#pardon the typos rip

[thychesters]

Luffy is like staring into the sun.

At least, that is what Zoro thinks the first time he sees him. But then, his first coherent thought had been it’s too bright upon their initial meeting, looking up from glowering down at the ground to raising his head and squinting at a too big, self-congratulatory smile and do you want to join my crew?

Then it had been simple enough to blame the harsh sunlight blinding him, framing Luffy’s profile and that bright grin, and he’d bitten back the hell I will one minute and had a sword and an oath clenched between his teeth in the next.

And so Zoro follows the sun.

He follows and his skin reddens and blisters and peels; it splits at the seams and bleeds as he burns, and still he follows. It aches and cracks, and still he reaches out, twining his fingers through promises and a loyalty that will not bend.

Luffy curls a hand around his jaw and it’s a different sort of burning, flaring up into his eyes and down to his very marrow. And Luffy asks, where will you go? Nowhere, Zoro says as the words gather in his throat, raw and parched, and he chokes on them, anywhere.

His touch is a balm as fingertips skitter across his skin, soothing and pressing and digging and prying, and Zoro thinks he would burn again and again, blinded by the sheer brilliance of it all.

And then it’s dark out on the open sea, some nights, and then others too many stars dot the horizon, gathering up above them like they’re spilling out of the slit open belly of a giant, and Luffy tilts his head, blistering heat where he rests against his shoulder and looks at Zoro and says, I think I know where, and would you come with me?

And Zoro is a drowning man with a lungful of sea water, salt gathering with blood at the corners of his mouth and asks, of course, and where?

Luffy smiles and it’s a gathering of starlight and the sun, and it makes Zoro want to shove his fist into his mouth and shatter every one of his teeth, and Luffy would just laugh and bite down on his wrist and lay claim to his pulse point, like he doesn’t already live inside its every thrum.

No telling, he says. Will you still come with me?

And Zoro burns and it rages in the pit of his belly right into the raw skin of each scar, into his fingertips as they dig into Luffy’s scalp. How dare he have to ask, grin with the knowledge that he already knows the answer, and Zoro turns to follow the sun and says, yes, says I wouldn’t be anywhere else.

#zolu #or however you want to interpret it i suppose! #roronoa zoro #monkey d luffy #one piece #roses are red / violets are blue / i want to set myself on fire when i look at you -- zoro probably #(sanji: ok do NOT say that usopp: stop chopper's turning the infirmary into a burn ward. you're giving him more anxiety than usual.) #the first few lines were originally written for another wip i have but i'm bullying myself into getting further into the story first #since i'm only on episode 135 now but i'm!! impatient!! #so maybe that'll come along eventually! who knows! not me! #i wanted to try something different and write something a little more poetic with them but at the same time #neither of them are poetic at all #like why use 20 words when 5 gets the point across #sometimes love is stored in a burn. or a stab wound. #(well i already used that for that last fic with nami but that was more. her and zoro being bros. it's different here ashfjksdalgs) #pardon the typos rip #and if anyone would like this tagged for anything please let me know #kate writes #**

[just-some-random-blogger]

I'm nervous about requesting this since I don't know if it's a good idea, but here goes: Reader goes camping for a weekend and decides to invite Dream to do typical camping activities (canoeing, swimming, hiking, etc) with them on one of those days. Can be pure fluff/slice of life (though I wouldn't mind a little bit of smut too).

Marshies

Dream of the Endless x Reader + Destruction of the Endless x Reader

Summary: "Pardon," Dream shakes his head, "how were you two acquainted again?" Destruction and you turn to each other as you bring your chocolate marshmallows closer to the open fire. In unison, you reply, "Didi."

Word Count: 1k+

Warnings: gender neutral reader, camp instructor!reader kinda, unbelievably mopey!dream, puppy!destruction, fluff, jealousy, bro vs bro?, typos, etc.

A/N: HELLO MY BABY LOVE FANGIRLMARY. I AM SO HAPPY YOU CAME TO MY INBOX I DO A DANCY DANCE. I LOVE YOUR URL UR DP AND YOUR REQ SO MUCH I GIVE YOU AN EXPRESS PASS. I havent had a req like this at all i think AHHAHAHA. It's so, how you say, simple and cute which is a great thing to start with for me. n ur like me fr cos i get nervous sending asks T_T so if you're still nervous lemme hold your hand. anyway, it kind of spiraled, and I felt like adding an endless sib so i did and I HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR DESTRUCTION OK 😫 i hope you don't mind huhuhuh and hope you like it my love <3 i think i've used this gif before but its too perfect for the fic not to reuse HAHHAAH Tagging: @pinksirensong @aralezinspace @sloanexx @deniixlovezelda @shadow-pancake9

You were a rainstorm and Dream was a sponge, except he didn't know it. With every opportunity he had to be around you, he took you in until he was overcome with an uncomfortable heaviness. He was leaking with grimy emotions. And he was awfully spineless.

Matthew had been croaking from his shoulder, telling him he was a ridiculously wet sponge, and that he had to pull himself together and wring himself up because he was, frankly, disgusting.

That did not bode well for the bird. But this is not about that.

It's about how the lord of dreams did get thinking that. Perhaps, he should in fact act upon these weeping urges, for it was painful to be around you yet not have you.

It was unclear who was more shocked when you suddenly invited Dream for a weekend away, Matthew or Dream himself.

And so with the thickest, greasiest, smuggest smirk, Dream accepted the invitation. He made it known that he was graciously making room in his labor-filled schedule to accommodate your request, but accommodate your request he surely would do.

For the days building to that weekend away, Dream would study all the spectacles that involved camping. He would be camping with you and you would be camping with him; it will be lovely. He visited the dreams of those who enjoyed the leisure, and those who were objectively good at it, soaking in all the things he could learn, much like the sponge he was.

You can only imagine how shocked he was to find that the precious gift of the precious free time you, in your humanly nature, prized so much, was not even a gift to him at all, it seemed. For a gift was not typically shared, not meant to be shared, much less with some 20 other people.

"HEY DREAM!" you beamed, grinning ear to ear as you raised a hand and waved at him the moment you spotted him.

You promptly jogged over and huffed through your smile, "I'm so glad you decided to come! You'll like the people here, I promise."

Dream looks at you as a toddler busts a lung out crying. He cannot find himself to smile, though you do, for a corrosive jealousy was ripping through his stomach. You begin to explain that most of the people present were from the same circles as you,and that you did most of the planning for the weekend. You reiterate that it will be fun.

And yet as your expression softened and your brows raised while you assessed his form, he could not not smile at the sight of your doe eyes.

A dark cloud thunders above him.

He begs to disagree.

"You didn't bring any bags? Any equipment... at all?" you tilt your head.

Dream places his hands behind him, "I find no need for it. After all, anything you can posses comes from nature, does it not?"

You pull your head back and chuckle, "wow, okay, nature man," you grin, "I'm glad you at least dressed for the woods. I would have told you off if you kept your trench coat on."

Dream needlessly brushes off his tank top then places his hands in the pockets of his jogging pants, "I am capable of dressing cordially to the setting."

What he was incapable of doing though, was sharing. But you already knew that. At least he thought you did.

You introduce him to many people, he nods in regard but does no more. When someone calls for your help to set up some things, Dream immediately swoops in and makes sure that he would be the one to help you as you help.

"I must say," Dream starts as he lends you a hand whilst in building some tents, "I thought that today would be a more... intimate setting."

You turn to him as you poked a stick through the fabric, "it is. This is the smallest number of people I've hosted for a weekend at this site."

Dream's eye twitches, "but I had thought," he turns to you with a stern expression, "the invitation was exclusive to me."

To be honest, you were too preoccupied with setting up to notice how serious he was about it. The moment you caught the glint in his eye, your stomach dropped. Your lips part at the grave expression etched across his face. "Uhhhh," you clear your throat, "well, I mean, you're the only person I invited, if that counts for anything."

Dream sucks in a breath as he finishes doing his side of the tent. He walks over to you and helps you with your side. He does not look at you as his hands take yours but he knows in his bones that your eyes were on him. He also knows there was a heat blossoming in your cheeks.

He mutters, "I see," he spares you a moment's glance, "then I am glad."

That didn't last long though.

The next thing he knows, he's made to sit with a group of men, all somehow bearded, laughing over the 'good ol days' over some beer in between scolding the human spawn they had with them.

After that, he was doing yoga with some mothers that were giggling over embarrassing stories, and how good looking he was in between scolding the human spawn they had with them.

And then, well, he was holding a leash of dogs who were eager to run off but not allowed to because their masters where setting up, and so they ended up barking at the human spawn they had with them.

Then, like a true omen, he heard the laugh of the prodigal.

How did he know it The Prodigal? Well, considering the earth shook beneath his sneakers and the flock of birds fled from the trees, he was certain it was him.

Normally, he'd be glad to see his little brother, but when he saw his giant frame next to your smaller one, well, let's just say everyone who was in the middle of a nap at that moment woke up from a terrible nightmare.

"Brother," Dream interjects your giggling conversation.

Dream, needless to say, was salty to see your temperate exchange. He had gone above and beyond to socialize with the people in this camp, and yet here you were with the wrong Endless.

You and Destruction turn to him mid-catching your breath. All Dream could think about was how you had your palm on Destruction's bicep.

Was the temperature dropping?

Destruction perks. He raises his hands and steps forward, "brother!"

Dream is sealed into a tight embrace and is lifted off the ground in the process. His eyes are on you as you look between him and Destuction.

"You two are brothers?" you ask in surprise.

Destruction turns to you as he sets Dream down, "we are!" He slaps Dream's back, making his body flinch to the side. The older of the two grunts where the younger one smiles, "he's my big bro!"

"Oh!" you say with wide eyes. You tilt your head, "well then that explains the odd names."

Destruction gives a hearty laugh. Dream eyes him hotly.

Destruction sighs, "I'll know to call you if I ever did you get my brother to agree to come out somewhere."

Dream grunts.

You shake your head, "I'm equally surprised to see him here, honestly. Most of the time I'm not even sure if he enjoys being around me."

He turns to you upon hearing this.

"He's a tough nut," Destruction retorts, pulling his brother into a side hug, "but he's not hard to crack."

Before Dream can even respond, his brother rakes them both over to the lake, "now, how about we go canoeing!?"

Destruction couldn't have offered a more terrible idea.

The canoe boats were not suited to carry the Endless, much less two at once.

Destruction, ever the gentleman, did not hesitate to plunge ankle deep into the lake, only to ensure that you get into the boat safely. He held your hand as you stepped in, and Dream bristled as he watched.

When his brother turned to him, offering out a hand in order to do the same for Dream, the older of the two practically seethed in annoyance.

He turned his cheek and crossed his arms.

Destruction sighed, "oh, come now, Dream. The canoe awaits!"

Dream is adamant and stays put.

Destruction presses his lips into a line and decides to get in with you.

"Come on, Dream," you urge upon seeing his pettiness, "canoeing is fun! I promise."

One of the many promises you've made thus far.

Dream lets out a breath upon hearing your voice and the yelp-turned-giggle that you release as your tiny canoe rocks because of his massive brother.

Dream holds back an eyeroll as he watches you clutch onto Destruction, as not to rock the boat further. You giggle again, as does his brother.

"Very well," Dream says, walking over to you both.

It was futile however; every attempt in joining the already crowded canoe lead to only disaster.

It was clear Dream could not join in the canoeing, at least not in the same boat.

So the two of you rowed deeper into the lake, and Dream followed after in a separate canoe all by himself. A miserable predicament.

He could hear your soft voice, droning about all the nature facts you knew. It was audible, your excitement. He could not see you, not with his physical eyes at least, but he knew your face was lit up. It always did in moments like this. Destruction listens intently as you speak, though undoubtedly, he knew most of what you were talking about already, being a nature buff himself.

He reacted with excitement accordingly. He gasped, and laughed, and inquired further in all the right moments. He made your voice lift into further enthusiasm. He made it sound so easy. And perhaps it was to him.

Dream then rowed faster, so that, finally, your rides were side by side.

Destruction talked to you about the old sprites and spirits that used to live in these parts. Dream catches how you lean in to listen to his words. His eyes practically burn when he catches the flower in your hair, the same kind of flower that was in Destruction's.

Dream felt like jumping into the canoe across him, but that would hardly put him into your good graces, so he doesn't.

Before he realizes what he is doing, Dream clears his throat then loudly speaks, cutting his brother off, "you know I am friends with the queen of the fairies."

Both you and Destruction turn to him.

Dream ceases his rowing and allows his boat to drift next to yours.

There is a long silence between the three of you.

You turn from Dream to Destruction, jaw turning slack.

Why are you looking at him?

You push your shoulders back and tilt your head, "ah..." you smile at Dream, "I see."

Dream clenches his jaw. That was not the reaction he expected. But then again, he was unsure of what he was expecting.

It's Destruction that diffuses the thickening awkwardness, "he commissioned Shakespeare to write for the queen, you know."

You pull your head back then chuckle, "ah," you smile brighter, "he did, did he?" You turn back to Dream, "and which Shakespearean work would that be?"

Dream lifts his nose, "I have inspired the bard to write a great many plays. Two of them however are specifically for me."

You lean back in laughter, clutching your chest in delight, "ah, is that so? Let me guess, is one of them A Midsummer Night's Dream?"

Dream smiles, "precisely."

You laugh louder, shaking your head, "that's seems about right. I must admit," you sigh as you level your breathing, "I haven't really read that story at all. I... don't think I have the brain power to."

"No shame in that. I personally prefer painting over plays," Destruction notes, claiming your attention once again, "I admit, my attention span is not so suited for long winding plays."

You laugh again but Dream does not enjoy it, "yeah. I don't mean to offend the dead, but I can't really understand Shakespearean at all, so. The language is too outdated for me."

Dream accidentally (intentionally) hits the side of the other canoe. He feigns ignorance for a moment but then turns to the two of you, offering a wry smile, "apologies."

He was not at all apologetic.

In the end, Dream was situated between yours and his brother's shoulders in front of the large campfire most of the people on this wretched camp trip were circled around.

The explosiveness of the day had melted into a solemn and warm nightly gathering. Everyone was doing their own thing, cooking food, passing said food around, sharing stories. There was a strong sense of community. Dream, yet, felt like he did not belong.

The nightmare king, as he was talked over by the two of you, passed the 3rd plate of pie, rhubarb this time, to the person past you, then sunk deeper into his spot.

You were oblivious to him, he thinks

You were not. You noticed he was sulky ever since the canoeing. You offered a stick of animal shaped marshmallows to Dream mid conversation with his brother. He declined and sat up straight.

"Pardon," Dream shakes his head, "how were you two acquainted again?"

Destruction and you turn to each other as you bring your chocolate marshmallows closer to the open fire. In unison, you reply, "Didi."

Ah, Death. That made sense.

"Wait," you raise a finger, turning to Dream. He immediately perks up. Finally, he has your attention.

"If you're related to Didi," you start, "then that means you're-" you point to Destruction, "related to Didi."

Destruction grins, "my big sister!"

"Ah," you smile, "being sweet must run in the family."

"I have had enough!" Dream blurts, standing from his spot. He does this so abruptly that you drop your marshies and it calls the attention of other camp goers, not that he cared at all at this point.

He fails to realize that you did very much care.

You feel the hair at the back of your neck prick as you look up at fiery Dream. He pipes, "you told me it was I that you invited, I and only I, and yet you have done nothing but speak to my brother the whole day!"

Destruction can feel the agitation radiating off you for being put in the spot like that. He raises a hand, "Dream-"

"You are not being spoken to, Destruction," he turns to his brother, "know your place."

Not that you looked, not that you wanted to, but you could feel everyone's eyes burning into your body.

Destruction raises his hands in defeat. He turns to the crowd and sees a few of them were looking on in their direction. He turns back to you then the next second decides he knows what to do. Destruction looks out to the cliff from not too far off, then with the slightest tilt of his head, it falls with a loud splash into the lake.

It effectively distracts everyone who was looking your direction and everyone who wasn't.

"WOW!" Destruction points and stands, "that was a rock falling!"

You stand as well, looking to the people moving over to see what had happened to what, but Dream's grip on your arm keeps you from following.

"Please," he mutters, making you turn to him. His face is mystical in this light. It is shadowy yet so beautiful. "Speak in earnest. I cannot take this any further. I wish to know who between us has your heart."

You are effectively winded by this talk. It came out from seemingly nowhere.

"Is it I or my brother that you want to be with," Dream mumbles lowly, making your entire body freeze.

Your breath hitches, "b-be- what?"

"Must I speak more plainly? You can only have one. I am not particularly generous, and I certainly do not like to share what is mine," he raises his hand. You hold your breath in fear of the sound of your shaky breath when he brushes his fingers against your shoulder, "what I want to be mine," he whispers. "I especially find it difficult to release something that I want-- tenfold knowing what I want could well end in the arms of one of my siblings."

Your heart was echoing in your ribcage and your eardrums at this point.

The thumping would have excited Dream had he not been so green with envy.

"Destruction is dear to me," his soft lips move ever so slightly, "but if it comes to it, I will fight for you."

You nearly choke on your breath and your spit. A fight? One between Dream and Destruction? It sounds like a primordial event. A shiver runs down your spine. You shake your head quickly, "please don't."

Dream knits his brows and shakes his head more surely than you did, "I will."

Your breath hitches, "to be honest-" you blurt, "I didn't realize you- you... liked me like that."

Dream watches as you gather your thoughts.

"You... you do pop up in the strangest places, but I chalked that to something of fate or... proximity," you give a nervous look, "and you're not very good at showing emotions... I normally convince myself that if you didn't want to be around me, then you wouldn't."

He steps forward and places his hand on your cheek. "Allow me to make myself perfectly clear then," he rubs your skin with his thumb. Your skin pricks with goodbumps.

"Think back to the first moment we met. Every moment after, all instances that you have seen me was not coincidence. That was me purposefully reaching out to you, wanting be near you, wanting to see you, wanting to hear you, wanting to be with you, wanting you."

Both his hands are on your face now. His thumbs ghosts over your lips, "I want you."

You gulp.

"Do you want me too?"

You can't speak. You cant think. You can't breathe.

He doesn't let you when he leans in and kisses you. Soon enough, he gets his answer when you grab onto his top and kiss him back.

The forest trembles beneath your feet. Neither of you notice.

There, behind a not too far off tree, Destruction watches.

Matthew, in an announcer voice: In a total 180, the Dream rizz reaches maximum capacity, and in the end, he gets what he wants.

#dream of the endless #the sandman #morpheus x reader #dream of the endless fanfic #the sandman fanfic #the sandman fluff #dream of the endless fluff #morpheus fluff #dream of the endless x reader #dream x reader #the sandman x reader #morpheus fanfic #morpheus x you #destruction of the endless #destruction of the endless x reader #destruction of the endless fanfic #destruction of the endless fluff #the sandman fic

[tortoisesshells]

Let's get REAL ask: 🦋🌻💝🕯️

Please & thanks!

🦋what are you most insecure about when you post a fic?

The typos I missed and the sudden and inevitable bolt of inspiration which would have clarified a foggily-written section.

🌻what makes you want to give up on writing? what makes you keep going?

Comparison. I am envious of everyone, at all times - for turns of phrases, for their ability to plot, for the rapport they have with their readers, for their dialogue, for the way they can bring the same characters to life when I'm just mashing the dolls together - and getting stuck in the shame spiral makes me want to quit forever.

And sheer cussedness for the latter, I guess.

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

Nothing shocking's even happened to me, but I was pleasantly surprised to not be pelted with rotten produce over the absolutely ludicrous Mercy Street, but with VAMPIRES AU. Thank you for letting me entertain you. <3.

🕯️was there a fic that was really hard on you to write, or took you to a place you didn't think it would take you?

Well, this is going to be mortifying.

There's a section in Customs and Duties where Nellie finally lets herself think about the day her late husband and youngest child died after barely allowing herself to admit they existed up to that point in the narrative, and it wasn't working. Pardon the joke, but it felt dead - it was supposed to be a BIG FUCKING THING, local emotionally locked-down widow finally starts moving on! - and I was staring at the words on the page like they were just half-decayed roadkill of uncertain species. So I just. Cannibalized my own "watching someone die" story because it just sits around in a box in my heart until I take it out occasionally to make a point to a therapist: my grandmother died suddenly one Mother's Day. She was hospitalized in the morning. They sent her to hospice right after noon. We sat watching her die by inches for hours, until she stopped breathing. My mom cried, and then, unbelievably, my grandmother breathed again and I fucking laughed. I know why I did - the strain, not being the most emotionally with it person, blah blah blah - but I laughed when my grandmother died. Because I hate this about myself, I gave it to Nellie: Samuel Treat stopped breathing, until he breathed one more time, and Nellie, to her eternal shame and grief, laughed.

No one's ever pointed out that exact part of the chapter as notable, and on the one hand it's a relief - on the other hand, I feel a little miffed - god knows who with, or why. I fucking laughed when my grandmother died right in front of me and I still don't know what to do about it, and the section in that chapter still feels like so much ripped-up roadkill in the shoulder. Not worth remarking on.

Let's Get REAL Fic Writer Asks!

#thank you for the ask kind friend!!! #sorry for the uh. downer of an answer. #ask meme #polkaknox talks #customs and duties

[spookiekewchie]

imagine being loved by me...(1)

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Characters: vampire!Bucky Barnes x siren!reader

Summary: a first meeting, and a new obsession.

SERIES MASTERLIST

Word Count: 800

Warnings: general language warning, stalking, possessive behavior/thoughts, implied murder.

A/N:  Part 1 of my entry for for @syntheticavenger's 8k challenge. Anyways, all mistakes are mine so pardon any errors or typos I'm sure I missed a few. The divider is by @firefly-graphics the moodboard is by me, but the image of bucky is a manip made by 0-ves-0 hence the watermark being left in.

DO NOT repost or translate my work anywhere. If you like it don't forget to reblog and share with others who might enjoy it as well.

He watches the movers carry in boxes and furniture, keeping his distance and lingers around in curiosity. You’re moving into the apartment across the hall from him now that the old man that’s lived there for several years has passed on. James hopes his new neighbor is less cranky, and won’t mind his antisocial nature. Well, he hopes that right up until he finally catches your scent, it’s addicting and nearly knocks him off his feet. But when he finally sees you, that’s the moment that he knows that he needs you. It’s that damn smile of yours, bright like the sun he hasn’t been able to set eyes on in ages. You light up any space that you occupy, and you’re so warm and bright that he can’t help but be drawn to you like gravity itself is pulling him in. James wants to possess that light, to touch it, and taste it.

He’s so caught up in his thoughts that he doesn’t register you speaking to him at first, it’s only when he notices the somewhat expectant look in your eyes that he realizes you’re waiting for him to say something. “I’m James, Bucky. Everyone calls me Bucky though.” He blurts, hand jutting out for you to shake. You take it, and your warmth makes him want to press you into the wall and see if all of you is so warm and welcoming.

“Well I’m not everyone, and I like the name James.” You tell him, hand lingering in his for a beat longer than it needs to. You offer him your name, and he repeats it slowly. The sound of it on his lips sends a pang of want shooting to your core, and you slip your hand from his then. “See you around, James. Hopefully soon.”

He watches you move away from him, his gaze drinking in the rest of you. He’s ready to praise whatever higher power there is for you choosing to wear the tank top and pair of shorts that you have on. All that buttery smooth, brown skin and he just wants to sink his fangs into you. Leave you covered in his marks, and have you overwhelming his every sense. The desire consumes his thoughts both waking and sleeping for days.

You’re his new obsession, he rises earlier in the evenings than he normally would just to meet you as you leave for work. Then he follows you, keeping to rooftops and shadows.

He tells himself that he’s just watching out for you, just in case you need him. You’re so beautiful, so soft...the need to make sure nothing happens to you is primal. He hasn’t claimed you in the physical sense yet, but to James you’re his, and he’ll rip apart anyone that thinks to even look at you wrong. He makes sure you get to the jazz club that you sing at every night safely, and then he lingers in the shadows at the back. He can never leave without hearing your song, something about it so sweet and so haunting. It worms its way into his head and heart refuses to let him go.

When your set is done he thinks to himself that he should leave, grab himself a blood bag from the nearby donation site. He should go, especially when he catches himself watching a patron’s jugular for a moment too long. He stands from his isolated table, ready to slip away to sate his hunger, but then he hears the dulcet tone of your laughter filling his ears. James whips around just in time to see you slipping out the back of the club with some muscle bound man that eyes you like nothing more than a piece of meat.

James grits his teeth hard enough that he can hear them creak under the pressure. He moves so fast that he’s a blur and no one notices beyond the gust of wind that blows in his wake.

He watches from the rooftop across from the dark alley that the man has pulled you into. Your laughter is gone now, and you’re struggling and telling him to stop. James’ eyes bleed red, and just as he’s about to swoop down tear the man’s head from his shoulders you let out an inhuman shriek and throw him deeper into the alley. He freezes, unsure of what he’s just seen. It’s nothing compared to how you turn and look up at the rooftop he’s on as if you can see him.

“You can come down, James. No one will miss him, and I know you’re hungry.”

That’s how it starts, that first scumbag in the alleyway marks the beginning of a bloody trail of vengeance and murder. It’s dreadful work, but for you he’ll do anything.

#bucky barnes x woc!reader #bucky barnes x black!reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x woc #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #vampire bucky barnes x woc!reader #vampire bucky barnes x black!reader #woc!reader #black!reader #synths8kspookychallenge #trilla writes

[galaxy-lilies]

Of Bullets and Roses (Karlnapity AU)

Warnings: guns, violence, descriptions of injuries, scars, and such.

