhere, hopefully not the village.”

“Would he be okay?”

This one, he wished he didn’t know how to answer.

“I have no idea if this guy ever even be okay once in his life.”

“Would you be okay?”

No.

“…”

“Would you be okay?”

…

“I don’t know.”

“Does he show interest in the apples?”

“Aside from curiosity once in a while but not really.”

“Would he really cause trouble for our mother?”

He knew where all this was going but didn’t have the energy to stop it right there anymore. Make the right decision.

“No, not willingly.”

“Well, what about letting him stay a bit more? Wouldn’t he be more of a danger, to others and himself, out of our sight? We can still change our mind later.”

Nightmare groaned and defeatively glanced at Dream.

“I hate when you use logic against me!”

The mood instantly changed and tension he didn’t notice faded away as he surprised a playful spark in the other’s gaze.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It isn’t one, you devious sunshine.”

“What kind of insult even it-”

The rest of the phrase was cut short as water went splashing right into Dream’s face. He spitted out some water right on Nightmare’s shirt without missing a beat.

Oh, it’s on.

The two brothers started splashing each other more and more until they both ended up the butt in the river, soaked.

A big trout somehow jumped into Dream’s lap and Nightmare dissolved into uncontrollable giggles. The animal was freed from the knees and Dream waved it goodbye as it fled.

They got out of the water, shaking themselves like wet dogs in the vain hope it would miraculously dry off their pants.

“Great, now we can’t sit down without risking dyeing our pants green…”

He mentally counted how many clothes he had left and the answer was sadly “not enough to risk losing these pants to treacherous grass.

“I may… have something to replace our pants the time it dries in the sun?”

Oh?

“Well, what is it? Anything that could prevent us from having to go home pantless is welcome.”

“Gimme a second.”

He watched as his twin rummaged through the content of his basket. Was there something more than food in there?

“There it is.”

Yellow fabric covered in orange suns. A few layers of tulle made the fabric puff up. It looks a bit like a flower upside down… A skirt?

“Why do you have a skirt in there?”

The other guardian looked away, a slight blush illuminating his cheeks.

“Why is it so obviously designed for you?”

“It… It was a gift. I think it’s cute.”

Someone out there had made a skirt for his brother, and he hadn't heard about it?

Dream ditched his pants, throwing them on a sunny rock. He put the cloth on and immediately twirled. He looked very pleased and shot a glance at Nightmare, there was a strange shine in these eyes he could not recognize.

“Looks nice on you, I’ll admit.”

Dream’s excited little jumps showed him he thankfully chose the right answer.

However, he was still in danger of going pantless for an indefinite period of time. Maybe his no-longer-pantless-brother remembered that fact at the same time as he suddenly went back to search for something.

A sense of dread went up the long of his spine when soft looking dark purple fading to pink fabric emerged.

Nope.

Dream excitedly waved the long skirt he had between his hands.

“Here! I have one for you too!”

“Dream… I… Uh… Where did you find that…?”

“I asked the one who made my skirt to do one for you too!”

He was touched, really. But he wasn’t fond of… wearing skirts. It would probably look bad on him anyway… Dream was making that pouty face again…

Nightmare put on the darn skirt.

It was long, almost hiding his feet. The fading color made him think of sunset. Quite the contrary of Dream’s own. The overexcited ball of joy that was his brother insisted he tried making it turn and he complied.

He did not like the sensation.

While it was a fine piece of cloth, he felt naked each time a gust of wind played with the fabric.

He’d bear with it for now. He wouldn’t dare stop his brother’s fun by grumbling.

So he just sighed and observed Dream’s happy dance, making comments every so often.

He missed spending time with Dream.

End of chapter 10

Go to chapter 11?