A/N: This idea came from the early days of dsmp casino Quackity when we didn’t know much about the lore. There are definitely a lot of typos and grammar mistakes so rip me. I know I posted a link to the google doc a long time ago but I finally made it in tumblr post form :]

The Main Story

Quackity was known as the right hand man of Schlatt and for the longest time it was just the two of them. That is until Schlatt kicked the bucket. After that it went to crap to say the least. His business was doing just fine, he just got into a few...scuffles. He touched the scar across his left eye, a reminder of the power of the SBI and their brute Technoblade. It's a pity their young one had friends related to Quackity's connections, he couldn't get rid of them...yet.

He flipped a coin mindlessly in his hand. He owed a favor to the DreamTeam. After Schlatt died, he lost territory and allies fast. Quackity had come to them crawling on his knees. It wasn't a pretty sight, but he had to do whatever he needed to in order to keep his business alive. One of them felt pity for him, if that counted for anything.

His name was Sapnap. He was the arsonist of the group and the one to do more inside jobs albeit with a fiery twist. They had run into each other a few times, not very often though.

One of his grunts caught his attention and he beckoned them over. "Any news from the big guy?" Quackity asked, pocketing the coin. "Not much yet, Vice. We're expecting them to send in a message at any second though." Quackity hummed thoughtfully, looking at the spinning door leading into the casino.

To say the least he was surprised to see only Sapnap step through along with another man. The man was dressed in a mess of different colors, his smile a little too happy and aloof for someone Sapnap should know.

Quackity raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about it. "Hello there Sapnap, long time no see." Sapnap smiled although it was a little too sinister for it to be kind. "We just talked two days ago, did you already miss me?"

Quackity scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself." He peered over to the other man who seemed to be enraptured by the decor of the lobby. "And you are?"

The man perked up, holding out a hand. "Karl Jacobs at your service, sir!"

Quackity didn't take the hand. "I see. Well nice to meet you Mr. Jacobs."

Karl awkwardly let his hand fall to his side, but it didn't seem to phase him too much.

Quackity brought the two of them to his suite and they began discussing the current situation: trying to undermine the SBI and increase the profits and territory of both the DreamTeam and Quackity.

Eventually, Quackity pulled Sapnap to the side. "Hey, I don't know why you brought that clown over if all he ever did was goof off and not pay attention to the plan. What was that all about?"

Sapnap chuckled. "Oh, I wouldn't say that if I were you."

Quackity was about to ask when Sapnap made a turn around motion. That’s when he saw multiple red lasers pinpointed on his chest. He looked up to see Karl with a toothy grin and a gun like contraption in his hand.

Turned out Karl was a sniper and he was damn good at it.

Quackity stared at Karl wide-eyed and he nearly jumped out of his skin when Sapnap leaned close to his ear.

"You don't want to get on Karl's bad side much less the other side of that gun," he teased, patting Quackity's shoulder. He headed back to where Karl was sitting, the gun long since stashed away.

Karl's smile didn't seem as friendly as before.

The first mission was simple: try to take out one of the main SBI members, in this case the second eldest Wilbur Soot. If that didn't work, they would try to establish one of the three within the parameters of the organization and try to destroy it from the inside.

“And explain to me why I am being dragged along again?”

The three of them stood outside of the main SBI headquarters. They watched as people headed inside and out, waiting to sense a pattern and to scout out who was a guard and who was not.

“We need someone who knows how to talk to people just in case the outfits don’t work. Besides, it’s better to bring in someone just in case things go south,” Sapnap explained. He was dressed in business attire in hopes of blending in if they needed to enter through the entrance of the building. Quackity and Karl were in similar outfits however Karl only had a dress shirt, basic dress pants, and a ridiculously colored tie. Quackity on the other hand wore a navy blue vest-suit combination. He had to put in a colored eye contact and make-up to cover his left eye to avoid any stares or recognition.

Quackity jumped a little when Karl placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t be such a worrywart Quackity, everything will be fine.”

He looked at Karl skeptically, but didn’t say anything in response. Sapnap began explaining the plan again. While Sapnap would go in to try and talk to Wilbur, Quackity and Karl would scout out the building and try to find where the main SBI quarters were located.

“This building is a facade after all: basic businesses and employees in the front, a whole other business in the back.”

Sapnap had no problem entering the building, it was only when Quackity ran into someone on the way to the elevators. Quackity almost fell to the ground from the impact and he would have if Karl wasn’t there. He was about to give this person a piece of his mind when he looked up and immediately paled. He recognized that pink hair from anywhere.

“Oh pardon me, I didn’t see you there,” apologized Techno. He was dressed in business attire as well, however his clothes were definitely nicer than the normal employees.

“I-it’s no problem really, I guess I’m used to it,” Quackity said, trying to stay calm. If Techno wanted to say anything about his behavior he didn’t comment on it. The elevators dinged open and he stepped through. He looked at Karl and Quackity raising an eyebrow. “Well? Are you going to come in or not?”

The two quickly shuffle in and the doors close. Techno pressed a floor and Karl pressed a random floor near the top. Techno glanced at the floor number. “Ah, you two are the new business employees aren’t you.”

“Y-yep! First day at the job,” Karl said. Quackity wanted to point out how bad Karl’s acting was, but he couldn’t in the presence of Techno.

There was a good amount of silence before Techno broke it.

“You know, this is the executive elevator, only allowed for important personnel. It’s explained even before the first day on the job.”

Karl and Quackity paled.

“But it’s an honest mistake I suppose,” continued Techno, adjusting the sleeves of his suit. “At least, it would have been if you didn’t happen to remember that the employees are only allowed access to the first twenty floors.”

Quackity barely had time to comprehend what happened, but when he looked Karl and Techno had pulled out a gun at the same time. Thankfully both of them were smart enough not to shoot in such a small space.

“Hello Quackity,” greeted Techno,“long time no see.”

Quackity chuckled although it was somewhat weak. “I could say the same thing, Techno.”

“Wait, you know this guy??” Karl hissed, still focused on Techno. Techno growled. “Enough talk: why are you here.”

Quackity glanced at the floor numbers. They were almost to floor 35 where the doors would open. “Oh you know, I just came here to break up a little family reunion. After all the pain I endured, I feel it’s only right to give back in the same way.”

That’s when the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Without missing a beat, Quackity dragged Karl and the two made a run for it. Techno followed in pursuit, the three on a wild goose chase.

Eventually the two ended up in a random room. They didn’t know what floor they were on and they didn’t want to find out anytime soon.

“You know if you told me we would be running from the Technoblade I would’ve worn better shoes-” Karl panted, trying to look for an exit.

“Tell me about it,” Quackity said, trying to listen to see if he was near. Karl glanced at Quackity. “How do you think Sapnap is holding up?”

“Seeing how badly this is going, probably not so well,” Quackity admitted. And he was right.

Instead of running into Wilbur, Sapnap ran into Tommy. Tommy assumed that Sapnap was a normal employee and he assured Sapnap that he would be able to find one of his brothers to help Sapnap get to the right floor.

“I honestly don’t know where they could be. Usually they’re talking to a bunch of big businessmen you know. Important shit like that.”

“Uh-huh,” said Sapnap mindlessly, half paying attention to what Tommy was saying.

While Tommy filled in the silence, Sapnap was hoping that Karl and Quackity were doing alright. However, his worry only skyrocketed when he saw Technoblade heading their way.

To say the least he looked pissed.

“Hey big guy, what’s going on?” Tommy asked, walking a little bit ahead of Sapnap to reach Techno sooner.

“There are intruders in the building, you need to go to a safe room now.”

Tommy gawked. “Really now? Isn’t the security in here like. Top notch or something?”

Techno sighed. “Tommy, please. Tell Wilbur and Philza to head to safety while I deal with the-”

That’s when Technoblade noticed Sapnap.

Sapnap only waved before making a run for it. He wasn’t even going to try and bluff his way out of that one.

He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, but eventually he managed to run into Quackity and Karl.

“We need to get out of here and fast,” Sapnap said, looking behind him to see if they’re being pursued.

Karl huffed, “You don’t need to tell us that we already had a run in with Technoblade and to say the least it wasn’t good.”

Sapnap’s eyes widened. “Wait, you too-?!”

“Hold it right there!”

The three whip around to see a bunch of men heading their way. Karl didn’t even hesitate and brought out his gun shooting into the mob. The three managed to duck into a hallway as Karl continued to shoot. Sapnap looked around and cursed. The hallway was a dead end. The only thing waiting for them at the end of the hall was a large window overlooking the city.

He was snapped out of his stupor when he heard a yelp and saw Karl crumple to the floor. Quackity managed to hold onto the other preventing Karl from falling in the line of fire. The gunfire increased and the three of them retreated towards the window.

“What do we do now?!” hissed Sapnap, hoisting Karl up and doing a brief look over his injuries. There was a large amount of blood flowing from his head but from the look of it a bullet only skimmed his head.

“I-I don’t know I-?!”

Quackity looked between the window and the start of the hallway. That’s when he realized something. Suddenly he starts unbuttoning his blazer and vest, tossing it to the side only leaving his dress shirt and tie on.

Sapnap flushed. “Geez at least take me on a date first.”

Quackity growled. “Now is not the time to joke around!” He quickly raised his shirt revealing his wings wrapped around his abdomen and bound by a belt. He quickly unclipped it and released his wings, shaking them a little.

He grabbed for Karl’s gun and shot at the window a few times, shattering the glass in the process. The yelling and gunfire behind them increased even more.

Grabbing Karl and Sapnap, he yelled a quick, “Hang on tight!” before jumping out of the window, his wings flaring out and catching the wind.

Even though he's carrying three times the weight his wings can hold, the glide is good enough for them to land onto the roof of a building and run, albeit with Karl on Sapnap's back. Instead of returning to the casino, they end up in one of Sapnap's safe houses located near the edge of the city where there were less people.

It was there they tended to Karl's wounds before Sapnap glanced at Quackity who was preening his wings.

"Care to explain?" Sapnap asked.

To Quackity's surprise Sapnap didn't sound disgusted or afraid. While hybrids were common in this world, they were still treated horribly which led to many hiding their hybrid parts, Quackity included.

Quackity shrugged. "I don't want to talk about it." Sapnap didn't press.

There was more awkward silence until Sapnap glanced over to hear Quackity cursing under his breath. One of his wings was bent weirdly and there were some feathers he couldn't reach.

"I, um. I can help," Sapnap piped up.

Quackitiy scoffed. "You? Helping? You don't have any wings, what would you know."

"That's true," Sapnap said, "but I want to say thank you for saving us today. You’re already loaded and you have more than enough henchmen. Besides, I don't know how long we are going to stay here."

Quackity glared over his shoulder before sighing. "Fine. But if you break my wings, I am personally going to kill you."

To say the least the beginning was rough, but after a few pointers from Quackity, Sapnap easily found rhythm and started to get to work. Soon Quackity was falling in and out of consciousness from how relaxed he was. It's been a long time since someone else had preened his feathers and for someone to be so gentle.

Eventually, Sapnap was done and Quackity was shaken awake. His wings puffed up in defense, but then he remembered where he was.

"So how is it?" Sapnap asked.

Quackity looked at his wings and found them in a pretty good shape. While his wing was still bent weirdly, any feathers he was trying to reach were sorted and his wings were overall better.

Right as he was about to thank Sapnap, Karl began to stir.

Sapnap rushed over, crouching by the couch. "Hey there big guy, how are you feeling?"

"Mmm a little groggy to be honest," Karl mumbled. Sapnap passed him a glass of water and Karl took a sip before pecking Sapnap on the cheek. Quackity flushed at the display of affection and he awkwardly coughed, saying he would be in the other room if they needed him.

Karl glanced at Sapnap and Sapnap only shrugged in response.

The days in the safe house were...boring to say the least. Quackity could only contact his connections to a certain extent without being tracked. While he waited he played around with some playing cards he found in one of the cabinets. He would spend hours on end practicing his throws and just playing games by himself.

Besides, he didn’t want to bother the lovebirds.

He had woken up one morning and found the two having an intimate moment making breakfast together. He didn’t want to disrupt the other two and tried to go back to his room as silently as he could but a squeaky floorboard gave him away. Karl had glanced over and asked if Quackity was alright and the hybrid mumbled a sheepish “yeah...”

He eventually helps out with making breakfast and the three fall back into an easy rhythm. One day Sapnap left early to check in at the DreamTeam base leaving Karl and Quackity by themselves. They converse about a few things before it gets to the topic of Quackity’s scar.

“I know you mentioned that you knew Technoblade before we infiltrated the SBI base but...what exactly happened?”

Quackity grimaced a bit, tracing the scar a little. “I was never skilled with hand to hand combat. Let’s just say he pulled out a knife and managed to slice my face.”

I’ll probably add more to this later however while they stay at the safe house, they start to flirt a little bit more and they start to get closer. Eventually they try to infiltrate the SBI base again, but they ultimately fail and Quackity gets severely injured.

When he wakes up he's met face to face with Dream himself. George is by his side per usual, the assassin with a plethora of guns and knives up his sleeves. Dream congrats Quackity on surviving for so long and that his favor is now paid back. There are some more empty threats exchanged between the two before Sapnap tells him to shove off for a bit. Dream only rolls his eyes and laughs before letting Sapnap and Karl visit Quackity.

Beforehand Quackity was freaking out about breaking the two up but then they were like "my guy we like you too. Also uh. your casino kinda got raided and it's not safe sooo...wanna room with us?"

Of course he says yes.

How Sapnap and Quackity Met

When Schlatt kicked the bucket, the Sleepy Bois and other groups immediately targeted Quackity and the original base Schlatt and Quackity shared. He was knocked out by the pain of technoblade slicing his left eye and gouging his cheek.

Somehow he survived. He woke up in the burning building and stumbled his way out, hiding in the alleyways and barely making it with all of his injuries. The closest "allies" Quackity knew of were the Dreamteam so he headed in what hoped was the general direction of their base. He passed out before he could even get there. Somehow he was close enough to the base and with the recent news of the city being on fire the trio had a feeling Quackity would stop by soon.

Quackity woke up feverish and with gauze over his cheek and eye. In front of him stood Dream, Sapnap and George standing by his side. George had a neutral face while Sapnap couldn't help and cringe at the injuries.

"Good to see you're finally awake, Quackity,” said Dream, smiling. “We were worried that you were dead...which wouldn't be much of a problem."

Quackity glared (at least with his good eye) at Dream. "What do you want." Knowing the man Dream would want something back in return for saving Quackity. Dream grinned. "Oh you know me all too well Quackity. I simply ask for you to pay back. Your medical bills were quite pricey and the cost of your little fire has destroyed a good portion of my city."

"Not to mention I will be oh so generous as to give you a new building and enough money to start your business again." Quackity opened his mouth to ask about the catch but Dream held up a hand. "You have no allies, Quackity. Everyone wants you dead. Do you really think there's someone out there who is willing to help you?" Dream grinned. "Besides, you're already in debt to me."

Quackity closed his mouth. There really was no other option. Swallowing his pride, he glanced up and stared straight at Dream. "Fine," he spat. "I accept your offer."

Dream clapped his hands. "Excellent! What a wise decision."

While Dream and George left, Sapnap stayed behind. Quackity slightly bristled asking what the heck Sapnap wanted and Sapnap glared at him.

"I just wanted to see if you were ok. I was the one who found you and you were not only burned, but bleeding from your eye."

Quackity calmed a bit but he did admit with all of this new information he's been on edge. Sapnap hummed and explained that Dream would probably let Quackity off the hook a little easier after a while but Quackity didn't believe him. George eventually came into the medical room looking for Sapnap and the two took their leave.

The next time Sapnap and Quackity run into each other is when Quackity is trying to make a deal with the Badlands, meeting with the infamous Badboyhalo.

They were at a fancy venue with plenty of guests and Quackity was sitting at the bar nursing a drink mindlessly. He checked his watch and when he looked up he saw someone sitting in front of him.

"Didn't expect to see you here," Sapnap admitted placing his drink down on the bar Quackity almost spat out his drink. "Sapnap?? What are you doing here?"

Sapnap shrugged. "Oh nothing much just checking out the area and checking in on our connections. How about you?"

"I could say the same thing," Quackity mumbled, taking a sip of his drink

Eventually, Quackity excused himself only to run into Bad himself. "Ah hello there. Quackity was it?" Bad asked.

The two talk a little and Quackity tries to pitch his deal but Bad isn't having it. It starts to get a little violent until Sapnap pops out of nowhere and goes like "hey there dad uuuuuuh cool off a bit. Meanwhile Quackity I think it's time for you to go--"

Quackity was about to protest until he saw Antfrost in the back making a b-line for him. Quackity gives a strained smile before dipping, leaving Sapnap to do the fixing.

How Karl and Sapnap Met

Everyone knew about Techno's and Dream's bad history with each other and today was the day everyone was going to witness who was better than the other

Sapnap had locked eyes with Karl when Mr. Beast went on to explain the rules of the shoot off. Karl had only grinned and Sapnap could feel himself flush. George had elbowed him, teasing him and Sapnap only sputtered in response.

Finally Mr. Beast explained that there was not going to be any sabotage from anybody from either the Dreamteam or SBI. Sapnap had gone to leave, the tension between the three groups getting a little too much. he was stopped in his tracks by Karl.

"I'm sorry Sapnap but you have to turn around. No one is allowed to leave the premises until after the shoot off."

Sapnap raised an eyebrow, about to ask why until he saw the gun in Karl’s hand. "We don't want any problems, right?" Karl giggled, adjusting the hold on his gun. Sapnap glared at the other but proceeded to turn back around. Maybe he turned to hide his blush. Could have been a possibility

The tournament went smoothly, Techno becoming the victor by a single point. While the SBI cheered, the Dreamteam left the premises.

"Are you even listening to me Sapnap?" Dream asked, a bit pissed from the loss. "Hm? I'm sorry Dream I didn't hear you, what did you say?"

George snickered. "Don't worry about Sapnap, Dream, he's still caught up on the sniper Mr. Beast has hired- OW!" Sapnap had elbowed George quite harshly in the ribs.

Dream raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, proceeding to rant about the duel instead.

#ooc #indiewrites #of bullets and roses #karlnapity #sapnap #karl jacobs #quackity #jschlatt (mentioned) #dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #sbi #tw violence #tw guns

[miraculousdoodlebugsblog]

A03 ain't working so...

Book 1 : Loved U For A Long Time

A LadyNoir story

Teen and up lol

            Chapter 1: Simple plan

He stared at the box while shaking it steadily which made him sneeze even more. 

“Milady I still don’t understand the purpose of me holding the feathers. You know I'm allergic to ThAh-Achoo” His sneeze nearly tilted it more where a couple feathers fell gently on the ground. Oh chat, she giggled abundantly to herself knowing he was unaware of how foolish he looked in the akumatized getup. Though he was her fool and she was content with that.

 “ It’s simple really,” She began for the fifth time, "Your outfit in feathers is almost Identical to the head guard so you can swap in his place in enough time to save the prisoners.” She pointed to the small flock of bird people all affected by the akuma, A famous ornithologist who was recently defunded due to a bird seed poisoning incident. 

“Once that’s done” she continued “ I can go to the nest and considering she’ll send out more guards Come from behind say lucky charm hopefully use it to destroy her visor, the akuma, and Hawkmoth’s chances of controlling paris. You got that Chat?”  

“You are so beautiful, strong, and smart it makes my heart ache.”

“Um...pardon?” LB stared at him blushing in confusion.

“Marry me please.” Chat Noir handing her a paper mache flower which seems to be handmade by him.

“Chat were you even listening we are in the middle of fighting an akuma”

“ I know. I listen, I watch, I feel even when you don't know I do.” 

“Alright then listen,”She breathed trying not to break his heart “I cannot answer you chat cause we have a situation, I like someone else, and we can't get married because we just turned 18!”

He took a minute considering his next words carefully.

“You wanna know something bugaboo.”

“What?” She asked questionaly playing along.

“I love you too much, you're my safe haven, a precious piece of my life and that's why I keep coming back to you.”

Ugh why was he so persistent. Wait was her heart … pounding? Yes. Was she really thinking about kissing him again right now? Maybe. Would the akuma give them time for that?

Ha, No.

“Okay Chat your starting to sound really clingy” She laughed half-heartedly. 

“It is better chance of me not cheating.” he winked in a less heavy tone.

True...She thought as she took the flower and gazed at it in awe at all the effort and details shining off its petals.

“Now, I'm only accepting this because it would look nice on my windowsill” She teased haughtily. 

She kissed him on the cheek. 

“Are you ready to take on this akuma Chaton?”

“Are you ready to answer my question?”

She rolled her eyes and leaped to the opposite roof.

Maybe some typos I wrote this in 7th grade and rediscovered it today rip 💀

more to come... - liz

Chapter 2

#its the undying devotion for me #jk i love them #happy 6 years! been here for 3 #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #ml #chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ladybug #ladybug and chat noir #ml ladybug #ladynoir #miraculous ladynoir #ml fic #ml fic rec

[mostthingskenobi]

i’d love to hear a little more about or read a snippet from parallel jedi!! thank you for sharing :)

Hello dear anon!! You’re very kind to show interest :) I’m not sure what I’ve written is any good. I don’t think I’ll ever finish it so I figured I’d share it with you as it is. I had intended to created these 2 plot lines that intersected, even though they took place during different Star Wars eras. It was a challenge I looked forward to... but I lost steam on the project. Perhaps someday I’ll write them as individual one-offs. Let me know what you think. Please don’t judge me to harshly LOL! I haven’t edited this at all, so pardon any typos.

PARALLEL JEDI

Original prompt: Could you do a story that parallels Luke in his prime post RotJ and Obi-Wan in his prime? Something where an enemy or group realizes these subdued, soft spoken yet confident men are actually quite dangerous?

——————–

Pravus – The Outer Rim (9 months after the Battle of Endor)

Luke Skywalker sat slumped against the stone bastion, one leg bent at the knee, the other extended strait in front. His wounds were extensive, requiring considerable concentration to suppress his pain and simultaneously control his labored breathing. His ribs ached and his lungs felt stripped. He was lightheaded from loss of blood, his nerves vibrating with exhaustion. There was little hope of making an escape in his present condition.

He had come alone to this isolated moon following a hunch, seeking out the last of Palpatine’s secret lairs. The Emperor had been dead nearly nine months but the war wasn’t over; Luke discovered evidence that the Dark Lord was caching weapons in remote corners of the outer rim. Skywalker methodically worked his way through the data, interpreting coordinates while cross referencing Sith and Jedi lore, letting the Force guide him from one location to the next. In four different systems he had discovered three bunkers and two private residences that the Emperor had kept for himself, each filled with treasures and horrors alike, each location more dangerous than the next. Palpatine was fond of sinister booby-traps and this current fortress built into the side of a mountain was no different.

Skywalker had breeched the abandoned castle’s walls only to face one ambush after another. The Emperor was clever and cruel, and though Luke ultimately succeeded, he paid dearly for his efforts as he fought through snares, climbed crumbling architecture, and battled assassin droids by the dozen. Hours passed as he made his way higher and higher into the mountainous fortress; each new level he ascended brought more difficult confrontations than the last. When he finally reached the top floor of this seemingly endless tower, he collapsed, his legs turning to jelly under him.

He sat for a long time, unable to move his burning muscles while blood pooled on the floor beneath him, oozing from innumerable cuts and other more severe injuries. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Luke knew his challenges were not finished but his body was screaming for rest. There were times when a Jedi had to power through physical roadblocks, but more importantly a Jedi needed to know his limitations. In this moment of great need Skywalker reached for the Force, let it wrap around him, let it permeate every cell in his body, staunching his blood loss, relieving his pain, soothing his exhaustion. For a few blessed moments everything became passive and silent.

Luke had not encountered a single living soul in the rest of the building but as he shut his tactile senses down and receded inward, he could feel another presence in the Force only a few meters away. Dragging his eyes open he peered into the shadows on the other side of the room.

“I know you’re there,” he said, slurring his words with exhaustion. “Show yourself.”

After a long pause boots scraped across the flagstones as a figure stepped into the light and took form against the darkness. A large man, too thin for his seven-foot frame, with bedraggled long hair and neglected, tattered clothes that had once been fine, stood in front of Skywalker.

“No one has ever made it this far.” The man’s quaking voice revealed his age.

Luke was not fooled by his apparent fragility; dark energy radiated off the old man. “Who are you?”

The old man shuffled closer but did not reply.

“Are you a prisoner?” Luke asked, knowing the answer.

The old man scowled. “Of course not, you impudent wretch. I am The Keeper, chosen directly by the Emperor to guard one of his most sacred artifacts.”

Luke tried to appear stronger than he felt. “You haven’t done such a great job if I’ve made it this far.”

The old man stepped closer to Skywalker, the light seeping in through upper windows casting a ghastly shadow over the wrinkled visage. “I assure you, boy, you will make it no further.” Luke saw the contraption too late as The Keeper raised a hand, leveling the weapon at Skywalker’s body, and fired.

A sharp pain ripped through Luke’s neck, his body instantly becoming paralyzed. The toxic dart worked with unfathomable speed. Skywalker fell back, his body contorting with pain before he slid down the wall and collapsed unconscious on the floor.

——————–

Inesco – Unallied Space (during the Clone Wars)

Cody was missing.

Waxer and Boil were the last troopers to see him. Two days ago the commander had gone off to inspect a rogue transmission that interfered with the squad’s com links. Cody climbed a hillock near the forward operating base; he disappeared over a ridgeline and didn’t come back.

Obi-Wan Kenobi could not deny that he was worried. Though Jedi were not supposed to form attachments, the idea of his trustworthy, loyal, and stalwart clone commander falling into enemy hands set Kenobi’s teeth on edge. Cody was made of tough stuff but the insurgent population had proven to be ruthless and cunning.

The Republic had sent Obi-Wan with a small clone contingent to Inesco, a desperate system nestled directly between Republic and Separatist lines. The depleted planet was constantly caught in the galactic conflict while both sides fought to possess it as a staging ground. Kenobi had no interest in tormenting the local populace any further and hoped to finish his mission quickly.

Fate was against him.

He and his platoon had instantly been caught up in a local fight between the Calvorian mercenaries that lived in the mountains and the Inescan tribes that lived in the plains. Kenobi was supposed to infiltrate and confiscate a Separatist weapons cache, but the local civil war meant that the Calvorians, the Inescans, and the Republic were all vying for the same treasure.

What was meant to be an easily executed smash-and-grab mission had turned into a week and a half of bloody conflict. In the beginning the Republic forces had easily confiscated the weapons but the Calvorian mercenaries had destroyed Kenobi’s transports. Meanwhile, the Republic attack cruiser waiting in orbit became embroiled in a standoff with Separatist’s ships and couldn’t spare any shuttles to rendezvous with their ground forces. That meant Obi-Wan, his men, and the weapons cache were stuck on Inesco until another Republic cruiser arrived. According to the latest brief, Anakin’s ship would enter the system sometime within the month—not very comforting estimates.

The situation on the ground had become dire. They were running short on food and water, but even more concerning were the frequent surprise attacks made by both the Calvorians and the Inescans, each trying to take their share of the Separatist weapons so that they could carry on killing each other. Obi-Wan’s men were starving, exhausted, and damn sick of being caught in the middle. When Cody disappeared, even Kenobi’s temper flared. He sent scouts in every direction to spy on the insurgents, desperate to discover his commander’s whereabouts, but no information came back. No one knew which tribe, if any, had captured Cody. The plain truth was no one was even sure if Cody was alive.

As the sun set on the third day of the Clone Commander’s disappearance, Obi-Wan felt utterly defeated though he refused to let it show in front of the other soldiers. He sat in a dark bunker with four other troopers; they were all supposed to be getting sleep while second squad kept watch, but all of the men were wound too tightly to rest. Kenobi was pouring over terrain maps trying to discover a likely place where insurgents might take prisoners. He hadn’t slept in days and his vision was blurring around the edges, but he didn’t care; he wouldn’t rest until Cody was safe.

The bunker door suddenly slammed open and Boil came in, shoving a tall, sturdy man ahead of him. Kenobi could see that the man was a Calvorian, the tribe’s distinctive tattoos visible on his hands and neck.

All of the clones in the room quickly stood and warily raised their weapons.

“Easy, everyone,” Obi-Wan said calmly as he also stood. “Weapons down. I’d like to hear what our guest has to say.”

The clone troopers lowered their weapons but they did not relax their guard.

“This one says he has a message for you, General,” Boil said, giving the insurgent another shove until he was right in front of the Jedi.

Kenobi crossed his arms over his chest. “What can I do for you?”

The Calvorian was strong, his shoulders broad and rolled back with good posture, but he looked as worn out as the Republic troops felt. “My general would like to put an end to this standoff between our tribes.”

“That is wise,” Kenobi said dryly. “You and the Inescans have more in common than you know. You would do better to work together rather than try to kill each other…”

“I speak of the conflict between our tribe and your tribe.”

“Oh.” Obi-Wan shook his head, disappointed. “Very well. What are your terms?”

“My general has something to offer you. He asks that you return with me and discuss a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

Kenobi felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He didn’t believe this was a trap, but he suspected he wouldn’t like what the Calvorian mercenaries had to offer.

“And what of my men?”

“You may bring no more than two.”

Obi-Wan didn’t feel the need to bring anyone with him. If he got into trouble, it might be easier if he were on his own. But he quickly changed his mind and turned to Boil. “You and Waxer are coming with me.”

The clone immediately straitened his shoulders. “Yes, Sir!”

Perhaps the troopers would be able to snoop around for Cody while Obi-Wan met with this general.

He lightly ran his fingers over his lightsaber hilt as a quick touchstone, a way to keep the Force foremost in his mind while he was suffering from terrible exhaustion. The kyber crystal at its heart was alive, thrumming with his life Force; and his energy greatly depended right now on his fellow troopers. Whatever he was walking into, it wasn’t going to be easy.

He gestured politely toward the door. “By all means, please lead the way, my friend.”

#obi wan kenobi #Obi-Wan Kenobi #obi wan #obi-wan #kenobi #Luke Skywalker #obi-wan kenobi fanfic #obi-wan kenobi fic #obi wan kenobi fan fiction #obi wan kenobi fic #obi-wan fanfic #obi-wan fic #obi wan fan fiction #obi wan fic #luke skywalker fic #luke skywalker fan fiction #post return of the jedi #star wars #star wars fan fiction #star wars fic #Clone Wars #The Clone Wars #star wars the clone wars #star wars clone wars #clone wars fanfic #clone wars fic #commander cody #waxer and boil #clone trooper waxer #Emperor Palpatine

[crimson-snowfall]

Hi! I love your blog sm!! Can I please get hcs how would Theo and Napoleon(seperate) reacts when their s/o enter their room accidentally and see them naked? owo NSFW if you don't mind! Thank you

Okay I’m not that good with smut yet so this won’t be that detailed but it’s certainly NSWF-ish enough I guess?

[NSFW] Ikevamp HC request: MC walking in on them naked (Napoleon & Theo)

Napoleon

You were caught completely off guard because normally Napoleon would still be asleep around that time.

Napoleon just took off the last piece of clothing from his body when you came in. Both of you were equally surprised when it happened, but naturally the emperor recover quickly.

You promptly apologized as you overcame the first wave of shock and were about to leave the room when Napoleon pulled you in, locking the door behind you.

“What’s this, nunuche? Leaving without even a single good morning kiss?”

The two of you have been together for quite some time already but you still haven’t gotten over the waves of embarrassment when you see his well-toned body.

“Napoleon… I thought you were still asleep.”

Your lover smiled a litte from your embarrassed state, but he’s not one to keep on teasing. “Well, I’m not… but waking up early certainly comes with its own surprises.”

Napoleon gestured to his painfully hard erection, and you were kind of glad his back was turned against you when you entered the room. Who knows how loudly you would’ve reacted if that was the first thing you saw?

He pulled you into one, long passionate kiss before making quick work of your clothes. Then he turned you on your back and pinned you against the door.

“N-Napoleon? Are we really–mmmm!” Leaving you no room to protest, he left a trail of hot kisses from your neck down to the middle of your back, before a pair of strong hands gave your butt a strong squeeze.

“You smell much nicer in the morning, nunuche,” Napoleon’s words were a mere whisper as he breathed on your neck as he showered it with kisses, “you smell so nice I bet you’ll wear my scent better if I ruin you here and now, against my door.”

That was all the warning you got from your aroused emperor before he plunged his erection deep inside you, and you thought your lips were gonna bleed from how hard you had to bite down just so you wouldn’t end up a screaming mess as he took you relentlessly from the get go.

You wanted to tell him that his room is literally in the middle of the mansion so people would be passing by from both sides, but alas, your dear emperor thinks nothing of it.

“Moan for me, nunuche. Let them know you’re mine.”

Instead of getting to tell him that everyone already knows you’re his with how many times he’s did you against furniture on various places in the mansion, all you could do was obey as his length teared deeper into you.

You ended up sleeping in for the rest of the day with how much Napoleon has exhausted you. The knowing looks the other residents gave you during dinnertime pretty much told you that they heard everything, just as Napoleon had intended to.

Theo

It’s been only a week since you officially got together with Theo, so you still haven’t gotten over that stage of admiring his naked body when you walked in on him.

“Oi hondje. What’s that look for? I just gave you your treats last night.” While that may be true, it’s been two hours since you returned to your room to get a fresh change of clothes and relax your sore muscles a little, and by this time you would’ve expected him to be all dressed up and ready for breakfast.

Peeling your eyes off his body which you thought was probably sculpted by the gods of the heavens above was nearly impossible, and before you knew it, Theo was next to you, towering your little form.

Theo had a smug smile that suited him very well as he lifted up your chin to meet his deep blue eyes. “Like what you see, hondje?”

You didn’t say anything, but perhaps in Theo’s eyes you were practically drooling like a mad dog. He carried you off effortlessly and threw you on to his bed, where you landed with a gentle thud.

“If you want me that much, then I guess you have no qualms about having each other for breakfast then?” He ripped off your clothes with his vampiric strength, but Theo gave you no time to protest about it as you immediately find him between your legs, digging in on his prized personal pot of honey.

The slick movements of his tongue was mind numbing, and you only realized that the contact was gone when he switched placed with you and you’re now on top of him.

“Ride me, hondje. Ride your master good… and I just might give you more treats for dinner.” He rubbed his erection against your wetness and placed your hands on where you wanted it the most– his deliciously beefy abs.

You rode him with reckless abandon, ignoring the soreness still present on your limbs from last night. You just can’t pass up on the opportunity to have more of him, so you did him as if your life depended on it, until your body couldn’t take it anymore and you collapsed on top of him, a shivering mass of pleasure-addicted hondje.

“What a naughty hondje.” Theo smiled in satisfaction and took charge from there, taking you firmly but not so much as to minimize the strain on your body, after all he had promised the night to you.

You still tried to work afterwards, but Theo said he can’t possibly let the other residents seeing you walk around with a limp. “It’s more appealing than you think, hondje.” And because Theo found it appealing, it sounded like a promise that there’s more limping mornings to come for you if you so wished for it.

So anyway I’m in a bit of a rush when I wrote this on my phone so I haven’t been able to proofread at all so pardon any typos as always and thanks for your patience!

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp #ikemen series #ikevamp napoleon #ikemen vampire napoleon #ikemen vampire theo #ikemen vampire theodorus #ikevamp theo #ikevamp theodorus #ikevamp headcanon #ikevamp headcanons #ikemen vampire headcanon #ikemen vampire headcanons #ikemen hcs #ikemen headcanons #ikemen headcanon #ikevamp reactions #ikevamp scenarios

[punksarcasticmisanthropicwriter]

I got a Tomarry Prompt: Older Harry + Soulmate AU

So you sent me this prompt but now it’s turned into an entire fic and I can’t stop this madness if I tried. So I’m just gonna gift you with the wip of the first Tomarry fic I’ve ever written! ヽ(⌐◽️3◽️)ノ♪♬

I also wrote all most of this at like 3am so please disregard any typos or errors because I haven’t proofread any of this lol.

P.S. can you tell that Tom is my type?

Latched

The sharp crack of apparition announced the arrival of Harry Potter as he appeared just outside the wards of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Another crack sounded on the quiet grounds as the Mr. Harvel Rouch snapped into being next to him. The Runes Master was a stern bloke, Harry thought. He wore navy robes and a pair of small spectacles resting on the edge of his nose which accentuated the scowl that seemed to deepen the longer he was in Harry’s presence. They walked up to the schools entrance in silence, as Rouch had refused any sort of conversation no matter the topic after Harry had accidentally mispronounced his name upon greeting the man. Harry had given up after the first thirty minutes. They made it up the path with no problems and, after knocking on the doors, Harry was wrapped in a backbreaking hug from one Neville Longbottom.

“Harry! It’s so good to see you!” Harry returned the hug with enthusiasm and chuckled.

“You too Neville.” Harry pulled away to gesture at his friend “I mean Professor Longbottom of Herbology.” Harry gave a polite nod.

Neville blushed a little “Nah, Harry.” he chuckled “The school year doesn’t start for another two weeks.” Mr. Rouch huffed and cleared his throat impatiently. “I’m here to inspect the wards.” Rouch said not bothering to hide his annoyance. Not for the first time, he was reminded of his aunt. Neville stepped aside to allow them in. “Of course, please come in.”

As soon as he entered its halls, Harry could feel Hogwarts’ magic welcoming him home. He sighed and smiled, happy to be back and happy happy to see his friend, especially after dealing with Mr. Petunia all day. Speaking of which, there was another famous scowl Harry wholeheartedly wished to avoid. “Alright Neville. You here to take us to see the Headmaster?”

“Yeah,” Neville started down the hall, “Just this way Mr. Roach.” Harry hid his chuckle as a cough.

“It’s Mr. Rouch if you please.” His scowl had turned to a sneer at what Harry guessed was a common mistake.

“My apologies” Neville politely bowed his head “this way.” Rouch huffed and started down the halls ahead of them. Neville followed, gesturing for Harry to join him.

Harry felt warm twisting through the familiar corridors. He probably knew this place better than his own house. This place had been his home for seven years. It had been his only escape from the Dursley’s. Coming back again was like he’d found a piece of himself Harry hadn’t known was missing. But Neville was telling Harry about some new plant or another when something caught his attention. There was a dark magic in Hogwarts that Harry didn’t recognize.

Abruptly, Harry felt his own core reaching out to meet it. Harry nearly tripped as his core and this strange dark magic began to mingle and play, almost caressing each other... Alright they were caressing each other and it was freaking Harry the fuck out. With more effort than Harry would care to admit he restrained his magic core and pulled it back to him. The dark tendrils of magic receded and disappeared almost instantly. Harry’s eyebrows knit together and he made up his mind to tell Dumbledore about it. Well... most of it. Maybe he’d leave out the bit about how friendly his magic had gotten with it. It’s not like anyone could tell but him anyway. Harry quietly came back to the conversation and set his worries aside for now.

The path was just as he remembered. He’d gotten into his fair share of trouble when he was younger. He’d liked to walk the halls at night to clear his head. Although most of the time he was able to avoid the prefects and teachers with his cloak, Mrs Norris had caught him a few times. Neville spoke the password and let them ascend the stairs with a friendly goodbye.

“Come in.” Dumbledore spoke the moment they came upon the headmasters doors, and Harry shook his head fondly at the headmasters dramatics. Harry opened the doors and allowed Rouch in ahead of him before entering himself.

Shutting the door behind him, Harry surveyed the room. Dumbledore was sat at his high desk as usual and appeared to be offering Mr. Rouch a lemon drop. Smiling at his antics Harry noticed two others in the room. On the right, Harry recognized Professor Snape in all his scowling glory as he sneered at his former potions student. But on the left was some Harry didn’t recognize. Presumably another teacher, he was ridiculously tall, in smart black robes that fit snugly in all the correct places. He had equally perfect black hair, porcelain smooth skin, high cheekbones, a sharp jaw, and eyes so dark Harry couldn’t tell the color. He was unfairly handsome in a way that made Harry want to hat him for it. But what really caught Harry’s attention was the dark magic radiating off him like waves. But the moment Harry let go of the door and stepped inside his core snapped out in time with the other mans, and the two cores latched onto each other. The man blinked in surprise as Harry’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. Harry pulled at his magic as much as he could but it wouldn’t budge, and from the tugging on his core he knew the other man was doing the same.

“Young Mr. Potter.” Dumbledore said breaking their silent reverie. “How are you my boy?”

“I’m fine professor” Harry fought to keep his eyes off the man obviously studying him to his left. “It’s good to see you again, headmaster.”

“Good, good,” Dumbledores eyes twinkled with mischief as he looked between Harry and Mr. Perfect. “You of course know Professor Snape, as he taught you potions” he gestured with his hand at the man raising a single eyebrow at Harry. He quickly remembered that Snape had a similar ability to sense magic as Harry, and so did Dumbledore.

“Professor Snape.” Harry greeted him.

Severus’ eyes narrowed as if looking at a puzzle. “Mr. Potter.” He drawled, the silent question hanging heavily in the air. Harry tried to express through his expression that he had absolutely no idea what was happening and that his core wasn’t listening to him and that he was trying to break free but he just couldn’t!

He wasn’t sure if he was able to show all that in a single expression but if the obvious look of disappointment on Snapes face was anything to go by he at least knew that Harry hadn’t the foggiest idea what was going on.

“Yes...” Dumbledore began “Allow me to introduce you to our Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Professor Tom Riddle.”

“Harry Potter. Pleasure to meet you.” Trying to hide his anxiety, he extending his hand in greeting.

“The pleasure is mine.” His voice was deep and smooth, it reminded Harry of Chocolate and Firewhiskey. He had a blank mask of politeness on his face as he extended a pale hand with long slender fingers, soft against Harry’s, slightly smaller, scared and calloused palms. The only thing giving away his discomfort was how he was still trying to rip his core away from Harry’s. They quickly released each other’s hands as Harry took a few steps back.

Harry looked back up at Dumbledore who had a pleasant smile, but his eyes twinkled in the way Harry recognized as ‘I know more than I’m saying.’,

“Professor Snape, would you be so kind as to lead our Mr.Rouch to the warding room?”

“...Of course.” Snape looked slightly agitated with being excused when something was obviously happening but briskly left, leaving Rouch to held jog to keep up.

Dumbledore looked to Harry “please have a seat my boy... lemon drop?”

“Pardon me,” Riddle began, bringing a hand to his chest. “I’m afraid I must be going now. Mr. Potter.” He politely bowed and briskly walked to the door. Apparently he wanted to be done with this just as much as Harry, who turned back to Dumbledore who was observing Tom with intense focus. Harry was about to speak when he heard Riddle open the door.

Harry’s core instantly tightened its grip on Riddles with enough focus to send him flying backwards and toppling over his chair. Riddle staggered and gripped the doorframe with both hands to keep from falling over as Harry was dragged across the floor. Riddle, still white knuckling the doorframe with one hand, righted himself and smoothed back the single curl that had fallen into his face before turning around. Harry liked at Riddle in something akin to horror as he got up and rubbed the back of his head. Riddles jaw twitched, politeness ripped to shreds as he glared at Harry and sharply said “Let. Go.”

“Me?!”

#fanfiction #harry potter #fanfic #tomarry #fanfics #write #writer #fanfic writers #tom riddle x harry potter #tom x harry #harry x tom #harry potter fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #my writing #current wip #WIP #Harry Potter fanfic wip #tomarry wip #Latched #Latched fanfic

[white-weasel]

I would love to hear more about your ella enchanted bnha fic! I've seen the concept like once before and I am very intrigued to see your take on it.

Yes, I love the Ella Enchanted mind control type of idea so I had to try my hand at it! Right now the fic is literally like 2k set up of Izuku getting affected by the Quirk, but here’s a short section I rather like (pardon any typos and some of the dialogue lmao)

“Oh yes! He’s the boy that broke all his fingers in the sports festival last year. He must have an outstanding pain tolerance and an even more incredible will.” She cups Izuku’s cheek in a way that reminds him of his mother when he visits her. “He’s absolutely perfect.”

“That’s great!” The man exclaims, though it’s obvious he’s struggling with keeping his Quirk active. That’s just fine with Izuku. It make his job easier.

“I know! He’ll be a great control test and- hey!” Izuku’s green lightning cuts her off as he swipes his hand up, breaking through the man’s Quirk. He then reaches towards his neck, fully intending to rip the gravel from there as well. If he’s being honest, he finds it a little insulting that they know who he is, yet have underestimated him so fully. It’ll just be a few more seconds and then he’ll have-

“Stop right there.” The woman says, and just like that Izuku freezes. 

Izuku has been mind controlled a handful of times with Shinsou’s Quirk, but this is different. Where Shinsou’s Brainwashing leaves him foggy and unable to think clearly, this woman’s Quirk is more like a brace around his limbs. His brain is still going, still processing everything at a mile a minute like it’s prone to do, but his body is surrounded by this weight that locks him into place. 

He tries to twitch, to move his finger even just a centimeter. He pushes against the invisible barrier and while he can make his thumb bend ever so slightly, the effort it takes and the pain it yields is immense. It feels just like the bones in his finger are shattering. Despite how many times he’s actually broken bones, the agony is still excruciating. At least all the practice keeps him from crying out, though.

#white weasel talks #wip

[fweasleyswhore]

sreidswhore blurb event

PARDON

thank you! ik this is like rlly small compared to a lot of other blogs but its INSANE to me that you guys actually enjoy my stuff ty!

i wanna do a lil event thing today for you guys! as some of you know i dont have power and i cant leave the house bc my neighborhood is bloocked off :/ but im able to charge my phone and i wouldnt mind spending the day doing small stuff for you guys!

if you sent me a request prior to today know im working on it but i never work on those on my phone bc formatting and everything is just annoying :/ so i cant work on those atm as much as i want to

send me a request for any hp character x reader, the word count will be between 1k - 3k for each (unless its a headcannon lmao)

🦋 - fluff

🕷 - angst

🐝 - angst with fluff ending

🦇 - fluff with angst ending

🥀 - you let me rip your heart apart

🌻 - smut

if you have anything else i may have missed just lmk! im gonna try to pump these out and im gonna apologize in advance to any typos im usin my phone </3

but again THANK YOU, the nice comments bring me so much joy!

#fred and george #fred weasley #fred weasley x reader #weasleys wizard wheezes #fred weasley fanfiction #fred weasley fluff #george weasley #harry potter #weasley twins #fred weasley fic #harry potter characters #harry potter fanfiction #draco fanfiction #draco malfoy #draco imagine #remus lupin #remus lupin imagine #sirius black #sirius imagine #cedric x y/n #cedric diggory #marauders x reader #hp marauders

[artificialqueens]

I have a crush on - Chapter 9

Hi guys! Sorry for the hiatus, I had to think about where I want this story to go and I added a major plot twist in this chapter. I hope you didn’t see that coming. xoxo Lance I have a crush on

to:[email protected]

from:[email protected]

object:Sorry (kinda)

mail:

Hey Joy, here’s your daily dose of Salt. Let’s start with saying that Maxwell didn’t do anything to me personally. I don’t really like him because he’s always so perfect and polished and that pisses me off. I guess that’s his nature; he should loosen up a bit. Maybe, and I wanna highlight that maybe, I was too rough in my last e-mail: I read it again before writing this and I have to admit I sound hateful almost. Don’t get me wrong: I wish Maxwell nothing but happiness, but I don’t want to be his friend. I will, however, tell you if I find out something more specific about him. What would you want to know? I can look around. Anyway, I’m gonna tell you the identity of my special someone in this e-mail. Don’t jump right at the end please, read the whole thing, I have more stuff to say before spilling the tea (look at me, using drag lingo. Could it get any gayer?), hope you’re as enthusiastic as much as I am terrified of saying it all. And about typos: damn you sneaky little bitch. You got me, alright. It won’t happen again! >:) Before saying the unsayable, I want to have a word on your wild adventures in clubs. That is COOL AS FUCK. Yes it deserves the caps lock (which I normally despite) because I envy you so fucking much! Gosh I wish I were you. How was Aja? What did she perform to? She’s so amazing I can’t help but shaking in my pajama right now. By the way yes I would never tell the principal or whoever about your little infraction, although next time I wanna come too because honestly I deserve it. And the thought of the principal finding out about her students’ nudes: I can’t oh my God imagine that! Imagine that. And the nudes of someone like, I don’t know, Antwan. I want his nudes honestly, he’s chocolate perfection. Although I see him as a motherly figure or something, he’s always down with helping everyone so I don’t know if I actually wanna see his nudes or not! About Dustin: okay you’re forgiven for not telling me who he got. I will find out, trust me… I will pull out my best investigation tricks and I will get to the conclusion. I already have some ideas about the mysterious Dustin partner. I don’t wanna ask him directly because I mean, that would be so easy. Let’s have some fun with it, shall we? But if I get it right you have to tell me, okay? I’ll tell you my hypothesis in the next e-mail, stay tuned. ;) Are we friends… great question actually. I wouldn’t say we aren’t, but we can’t even say we are. See Joy, friends trust each other to death. And we’re on that track, we’re getting to it. But obviously there’s something missing here, something that we’ll eventually reach and fulfill but we have to be cautious. I know we’re not talking about FBI secrets here but it’s very important for me and I think that it’s even more important for you because you’re actually… in love, aren’t you? That’s it. And now let’s get to the juicy stuff. I have a crush on Dane Young. Oh, to better say it, I want him to screw up my insides until I bleed. And then I want to screw up his. I want him to do me on every surface possible and I want to eat him out until he’s begging me to stop. I want to run my hands all over his ripped body, smooth and perfect like the David of Michelangelo until I consume him. These are my feelings right now: pure lust, I swear, I have no actual romantic attraction towards him. But he’s so damn hot I can’t help drooling all over him. My secret is out. I gotta go. Ask me anything Joy, I’ll answer. Now I will have to try falling asleep without jerking off thinking about Dane. Pardon finesse. Yours truly, Salt xx 

#lance #craquaria #teenage au #mail fic #pining #possible angst #miz cracker #aquaria #rpdr fanfiction #submission #m/m au #high school au #i have a crush on

[harlockauxillia30k-blog]

Uncategorized Record IDD-C

[From an Army Data Vault, Terra]

General Strom: Doctor.

Dr. [Medicae] Vale Halleck: General, another of your colonels go insane?

Gen. Storm: No. Its about a captain I've kept an eye on.

Dr. Halleck: Really? Such a low rank. Unless its a ship captain.

Gen. Storm: No, a ground pounder, Captain Harlock, 2nd Centauri Star Rifles.

Dr. Halleck: Alright, lets get started. Have a file?

Gen. Storm: Here, but I can do you one better. Out of curiosity, i had a single psych evaluation written up, and listened into a single in-unit briefing via probe.

Dr. Halleck: This again.