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

@dragon-tamer-1 @shinechermont @zu-is-here òwó

Geno belongs to @/loverofpiggies

Nightmare, Dream and dreamtale to @/jokublog

#aftermare #come down that tree! #chapter 10 #OWO #chapter 10 already !!!!! #I may be slow but ye we're almost at the middle of the story ;) #hope you like this brotherly moment :D #I wrote this chapter so fast compared to the previous one >w< #it's even longer than usual #very fun to write uwu #tw swearing

[chaotic-aro-incarnate]

Me: okay that short little vegaspete oneshot I wrote on a whim got a lot of positive feedback and is one of my highest performing fics. Time to go back to my other wips. Maybe I'll finish up that angsty KimChay fic, or the Royal AU, or the kp x aftg crossover, or finally write some Arm/Tankhun, or maybe-

My brain: write more vegaspete

Me: but I just did? And I've been wanting to write these others for-

My brain: this time make it about that Oscar Wilde quote "love is a sacrament meant to be taken kneeling" except use the original intended meaning about an act love is being given a small act of compassion when you're in a vulnerable state AND make it about the common modern misinterpretation that the quote is talking about blowjobs.

Me: ......... fuck okay *opens new doc*

#the chokehold vegas and pete have me in is unreal #I went from uhhh no thanks to ok i can kinda see it to oh? to vegas pete and the hedgehog are the only characters in the show so fast #the irony of writing this about the wilde quote is that i already wrote a fic about that quote except for the rqg fandom #and its all soft vaguely romantic but could be platonic zolfwilde about zolf taking care of wilde and finding hope in each other #meanwhile the vp oneshot has already featured vegas brutally killin dudes pete being turned on by that some mild bloodplay and knifeplay #and more fucked up things to come <3 #the rqg fic was about hope and comfort #the vp fic is about obsession and undying devotion to the point of total destruction #truly shows how you can take one thing (like the wilde quote) and create vastly different things despite having the same inspo #i WILL get to those wips i promise especially the aftg one that's been so fun to write #writing it has made me realize how insane neil andrew jean and kevin are compared to the kp characters #like im not even writing them in a dark au where they got more involved with the mafia they're all still dumbass exy players #but the aftg guys have the most fucked moral compasses and are completely desensitized to atrocities. #like what could kinn do to actually intimidate them? kinn cares too much about wanting to be good #even vegas would have no effect on them. they'd just be like 'oh great another riko good thing we know how to handle those' #he'd threaten to torture neil and neil would just stare at him like: literally almlst my entire body is covered in scars from torture #what can you possibly do to me that was done to me in like the first 20 years of my life? this is why you're a pathetic little bitch and no #one in your family will ever love or respect you. #i kinda wanna make a post of just vegas and all the times neil verbally came for rikos neck cause they fit too good

[daboyau]

You have been spored!!

Asldkdjsjs omggggg. I was so excited to get a competition ask, I hope you don’t mind but this inspired like a whole thing. Here, have an au of the au where someone besides Donnie winds up as the tribute. I hope you like a little gore and angst. 💚💚💚 @boots-with-the-fur-club

@tmntaucompetition

The moon hung low and heavy in the sky, its perfect roundness painting the world in silvery strokes and deep black shadows. There had been a full moon the last three nights, and Mikey wished that they’d just let it go. It had been pretty the first night, with the sky all lit up with stars and the pockmarked moon so much bigger than he’d ever seen it in real life, but now the sight of that forever unchanging sky made him feel sick. 

It hadn’t taken long to figure out the first night that fires could be seen for miles around. He’d heard the screams echoing throughout the eternal darkness of the arena as one by one, the people who had lit their fires for warmth or comfort were found and killed. He’d curled up in the hollow beneath one of the massive dead trees, covered his ears, and waited for the cries to stop. When the sun never rose, he realized that the only way to count the passing days was when the tributes’ faces appeared in the sky, accompanied by beautiful meteor showers, like that stunning display would somehow distract from the fact that they were only the backdrop of death for the Capitol’s entertainment. 

Mikey had counted three faces in tonight’s Death Toll that he recognized: The girl from Seven who had spared his life when she’d found him sleeping in the open the first night, the boy from Eleven had showed him a better way to scale the fake trees in the training room in the days before they went into the arena, and the boy from One had smiled at him from across the cornucopia as they stood on their pedestals and waited for the countdown to reach zero.  