Gen. Storm: Listen, my worst fears were confirmed, by both that medicae and the recording. I have before you a gentleman I think could lose his composure any day now, and when an officer cracks, people die.

Dr. Halleck: *whistles* was there a typo on this age?

Gen. Storm: He really has been around that long. The man is older than something like a quarter of the space marines alive today, maybe more. He's older than me for the emperor's sake.

Dr. Halleck: Looks hold up for that age. Juvenat, I presume. Pretty heavy dosage as well if his organs arent failing... Oh, but they're close.

Gen. Storm: Im not here about the physical, and your not that kind of doctor. Read more.

Dr. Halleck: So as I'm skimming this, I'm guessing your looking for a reason to axe him right? That's what this is?

Gen. Storm: I'm looking for a reason to get him mustered out, give him a couple of years of peace before the juve withdrawl kills him. Something. His service record is otherwise outstanding. Has he won every battle? No. But I'll be damned if theres barely any real actionable citations against the name listed here, outside of a few unsubstantiated allegations, and I'll be twice damned if he hasnt lived through some terrible shit. Pardon my language.

Dr. Halleck: But you think his mind didnt?

Gen. Storm: I'm saying no ones mind can. This guy has got to have PTSD like a motherfucker. i don't know why he gets out of bed in the morning. The emperor made the astartes for damage like this, we aren't built for it. But even then I'd just shrug and put an eye on him to see if he shows any signs. Nah, what's going to make him snap is his command element.

Dr. Halleck: You're a general, if their colonel is trash sack him.

Gen. Storm: He's weak but he hasnt done anything wrong. A lot of weak men get command positions. It doesnt mean we can strip rank so casually. You make enemies that way out on crusade. Things happen. Maybe the next day you wake up a lieutenant colonel all of a sudden.

Dr. Halleck: I don't buy that for a second. You have sacked colonels before.

Gen. Storm: I've sacked fuck-ups. This guy hasnt made any move he hasnt covered up well yet. But he has dragged this captain through hell on a cheese grater for reasons I cant fathom.

Dr. Halleck: Seems its a centauri noble thing. Apparently he started a little feud with some important family.

Gen. Storm: Yeah, something like EIGHT centuries ago! Who gives a shit anymore, Vale? Can you remember the hot takes from eight hundred years ago?

Dr. Halleck: So why the bad treatment?

Gen. Storm: Thats what I'm hoping you can answer, because right now, I'm looking for a way to rip a colonel's wings off, and give an old warhound a peaceful put-down.

Dr. Halleck: I'll look into these more. This reads like a biography of the great crusades- the entirety of them. Just one question, why are we bothering, exactly? It's just a captain and colonel in the Auxillia. They wont last long.

Gen. Storm: Because this auxillia was built on a promise. You fight for our emperor for a few years, you get a rank or a medal maybe, you see the universe and how shit it is, and you gain skills in case we or more likely your planet needs you- then you GO HOME. If we start keeping men on the line like this, what is our army going to look like after a few centuries? How human will we remain, if our entire existence is unending galactic war. That is what the emperor sought to stop. The Pax Imperialis is real- ive seen it in the men I get to send home to wives children and parents. And it is why I fight. Jan Harlock is an insult to that dream. I want to fix it. Right goddamn now.

#post

[deathbyseventeen]

3lue || Joshua Element AU

Title: 3lue || For @justkpopjokes, I finally finished what I meant to write for your contest TT

Member: Joshua x Reader 

Genere: Momentary fluff. Adventure. Angst. Then some fluff again. 

Words: 5,797

A/N Maybe part 2???? (unedited - I’ll proofread more tomorrow, y’all have waited long enough. Im sorry for the typos TT) Tell me if you want part 2!

He didn’t understand how he got there, how he was met with blue skies, white clouds, and dark green tree leaves when he opened his eyes. How, when the feeling of his body came back to him, he felt like someone had dropped a boulder on his back.

There were many things he didn’t understand about the current position he was in, that was for sure. But there was one thing that bugged him the most. One that he felt wasn’t normal, but he wasn’t quite sure.

Who was he exactly?

No, he didn’t know and trying to remember just gave him a headache. But there was one thing he knew: he wanted to go for a swim.

————————

“I just don’t get it.” You groaned and swung your metal rod at a nearby tree. “We are two of the best section leaders in our triads. Why exactly are we being sent on this scouting mission.”

The boy behind you threw his head back in exasperation before answering you, “We’ve been over this already, Y/N. If they sent anyone else they’d probably be dead before they even got to the actual part of this mission. We’re section leaders for a reason.” He groaned.

“Well, excuse me, Seungcheol.” You rolled your eyes, “Pardon me, for believing the school would want their best elemental wielders there, you know, in case war suddenly breaks out.” You huffed out and readied to hit another tree.

“Would you stop.” Seungcheol snapped. “We haven’t even found what we’re looking for yet and it’s like you want everything else to come after us.”

“I thought we were the best.” You grumbled as you turned around to glare at him.

“We are.” Seungcheol insisted.

“Oh really? If they picked the best to come, then why isn’t Jeonghan here too?”

“Someone had to stay behind to guard the school. A magic wielder is better off there than here.”

“Is he now?” You raised an eyebrow to challenge him.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Go tell that to him. Another leader in your triad, might I add.”

Seungcheol shook his head, exasperated,  “Let’s take a break.”

You nodded and sighed, “I’ll be…I’ll be in the lake. Don’t follow me. I’ll come back in thirty.” You pointed north and walked off before he could protest.

Every few seconds, you turned around to make sure Seungcheol was no longer in view. Then, as more and more trees began to block your path, you started taking off your clothes.

You dipped your toes in the water and smiled before throwing yourself in.

You sighed and submerged yourself, swimming to the bottom of the lake then rubbing your arms and legs, trying to use the pressure to get a weeks worth of dirt off of you.

A smile worked it's way onto your face as you cleaned yourself. Then you remembered why you had the ability to breathe underwater for so long, even though you weren’t a water based nature wielder.

Your smile turned into a scowl. It was better not remember.

You rubbed your forearm harder, glaring at it like it had done something horrible to you. Then, you flinched and lifted your hand off of it. A patch of skin had peeled off and small blots of blood were coming from it. You shook your head and headed for surface, pulling your forearm to your chest.

You coughed as you surfaced and used your free hand to wipe the water from your eyes. Slowly you opened your eyes, blinking away the burning sensation. A slightly tanned, red-brown haired, cat eyed boy, bare chested, floated in front of you.

“Ah!” You screamed before swimming away to shore, where you scrambled to grab your uniform before ducking behind a tree.

You hustled to get your clothes on; since, you knew that your startled scream had probably reached Seungcheol. A couple of seconds later, you could hear his footsteps pounding against the forest floor.

“Y/N? Y/N? Where are you? What's going on?!” He panted, a hoard of deer and a single bear behind him.

"I'm so sorry!" Lake boy, screamed, walking onto shore. "I swear I didn't know anyone was swimming here. I didn't mean to--"

"Who the hell are you?" Seungcheol asked, falling into a fighting position. “Y/N?!” He screamed again.

You ran out from behind the tree, picked up your rod, and ducked behind Seungcheol.

“He’s a pervert, Coups. I was washing myself in lake and when I came up he was just there, shirtless and— and—“ Seungcheol blinked in confusion as you made gestures and motions toward yourself.

“I’m really sorry!” The boy said, putting his hands up in defense, “I didn’t know anyone was here. I’ve been swimming for half an hour and hadn’t seen anyone.”

“So the moment you do, you decide to approach them even though they aren’t dressed?” You growled.

“No!” The boy exclaimed, “I didn’t even know you were there! You came up while I was swimming! I was startled! I’m sorry!”

“What’s your name?” Seungcheol asked, shooing away the animals slowly.

“I- I’m not sure, I don’t remember anything. I woke up in a clearing not far from here, without any memory of anything.”  

———————

“We shouldn’t be taking him with us.” You hissed at Seungcheol.

“We don’t leave a civilian in distress.” He replied, monotone.

You readied yourself to reply, but he interjected before you could again, “Most reports said that victims were kidnapped and wiped of their memory. Only 3 out of 100 missing people have been found, Y/N." Seungcheol sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.

"We're not leaving him behind. It's out duty to protect the people of our world. We have to help him. Besides," he began, looking uncomfortable, "I ended up at that clearing. It wasn't pretty, there was blood splattered on the trees. Something happened there, something horrible."

You bit back a groan when Seungcheol shot you a tired look. You glared at him for a second before glancing behind you toward the other boy.

He looked comfortable walking through the forest. The sunlight that seeped through the gaps in the trees, cast a glow on his red brown hair. He had clothes on now and he had even ran a hurried hand through his hair to fix it.

Your eyes froze on his downcast ones-- daunting cat eyes, they were unmistakable.

"Fine." You bit the bottom of your lip, "What should we do?"

"Take him to the nearest village, let them spread the word of another victim found. But," Seungcheol trailed off, shooting you a careful glance.

"But what?" You said as your eyes narrowed.

"We should take him to the Cave of Legends first. The villagers always speak of the legends to their kids. Maybe he'll remember something like his name, where he comes from, or if he even has abilities like ours."

———————

Leaves crunched under the weight of your feet, as you stomped on ahead of Seungcheol and the amnesiac boy. Seungcheol had decided that it would be better to start telling him about the world you live in, and took the rear with him.

They were only a couple of feet behind you, so their conversation was of no secret to you. Even more, the boy would respond enthusiastically, loudly.

"Wait! So that means you two are from some magical school that trains you to fight monsters?!"

"Well not magic, not everyone. We're called elementals because each of us can control something or be something."

"Like?"

"Like I'm part of the nature group. You know, some can control the greenery, others animals, and others water, etcetera etcetera."

"And the others??"

"Well--"

"The others are of no business to you." You snapped turning around and stomping towards them.

"Sorry to break it to you, Cat-eyes, but there are only three elemental schools. You hear me? Three. And all three would have reported if there were dead or missing elementals. Which, if you haven't caught on yet, means you're probably not one of us." You hissed.

Cat-eyes, wide-eyed, took a step back before Seungcheol stopped him.

"Y/N." Seungcheol snapped. "He has no memory--"

"The reason to why we're taking him to cave of legends in the first place!” You huffed.

“Look, I’m sorry—“

“Sorry, sorry, sorry. Is that all you can say for yours—“

“Look out!” Cat-eyes shouted, tackling you. The back of your head hit the ground with a light thump, you groaned, and before you could regain your senses properly, you felt a heavy weight atop of you be lifted and the cushion under your head ripped from underneath you.

A scream followed immediately after.

You were pulled to your feet by Seungcheol and propped up against a tree. There was a ringing in your ears, so you couldn’t tell what he was trying to tell you. You nodded anyways and watched as he ran off, transforming into an eagle.

You squinted, trying to figure out what had just attacked. Little by little, the blurry figure twenty feet away came into focus.

It was a giant.

You gasped. Amnesiac was in the hand of a fifteen foot giant. Then you gagged as it’s stench hit you. You shook your head, this wooden skinned giant, covered in moss, wasn’t about to get the best of you.

“Coups,” you croaked, “fire.”  You didn’t know how, maybe it was because of all the animal transformations he could do, but even from fifteen feet in the sky, he could hear you.  

He nose dived from the giant’s head onto his fist, where it held Cat-eyes. Even from a distance you could tell Cat-eyes was frozen in fear, the strength of that giant holding him turning him purple.

Seungcheol transformed back into human form when he landed on the fist, then put his arms around Cat-eyes. He turned his gaze in your direction and it was all you needed to know.

You threw yourself to the spot where you had stood before Cat-eyes had tackled you. You grabbed your rod and rose it into the air as the giant prepared to kill both boys with his other hand.

You focused on his hand, imagining electricity crawling out from within you, forming in the clouds and poising itself for attack. Soon enough, your entire body was engulfed in an electrical yellow glow.

You let out a war cry and aimed the tip of your rod at the giant’s arm. Lightning shot out of the tip and the sky, hitting its wrist. It screamed in pain and panic as fire raced up it’s wooden skin.

It let go of Cat-eyes, but before he could fall to his death, Seungcheol transformed into a bigger version of a harpy and grabbed onto to him and flew him to you before landing next to you.

“It’s weaker, kill it.” He heaved.

“I can’t put more on him,” you struggled to get out, since, you were controlling the spread of the fire, “more electricity, more fire, it’ll burn the forest.”

“Then I’ll just attack it aga—“

“You can’t! We can’t win this one, we have to go! Get ready to run!” You counted to three before letting yourself lose control of the fire, grabbing Cat-eyes hand, and rushing past the giant, in the direction of the cave.

—————————

“You control fire.” Cat-eyes whispered in awe.

“I don’t control fire.”

“Yes you do. That’s what you did when you saved us.” He sulked, playing with the twigs on the floor.

The three of you sat outside a small pit that you had dug up to hold a small fire. Cat-eyes sat across from you, on the other side of the fire. Meanwhile, Seungcheol was asleep between the both of you, curling into the heat of the fire.

You nodded nonchalantly, and kicked another log into the fire. His gloomy expression made you sigh inaudibly and throw your head back.

Through the thick of the trees, you could see a few stars, and with that, you made your decision.

“Fate is a funny thing, don’t you think?” You let yourself fall onto your back so you could stare at the two dots in the sky. You didn’t want him to reply, but you knew he would.

“I’m- I’m not sure. Is it?”

You hummed a yes, “It is. You probably had a life before your memories got taken away. And I, I was gifted with the ability of summoning lighting and controlling its products.”

“Oh, so that’s your power.”

“Mmm.” You replied. You expected that to be the end of the conversation, but a few silent moments later, he coughed into his arm.

“Sorry about, you know..the lake. I was there for a while, though. How- how did you last so long underwater?”

You pushed yourself up, off the ground, to look at him and his nervous facial expression. He stared at you for a few seconds before flinching and going back to playing with the twigs at his feet, muttering a quick apology.

"That's another funny fate, you see." You let out in a small breath. You waited for him to glance at you before laying back down.

Then, you let a dry chuckle, as you stared at the flickering duo of stars above you.

"I knew this boy when I was younger, he was from the same village I was, and we grew up together, inseparable."

"A boy?"

"Mm. He was born a nature elemental like me, except, his ability was to breathe underwater and control it. His aura was impressive too-- you see, he had no color, his aura was invisible, shifting, but you knew it was there."

"He taught you? Can't be that impressive if he isn't here with you and Seungcheol." He whispered.

"I guess Seungcheol told you why we were sent here too." You shrugged, "Anyways, everyday he would take me to the lake by our village and train me to do the same."

"You miss it, don't you? I can hear it in your voice. What about the boy? If he was so impressive shouldn't he be here with you?" Cat-eyes whispered, inching closer to you to be able to see your face.

You chuckled, “That’s what I thought too. That’s what he promised anyways, that we’d both attend the Elemental School, be placed in a triad together under the same elemental: Nature.”

You glanced at Cat-eyes and he nodded at you to continue, “But, when recruitment day came, I failed to notice that he hadn't shown up to our village sport field to show off his element. Then, when my acceptance letter came, I stood at the village boarder, betrayed. That was the last time I saw him."

"Don't you ever get to go home?"

"No, Elm School is a one way ticket. He didn't even come to say goodbye; and, now it's been four years." You shook your head and turned to lay on your side, away from him. Childhood memories and betrayals were the least of your worries now. There were more important tasks at hand.

"This fire is a beacon to everything. Go to sleep, I'll keep watch for a while.”

He didn't answer, so you imagined he had gone to sleep. You, on the other hand, tossed and turned, trying not to look at the boy with the familiar cat eyes.

——————————

Half an hour before the sun rose, you were startled awake by some noise in the woods. Already awake and staring off into the distance, it took you a while to notice that you were in someone’s arms. Cat-eyes had an arm draped over your waist, and another under your head as a pillow, and your back against his chest.

You could feel his breath fanning the back of your ear. But, the air around you was still, stiff, and it was giving you the urge to squirm, even in the slight comfort you felt in his arms.

Then, when the sun started to rise, the stiffness of the air made you feel like you were being watched.

When you heard Seungcheol toss and turn, then groan as he awakened, you pushed yourself away from the boy, sat up and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but something still felt off.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?”

You gave the perimeter a glance over before answering, “Nothing. We should set off now, I’ll wake amnesiac. You, go find us some food to go.”

He nodded groggily before leaving.

You turned to the boy and gave him a once over, his previously wet hair was in slight knots. You reached over hesitantly, the tips of your fingers brushing over the tips of his red-brown fringe.

He let out a shudder and leaned into your touch. But, you panicked and retracted your arm. He groaned at the absence of your touch and curled into a ball before turning his back to you.

You cocked your head and waited for his breathing to even before placing the tips of your fingers on the small of his head, gently undoing one of the knots that had formed.

Then, you realized what you were doing. You moved your hand onto his back and gave him a push, making roll into the fire pit.

He yelped on his way down and shot up when his roll was over. You stifled a giggle when he ran a hand down his face, spreading dirt over his face.

“Mornin’.” You said, straight-faced, cocking your head like you were confused at what had jut happened.

“G-good morning. Where’s Seungcheol?” He stuttered.

“Gone to find some food. We set off when he get’s back.” It was probably a second or two later that Seungcheol came back with berries in his hands.

————————

Despite your better judgement, you walked with the boy and Seungcheol, listening to Seunghceol go on about his life. Abruptly, you heard him switch the topic from him to you.

“I’m sorry about Y/N, they’re really not this mean or cold, they just have trouble trusting anyone. You should have seen how long it took for them to trust me.”

“Is it because of that boy they knew when they were younger? Before they got to Elm school?” He asked, curiously. Had they forgotten you were next to them.

“I’m right here, you know. You can’t just gossip about me that easily, you know. It's rude to gossip."

"It's not gossip if you can hear us."

"Says you." You snapped, glaring at both of them.

“Is that the boy you told me last night?” Amnesiac asked and you cringed. It had taken you three years to open up to Seungcheol, and now he knew that you had told a random boy in the spur of the moment.

“That’s none of your concern.” Seungcheol raised an eyebrow in your direction and you shook your head in response.

“Oh. Well, there’s actually something that I haven’t told you guys.”

“What?” You asked suspiciously.

“My name, I remembered it. I’m Joshua Hong, it came back to me while I was sleeping.”

“Congrats on remembering your first name. Do you remember anything else?” You deadpanned, raising an eyebrow as you questioned him.

"No." He whispered sheepishly. You mumbled a quiet 'great' under your breath, then jumped over a fallen trunk.

"How long until we're at the cave?"

“We’re already here.”

“What? But, there’s no cave.”

You stopped in front of a wall of vines and aimed your rod like you were about to stab it, then did. Your electric yellow glow electric yellow aura snaked its way down your rod before extending itself off like octopus legs onto the vines. Then, like they were alive, the vines sucked the aura in and parted down the middle, creating an entrance.

"Here." You motioned at the part, smirking.

Joshua gaped at you, astonished. Seungcheol chucked and patted him on the back before walking past him inside.

"Well," you drew out, "are you going inside or staying out here?" You said, but it seemed he wasn't done gaping at you yet. So, you let out a huff and grabbed his hand, pulling him inside.

It was pitch black inside, yet you continued walking down a rocky path that was titled downwards. After a minute, you felt Joshua hold your hand tighter.

When you were younger, you would have laughed at the idea of someone being afraid of the Cave of Legends. Though, remembering the first time you were made traverse down the cave held you back from laughing at him. His reaction was beyond normal, but at least he had you, you had had no one.

"Alright we're here." You muttered to Joshua, "Seungcheol?"

"Right here. Would you do the honors?"

You nodded, then realized he couldn't see you. "Incendio." You commanded.

Three colored orbs birthed from the ground collided with the walls, and splattered like paint before recessing into the walls. Moments after, a low glow could be seen spreading across the wall, creating lit up figures.

Seungcheol coughed and motioned to your hand. You raised an eyebrow in question but glanced downward anyways. Your hand was still holding Joshua's. You choked back a cough and ripped your hand out of his, stepping away from him and next to Seungcheol.

"This," Seungcheol motioned around him in a wave, "is where our story begins. We’ll make it quick.“

You cleared your throat and motioned to the wall behind you, “A millennia ago, multiple auroras appeared above a town not far from here. Awestruck, the community wandered outside, but when they did it disappeared. Instead, three colored orbs, blue, green, and red, rested mid air in the middle of the night.”

You grabbed his hand, trying not to look him or Seungcheol in the eyes, and brought it up the a glowing blue circle on the wall, and held it there for him to feel its vibrations as you spoke. “I am the patron of the element of fire.”

You moved it to the glowing green circle, “I am the patron of the element of nature.” Then, moved it to the last glowing circle, a red one, “And I am the patron of the element of Magic.”

Seungcheol turned him to the other wall and you continued the story as other drawings lit up, “The nature patron spoke first of his prophecy, ‘From tomorrow onwards, your children will be born with gifts based on our elements. One day, together, three will rise as the most powerful, one for each of us.’”

“Then, the magic patron came in with its prophecy, ‘Enemies of the world will rise and seek these users, destroying anyone who gets in their way.’”

“The giants?” He asked turning to look at you, wide eyed.

You nodded and pointed at a carving a little away from him, “And more.”

Seungcheol then took over, “The magic patron took hope away from the world, but it was the fire patron who gave it back, ‘The three most powerful users will form a triad squadron, with no more than five or four soldiers behind them— they will know who those are. Together they will know what to do to defeat earth’s enemies, but only after they face their opposites for the first time; and, purity will be the first to begin after it learns of its mistakes.’”

The glowing subsided and you were all plunged into darkness. “Common,” you whispered pulling on his elbow, “it’s time to go now. We have to take you to the nearest village.”

Silence. You heard him shuffle around before he intertwined his fingers with yours. You tensed but relaxed when he ran his thumb over yours.

Together, you walked in silence, the pitter of patter of rain outs the only noise that resonated through the cave. Even, Seungcheol’s heavy breathing took a back seat to the cries of the skies.

When the light of the outside began seeping through small holes in the vines, you let go of Joshua’s hand. You turned around to glance at him and gave him a small smile, “The nearest village—“

“Is only a couple of hours away. We’ll get you there so don’t worry.” Seungcheol smiled, patting his back.

“Can I really not come with you guys? I feel comfortable around you.”

“Sorry,” you whispered, “it’s too dangerous for someone who doesn’t have a gift.”

“Oh.” He replied, his brown eyes boring into yours.

“Common.” You said, parting the vines and stepping outside with Seungcheol.

Joshua looked back, something inside him told him he had never been to this cave, but he knew of the legends very well and it didn’t sit well with him. A nervous buzz settled within him, but whenever he looked at Y/N it would calm.

He shook his head, he was probably just being paranoid.

“AH!” He heard you scream and sprinted for the exit. He stumbled and struggled to grab onto the vines because of the scene before him.

A giant, bigger than the one from before, took a step in front of you and Seungcheol. It cackled at the sight of you preparing to shoot it with your lightning rod. With a slight flick of its pinky finger, it sent you and your rod flying against a tree.

Seungcheol, on the other hand, had transformed into an eagle again and was attacking its face.

The giants laugh shook the ground. It swatted its hand through the air and knocked him out from the sky. On his way down, unconscious, he transformed back into human form. His ability was basically knocked out of him.

He hit the tree and bounced back, landing a couple of feet away from Joshua.

Joshua stumble backwards in shock, landing on his behind. He gasped, shook off his shock, crawling toward him to pull him inside. But, it was too late, the giant’s hand swooped down and grabbed him.

Then, it turned to grab Y/N front the ground too. Joshua, frozen in his spot, watched as the giant stalked off in the direction it had come from.

—————————

Joshua hid in the shadows of the tree line, where the giant hadn’t disturbed the trees.

He had followed its trail of destruction for three before finding its territory. From his spot behind a tree he could see the giant sitting on the ground, grabbing clumps of dirt in its bulbous hands and eating it.

In the pit that he had formed because of that, he had tied you and Seungcheol to split tree trunks. Seungcheol was still out of it and unconscious, but you, you were staring at something by the base of the giants feet.

“Human,” its chuckle made the ground rumble, “do you know what this is?” You shook your head once.

“It is the memory of the one who was destined to fight me and destroy me.” Its laughter boomed, “Well it fought me and lost. I took its memory and flung it into the distance.”

Joshua shuddered. How was he supposed to get you out of this mess? In hindsight he should have probably just gone to the village and asked for assistance from an elemental user.

He had no power.

What was he supposed to do. Fight it with his bare hands? The giant would probably laugh and flick him away like he had to the last one who fought it.

No, he shook his head. He’d be bait. All he had to do was untie you, give you your lighting rod and then you could fight.

He didn’t understand why, but he knew something inside of him was telling him he had to do this. Even if he didn’t really know you, and even if you had been cold to him the entire time he had been with you guys.

He had to get you out. He had to help you. He couldn’t just leave you behind. There was a pang in his heart every time he trued to consider it.

Joshua moved from his tree and snuck up behind the giant. It was so big it shouldn’t be able to hear any of his steps from so far away.

“I’ll take your memory and his as a souvenir before flinging your dead bodies into that forest.” It cackled, “Did you find the hero’s body while you were there? Your so called trees should be watered with its blood.”

“What?” You squeaked, squirming in your binds, eyes widening.

Joshua took the giant’s continuous laughter as his cue to throw you your rod. Luckily for Joshua’s impromptu plan, the rod landed against your tree trunk, one tip against the dirt and the other pointing at the sky.

Your eyes widened to a comical size and in a second, you reached out so your pinky could touch it. Joshua grinned when it did because a second later, lighting was falling from the sky.

Your bindings were undone with one and with another the giant was screaming “my eye.”

You ran to Seungcheol and undid his bindings before shooting yourself out of the hole. Joshua ran to your side to help you carry Seungcheol to safety.

“Take him.” You panted, “Go. I need to go back.”

“What?!” He exclaimed. “You can’t go back! It’ll kill you!”

You shook your head and pushed Seungcheol’s weight onto him, “Go.” Then, you ran off toward the giant, falling back into hole.

Joshua stared back in horror but obeyed you anyways. After all, what could he do to help? Nothing.

Inside the hole, you ran to the giant’s feet, eyes trained on a glowing blue orb. Inside you could make out images of a lake and a child that looked all to familiar.

Before long, the image would flicker and change again, this time to scene you knew you knew. It was you, at the edge of town when you were about leave, looking back hoping that he could come.

He had been there, but he had let you go like you meant nothing to him. These were his memories.

You grabbed the orb and aimed your rod at the sky. You used your power to fling yourself out again. Unfortunately, by this time, the giant had recovered. With a swing of his hand, he swatted you out of the sky and into the forest line.

You groaned while clutching the orb to your chest.

“Give me back my prize.” It roared.

“Y/N? Y/N?” Joshua hurried, shaking you. You forced yourself to open your eyes despite the weight.

“Joshua?” You whispered.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s me.”

“Here.” You whimpered, pushing the orb into his hands. “Place it against your lips and breathe in.”

‘Wha—“

“I’m sorry.” You forced out before you went under, slumping into his arms.

Joshua gulped as he carried you over to Seungcheol, wiping a bit of dirt off of your face.

He glanced down at the orb in his hands, watching as the pictures changed. Shuddering, he placed the orb against his lips and breathed in, closing his eyes in the process.

A tingle shot down his body, like electricity was running down his body. It went down before racing back up toward his head.

He stumbled and braced himself against a tree, he felt like his brain was freezing over. Then it happened.

He remembered.

Imagines flashed behind closed eyes.

A smaller you giggling in his arms as he instructed you to hold your breath. Him watching you show off your powers on recruitment day from afar.

Him, hiding behind a tree, watching as you kept glancing back and delaying your departure. He had hidden deep in the forest for days, curled up against his knees, half of his body glowing blue.

His eyes shot open. He looked down on himself and grimaced when he realized half of his body was already glowing blue and a pure blue fire was nipping at that same side.

He clenched his fist.

“Hey!” Joshua hollered, stalking up to the giant.

“You.” It growled.

“Me.” Joshua affirmed.

The giant roared and aimed its hand at him. Joshua’s jaw clenched, this was the first of many sorries, and he was going to make each of them count.

Blue fire. Pure blue fire. He had two elemental abilities by his side, but he only needed one.

He screamed and ran toward the giant, hand outstretched as fire shot out of his hands and body, engulfing not only him but the giant as well.

—————————

Even in the endless darkness around you, you could feel a pain and sadness growing inside you. Well, it was more like it finally made its presence inside because you could the strength of it’s roots around your heart and stomach.

It was suffocation that finally made you realize that you weren’t really in a pit darkness. You were stuck, awake and with all your senses, but not wanting to open your eyes.

It was the instincts of survival, fight or flight. You didn’t know why, but something inside of you told you that ‘flight’ was the right answer, but that ‘fight’ was the only one you were allowed to take.

You felt a pang in your heart, great enough to make you cringe and move a hand over your heart. When it subsided, you eyes fluttered open and instantly landed on the boy in front of you.

He was dressed in a jeans and a checkered white and teal shirt, his red-brown hair comes and parted on one side. His eyes were closed, but even in your daze you could still visualize the blue glow that came from his right side, the one you saw for a second after a surge of energy had run through the ground while he gained his memories, waking you before passing out again.

Your eyes trailed down to where one of his arms was extended, your other hand enveloped in his.

“It was me. I was the one who betrayed you.” He whispered. Slowly, you lifted your gaze to meet his, but didn’t answer.

“You knew who I was.” Tears gathered in his eyes, a reflection of yours.

“I was the one to hurt you, after I said I wouldn’t. You knew it was me, didn’t you? Didn’t you?!” You looked away and stared at the diagram of a heart above him. “Why did you pretend to not know me?”

“Because you made your choice, and I made mine.” You whispered out, a small crack in your voice, and tears slipping down your face as you removed your hand from his.

“Y/N.” He croaked out, as he wiped away your tears with the pads of his thumbs. “I’m sorry.”  

#3lue AU #Seventeen #Seventeen AU #Seventeen Imagine #Seventeen Imagines #Seventeen Joshua Hong #Seventeen Joshua AU #Seventeen Joshua Imagines #Seventeen Hong Jisoo AU #Seventeen Hong Jisoo #Seventeen Jisoo #Seventeen Jisoo Imagines #Hong Jisoo Imagines #Hong Jisoo AU #Joshua Hong #Joshua Hong AU #Joshua Imagines #Joshua AU #justpopjokes #DeathbySeventeen #My Writing

[eirianerisdar]

more obitine p l e a s e i want them to be happy (or at least not dead i'll take not dead)

Summary: This was supposed to be written a month ago, as a continuation of the Satine Lives AU that I wrote for a three-sentence fic prompt, but since I’ve been terribly busy, here we go. Set right after the end of ROTS (just corrected a typo there, I’d accidentally written ROTJ before), with everything the same except Satine’s continued existence.

(Also because, you know, anything in connection to Luke Kryze will always be awesome)

Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Satine Kryze, Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano (mentioned), Captain Rex (Mentioned)

Chapters: 1/1

I’ve cross posted this to ff.net!

The Question, Twenty Years Late

The war is over.

Satine stands alone on the palace balcony, and watches the afternoon sunlight glance off the glass towers of Sundari.

The people of Mandalore go about their ways in peace; Ahsoka, Rex, and their men have seen to that. Their last act as general and captain was to break the Siege of Mandalore, and return the system to Satine’s governance.

And then, in the midst of their post-battle laughter, came the order.

Satine remembers the minutes after the first declaration of order sixty-six with mind-numbing clarity.

There was confusion as the troopers not under Ahsoka’s direct command turned blasters towards her, and Ahsoka’s men reflexively raised theirs in return; there was blasterfire, and agonised screaming, one voice but from the mouths many men, brother, brother, why are you doing this-

Satine had wondered, later on, when Ahsoka and Rex and their surviving men have been rushed onto her fastest ship and sent blasting off into unknown space - whether her dream of two krayt dragons, brothers, tearing each other to pieces on black sand was truly simply a dream.

It had seemed too real.

Below Satine’s trembling feet, the palace walls are decorated with frescoes of dying Jedi, crushed under Mandalorian soldiers’ boots in millenia of war. And beyond this biodome, beyond Sundari, Mandalore is covered with dust ground from a billion soldiers’ bones.

The war is over, but at what cost?

Soon, Satine knows, the newly-self-declared emperor will send fresh troops to Mandalore, and ask for her sworn fealty.

It will fill her lips with gall to swear it; but she will have to. To do otherwise would be to condemn her people to extinction.

Her hands clench white and bloodless around the durasteel railing, and she fights the urge to lose her very insubstantial lunch over the balcony side.

Obi-Wan was on Utapau when it happened.

The holonet had been very vocal about his death.

She had not felt anything when she saw. She knew, in a way, that ten thousand Jedi had perished. That statistic, she could comprehend.

She could not, and cannot, comprehend Obi-Wan’s death.

The balcony doors slide open behind her, with hiss of compressed air. It sounds like the gasping breaths of a dying planet.

Satine closes her eyes against the afternoon sunlight, treacherous moisture prickling at her eyelashes, and waits for her attendant to announce the arrival of an Imperial Senate messenger, who will rip Mandalore from her like a child from her side.

But then, suddenly:

“Hello, there.”

Shock. Disbelief.

Satine turns in place.

Joy.

Utter, complete, rage-filled urge to slap the red-gold beard off that smirking face.

She stalks towards him, hands still clenched into fists, moisture that had welled in her eyes for another reason entirely suddenly breaking free into a torrent of furious tears. She might be snarling. She doesn’t care.

“Obi-Wan, you-”

He lifts calm, tired eyes to meet her tear-streaked gaze and says, with a little catch of humorous grief in his voice, “Shh, my dear, you’ll wake the baby.”

The-

Satine slides sharply to a stop, and stares at the little bundle in the crook of Obi-Wan’s arm.

“This is Luke,” Obi-Wan says, with that same strange lilt in his words. “My- my nephew.”

That raises many questions, but she does not voice them. Satine raises a finger, and brushes it along a pink cheek soft in slumber.

“Satine.” There is something new in Obi-Wan’s voice, now.

She looks at him, and reaches out gently to lower his hood. There is ash in his hair, and black sand speckled in his beard. His tunics, she notices for the first time, are scorched and worn. Her hands skitter over his cheekbones, his chin.

Obi-Wan smiles at her, a shadow of the cocksure grin that had stolen her heart across a campfire, almost two decades ago now, in the year of Mandalore’s civil war. “I’m not sure how to do this, and I’m probably doing it wrong,” he begins. “I know I’m supposed to have a ring, at least. I don’t. I’ve come to your doorstep with nothing but a scarred lightsaber and a baby.” His lips twitch, sardonically, as if realising the ridiculousness of that statement. “But if you’ll have me?”

That last sentence washes over Satine’s ears without entering them for a moment.

“You’re asking,” she says. It isn’t really a question.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan replies, gaze steady. “I’d kneel, but I’m holding Luke, so it would be somewhat awkward.”

“I…” Satine’s hands are frozen on Obi-Wan’s face.

“I once said I would have left the Order, had you said the word,” Obi-Wan murmurs, slipping a hand out from under Luke’s weight to clasp her hand where it rests on his cheekbone. “I know now why you did not - and I am asking a burden of you, to do this. I am asking you to raise a child not your own, and to marry a man who is a death sentence walking, for all the Empire’s intent. Forgive me for asking, but I think I have to.”

He falls silent with the air of a man awaiting either his pardon or his exile.

“What of attachment?” Satine says, softly.

“We were fools. Attachment, in the end, is simply valuing something above our service to the Force; it was something I did not teach, nor understood well enough, until now. And in the end, it brought about this horror.” There is shame there, in those whispered words; sorrow, and grief.

Satine traces Obi-Wan’s face with a perceptive gaze; there are lines there she had not noticed before, like the faint lines that edge her face in the mirror each morning, now.

But there is also a smooth, unmarked face, sleeping quietly between them.

Satine leans forward, and presses her lips to his cheek.

“Yes,” she says.

He makes a sound, something between a hiccup and a sob. Joy, and grief. The next moment, he has pulled her into an awkward embrace, one arm around her and the other holding the child, their child now, between them. She reaches out instinctively to support Luke’s head.

“Satine,” Obi-Wan says. It is all he needs to say.

The Empire will be sending visitors, Satine knows; today, tomorrow, in a week, in years and decades to come - but for the present moment, this is their joy, and it is complete.

END

@qwertyuiop678 here you are.

My Fanfic masterlist

My ff.net profile

#tcw #swtcw #obi-wan kenobi #satine kryze #obitine #the clone wars #star wars the clone wars #star wars #replies #fanfic #my post #luke #satine #kenobi #Star Wars fanfic

[kamenowriting]

Change chapter 15

Fandom: Hakuouki ~Sweet School Life~ Summary: When Yukimura Chizuru was taking an enrollment of Hakuou Academy, she discovers that it’s an all-boys high school! So she pretends herself as a boy, though her secret can’t kept it longer. And what’s worst, a certain President of Student Council had interested in her despite she hasn’t told her real identity yet. Characters: [Kazama Chikage, Yukimura Chizuru,] [Amagiri Kyuuju & Senhime] Pairings: KazaChi, harem!Chizuru(Saitou/Hijikata/Souji/Heisuke/Yamazaki) & AmaSen Genres: Romance, school life Rated: T rated Words: 19, 423 Link: Byaichi126fic, Fanfiction.net Warnings: Grammar error, AU, OOC-ness, typos

A/N:  Aaaaaaaaahhhhh! I’m so sorry for the late-ish updating..! I wasn’t expecting to be writing this long.. probably I’ve been a little distracting of my real life. OTL

More babbling should be in FF.net

Special thank you to a very amazing person whom kindly sharing us all Hakuouki SSL sprites rips. I’ve been waiting for these for like almost 5+ YEARS or so?!! The Background however, are not made by me nor originally from Hakuouki. Most of it I found if google images obviously.

I apologized there’s no Kazama/KazaChi scene thingy since I can’t find a suitable background for those two OTL

Preview:

"By the way, Amagiri," Kazama began. "When I mentioned you about girl, who are you thinking about?"

"Pardon?"

Turning around to meet the other man's ocean-blue eyes, searching of whatever the person the red-headed man think of a moment ago.

"You have a very strange smile on your face when you were having a deep thought." Kazama narrowed his eyes. "Do you by any chance meet someone in coincidently?"

"That is…" Amagiri mumbled, not knowing what to say. "Rest to be assured, Kazama-sama," Amagiri began, averted his eyes by lowering his head down. "for whoever woman or girl I thought of a moment ago doesn't have to do with you or Yukimura-dono."

"Oh…? You're sharp." Kazama commented. "Well, whatever. If your words are honest, then I suppose I shouldn't have to worry about."

“Sexual harassment..? Oh no, of course I’m not intending to do that.”

“Then what is?”

“I saw her looking a little down. I was expecting she was a bit cold or something. So I gave her a medicine as my Christmas gift to make sure she’s fine. It would be a little troublesome if a guest falls a sick in a Christmas Eve such as this.” Sannan explained, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

“Whether she’s sick or not, touching her without permission is still known as sexual harassment.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Your Christmas gift.” Kazama stated clearly.

“I… I don’t have a Christmas present for you.. I-I’m sorry Kazama-senpai.”

“Oh, I think you’re already have by now.”

“Eh?”

As she blinked in confused of his words, the President’s face starting to move closer to hers, and, oh she knows what does those words meant about.

Feelings her cheeks burnt up in red from embarrassingly, she pushed his face away to stop him from whatever he’s trying to scheme of.

“Wait, wait, wait..! This is..! It’s too soon!” She exclaimed in panic, her ears began to flush as well.

He can’t do that in here…!

"I suggest that we must return to your manor in haste." Amagiri break Sen's thought of his and Kimigiku's relationship, her eyes lift up into the ocean-blue ones. "Wouldn't want Miss Kimigiku worry of you more."

"Oh.. of course!," with that, Sen hopped on her heels while walking next to the red-headed man a little closer.

She wondered.. would she ever gets an answer about whatever kinds of feeling she had for this man…?

Chapter 15

Ever since meeting the red-headed man that day, flashback starting to occur in her dream. There, the little Suzuka watched her friend and Kosuzu played along with the other kids. Knowing that there are boys at the playground, Sen eventually refused to play along with them; rather watching the others having fun without her.

Envy of how fun they're all had, Sen lets her sigh released from her lips.

If it wasn't for that man, she wouldn't…

"Don't you wanna play with them?"

A male voice around possible 14 years spoke to her as he stood next to Sen but not close to her personal space.

"There are boys over there. I hate them."

"Why? I do not remember they have done something terrible to you,"

"Of course they haven't…" she paused. "…yet. Sooner or later, they might pick a fight after this."

With that, the teenager nodded and murmured.

"..I suppose, there's a chance."

Glaring on the other male, Sen began to speak.

"What are you doing here anyway? You didn't come here to talk to me right?"

"In truth, not really. I've come here just to make sure my lord won't do something crazily."

"Oh, pretty sure he already did by now."

Sen said with an uninterested tone on her lips, as she rolled her eyes on elsewhere.

"However, when I saw you sitting here, I just thought you need someone accompany."

"Oh yeah, maybe I do, thank you very much." Sen replied sarcastically.

"I apologized if my presence nuisance to you." The teenager said apologetically. "If you want me to leave, then, I'll leave."

Upon of leaving the Suzuka alone, Sen sighed and replied lowly.

"Your presence is not nuisance or anything." With that, the other person looked at her in a hidden perplexed. "I have my own reasons why I'm being this way toward you and other boys. I won't tell you any further as it doesn't has to do with you."

At that, Sen was expecting that the teenager boy would eventually take a leave after all, but instead…

"Then, if you don't mind, I'll stay here with you until evening then."

"Sure, sure. Only one circumstance though," Sen grabbed a stick and drew a line on the ground about a few millimeter away from hers and the other person. "Don't you dare step into this line, got it?"

With that, the teenager boy gave a soft chuckled as a reply. It wasn't in insult or sarcastic however. Instead, it was more as… amusing.

"As you wish, Miss Sen."

With that, the two watched the other kids having fun at the playground.

Before her flashback began to end, Sen took a time to glance on the other person's amazing red hair.

It was the most beautiful hair color she had ever seen.

…And she would never forget it no matter how many years would come.

As the dream starting to fade away, the older Suzuka began to flutter her eyes opened, took a gaze on the ceiling above her.

A man with an amazing red hair.

It has the same color as the man yesterday.

To think, her past starting to replay back in her at a time like this. …Not that she bothered or something. It's almost as if the dream wanted to know that the man in her past was the most important person in her life. The dream wanted to make sure that there are many male she can trusted of, beside Kazama and Shiranui(?). Although it's hard to say what she sees of the tan-skinned man, but she does finds Shiranui a bit nuisance as he had a similar vibe of being a bad boy or delinquent, in which, Sen did not hesitated distrust him.

Speaking of the red-headed man,

It's complicated to say what kind of feeling she'd felt for him. He's not annoying like Kazama. He's not even a playboy like Shiranui. Despite he had a same age between Kazama and Shiranui, yet, almost everything about him is more like 20 years old or so…? She didn't know.. she can't tell.. but for sure… little by little, she'd starting to open up a little because of his gentle and kindness toward her. The chains that been tied up in her heart slowly starting to loosen up.

She wondered.. is it a good idea to give a chance to open up that red-headed man? What if, he's been playing on her to take a chance to hurt her? …Well, for an older man with a gentle smile, there's a higher doubt that he would break her apart.

Even so…

"Osen-neesan!" Kosuzu's voice brings her back to reality. "Breakfast had prepared!"

As soon as her thought about that man started to disappear because of her sister's cheerful chirp, Sen gave the most beautiful smile on her face, hopped off from her bed as she readying herself to go to school.

Beside she's getting exciting for school, there are another thing she's exciting more;

Serizawa Christmas Party.

To think, she getting invited to someone else's party, and not to mention it, from the red-headed man of course.

Knowing that he'll be her partner to accompany her all the way to Serizawa Christmas Party, he might've wearing a very gorgeous black tuxedo with a blue rose that attached on his right pocket.

She has to admit it though, his hair really needs to fix by at least cut it off reached to his neck or something, combed in neat as well to make sure men and women see him in respectful and polite.

But, of course. She doubted that he would listen her opinion.

Serizawa Christmas Party, huh? Sen thought to herself as she eyed on her highschool uniform in her drawer.

Once she finally grabbed her clothes, her smile began wider than ever.

Let's meet again, Mr. Red-Headed Man.

Meanwhile with Kazama,

after he'd accompanied his beautiful and graceful girlfriend all the way to Hakuou Academy by walking, the couple has to part away at the gate as he needs to finish his paperwork as soon as possible by today. It's disappointed to him however that he didn't get to spend a pleasant times with her as it almost about Christmas after all.

Chizuru's reply, however, that she didn't mind if she wouldn't get accompanied with the President a little longer since she needs to get some things in her locker after all. She highly doubted that the President is going to be amused having around with… commoner friends such as Heisuke and Souji. The part of commoner word is not from Chizuru's lips of course. It's belonged to none other than the richest, yet arrogant President. Who would it be beside him? The brunette would never call her friends that way.

Before parting away, Kazama replied with his famous smirk on his face and giving Chizuru a goodbye kiss(on cheek), which, as usual, the young brunette's face was flushing in red from embarrassment. She's still far from innocent to receive a kiss on the lips. He would be a very patient as he wanted to until she's getting used to kissing on her cheeks.

Every parts of his-soon-to-be-wife often amused him. Knowing that she's not like any other rich girl, she's quite innocent, kind, and often cares and worries of her friends surrounding her than herself. then again, that must be an effect after losing her parent in a very young age. Then again, the President actually prefers this kind of girl he's seeking for.

"Now then, what kind of special Christmas gift should I give her?" Kazama said, scheming onto something, while putting his fingers on his chin. "Since she had a feeling for me after all, this would take an opportunity to give her engagement ring when her graduation has finally come." The President nodded in proudly as he had some more plans that's related to his girlfriend and… trouble.

"But where's the fun would be then?" Kazama smirked at that but soon starting to fade away as he realized giving an engagement ring is a bit too much. ..Well, since Christmas Eve is around the corner, the President has to give her the most perfect Christmas present to make sure Chizuru could only sees him and him only. Not anyone else.

As the President was having a deep thought, he realized he wasn't alone in the office.

Eyeing on a familiar broad shoulders of the red-headed man, Kazama began to break the silent toward the other man.

"So, Amagiri," Kazama began, waiting for his personal servant eyed on him. "In your opinions about girls, what's the best gift would she likes the most?"

"Opinions about girls?" Amagiri blinked. "I assume, you must've referred to Yukimura-dono, yes?"

"Obviously?"

With that, Amagiri starting to have a deep thought for a moment, putting his fingers on his chin. It took a short moment then he finally answer.

"How about flowers?" The red-headed man started. "Maybe some cute things like plushie, and cushions? Girls also like sweet things like ice cream." As he stopped right there, his memory replay back how much he admired the older Suzuka loves sweet things truly, especially parfait.

"It look like you're enjoying sweet things."

"Well yeah. Of course most women likes sweet things. No other female could ever dislikes sweet stuff… unless they're into strange taste."

Amagiri gave the warmest smile on his face as he repeated those moments over and over without feeling bored. Meeting the older Suzuka was like Kami's approving their unexpected fate.

As the President observed the red-headed man very carefully, he noticed for a moment that something's not right about the other man. It wasn't in a bad way. It was more like… very unlike of the red-headed man. Amagiri, the most polite(definitely not Kazama's word) and gentle(and so this) person, gave the gentlest smile on his face right in front of him. Very much unlike him at all. If Shiranui had already seen that, he must've called the ambulance by now.

Well, for whatever it is, it must've related to girls and women since Kazama does talk about Chizuru for a moment. For whoever girl or woman Amagiri thinking of, the President was hoping that it's not his girlfriend knowing that every part of her is belonged to his and his only.

And yes, Kazama Chikage can be quite possessive when it comes to partner or lover.

He's not the kind of person who could share his property to anyone else, especially not to the commoner.

"Flowers? Cushions and plushies? Don't be ridiculous." Kazama spoke confidently. "As if my soon-to-be-wife would like such a cheap gift as that especially when Christmas party is coming."

"That's just my opinion about girls, Kazama-sama. After all, you did tells me my thoughts about girls' gift."

"I guess you're right.." Kazama murmured, in which leaves silent moment formed in the office then.

Until a few seconds or so, Amagiri break the silent.

"Well… what about sweet things? I'm sure that Yukimura-dono would be very glad to have a taste of strawberry parfait." Especially if it's in homemade by you, Amagiri thought at the last part. But he highly doubted that Kazama would made a parfait on his own, knowing that the President had never come to kitchen since he described that place a bit oily, and hot, in which, doesn't suit a rich son to visit such a place like that.

"I would give a gift that could cherish that thing until eternity. Food can't stand last forever." Kazama complaint stubbornly, putting his hand on his chin as his thought filled with the brunette girl, whom wearing such a beautiful, lovely wedding gown. He wondered what kind of reaction would Chizuru made if the President ever gives her a wedding gown…? Then again, he highly doubted that she likes that idea..

I did suggested you some plushies and cushions. Amagiri thought deeply, but decided to slide that part away as no one could ever fought back of the President's argument. …Unless, possible the older Suzuka… "Then… how about something that made by yourself? Beginning from scratch?"

"From scratch?"

Amagiri nodded. "Since flowers can't stand last forever, you can always give her a cloth-made flowers by yourself."

"Now's that complicated."

"Complicated, but worthy."

Kazama groaned in reply as he took a deep thought then.

Several minutes then, Kazama finally had a decision whatever he thought of the red-headed man's recommends for his lover's Christmas gift.

"Almost your opinions for my wife's gift doesn't suits her so well." He sighed. "As I expected, asking you your thought about girls' gift doesn't help me at all."

Amagiri didn't say any word, but groan because how stubborn the blonde-haired man can be.

As the President stood up from his place to leave his office, he stopped in mid-walking then.

"By the way, Amagiri," Kazama began.

"Yes…?"

"When I mentioned you about girl, who are you thinking about?"

"Pardon?"

Turning around to meet the other man's ocean-blue eyes, searching of whatever the person the red-headed man think of a moment ago.

"You have a very strange smile on your face when you were having a deep thought." Kazama narrowed his eyes. "Do you by any chance meet someone in coincidently?"

"That is…" Amagiri mumbled, not knowing what to say. It's quite rare of the President to wanting to know of someone else's personal business beside the Yukimura girl. Despite being self-important and arrogant President, Kazama does capable on observing other people…

"Rest to be assured, Kazama-sama," Amagiri began, averted his eyes by lowering his head down. "for whoever woman or girl I thought of a moment ago doesn't have to do with you or Yukimura-dono."

"Oh…? You're sharp." Kazama commented. "Well, whatever. If your words are honest, then I suppose I shouldn't have to worry about."