After their faces had faded from the sky, Mikey huddled down in his little shelter. His stomach hurt, hunger gnawing away at his insides after days of scavenging and scraping to find things that weren’t going to poison him. He’d seen what happened to that girl from Three. He didn’t want to die like that. If he was going to die, he was hopeful it would at least be fast. 

Anyways. People had learned really fast not to light fires, after the massacre that first day. Night? It was hard to tell anymore, since everything around them was always this same silvery shade of grey. It was making him feel all jittery, like he’d climb out of his skin soon whether he wanted to or not. Whatever. Either way, people had learned not to light fires. They all just dealt with the cold and the unboiled water. 

He was sure that Leo was probably having a fit any time he saw Mikey drinking his water without boiling it. He’d gone on and on about how dangerous that would be, and how the Capitol had poisoned water supplies before, and how the last thing Mikey needed was to wind up with dynastree and die that way instead. Diestrenee? Distrack? Something like that. It didn’t matter. 

What mattered was that Mikey was hungry and thirsty and tired, and he’d only seen the world around him in washed out shades for three days. Maybe that was why he couldn’t stop himself from leaving the tenuous safety of his shelter when he caught sight of something strange out in the wasteland of the arena. The sudden appearance of a pop of bright color was irresistible; a siren’s call of stimulation for a brain left itching inside his skull after so much stress inside a greyscale world of terror and death. 

He crept across the burned out world, staying low to the ground and staying alert for any sign of any of the other tributes. Maybe this was a trap laid by someone. There were only eight of them left, after all. It made sense that they’d want to draw someone out and have a fight start to lower the numbers even more. Raph would say he was being reckless. Ha! Like he wouldn’t do the exact same thing if he were in Mikey’s shoes. 

Maybe the Capitol citizens were getting bored of the endless night and the dying wasteland, and they wanted to see blood staining the dirt and glistening black in the silver moonlight. They probably thought it was pretty. Maybe he was creeping towards an ambush, and the Gamemakers and Capitol citizens were all watching with bated breath.

But there was also the possibility it was something that could help. The Gamemakers liked to add little things to the arena to make things more interesting, didn’t they? Maybe they didn’t want to watch all the competitors this year die of disease and starvation. As silly as it was, and as much as Donnie liked to tell him that he needed to be more realistic, Mikey just couldn’t shake the small optimistic voice in his head that said that maybe this was something he needed. Something that could help him survive one more endless night in the arena. 

With a final cautious glance around, Mikey finally rose from his crouch to get a closer look. A soft blue glow illuminated his face as he examined the mushrooms, head tilting this way and that, not yet daring to touch in case they were another evil Gamemaker creation. They were pretty, which was definitely suspicious. 

He kind of wanted to just stay here, staring at the first burst of color he’d seen since the games started until his brain stopped trying to claw its way out of his skull. His stomach gave another uncomfortable twist, reminding him that dad had tried to teach him about what mushrooms were edible and which were poison, but even the Hunger Games wasn’t enough to convince him to give these pretty mushrooms a taste. He sighed, sitting back on his heels and casting a quick glance around to check again that no one was nearby. 

“Well, thanks for giving me something pretty to look at,” he told the mushrooms, smiling down at them. He’d already risked enough by coming out here, and he just knew that the longer he lingered the more likely it was for his dad and brothers to worry themselves sick. “Stay safe. Try not to get eaten.” 

It was at that moment that the mushrooms moved. 

Mikey bit back a scream, scrambling several feet back, fists raising to try to protect himself from whatever was about to happen. Instead of leaping at him and trying to eat him, the mushrooms just released a puff of glittering dust that floated high into the air, spreading like gathering clouds of iridescent pinks and blue and purple. In the distance, he saw more similar glittering puffs beginning to rise into the air, marking where lots of other mushrooms had been hiding. 

“Ooo pretty,” he breathed, eyes following the swirling mass as it grew larger and larger, until it eventually blotted out the moon. The silvery hew of the arena was replaced by the gentle colors of the cloud, shifting and glowing like sun through stained glass. It illuminated the figures coming his way, and the smile dropped from his face. “Oohhh, not good. Not good!”