When no words the red-headed man intended to speak, the President had finally left the office, leaving Amagiri alone in a quiet Student Council room.

Upon of arriving in the locker room, the young brunette met her childhood friend.

"Good morning, Heisuke-kun."

"Hm? Oh, Chizuru!" Heisuke gave a very wide grin upon of seeing his friend here. "Morning. It's rare to see you here."

"Ah.. well, I forgot to get my things before my homeroom teacher coming."

The younger boy replied with a nod while there's still a wide smile on his face. It was as if his childhood friend was his smile.

Glancing around themselves, the brunette noticed something.. well most likely, someone is missing here.

"Um.. where's Okita-senpai?"

"Souji?"

As the brunette started to bring up a subject about the prankster senior, Heisuke's cheerful smile had disappeared, replacing to a groan/mumble.

"Obviously that Souji still mad about the terrible news about Christmas party." Heisuke began. That damn Souji.. although he told me to call him a senpai, he's still like a brat.. Heisuke finds himself pouting, in which, brings his childhood friend tilted her head in confused as he realized she could see through all over her face.

Not wanting to worry of his childhood friend, Heisuke gave a very wide grin once again.

"B-But don't worry! I'm sure that we can find a way to cheer him up." Heisuke said, hoping being optimistic could make everything's better.

"I hope so…" she murmured softly, hoping that she could at least see his sadistic smirk every once in a while.

Meanwhile in the Hijikata's office

Souji pushed the raven-haired man against the wall harder. There was a hidden anger and frustrating behind on those emerald orbs of Souji's. Although it's normal to see Souji to have despise Hijikata so badly, but never would have thought to see the prankster student finally snapped before. Guess celebrating a Christmas party with Kondou, especially with other students must've been meaning to Souji huh?

"Why didn't you try and stop Serizawa about this? You've known that that Serizawa bastard is scheming onto something, right?! So why can't you stop him?!"

Hijikata didn't spoke a word yet, but replying a quiet groan, tried to find a better word to make the prankster student felt better. But not a single thing came out in his mind. Rather than speaking back, the raven-haired man narrowed his eyes deeper as he lets Souji blaming him only, not Serizawa.

"Go on. Say something." Souji said with a growl. "Why didn't you try and stop Serizawa?!"

Before Hijikata finally speaks, the gentle Principal protected the raven.

"That's enough, Souji.." Kondou whispered gently as if he was speaking to a crying child. "It's my fault after all for planning a Christmas party at a time like this."

Souji faced to Kondou back, but his cold and hatred eyes toward Hijikata melted away when he saw a sad and guilty expression on Kondou's face. One of a thing he couldn't stand on is seeing the Principal look sad and disappointing.

"Rest to be assured that it's not your fault, Kondou-san." Souji said. "We've been done this every year in Hakuou Academy. Why would that Serizawa bastard starts a party in a time like this?"

With that, Kondou didn't spoke anything, not knowing what to say toward the emerald-orbs man.

"You do realized that blaming me wouldn't help anything else, especially bringing Kondou-san's party back." Hijikata finally spoke, as he get tired of Souji's childish side. As Souji continued giving a death-glared on him, Hijikata continued, "if you want it so badly, how about you're celebrating Christmas Eve in Kondou-san's place? That would end this problem."

After a long dark glare between teacher and student, it took more than minutes Souji finally ungripped his hold from Hijikata's.

"It would've been better if everyone in school here celebrating Christmas with Kondou-san…" Souji mumbled like a child.

As the prankster's presence was no longer in the raven's office room, Hijikata felt an urged to massage his forehead somehow. Damn.. ever since that Serizawa bastard visiting this year, things have gotten drivin' him crazy somehow. First, Itou coming back to school. After that, Serizawa cancelling Kondou's Christmas party. And now, that damn brat Souji blames on him for not letting the other students celebrate Christmas Party with Kondou.

It wouldn't get any worse right..?

…

Actually, no. He rather not say it out loud, knowing it would've been much worse than this.

"Say, Toshi…" Kondou began, bringing Hijikata back to reality. "Sorry about this."

"No need." The raven replied simply. "I've gotten used to getting blamed by Souji. He's better than that Serizawa bastard though."

With that, both men started to remain quiet without any word until the Principal intended to enlighten his friend mood by taking a subject about Souji.

"So.. speaking about Souji," Kondou began. "do you remember how we met him?"

"We…? Whoah, there, Kondou-san. Don't you remember?" Hijikata said, lit up his cigarette after he opened the window wider. "Didn't you actually found Souji first?"

"Was.. was I?" Kondou said innocently. "I-I guess so… ahaha..!"

Hijikata finds himself curled his lips upward upon of seeing Kondou's gentle smile. It's unfortunate for Souji that he didn't managed to see the Principal's smile after he left just now. Then again, talking a subject about him would've been embarrassed to Souji in the end.

"So you found Souji in the Shieikan dojo, right?"

"Ahh… that's right." Kondou nodded. "Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to kick him from dojo since he's looks like a poor puppy that needs a shelter so badly."

"It would've been better if you kick him off." Hijikata said sarcastically.

As the raven continued smoking to release his frustration, Kondou gave a melancholy smile as he remembered how he met little Souji back then. It's almost as if he was adopting a new son somehow.

When school has finally over, it was almost about time for the young brunette to take a leave then. As the sky starting to turn red-orange colored, the Sun is almost about to reach at the end of horizon by now. Upon of walking to the school gate, she could've sworn she heard a commotion at the field.

Curiously, the young brunette took a peek on the field and met two familiar men were fighting like a cat and a mouse.

"I told you before, she will come with me for the Serizawa party!"

"Don't be ridiculous." He spat in disgustedly. "Someone like you is not worthy to be her company. As her generous boyfriend, not to mention it; the most handsome one, she would gladly comes with someone like me rather than a commoner like you." The President began to give the most prideful smirk on his gorgeous face.

At those words, Heisuke felt an urged to twitch his left eye in annoyance because of that bastard's self-important attitude.

"J-Just because you two are lovers, that doesn't mean you can take an advantage of being her boyfriend and all!" Heisuke began to yap like a puppy(in Kazama's perspective)

"Ho… and what about you?" Kazama said confidently. "Always barking this and barking that how she's your childhood. Don't you ever get tired of using the same line?"

"That's because she is my childhood friend!"

As the argument goes on and on, it took several moments then they finally aware of the young brunette's presence. Both male students eyed on her at the same time as if she was some kind of food or reward to them, in which, brings the brunette jumped in surprised at the strange feeling of getting a deep glared struck into her chest.

"Chizuru!" Heisuke exclaimed first. "Perfect timing!"

"G-Good evening, Heisuke—" her words soon had been cut off as the other boy started to grab her both shoulders, making sure her eyes gazed into his(and definitely not to Kazama's)

"Tell me, Chizuru," Heisuke said. "who would you prefer of to come to Serizawa party? You're going to choose me, right?"

"S-Serizawa party?" Chizuru blinked in confused at that part.

"Yea!" The younger boy nodded. "After all, you need someone to come with you since letting a lonely woman walk to Serizawa mansion can be quite dangerous." He spoke in a soft and gentle tone, still gripping his small hands on his childhood friend's shoulder tighter than ever, but not in pain.

"…Oi, Toudou boy," Kazama growled in possessively. "Get your filthy hands off from my Princess. Only I can touch her," Chizuru couldn't helped but to flush in red upon of hearing the President called her 'princess'. And not to mention it, his possessive side. As his lover, he must've cherished her truly.

At that, Heisuke gritted his teeth, feeling an urged to give another yap but soon stopped by his childhood friend.

"U-Um… about that, Heisuke-kun," Chizuru said, raised her both hands, gesturing the younger boy to stop whatever he's intending to do.

"..I can't go with you."

Despite her words were pretty soft like a breeze, and yet to Heisuke, it's almost like a thunder jolt struck into him until he was nothing but a black ash. When the rejection appeared right in front of his face, the younger boy couldn't helped but to shot his eyes open, staring at her in disbelief and flabbergasted.

Although it's right for her to refuse him knowing she is going out with Kazama, Heisuke couldn't helped but finds his heart clenched in pain somehow.

With that, there's a proud smug on the President's face.

"See? Haven't I told you?" Kazama said. "Of course, she would not coming with you in Serizawa party. After all, she does have—"

Before Kazama could finish his sentence, Chizuru interrupted him as well, in which, give the most guilty smile on her face.

"I-I'm sorry Kazama-senpai, but, I can't be with you in Serizawa Christmas Party."

With that, the President didn't say anything, his usual smug started to disappear and continued on gazing on her, as if he was gesturing the brunette to explain of whatever reason she has to refuse him.

In which, Chizuru gladly tells them;

"Well…my father, Kodou," she started, " he'll be back when Christmas coming. I would like to celebrate a Christmas with my father for this year since it's been a long time since I last see him."

"Y-Your dad is coming…?" Heisuke murmured.

"That's right." She nodded. "I know it'll be much better celebrating in Serizawa Christmas Party. But, I'd really wanted to spend the Christmas night with my father this year. It would be very appreciate it if you understand my feeling. ..Please!" With that, Chizuru gave the most polite bow the male students had ever seen. But of course, it's actually important for her to celebrate a Christmas party with her father this time as it's been a while since she last seen his face. For once, she wanted to spend a greatest Christmas night with him like a family.

He and Kaoru are the only members of family she had ever have…

It took a moment then, the silent moment had finally break from Heisuke's voice.

"W-Well, if it's about your dad, then I guess I should invite someone else then." Heisuke mumbled, and there was a tinged of sadness behind on his orbs, in which, finds the brunette difficult to figure out of whatever expression he actually used just now.

At that, Heisuke turned on his heels then, leaving the President and the brunette all alone. As silent moments began to form between them once again, Chizuru gazed on the gorgeous President, hoping she could hear his permission for her to have a great celebration with Kodou. Rather than giving a word he'll expressed of, Kazama took a gazed on her deeper as well. It's almost looks like he wanted to say something. But not a single word could form on his lips.

Instead, he shook his head and turning on his heels to leave at the field.

The brunette couldn't helped but to blink in confused. Well, she was hoping that she could get to hear his approving in words. …The President must have better things to do than spending her..

Chizuru shook her head at that part, slapping her soft cheeks in multiple as while scolding herself to leave those thoughts out of her mind.

And so, Christmas Eve has finally come.

Chizuru had finally decorated her house for Christmas all by herself without helping anyone, not even Kaoru. She just thought to proof her older twin brother she can be quite useful no matter how much naïve she can be, especially around Kazama and Souji.

"There," the brunette said happily, as she finally put a golden star for the finishing touch on the top of the Christmas with a stool.

It looked beautiful…, she thought, finding herself closing her eyes as she remembered her past in every Christmas Eve. For the past years, she's usually celebrating the Christmas Eve with her father. Knowing that Kaoru living with Nagumo residents, it's impossible for him to celebrate with her and Kodou without knowing their address.

Now's that everyone's here, this should be one of a greatest Christmas Eve she had ever experienced with family…!

Ring…!

Not so long after this, Chizuru finally returned back to reality as the sound of phone began to ring. Turning on her heels quickly, she started to answer the phone and coincidencely, it was none other than her father..!

"Chizuru…"

"Father!" The brunette called him in excited.

It's been a while since she last heard his voice now. But somehow, she could felt the tone that her father using a moment was a bit… sorrow.

It's almost as if he couldn't save his patient that almost dying and he needs someone to be there with him or at least hear his daughter's sweet voiced. Though, she knew that her father was not the best nor a professional doctor. So having an experienced by watching a patient died right in front must've hurt her father truly knowing that almost all patients were like his children…

Trying to enlighten the mood, the brunette tried her best to cheer her father up;

"S-So, how's everything? You're coming right, Father? There are a lot of things I want to talk about once you're coming. Kaoru might be surprised once he meet you as he hasn't seen you for a long time. And.. and—" aaaah! Honestly, there are so many things she wanted to tell her Father. Especially how's her school life lately.

And most of all—

about Kazama.

She wondered what his reaction would be if he finds out that she's dating with a generous President, who ended up becoming a lover? The thought of that finds her heart fluttering in happiness somehow.

"Chi-Chizuru.." Kodou whispered quietly as if he didn't want to scare his adoptive daughter or something. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Yes..? What is it?"

As the brunette waited of whatever of her father trying to say

this broke her heart completely.

At the Suzuka Manor.

Ding Dong!

"Coming~!" Kosuzu chirped, hopped from the couch and opened the door to see whoever it was. Upon of wondering to know whoever it was, her eyes shot open in shock to see an unfamiliar, tall man right in front of the Suzuka manor.

She couldn't helped but to frightened a little to see how tall he is as if he was a bear, while the bun-haired styled Suzuka, is a frightened, little, small Chihuahua who could do nothing except shaking in fear.

Trying to hide her fear away from her eyes, she tried herself to be brave a moment.

"Um… h-hi. Is there anything business you have here?"

The red-headed man greeted with a polite nod in which, little by little, Kosuzu finds herself a little comfortable around him as she realized that he wasn't really that scary despite he was quite tall than anyone in a member of Suzuka.

"Good evening. I've come here to accompany Lady Sen for Serizawa Christmas Party."

"Serizawa Christmas Party..?" Kosuzu blinked for a moment. "…Oh! Right, Osen-neechan had told me that she decided to go to someone else's party. I'll go and get her. Please, have a sit for a moment." The bun-haired girl said, gesturing the guest to sit on the couch.

"Excuse me, then." Amagiri said, entered the Suzuka Manor, and took a sit on the couch.

As the red-headed man waited for Sen's coming, a familiar, female voiced spoke to him.

"Well, if it isn't Amagiri. It's been a while."

Raising his eyes into the woman figure, she has a same smile as ever.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Kimigiku. I see that you're well today."

"Yes, and so are you." Kimigiku said, putting a tray of cup and kettle on the table. "How's Kazama has been?"

"Stubborn and troublesome, as ever." Amagiri said with a sigh as he took a sip of tea that Kimigiku recently poured for him. "But.. he's gotten a bit mature somehow." Probably thanks to Yukimura-dono.

Kimigiku replied with a soft giggle.

"So, how's Lady Sen?"

"Well, well, well. I'm impressed you're still remembered her. I was expecting you were no longer remembering her since either of you rarely seeing each other a lot." She spoke with a little amazed.

"I'm a bit surprised as well." Amagiri said, eyed on a cup of his tea for a moment and spoke once more, "Though.. of course, I don't think I couldn't forget of her since the first time I found her sitting on the porch." His usual calm and gentle smile started to disappear as he remembered how lonely she was whenever she watched the other female friends play without her. Despite she has gotten used to have a feeling of loneliness, yet, it's still very wrong for her to be alone this way.

A warmth, and gentle hand starting to grip on the red-headed's big hand, eyed on Kimigiku's hand, there was a melancholy smile on her face.

"I'm really happy to see her getting along with a man like you. ..I hope, you and Sen will continue becoming a good friend." Kimigiku said, her hand still laid on Amagiri's one.

Returning to grip hers as well, there was a promising and determined behind of his ocean-blue orbs one.

"I will do whatever I can whenever she needs me."

They both exchanged each other with smile and chuckled.

When their hands started to part away, either of them started any of conversation this time. Amagiri took a sip of his tea until the other woman gave a chirped of 'oh!'. Eyeing on the long, raven-haired woman, Oukiku began to stand up from the couch.

"I remembered that there's something amusing that you would love to see it. I'll be right back."

With that, Kimigiky leaves the red-headed man in the living room then, bringing a silent moment formed around Amagiri.

Enjoyed the taste of Earl Grey tea, Amagiri eyed on the staircase, wondering what the older Suzuka do right now.

"…What taking so long, I wonder?"

In Suzuka room,

The atmosphere around Sen's room was quite peaceful, where she gets all excited to go to Serizawa Christmas party, couldn't decided which dress should she wear. There are many gowns that suitable to her, but of course, she usually prefers of a one-piece dress with many white ribbons.. does that clothes look a bit childish to her…?

However, after she finished wearing accessories and one-piece dress for a short moment, things has gotten a little tense the moment her mother, the heir of Suzuka clan came back from the meeting and started to talk to her of a same subject that related to be an arrangement meeting for the older Suzuka.

"Like I told you, mom," Sen said with a sigh of exhaustion. "I need some times to think."

"And when will this some times, Sen? We've been talked about this since you've entered Shimabara. Shouldn't it be about time for you to accept the arrangement marriage by now?"

"I know, I know.. but I'm not ready yet, somehow."

"Sen," her mother began. "I know this is hard for you. I know this is hard since that man left us. But please, for the sake of our clan, you should focus on your goal as the-soon-to-be-next-heir-Suzuka clan by now."

With that, Sen didn't spoke anything, in which, her mother continued once more.

"Even if there's no man that you're interested in, how about Kazama? You and that man had known each other since you two were very little right? And your relationship have gotten really quite close since you've met him several months ago from what I've heard from Kosuzu."

As this conversation would eventually turned complicated as ever, before Sen could speaks a word, her heroine came at the right time.

"Um.. I'm sorry for intruding.." Kosuzu said timidly after she knocked the door to Sen's room.

Two women eyed on the bun-haired girl as they let her spoke again.

"Osen-neesan, he's here."

Upon of hearing a word of 'he' next to her ear, her exhaustion of speaking with her mother about the arrangement marriage disappeared.

It must be him..!

"He?" Sen's mother raised her eyes in perplexed. "What is she—"

"I'm sorry mom," Sen interrupted her, taking her coat on the bed. "I'm going out with a… friend. We can talk about this later."

Calling that man a friend would be impossible as she didn't got his name yet. But of course, Sen would be gladly to call that man as a friend rather than stranger.

Before her mother could speak, Sen dashed away down to the stairs together with her bun-haired sister to meet the red-headed man.

Has he waited for her that long…?

"Do you remember this?"

As Amagiri took a peek of the album that the long, raven-haired woman intended to show while awaits the older Suzuka's arriving, Amagiri replied with a gentle smile then.

"Yes, I remember this so well." The red-headed man spoke, with a soft laugh on his lips. He doesn't usually laughed but knowing that Kimigiku had known him quite well, she knew what kinds of thing the other man finds amusing, and showing the older Suzuka and Kazama childhood event is one of an amusing one.

"It's unfortunate you didn't get a chance to meet Lady Sen in properly." Kimigiku said with a sigh.

"It's alright. I would rather not wanting her to find out whoever am I for a moment."

"You're starting to be a little secretive when it comes to Sen."

"I have my own reason as to why I am being secretive toward her." Amagiri spoke in a little hesitant one.

"Then I won't forcing you to tell me this. However, I hope whatever you're trying to do will not leads to the worst." Kimigiku used a very rare serious tone, giving her friend a small warning. There are times, the red-headed man can be quite unlikeable reckless.

Amagiri replied with a nod, as if he known whatever he's doing right now is right.

"Rest to be assured, I will tell her the truth of me… soon."

"And when is this soon?" Kimigiku said, closing the album book as they decided to forget whatever subject they had about Sen's/Kazama's childhood album.

"Who knows.." He said. "Maybe after her graduation."

"You knew that she would soon finds out about you later."

"..I know."

Before the raven-haired woman could say some more, the tense of atmosphere between then had disappeared as Kosuzu comes to them on the spiral stair.

"Mr. Amagiri, she's here." The bun-haired Suzuka announced the red-headed man in a rather timid one, probably she doesn't usually talk with boys or men quite often exceptional for Ibuki, of course.

Standing up from the couch then, Amagiri awaits of the older Suzuka's arriving. When the other man gazed the older Suzuka whos walking down on the spiral stairs slow, yet elegant one, he can't helped but widening his eyes open in astounding one.

Although the Christmas party wouldn't be as formal as Kazama or Suzuka famly, yet, Sen looks quite gorgeous in a white, one-piece dress with several beautiful ribbons right there and there. Not to mention it, although she's not a fond of accessories, but the way how she tied her hair in a bun-haired styled with a sakura petals hairpin, it actually suits her so well.

To think, such a beautiful figure could actually still exist here…

It took a moment then Amagiri finally returned back to reality as he heard a similar soft giggled on Sen's lips, as if the red-headed man had never seen her looks feminine and all.

…Well, in almost all men's perspective of course, they would've gapped like a fish to see the older Suzuka looks beautiful in a formal dress.

"Now then, should we go?" Sen's voice brings Amagiri back to reality once again, in which, the red-headed man replied with a polite bow and turned on their heels to leave the manor together.

"Try not to be late." Kimigiku reminded them. "Make sure to come home around 11 o'clock."

"Yes, yes.." Sen said, waved her hand off. "What are you, my second mom?"

Kimigiku could only gave a soft chuckled and averted her eyes on the blue-ocean ones.

"I entrust her safety to you, Amagiri."

The red-headed man reply with a nod and polite bow, as if he known his job.

"Of course."

As Sen eyed on them from Kimigiku to Amagiri, then from Amagiri to Kimigiku, she couldn't helped but to raise her eyebrow in puzzled and curious.

They seemed to be quite close..

Is there any connections between those two? It almost felt like she'd missed something..

Shaking her head to leave those wild thoughts out of her head then, Sen enwrapped her warm coat around her body before they left the manor.

As Kimigiku watched the couple leaves the Suzuka manor from the door, there was a glimpse of intriguing about them behind on her amethyst orbs.

It's quite rare to see the older Suzuka walking close to Amagiri's. Their spaces were even closer than Kazama's.

She couldn't helped but to curl her red lips in upward at the sight of watching the older Suzuka walked with other man besides the blonde-haired man.

Now this is interesting.

As they had walked about a few metres away from the Suzuka manor, Sen couldn't helped but feeling slightly nervous.

Although it's pretty normal for the couple to have walking close together. Sen, on the other hand, feels a greatest urged to feel ancious. However, this kind of anxious wasn't in terrible one or how she experienced some random men touch or grab her without permission. It was more like in opposite one.

But she couldn't described what kind of anxious or this nervousness feeling she felt right now. Is it happiness? Joy? Grateful? Or more than that? She had to admit, it's the first time she has ever going out with a partner and all.

And not to mention it with Amagiri of all the people.

In every Christmas Eve, Sen always spent most of her Christmas days in Suzuka manor as the Suzuka often held a Christmas party. Most guests that's been invited were usually from rich families. But the one's that organized the Christmas party of Suzuka family usually her mother.

Only the heir of Suzuka family would be allow to organize the party in Suzuka manor. There are actually many events they're actually held, but most of them could only be invite of wealthy family or receiving a very high title and all.

Her mother wouldn't even inviting Chizuru no matter how much desperate Sen had tried to.

Just thinking about her family, especially her mother kinda ruins her mood of her exciting for Serizawa party. Shooki her head slightly, she decided to move those subjects away from her mind, and thinks of a certain red-headed man even more.

Took a closer peek of the other man, she couldn't helped but finds the man looks quite fascinating in a black tuxedo with a red flower attacked on his right-chested pocket. Beside that, his scarlet hair looks quite neat. …Probably he wanted to give a very nice vibe around him when they're finally arrived in the party later.

"That's looks good on you."

Sen ended her words leave out from her lips in loud. And yet, she had no reason to feel shy about it.

"Excuse me?" Amagiri blinked in a slight on confuse.

Avoiding answering the question, Sen replied with a shook on her head and turned on her heels without hearing anymore words from the red-headed man.

"It's nothing. We should get going to the party by now."

With that, all Amagiri could by now is leave this mysterious unanswerable question, following after Sen, whom very excitedly about the party.

The brunette sighed in depressingly upon of hearing terrible news from her father.

"There's a snow storming in the airport. So it's impossible to make it to Kyoto. I know.. I promised myself that we will celebrate a Christmas Eve together, but.. it can't be helped Chizuru…"

She wanted so much to cry..

After all she's been waiting for him..

She was getting all excited to celebrate a Christmas with family..

So much for her happiness she hoped for, huh…?

Trying to hide her sadness away from her father, she replied normally though she could felt a warm tears began to fall down on her cheeks.

"Ah.. so that's how it is… It's fine, Father. In fact, the founder of my school invited me to attend his party. So I might go there instead."

Actually, that was a lied. Well, it's true that Serizawa did invited all students of Hakuou to come to his manor for the Christmas Party. But, she doesn't have any power or energy to come to any party after hearing her father couldn't make it to Kyoto.

After all, it's actually the first time she couldn't celebrate a Christmas Eve with Kodou before. Even if she called her brother to come over, he might thought of her a nuisance or something..

She sighed and buried her face with the palm of her hands in depressed and sorrow.

What should she do now…?

Meanwhile with Amagiri and Sen;

The couple had finally arrived in the Serizawa Christmas party. Upon of entering the found of Hakuou manor, Sen felt an urged to gap like a fish from amazed.

"Whoah.. I didn't know there are many guests here." The older Suzuka said in flabbergasted as she eyed on every guest in Serizawa's manor. There are several of guests Sen familiar of as most guests in here are from rich and wealthy families. So this Serizawa person must be a very rich man huh?

Eyeing on a few women with a beautiful dress and expensive accessories, Sen couldn't helped but feeling down on herself as she realized her accessories weren't as many as noble women are, despite the older Suzuka would be a-soon-to-be-heir-of-Suzuka family in the future then…

A sudden, familiar male voiced then began to speak;

"Whichever dresses you wear, accessories or without accessories, your beauty still would no match with them, Miss Sen." Eyeing on the red-headed companion next to him, Sen realized that he must've noticed her sadness in her eyes when she took a glanced to the other women and herself.

No matter what the situation it is between them, the red-headed man always had a clever words to cheer the older Suzuka up. It was like he's a knight who willing to do everything to make the princess smile and happy from sadness or despair.

With that, Sen replied back with her confident smile on her face.

"Well, thank you very much for your cheesy compliment, Mr. Gentleman." She playfully gave a soft punched on his muscular arm. If a feminine girl ever hit the red-headed man's arm, her fragile hand/fist would've broke like a glass by now. Thankfully the older Suzuka has born to be a little tomboy-ish, willing to hitting or kicking someone ass especially weakling men that ever insult her friends, Kosuzu or women.

"We've been together for such a long time that I almost forgot to introduce myself."

"Ah, that's right..!" Sen said foolishly. It was stupid and very rude of her to not have know the red-headed man's name after all he done something generous-ish to the older Suzuka. Just what made her forget to ask his name anyway…? Could spending a time with him forget her pride to despise men? ..Or maybe she has a habit of forgetting to introduce herself and vice versa?

Started with a very polite bow, the red-headed man begin.

"My name—"

"Sen, is that you?!"

A familiar female voice exclaimed in shocked.

Searching whoever it is, Sen flashed her eyes into a very familiar woman. She has a long, straight, dark blue hair. Her skin color is a fair one, and she was born to have an auburn orbs.

"Cornelia-chan! I didn't know you were here!" Sen chirped happily, forgetting of the red-headed man's introducing as she walked straight to her

Both women embraced very tightly in a friendly way. The older Suzuka hold the blunette's hand as if she didn't want to let it go.

"It's been a while. How have you been?"

"Fine, thank you." Cornelia nodded politely. "What about you?"

"Fine, as well. Although there are times that I'm a little worried of Chizuru-chan's idea of going to school that filled with many men," Sen sighed exhaustedly, in which, the blunette replied with a soft giggle.

"You're a worrywart as ever. Just respects her choice. I'm sure she never regrets on choosing an all-boys high school."

"Even so…" Sen stopped in mid-sentence then, feeling herself to pout like a child in which, giving her friend replying another giggle.

As soon as he realized the older Suzuka was having a great conversation with her friend, it'll be better to take a leave as he would rather let the girls have some conversation without his presence:

"I'll go and get some drinks for you, Sen."

Sen nodded. "Sure."

Bowing in politely for the last time, the red-headed man began to leave.

"Who's that man?"

The blunette changed the subject upon of seeing a very large man such as him for the very first time.

"Oh, him?" Sen pointed his broad-back with her thumb. "He's someone I know."

"Well that's rare of you to have a male friend." Almost all Sen's friends knew that Sen hates men the most. Not even a single man Sen has ever calls him a friend. Upon of hearing the older Suzuka said she 'knew' rather than she 'annoys', the blunette couldn't helped but feels in need to show a very perplexed expression on her face.

"Well.. I just thought to try to befriends another man besides Kazama," Sen half-lie. In truth, their meeting was a bit awkward and weird. …Not that she hates his presence or something. The more she gets to know of him better, the more she realized that there's a kind and gentle vibe around the red-headed man.

"Now's that was an unexpected," Cornelia said with a soft laughed. "I was hoping that you would choose a handsome or good-looking men over a weird and unattractive men."

"Well…" Sen said with an awkward laughter.

Did she just said unattractive..?!

Weird…?!

… Well, actually in truth, the red-headed man can be quite strange for the first time she met, so yeah, the older Suzuka probably agreed the part of that man being a little weird. But unattractive?! How can she be so blind about that red-headed man's intrigued figure?

True that by the looks of it he was about 30 years old or so. But having his presence next to her, Cornelia should've known that she would be safe around him knowing that his tall figure helped them to frightened away some men who intended to hurt her.

Trying not to show her rage in front of her friend, Sen decided to slide it away. "Ah, that's right." Sen said, clapping her hand in a one time, as if she's trying to forget of whatever Cornelia referred of to the red-headed man. "How's things in your marriage arrangement? Did it turned out great?"

"Eh..? Oh, yes. It turned out good so far." The blunette replied. "At first, I thought it was actually a bad idea to have a marriage arrangement without knowing my future groom. But it's great to see my groom was actually kind and willing to marry me for the sake of our family."

"That's great." Sen said with a hidden of envy. "I'm happy for that. Don't forget to invite me for your wedding day" As the older Suzuka winked her left eye in playful, her friend replied with a flushed in embarrassment on her soft cheeks.

"What about you?"

"Eh?"

"Don't you think it's about time for you to have a marriage arrangement meeting with the Kazama? I haven't heard any news about you two."

"A-Ah… about that.." Sen murmured awkwardly. "I—postponed the marriage arrangement meeting."

"Again?" Cornelia said in surprised. "You were postponing the meeting again?"

"I-I've got a lot of things to do that's all," Sen tried to find a reason to keep this conversation from tense.

"You've known Kazama for such a long time. And yet, you're still not gonna accept on marrying him when graduate coming? You do realized that at this rate, you will eventually dishonor your family."

"I know, I know." Sen said with a sigh. God, it's almost looks like she was having a tense conversation with her strict mother by now..

As things had gotten awkward as ever, Sen intended to take a leave. At this rate, she might've received another lecture from her friend that relating to arrangement marriage again.

"W-Well, I better get going then." Sen said. "Pretty sure that he is waiting for me by now. B-Bye!"

Ignoring the blunette called her name, Sen turned on her heels as she's searching for the mysterious red-headed man. Geez.. where is he? Sen thought frustratedly. She would've expecting he would get her some drinks pretty quick. She didn't know that it took longer than ever. Giving up herself, she sighed exhaustedly as the older Suzuka stood at the corner of the hall room while the other guests having a great fun in the Christmas party.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Serizawa residence." Serizawa began to speak. Sen, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have aware of hearing his voice as she's been bothered something. "It is my honor to have spending this holy night with all of you. Merry Christmas."

Ignoring the entire cheerful and joyous atmosphere around in Serizawa's manor, Sen's thought filled with nothing except about her mother and Cornelia's words of the marriage arrangement. Although she had longed knew that she eventually has to marry a certain man from rich family, but marrying a stranger feels a little uncomfortable somehow. There is a higher chance that some men had a dark plan they've been schemed on once she married some random stranger. What if, her fate would leads her like her mother's as well? What if, that man would leaves her just the way that bastard leaves her mother? The thought of it brings Sen feeling confused what she's gonna do…

..What should I do, Chizuru-chan?

It would've been better if her fate leads similar as her best friend, where neither she needs to worry of marrying a rich family or commoner one.

"Well, well, well. Good evening, beautiful maiden."

An unfamiliar male voice brings Sen back to reality, in which, she lifted her honey-brown orbs into the four-eyed man. Compared to other guests, he didn't wear anything formal or a black tuxedo like the red-headed. Instead, he was some kind of… doctor, sort of?

"Uh.. g-good evening," Sen greeted back quietly, not knowing where's this man coming nor why he approaching her.

Upon of waiting any reply from the other man, almost like more than minutes then, the four-eyed man answered with the creepiest smile she had ever seen. Much creepier than the two drunkard she approached a few days ago.

It's almost as if that man in front of her is not a human.

"You look a little down when Serizawa-san is giving a speech. Do you by any chance feeling a cold? Or maybe a fever?"

Although his voice was soft and gentle like a wind, but she could felt something crawling on her body just hearing that kind of tone from him. Not to mention it, that creepy fuckin smile…!

"I-I'm fine. Thank you." Sen said, bowed in a very politely. It best to avoid from this man. She had a feeling that if she had stayed with him longer.. something terrible might gonna happened to her…!

"Why are you trying to run away?" The other man said in a faking-worriedly. "I was trying to help you."

Help in your ass…! "Th-thank you for your hospitality. But I've gotta go now—"

Before she could get away from him, strong hand began to grip on her small wrist, brings her body stopped right there in paralyzed. Eyes filled with frightened, lifting her orbs into the other man once again, there was a very wide smile like a red, crescent moon. His glasses were glowing very brightly like a flash.

Feeling an uncomfortable touch from the four-eyed man's hand, her body was shaking like a leaf. Eyes falls down on the floor as she felt tears were about to burst by now.

…No.

She can't do this.

She can't do this in here.

Not in front of guests and Serizawa.

However, no matter how many times she forced herself to move, the four-eyed man's hand was like a poison, injecting a strange drug deep into her body until he finally able to control her like puppet.

This is bad...!

This is bad…!

What should she do—

"I've just thought to give every guest here my Christmas gift. To make sure everyone is full of health in the future." The other man said, with his usual creepy smile.

Sen did not reply anything nor ask him what kind of gift is he trying to give.

Widening his lips on his face, he dug his other free hand inside his pocket, searching for something. And once he finally found it, he revealed his gift to her; a medicine bottle that contain red liquid like a blood.

"This is my Christmas gift for a beautiful maiden such as you." The other man said. "Ah… rest to be assured that, it's not a poison. It's a very useful medicine. I hope you'll accept it." Putting a bottle medicine on Sen's other hand, without her own will, her hand gripped back, gesturing she'd accepted his Christmas gift.

Feeling a little delighted how the young maiden accepted his gift rather than refused it, he widen his smile again and again.

"Since I have a lot of free time. How about we—"

"Sannan-san!"

A man named Sannan had no time to finish his sentence as a certain man interrupted his conversation with the older Suzuka. Recognizing a male voiced, her eyes laid into the red-headed one. Slowly, the longer she took a gazed on his gentle and calm orbs, some dark spell that the four-eyed man casted has been lift off from her body little by little.

"Oya… Amagiri-kun." Sannan called him. "It is surprised to see you here."

Amagiri..? Is that the red-headed man's name?

"I was about to say the same thing, Sannan." Amagiri spoke.

Eyed on the older Suzuka, he could see how frightened she is as if she was a little girl lost in a deep, dark street where no one can finds her whereabouts anymore. Narrowed his eyes deeper, this would be the second times he had seen this kind of side from her. To think, leaving her alone was a terrible idea. He shouldn't have leaves her when she had a conversation with the other woman just now…

Soon, his eyes gazed back into the nurse teacher. He felt himself in need to grip his hands into a fist by now.

"Sannan-san, I don't remember Serizawa-dono letting you give a sexual harassment on one of guest here before. Explain to me what do you think you're doing."

"Sexual harassment..? Oh no, of course I'm not intending to do that."

"Then what is?" There was a cold growled under his throat. It's the first time the older Suzuka has ever seen the red-headed man looked anger before. But what made him so angry that he has to use a threatening tone on the four-eyed man?

Could it be…

..he was worried of her?

"I saw her looking a little down. I was expecting she was a bit cold or something. So I gave her a medicine as my Christmas gift to make sure she's fine. It would be a little troublesome if a guest falls a sick in a Christmas Eve such as this." Sannan explained, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

"Whether she's sick or not, touching her without permission is still known as sexual harassment." Amagiri continued. In which, brings two man gazed on each other longer than ever. …Until Sannan replied with a small snorted, gesturing he's finally give up.

"I suppose you're right." Ungrip his hold from Sen's hand, his eyes gazed into the frightened honey-brown orbs ones. "I apologized for gripping your hand all of a sudden. I hope you like my Christmas gift. And… merry Christmas too."

With that, Sannan finally takes a leave, leaving the couple all alone. Amagiri replied with a groan. To think, Serizawa invited him in the manor as well. He wasn't expected that before.

Eyeing back into the older Suzuka, there was a blank expression on her face; he had a feeling that Sannan's touches must've frightening her greatly. He felt so bad that he had an urged to hold her hand, ensure that she'll be fine. He will always right next to her from now on. But then again, if he lets his hand touched hers, it would've been more horrifying. The best choice he has to do for now is standing next to her until she's feeling comfortable.

And the drinks that Amagiri was suppose to bring had been left forgotten.

Ding Dong

A door bell starting to ring in her house.

Leaving from the kitchen, Chizuru couldn't helped but to raise her eyebrow in perplexed for receiving an unexpected guest in Christmas party. She doubted that whoever appeared in her house would be Kodou knowing that he had just giving a bad news how he won't be able to make it to Kyoto.

Since Kodou and Kaoru are out of the option in her head, who could it be…?

As whoever it is ringing the bell for a few times, it took a while then Chizuru turned on her heels to reach to the door and opened it.

Eyes gazed into a familiar crimson orbs, Chizuru couldn't helped but to gap like a fish to meet Kazama in Christmas Eve.

"K-Kazama-senpai..?" She murmured in disbelief.

It's not a dream… is it?

"That took a while to open the door," Kazama said, passed over the brunette as she looked at the President in full of perplexed. Too speechless to see him, the other man entered her house as if he owns the place and put a bouquet of flower on the coffee table near him(in the end, he ended up following Amagiri's advise).

"A-ah..! W-wait, Kazama-senpai!" Chizuru called him in which, stopped him from mid-walking, eyeing on her from his back. "Wh-What are you doing here..?!"

"Why, you say…?" Kazama said, raising his eyebrow puzzled this time. "Obviously to celebrate a Christmas party together with your father."

"E-Ehhh…?!" At that, Chizuru's eyes widen open in a saucer one, "Wh-what about the Serizawa Christmas Party?"

"Oh.. that?" Kazama began, eyed on elsewhere. "Choosing between Serizawa Party and yours; of course, I would rather choosing you knowing that this would be a great opportunity for our relationship getting deeper and better," as he spoke that, when the President winked his eye in attractive way, she was pretty sure that she just saw a very small star form next to his eye… or maybe she's just having a hallucination for a moment. "beside that, I would gladly meeting your father eye-to-eye so that he could gave a blessing of our fateful destined."

When the President mentioned of her father, she couldn't helped but sorrow starting to form on her face, eyes looking down on the floor as she could felt tears starting to form.

"So, where's your dad?" Kazama questioned, taking a look around on his-soon-to-be-wife's house, couldn't felt any presence of another person beside the brunette.

"Um…" Chizuru murmured, eyes still laid down on the floor. "He's… not here.."

Raising his eyebrow in reply, Kazama moved closer to the brunette's personal space, but not too close. Waiting her explanation very patiently, his lover managed to answer very clearly without being too much emotional;

"Th-there's a snow storming at the airport where my father works in the overseas. Knowing that the weather is terrible, it's impossible for my father to make it to Kyoto then. So…" With that, Chizuru finds herself in need to cry.

Several moments had passed between them, the brunette was expecting that the President would come closer to her, giving her an embraced, and lets her tears fall down on his shoulder.

But instead…

A deep chuckle formed from Kazama's gorgeous lips.

"And by meaning that," her head began to lift up as she could felt a callous finger on her chin, her brown orbs and the crimson ones began to stare into each other. "this would mean just the two of us celebrating a Christmas Eve together, yes?"

As she realized whatever he's scheming of, she slapped his hand away and pouted in anger.

"Th-this is serious Kazama-senpai! It's the first time I had ever celebrating a Christmas Eve without my father! So—"

"So, falling into depressing or grief wouldn't help your father coming here in a split second." Kazama cut off the brunette's words, in which, leaves her looked at him in a little frustrated. "You should be grateful that you have someone to spend a Christmas even without your father or that damn Nagumo boy. …Beside that," using his thumb to wipe her-soon-dried-tears on her cheek. "seeing you in tears doesn't seem to suit you so well. Why don't you appreciate it, and enjoy this night for once."

She couldn't helped but finds her tears starting to form on her cheeks even more and more. Her tears was falling wasn't because of angry this time. It was more like happiness. Grateful. She was so grateful that she wasn't alone this time. She was so grateful that she wouldn't celebrate the Christmas alone.

Even if her father won't comes.

Kazama's here.

He's there for her.

And this is probably enough to avoid from celebrating the Christmas alone.

"I'm sorry, Kazama-senpai…" Chizuru murmured quietly, letting his warm hand caressed on her cheek tenderly. "…And thank you."

Hearing a familiar satisfied chuckle from the President, Chizuru ended up buried her face on Kazama's broad-chested, leaving them stood there in silent for like forever.

.

.

.

Several moments had passed between them, Amagiri had been sat next on the grand seat together with the older Suzuka.. but, not so close as he knew she needs some space to get some air.

Another more minutes then, somebody needs to break the atmosphere between them now.

"Who.. was that?" Sen finally questioned, thankfully, that creepy man's warmth touches on her hand suddenly cool down slowly.

"That's.. Sannan-sensei. My nurse doctor." Amagiri replied with a little hesitated.

"Your nurse doctor? In school?" Sen said, feeling a little perplexed. She never expected the red-headed man had a very strange, and not to mention it, the creepiest teacher in his school. ..Which, reminds her of Chizuru's suppose-all-boys high school. She often gives Sen and Kosuzu some weird stories of her experienced in her school life.

It's kinda a bit coincidence.. is it?

"I apologized for whatever that man did to you. I shouldn't have leaves you since the beginning."

"No, no, it's fine.." Sen murmured, caressed her other hand gently where the four-eyed man grabbed her. "A-As long you're there, I don't care what happened in the past. It's over."

She could see how guilty the red-headed man is.

Auf… she has to do something.

She needs to stop this awkward atmosphere or else, she might leave him again…

Acting proud, and strong in front of Amagiri, Sen covered her lips on a palm of her hand as she gave a bark of laughter like a selfish rich woman who she can do anything with just money only.

"Honestly, what's with that depressing face you made, Amagiri?"

"Eh?"

Amagiri blinked. He didn't know which part he was blinking of. Either Sen's frightened side disappeared so soon or the way how she calls him was the most pleasant voice he had ever heard from her.

"Come on. That isn't like you." Raising her left eyebrow in jokingly, poking her finger on his broad-chested in every word. "Where's the Mr. Gentleman that I used to know, anyway? Did you let your head hit on the boulder or something?" At that, she gave another laughter as she fought back the thought of the four-eyed man's touches in her head.

"Sen…" the red-headed man murmured her name, not knowing what to say anymore as he watched her smile and laughing at the same time. It's hurt him a little to see how she pretended to be herself, especially in front of him. She must've worried of him as well..

"Honestly.." Sen began, as she turned on her heels to take a short walk around the manor, in which, the red-headed man followed her back. "..ever since meeting you a lot of strange happened to me. First, I've got attracted by men even more, then, they were dared touching me no matter how struggle I fought back on them. I... I had never experienced such as this since he'd disappeared."

With that, sadness started to form on his blue orbs then. Every word she spoke just now is like he is the causes of bad luck. Wouldn't it be better for the two of them can never see each other anymore and—

"But, I'm not saying in bad ways of course." Sen continued, as if she could read the red-headed man's thought. "True, it was quite terrifying getting closer with other men and all. But, it's actually great way to overcome my fear of men."

"Fear of men…?" Androphobia…? ..No. or maybe it's possible she suffered of haphephobia.

"Yup." Sen said, walking all the way to the garden then. "I'll be the next heir clan for Suzuka, after all. So it's about time for me to start overcome this fear even if it's looks cheap to you."

This is the first time Sen has ever talked about her fear toward anyone.

To Amagiri, most of all.

Despite this kind of conversation should've been suitable toward Chizuru or Kosuzu, but her words almost as if it's been sealed off when it comes to them. It's almost as if they were not the right person to know the truth behind of her hatred for men.

But Amagiri..

How could she be able to speak about her own fear toward to the red-headed man?

Was it actually a good idea to speak this subject toward him?

She didn't know..

But she wanted the red-headed man understands about her so well.

"I don't think it's cheap or something." Amagiri broke the older Suzuka's thought, in which, brings her eyes laid into the ocean-blue orbs. Upon of staring deep into the red-headed's gentle orbs one, she finds herself a little ease somehow, in which, brings the older Suzuka curled her lips upward for a moment, but soon faded in sadness. Eyeing on a beautiful garden, she murmured with a very soft tone of hers:

"Shouldn't you disliking me?"

"Pardon?" Amagiri questioned.

"Shouldn't you disliking me for my hatred for men? Don't you think you should be?"

Silent moment passed between them at the beautiful scenery, night garden. It takes some times then Amagiri spoke.

"Hatred… is such a strong word to use especially from you, Lady Sen." The red-headed man gazed on the white roses in admiringly one, moving closer, in which, the older Suzuka followed him as well. "I don't think it's hatred that you've felt for toward men all this time, Sen. It's something different. Maybe.. anger. Or maybe.. frustrated at the same time? You might possible be angry and frustrated at the same time instead to whoever this man had done to you and your family."

At that, Sen couldn't helped but to shot her eyes open like a saucer in horror.

Hold on.. she had—

She had never telling this to anyone.

Not even to Kosuzu—

So how did this man—

"How did.. how did you know about—my family?" Sen questioned in disbelief. This kind of dark secret had never revealed to anyone. Not even to Kazama. So how did, of all person that figures the dark past of Suzuka family, why Amagiri?

"Miss Kimigiku told everything to me." Amagiri explained honestly. "Although she's not a member of Suzuka family nor related in your blood, yet, she knew fully well about your family."

Ahh.. of course.

She learnt from her mother that Kimigiku has been served for Suzuka family since she was a young teenage as her family owe a big debt for the Suzuka family, in which, she has to become Sen's personal servant after she was born. Kimigiku's debt soon finally paid once the older Suzuka has finally become the heir of Suzuka family and marries any man she chose of.

"Then—"

Amagiri held his hand up, gesturing he knew what she intended to say, in which, the red-headed man replied with a shaking his head slightly.

"Rest to be assured, Miss Kimigiku didn't tell me whoever this person you actually despise of."

With that answer, Sen gave a relief sigh, though she couldn't helped but to pout in annoyingly. "That damn Oukiku shouldn't have told everything's about my family to you.." Sen said with a sigh,

As Amagiri replied with a quiet chuckled, his smile started to fade away as he decided to tells her something she should've known about.. this person she despise of truly.

".. Although you may won't forgive this person that had ruining your family, but you knew fully well, whoever this is— would've been felt guilty as well to have destroy your life by accident to be honest."

"How did you know about this." At those words, Sen's usual kind and gentle smile started to disappear, and changed into aggressive mode;

"You don't know anything about that bastard! He had done horribly to my mother..! To my family..! How can you not blaming that old man's done…! How can you sided on him over me?!"

She didn't know why but it's her very first time to have raise her voice to the red-headed man. Although she once telling herself that she couldn't brings herself to raise her voice or being aggressive toward Amagiri. But somehow, it made her really furious to see the other man siding on that bastard than her.

She was expecting the red-headed man would choose her but—oh, she's definitely wrong.

Ever since Sen raised her voice for the first time toward the red-heaed man, Amagiri's expression didn't change into shock or perplexed. It's almost as if he'd known he eventually getting mad by the older Suzuka.

"…How did you know this.. man hurt your family terribly?"

"My mom.." Sen said a little hesitantly while sniffling softly as she finally realized that she was about to cry just raising her voice toward men. "She told me how that man abandoned us all even though everything's what my mother's done was for the good sake of our family. She sacrifice herself to choose him and what he eventually do is running away and vanished without a word. I hate it!"

The red-headed man didn't spoke anything, as he watched the older Suzuka released her own sadness right in front of him. It must have been tough for her to hide this kind of pain about her 'hatred' toward this man from her sister and the Yukimura girl.

That man abandoned her since she was in kindergarten after all.

Speaking this subject quite sadden the older Suzuka truly.

Intending to cheer Sen up, Amagiri took a glanced on the beautiful garden then, finally caught an interesting flower that suits Sen's character truly. He hoped that Serizawa lets anyone, especially Amagiri to pluck one of flower in the garden. Plucking a white daisy in gently, not wanting to let their petals fall down fragilely, Amagiri returned back to Sen whom, staring at him in a little perplexed as to why did he brought a flower all of a sudden.

Slowly, and hesitantly, Amagiri brushed down the older Suzuka's frame right hair to give her a permission to give a light touch. When Sen feeling a little comfortable about his touch, he began to slip a white daisy that he plucked on her earlobe. At that, Amagiri gave a soft sigh on his lips as he finds it suits her with a white flower on her hair.

"My deepest apologized to speak this conversation when I've known you will feel a little uncomfortable about it." Amagiri said with his apologetically bow, being polite as ever. ..Not that Sen's grown tired or something.

"It's fine.. Sen murmured. "After all, I did spoke this kinds of conversation first, not you. I wasn't really expected it could leads to relating to my family and all."

Curling his lips in warmth one, he nodded slightly.

"I guess so."

As their eyes drawn each other and forgetting of the reality for once, the older Suzuka couldn't helped but to grown a little attached toward the red-headed man little by little. She'd always likes this kinds of side from Amagiri; kind, and gentle. Never would've thought she could ended up on opening her heart to a male friend whom they're just met for less than a week.

As they've been staring into the other's eyes in amazingly, a sound of clock bell began to bring them back to reality, which, leads their eyes to the big, old clock in the hall room of Serizawa manor.

It's already 11 pm.

Although the older Suzuka wanted so much to spend more times with the red-headed man, but she knew that returning home very late could bring getting a lecture by her strict mother.

"So it's finally 11 o'clock." Amagiri murmured quietly. "I guess times really does move quite fast between us."

"That's what I said for the first time we met remember?" Sen said with a smirk, in which, the other man replied with another warmth and gentle smile. As she took a very closer look behind of Amagiri's ocean blue orbs, the older Suzuka could've sworn she'd just saw there's a tinge of disappointment and sadness behind on it.

Has he wanted to spend times together with her a little longer as well…?

"We might as well bringing you home by now, Sen." The red-headed man said. "They're probably been waiting for your return."

She replied with a nod then, not knowing what to say, and leave the manor together next to the red-headed man.

Without aware of herself, Sen has starting to enjoy being close to the other man little by little.