He turned and ran, making a beeline for the hulking trees that had sheltered him so far. Shouts and whoops followed him, biting at his ankles as they gave chase. The handle of the kama he’d tucked into his belt knocked against his leg as he ran, as if trying to remind him that it was there. Just waiting for him to use it. 

Mikey swallowed hard, blinking away the tears that had sprung to his eyes as adrenaline and fear took hold. The stained glass world blurred around him, and the sound of shouts echoed behind him, too close. Too close. They were going to catch him!

“No,” he whimpered, breathless as he put on another burst of desperate speed. He felt the sting of branches as they cut into his skin and caught his hair. “No, no, nononono!”

The glittering cloud above them had stopped its slow swirling, some of it breaking off and sinking towards the ground to settle around his feet like early morning mist. His lungs were burning, and he hoped it was from running and not because he was breathing in a poison that would melt his insides. He’d seen that happen once, when he was eleven and had gone over to April’s house and her parents had had the games playing on their little holoscreen. He’d had nightmares for two weeks after the game ended about the way blood had gushed from the tributes’ mouths and noses as they cried and writhed in agony.

He heard another shout from behind him, words he couldn’t quite make out sounding confused at first before they changed to horrified screaming. Mikey’s mouth was watering, his stomach churning, and if it wasn’t for the fact he hadn’t eaten in over a day, he was sure he would’ve been doubled over puking by now. The kaleidoscope mist was sinking into the ground, beginning to dissipate, and he felt a small swell of hope that maybe his internal organs would stay in their right forms instead of ending up jelly-fied. 

There was a sound to his left. Someone running alongside him, cursing as they tried to keep up with his smaller form as he ducked and weaved between the grey, leafless branches. He didn’t have the breath left to cry out as they swiped for him, hand so close he felt it brush his shoulder. A pathetic little whimper escaped him as he heard an angry shout, closer now, and then suddenly someone was colliding with him, shoving him to the ground, pinning him down. 

“No!” he screamed, twisting, trying to escape from underneath their bigger frame. He felt a hand in his hair, pulling him up, and then his head was impacting the soft, ashy ground. He coughed and heaved, still struggling and kicking, sight obscured by the glittering mist and the dust they had kicked up. 

“Just die already!” the person holding him down shrieked, voice cracking, hand pulling painfully at his hair. Their other hand was trying to wrap around his throat. Nails digging into his skin, drawing blood. Hurting him. Trying to kill him. 

Whatever you gotta do to come home, Mikey. You do it. You understand me? 

He’d promised. He’d meant it. His family was waiting for him, right? He had to go home. 

His hand, twisted and pinned painfully across his stomach by his attacker’s weight, found the hilt of the kama. He couldn’t breathe. His eyes felt like they were about to explode out of his skull as the pressure increased on his throat. 

He swung the blade as best as he could, and the person attacking him howled with pain as it bit into the skin of their leg. Their hold loosened, and Mikey pulled in a deep breath, never happier to have the taste of ash and stale air on his tongue. He wriggled his arm free all the way. He swung again. Something hot and wet hit his face. He did it again. And again. 

The person on top of him slumped to the side. No longer moving at all. Mikey scrambled back and rose unsteadily to his feet, fingers clenched so hard around the handle of his weapon that they ached. 

“What did you do?!” a voice screamed behind him, and he could almost feel their breath on his neck, and could feel the shift in the air as they swung their weapon. 

Mikey didn’t hesitate that time. He spun on his heel, arm sweeping in a controlled arc, just how his dad had taught him to do it. The person gurgled as the blade sliced through the unprotected skin of their neck, and as they collapsed he saw a third person hovering a few feet away, hand raised, lining up a throwing knife. 