"Here," Kazama said, giving his lovely lover a medium present box with an elegant red ribbon on the top of it.

Chizuru blinked in confused at the sudden of receiving a gift.

She wasn't expecting to receive a present from the President. After all, he's been a bit quiet and obedient ever since he finds the young brunette couldn't able to go to the Serizawa Christmas Party. Could it possibly be this is what he's been a in deep thought for a few past days ago?

"Umm… what's this, Kazama-senpai?" Chizuru questioned dumbfoundedly.

"My Christmas present, obviously." Kazama replied with a smirk, while putting his knuckles under his cheek as he watched the young brunette being innocent and cute as ever. "Try take a look."

Blinked in confusedly once more, it took a moment then Chizuru has finally decided to open a Christmas box from the President. As she untied the ribbon very carefully, her eyes widen opened in shocked.

Inside the Christmas box gift is a two pair of mittens made from wool. It fits her hands perfectly. The brunette could also felt a little soft and fluffly as she put it on them.

She wasn't expected to have receive such an amazing gift from the President before. At first, she was expecting that her boyfriend would bought her an expensive necklace or accessories from overseas or something.

—But mittens.

She didn't know why but she felt so happy somehow. Although it sadden her a little when her father couldn't able to make it here, but receiving a Christmas present from her lover somehow brings her sadness vanished away.

"They're beautiful, Kazama-senpai. Where did you bought this?" Chizuru said, putting her hands on her cheeks, feeling a pleasant warmth on her face.

"I made it."

"Ahh… so that's how it is. You made—"

As she understood his answer very clearly, the young brunette jolted right there in surprised. It was almost as if the thunder was striking right through her from the window.

"Y-Y-You made it.. Kazama-senpai…?!" Chizuru couldn't helped felt an urged to exclaim.

"What? Don't believe me?" Kazama said with the most proud tone on his lips.

"W-Well…" she mumbled softly, loss in words. Of course, she couldn't believe this. How come, the most arrogant and self-important President such as Kazama Chikage could know a technique of making a handicraft…?!

"Take a look."

As her boyfriend's voice brings her back to reality, Chizuru raised her face to gaze on the President, and soon, her almond-brown orbs began to wide in horror as she saw some light injured from the President's gorgeous hands.

Has he.. has he really made this glove for her?

Is this the reason why he's been quiet for a moment?

"You're.. doing this for me?" The brunette whispered softly, kinda feels a little guilty.

"As long as it could make you happy, I'm willing to do it for you even if it's difficult for me."

Once Kazama finished, Chizuru grabbed his injured hand to take a closer look, caressing it in tender and gentle one as if she didn't want to hurt him worst.

"You shouldn't do this for me, especially since it's complicated for you.." she spoke guiltily.

"Complicated, but worthy."

The President copied the red-headed lines.

After Chizuru had aid him by bandaging his hand up with the help of the first aid kit, Kazama stared at her interestingly as she put the ointment and the cloth in the metal box.

"Now, I'm waiting."

Kazama break the silent moment, in which, brings Chizuru tilted her head in confused.

"Waiting for what?"

"Your Christmas gift." Kazama stated clearly.

With those words, her eyes averted on elsewhere as she replied in a little hesitant. "I… I don't have a Christmas present for you.. I-I'm sorry Kazama-senpai." She couldn't helped but feeling so bad to herself to have forgotten to buy something special for the President despite being his lover.

"Oh, I think you're already have by now."

"Eh?"

As she blinked in confused of his words, the President's face starting to move closer to hers, and, oh she knows what does those words meant about.

Feelings her cheeks burnt up in red from embarrassingly, she pushed his face away to stop him from whatever he's trying to scheme of.

"Wait, wait, wait..! This is..! It's too soon!" She exclaimed in panic, her ears began to flush as well.

He can't do that in here…!

Showing a little frustrating and annoying behind on those crimson orbs of Kazama's, the President grabbed Chizuru's wrists so that he could tilted his head closer to hers easier. The closer the gap between them, the deep the scarlet the young brunette's cheeks are.

"If we can't do it here then when? You do realized almost everyone keep us both apart." The President growled under his breathed in threateningly. He could understand the Yukimura girl can be quite stubborn one. But he never thought that she could be this stubborn.

"Th-that is…" Chizuru murmured softly, not knowing what to say as she tries to find a word to answer him.

Oh, of course she's known that. It took several days then, the brunette noticed how almost everyone disagrees of their relationship. Whenever Kazama tried to kiss, or hug her in school, one of her friend would often pretended to bump into them and starts the usual conversation, and the next thing they knew, they pulled her arm and telling the President that they had some urgent to do with the brunette. She could understand how much caring they are for her, but being a little— no, too much over-protective is kinda getting on her nerve somehow.

If the only there's a way to stop being an over-protective family toward her.

As she was in a deep thought, she hadn't realized until now that there was a soft and warm feeling on her lips. The next thing she knew that she realized that the President had plunged his lips on hers while she was distracting herself from thinking about the others in school.

Slightly stunned from receiving another sudden kiss from Kazama, the brunette wanted so much to parted their lips away but knowing that her strength was no match to the President, it was impossible for her to break a free from him. In which, in the end, she eventually given up on herself, as she enjoys their kisses.

Knowing that they don't usually kissing a lot, Chizuru was pretty much suck on this kinds of stuff. She couldn't helped but feeling a little envy of Kazama's skillful kisses. If they had been kissing quite a lot, would she be as capable as the President's then…?

Feeling a little out of breathed, the brunette put her palm of hands on Kazama's broad chested, gesturing him that she needed some air in which is, Kazama gladly parted their lips her. Watching his beautiful soon-to-be-wife in admiringly, he finds her beautiful even when she was trying to catch some breathe desperately.

When she had enough air to breathe, Kazama began to pin her down on the couch, which brings their eyes gazed into nothing except each other. The perplexed look on her face was amusing the President truly.

He wanted so much to kiss her more and deeper, but he decided to keep the best part later.

Kissing his lover's forehead, cheek, ear and nose, he noticed Chizuru's cheeks began to flush in red once more. He replied with a soft chuckle on his lips. Of course, those kinds of chuckle wasn't meant in sarcasm or sadistic actually. Once he had satisfy kissing her face, Kazama began to move closer to her ear to give a seductive whisper, in which, brings the young brunette flushed in embarrassingly, just as the President predicted of.

"It's too bad you didn't hang a mistletoe in your house. …But if you had it.." a smirk formed into his lips, the President purred at that part, "I wouldn't have stop kissing you by now."

With that, Chizuru couldn't helped, felt an urged to flush in red once again.

"St-stop joking around like that!" The young brunette exclaimed in a slight of embarrassing at the thought of getting devoured by the President's lips.

"What do you mean by that?" Kazama spoke in a serious tone, narrowed his eyes slightly deeper from her words. "Of course, I'm not joking around when it comes to our relationship."

When the brunette didn't know what to speak anymore, the President continued once again;

"Do you actually think I would make a fun of your feeling toward me?"

"Of-Of course not!" Chizuru exclaimed at that. Wasn't expected to hear those lines from the President.

Guess there are times Kazama really known so well about falling in love and all.

"Then, you should be grateful that I'm doing this for you and you only," with that, Kazama's Oni President-ish mode started to disappear, return back to his usual flirty lover mode, giving a chaste kiss on Chizuru's soft cheek.

Ahhh... she couldn't understand about this man at all.

"Somehow.. I'm still not getting used to it on this kinds of thing…" The younger brunette whispered in flustered, hoping that her voice didn't reach to the President's ears. But since their space were pretty quite close, it's obviously that Kazama heard it very well, especially by the looks on his face, there was a wide smirk in which, she had a greatest urged to push the President away from her, turning on her heels to reach to her room and locked it until Christmas Eve finally over.

"Then, how about we should practice from now on?"

Kazama suggested with a very wide and dark smirk on his face. Of course, the part of 'dark' wasn't actually in malicious one.

As she heard those words from her lover, she knew so well that by meaning practice, it must've been more than just a kiss..! …Oh wait, or maybe she was being a little exaggerated.

Too exaggerated.

"W-Wait, what do you mean by that?!" She stuttered in flustered, feeling her cheeks starting to burn up once more from embarrassment.

"Obviously that, I've decided to further our relationship into deeper as soon as possible," Kazama explained clearly. "Although I would like to take our relationship grows slowly, but knowing that your friends and teachers were being too over-protective. So I think it's about time to show them off to know how much you only want me."

"W-Well, they cared for me. So it's normal that there are some people thinking about me."

"Yeah… 9 people being too over-protective like a parent." He muttered under his breathed at that. "Don't you think that they made some kind of plan to part us away?"

"They may be over-protective toward me, they may care for me like a family, they may not approve our relationship, but they would never do such a thing to part us away like this."

Kazama replied with a hum. "Sounds a bit suspicious to me."

"Talk about yourself…" Chizuru mumbled under her breathed, thankfully, this time the President didn't heard it.

After they've been spending times together in Chizuru's house, she was expecting he would eventually gave his usual goodbye kiss to her and leaves the house to make sure she would have a pleasant sleep for this night.

However, it didn't happened… yet.

"Close your eyes."

"E-Eh…?"

"Just close your eyes and trust me. There's something I want to show you"

Tilted her head in a slight of confusion. Knowing that asking more questions would brings a lot of riddles, Chizuru eventually closed her eyes just as the President demanded, waiting for whatever her lover trying to show her.

A moment then, Chizuru could felt a warm hand grabbing hers in gently one and took her to the staircase. The President has been remained quiet since he asked her to close her eyes.

Whatever he's trying to show her must be a surprised one.

Soon, as they finally arrived outside, possibly at the night of balcony, Kazama began to stop walking then.

Is this the place?

She gets a feeling that she's still in her house.

What is he trying to show her?

She couldn't helped but her curiosity is drivin' her crazy now.

"Alright," Kazama finally broke the silent. "now you can open your eyes."

With that, slowly, Chizuru fluttered her eyes opened slowly to prepare of whatever coming then. Her eyes soon lit up in joyous and happiness as she finally knows what her lover trying to show her.

The couple were in the balcony of her father's room. As she took a closer look outside the balcony, the scenery of night city about a few metres away from here looked beautiful with all those various colorful lights here and there. She could even see a big, Christmas tree that lit it up brighter than any lights at the town square. Some couple were enjoying themselves together in the city as well. It has such a great view to watch the city truly.

"It's beautiful, Senpai," Chizuru said with a full of admiringly one.

"I would be expecting you like it as well." Kazama said proudly.

Eyeing to her lover, she raised her eyebrow in curious. "How did you know this place has a great view to watch the city?"

At that question, Chizuru couldn't tell whether it's a good idea to ask or terrible one, but by looking at the other man's mischievous smirk, pretty sure she just ask a very terrible question one.

"Do you remember what happened between us when the car passed us outside your house?"

Just speaking a day when she confessed her feeling for the President kinda flushed her cheeks in embarrassing somehow.

"Y-Yeah.. why?"

"Well," Kazama began. "After I took a bath, I take an opportunity to get to know of yourself by secretly looked around the house, including several rooms." With that, he replied with another smug on his face. "As I went into your father's room, I've realized that the balcony there had such a great view to watch the city here. So I've just thought that it would be great for you to watch it later whenever you're alone and all."

"W-Wait—! Y-You went all over the rooms?!" Chizuru exclaimed in disbelief, finding her cheeks flushed in red at the thought of the President went into her room as well.

Wh-wha.. what if he thought her room looks childish and all?!

But wait, how can he tells which her father's room and hers?

As he could see through her all over it very clearly, Kazama gave a soft chuckle as he finds quite amusing of her side truly.

Damn, no matter whatever she do, the brunette girl would never fails to amuse him.

"Rest to be assured, my love," Kazama began. "I never enter your room yet, as I understand of woman's personal life. I wouldn't barging your room whatever I like unless we're both officially famuly in the future." He smirked at that part.

"A-Ahhh… o-officially family'..?" Chizuru murmured those words in embarrassingly, finding her cheeks burnt up deeper.

Smirking wider, Kazama continued once more to see his lover flushed in red even deeper.

"Ahh well.. even if we're officially family, I highly doubt that you'll be living here anymore."

At those riddles-like words, Chizuru raised her eyebrow in perplexed.

Wh-what does he mean..?

Before Chizuru could say more, Kazama continued then;

"Rather than staying here," the President tilted his head closer to Chizuru's ear to give a soft purred, "you will eventually live in my manor as my wife, the queen heir of Kazama famuly."

"W-Wife..?!" and Queen?! She squeaked at that word. She couldn't tell whether she was supposed to be embarrassed or happy for this. But of course, she's actually feeling too embarrassed about this as speaking about their future is too soon for her. "St-stop speaking something embarrass, senpai.." As she said that, she covered her face with her palm of hands as she realized her ears were joining to flush in red as well.

"Embarrassing? What are you talking about?" Kazama raised his eyebrow in perplexed. "Of course everything I said is the truth; you're belongs to me and me only, our destiny can never change no matter how many times you're try to escape it." He gave a smug at that, watching the poor girl feeling flustered at their 'future' fate.

Too embarrassed to speak a word, Chizuru could only reply with a groan then.

The other man replied with a chuckle, he gripped her chin with his fingers closer to take a good look on his lover, his smirk never faded away from his face.

"Cute."

At that, Kazama moved closer to give another chaste kiss on her lips then.

They stayed right there while feeling fascinating watching down on the beautiful, night, scenery city. Until around midnight then, Kazama bids her farewell before he went into his black limo car.

As soon as Chizuru changed herself into her yellow pajamas with cute brown pattern bears, she laid herself on the soft bed, letting herself having such a sweet dreams.

Although she wanted so much to celebrate a Christmas Eve with her adoptive father and Kaoru together for this year, but she never expected that celebrating with Kazama—her lover, could be fun and enjoyable actually.

But still...

"Embarrassing? What are you talking about?"

"Of course everything I said is the truth; you're belongs to me and me only, our destiny can never change no matter how many times you're try to escape it."

At those words she found herself blushed in happiness. Burying her face on her pillow from embarrassment, she soon falls asleep once she had finally calmed down then..

As the Christmas party in Serizawa's place had finally over, it was almost about time for the red-headed man escorted the young lady to her manor. Silent moment formed between on them, neither of the couple started any conversation. They pretty much enjoyed this peaceful and harmony quiet atmosphere.

While walking all the way to the Suzuka's manor, a soft, and white snow started to fall down on Kyoto.

"Look, it's snowing!" Sen chirped happily as she gazed on the beautiful snowy sky to watch snowflakes fall more.

Amagiri joined as well by raising his head, feeling himself to smile upon of seeing the first snowflakes fall with someone for the first time. As the red-headed watched the older Suzuka danced in beautifully and gracefully one like a gorgeous princess, he lets his lips formed a very small smile when Sen showed one of her cute and childish side by sticking out her tongue to have a taste of snow.

"It looked like you're having some fun." Amagiri began.

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I? After all, it's the first time I've got inviting in a Christmas party like this." She replied happily. And not to mention it, I managed to get away from my mom just so I could avoid talking about arrangement marriage and stuff like that. Sen mumbled very quietly, hoping the other man didn't hear every single of her mutter.

As the older Suzuka continuedly enjoying watched the beautiful snowy scenery at the Kyoto, Sen noticed that the red-headed man had remained quiet for a moment now. There was a tint of guilty on his face.

Moved forward to the other man, Sen tilted her head in wonder, and taking a closer look on his face, hoping she could see whatever problem he had in mind behind on those ocean-blue orbs of Amagiri's.

"Something bothering you?"

"N-No." the red-headed man replied in a little hesitantly, moved his eyes on elsewhere except the honey-brown orbs one.

"That doesn't look to be fine at all." Sen spoke once more, not wanting to slide it that way. There's a chance that she might able to help his problem.

As the older Suzuka continuedly on staring at the other man for like eternity, it took a while then Amagiri has finally given up on himself, telling her whatever that's been in his head over and over. With a little hesitation, the red-headed man spoke in a very soft tone one like a whisper:

"…I'm sorry."

"For what?" Sen blinked in confused, tilting her head slightly in adorable.

"For.. leaving you alone in Serizawa's Party a moment ago."

"Again with that?" Sen couldn't helped but finds herself rolled her eyes. It's not in annoyance one, however. Though she could understand how much guilty he must has to have not coming to her sooner. After all, he did made a promise toward her personal servant that he would make sure the older Suzuka was definitely saved.

Honestly though, Sen couldn't helped but feeling a little curious as to what kind of relationship both, Amagiri and Kimigiku had. By the looks of it, they seem to have deepen their bonds before the older Suzuka met him first.

..No.

Or maybe even before she's in kindergarten.

Whenever she took a glanced of Amagiri's amazing ocean-blue orbs, there was a hidden of honest and maybe a little joyous as well to have see her personal servant once again.

It's not that their relationship is bothering her or something. Sometimes, the older Suzuka had always has a feeling of loneliness being next to the red-headed man whenever the raven-haired woman's presence exist between them.

It was almost as if the special person that could only fill his heart could only belongs Kimigiku and Kimigiku only—

Whoah, whoah, whoah.. hold the fuckin minutes. Since when Sen could ever envy of this kinds of feeling to someone, and not to mention it, her own personal assistant.

It's not that she was jealous of her or something right?

…Somehow, she couldn't helped but finds herself a bit familiar with her best friend, whom quite jealous to a certain woman, when she thought her feeling for whoever that man is one-sided.

Why should I jealous for Kimigiku? Amagiri?, Sen thought deeper as she took a glanced on the red-headed man whom looked at her in such a clueless expression on his face.

No.. no.. it couldn't be. She shook her head slightly. They've just friends several days ago. Nothing's special, nothing's more. Sure, he's great to be spends time with. But this kind of relationship is nothing but sort of a princess and a knight.

Amagiri, whom, takes a real great role of a protective knight—not over-protective. Just protective is enough. A knight, whom swore himself to the king, the queen, and the lovely princess to protect her at all cost even if it has to sacrifice his own life.

For Sen, a princess from far, far, far away land. In truth, being a wealthy daughter is tough. Very, very tough. Some commoner had always thought being a daughter of rich people has an easy life. But no.

They were absolutely wrong.

Being a rich people is tough.

Terrible.

For she, must marry some random rich man for the sake of their family.

Having an arrangement marriage is terrible one.

As there's no such thing as love between them.

She wanted so much to marry with someone she had a feeling of love, such as to marry Amagiri—

Ack!

Why did his name slip off from her thought?!

..it's not that she hates it or not..

It's just so..

—so complicated to describe of.

She likes Amagiri, that's what her thought.

She likes Amagiri as a friend.. is it…?

She couldn't tell.

At first, she was expecting she was definitely won't falls in love with someone.

And obviously, not to Kazama, as she always sees him as a brother only.

But Amagiri—

He's so—complicated to describe of.

"I suggest that we must return to your manor in haste." Amagiri break Sen's thought of his and Kimigiku's relationship, her eyes lift up into the ocean-blue ones. "Wouldn't want Miss Kimigiku worry of you more."

"Oh.. of course!," with that, Sen hopped on her heels while walking next to the red-headed man a little closer.

She wondered.. would she ever gets an answer about whatever kinds of feeling she had for this man…?

As they finally arrived at the Suzuka manor, Sen stopped right in front of the door and bowed in a very polite manner toward the red-headed man.

"Thank you for inviting me to the party. Really, it's a bit awkward, but I'm having a lot of fun spending times with you," Sen said with a proud grin.

"I am very glad you're enjoying it."

With that, they both could do nothing except smiled each other. Honestly though, somehow, they never get tired of smiling, chuckling and giggling to each other. It was almost as if their presence always makes them feel comfortable.

"Now then, I should take my leave, Lady Sen." Amagiri said with a bow. "Merry Christmas."

Upon of watching the red-headed man's broad back moved further and further, Sen couldn't helped but finds her world starting to turn grey upon of watching the other man's existent vanished in her life.

Would she ever sees him again?

"A-Amagiri—!"

When the red-headed man's name had been called from the older Suzuka in a hidden of desperate and a little grief, Amagiri stopped from mid-walking while took an eyed on Sen whom looks a bit anxious and worried, similar how men tried to touch her.

Why would she being this way…?

"Yes?"

Sen, however, did not speak a word nor reply the red-headed man. Instead, he stood right there, while looking down on the ground. She was too frightened to see him disappeared in her life again.

She was so grateful to him. Very grateful to him. Everything's what he's done had always cherished her truly. The way how he continued to support her like a knight who vow himself to protect his princess, even if it means to risk his own life.

He was the very first person to have needs someone helps her.

She hated to admit, but she obviously dislikes being a damsel in distress especially when it's her job to protect other women, especially Kosuzu and Chizuru from getting a sexual harassment by men. Despite how she was suppose to get angry for being pathetic and useless when Amagiri saved her from the other random men, though, she couldn't helped, rather than getting angry, it was more like she was… happy.

She couldn't described it very well. But for sure, whenever the other man saved her, it was almost as if her life was important to him. He couldn't live without her happiness and smile no matter. The older Suzuka could see right through his face very well; she noticed how sadden he looked whenever she vanished her smile away from her face.

He… must've cherished her as well, huh?

"…Sen."

Lifting her face up upon of hearing the other man called her. The next thing she knew, Sen could felt a very soft and warmth feeling on her forehead. It was the same feeling when she was getting a tight embraced by her personal servant. Reassuring her that it's fine to cry. It's alright to cry on other's shoulder.

It took moments to have Sen realized that this soft and warmth feeling she felt on her forehead was none other than Amagiri's lips.

His lips were soft and gentle.

Sooner or later then, the older Suzuka's heart was starting to pump up really quickly. She knew so well that this isn't anxious or fear she usually felt this time. It was different. Such an unfamiliar feeling she had experienced of in her life. A tinged of soft scarlet color were flushed on her both cheeks and ears at the same time. Although the weather here was suppose to be cold, Sen could felt her face were starting to burn up as if she was about to have a fever by now.

When seconds passed between them then, Amagiri finally moved his face away from Sen's forehead. He gave a very soft sigh of relief, slightly glad to see the older Suzuka was giving him a permission to come closer to their personal space.

As the older Suzuka had been stood there for more than 3 seconds, Amagiri had a feeling that he must be the second man(the first would be Kazama, obviously) to get this close to the older Suzuka since by looking on her expression, she's been stood there without a word, and stared at him in a blank face as if she finally realized Amagiri has been a ghost all this time.

Of course, that kind of reaction weren't mean in bad one. Probably this is the first time Sen has ever getting received an affection of friendship from other man(beside Kazama—oh wait, he didn't think Kazama has ever shown any affection toward Sen.. except maybe concern?).

"Well then," Amagiri finally break the silent moment between them. "I must leave for now." Giving his usual polite bow before the-soon-to-be-heir-of Suzuka, "Once again, merry Christmas, and have a pleasant night."

As the other man had finally leaves his presence at the manor of Suzuka, Sen, on the other hand, still stood there like a statue. Without realizing it, her hand moved to her forehead to give a soft caressed on it where the other man gave a chaste kiss.

Never would she have had ever imagined to have received a kiss from other man, not to mention it, Amagiri of all the men…!

Doki, doki

Soon, something insides her chest suddenly made such a strange loud sound. It took a moment then Sen realized that her heart was pumping even louder than ever. She knew whose fault this is to have made her feel this way.

Amagiri.

Wha—just what did that guy done to her..?!

Peeking outside the window, Kimigiku couldn't helped but feeling a little worry toward the older Suzuka.

It's getting late.

Where is she..?

It's weird how despite she and Sen doesn't have any relation blood, yet she's the only one that worry of Sen the most before Kosuzu and Kazama.

As she took a peek another window once more, she finally saw her outside from the Suzuka manor.

Ah.. there she is.

Narrowed her eyes deeper, there's something's weird going on to Sen.

What's happened to her..?

The next thing she knew, Kimigiku realized she wasn't alone actually.

There was Amagiri.

He stood there right in front of the older Suzuka. There was a very soft smile that Kimigiku rarely seen from the red-headed man. Although it's normal to see the other man was showing a very polite manner, even toward stranger. But this… that smile was the rarest one Kimigiku had ever seen before.

Could it be that smile was meant for the older Suzuka.

As Kimigiku watched whatever going happened between them rather than going outside and thanking the red-headed man for accompanied the older Suzuka, almost like a minute then, Amagiri patted Sen's head like a child, the next thing after then, his face leaned closer to Suzuka's forehead.

At first, Kimigiku had an urged to turn on her heels in a flashing light as if whatever Amagiri did just now was actually a taboo. But something stopped her however that, rather than going outside, there's still a smile on Amagiri's face. Kimigiku had a feeling that whatever the red-headed man did just now it had already been given a permission from Sen.

As soon as Amagiri finally turned on his heels to take a leave, Kimigiku began to take a glanced on Sen's face from the window. Gazing on her very closely then, she soon, finally saw the older Suzuka's expression clearly.

Instead of anxious and horrifying that Sen used to show whenever stranger men come closer to her, the older Suzuka's face was flushing in a deep of ripe tomato color on her cheeks and ears. Her eyes were filled with wondered and a little confused.

By the looking on that kind of expression, it looked like Sen has finally accepted on someone than just Kazama.

She finally accepted Amagiri in oblivious.

So that's how it is.

Kimigiku finds her lips curl upward in approved.

He's the man we've been looking for.

#kamenowriting #kazachi #kazamaxchizuru #kazama x chizuru #kazachi fic #kazamaxchizuru fic #kazama x chizuru fic #kazama chikage #chikage kazama #yukimura chizuru #chizuru yukimura