He was faster and his aim was true, accuracy ingrained into his muscle memory after years of working with his kusari-fundo and dad’s insistence that they learn to use shuriken. The blade sunk into one eye, and the other one stared at him, wide and full of unspoken accusations, before they, too, collapsed to the ground. The knife they’d been holding sunk into the dirt by their side. They’d never even gotten the chance to try throwing it. He wondered, half hysterical, if they would’ve been any good at it. 

Mikey stared at the bodies in front of him for a long moment, trembling, before the reality of what had just happened sunk in. The canon fired. One. Two. Three. 

He breathed deeply, trying to collect himself. Trying to decide if he felt relief or guilt or disgust or something else altogether. With dirty hands, he wiped at his wet eyes, leaving streaks of blood and dirt where the tears had made trails down his cheeks. Then, with clear eyes, he dared to look at the body at his feet. He felt his heart drop. 

“Leo?” he whispered, disbelieving. 

His brother’s face stared up at him, eyes glassy and unseeing, lips stained as red as the gash across his throat. His hair had the little sea glass beads woven through it, sparkling bursts of red, blue, purple, green, and orange. Their colors. 

Mikey stumbled back and spun, retching, not wanting to get the thin strings of bile anywhere near his brother. His eyes fell upon the still form of the first person who had attacked him. The first person he had killed. He sobbed as he realized who it was. 

“Donnie! Please…no….” 

There was no way. No way. This couldn’t be real. 

But as he got closer, he could already smell the reek of death clinging to the body. He’d cut open his brother’s stomach and chest. Spilled out all the bits inside.

Was the Capitol punishing him? Had…had he done something wrong? Why were they here? This wasn’t fair! They were supposed to be safe at home. He was supposed to get to go home to them if he won!

“I’m sorry,” he whimpered, one hand brushing against Donnie’s arm. It was already beginning to cool. He shook his head, turning to look back to Leo’s body and, just beyond it, he realized Raph was lying there too. His stomach lurched again, but all that came up was more bile. 

“I’ll make it better!” he promised, gasping for breath, tasting blood. 

It wasn’t hard to gather the bodies together. Raph was so much lighter than he should be, and Donnie was so still, and Leo was way too quiet, but that was okay! He was going to make everything better! Dad had taught him some stuff about first aid! He could fix this!

He tore strips from his clothing, tying it firmly but loosely around Leo’s neck, stroking his cheek, promising the pain would stop soon. He tucked the spilled insides back into Donnie, covering the mess with his jacket, squeezing his shoulder with just the right amount of pressure so he wouldn’t feel yucky about the touch. He left the blade in Raph’s eye, knowing enough to know better than to pull something out if that was all that was keeping the blood inside. His hands were shaking as he carefully dressed the wound, telling his big brother how brave he was being for not even crying, how the Capitol and their fancy doctors would be able to give fix his eye up good as new, how they’d all get to go home soon. 

“It’s okay,” Mikey soothed his brothers, settled between them, trying to rub the blood coating his hands off on the dirt. It wasn’t working. The earth itself was soaked. He couldn’t stop crying. “It’s okay.” 

.

From half a continent away, his family watched helplessly as the fungus spores made Mikey see and hear terrible things, just like they did to every other tribute. The arena was filled with screams and crying as each child lived through their worst fears. When the cameras focused on Mikey’s face, streaked with blood and dirt and tears, Yoshi reached out a hand, like if he just tried hard enough he could reach right through the screen and touch his baby boy’s cheek. There was no comfort to be found within the arena, though. 

When the morning comes, the first rays of sunshine will illuminate the artificial world, blinding the children inside it as it burns away the remaining spores. The bodies Mikey had been tending will have disappeared during the night, spirited away by the drones during one of his fits. He will scream when he sees this. He will fight.

Mikey will win. He will come home. 

But he will be forever changed. 

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise hunger games au #tmnt au competition #rottmnt #i’m so excited i wrote this so fast so sorry if there are mistakes #Don’t think too hard about it #But like you know how in thg there are some victors who just Don’t Recover after they win? #That would be mikey #Blood #gore #violence #usual hunger games stuff i guess #Competition propaganda #I hope this counts #God i wish i could draw lol #au of an au #auception #My writing #RHG Extras